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elderwanda 07-31-2010 09:59 AM

Is it possible to lose fat w/o hunger?
 
First of all, I apologize for how long this got.

I've got about 30 pounds to lose, and can't seem to lose any of it.

I'm 5' 2", 43 years old, and every ounce of that extra fat is around my middle. (I'm female)

I decided a while ago that I would focus on losing fat and not muscle. I've always been a fairly weak, nonmuscular person, and when I started logging in my food and seeing that I normally ate about 10 to 20 grams of protein per day, that explained a lot.

So, I made a goal to lose about a pound a week, which Fit Day says I should be able to do if I eat 1630 calories per day. I'm making sure to get at least 100 grams of protein per day, which has been a big change. Three days a week, I'm doing strength training exercises, like push-ups, pull-ups (modified), and squats. I'm working hard, but I assume I'm not burning a huge amount of calories there, simply because I'm not using much weight. (It's a lot for me, because I'm not very strong, but pound-wise, not much at all.)

I don't have an official plan for cardio, but I jog in place here and there when the mood strikes, and try to keep my body moving.

Well, all this has been great. I've found that sticking to 1630 calories is a bit of a challenge, but I'm only going over by a bit. I've been weighing all of my food, and logging every gram. My daily average is 1650.

The problem is, I haven't lost any weight after a month of doing this. As far as I can tell, my measurement haven't gotten smaller. I feel stronger, and I'm sure I must have gained some muscle, but I can't imagine that I've three or four pounds of muscle. It's not like I'm deadlifting 400 pounds at a time.

I'm okay with losing fat slowly, but I don't want to keep with what I'm doing if I'm not losing any fat at all. Half a pound per week is fine. Nothing per week is not fine. My 37 inch waist puts me in the "health risk" category, and I want to get rid of it.

Do I really need to eat less in order to lose fat? I know a lot of you are doing fine on 1200 calories, but I just can't manage that. If I eat less than I'm eating now, then every ounce of energy goes into trying to resist the urge to eat. If 1650 cal/day is what I need to maintain my "health risk" weight, that really sucks!

What else can I do? Oh yes, I'm drinking tons of water. And I don't tend to get premenstrual symptoms, like water gain, so I doubt if that comes into play.

Help!

Evelyn

wannabefitgrl 07-31-2010 10:28 AM

It sounds like the only thing you're not working hard at is cardio...which may be exactly what you need to lose the fat. Try working more cardio into your days. And keep in mind that cardio doesn't necessarily need to have you huffing and puffing and exhausted. The best exercise to lose weight will make you breath deeply (slightly out of breath), but won't have you gasping for air. To lose weight, the muscles need to be getting enogh oxygen during exercise, otherwise they just burn sugars.

Depending on how fit you are now, walking could be enough to get your heart pumping and get you breathing deeply, especially if you have a hill or two to go up and down. The exercise itself doesn't have to be very intense, as long as you do lots of it; long gentle exercise is the key to fat loss.

Also, if you're aimin for a half a pound to a pound of weight loss a week, you need a calorie deficiet of 250-500 a day, on average, over the course of a week. So the exercise you do needs to be burning more calories than you're taking in. This is where some people find it easier to cut back calories, but if you just up your exercise, you don't need to eat less.

Keep posting with your frustrations and we'll all try to help!

almeeker 07-31-2010 12:55 PM

I'm in a similar boat with you, 41 with about 30 pounds (35 actually) to lose and it all seems to be in either my belly or my thighs. The weird part is that I look back at old photos of me when I was at this weight and my stomach was darn near flat, so I've lost a lot of weight, but my fat is all in different places now.

I'm with you on the calories, too much less than 1,500 - 1,600 and I'm just mean and prone to spiraling out of control binges. I do cardio about 5 hours/week, and to up that just might kill me, so I'm thinking I need to keep a very close eye on the protein intake, maybe add an extra hour of weight lifting every week, switch a workout from running to swimming, and focus on keeping my calorie deficit higher. I don't know, this battle is getting much harder and the fat I have left is more cunning than my brain...

maryann1950 07-31-2010 01:01 PM

I think you may be gaining muscle! just keep at it. If you don't lose much be comforted knowing you are getting fit. By the way muscles burn more fat as they build up. Good luck. I'm pulling for you. :)

elderwanda 07-31-2010 03:18 PM


Originally Posted by maryann1950 (Post 17297)
I think you may be gaining muscle! just keep at it. If you don't lose much be comforted knowing you are getting fit. By the way muscles burn more fat as they build up. Good luck. I'm pulling for you. :)

I've considered that; it just seems unlikely to me that I've built up enough muscle to be measured in pounds. A couple of pounds of muscle is a lot, if you think of something like steak. Then again, unlike the last time I tried weight training, twenty years ago, this time I'm eating enough protein.

I'm definitely feeling stronger, so that's good.

I agree with the other poster (whose name isn't visible to me as I type this), that it's probably that I haven't been doing enough cardio. I just get worn out so easily, being unfit, that it's hard to really get into it. Whatever I do has to be something that won't aggravate my foot injury, can be done in the house or at least with kids who hate physical activity in tow. So mostly I'm jogging around the living room a little. I find that it's hard to make cardio exercise a planned, regular part of my schedule, because some days it makes my foot start hurting immediately, or is just too tiring. Some days I can jog in place for 45 minutes and feel great, other times I'm exhausted and feeling really cruddy after two minutes. Same thing with walking. So, I can do what I can, but I can't count on being able to burn X amount of calories that way. If that makes sense. Strength training is more satisfying because although I use challenging weight, I rest quite a while between sets. So, I get worn out, but in a good, healthy-feeling way.

But yeah, I guess I need to make it a priority to get in better cardio-vascular condition. I've found that whenever I start a cardio fitness regimen, everything is great for a few weeks, then I get sick or something, and end up less fit than I was before, and can't quite get into the groove again.

midwestj 07-31-2010 04:40 PM

If you start to consume whole natural foods (I call em 1 ingredient foods) you will really be surprised how much you can eat while still restricting your calories. I'm male and get about 2300-2400 a day, and I feel like I'm eating more food quantity wise than I was before starting fitday, yet I am losing weight. I keep hunger in check by staying hydrated and if I need to curb a craving fast a small serving of mixed nuts and some cottage cheese does a good job, or a whey protein drink.

Verschof 07-31-2010 05:29 PM

What are you eating? Diet makes a huge difference in how you look - the percentages of fats/carbs/protein doesn't matter as much as what you are actually eating (processed food is worse than unprocessed foods, for example).

I've just started following the Primal Blueprint 'lifestyle' and it has done wonders for me, I suggest you check it out! =)

collegefbfan8898 08-01-2010 10:16 AM

I will have to second everything everyone has said on here. I am 35 and have more than 30 pounds to lose, but I would be extremely happy with a 30 pound loss. Some things that have helped me: Cardio and a lot of it. I still do weight workouts also. I am trying to do ANYTHING FOR MOVEMENT honestly. Last night, I had a great workout with circuit weight training with riding the exercise bike. Diet is key. To be honest, I sometimes eat below the number of calories I am supposed to. Not by choice, but when I eat whole good, protein rich foods, I'm not as hungry as often, etc.

Keep on working at it. Maybe throw in some more cardio. Make it a little bit tough and break a good sweat, etc. Remember: Diet is the key also.

midwestj 08-01-2010 10:37 AM

@Collegefbfan8898
As a man you have to be careful about not eating enough calories, as this can lower your testosterone and that can sabotage your efforts to lose weight, build muscle, and transform your body. Testosterone helps you build muscle and lose body fat, so I make sure I get enough to eat.

collegefbfan8898 08-01-2010 11:02 AM

Thanks for the info. Counting the mini pizza, I am sure to go over or be near my calories for the day. I am sure to get enough calories in the upcoming week as some of my family doesn't know the meaning of healthy eating especially on vacation. After that week, work will be back in full swing, and I will have many great chances to eat healthy meals and snacks.

Thanks.

tandoorichicken 08-01-2010 12:30 PM

Hi elderwanda,

Don't think for a second that you need to deadlift 400 lbs to build any appreciable muscle! The beauty of weight training is that it's based on relative measures. A smart trainer will tell you it's not the absolute weight that builds muscle, but a percentage of the maximum you can lift in any one all out effort (your one rep max, abbreviated 1RM). Of course, as you get stronger this number will change. But if deadlifting 95 lbs for 5 is your limit, then by all means lift 95 lbs for 5 and you'll still gain muscle as long as you lift with intent and intensity!

CybNeo 08-02-2010 06:27 AM

Everyone has good points here. To get faster results always follow 3 rules.

1. Diet: Not just counting calories, make sure its healthy calories (no pizza). You also need to time your meals. Nutrient timing is crucial to boost your metabolism. Try eating smaller meals through out the day. Supplements also helps. vitamins, fish oil...

2. Cardio: Jogging in place is a start. If you have some space try sprinting short distances back and forth. If you have foot injuries try a stationary bike.

3. Weight training: Try training larger muscle groups like legs. Focus on squats and lunges.

A lot of people here focus on total weight loss, which is not an accurate measure of progress. Get yourself a percent body fat scale to really measure how much your losing and how much muscle your gaining.

Keep it up and you will see results...


AJ

My Blog: Easy Fitness Planner Blog

elderwanda 08-05-2010 05:03 PM

It's been a few days. Thanks for all the replies.

A lot of the stuff people suggest, I'm already doing. Like eating whole foods. I eat almost no multi-ingredient foods. I'm pretty much gluten-free, since gluten gives me dizzy spells. I eat a bowl of oatmeal (not instant) each day, but that's it for grains. I eat chicken breast, fish, and canned tuna, either with steamed veggies or veggies cooked with a bit of olive oil. Most days I have lowfat cottage cheese with canned fruit. Another food I eat most days is a rice cake with natural peanut butter. The one place where there's room for improvement is that there's also a little bit of chocolate in my diet, and a hard cider now and then. Not every day, mind you, but once or twice a week. Enough to account for about 400 calories of my weekly total, these days. If I replaced those with a plate of steamed broccoli, that would be much more impressive, but I'd be a miserable weirdo who has broccoli when she could be having a cider. :eek:

No soda, lots of water. I eat out about once a year these days. No Starbucks.

As far as weight training, I'm doing only major muscle groups. Not triceps kickbacks for me. I do squats, pull-ups, and push-ups. That kind of stuff.

So, I don't know. Since starting this thread, I've gained another pound. I have started doing more cardio, and bought a heart rate monitor so I can work at an appropriate intensity.

Maybe I really do maintain at 1700 or so. I guess people do. That would explain why I gained weight so easily. I've never been a junk food eater, although I used to eat a lot more bread and a lot less meat.

Oh well. No one said life was fair.:(

midwestj 08-05-2010 08:08 PM

If your maintenance is 1700 try cutting down 400-500 calories. If you pick the right foods you won't have to fight a battle with hunger. Mixed nuts and eggs are good foods to keep you full for a long time.

Make sure you count those extra calories burned from exercise towards your calorie balance, it will allow you to eat more food, and 400 calories can be a decent meal.

Alcohol calories must be metabolized before food calories, and hinder absorption, so its best in moderation.

waynegretzky 08-07-2010 01:48 PM

Hi Elderwanda, my wife couldn't lose weight until she dropped down to 1200 calories a day. But she is never hungry. Lots of vegetables and fruit takes a lot of the diet without adding up to lots of calories. A huge plate of salad before dinner and most nights there is not a whole lot of room for much else! Try just eliminating the highest calorie foods you are eating first.

Darlahobson 08-07-2010 06:30 PM

I hate to tell you, but at our age range (I'm 45), unless you are very active, you're probably going to have to either really do a LOT of cardio or you're going to have to cut your calories down closer to 1200. 10 years ago, I could lose weight steadily at 1800 cals and moderate exercise. No more. If I target 1200 cals, and stay within 1200-1400 range, I am lucky to creep off a pound a week. Sometimes it's a half a pound, and sometimes I can be perfect and gain weight. It's not fair, but it's just the way it is.

The trick is to really make those calories count! We do not have room for extra's, and planning your menu the day before really helps. You can make "exchanges" if things don't go the way you expect, or if you crave something different. But you have to plan.
Add extra veggies wherever you can, because it helps bulk up your meals helping you feel fuller. And don't make the mistake of eating fat free everything. You need healthy fats at every meal to help you feel satiated. For instance, I have apple slices and old fashioned peanut butter for a snack or string cheese and whole grain crackers. The fiber and fat, with a glass of crystal light or water really helps get me through the afternoon.

If I do at least 45 mins to and hour of cardio 5 days a week, do something active every day, and stay at 1200 to 1400, I can get it off slowly. You can too. Also, don't forget to build muscle with light weights. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns - even at rest.

anad64 08-12-2010 05:21 PM

before you cut down your calories why don't you try rotating them? stay at average of close to 1700 (example: Monday 1400 cal, Tuesday 1600, Wednesday 1800, Thursday 2000, Friday 1400, Saturday 1600, Sunday 1800 => 1657 cal avg/day). Rotation of calories this or similar way help you not to go into starvation mode - the highter calorie day "consfuses" your body sending the signal "no diet, there's enough of food". I had a very good results few years back when I needed it (lost this way 20 pounds). Of course all the other advises already mentioned in this thread (cardio, clean food, etc) are needed too

if your wght stays same after 2 weeks, go lower about 100-200 cal or/and add cardio...play with it :)

funny thing, when I was doing rotation of calories, I usually got the weight drop the very next day AFTER the highest calorie day....strange ;)

good luck

(to me too, cause I am back to lose 15 pounds after maintaining my "good" wght about 7 years...last year I quit smoking so I gained what I previously lost. I do know this time around it will be bit harder even with rotating calories because I am older now and all the jazz...it was NOT easy for me first time around either, I have thyroid problem - so back to what I learned few years back on physiuquetransformation.com

oh, also, my mom lost this way about 30 pounds 2 years ago and she is 68 years old now! (she did not go too "scientificaly" into this but she did switch highter and lower days maintaining average of 1500-1600 cal/day)...she's my motivation now :) I only wish I'd have at least half of HER energy too! She goes on long walks every day...


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