cnith's Journal, 01 February 2016

Look for your non-scale victories: measurements, endurance, energy levels. Don't give up! 

Thank you Newnormal! I do feel more energetic and I can "feel" the toned up bod, but I can't see it! Anyway, thank you for the encouragement! 

What eating plan are you doing? Is it time to eyeball it and maybe tweak it here and there? 

The only thing that works for me is calorie counting. Weigh and measure everything for a week. I bet you'll be surprised at what that can total out to be. 

When you work out you create muscle, and it weights too so don't worry about the weight. 

I agree with notelaine! I eat LCHF AND have to watch calories. I try to weigh my food as much as possible as I have been known to pack an extra half cup worth of food into a cup measuring cup, lol. It's amazing how much a little extra here and there can add up 

I agree with JorisM3. If you look slimmer, then you are firming up and creating muscle.  

Gotta take measurements to know for sure. Would be a great thing to do today so you can track your progress and know for sure.  

"Looking" different, unless you're comparing photos, can be misleading. Trust a scale for weight loss (not necessarily fat loss) and the tape measure or the way your clothes fit for fat loss. As far as looking different, only if you have something to compare it to. I always weigh or measure my foods, and it takes time to figure out what calorie intake should be, for a gain, maintenance, or a loss. 

Oh yeah. I can easily fluctuate 5 pounds over the course of the week even when I know my food has been consistent. Keep on figure it out. We're all just a little different.  

By looking different it means I don't have the same rolls I used to, if that makes sense... like I have one less roll or it's smaller now because I don't see it. Rckc what is LCHF? And hmm... I'm eating fruits for brekkie...maybe my fruit sizes are off... Thank you guys for the encouragement! 

You might be losing inches, which is good.  

Looks like you're shooting yourself in the foot right from the off. To have your body use Fat as its primary fuel source, you need to cut off its supply of easily accessible energy....i.e., Sugar/Carbs. You were at over 60gms of Net Carbs for breakfast. This is a time of day when you are most sensitive to incoming sugars and cortisol levels are at their highest. You have effectively put your body into Fat storing mode, instead of Fat burning mode. Think of two things....1. Why do we store fat, and 2. How do we store Fat. 1. We store fat to fuel the body during times when food supply is scarce, i.e....Winter. This is common for all mammals. 2. How we store fat is very simple....we store fat through sugars and carbohydrates eaten during spring and summer, however, you have no winter, there is never a time that you cannot get carbohydrates. Here it is the dead of winter and you're over 150gms of carbs per day....you are telling your body that it's Summer and to keep storing fat. Flip the script. Artificially induce winter....Calculate the Lean Body Mass (LBM) for where you want to be. If you want to be 150lbs at 24% Body Fat, subtract Fat % from LBM, this leaves you at 114lbs LBM. Use that figure for your Calorie calculation. Drop the carbs to less than 30gms Net Carbs per day...no more than 10gms Net at any one meal, increase Fat to 65% of daily calories. Protein will take care of itself...not a concern. This is LCHF Low Carb - High Fat. If you do this...you'll lose weight, with or without exercise. You cannot outrun a bad diet. 

Mshjohn is right. Cortisol at that time of day is high. It's not that carbs are bad as much as time of day effects retention of calories from them as does the resultant high blood sugar that comes from quick in carbs. Fruit is great in moderation and weight protein and fats to slow them down. Eat them whole and eat as little processed as you can. 

Yes, don't trust the scale! However, allow a diet/workout plan 8-12 weeks before changing anything. Are you pushing yourself as hard as you could be? Maybe you should increase your workout days/time? Look at your diet and see if there's something you can tweak there too. Hey, there's no rush here! It's a lifestyle change and nothing works out perfectly the first time you do it!  

Sometimes you could be gaining muscle which ways more than fat, stick with it. 

*Muscle does NOT weigh more than fat.... 

I think Mikey meant to say that muscle is denser than fat...:) 

have you thought of reducing your carbs? I am keeping mine around 20g and I've been showing progress  

Maybe the breakdown of what your body needs vs what it's burning isn't being met? You might wanna take a look at variety of foods and water intake, sometimes a lack of certain nutrients makes the body want to hold onto what it is taking in rather than use it all as fuel.