Any tips for better fat loss?

[charlesting]

Hi, this is my first post but I’ve learnt so much through this amazing group, so thank you all! I’m 42, 162cm (5ft3) and about 60kg (132 pounds). This is the heaviest I’ve ever been and I’m not happy here. My goal is body recomp, since after 9 years of terrible diets ending in disordered eating, I don’t want to do low-calorie diets anymore.

Right now I’m eating 1600 cals a day, about 100g protein, following Natasha Oceane’s Cut program which is 3 strength /plyometric workouts and one HIIT per week, plus I walk between 3 and 15km (1.8 to 9 miles) a day (I have an under-desk treadmill).

I’ve been doing this consistently for about 7 weeks and have been excellent with my eating about 90% of the time. But, I haven’t seen any difference in fat loss or muscle. To be fair, I don’t use scales because it demotivates me, but I look the same and my clothes fit the same.

Do I just need to stay the course or tweak something? I have no idea what my BMR is after almost a decade of dieting. 1600 is far more than I’ve ever eaten in an attempt at fat loss but thought the exercise would help keep me in a deficit. Any advice appreciated!

 

[aabel]

@charlesting If you are anti scale, get a measuring tape and track your measurements. Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean that the changes aren’t happening. We are often the last ones to notice.

I don’t know anything about the particular program you mentioned, so I can’t speak to whether or not it’ll help you build muscle.

Keep up the hard work!

 

[charlesting]

@aabel I think you are right. I’ve avoided any type of measuring because it has the ability to derail me and send me into a spiral. But using a measuring tape I can probably do. Thank you so much for your thoughtful response!

 

[christiandad]

@charlesting I have lost 15 lbs over the last year and I honestly can barely tell the difference between my progress pics

I find the most effective thing is accurately tracking calories and trusting the deficit. I do it on totals for a weekly basis and if I'm consistently at a deficit I'm losing weight whether or not the scale is ready to show it yet.

If you want a little more feedback, one thing you could do is have someone close to you look at the scale every month or every week instead of you. Then they can just tell you if you're heading the right direction or not!

 

[charlesting]

@christiandad Haha wow that’s rough I bet if you posted before and afters here we’d all be cheering for the changes! I think the deficit is my biggest question mark. It’s such a guess at the best of times and I feel like I gain weight just looking at food! I’m happy to keep going and see what happens over the next four weeks…and I like the idea of someone else looking at the scale!! Thank you

 

[bubble5]

@charlesting Intermittent fasting has been the game changer for me, I usually do around 20:4 because I wasn't losing at 16:8 but I have an extra tough circumstance. 55/F/5'0"/small frame-down 6 pounds since January 1, BMI currently at 22.5.

 

[charlesting]

@bubble5 I did IF for about a year and it was good but ultimately contributed to my poor relationship with food. :/ I love the idea but can’t put myself through that again lol. I’m so glad to hear you’re seeing it work though!! Lots of great benefits to fasting.

 

[foxhound0123]

@charlesting Are you doing the cut program after some sort of build program? Good to know whether or not you were eating more before this cut. If you were not, you might see faster results if you were to do a short ‘build’ program, lifting heavier and eating more cals and protein for 6 weeks or so and then cutting. After building a bit more muscle, your body will already be used to burning more cals.

This comment would have freaked me out a year ago but I can say that after not being afraid to eat more ( I went from 1200 to 2200 gradually), I’m the most slim and fit on a cut than I’ve ever been. I can tell I’m making progress during a cut when I can start seeing my abs more and some veins as well.

 

[foxhound0123]

Btw, I love Natasha Oceane, she is legit.

 

[charlesting]

@foxhound0123 Isn’t she amazing! I have been doing some strength training for a few weeks before this but no idea if I was in a surplus or not because I was doing intuitive eating (thank you Natacha once more for changing my life away from dieting!!!!). I couldn’t decide whether to do Build or Cut but I decided I wasn’t ready to gain fat again like I did (badly) the first time I did her Build program.

Thank you for the insight, that’s definitely worth thinking about. It’s tough when I really have no clue what my BMR is. It could be 800 for all I know, after all the damage I’ve done

 

[foxhound0123]

@charlesting I hear you. I felt the same but tracking really helped me to figure it out. I had a good idea of where I was, I was assuming my TDEE was 1700 since I was consistently losing weight while eating around there and working out a few days a week. The I went to go get a body scan and found out my BMR is around 1450 and TDEE 2250. This helped so much. Now I confirmed that I can easily lose at 1700 if I’m working out because I’m in a deficit as long as I’m active.

I think ‘build’ is possible without too much fat gain if you pay attention to the macros. I aim for at least 120g of protein. Maybe even eating at what you figure you maintenance to be. I found I can successfully build some muscle without too much fat gain if I’m eating in a surplus (2500) and doing progressive overload (I only life 5-8lb weights so working up to 10 is where I’m at lol). I also walk a lot during these periods which ultimately helps keep the fat off! After learning that muscle heals so much with my metabolism and easier weight loss, it’s so worth it to me to gain a little. If I was to do a summer cut, spring is actually the perfect time.

For transparency, I am 5’4, 125lbs and currently 18.5%bf.

 

[charlesting]

@foxhound0123 Ok, the light bulb has gone on haha. I’ve been avoiding all measurements because I really really really don’t want to see the number on the scale. But either a scale or measuring tape are the only way to see if what I’m doing is working and show me where I need to go with my calories.

Thank you so much for sharing your story, it’s been so helpful! Where you’re at now physically is pretty much my goal, so it’s nice to see that you can eat like a normal person and get those amazing results. Thank you!