Looking for advice?

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in_his_glory

New member
y’all, I am at a loss. I am a 24 y/o female, 5’7”, 155 lbs who is looking to gain muscle and lose fat but I am struggling big time and could use advice from personal experience. For details…
  • I am pretty active. I go to the gym about 4 days a week for weight lifting, and I work a job where I am on my feet all day 4 days a week (around 15,000 steps a day plus lifting boxes all day).
  • I have a decent amount of strength right now, but nowhere near where I want to be. (squatting ~80% bw, bench press ~60% bw. goal is to reach at least 100% plus ability to easily do body weight movements like pull-ups, pushups, etc.)
  • Vegan for 4+ years. Recently have been tracking macros and getting about 100 grams of protein, 140 grams carbs, and 50 fat. 1800-2000 calories a day
My issue is, despite paying closer attention to all of this, I am not losing any weight. If anything, the increase in protein makes me feel heavier and more bloated. I do feel like I am getting stronger, but I don’t see any fat loss. I mostly just want to have good definition and low body fat. Should I maybe refocus my plan? Eat fewer calories? Do i really need all of this protein (its expensive on a vegan diet for bars and powders etc.)? Should i maybe focus more on cardio and less on lifting? I really want to be around 130 by christmas - any advice on how to get there would be greatly appreciated!
 
@in_his_glory is it possible you actually aren’t eating enough for your level of activity? if your focus is on muscle, it can be hard to gain while cutting calories. especially if you’re very active as it is. it of course isn’t impossible and i’m not saying that by any means. you could try cutting but your calories already seem kind of low for your height and level of activity…your body could be struggling building muscle and strength due to not having enough fuel. i usually use this link as a rough estimate of daily caloric needs…i popped your info in and your maintenance calories came out at 2,549. i would honestly try eating a bit MORE and seeing what effects you notice on your strength over the next couple of weeks. your height and weight are already in healthy range so i wouldn’t focus on extreme calorie cutting for fat/weight loss.

protein should be 0.8-1.8g per kg bodyweight, you can aim towards the higher end since you are quite active. (range for you is 56-126g per day). carbs 6-10g per kg bodyweight (422-704g per day - i’d aim somewhere in the middle as the higher end is quite high and unless you are intensely working out/an athlete it may be a bit much for your needs). fats should be 20-30% of your total calories (don’t go below 20, fats are important for hormone function!)
 
@monstersstuck I came here to give this exact same advice. Too few calories. I highly recommend using a food logging app like cronometer, set your activity level where you think it fits and then try consuming what it suggests each day. You can always make small changes from there until you start seeing the results you are looking for, but if you are undercutting for too long and too much, your metabolism is likely slowing down which is working against you. I know it seems like eating more to lose weight is counter-intuitive, but that is how it works. Building muscle is by far the best way to burn more calories, but cutting while building is definitely not the ideal pairing. The philosophy I have always lived by is eat so you can build the muscle and then, when you feel like you are where you want to be in terms of strength, cut your calories to show it off. Building muscle is both more effective AND safer if you don't try to lose weight at the same time.

Also, if you can save up for it, I highly recommend buying a lower end fitbit watch so that you can look at the trends and see what your actual demands are in a day. Lifting boxes and walking a lot certainly isn't UNhealthy, but if your heart rate isn't ever really getting up there during your day, you may not be burning as much as you imagine. It is pretty great as you can pair the fitbit app with Cronometer and they will share info so you can even see a graph of intake and output for calories at a glance. Keeping in mind that calories in vs calories out isn't really a complete picture and having more muscle will definitely demand more than your heart rate will let on, but it is still a good baseline to work from. Treat your body like a system, set the calorie bar somewhere that seems right and just track your progress. If you start gaining too much, cut it back by a couple hundred calories. If you're not gaining, but you are also not getting stronger, try upping your intake a bit. You'll eventually find where you need to be and you'll learn alot about yourself in the process.
 
@in_his_glory Go to 1600 and track for a week, and if you don't lose weight at 1600 cals go to 1500, and repeat until you are dropping about a pound per week. That's all there is to it really. Try to stick to 100g protein at those calories too and I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be 130 by Christmas.
 
@dawn16 my only concern is that because I am moving around all day, the amount of calories doesnt seem to be enough. I have a past of restricting calories (1200 and running 3-5 miles a day) that was super unhealthy for me and caused me to gain all the weight plus more back in the end. I just want to make sure I do it right this time so that doesnt happen
 
@in_his_glory That's why I'd recommend a gradual drop rather than straight to 1200. If youre not losing weight it means you're at maintenance calories or even a surplus. So just gradually decrease by like 100 at a time until you start losing weight. Once you're losing about a pound per week (if you're concerned about losing too quickly aim for half a pound) stick to those calories until you stop losing weight again, and then just down by 100 calories so you're in a deficit again.

If you're really concerned about falling back into your unhealthy habits then seeing a dietician would be a worthwhile investment!
 
@in_his_glory To be quite honest with you, in order to see the most results you’re going to have to choose between either losing weight, or gaining muscle. If you want to lose weight, slightly reduce your calories and increase cardio. If you want to gain more muscle slightly increase your calories
 
@rx4belle OP is on the high end of the healthy BMI range and squatting novice numbers (according to symmetric strength standards). There is no reason she can't improve her squat and bench while also losing weight.
 
@in_his_glory If you aren’t losing weight then eat less. You could be gaining muscle = fat loss. Measurements help. Can also do progress pics

If you want to get stronger progressively overload meaning each workout or week should have you doing either more pounds per set, more reps, or less rest
 
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