Please help build weight loss/muscle build routine!

[frater_domus]

Hey everyone I'm 5'3, 130lbs, 31% body fat and gained over 15lbs since the pandemic (~115lbs pre-2020). I've been very concerned b/c I developed significant amount of fat on my stomach due to a poor diet and genetics.

I live a very sedentary life where I sit down 90% of the day. The last 5 weeks, I've been doing 20-40min on the treadmill (at 3.5 speed + 1.5 incline) with some bootyful beginnings weight exercises. I have an at-home gym with a treadmill, dumbells, barbell bar, Z-bar, and pulley. I feel great, but I'm not losing any weight!

I try to do less than 1200 calories but the scale won't budge! I am a vegetarian (no dairy, no eggs, no meat, no fish) and am trying a high protein diet (100g) with vegetables and some carbs. Before this, I had a poor diet with lots of junk food. I know that fat cannot be spot reduced, but Idk what i'm doing wrong to not see even a pound loss in the last 5 weeks. It is very frustrating

My end goal: to lose 10lbs and build muscle all around my body.

I know many say to eat a clean diet and workout, but can you PLEASE help me with a specific routine I can do?

 

[worldprayerchain]

@frater_domus How long have you been exercising? If it is a month or so, then don’t worry. When you start exercising first your body goes through a lot of changes. Many people see weight gain during that initial period due to water retention, muscle soreness etc. Wait for few more weeks before you decide the current routine is not working for you. You can checkout Caroline Girvan’s program to add to your routine. They are quite good.

 

[frater_domus]

@worldprayerchain I've been exercising like 4 weeks only; but i thought i'd see some change on the scale but was wrong lol. i saw on youtube that a cutting diet should get me to lose 1-2lb per week but no change. I want to gain muscle, which i know i have to eat more for, but i'm worried it might cause a weight gain without losing fat. do you have any advice?

 

[km34]

@frater_domus On a very similar journey (4"11" CW140) and I commiserate! In my experience, I started cico (loosely 1200cals) without working out/lifting and that's where I saw the more obvious scale gains, but since I've starting lifting regularly and eating at closer to 1300ish cals I've seen much less day to day losses but can feel myself (and see to an extent) getting more toned as I hopefully build some muscle back that I think I lost in the initial stages of my weight loss. It's just been much slower going but I'm relying on diligent cal counting to make sure I stay on that deficit

 

[frater_domus]

@km34 thanks for sharing! i tried a calculator which says my maintenance is 1500cal, so i've been doing 1200cal but saw no results in the last 4 weeks the scale didn't move at all, but i noticed my stomach lost like 2 inches which could be water weight.

i want to gain muscle, which is why i eat 100g of protein daily, but i'm worried eating anything more won't help me burn this stubborn fat.

i want to try CICO, but idk how to calculate how much calories i'm burning in the gym. i saw the apple watch can monitor that, but i'm in a tough financial spot atm. any advice?

 

[timothy1212]

@frater_domus you cant build any muscle if you eat 1200 cals. and you gotta eat more protein than that.

 

[frater_domus]

@timothy1212 i eat 1200 cal, but it is high protein at 100g of protein. do you know how much i should be eating, given my height is 5'2, 130lb, and 31% BF? i'm worried eating more might not help me burn fat.

 

[randalthor1604]

@frater_domus i started my fitness journey the first week of july. i did not see any weight come off until early august. i was eating in a deficit and working out HARD— i mean i was sweating during all my workouts, running, using the elliptical, lifting heavy, everything. i think the stagnation at first is normal. you could also be gaining muscle at the same time. i think that happened to me.

it really sucked not seeing the scale move. but now i’m down from 152 to 136, and the pounds have seemed to fall off in the last month. so give it some time!

oh and also, you should not be eating less than 1200 calories. your body needs more energy that that, especially if you are working out. other people can probably chime in more about calorie recommendations, i am not too well versed in it.

 

[frater_domus]

@randalthor1604 wow that's amazing, thanks for sharing! my goal is to burn fat, and gain muscle. i tried a calculator which says my maintenance is 1500cal, so i've been doing 1200cal but saw no results in the last 4 weeks. i want to gain muscle, which is why i eat 100g of protein daily, but i'm worried eating anything more won't help me burn this stubborn fat.

how did your caloric intake differ from before and after your weight loss journey?

 

[randalthor1604]

@frater_domus if your exercising i would think it would be a bit above 1500… i go to the gym 4-5 days a week and i think my tdee is ~2000. gaining muscle is really helpful because it increases your tdee. so recomping at the beginning of weight loss can be helpful.

my caloric intake was probably awful before i decided to take my health/weight seriously. i honestly don’t know, but i probably was pushing 3000 calories a day. i ate a lot of junk food and went through a few bags of chips each week. i ate just whenever i was bored, not because i was hungry. but now i feel a lot better (physically) because i’ve been prioritizing healthy and balanced meals. now i do about 1500-1800 calories depending on the day. but it’s really hard to count, i’m in college and i eat out a lot + i drink on the weekends. i have a few posts on my profile with more info