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Losing weight but don't like my new shape

9 replies

mjdle · 17/09/2024 07:49

Over the last year I've lost 2 stone. I'm 5'3 and have gone from 12st 6lbs to 10st 6 lbs so still about a stone overweight. The weight loss has slowed massively. I'm losing and gaining the same 2lbs every week. Whilst I'm happy to have lost all that extra fat, my muscle mass % hasn't gone up and I'm feeling a bit saggy, especially bum which I used to think was my best part. I had been focussing on cardio and hiit, but have decided to switch up to mostly weights. A few questions:

Does it matter when I drink protein shakes? Or is it just the total daily intake of protein that really matters.

Is a 45 minute session 4 times a week (2 x upper, 2 x lower) enough to build some muscle and get my body back in shape and not saggy?

I have been using a calorie deficit to lose weight. How will that fit into gaining muscle and any suggestions on how I can shift the last stone but start toning? Or should I just lose the weight then focus on toning?

Sorry that was a long post - any advice welcome 🙏

45 and peri on HRT (if that matters) 🙂

OP posts:
FluffyButts · 17/09/2024 08:00

Well done on the weightloss!!

Ideally have some protein within 1 hr of training - doesn’t have to be a shake, just aim to get at least 25g after your workout

4 sessions is great, do you have a specific plan?

if you are not losing weight at the moment then you’re probably not consistently in a calorie deficit, have you adjusted that as you’ve lost weight?
I would try to either up your daily output - an extra walk for example or look at your food.
Usually you need to either drop cals a little lower or it could be worth tracking really closely for a week to see if anything is creeping in

If you are new to training you can build muscle while in a deficit - so keep the training, it’s so good for you too in peri. It’s a long game though, it can take a while to build muscle

mjdle · 17/09/2024 08:08

I think you're probably right about the calories. I was writing everything down in an actual book which really worked but last few months that's fallen off.

I have a couple of plans that the gym instructor has made me. We get a free 30 min pt session every 8 weeks at my gym which is handy.

Thanks for the advice on protein and really good to hear it is possible! 🙂

OP posts:
Sanch1 · 17/09/2024 08:11

I would recommend looking at Caroline Girvan on YouTube, all free. She has lots of strength training programmes, plus she has a beginner programme. Then you could look at her Beastmode, Fuel and Iron series. Up to 6 weeks, 5 times a week, 30-40 mins each.

Proteinpud · 17/09/2024 23:32

Sorry I'm going to disagree with all the above, just to be awkward!

When you lose weight, you'll start to hit plateaus - as you're finding now, losing and regaining the same few pounds - and it's because as you get smaller, the amount of calories you need to function per day reduces. So, say for example, when you were 12 stone you were eating 2500 calories a day to maintain that weight, you then change to eat 2000 calories a day and you lose weight. Only now that you're down to 10 stone, what used to be your dieting amount is actually what you need to eat to maintain. So if you want to keep losing weight, you need to go lower. Or exercise more (as per the advice above). Fine, if it's short term - but how long is that sustainable for? How low are you going to have to go when you hit your goal weight? And then what do you do next to maintain it?

Caroline girvan gets a lot of love on Mumsnet, but she's cardio with weights. Also pretty difficult to follow if you have any kind of mobility limitations or just if you're a beginner really. It'll increase your fitness but it's not the most sustainable - you'll 'feel the burn' but that doesn't necessarily amount to a sustainable programme that will lead to a change in body shape. It's not a good programme for building muscle.

It is virtually impossible to build muscle while on a significant calorie deficit. You can get stronger, but that's not the same as building muscle. The word to note is 'build'. What are you going to build it from if you're eating less than you need per day?

My advice would be to have a break from trying to lose weight, and start with building up a bit of muscle. It doesn't mean you have to go crazy with the calories, eating at around your current maintenance level would be fine (if your weight has plateaued, then you're basically eating at maintenance) If you want to grow muscle faster, eating around 200 calories extra a day would usually be about right, and that would likely mean a very gradual weight gain on the scales, if at all (maybe 1kg in a month max) But if you're scared of the scale going back up, maintenance would be fine.

The reasons I'm suggesting this route is - as you've discovered, being 'smaller' doesn't necessarily give us the shape/look we want, but that can be influenced by exercise. Also because once you have a bit more muscle on your body, the amount of energy your body needs to get through the day increases. So whereas before you might be stuck at 10st and needing to cut calories to say, 1500 to see any weight loss, after a few months of strength training you might find that you're 10st 6, but you need 2400 to maintain and 1900 to start losing weight again. And you're no longer stuck with a plateau, or feeling like you're on a permanent diet, because losing weight on 1900 is a lot easier than sticking to 1500. And once you do start losing weight again, you find you look different, because usually what we think of as 'slim/toned' is actually showing a little bit of muscle definition.

Four times a week is plenty for strength training. Twice a week would make a big difference for most people, the biggest thing is consistency. Six months at once a week will be much more impactful than one month at six days a week.

You'll find lots of advice about strength training in the 'lifting support' threads. There's a podcast I'd recommend as well, it's cheesy/off topic in some places but the fitness advice is pretty good - Mindpump. They did an episode called 'why women should bulk' which explains what I've described above, but in much better detail!

Btw the 'protein window' thing is a myth. Possibly a marketing tool to encourage people to buy ready made shakes and bars at the gym. Concentrate on the amount you get per day, consistently, and you be fine.

mjdle · 18/09/2024 08:42

Proteinpud · 17/09/2024 23:32

Sorry I'm going to disagree with all the above, just to be awkward!

When you lose weight, you'll start to hit plateaus - as you're finding now, losing and regaining the same few pounds - and it's because as you get smaller, the amount of calories you need to function per day reduces. So, say for example, when you were 12 stone you were eating 2500 calories a day to maintain that weight, you then change to eat 2000 calories a day and you lose weight. Only now that you're down to 10 stone, what used to be your dieting amount is actually what you need to eat to maintain. So if you want to keep losing weight, you need to go lower. Or exercise more (as per the advice above). Fine, if it's short term - but how long is that sustainable for? How low are you going to have to go when you hit your goal weight? And then what do you do next to maintain it?

Caroline girvan gets a lot of love on Mumsnet, but she's cardio with weights. Also pretty difficult to follow if you have any kind of mobility limitations or just if you're a beginner really. It'll increase your fitness but it's not the most sustainable - you'll 'feel the burn' but that doesn't necessarily amount to a sustainable programme that will lead to a change in body shape. It's not a good programme for building muscle.

It is virtually impossible to build muscle while on a significant calorie deficit. You can get stronger, but that's not the same as building muscle. The word to note is 'build'. What are you going to build it from if you're eating less than you need per day?

My advice would be to have a break from trying to lose weight, and start with building up a bit of muscle. It doesn't mean you have to go crazy with the calories, eating at around your current maintenance level would be fine (if your weight has plateaued, then you're basically eating at maintenance) If you want to grow muscle faster, eating around 200 calories extra a day would usually be about right, and that would likely mean a very gradual weight gain on the scales, if at all (maybe 1kg in a month max) But if you're scared of the scale going back up, maintenance would be fine.

The reasons I'm suggesting this route is - as you've discovered, being 'smaller' doesn't necessarily give us the shape/look we want, but that can be influenced by exercise. Also because once you have a bit more muscle on your body, the amount of energy your body needs to get through the day increases. So whereas before you might be stuck at 10st and needing to cut calories to say, 1500 to see any weight loss, after a few months of strength training you might find that you're 10st 6, but you need 2400 to maintain and 1900 to start losing weight again. And you're no longer stuck with a plateau, or feeling like you're on a permanent diet, because losing weight on 1900 is a lot easier than sticking to 1500. And once you do start losing weight again, you find you look different, because usually what we think of as 'slim/toned' is actually showing a little bit of muscle definition.

Four times a week is plenty for strength training. Twice a week would make a big difference for most people, the biggest thing is consistency. Six months at once a week will be much more impactful than one month at six days a week.

You'll find lots of advice about strength training in the 'lifting support' threads. There's a podcast I'd recommend as well, it's cheesy/off topic in some places but the fitness advice is pretty good - Mindpump. They did an episode called 'why women should bulk' which explains what I've described above, but in much better detail!

Btw the 'protein window' thing is a myth. Possibly a marketing tool to encourage people to buy ready made shakes and bars at the gym. Concentrate on the amount you get per day, consistently, and you be fine.

Thanks for taking the time to respond! That all seems very logical to me, really appreciate the advice 🙂

OP posts:
thenightsaredrawingin · 18/09/2024 08:54

I have built muscle with Caroline Girvan but you need to amend it. I recommend starting with iron which is just lifting no cardio. I joined the Facebook group and then in files you can download the list of exercises for each day. The key to building muscle is lifting to near failure so you need to log what you are doing and try to increase weights. Aim for around 8 to 12 reps with the last few close to failure. The file let you log the weight and number of reps. The iron program lasts 30 days so once completed go back and do it again with heavier weights. I often pause the video if I am not near failure to increase my reps but I find the videos as great guide to form and a good programme to cover all muscle groups.

On diet I agree with the above just make sure you get enough protein in the day. I find 1.6g per kg ideal body weight a good target to shoot for for the balance between muscle growth and longitivity.

Proteinpud · 18/09/2024 13:08

Nb sorry if it sounded a little curt in my first post. I see a lot of posts on Mumsnet that seem to lead down the route of eating 1200 calories or less a day and burning out with exercise that is designed to leave you feeling awful and I find it frustrating. It gets results quickly, but it's the type of weight loss that isn't sustainable and risks leading to yo yo dieting. But people see the initial success and run with it.

I'd agree about the training close to failure with weights being key, just with the caveat of its important to get comfortable with the exercise first. Eg if you're a beginner using a machine or doing an exercise like a bench press for the first time, start with light weight until you're happy you know what you're doing and then start to add weight. If you've got access to a PT then certainly talk to them about your goals and see what they come back with. Most PTs these days seem to be more used to women wanting to build a bit of muscle and are better at recommending options to do so than they used to be.

mjdle · 18/09/2024 20:03

No I really do appreciate all the feedback and am taking it all on board. I have a couple of pt sessions so I am going to ask him to focus on weights (rather than hiit). There's a pool at the gym and I have a treadmill if I want to up the cardio.

Taking the calories into account and nutrition to docs on muscle gain and then eventually drop the cals a bit again and try and lose that last stone

OP posts:
PoachesPeaches · 23/09/2024 07:14

In the weight lifting world you generally won't eat in a calorie deficit for more than 12 weeks maximum.

You'd then either be eating at maintenance or eating in a surplus. Dieting fatigue is real. Yes it may take longer - think 2 years to goal physique etc.

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