Frustrated about my lack of measurable progress

Bobbi-B

Bobbi-B

Cathlete
I have been working out 5 to 6 times a week for five and a half months, and logging everything I eat. For the past three months, I have lost neither pounds nor inches, despite the fact that I have noticed significant strength, endurance, and cardiovascular gains. In other words, I am in better shape, but it doesn't show, so I am the only one who knows it!

This morning I took my measurements, and they are exactly the same as three months ago, which is what is sparking this little rant. I was fine with the scale not moving, because I figured all my hard work would mean I would be getting trimmer.

While I do appreciate the fact that I can work out harder and longer, it's very frustrating to work so hard and not look any fitter. I'm not overweight (I'm 5'9" and my weight ranges between 145 and 150 lbs.) but I would like to look more toned, ideally by replacing a few pounds of fat with muscle.

Any ideas about what is going on?! :confused:

P.S. I eat between 1200 and 1800 calories a day, and I eat a relatively clean, wheat-free vegan diet.
 
Last edited:
I do have an idea, but I don't think you are going to like it:eek: First of all your weight seems really healthy for you. And also it may be time to consider that while you have great (even admirable habits) that if you continue these particular habits this is the physique you will continue to have.

So this is what you are going to dislike so much. I have a friend who is a personal trainer (as am I). She has been a vegetarian for 15 years and it exceptional at making healthy organic food choices. For the past several years she has been working diligently at adding muscle to relatively no avail and like you has been very frustrated. We talked about it a lot since I on the other hand can gain muscle just looking at a dumbbell which can be just as frustrating. But here's the thing, I eat a lot of animal protein, I really, really crave it to distraction. So about a year ago my friend started to up her protein. She started with whey shakes after her workouts and really quickly added some muscle definition. About 6 months ago while working with a holistic nutritionist they suggested that her body was really craving animal protein. So she started adding free-range organic meat first once a week, then several times a week, then daily. Her muscle definition now is really nice and it improved very quickly. Basically it kind of goes back to you are what you eat, she initially did not have enough protein building blocks to build the type of muscle she was desiring.

I travel for work as a national presenter in the fitness industry. When I sit in front of a class I can tell you the ratios of macro-nutrients the students consume by the makeup of their body. I often have a strength athlete sitting next to a vegetarian/vegan and it is really apparent by their body composition.

What food we use to nourish our body is a very private and individual decision and as long as it is well thought out I am pretty open to any meal plan. The thing we need to think about in this situation is what is your true goal, to eat a vegan diet or to have more musculature. Which ever decision you make I wish you well.

Shayne
 
Thanks Shayne, I appreciate your very tactful response. I can't bring myself to eat animals, but I can focus on upping my protein from plant-based sources. I know several vegans who are competitive bodybuilders, so it's hard for me to think that my comparatively measly goals are incompatible with veganism.
 
I think increasing your plant-based protein is a good idea. You might want to look at your cardio too, perhaps consider adding more on your weight days.
 
Thanks LaughingWater, that idea fits nicely with the extra cardio I just tacked on to the 4-week rotation I'm starting today. I'm walking a half-marathon in a month and I decided I'd better up my walking mileage in addition to my regular "sweaty" cardio and weights. It will be interesting to see what, if any, effect this has on my body.

As for the protein, I'm still experimenting to find a non-soy protein powder that doesn't make me gag. Lots of people swear by Vega brand, but I can't stand it! I love my soy protein powder, but I don't want to overdo it. It's hard without wheat, because seitan is such a great protein source. I get a lot of my protein from beans and whole grains, but obviously they also contain a healthy dose of carbs.

Anyway, thanks to both of you for your ideas! :)
 
I'm with you ~ I find Vega pretty gross.
smiley-sick007.gif


Have you tried Pure Advantage's Pea Protein? It's the only one I could deal with (adding a banana helped a ton).
 
LaughingWater said:
I'm with you ~ I find Vega pretty gross.
smiley-sick007.gif


Have you tried Pure Advantage's Pea Protein? It's the only one I could deal with (adding a banana helped a ton).
Click to expand...

I haven't tried it, but now I will, thanks! I always add a frozen banana to my protein smoothies.
 
Besides soy protein, you might want to give hemp protein a try? Some of the other posters on this forum like hemp protein once you get use to it, and you could probably find it in any health food store or co-op.

Callygrrl
 
Bobbie you are so fortunate to have friends that are vegan competitive body builders. What a great resource to help you. I am sure they would be so excited to share with you what they have learned and what has helped them. I think body builders are just fascinating to talk to. Good luck.

Shayne
 
NRG Woman said:
Bobbie you are so fortunate to have friends that are vegan competitive body builders. What a great resource to help you. I am sure they would be so excited to share with you what they have learned and what has helped them. I think body builders are just fascinating to talk to. Good luck.

Shayne
Click to expand...

Thanks Shayne! Funnily enough, I hadn't thought of talking to them about this before (mostly we talk about our dogs!) because they focus so much on eating several thousand calories a day and building lots of muscle, so my goals have felt so different from theirs.
 
You said how many calories you've been eating, but not how much exercise you get - how many calories are you burning? You should be only in a small deficit every day- about a 300 calorie deficit - with the occasional day at maintenance or above. Your body might be holding on to every bit of fat it can get because your're not feeding it enough. I burn 2800-3500 or more calories a day - 1200/1800 calories a day would be way too low for me for longer than a week or two. You can deprive yourself of calories (and nutrients) at a higher rate to try to lose weight faster, but your body's smarter than that and won't let you starve yourself, so it slows down your metabolism. You're better off trying to hit a much lower target of about .5 lbs a week than continuing to be frustrated that your body won't let you lose weight faster. In 6 months, you could lose 12 lbs of body fat, instead of spending another 6 months here.

It seems counter-intuitive, but sometimes the best thing to do is eat more, not less. The right foods of course, and drink lots of water, get lots of protein, whole grains, etc.

If you are an athlete and training that way, you might want to pick up a book on Vegetarian Sports Nutrition. Vegetarian athletes need to eat differently from meat eating athletes.

And remember, you want to lose body fat, not weight. Body composition matters, not the numbers on the scale, especially if you do resistance training and have some muscle on you.
 
As a fellow vegan, I can recommend:

Vega Sport protein (NOT the Whole Food Health Optimizer) actually tastes pretty good. I'm also a fan of the Sun Warrior Brown Rice Protein, which is pretty good, especially when blended with a little fruit.

That being said, I actually LIKE Vega. I do 1 cup of frozen berries with 2 scoops of the berry flavor Vega and coconut milk, and it's awesome. Or Vega Vanilla Chai with pumpkin puree and frozen bananas and almond milk. Good stuff.
 
Morningstar, you burn way more calories than I do! But I remember reading in another thread about how much you walk, so it makes sense. I burn around 2000 calories a day, sometimes 2200, sometimes less on a rest day. I use a BodyBugg, and I've found that if, according to the BodyBug, I average a 500 calorie deficit, I maintain my weight. I'm not sure if it overestimates my calories burned, or if my food logging is in error, or both, but if I eat more I gain weight, and I'm not willing to eat less than I eat now, for reasons you summed up nicely.

My weight staying the same is fine, I can't go much below what I weigh now anyway without looking too skinny. What bugs me is that my measurements are the same after three months of consistent exercise (including strength training) and healthy eating. Shouldn't I be smaller even though I weigh the same? Maybe I should eat more and do more cardio to burn off what I'm eating, just to see if that cranks up the fat burning/muscle building machine hiding inside of me?

morningstar said:
You said how many calories you've been eating, but not how much exercise you get - how many calories are you burning? You should be only in a small deficit every day- about a 300 calorie deficit - with the occasional day at maintenance or above. Your body might be holding on to every bit of fat it can get because your're not feeding it enough. I burn 2800-3500 or more calories a day - 1200/1800 calories a day would be way too low for me for longer than a week or two. You can deprive yourself of calories (and nutrients) at a higher rate to try to lose weight faster, but your body's smarter than that and won't let you starve yourself, so it slows down your metabolism. You're better off trying to hit a much lower target of about .5 lbs a week than continuing to be frustrated that your body won't let you lose weight faster. In 6 months, you could lose 12 lbs of body fat, instead of spending another 6 months here.

It seems counter-intuitive, but sometimes the best thing to do is eat more, not less. The right foods of course, and drink lots of water, get lots of protein, whole grains, etc.

If you are an athlete and training that way, you might want to pick up a book on Vegetarian Sports Nutrition. Vegetarian athletes need to eat differently from meat eating athletes.

And remember, you want to lose body fat, not weight. Body composition matters, not the numbers on the scale, especially if you do resistance training and have some muscle on you.
Click to expand...
 
Afreet said:
As a fellow vegan, I can recommend:

Vega Sport protein (NOT the Whole Food Health Optimizer) actually tastes pretty good. I'm also a fan of the Sun Warrior Brown Rice Protein, which is pretty good, especially when blended with a little fruit.

That being said, I actually LIKE Vega. I do 1 cup of frozen berries with 2 scoops of the berry flavor Vega and coconut milk, and it's awesome. Or Vega Vanilla Chai with pumpkin puree and frozen bananas and almond milk. Good stuff.
Click to expand...

Thanks Afreet! The Vega Sport is what I tried, in vanilla, and I found it gag-worthy. I had bought a big container of it, so sure was I that I'd like it based on the recommendations of friends. Foolish me! I should have bought a little sample first! I gave the container to a friend who likes it, she was thrilled. Maybe I'll try some different flavors, in the sample size of course.
 
Bobbi, you've received lots of helpful info but just curious...have you tried STS yet? A full rotation? I have a VERY STUBBORN body/metabolism but got great results my first go-round with STS...I didn't eat 100% clean but I tried very hard and my results were great! I didn't lose much weight, maybe a couple, few pounds but my inch loss was great. I just thought I'd share if you haven't given it a try yet. Good Luck and keep at it!
 
Bobbi-B said:
Maybe I should eat more and do more cardio to burn off what I'm eating, just to see if that cranks up the fat burning/muscle building machine hiding inside of me?
Click to expand...

Cardio won't do much for your metabolism, unless it's HIIT or Tabata kind of thing. I'd focus on resistance training - now that will get your metabolism jumping!
 
I haven't tried STS yet. "Yet" being the key word, since it's on my agenda. Maybe I'll move it up my priority list, hmmm!

I discovered Cathe about 5 or 6 months ago. Where was I hiding?! Before that, I was doing lots of fitness walking and yoga, but in the past 5-6 months that I've done only Cathe workouts five or six days a week (along with fitness walking/hiking and some yoga) and I am having a blast collecting almost all of her workouts except STS and most Shock Cardio. I've been saving myself for STS, because it's been so fun to do all these other workouts. I love all the variety and the thought of doing all STS for a few months (I know I can do other dvd's on cardio days) makes me miss all my new-to-me Cathe workouts! A silly reason to postpone doing something that might be just what my body needs. :rolleyes:

Thanks for the suggestion, Debbie. My birthday is in October and since I've already pre-ordered Cathe's new dvd's, maybe STS is what I'll ask my husband to get me for my bday! I already know what he'll say: "MORE Cathe?!?!" :D


DebbieH said:
Bobbi, you've received lots of helpful info but just curious...have you tried STS yet? A full rotation? I have a VERY STUBBORN body/metabolism but got great results my first go-round with STS...I didn't eat 100% clean but I tried very hard and my results were great! I didn't lose much weight, maybe a couple, few pounds but my inch loss was great. I just thought I'd share if you haven't given it a try yet. Good Luck and keep at it!
Click to expand...
 
You're absolutely right, I'm thankful for these message boards to remind me of what I already know, or should know! Thanks! So this is one more reason I should ask for STS for my bday in Oct! :eek:

morningstar said:
Cardio won't do much for your metabolism, unless it's HIIT or Tabata kind of thing. I'd focus on resistance training - now that will get your metabolism jumping!
Click to expand...
 
I can almost guarantee that STS will be one of the BEST birthday gifts ever! Happy Early BD!!! Also, did you preorder the new workouts? They will be delivered right around your BD!!! :D My hubby used to roll his eyes :rolleyes: til I got him hooked on STS...now, he asks when Cathe is coming out with new workouts! :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top