What's going wrong???

[Obwhill2026]

So my girl has been exercising about 4-6 days a week. Light weight training and cardio for atleast an hour/day. Her diet is SUPER clean. Meals just about every 3hrs low carbs intake. Higher in protein and fruits/veggies.

She's been doin this for just over 3 weeks and she's only lost 5lbs. She's 24, 5'5" 148lbs.

She would like any additional advice. She really doesn't wanna take clen/eca/t3, cause there is some heart problems in her fam. She does want some help and at this point would like some help in getting an extra boost in fat loss. Her ideal weight would be right under 120-25. But realistically 130.

Sample day:

5.30-weights/cardio
6.30-breakfast(bowl of Kashi with .5cup skim milk)
10-snack(1/2piece(s) of fruits)
12.3/1-lunch(chicken salad no dressing)
3.30-snack(1/2piece(s) fruit)
6/6.30-dinner(boneless, skinless checkbrest grilled, 2 servings veggies, side salad)

throughout the day she's drinking maybe 1 glass coffee(black) and easily a gallon of water.

Truthfully she's battled with anorexia/bullemia in the past so I'm really trying to show her she can eat, the right foods, and loose weight with working out.

I feel bad cause for almost a month now she's been kicking her as-s and not seeing results.

And her bf% is about 14-18%

[jamyjamjr]

she's starving herself... also if she's 55 and 150lbs, her bf is prob more like 30-35 percent

dont get me wrong, i cant confirm till i see a pic..

let's do some math, shall we??

BMR formula


BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)



in order to figure out your bmr, you need to know what your lean body mass is.. so, in turn, u need to know what your body fat percentage is...

if you dont know your bodyfat percentage, go to your gym and get tested (please dont use electronic scales to get your bf checked, they're horrible)

if you cannot find a gym to get tested at, please post up a picture for estimates, we're pretty good at it (you also have the option of pming it to me if you have more then 25 posts)

Total weight x bf in decimel form = total bf weight

Total weight - total bf weight = total lean body mass

if your total lean body mass is in lbs, u can divide it by 2.2 to get it in kilograms..

for example..

i am 6'4 275lbs at 14% bf... so i would multiply 275 by .14 (converted from percent to decimal)= 38.5lbs

275 - 38.5 = 236.5lbs lean body weight

236.5 / 2.2 = 107.5 lean mass in kg

370 + (21.6 x 107.5) = 2692 BMR (this is high for the average person, im a big guy)

TDEE

Once u have you bmr, u need to calculate your TDEE, this is simply done with some multiplication...

you can multiply it by an activity number to figure out your daily caloric expenditure, be honest here as this is the very cornerstone of your diet, if you are between two of the below activity levels then just multiply by a number in between them

To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:


If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

[Phate]

this first^^^^



So my girl has been exercising about 4-6 days a week. Light weight training and cardio for atleast an hour/day. Her diet is SUPER clean. Meals just about every 3hrs low carbs intake. Higher in protein and fruits/veggies.

details please, if she's doing 5lb weight for sets of 50 reps then she's spinning her wheels, she needs to be lifting at least moderate weight, personally i like the girls i work with to lift heavy, rep range 8-12 on most exercises, its not like she's gonna wake up one morning with 19in biceps

She's been doin this for just over 3 weeks and she's only lost 5lbs. She's 24, 5'5" 148lbs.

lbs don't mean anything, she could have lost water weight, glycogen(which in turn would cause water loss), muscle etc.., bf% is what counts and the way you look in the mirror and feel about yourself is king, no trying to be a dvck or anything, just saying

She would like any additional advice. She really doesn't wanna take clen/eca/t3, cause there is some heart problems in her fam. She does want some help and at this point would like some help in getting an extra boost in fat loss. Her ideal weight would be right under 120-25. But realistically 130.

Sample day:

5.30-weights/cardio
does she eat before this? if not then she shouldn't be lifting, you ALWAY eat before working out, but early morning cardio is another story
6.30-breakfast(bowl of Kashi with .5cup skim milk)
macros?
10-snack(1/2piece(s) of fruits)
not a good idea, protein/veggies here
12.3/1-lunch(chicken salad no dressing)
she can use salsa for dressing, how much chicken
3.30-snack(1/2piece(s) fruit)
same as before
6/6.30-dinner(boneless, skinless checkbrest grilled, 2 servings veggies, side salad)
she should add some good fats to her meals, go get some fish oil caps
throughout the day she's drinking maybe 1 glass coffee(black) and easily a gallon of water.

Truthfully she's battled with anorexia/bullemia in the past so I'm really trying to show her she can eat, the right foods, and loose weight with working out.

I feel bad cause for almost a month now she's been kicking her as-s and not seeing results.

And her bf% is about 14-18%
post a pic with her face edited out so we can estimate her bf, full body pic please not just a torso shot as women store alot of fat in their lower body

[Obwhill2026]

Jamy I was wrong. Apparently I guessed and I was wrong. Talking to my girl this morning she said she was 29% bf. Damn I was off. My bad.

And starving herself is what she was told before but didn't really know for sure. Me either. I've always tried to bulk. Never looked into cutting so I didn't know either.

So mos def she'll up her calories! Thanks bro

phate:
1st of all no offense taken. By all means criticize away, when you're wrong you're wrong. Ya know?

So to answer your q's she using 3lb dubmbell weights for squats, bicepts, chest flys, etc. So it is weight training but with very lights weights.

I'm gonna sound like an as-s but "macros"?

And she has been supplementing flax seed oils. Not fish tho. Is there a major difference?

Thanks again for the comments. They're are REALLY appreciated

[FireGuy]

Since Phate and J3 already are pointing you in the correct direction as far as diet. I was wondering why she/you are disappointed that she has only lost 5lbs in 3 weeks. If that was fat loss and not lean mass those are VERY good results.

[Dont wanna be old]

I would say congratulations on losing 5 lbs . I see no need to drop weight fast . A person @ 148 losing 5 lbs is much better than a larger person dropping 5lbs .
I say forget diets . I believe in a eating lifestyle . The food you displayed are good sources for calories . Not sure how many calories you need , jamyjamjr is knowledgeable there .
My suggestion is to enjoy your foods and feeling content along the way . This way once a goal is met you don't end up over losing weight or put weight back on .
Food candidates IMO :

low fat cottage cheese
rye or pumpernickel bread
chicken breast
fresh fish
water packed fish (tuna or salmon )
Fresh fruits
vegetables ( except white potatoes )
Lentils ,beans
rolled oats
unsalted nuts
popcorn ( unbuttered ,unsalted )
unsalted nuts
bran muffins
multi grain bagel or waffle

I am sure all these foods are old news .

These are ideas to improve taste of boring chicken and fish

Cut up avocado or guacamole
hummus
salsa or pincante
sweet pickle relish

These are ideas for boring salad
wash salad and drain ( if chicken breast , break up )
throw some cottage cheese in it and mix ( closet thing to ranch or cheese )
sweet pickle relish for some taste

I hope you get some ideas from this , good luck

[seriousmass]

I was wondering why she/you are disappointed that she has only lost 5lbs in 3 weeks. If that was fat loss and not lean mass those are VERY good results.

Because they were probably watching "The Biggest Loser" on T.V. last night, and can't understand why the contests are losing 10+ pounds per week... and wondering how is it possible

[Phate]

Since Phate and J3 already are pointing you in the correct direction as far as diet. I was wondering why she/you are disappointed that she has only lost 5lbs in 3 weeks. If that was fat loss and not lean mass those are VERY good results.

thats a very good point

Jamy I was wrong. Apparently I guessed and I was wrong. Talking to my girl this morning she said she was 29% bf. Damn I was off. My bad.

And starving herself is what she was told before but didn't really know for sure. Me either. I've always tried to bulk. Never looked into cutting so I didn't know either.

So mos def she'll up her calories! Thanks bro

phate:
1st of all no offense taken. By all means criticize away, when you're wrong you're wrong. Ya know?

So to answer your q's she using 3lb dubmbell weights for squats, bicepts, chest flys, etc. So it is weight training but with very lights weights.
way way too light IMO, how many reps per set
I'm gonna sound like an as-s but "macros"?
macro stands for macronutrient, which consist of protein carbohydrate and fat, so i'm basically asking how much kashi she's eating(how many cups) and the protein carbs and fat per cup
And she has been supplementing flax seed oils. Not fish tho. Is there a major difference?
yes, read the Oils post by Bino, should be a little ways down in this forum
Thanks again for the comments. They're are REALLY appreciated

bold

[jamyjamjr]

the healthy standard for fat loss is 1-2lbs a week based upon your size.. ie a guy my size can lose up to 3lbs a week and still be healthy... this is at least what my sports nutritionist tells me...

macros are pro/fat/cal/carb of every meal.. this is very important for correct dieting..

what's the point of having a bmr/tdee if your not counting macros??

if she's 29% bf, ill do the math for you

148 x .29 = 42.2
148 - 42.2 = 105.08.. let's say 106 lbm

106/2.2 = 48.18.. lets say 48

370 + (21.6 x 48) = 1406.8 BMR

now, tell me.. what's her workout reg look like?? cardio?? how many times a week??

[Obwhill2026]

Jamy, she goes to boot camp every Monday, wednesday, Friday, and Saturdays. I guess they run some laps, goes up stair, and jump ropes. Then they would do lunges or squats while lifting weight or the medicine ball and work on biceps, triceps, chest and or back. They also do ab workout and then stretch. The class is about one and half hour long. She also does spin on tuesday and shadow box on Thursday.

Thanks again for your comments.

[jamyjamjr]

1406.8 x 1.55 = 2180.54

id put her on a 1700 kcal diet...