Very confused about progress.

Mokuba

Ok. I'm 23, Male, 5 foot 11. I weigh 12st9. My bodyfat percentage is around 23 percent.

So 3 weeks ago today I started going to the gym. I go either 4/5 times a week. My routine consists of a 10 minute warm up on the treadmill (burns 130ish calories) followed by between 4-6 exercises of 3x8-12. I walk home at a reasonably brisk pace afterwards - it is just over 2 miles to my home from the gym.

My diet is usually -

Breakfast - Half portion of porridge with semi skimmed milk and 5-6 blueberries, 2 fried eggs (I do use a small drizzle of olive oil) and 3 grilled turkey rashers.

I would go to the gym about 2 hours after this and I would have a Protein shake - 2 scoops, around 350 ml Almond Milk

My next meal would be something like an Oven Cooked Chicken Fillet with Greens. If I'm feeling hungry I might have half to 3/4 of a portion of brown rice. I could also end up having something like half a pound of lean mince, some avocado/tomato/red onion in a wholemeal wrap.

At night I would have, depending on different factors, another protein shake with 1/2 almond milk 1/2 water - or a tin of tuna with a teaspoon of almond butter, or something along those lines.

I might put a finger into the almond butter/peanut butter jar once or twice a day.

Now I have a few conundrums.

1. First of all, I've lost virtually no weight. Maybe 4 pounds in 3 weeks.
2. I've been increasing the weight on my lifts week on week, and I can definitely see some progress aesthetically - I look slimmer, I feel slimmer, but I can see muscles growing week on week. I used to go to the gym years ago, and my strength is returning so rapidly. E.g When I started I couldn't muster a single dip. Now I can do a couple on the counter in the kitchen when I'm cooking/waiting/bored (In addition to my gym workout that day).

- But I'm not sure if I am getting enough calories, or too many, or what. I would have had terrible eating habits so my metabolism is in a bad way I'd imagine. As in, when I had lost weight in the past I would have eaten quite little. Before I started the gymming I would have often not eaten until well into the day and then had a high calorie bad meal followed by a whole host of terrible snacks. I would very slowly put up weight doing this.

Have I put my body in starvation mode? I'm genuinely confused because I can see good progress in the mirror, and in terms of lifts and I'm not really too hungry, but the scales is telling me differently and adding up my calories they definitely seem on the quite low side for someone of my age, height, weight etc.

I'd love if someone can chime in with an opinion.

4 lbs in 3 weeks is not nothing particularly if you're also putting on muscle.

If your measurements are also getting gradually smaller you're doing fine

Alf Veedersane

If you want to get an idea of your calories, you can try tracking them on myfitnesspal to give yourself an idea.

BUT...

there's nothing in your post that suggests you need to worry. You're focussing solely on what the scales says rather than more meaningful measures such as the fact that you look and feel slimmer and you can see muscle.

Ultimately, they're what makes the difference. Not the number on the scales.

LuckyLloyd

Scales are irrelevant. Use the mirror; your gym performance; how your clothes fit and progress pictures. I wouldn't bother weighing myself if I was you. Doesn't matter a jot tbh.

easygoing1982

is the OP not consuming a lot of calories though. for breakfast alone porridge although i know a half bowl then berries with 2 eggs and 3 turkey rashers on top of that. Would this not be a bulking diet rather than a shredding one?

Sundy

My gym is holding a nutrition challenge and one of the eating plans was the Zone Diet which I elected to do. I want to reduce my my body fat (25 down to 15/17 hopefully) and 3 weeks in it has ridiculously successful so far.

In the first 2 weeks I dropped almost 4 kg this has crept back up a bit int he last week but I'm assuming its because of the muscle build.

You can change the quantity you eat depending on your body size (or the size you want to be) and it forces you to eat a lot of good quality carbs from vegetables.

LuckyLloyd

Lads, he's eating well; getting stronger and looking better. There is no problem here.

Reps4jesus

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Lads, he's eating well; getting stronger and looking better. There is no problem here.

This!

Diet sounds good, your lifts are going up and you have lost lbs in only a few weeks. So most likely gaining muscle, losing fat and getting stronger. Not sure what there is to complain about here!!!

harringtonp

bluewolf wrote: »

4 lbs in 3 weeks is not nothing particularly if you're also putting on muscle.

If your measurements are also getting gradually smaller you're doing fine

Formed an opinion before reading responses and these were my thoughts exactly

1) Almost 2kgs in 3 weeks is great progress IMO
2) You are getting stronger
3) You are not too hungry

I wouldn't look at changing anything until you level out on both 1 and 2

JJayoo

What are your goals? to lose weight? to gain muscle? to get stronger?

Usually when a person cleans up their diet they will lose some water weight even if the calories are kept the same. This is due to eating less carbs and talking in less salt. Salt and carbs like to hold onto water in the body.

Mokuba

JJayoo wrote: »

What are your goals? to lose weight? to gain muscle? to get stronger?

Usually when a person cleans up their diet they will lose some water weight even if the calories are kept the same. This is due to eating less carbs and talking in less salt. Salt and carbs like to hold onto water in the body.

Fears have been alleviated thanks to this thread so not going to get into much else. Goal is get rid of bodyfat, and lay the foundations for the bulk that will come after - in around 8 weeks or so, all going well.

Really looking forward to taking progress pictures because looking in the mirror I notice a massive difference. I have a set from before I started, and I have another set from me at my worst so that's really motivating me. Usually it would be around this time I would take it easy but I'm even more determined now to keep going and see what I look like in 8 more weeks.

Thanks for the replies anyway.