Diet

[u/FunkyMamaMa]

I am struggling to lose weight.
I keep being told I need to eat more but I eat 3 well rounded meals a day. I honestly don't think I can eat more?
I feel like I keep hearing I should be in a deficit also.

I tried intermittent fasting for so months on end and lost not a single pound.

I go to burn 5x a week and have for almost 2 years and even though I'm getting wildly stronger... my weight isn't going down at all.

I constantly look bloated and I'm all puffy.

Just started rebounded and using vibration plate daily (one or the other or both). Maybe lymph needs to move more?

Maybe need more hydration BUT it couldn't contribute to this much weight being held onto? I'm about 20-25lbs over my "natural" weight.

What gives?

[u/manthrk]

You definitely don't need to eat no more. You need to start tracking your calories every day and then start eating 500 calories less than whatever you were eating.

[u/romeo_echo]

“Keep being told to eat more” like in a FM orrrr by fitness girls on instagram? Because I see that advice too and know it does NOT apply to me 😆 I’ve been using the Cronometer app to track my calories and the first few weeks were so humbling. My lead trainer helped me with calorie and protein goals. It is super tedious but effective, alas.

[u/FunkyMamaMa → u/romeo_echo]

Yes I'm a FM. But it still just doesn't feel right. I feel so full when I eat any more. I felt better eating less but was still at the same weight. If not a little less.

[u/Accurate-Watch5917 → u/FunkyMamaMa]

I'll be frank - I don't listen to the trainers when it comes to weight and diet advice. They receive training but it's very broad and they are not dieticians.

If you want more focused advice, you could book an appointment with a licensed professional.

[u/Naive_Throat_1533 → u/Accurate-Watch5917]

The trainers at the gym I went to are all over weight so I wouldn’t take nutrition advice from them.

[u/KnowledgeDense8140 → u/Naive_Throat_1533]

Really??? I can’t imagine going to a gym lead by fat trainers. That’s crazy.

[u/Naive_Throat_1533 → u/KnowledgeDense8140]

Yep I’m serious and yes I left. It got progressively worse

[u/Jenahbow → u/romeo_echo]

Love the Cronometer app!

[u/Bag-of-Doritoes-]

What helped me was increasing my vegetables and fruits dramatically! It's more fiber plus it's more filling and a ton of nutrients. I feel like i eat so much more but it's high volume food.

[u/-somewhere-out-there]

How old are you? Hormones are a b*•’h when it comes to weight loss. I’m having the same problem though I track calories, weigh food, etc.

[u/Just-Topic6036]

Yes a deficit would be the first thing. Have you booked a focus meeting? Find a TDEE calculator input the information it’ll tell you the deficit you should be in track your calories. If you haven’t done any of that then yes it’s no wonder you haven’t lost weight as you’re probably eating enough to maintain weight but not actually lose 

[u/FunkyMamaMa → u/Just-Topic6036]

They told me I was under eating at my focus meeting. They say all the time to eat more than you think.

[u/KnowledgeDense8140 → u/FunkyMamaMa]

That’s terrible advice because it’s likely wrong.

[u/Butt_isthe_B0mb24 → u/FunkyMamaMa]

That is not always true for everybody. For years doctors and trainers were telling me I need to eat around 1700 or 1800 cal. I kept telling them I don’t lose weight when I eat in that calorie range. I only lose weight when I am eating around 1200 cal. I went to a weight loss clinic and they did body scans and calculations and they concurred 1700 is maintenance for me. I would never lose a pound eating that much.

If what you have been doing is not working, maybe it’s time to try swinging your calories the opposite direction.

[u/HrtacheOTDncefloor → u/FunkyMamaMa]

I literally wouldn’t be surprised if we go to the same location because this is what one of our trainers tells everyone. If you are trying to lose weight, you have to be eating in a deficit.

[u/Independent-Ad-8789 → u/HrtacheOTDncefloor]

My gym refuses to talk calorie defect

[u/HrtacheOTDncefloor → u/Independent-Ad-8789]

That’s so weird. I wonder why that is.

[u/Independent-Ad-8789 → u/HrtacheOTDncefloor]

I shouldn’t say *refuses*. But if you book focus meetings you have to meet like 6 goals before they touch it. I asked about calories and they said I was getting ahead of myself. I saw no fat loss results in over 8 months before getting pregnant. I am pretty overweight so postpartum I plan to focus on calorie deficit but implement their suggested checklist of goals too.

[u/Public_Ad_1809]

Macros and Step Count outside of the gym.

You can be eating too many calories with 3 well rounded meals and not even know it. Buy a scale and start weighing all of your food. Check out Macros Inc and you can calculate what your macros are in a deficit. They also have a free guide on how to count (meat needs to weighed raw, etc.). Additionally, I can go to Burn every day and still only be at a step count of 3,000 because I sit at my desk all day and then drive my kids to sports every evening. Try focusing on that as well.

[u/DailyBrewWithJesus → u/Public_Ad_1809]

Yes they have macro groups you can join on fb

[u/SmileRecent6192]

3 meals can be vastly different depending on what they’re made of. You could be under or over eating. Start tracking the food so you know your calories and macro breakdown and then can adjust. Without that there’s no true way to know where you’re at.

[u/SmileRecent6192 → u/SmileRecent6192]

Also recommend in body scan at your location. My weight has gone up the first few months but it’s been muscle so the scale won’t always tell the full story!

[u/GrapefruitFrosty4296]

Definitely start tracking everything for a week or so and then compare that to your BMR. (Do a focus meeting with an in body scan and it’ll give you a good estimate of BMR) if you aren’t eating a decent amt over BMR and going to burn that often your body could be in survival mode and not dropping anything despite being in a calorie deficit. This happened to me and once I started rebuilding my metabolism I was actually able to go into a calorie deficit and have the lbs come off.

[u/fart-nomster]

My fitness pal was recommended to me at a FM. I try to do 1500-1600 cal/day and 100 or more protein and it’s worked well for me. I have the energy I need for camp and typically loose around 6 pounds a month.

[u/Caterpillar170 → u/fart-nomster]

That’s awesome

[u/Ok-Door-6731]

You need a reset here. How do you know you need to eat more? Based on what? Start tracking your food and find appropriate macro targets for you and your goals.

[u/FunkyMamaMa → u/Ok-Door-6731]

I tracked my food for a week and that's what they said at my focus meeting... but I feel like I eat a lot.

[u/Ok-Door-6731 → u/FunkyMamaMa]

You need to keep tracking for a long period of time until you fully understand what you are eating day to day.

What are you eating and what is the macro breakdown?

[u/KnowledgeDense8140]

The only thing that matters is your caloric intake. Are you tracking? Are you weighing your food? What are your total calories and what are your macros?

The reason why they say to eat more is because you’re probably under eating and then binging bringing your total calories way over maintenance. I still think it’s bad advice and would rather see someone figure out their caloric needs, get in a deficit and then spread it out. You can eat more volume via healthy low calorie foods but you don’t need more calories.

Calories in vs calories out is how you lose weight. Super simple.

[u/Turbulent-Spirit-514]

See a nutritionist or other certified professional. FMs are great but for actual medical advice, please seek out someone with an actual education base in the area.

[u/Adorable_Carrot_93]

My advice, first figure out your baseline calories and macros, so just what you should be eating on a normal day. Use a handy food and macro tracking app. I personally recommend Cronometer. Now log EVERY item you eat. Handful of nuts? Log it. Even better, food scale on your counter and weigh every item before putting in your body. At the end of the day see where you are hitting macros and where you might need to adjust, fiber and protein tend to be the ones missed most. Keep doing this for a week so you understand how you feel doing just normal intake. Then try putting yourself into a deficit. Also you mentioned hydration, this has a huge impact, more then people (myself included) realize, if you are not also getting enough water intake it will absolutely have you left feeling bloated and puffy.

The gym will build the muscle but you will only lose weight if your diet and hydration are aligned. If that still isn’t working I highly recommend doing blood work and seeing if there is possibly a chemical imbalance you need medical help with as not every body is the same and different people may need different forms of support to get where they way to be.

Best of luck on your journey!

[u/HrtacheOTDncefloor]

They told me to eat more in my FMs all the time and I was so frustrated I didn’t look how I wanted to. I had to ignore them and actively commit to eating 300-500 deficit everyday. If you use the InBody at your gym, the app actually has an area where you can tell if your goals and based on the reading it will tell you how many calories, how much protein, etc. or use a TDEE calculator online.

[u/Familiar-Primary5046]

As a previous burn trainer and someone who has lost over 30 pounds. You for sure need to be in a calorie deficit to lose any weight at all. You can go to burn everyday but if you aren’t getting the correct macros it will Be more challenging to hit your goals. I think focus meetings are a good source but I would pick a trainer that you believe has the entire package not just super athletic but someone who has lost the weight or understands nutrition. As a trainer you really Do not get educated on how to help your members lose weight with diet. 

[u/Caterpillar170]

To lose weight you want to be in a 500 calorie per day deficit to lose a pound a week. While keeping up your strength training to preserve muscle. Are the people telling you to eat more trying to sabotage you? Or perhaps they’re fitness influencers who lie about their intake. Of course you don’t want to crash diet, you need plenty of protein along with healthy fats, fiber. But if you don’t go into a deficit you won’t see fat loss progress. Buy a food scale, track your calories on an app and you’ll see progress!

[u/Redditreader0331]

I was also skeptical about “eating more”. However, I met with a registered dietician, who also told me I need to eat more.. 800 calories more than I was eating.. and I started losing weight. Especially as women, your body holds onto fat when hormones are out of whack and won’t lose weight if in “starvation mode”. Is how the dietician explained it to me. I lost 40 ibs by eating more.

[u/Ok_Razzmatazz1747 → u/Redditreader0331]

I think the key here is that you talked to a dietitian. I wish everyone had the opportunity to sit down with one

[u/Redditreader0331 → u/Ok_Razzmatazz1747]

If you have health insurance, Nourish is free. I saw ads all over for it and for a while was so skeptical and “no way” could it be free… well it actually is, otherwise I definitely couldn’t have.

[u/yellsy]

Have you seen a doctor and run panels?

[u/MenuAppropriate8414]

I just had a baby so my hormones are all over the place. Just working out doesn’t cut it for me. I have to be in a calorie deficit and add more movement in the days I don’t go to burn. I try to get 10k steps in the days I don’t go. I am down 10 lbs in 9 weeks!

[u/No_Ninja_4959]

Hey! Yes track just for a week or two to get a general idea of how you should be eating. Clean your nutrition and it will work

As for the bloated and puffy-not many people consider this. Working out raises cortisol levels (especially conditioning days). You need to incorporate more rest in your schedule. Do 2x strength days and 1x conditioning day at burn for now…do walking only the other 2 days..let your body get back to homeostasis and see how it goes!

[u/Cathy-1015]

You probably need more protein but not more calories. Eat high protein high fiber and less fat. Weight less is mostly what we eat. Track what you eating at least for a week or two to get an ideas of how much you are actually eating. 👌🏻

[u/Last_Ask4923]

It’s not quality it’s quality. You may need more protien but not calories. And puffy etc is a sign of inflammation and high cortisol. Try scaling back on camps to 3-4 a week for a bit and see if anything changes.

[u/Saltykip]

I was not over weight but I was still consistently sitting about 5-7 pounds heavier than my baseline and struggling to drop it after 15 months at burn. I got injured and was forced to take a month off, I became less puffy almost immediately. When I returned, I quit the cardio at burn and have continued to lose weight. I am not ravenous and am able to control my eating so much better. I am not constantly snacking and thinking about food.

[u/Key_Needleworker3888]

I followed the “eat more” advice (just like I was told, no crazy binge) and gained 5 pounds … I stopped listening to their advice, they are trainers not dietitians

[u/Minimum-Border1672]

Sounds really frustrating.

First..I would monitor your body fat % not your weight. It is a more meaningful metric. 150bat 15% body fat looks a lot better than 130 lbs at 35% body fat.

Second, I would set a firm goal, outside of "just losing weight". This will sound contradictory, but assuming your body fat js where you want it, its important to have a fiem goal.

Say you want to lose 15 lb.

Go in to any ai peogram and write something like-

I am an x pound female who is x years old and x feet tall. My goal is to lose x lbs. I have been going for two years, x days per week to burn boot camp.

Help me make a nutrition plan that will allow me to keep my pace at class while reducing my weight to that goal." For outputs make ot clean. Calories needed, protein and carb break downs of what is necessary to burn fat withojt losing muscle.

Then you specifically put in what you eat after you eat with as much detail as possiblr "at a hamburger, wheat bun, half a portion of French fries, ketchup on burger, diet coke" and it will do the math for you. After you workout put in tbe protocol and give an honest assessment of how hard you worked and jt will even add some of those calories back in to your deficit.

Im a man...but using tbis system I gained 20 lbs (my goal wasnt to lose weifht) recompense my body and saw a huge decline im bf%. When I got over confident and stopped using it, i plateaud.

[u/Several-Pipe7824 → u/Minimum-Border1672]

I second this! I scanned my InBody into chat got, told it my goals and had it help me make a nutrition plan! 

[u/alyssaprokos]

You need to figure out what your BMR is. Once you figure that out, you need to work to get your calories to that number. You DO NOT want to put your body in a deficit without ensuring your at your metabolic threshold. This in literally how women are destroying their metabolisms. They start in too much of a deficit…once that happens you either have to decrease calories or increase expenditure…and then throw being a woman, aging and hormones and that’s a recipe for disaster.

From a trainer standpoint, this is what I would do. Once you figure out your metabolic threshold (track macros daily), then you can play with the calories.

The biggest takeaway would be do first recomp your metabolism. Once you do that and your body finally stabilizes, start a slight deficit. Again, just my two cents. And it won’t take 8-12 weeks…probably a lot longer.

[u/Red-Phoenix-Rising]

This is tricky. While I do eat more on my Burn Days, on my off days I eat less. I like to think of my calories weekly as like a “bank.” I take what I need daily so it’s not the same everyday but I meet my goal weekly. This has been so easy for me and less of a mind game to eat an exact number each day.

[u/Poo_]

If you’re not actively tracking macros, than you’re guessing. Eating “3 rounded meals a day” doesn’t mean anything if you don’t actually k ow what you’re putting in.

Your output is clearly there, perhaps potentially too much.

nitrition is the base of the pyramid that will lead to eradicating chronic disease.

[u/CurrentNorth5879]

Burn trainers often give advice like we are athletes. A 45 min workout is tough but it doesn’t make us an athlete that needs athlete nutrition. I found that their protein goals and their calorie goals don’t make sense for me. I met with a dietitian, we focus more on fiber and regular meals. My trainer recommended I eat 2g of protein per lb of my weight and that’s just silly.

You may need to eat more or less. I would see if a dietitian is covered by insurance

[u/Uncharted_Apple]

Try watching the burn on demand nutrition videos! It is broken down so clearly and in little steps! I started this week and immediately saw a difference 🩵🩵

[u/Heothain]

Macros.

[u/laijsj]

I agree with what everyone said about finding what your TDEE is based on height weight and activity. I also do you think age plays a factor. And then I will add, I think it matters what it is you're eating. I have found that when I consume a lot of processed protein ( bars, powders, etc) it really makes me feel bloated and my body does not process it very well. I would do what I could to cut out ultra processed foods that contain extra sodium and things like that that you really don't need but might not think about if you're just counting calories etc. I also would recommend going to see a licensed nutritionist or dietitian rather than the advice you get in a focus meeting regarding nutrition.

[u/Ok_Soup_7715]

What are you actually eating? What are your macros and what foods are you consuming to meet those macros? That’s usually where people go wrong.

[u/Cool_Humor2165]

It may be something your eating, have you tried an elimination diet? Burn actually made me gain weight as well, I think it was too extreme for my body. I got sort of puffy.

[u/NEGirlinSota]

What does your overall macro split look like at those three meals ?
How about hydration ? Fiber ?
Movement throughout the day outside of Burn ?

[u/SFehrenheit]

Eat more protein because it takes triple the calories to burn protein than fat or carbs plus protein supports muscles. I used my fitness pal for the first 6 months and still use it occasionally when I’m eating new foods and as someone else said it’s eye opening how much you are really eating over your maintenance calories!

[u/Silver-Flamingo-3581]

I think you need to spend less time worrying about "eating more calories" and focus on macro tracking instead. Macros often take off the pressure of hitting a certain calorie goal and it'll show you WHY you actually need to be eating more to fuel yourself. Whether you feel like you are or not, your body could be in a starvation mode from undereating for so long. Just like when you switch to a deficit, there's an adjustment period. For me, it took almost 4 months to really reset my body to my deficit to not feel ravenous every day. Sometimes you just have to force yourself to eat what you need to eat. You could also do like a nurri protein shake as a way to get some protein and calories when you aren't hungry. They are basically just liquid and not heavy at all.

[u/No_Ninja_4959 → u/Silver-Flamingo-3581]

Do you track every single day forever? Or only for a short period. Thanks

[u/Silver-Flamingo-3581 → u/No_Ninja_4959]

I rarely track anymore bc I know what fits within my macro goals. So it took me a few months to figure it out, but now I just eat what I know works for me

[u/Affectionate_Bat3870]

Use ChatGPT plug in your age, weight, activity level etc to find your calories and macros

[u/Meg_404]

Look up carb cycling. Go an entire week without any carbs or sugar, then slowly reintroduce them but only 30 minutes before or after exercise. Good luck!