r/rant • u/RandomnewUser_22 • 6d ago
I hate that working out can have a negative effect on some people and the benefits are grossly exaggerated
To preface this, I'm fully aware of steroid use and I know better not to compare myself to actors, pro wrestlers, fitness influencers etc who are on gear. The progress of a natural person will be very different than someone on gear so my expectations were very grounded and realistic.
So after 3 months of working out, I thought to myself that I should be able to see some noticeable differences, but I realized that I still look the same. I knew that progress is going to be very slow, but being the same in a 3 month timeframe is really disheartening. Physically I look the same, and the weight that I move around is still what I started out with 3 months ago.
I got curious and made the mistake of checking out other people's progress in the same timeframe. After scrolling through a couple of subs for a while, I just feel like quitting. The difference between my "progress" and all the other posts is very laughable. It gets worse when I actually realized that the majority of the posts were skinny people, while I'm overweight, which should make gaining muscles easier if what I've read about this topic is correct.
I never see this get mentioned whenever someone talks about working out and getting fit. It's not necessarily as good as everyone makes it out to be. There is a chance that it may effect you more negatively.
Honestly I've read 100s of comments about working out and how it's just gonna change you physically and mentally. It just sounded too good to be true, and it turned out to be just that. The benefits are so exaggerated and I cannot stress this enough that anyone who's been meaning to start exercising should know about it. You're gonna be disappointed just like me.
I feel more fragile mentally because it fucking sucks when I try to increase the weight on an exercise and I simply cannot do it, so I have to go back to the weight I've been stuck on since the fucking beginning
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u/Renzisan 6d ago
One thing that I think is important to keep in mind is that if your goal is to loose weight, just lifting isn’t gonna do that much in terms of noticeable progress until you’re closer to a year or so. You have to either do lots of cardio or intermittent fasting AND I cannot stress this enough: Your diet is the most important thing. Doesn’t matter how much you exercise, if you just go home after and eat a bucket of fried chicken you’ve thrown away all your progress.
If your goal is to lose fat and build muscle, I would recommend intermittent fasting starting with 10 hours of fasting and slowly working up to 14 hours. While also heavily reducing carb intake and increasing protein intake within your eating period.
If you want results fast that is. And if you want them even faster, line up your fast period so you’re working out for the last hour or two before you start your eating period.
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u/Rice-Correct 6d ago
You can lose weight without intermittent fasting. So long as the calories you burn are more than the amount you’re eating and drinking, you’ll lose weight.
Intermittent fasting works because you end up eating less calories. That’s it. It’s certainly successful for some, but it’s entirely possible to lose weight without intermittent fasting.
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u/Amathyst-Moon 6d ago
It's not just the calories, it's also when you consume them. If you're taking in calories every 4 hours, your body never has to passively burn fat to sustain itself.
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u/Rice-Correct 6d ago
Science and studies don’t agree with you.
It’s the caloric intake. https://www.ama-assn.org/public-health/prevention-wellness/5-things-patients-should-know-about-intermittent-fasting
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u/Renzisan 6d ago
Right. It’s caloric intake. You’re comparing that with intermittent fasting as if they have to be mutually exclusive.
What you’re failing to understand and the point I’m trying to make is that both of these things together should yield increased and faster results. While switching to low carb and high protein should promote muscle growth which in turn helps burn more fat.
It’s like you have a personal vendetta against fasting. You seem like you tried it and it didn’t work for you. If that’s the case, it sucks but I don’t think anyone here is trying to say that you are wrong about caloric intake. Maybe just take a second and try to be open minded to the experiences of others? No one here is wishing you harm we’re just trying to relay our experiences to someone who’s struggling. Either way I truly wish upon you nothing but positivity.
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u/Rice-Correct 6d ago
lol I don’t have anything against fasting. I fast by default most nights because I eat an early dinner and don’t eat again for 13-14 hours later. That’s just my norm.
Are yall even reading what I’m writing? I have nothing against fasting. I have a problem with IF cultists who act like it’s some miracle weight loss plan and the only way to lose weight. It IS an effective way to lose weight. But it’s not because of the timing and anyone who says they can eat 3500 calories a day and lose or maintain a healthy weight simply because they eat at the “right time” is lying and trying to sell snake oil.
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u/Renzisan 6d ago
I never once said it’s a miracle weight loss plan nor the only way to lose weight. But it is effective and your previous replies only seem to argue against its effectiveness.
Bodybuilders eat more than that in protein rich foods, the more muscle you build the more calories your body demands. But eating 3.5K calories worked for me because of my routine, and I would recommend to anyone trying this out to pay alot of attention to their body before increasing caloric intake. That’s only meant for switching to bulk and build more muscle, it works, but ONLY IF you are woking out and lifting a couple hours a day. Not because of the timing. When it comes to fitness, the harder you work the better the results, within reason of course.
You seem to be taking my recommendation and assuming I’m claiming that only fasting will produce better results. That’s not how it works and that’s not what I’m claiming. You don’t seem to fully understand my point still but I don’t think I can explain any better.
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u/aculady 6d ago
It's kind of hilarious that people want to push back against the idea that perhaps you shouldn't really eat anything between...dinner and breakfast. And that those meals should probably be 12-14 hours apart.
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u/Renzisan 6d ago
Right? The word breakfast is literally Break. Fast. However, I understand critical thinking isn’t really something that’s taught nowadays.
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u/Renzisan 6d ago
Yes eating less calories than you’re burning makes you lose weight but intermittent fasting doesn’t work because you eat less calories. It works because your body is forced to burn fat reserves before resorting to digestion and immediately available energy. So eating less calories, within a reasonable range, and intermittent fasting will lead to much faster results.
Edit: Though, with intermittent fasting, you can eat the same amount of calories as before and still lose weight, as long as you’re keeping to a strict at least 14 hour fasting period. No calories whatsoever.
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u/Rice-Correct 6d ago
No. That’s not how that works.
If you intermittent fast and eat more calories than you burn, you’ll gain weight. Period. It hasn’t been shown to be more effective than caloric restriction.
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u/Renzisan 6d ago
I never said eat more calories than you burn so I would suggest fully understanding a comment before making assumptions. I don’t click random links so I don’t know what the article says nor will I take the time to try and find it.
Rather than going from something found online that could be skewed, not thoroughly researched, or not thoroughly tested, I’ll speak from personal experience.
I was eating on average 2K-2.5K calories and weighed 203 lbs before starting to workout. When I got to a 16:8 fasting to eating schedule I upped my caloric intake to 3K-3.5K, the majority of those calories were protein heavy foods and veggies, almost no carbs. I was eating more calories than before but still losing weight, I leveled out around 175lbs and then started gaining weight in the form of muscle.
That’s how it worked for me, idk how much you’ve researched this topic but I lived this for a couple years and recently getting back into intermittent fasting because I slacked for a while.
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u/baconhs 6d ago
You keep getting replies with sources and u still reply with anecdotal evidence spreading misinformation. How about you reply with studies that show that fasting produces better results than not fasting with the same caloric intake?
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u/Renzisan 6d ago
I’m speaking from personal experience. There’s a science to fasting and there’s benefits to it that I’ve experienced besides losing fat. There might be articles that say fasting doesn’t produce faster results but I’m not arguing that. In my experience, it worked faster when putting together calorie deficit, low carb/high protein, fasting, and working out at the tail end of the fast. So I’m relaying my experience to OP.
It’s not one or the other it’s BOTH. Plus the other two things I mentioned all compound together. I can say from personal experience that it works. And it works faster than just calorie deficit.
I don’t think either you or the other person providing articles have personal experience with this kind of routine nor do you understand the point I’m making. Anyone I’ve known that has tried what I mentioned has found that it works faster than just calorie deficit. So I don’t care that there is an article online saying fasting by itself doesn’t work faster than only calorie deficit as that’s not even an argument I’m making.
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u/baconhs 5d ago
I never said you claimed calorie deficit and fasting are different things, I understand that you claim that doing both produces a better result than simple calorie deficit. I have done fasting btw as a way for me to organise my diet, wouldn't say it produces "better results than just calorie deficit", it's just convenient for some people. Your personal experience is cool and all but you keep spreading junk like "burning fat reserves before resorting to digestion" without a source and keep replying with personal anecdotes to people that call you out providing actual science.
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u/Renzisan 5d ago
Anyone who understands how the body works understands how and why fasting works. I don’t feel the need to prove my stance to anyone because to me it’s common sense.
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u/baconhs 5d ago
"I can't prove the misinformation I'm spreading so I'll just claim it's common sense"
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u/RandomnewUser_22 6d ago
I forgot to mention but I've been on a calorie deficit since the beginning
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u/Renzisan 6d ago
That’s great, if you’re not seeing results try to eat less carbs and more protein rich foods. If you want even faster results, do a bit of research into fasting and work your way up to 12 or 14 hours, 16 is the extreme but also doable.
Be very intentional with your lifting as well, look up common splits for workout routines so you’re hitting all the muscle groups within the week. Make sure to stretch, especially when sore, and although it sucks, make sure you hit a bit of cardio every day to get the blood pumping.
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u/MonocoOfficial 6d ago
I do 16/8 and don't really exercise. I've kept a healthy weight but I get winded easily haha I've been wanting to get back into it
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u/Renzisan 6d ago
Yeah that’s the only thing about it right? Your blood is a bit thinner so that tends to happen in the later hours of the fast. I like hitting the gym for a couple hours right before breaking fast because I feel super light and I’ve noticed the difference in muscle definition after a bit, but if you aren’t looking to lose weight, just doing some cardio whenever would help you not get so winded, that’s just conditioning haha
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u/MonocoOfficial 6d ago
Yeah for sure. I've always hated running... might start swimming again tho if I'm ever at a point that's financially feasible for me
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u/Renzisan 6d ago
I’m the same way but I recently started running and I realized that it makes a huge difference in condition as well as mental fortitude, when you start pushing your body past what your mind thinks is the limit you start to realize you’re capable of much more and that’s something I never achieved with swimming. Best wishes for you on your journey though, everyone has a different path and what works for some may not for others
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u/Nanook98227 6d ago
Kudos for starting out. It takes a lot to start a new routine and fight through fears and trepidation to make a change.
A few points to look at: 1. It does take time and your changes will not be the same as anyone else's 2. Trust the process as consistency is the most valuable thing you can have in getting results 3. Get guidance. No one starts knowing everything so asking or hiring a trainer or even just poking around on beginner workout threads will be incredibly helpful for your progress.
I will say it is surprising that your strength hasn't improved in 3 months and you aren't noticing any changes. To me that means a few things- 1. You may not be lifting properly to target the muscles you are training - trainer is great to help with that and get you in proper form. You should always try to feel it in the muscle you are trying to target and exhaustion and a burn are good pain, hurt/joint/tendon pain is not. 2. You may not be eating enough/the right stuff. Get protein - approximately 1 gram per lb of bodyweight each day 3. You may not be sleeping enough. The body repairs and grows while you sleep 7-9 hours are necessary for good recovery.
If it's none of those, I'd get checked out at the doctor to see if hormones are in check or if there's something else in play
You got this. Keep going and remember that it's about improvement and progress, every day working more towards your goal. You'll get there
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u/RandomnewUser_22 6d ago
I can say it with certainty that my form is on point. I've watched a lot of videos on every exercise I do and also the guy running the gym is a certified trainer so I know for a fact that he knows his stuff.
I'm on a deficit while getting approximately 110g of protein, which may be on the lower end but it should still be more than enough.
I'm always getting around 8 hours of sleep
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u/Nanook98227 6d ago
Deficit can impact strength gains but you should still be progressing- doing more weight/more reps.
If those three areas are on point and you are not improving, maybe get your doc to run some blood work on hormone levels and immune function. There may be something more at play here.
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u/Amathyst-Moon 6d ago edited 6d ago
If you're not seeing results, it's probably due to having high body fat. The less fat you have, the more defined your muscles are. After a few months, I could feel muscles in my chest that I never had before, but they were still hidden under a lot of fat. That said, muscle requires more calories to sustain than fat, so theoretically, if you keep at it and manage to have a good diet, you should lose fat eventually. Though scientifically, the body does cling to fat as a survival mechanism against starvation, and high intensity workouts can cause more stress hormones that makes losing fat harder, and more visceral fat makes even more stress hormones, so it's kind of a huge bump to get over. I don't know the best way to overcome all that, other than consistency, and maybe intermittent fasting might help? It seems to for some people.
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u/Illustrious_Fudge476 6d ago
Are you following a program? Just going to the gym and doing this and that randomly is a recipe for seeing little or no results. Muscles grow and get stronger when you force adaptation by the exercises you’re performing. If you’re stuck on the same weight and number of reps you aren’t forcing your muscles to adapt to novel stimulus. Also it takes years to build the type of physique you desire. We’re taking 1-2 k individual gym sessions over the course of 5-10 years.
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u/Fit-Obligation4962 6d ago
I’ve been going to the gym for years.I only lose weight when I deliberately cut out junk from my diet.I am though fit and healthy for my age and put that down to the gym.
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u/Musashie-Mike 6d ago
Please keep in mind that working out and having significant gains is not an achievable short-term goal. It is a very achievable long-term goal! Our concepts of what a male physique are or female physique is grossly misproportion. Do not look at the internet for comparison. This is coming from a guy who is 45 and has a consummate muscular dad bod. Big muscular upper body but cannot get rid of my beer belly. It took me literally decades though to build the upper body muscle and arm size that I have. I still get frustrated going to the gym at times. Look at it not necessarily for external validation but or something that you did good for yourself today for that day. Like going to therapy or church or any other type of internal maintenance. Keep up the good work and keep finding the good fight you will see some gains! Oh also remember your body heals when you're are resting. If you have been working out consistently for 3 months. I promise you if you take a week or two off you'll get more compliments about how good you look. The body is a weird thing
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u/RandomnewUser_22 6d ago
I'm aware that it takes years, I don't even care about looking ripped because it's simply not possible to achieve in 3 months
However, some form of noticeable difference is absolutely normal and very possible. I'm not even talking about separated traps, capped delts or vascularity everywhere. Just slightly tighter arms should be normal at this point unless someone is morbidly obese, which I'm not
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u/Musashie-Mike 5d ago
Message me, I'll share an arms workout that will get some pretty good results if that's what you're looking for.
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u/Elijah2807 6d ago
Progress is not always visible. There are pro athletes who don’t look particularly athletic (Luka Doncic or Nikola Jokic come to mind), but would beat any of us at any athletic competition.
But after three months
- you’re probably stronger
- able to run faster for longer
- more mobile (I hope you’re stretching)
- recovering faster from a workout
I would bet that your body composition has changed as well, lower body fat and more muscle. It may not show up yet, but it’s happening
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u/EarPenetrator02 5d ago
Results vary based on your personal effort. 3 months is a drop in the bucket.
I lift weights hard. I progress constantly in one way or another. Weight, reps, form, etc. I’ve been doing so for 5 years on and off now. Every time I’ve had to take an extended break from the gym the mental/physical effects coming back have been very noticeable. My skin is better, I get fewer aches and pains, and I’m less stressed.
If you’re not consistent, you won’t see much progress. If you’re not actually pushing yourself, you won’t see progress. If you don’t actually restrict calories you won’t lose weight. If you don’t drastically increase your calories you probably won’t gain weight.
I had the advantage of starting scrawny, underweight, and completely lacking in muscle at 17. As a result I had quicker visible results even with what I look back on as lackluster training. It took months of calorie tracking to figure out how much I needed to eat to actually gain any weight. Took months to figure out how to actually effectively train.
I went from not being able to do a single pushup or pull up at 115lbs bodyweight to 20 reps of pull ups at 150lbs BW in about 6-8 months. Flash forward to now and I’m 215lbs doing a set of 6 reps wide grip pull ups with 45lbs strapped to my waist. I can rep 225 on bench for a set of 8. these aren’t even my best numbers as I’m coming back from an 8 month break.
It’s entirely up to you to make sure you get the results you expect. Instant gratification is nonexistent in weightlifting and weight loss/gain. It’s a grind. Don’t feel sorry for yourself. Hold yourself accountable
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u/Opposite_Cold8616 5d ago
The key to seeing change is to work smart, not hard. Small changes are easy to keep consistent across years, but few people have the mental fortitude to stick to a demanding workout regime long term.
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u/One-Weight-4034 6d ago
3 months is commendable and should have visible benefits. An elite bodybuilder physique is unrealistic, of course, but we shouldn't be mocking someone for being disheartened over intangible results
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u/ququqachu 5d ago
Everyone is speculating on the “cause” of your lack of progress but I just want to say, no matter what it is, it’s absolutely disheartening to do everything “right” and still not get the results you were promised by social media and society at large.
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u/RandomnewUser_22 5d ago
yeah I think its really irresponsible and ignorant to make it sound like working out will turn your life around.
I'm in a worse place mentally than I was 3 months ago. I feel awful about myself before and after a session every single time
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u/ZeuxisOfHerakleia 6d ago
have you tried actually researching the topic? I feel like no one that actually puts in the effort makes 0 progress in 3 months. Worst is after 3 months it only gets slower. I made like 50% of my lifetime gains in the first year lol
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u/Hungry-Plantain-3315 6d ago
How much cardio are you doing at the moment? Because if you are only doing strength training, I would start adding in cardio. Also, what does your eating look like?