Frustrated about my diet

[-AJA14-]

My weight loss doesn't seem linear at all. 1st, I am carb cycling right now. I did it last year and liked it.
Last week, I eat 15,880 calories and do 5 days of cardio and lose 2.2 pounds, this week I eat 16801 calories and do 6 days of cardio, and gain .5 pounds.
How does this happen? I have only dieted 2 times in my life, 2 different ways and had no problems like this. According to the website I use I should be at 14,910 plus the calories I burn from cardio. I am only trying to lose 1 pound a week.

[-AJA14-]

Still frustrated. Dropped 8 ounces. Changed my diet to a more normal diet. Dropped carb cycling. But I do have 2 cheat meals on Sat.. May have to drop 1 or both. Eat about 3600 to 3700 calories on Sat.(higher carbs 450 carbs, 200 Pro, 100 fats), 2100 calories or below the rest of the week(250 Pro, 125 carbs, 55 fat). I did cardio 4 times this week. 3 for 45 minutes, 1 for 30 minutes. Kept my HR at 130.
I should be dropping at least 1 pound a week. I ate 15400 calories this week, To lose a pound I should have ate 15,900 with cardio. I may have to drop to 1800 calories.
I train 4 times a week.

[Ken "Skip" Hill]

You are making this way too black and white and that is exactly why it isn't working.

First, who says you "should" be dropping weight at those numbers? I ask because they are clearly lying to you.

If you aren't dropping weight, cut calories or increase cardio and don't look at it as "I NEED or SHOULD be taking in X amounts of calories" and you will start losing body fat.

Skip

[MyTMouse]

You are making this way too black and white and that is exactly why it isn't working.

First, who says you "should" be dropping weight at those numbers? I ask because they are clearly lying to you.

If you aren't dropping weight, cut calories or increase cardio and don't look at it as "I NEED or SHOULD be taking in X amounts of calories" and you will start losing body fat.

Skip

^wisdom

[trucelt]

I did my first show 17 years ago. The internet didnt exist, prep coaches didnt exist. I did my own prep...I didn't have any formulas like the one you describe....

Other than a very basic template everything was fluid from week to week....I came in peeled and won my class. My point bring is exactly what Skip alluded to, stop making this an equation and start paying attention to the feedback your body is sending you

[-AJA14-]

Thanks for the advice, I just feel like I am too early in my diet to drop calories and add cardio even more. Because, later in my diet, I wouldn't know where to go. I guess it is just a new learning experience. I am going to keep this new diet this week, and see how I do. Then cut down another 500 calories a day, if I don't lose a pound.

[Ken "Skip" Hill]

Thanks for the advice, I just feel like I am too early in my diet to drop calories and add cardio even more. Because, later in my diet, I wouldn't know where to go. I guess it is just a new learning experience. I am going to keep this new diet this week, and see how I do. Then cut down another 500 calories a day, if I don't lose a pound.

And you may be correct but ... you either are responding or you aren't so don't wait too long or it will be wasted time.

Skip

[DensitY]

Skip is right man. I added in calories and backed off thermos after almost a year of dieting and I dropped bf and went up 6 lbs in a month. It was shattering to drop body fat after adding in calories...but it worked, just like he said.
Plus you are carb cycling, meaning your weight is going to fluctuate almost daily. Bottom line you have to change things if you're not meeting your current goals

[-AJA14-]

Lost 1.8 pounds this week. A little more than I wanted. I prefer a 1 to 1.5 pound loss every week. But a hell of a lot better than the past 2 weeks.

[-AJA14-]

Skip is right man. I added in calories and backed off thermos after almost a year of dieting and I dropped bf and went up 6 lbs in a month. It was shattering to drop body fat after adding in calories...but it worked, just like he said.
Plus you are carb cycling, meaning your weight is going to fluctuate almost daily. Bottom line you have to change things if you're not meeting your current goals

I stoppped carb cycling 2 weeks ago. I just feel it is easier for me to control variables on more of a regular diet, this time around. Plus I think I was eating too much peanut butter as my fat source and not controlling calories. Also when I was carb cycling my calories were all over the place every day.

[greensoup]

carb cycling affects how you hold water so yes, bloat vs non bloat.

[-AJA14-]

Just to update, lost 3 pounds this past week. I think 1 of them was water weight. I weigh myself after a shake and went up a pound, then I weighed myself the next mornong and was still up that 1 pound.

[-AJA14-]

Looks like this new diet is working lost 2 pounds this week or 3 depending on the number I use from last week.

[Ken "Skip" Hill]

Glad that things are going well now.

Skip

[-AJA14-]

Glad that things are going well now.

Skip

Thanks. Just trying to get to a weight to where I can hire a coach to fine tune me to 10 - 12% in 12 weeks. I figure I will have to get down to 225 pounds.

Didn't lose anything this week. This has been rough dieting down this time. I got shoulder surgery 2 weeks before I started, so I could only do 1 arm of training. I still am not 100% from it. So, I am not exactly doing the training I was before the surgery. Now, 2 weeks ago I hurt my knee on the stepmill, so I have been only training 1 leg. But I was still able to do the ellipitcal. I think 1 more week of rest, my knee will be recovered.
All in all, I am still 7 pounds less, than where I thought I would be at this time. My face, upper back and legs has thinned out a lot but my waist is being very stubborn. Thinking about going to a thermal soon.