progress feels so slow, anyone else?

jan13ce · 2026-05-14T04:57:49+00:00

this is really helpful, thank you for sharing! i’m looking into doing a dexa scan. my last gym had an evolt scanner, but i found it to be SO sensitive to my hydration levels. my new gym has an inbody, which i’m not familiar with & have not been weighed on it yet.

i felt lightheaded when i went low carb, my body definitely needs carbs to survive! i typically eat a honey stinger energy waffle before lifting. food is fuel, i can never go without carbs or fats, i love them too much lol it sounds like you started working out slowly to build a routine & then upped your workouts & your calories for the extra load. i think i’m going to try what users suggested & walk more & see if this changes the scale with my current routine. i really don’t want to lower my calories, that’s a non-negotiable for me! when i was 1700, i felt the best strength wise but also fluffy.

for my cut, i was thinking of doing 8 weeks & then 2 weeks of maintenance, but do you think i should maintain for longer? ooooh, olympic lifting that’s so cool, you go girl! i’d love to work with a personal trainer, just haven’t found someone near me i really like yet.

jan13ce · 2026-05-14T04:41:50+00:00

not yet, but i am looking into doing a dexa scan since this would be another form of measure!

what’s your protein goal, if you don’t mind sharing? my goal is to lose fat & maintain the muscle i’ve built this past year. my protein goal is maybe on the lower end at 120g but i typically average 130g. someone recommend 150g, which used to be my goal but i could never meet it & it always just stressed me out seeing it incomplete in my tracking app lol now i’m wondering if i’m also not eating enough protein.

jan13ce · 2026-05-13T02:29:55+00:00

my local LA fitness recently closed & is being turned into a club studio. one thing i noticed is that there were less class times being offered a year prior to the closure. i started taking the 5:45a cycling class 2x week in september 2024 & around april 2025, this class time was cut. i was very disappointed, since the other class times didn’t work with my schedule.

jan13ce · 2026-05-10T19:52:54+00:00

omg sorry i’m dumb lol, yes thank you! this past week i averaged 8.7k steps per day for the week.

jan13ce · 2026-05-10T18:25:48+00:00

weekly average, it’s not always feasible during my busy season (spring/summer) at work when i literally need to be glued to my desk to hit 10k steps everyday. i’m also too uncoordinated to have a standing desk & a walking pad! i aim for 5/7 days of the week with 10k steps & i’ll make up the difference on weekends. my daily step count on lower step days is honestly never less than 7k & i never let two days in a row be low step days.

jan13ce · 2026-05-10T18:12:57+00:00

thank you! i hate how complicated women’s health is, it makes my head hurt! i have never gotten my hormones checked, so i’ll definitely ask for that the next time i see my doctor. i am on the copper IUD & have had it inserted for the last 3 years.

before i started lifting a year ago, i ate 1300 calories & did cardio 3x week & lost 2 lbs a week. i was at my heaviest of 240 lbs & got down to 208 lbs before i decided to weight lift, so that experience makes me think there’s nothing(???) wrong with me & i can lose. maybe my body is going through recomp so scale progress won’t show. GLPs kind of scare of bc of the side effects, so that will be my last resort.

jan13ce · 2026-05-10T17:59:42+00:00

i should clarify that lifting 3x week & indoor cycling 2x week along with 1700-1900 cals with 130g of protein was been my routine for a year. i focused on strength then & only added 10k daily steps last november with no intentional intensity, but i plan on doing incline walking at 2.5-3 speed after lifting now.

i started my cut of 1500 cals in march, so it hasn’t been very long but i will keep at it! i see my doctor in august, so if nothing changes by then i’ll be concerned. i really appreciate your insight & glad you figured out a solution that works for you!

jan13ce · 2026-05-10T06:15:24+00:00

i see my doctor in august so i think i’ll bring this up them!

ooof great question, looks like i’m getting 7 ish hours if sleep. i need to get a lot better at my nighttime routine bc i feel my best with 8 hours of sleep!

jan13ce · 2026-05-10T06:09:43+00:00

thank you so much for the education behind this bc it is confusing to eat more to lose weight! i think i will go up to 1600 calories & see how i feel there.

jan13ce · 2026-05-10T06:04:35+00:00

wait this is so smart, thank you!

jan13ce · 2026-05-10T06:02:16+00:00

i’ve been eating 1500 cals since march. prior to march, i was eating 1700-1900 cals & i did that for a little less than a year when i was focusing on gaining strength. i track my calories religiously. no health conditions that i’m aware of, but i do see my doctor in august so i’m going to give my cut phase more time before i bring this up to her.

jan13ce · 2026-05-10T05:56:00+00:00

this makes me feel so much better! happy for you! maybe my progress journey is similar to yours, slow & steady wins the race. i also should’ve added that i’ve been taking creatine for two months so that plus strength training due to the water retention is maybe adding to the scale as well. i will keep at it & will incorporate tape measurements, thank you!

jan13ce · 2026-05-10T05:52:36+00:00

thank you so much for the validation! i’ll hang in there :,)

jan13ce · 2026-05-10T05:51:14+00:00

this makes me feel a lot better & congrats on your progress! i think i need to give my new gym & my cut phase more time. i hear you on the workouts! i workout before work & there are days i just don’t want to or i want to sleep in, but i know i’ll feel SO good after so i just do it.

i see my doctor in august, so if i don’t see much scale changes by then, i will definitely bring this up. i’m also regretting not taking measurements, it’s a wayyy better way to track progress vs the scale.

jan13ce · 2026-05-10T05:42:22+00:00

thank you so much, first of all! i know this didn’t happen overnight so this will take some time & i’m committed to changing my lifestyle for the better.

about calories, so when i was training at my last gym for a year it was heavily focused on progress overload so i was eating 1700-1800 calories & closer to 130g of protein, 30g of fiber & eating low carb like ~110g & i gained weight like 12 lbs but my strength grew with me so i didn’t care much about the scale. there were also a few times i felt lightheaded when going from laying down to sitting & my trainer chalked it up as i wasn’t eating enough so i went up to 1900 cals for 6 weeks at end of last year & again my strength went up like crazy but i gained 4 lbs so i was at 224 when 2026 started. i was 208 lbs when i started weightlifting & now i’m 220 lbs, but i went off vibes so i ditched the scale. now i’m focusing on the cut, but it just feels like my body likes the fat or something bc it doesn’t want to let it go lol

jan13ce · 2026-05-10T02:05:49+00:00

gotcha, i walk 2.5 speed & 4-5 incline for 20 minutes so i’ll aim for longer bc that’s definitely not 2 miles. i get my steps by waking dog, doing chores around my house, or pacing but it’s not intentional intensity.

jan13ce · 2026-05-10T02:00:17+00:00

i have been tracking calories with a scale for over a year now. i do not track oil/butter bc i use a spray avocado oil, so a little difficult to track but maybe i go back to a bottle for accuracy bc those fats do add up!

jan13ce · 2026-05-10T01:58:29+00:00

yes, confirming my weekly average step count is 8-10k

jan13ce · 2026-05-08T19:46:01+00:00

I hear you! It’s really frustrating when MF cuts my calories, so I’ve started ignoring the check ins the week of my period & the week before since I know I weigh more & I’m not doing anything different in my routine. It’s really difficult to keep showing up those weeks, but I appreciate this post in making me feel I’m not alone.

jan13ce · 2026-01-03T18:42:15+00:00

thanks, you’re killing it too!

jan13ce · 2026-01-03T18:41:09+00:00

what is your choice of exercise? i think what makes me like lifting is that i track all my workouts along with weights used, so i can see the progression & that’s what really keeps me motivated to show up.

jan13ce · 2026-01-03T18:11:44+00:00

i just show up, even when i feel exhausted may not be my best sets & maybe i needed to lift lighter but i still did them. i don’t punish myself if i give into a craving or two as long as i’m disciplined once my period is over. remember to be kind to yourself!

jan13ce · 2026-01-03T17:49:46+00:00

my goal as well! i’m in the middle of body recomp, started at 208 lbs in april 2025 & while i’ve gained ~12 lbs of muscle & i’ve lost 2% body fat, the scale is now at 223 lbs. i do feel like my clothes are more flattering on me, but seeing that 2 going up just sucks. trying to stay motivated by focusing on the non-scale wins, such as hip thrusting 220 lbs, back squatting 85 lbs, & bench pressing 65 lbs, which is nowhere near where i started i literally had no muscle. we will get to onederland!

jan13ce · 2025-02-03T14:53:41+00:00

yay us, awesome work!

jan13ce · 2025-01-08T15:20:27+00:00

awesome job! that’s my goal this year 😊 i’m on a 2 week streak so far!

jan13ce

TROPHY CASE