Why is the weight not falling off me?

Question

I am 145 pounds and 170 cm tall & female. Before I started the gym 2 months ago I already had a decent body (no exercise except an occasional walk and used to eat junk food all the time - I was slowly gaining 1 kg a month though) however for the past 2 months I have been doing 1 hour cardiovascular sessions (burn about 500 calories) then 1 hour weight training (pretty intense, really push my limits, target all major muscles etc) - 5 times a week & have been taking a fat burning pre-workout, and a low calorie high protein shake right after, as-well as getting 100g protein a day (trying to add more) and eating about 1500 calories.

Although I'm feeling a little skinnier and added some muscle...if I'm eating a calorie deficit, weight training and intense cardiovascular exercise, the weight should be falling off me?

My aim is to lower my body fat and gain muscle. Some people say its because your damaging your metabolism because your not eating enough. However I'm already not losing enough as it is let alone adding more calories.

Answer 1

Before I give out pointers, I quickly calculated your Body Mass Index and it came out with 22.7 which is in the Normal Weight range. Personally, your weight to height ratio sounds just about right, I don't think you are actually overweight as how you justified in your question. But I will go ahead and give you advice.

1. Two months is not a long time - Everybody has different body shapes and different genes, that's what makes us unique. You have to understand that some people can easily make weight "fall off" themselves in a couple of weeks whilst others may take six months to see meaningful progress. Our bodies react to change differently and sometimes it takes time for the body to adjust. Judging from your question, you have probably been watching too many commercials that promise X body in X amount of weeks. What they don't tell you is that the fitness models in the commercials have been working hard to get that body for years. not weeks.
2. Don't starve yourself - Going to bed, not feeling comfortably nourished will automatically put your body into famine mode and consequently hold onto all the body fat it can for it to prevent you from getting ill or infections. Being in a caloric deficit is fine, but its not natural to be in a caloric deficit all year round. Eat whole natural food, cut out junk food and sugars (but don't be a square about it, its okay to go out with friends and have a some KFC, just do it in moderation).
3. Supplements are supposed to aid in a diet which is lacking specific nutrients - I can tell you that the "fat burning pre-workout" is probably doing you more harm than good. If you eat enough and have a well balanced diet, there is no need for protein shakes and supplements. There is so much protein in our food these days its completely unnecessary to add some more. Probably a subjective view I am going to point out but I think people who depend on supplements simply have a poorly structured diet.
4. You are doing too much - Unless your a professional bodybuilder training for a contest and who has a team taking care of you then you shouldn't be doing weight lifting and intense cardiovascular exercises. This is probably depleting all your energy stores in your body spiking up your cortisol levels because your body is under stress. Weight lifting is a strenuous activity, cardiovascular exercises can be thrown into the same category too. Balance your workout routine, Do weight lifting on one day, and cardio on the other (with a gap day between each training day)

I hope this answer may become useful for you. The only supplements you will ever need is hardwork and rest.

For future reference, when asking questions, please go and read the information in the help centre page and structure your questions correctly before posting. This not only helps the people trying to help you,but also people who may find this thread useful in the future.

All the best.