I Eat Less Calories Than I Burn, But I’m Not Losing Weight?

When it comes to fat loss, we can’t target what parts of our bodies will lose fat first. The areas on your body to gain fat first are often the areas that will lose it last. Men tend to store in their chest and abs first, whereas women usually store in their hips, butts, and [...]

The post I Eat Less Calories Than I Burn, But I’m Not Losing Weight? appeared first on BuiltLean.com.

When it comes to fat loss, we can’t target what parts of our bodies will lose fat first. The areas on your body to gain fat first are often the areas that will lose it last. Men tend to store in their chest and abs first, whereas women usually store in their hips, butts, and legs. However, these are generalizations and your unique fat loss pattern might be different. Read on to find out our answers to your fat loss, exercise, and nutrition questions.

1. I eat less calories than I burn, but I’m not losing weight?
2. Will my face slim down as I lose body fat?
3. Can Chia seeds be sprouted?
4. What should I do to lose weight without bulking up?
5. Where do I go for questions about the BuiltLean Program?

Question #1 – I eat less calories than I burn, but I’m not losing weight?

Question: I recently read your article How to Calculate Your Calorie Burn and I have a question for you. I am 53, 5’6″ and weigh 176 lbs. According to my calculations, based on your article, with little or no activity my BMR is 1778 and with moderate exercise it would be 2296. I run 3 miles 4x a week and I go to boot camp 2 – 3x a week. (My last class my polar said I burned 525 calories). Does my BMR mean that I should have at least 2296 calories a day in order to maintain my weight and anything less would help me to lose? I have been maintaining around 1700 a day and not losing much at all. Thanks! – Paula

Answer: Paula,

Your basal metabolic rate is the amount of energy needed for the functioning of your vital organs; or simply the amount of energy (calories) your body uses at rest without the intake of food. Therefore your BMR is likely around 1700-1800 calories, but it may be less based on genetic variation.

To accomodate for the added activity from the moderate exercise as you are doing, your calorie intake would go up, as you’ve stated around 2200 calories. Therefore in order to lose weight, you would need to consume less than the estimated 2200 calories per day. The law of thermodynamics states that energy can neither be created, nor destroyed, so if you eat less calories than you burn, you will lose weight. The challenge is sometimes the amount of calories you burn can be overestimated, and the number of calories you eat can be underestimated.

Here is an article that I think you’ll find helpful, and may point you in the right direction to get over your Weight Loss Plateau.

- Kwesi (Kwesi Peters, CPT, Community Manager)

Question #2 – Will my face slim down as I lose body fat?

Question: Hello, I have dropped my body fat percentage from 22% to 16%, but couldn’t find any significant change in my face. Will a lower body fat pecentage slim my face? – Guarav

Answer: Hey Guarav, unfortunately it’s not possible to control where fat is lost on the body. Just continue focusing on losing fat without losing muscle. In my experience, neck fat is lost early on in the transformation, so it’s usually one of the first places fat is lost. So 22% to 16% would get rid of most of most of the neck fat for most guys, but everyone is different. Keep up the good work!

– Marc (Marc Perry, CSCS, CPT)

Question #3 – Can Chia seeds be sprouted?

Question: My wife is getting into sprouting seeds and juicing what grows. She is starting with wheat grass but heard you can sprout many types of seeds. Any idea if you can sprout these and are there similar health benefits compared to the seeds themselves? – Steve.

Answer: Chia seeds can absolutely be sprouted. In fact, they sprout into the microgreens that you may have seen grow out of your favorite Chia Pets! Sprouting is awesome and can provide great benefits, however, certain seeds may actually be more nutritionally dense as whole seeds.

There are varying opinions regarding benefits of sprouting chia seeds. I personally would stick to eating chia seeds dry or soaked….During germination process of sprouting, you lose most of the fatty acid content that chia seeds are known for. Also, that gelatinous coating that forms around chia seeds is responsible for many of the health benefits of chia including supported digestion and slowed breakdown of glucose. Once you sprout chia, you lose the hydrophilic properties and the associated health benefits.

- Jessica ( Jessica Zack, HHC)

Question #4 – What should I do to lose weight without bulking up?

Question: I need some help, I want to lose 60 pounds but I don’t want to bulk up. I want to lose the weight first, then build about ten pounds of muscle. I do about 50 minutes of cardio and I do light weight strength training for about 30 to 40 minutes. Is there any type of exercise that I can do to help lose weight faster? – Ras

Answer: Ras, have you ever tried interval based training? Here is an article that I think can be helpful to you – High Intensity Interval Training. In regards to the weight lifting, check out the free GetLean Guide on Builtlean.com for some helpful tips. Keep in mind strength training can keep your muscle as you lose only fat. The Get Lean Guide is really the best place to start. Hope this helps!

- Kwesi (Kwesi Peters, CPT, Community Manager)

Question #5 – Where do I go for questions about the BuiltLean Program?

Question: Hey Marc, just wanted to say thanks for all the articles, I’m glad I came across your site about 2-3 months ago – since then, I go at least 3 times a day just to read and educate myself and I have made alot of changes…but am still fighting against my worse enemy: “NUTRITION.”I have a few questions that I wasnt able to find on the FAQ section you have on your website and they’re somewhat personal so I didn’t want to share them here. I know you are a busy guy but hope I could shoot you and email or msg – let me know thanks.
Once again, thanks for sharing your knowledge and leaving the BS out! – Carlos

Answer: Carlos,
If you have already checked out our BuiltLean Program FAQ, you can ask any questions through our Customer Support Center. We are open to all questions from prospective customers!

- Kwesi (Kwesi Peters, CPT, Community Manager)

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