Why I Didn't Lose Weight After 9 Months of 5-Day-a-Week CrossFit

[Sequence Log 003]

Why I Didn’t Lose Weight After 9 Months of

5-Day-a-Week CrossFit

— Even with two meals a day

Recent 1-month WOD log screenshot

I believed CrossFit would make me lose weight.
To be precise, I thought it had to.

Five days a week.
Nine months.
High-intensity intervals.
I sweated enough, and my cardiovascular fitness clearly improved.

But the scale barely moved.
Sometimes the number even went up.

1. My Current State

― Let’s start with the data

This isn’t a complaint. It’s a record.
So first, let me write down who I am right now, as I am.

37-year-old male
9 months into CrossFit
Training 5+ days a week
Last month’s WODs: Mostly Metcon + Strength
Workout intensity: Always at the ‘today was pretty tough’ level

Partial WOD log

I’m not slacking off.
The problem, rather, is that I always go hard.

2. The Hidden Variable: Lifestyle Patterns

― A developer’s day

The problem was outside the box.

Meals: Two meals a day
- Lunch: Regular meals (mostly Korean food)
- Dinner: Protein-focused, reduced carbs
Estimated daily calories: 1,800~2,000 kcal
Occupation: Developer
Average activity level: Low
- Spend most of the day sitting
- Minimal commute movement

At first glance, this looks like a typical weight loss failure story.
But I have one counterexample.

3. Summer Was Different

― When Zone 2 running existed

When the weather was warm, I did Zone 2 running 2~3 times a week.

40~60 minutes
A pace where I’m slightly breathless but can still talk
Much less energy expenditure than CrossFit

During that period, my weight slowly, but clearly went down.
No noticeable body shape changes,
but the scale was honest.

Running record screenshot

Then winter came.

Running stopped
Walking decreased
Activity level dropped sharply

The workout time stayed the same,
but the ‘mode’ of movement disappeared.

4. The CrossFit Trap

― High intensity, but always the same mode

CrossFit is efficient.
It stimulates both cardiovascular fitness and strength in a short time.

But most days, we enter the box in the same state.

Already fatigued
Sleep-deprived
Still carrying stress

And then we go high intensity again.

The body responds like this:

Cortisol rises
Recovery delays
Inflammation accumulates
NEAT (daily activity) decreases

I worked out,
but my total daily energy expenditure actually went down.

5. What I Realized

― The problem wasn’t intensity

At this point, I reached one conclusion.

I’m not failing to lose weight because I’m not exercising.
It’s because I’m always moving in the same mode.

Always high intensity
Always sympathetic-dominant
Always in the “I survived today” state

The body doesn’t recognize this as weight loss mode.
It’s closer to survival mode.

6. So, What Should Change?

― The questions start here

Now my focus is simple.

What state is my body currently in?
When am I switching to recovery mode?
How much has movement outside CrossFit disappeared?

And a more important question.

Can I see all of this not as ‘feeling’,
but as ‘measurable signals’?

Heart rate variability?
Recovery metrics?
Daily activity levels?
Recovery speed relative to training intensity?

[Next Sequence]

This sequence started with the question
“Why isn’t it working?”
but it ultimately points in one direction.

The answer isn’t working harder.
It’s switching to a different mode.

In the next installment, I’ll explore

how to design ‘mode switching’
that maintains CrossFit
without interfering with recovery and weight loss

And how to
measure and automatically detect it
in concrete experimental units.

The next log will be
an attempt to bind exercise, recovery, and weight loss into one sequence.