Extra lbs, go die.

[IGlareOften]

Ao, I'm an over weight person. I've been, seriously, working out for about 3 months now. I've had a gym membership for nearly a year...and only have gone on and off. But, for the last several months, I've been really serious. I go 6-7x a week.

 

In terms of health, I feel it's improved. I can run, I go longer on the elliptical. And the biggest teller is that I did a cardio dance class on Wednesday, not only did I keep up..but I did the whole class without being severely winded. Now, not even the skinny chick in front of me did that. I feel that, inside, I'm becoming very healthy. My blood pressure has gone down, my RHR is like 60. I work out like 1.5 hours a night. I feel that's pretty darn good.

 

The problem? I, seriously, have only lost 10 pounds in the last 3 months. I take in about 1600 calories a day, and I expend about 800 at the gym. I drink, on average, 4.4 liters of water.(I have a bottle that is 2.2 leiters and I drink two a day.) WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH MY BODY?!?! At my weight, I should have shed about 30 pounds by now..but nothing! any tips?

 

HELP!!!!

[BellaStranger]

Good on you for making the positive choice to take care of your body! I don't have any great facts or medical knowledge to tell you why your not shedding those lbs but I would suggest by the fact you are clearly feeling better and healthier, you are on the right track!! Keep at it, keep working hard and judge your progress by your health and fitness, rather than the scales and I'm sure you'll get there!

 

The only thing I can thins is- isn't 4.4 litres of water an awful lot of fluid to be taking on?? I thought the recommended amount was 2?? Maybe this has something to do with it??

[faithful14]

What kinds of foods are you eating throughout the day? I've asked trainers about a similar problem before and they have told me that diet is key to weight loss. Diet is 80% and working out is 20% the way to go to losing weight. If you're unsure, you can always keep a food diary and keep track of what you're eating and see if there's any changes you can make.

[IGlareOften]

I heard( and this is probably not true) is take your body weight, divide is by two, and that's how many ounces of water you're suppose to be drinking. Not 2 liters is the recommended daily water intake..but that's only 8 glasses of water. I actually love water..and get dehydrated easily. So, 4 liters is not a whole heck of a lot.

 

I could be wrong..but it feels good to drink that much water. I mean, our bodies are made up of mostly water. You'd think drinking a lot would be good

[IGlareOften]

What kinds of foods are you eating throughout the day? I've asked trainers about a similar problem before and they have told me that diet is key to weight loss. Diet is 80% and working out is 20% the way to go to losing weight. If you're unsure, you can always keep a food diary and keep track of what you're eating and see if there's any changes you can make.

 

That's probably subjective. I've heard from many many sources that it's opposite. Diet is like 30% and exercise is 70%. However, I have a pretty rounded diet. My brother is doing P 90 X...so he's on this super strict diet program. I tend to eat what he eats(Mostly fruits, veggies and lean meats.) I have some carbs, but not a lot. Like this morning I had yogurt, granola and a banana for breakfast. I had a salad and turkey sandwich for lunch.(No dinnner yet, but probably something good. I'm hungry) My diet is not perfect..but it's like 85% healthy.

[sidehop]

It's the other way around, up to 90% nutrition and 10% exercise.

 

How many times do you eat a day? What would you say you eat that's not healthy for you?

 

Water is plenty, they say on ounce for every two pounds of your body weight (or around 30mL per 0.9kg of your weight) so you're drinking enough assuming.

 

Being active is good but listen to your body. If you're always hungry you may not be eating enough but if not you may be on target and could cut down on few more calories.

[Hermes]

IMO it is always advisable to see an endocrinologist for these issues, first, and then take it from there.

 

link removed

[faithful14]

That sounds pretty healthy to me. I like hermes idea, maybe its a thyroid problem?

[agent1607307371]

How many inches have you lost?

[IGlareOften]

It's the other way around, up to 90% nutrition and 10% exercise.

 

How many times do you eat a day? What would you say you eat that's not healthy for you?

 

Water is plenty, they say on ounce for every two pounds of your body weight (or around 30mL per 0.9kg of your weight) so you're drinking enough assuming.

 

Being active is good but listen to your body. If you're always hungry you may not be eating enough but if not you may be on target and could cut down on few more calories.

 

I eat about every three hours. MEals at meal time..and like a granola bar or yogurt when it's not. I'm not always hungry..in fact, I eat less now that I exercise than I did before I started.

 

That sounds pretty healthy to me. I like hermes idea, maybe its a thyroid problem?

Nope, definitely not that. I've had my thyroid checked a bunch of times over the last 10 years. It's not that. My body just hates me. In my experience, it's like I have to beat my body into submission before it'll release my weight. However, this is like a lot longer than normal.

 

How many inches have you lost?

 

Inches? Quite a few. I'm down a pants size....but still....ugh. I'm active like a thin person. It's hell frustrating to be like this. They know my name at the gym that's how often I'm there. I should be down like 30-40 by now. At this rate..I'll be (according to BMI) morbidly obese forever! oh well. I like working out though. Lucky for my body...I'm not so discouraged I'll stop working out. It's part of my routine now.

[sidehop]

What do you do for a workout? You may not be burning enough with the 1,600 calorie intake. It really depends on the intensity level as well.

[faithful14]

you can also trying changing your workout routine or even swim or play tennis.

[diamond78]

Try dropping your caloric intake to 1200-1400 calories for 2 weeks and see what happens. I don't know how much you weigh, but if we are around similar weights, I do know that whenever I consume 1200-1300 calories I lose weight.

 

Also, make sure you are sleeping 8 hours...for some reason whenever I sleep alot while working out the pounds come off.

[FathomFear]

Curious--you say you want to lose 30 pounds but have only lost 10. Would losing 30 put you under an ideal BMI? Or would it be a normal range?

[catfeeder]

Toned muscle weighs a lot more than fat. The numbers you care about are your BP, your blood work and your clothing measurements. If you stopped working out, your scale weight might drop as your muscle mass softens--but who wants scale numbers that reflect a loss of tone?

 

You might find a happy balance by shooting down the middle. Instead of working out full force 6 days a week, try rest or gentle walking every other day to permit metabolic fluctuations and muscle recovery. I dropped a lot of weight when I did this, yet I retained my tone. I also changed three things:

1) Sleep--adding an extra half hour to an hour per day. Crucial. I could feel myself thinner every morning--sleep proved itself as my time for dedicated metabolic activity.

2) Took an amino acid supplement before bed to aid repair of my digestive tract (GH Support Formula, link removed) as I wasn't breaking down foods properly.

3) drank probiotic yogurt shots with calcium* and D* at breakfast (always eat small breakfast, even if a just hardboiled egg white) and took a pro-and-prebiotic supplement blend with with lunch (Probiotic 15-35, link removed).

 

Exercise moderation and balance with increased sleep was my key--and this beat compulsive workouts where my body adjusted quickly to the consistent increase in activity without recovery time. If you want proof, research 'recovery time' in terms of what happens to your muscles and organs at rest AFTER a workout, and ensure you're allowing enough time for maximizing this period.

 

Tending to a digestive tract that may be lacking friendly-flora and not breaking down food properly is another key. Bring your concerns to your doctor who can diagnose anything working against you, and keep the faith. Your weight didn't build in a few months--trust your investment and ensure that you're not over-working against yourself.

 

In your corner!

 

*Clarification--these are not additives to the yogurt, so no need to shop for a specific brand, they are supplements I take with the shots.

[Car Chick]

That's why I quit working out and dieting. All that stress to still feel like a fat ugly loser. I'll take my chocolate cake and TV watching, thank you. At least I'll have some enjoyment from them.

[catfeeder]

That's why I quit working out and dieting. All that stress to still feel like a fat ugly loser. I'll take my chocolate cake and TV watching, thank you. At least I'll have some enjoyment from them.

 

Hah! Love it. Well, there's always the happy medium. You get to have your cake and walk it off, too...

 

(dUcking!)

[IGlareOften]

What do you do for a workout? You may not be burning enough with the 1,600 calorie intake. It really depends on the intensity level as well.

 

I'm a fan of the elliptical. I usually start my work out with 20-30 minutes on that. Then switch up after that. I'm burning off 500-600 calories in that first part of my work out(According to the little calorie meter thing) I've increased my intensity over the last weeks. The resistance, at first, and now my actual speed. (I go about 148 now as opposed to 138 before) So, it's not about burning the calories...I've good there.

 

after the elliptical, I do weights for 20 minutes. (low weight, high rep. I heard that heats the muscle up and burns the fat around it.) Then head to the stair master for 10ish minutes, back to the weights and stretching. Then the tread mill or bike. Then some random stretches and little things on the aerobics stepper thing.

 

you can also trying changing your workout routine or even swim or play tennis.

 

Oh, I do. I don't do straight gym. I swim once a week. I've been doing a little P90 X with my brother.(Come to find out was their hardest video..named plyometrics) I play volley ball. I'm not straight gym all the time.

 

Try dropping your caloric intake to 1200-1400 calories for 2 weeks and see what happens. I don't know how much you weigh, but if we are around similar weights, I do know that whenever I consume 1200-1300 calories I lose weight.

 

Also, make sure you are sleeping 8 hours...for some reason whenever I sleep alot while working out the pounds come off.

I haven't dropped the calories..but I've changed up my food choices. I was like same same same same foods. Because I knew they worked. I changed it up a bit and added a whey powder for after my work outs. That seems to be helping a bit. My belly seems to slimming a little more this week.

 

I LOVE SLEEP! Sleep is my boyfriend. I usually hit the bed at 9:30 and wake up around 7. So, I get 8-9 hours every night. I'm good there.

 

Curious--you say you want to lose 30 pounds but have only lost 10. Would losing 30 put you under an ideal BMI? Or would it be a normal range?

 

No no. I didn't say I wanted to lose 30lbs. I said, I SHOULD have lost 30, by now. Honestly, I need to lose about 100. To put me in the normal range of BMI...I'd probably have to lose like 140. How much movement I make for my body size is ridiculous. My body is comparison to my life style is a do-not-compute. I have the life style of a thin person. I eat right, exercise, sleep, I don't drink or smoke..yet...my @$$ is ginormous.

 

Toned muscle weighs a lot more than fat. The numbers you care about are your BP, your blood work and your clothing measurements. If you stopped working out, your scale weight might drop as your muscle mass softens--but who wants scale numbers that reflect a loss of tone?

 

You might find a happy balance by shooting down the middle. Instead of working out full force 6 days a week, try rest or gentle walking every other day to permit metabolic fluctuations and muscle recovery. I dropped a lot of weight when I did this, yet I retained my tone. I also changed three things:

1) Sleep--adding an extra half hour to an hour per day. Crucial. I could feel myself thinner every morning--sleep proved itself as my time for dedicated metabolic activity.

2) Took an amino acid supplement before bed to aid repair of my digestive tract (GH Support Formula, link removed) as I wasn't breaking down foods properly.

3) drank probiotic yogurt shots with calcium* and D* at breakfast (always eat small breakfast, even if a just hardboiled egg white) and took a pro-and-prebiotic supplement blend with with lunch (Probiotic 15-35, link removed).

 

Exercise moderation and balance with increased sleep was my key--and this beat compulsive workouts where my body adjusted quickly to the consistent increase in activity without recovery time. If you want proof, research 'recovery time' in terms of what happens to your muscles and organs at rest AFTER a workout, and ensure you're allowing enough time for maximizing this period.

 

Tending to a digestive tract that may be lacking friendly-flora and not breaking down food properly is another key. Bring your concerns to your doctor who can diagnose anything working against you, and keep the faith. Your weight didn't build in a few months--trust your investment and ensure that you're not over-working against yourself.

 

In your corner!

 

*Clarification--these are not additives to the yogurt, so no need to shop for a specific brand, they are supplements I take with the shots.

 

Those are some really good tips. I was looking at those shots at the store. My digestive tract is uber messed up.(I'm severely lactose intolerant) plus a lot of food irritate my tummy.

 

I don't go balls to the walls on my works out, everyday. I'd be burnt out and in pain all the time. I do make sure that I do something that makes me sweet. I couldn't just walk..it would make me feel like I hadn't done anything that day. I guess my body craves the exercise now..so when I don't go..I feel lazy. I do my lazy day when I swim. I do laps, sure. But, I'm not all about getting out of breathe...just moving. Or when I play frisbee/volleyball with my brothers.

 

I dunno. I'm starting to see a little more movement in my body weight since I posted this. Perhaps it was premature.....but I just know the weight lose should be faster, dang it!

 

That's why I quit working out and dieting. All that stress to still feel like a fat ugly loser. I'll take my chocolate cake and TV watching, thank you. At least I'll have some enjoyment from them.

I've tried that so many times. After a couple of months..I'm unhappy again. At least i get the endorphines rush of working out. Plus, there's a super hot guy at the gym who talks to me all the time. That's a nice perk of going to the gym

[generaldiscord]

I think that it's great you're not restricting your diet too much, and that you're focusing on working out! Forcing yourself to starve is unhealthy. Working out is great, and remember that muscle weighs more than fat.

 

Honestly, I don't think it's a bad thing to loose "only" 10 pounds in three months. Ideally, you shouldn't try to loose more than a pound a week if you actually want to be able to maintain it, (and imagine spending all that effort and frustration and hunger only to be 15 pounds heavier than you started out at a year later) so remember, slow is good.

 

You haven't stated your weight or your size. I wear size 6-8 pants, I'm 5'5, and I'm smack dab on the line between "overweight" and "obese". I beat myself up for years because I couldn't loose weight, and I wanted to be 125 pounds, or on the lower end of "normal". I brought it up with my doctor, who said a few words of wisdom I'd like to share.

 

First he said that the scale is 'skewed'. Basically, the border to underweight is seen as a goal for alot of dieters, although 'normal' is actually skinny. 'Overweight' is actually what the average people weigh, so when people see 'normal' they think of the average overweight person.

 

Then he said that dieting is unhealthy (you already know that, and serious props for not doing the starving thing) and that slowing down your metabolism is the worst thing you can do for your weight in the long run.

 

Then he told me that if i wanted to loose 40 pounds, I'd have to cut off a leg, because there was obviously no other way.

 

I think you should keep up what you're doing, maybe just more cardio to get the metabolism up, but don't try to speed up weight loss, try to keep it slooooow...

[botticelli]

You are not getting enough calories in your system. Your body is going into starvation mode and preventing you from losing any precious fat that it needs in those starvation times. I have a really good article that i can send you but I can't post links so idk.. you'll need to contact me if you want it i guess. Or just look up starvation mode.

 

Also, the most healthy weight loss includes losing 1 pound per week. Just make sure you are getting a minimum of 1,200 calories (Including the subtracted calories from working out.. currently you are getting 800 (1,600-800) calories. That's not good at all.) and keep up the working out.

 

In the future you also may want to add some strength training to prevent getting a skinny-fat look (look it up if you don't know what im talking about).

 

Do your research and feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I'm also in the process of losing weight and have already lost 25lbs. 10 more to go.

[diamond78]

I agree about not enough calories....when I mentioned 1200 calories I had no clue you were doing THAT much exercise. You either need to cut back on the exercise or up your food consumption. I'm in the process of losing weight as well using the Body for Life regime....

[Notreadyet87]

Based on what you stated(wanting to lose 140 pounds) then I'm assuming that you are significantly overweight? If so, then yes you should've lost more weight by now. At first when I was reading this I assumed you were simply a bit overweight and that you were trying to lose the last extra 15 pounds. But at your weight you should've lost more by now.

What I can say is that A) get a heart rate monitor--the calorie meter on the eliptical/treadmill are often very skewed. Once I got a heart rate monitor I found that I wasn't burning as much calories as I thought I was. Usually machines will tell you that you are burning more than what you actually are.

B) You need to change up your cardio routine at least every three weeks. I'm not really a fan on machines, because it's really hard to get an intense workout from them without having to really work yourself. Where as if you just ran outside for 30 minutes you could easily burn about 400 calories alone.

C) You are working out too long. One thing I've learned is that less is better. When I worked myself out the way you are, I didn't lose weight. Then I reduced the amount of time I worked out to a 30 minute heavy work out, and 20 minutes of weight lifting. I lost weight. When you over-work yourself you will not lose the weight. You don't need to spend 1.5 hours at the gym every day that is too much, and you'll eventually hit a burn out.

D) Granola is very fatty. The way you are eating, may be working against you. Have you tried diets like South Beach, Slim Fast, weight watchers? These may help you track calories. Most people always underestimate how much they REALLY are eating. Unless you are literally writing things down everyday, you probably are taking in more than 1600, or less. Even so you need to adjust your calorie intake to a level that works for you--I found that when I eat too less I gain weight. When I eat between 1500-1600 calories and do a moderate exercise I lose weight. Once you get your heartrate monitor is you TRULY are burning 800 calories, you need to up calorie intake especially for your weight. If you are burning less than 800 calories, then readjust as well.

Finally--you are working out too much in a week. Your body needs a break. Why not work out 5 days of the week, and give yourself two days off? That is more practical in the long run.

My mother is a personal trainer by the way and has book out on how to be thin.

 

 

[Notreadyet87]

That's probably subjective. I've heard from many many sources that it's opposite. Diet is like 30% and exercise is 70%. However, I have a pretty rounded diet. My brother is doing P 90 X...so he's on this super strict diet program. I tend to eat what he eats(Mostly fruits, veggies and lean meats.) I have some carbs, but not a lot. Like this morning I had yogurt, granola and a banana for breakfast. I had a salad and turkey sandwich for lunch.(No dinnner yet, but probably something good. I'm hungry) My diet is not perfect..but it's like 85% healthy.

 

It isn't subjective. SEVERAL studies and research have concluded that diet is EVERYTHING with weight loss. Exercise is truly only 20% of the formula. So I'm not sure where you got your source from, but that source is wrong. The key to weight loss will always be how much you take in. So that right there may be your issue, your focusing too much on the work out and not enough on what you are eating.

 

Sugar could be an issue too. Bananas are actually delicious but for diets I wouldn't recommend them, they are very high in sugar and carbs and are actually a higher calorie fruit. I would recommend strawberries, blueberries, apples.

 

Eat more fiber.

 

If your going to focus on losing weight, place focus on increasing muscle and flexibility. Cardio is important, but what I found is that building muscle increases your metabolism, and stretching lengthens you out, which equals loss inches, and loss fat--far more beneficial then losing pounds.

[IGlareOften]

Yeah. It's going slooooow. At this rate I'll lose about 40 pounds a year. Which means....it''ll take me 3 years to get to my goal. That's a sucky thought.

 

 

 

Honestly, it's subjective. You're suppose to get enough calories to fuel your body. I'm fueling my body. Any normal diet and good health website or book will tell you that 1600 calories a day with an exercise regimen is perfectly fine. You're suppose to expend more calories than you take in. That would make sense as to how you'd lose weight. If I'm expending 800 and taking in 1600. I'm still taking in more than I'm losing.

 

My body is just weight. I actually upped my activity level and changed the foods I was eating, and now my body is reacting by losing fat. So, I don't believe I'm in starvation mode. I just know my family has a history of an all but non-existant metabolism. It's probably taken my body this long to realize it needs to kick start mine.

[pinkelephant]

Do you just do cardio? Have you considered working out with free weights to kick start your metabolism?