Working Out N Watching My Diet but Not Losing Weight :(

I cut out wheat and have been losing weight on a steady basis. Not having wheat means I can't reach of a handful of crackers or pretzels so I usually eat more fruit and veggies. I walk about 2 miles a day and don't do any other exercise. For M. food has a bigger impact in weight loss than exercise.

I cut out all carbs but fruit and lost 1.5 lbs per week. I also don't eat a thing after dinner.
So yes... Cut out the bread.

Jen,

I feel your pain. I have lost 16 lbs in the last 2 months. And several times I have been STUCK at a certain weight and then BAM! the weight comes off.

I don't count calories. I have changed my diet. I cut Coca-Cola out of my diet. I have not had a Coke since 1 Oct. I sleep better! At first - it was hard. I went cold-turkey.

I drink either water with lemon or orange slices. I drink unsweentened tea - and that's not every day. I drink water.

I cut out carbs....not all, just the ones that were holding M. back. Bread...white bread - switch to whole grain...for sandwiches I use a large piece of lettuce. I make my own soup so that I can watch my sodium intake.
Dinner is a lean and green - chicken, pork or fish - with a green veggie. I don't eat white rice, mashed potatoes or stuffing. I fix it for my family. I just don't eat it. I have a salad as well.

What a lot of people don't get in losing weight? This is a lifestyle change...this isn't "ohh I want to drop a few pounds for that dress..." this is a lifestyle change.

You probably don't look as fat as before. That's the problem. You see yourself every day....and we as women are truly critical of ourselves. I'm sure your clothes are fitting differently. You just don't see it.

Please don't give up. You CAN do this!!!

Hang in there! With toning up and gaining muscle, you may be at this weight for a while. Try not to weigh yourself for a while, maybe take some measurements of your belly, thighs, etc and compare those instead. I've been stuck at 146 pounds for several months but I notice my clothes fit differently.

Just remember that you are doing so much good for yourself, and try not to push yourself too hard or get discouraged (easier said than done I know)! Keep with it a few more weeks and I promise you will notice that you feel stronger, have more energy, and just feel better in general. Don't give up!

Even if you're not losing weight you are getting healthier and more toned. Have you checked with your doctor? Had your thyroid and/or hormones checked? This is a tough time of year to lose weight. If you are maintaining your previous weight loss and not gaining it back that sounds pretty good. It sounds like you are doing all or mostly cardio. Your exercise routine needs some weight lifting/strength training. Weight loss often has plateaus before you lose again. If you add the strength training, stick with the limited calories and still don't start losing again I would check with your doctor. Good luck!

Sounds like you've already plateaued. Are you only doing cardio? If so, you need to add strength training. Also, maybe 1500 - 1800 calories is too much. I know if I ate up to 1800 per day, I'd gain weight, especially since you're in "lose weight" mode, not maintenance. Honestly, it could be a combination of things. I'd start with adding strength training to your program. Or pilates or something. Something different than just cardio. 1.5 hours of cardio 4x/week seems…well…not balanced. It's overkill on just one type of exercise. Add some variety and see if that kicks your body back into weight loss mode.

Bear in mind that while you are burning fat, you are also building muscle... So while you may not be losing much in poundage, you are likely actually making quite a bit of progress. Try measuring inches instead of of pounds.

Also, they say that when you start working out, it takes 9 weeks for you to see a difference, and 12 for others. So keep at it!

Even if you aren't immediately losing weight, doing cardio exercises strengthens your heart and boosts your metabolism. This will help you out in the long run when it comes to weight control, even if you aren't seeing results right now.

You should also add some strength/toning to your workout... If you have a smartphone, there are great free apps with exercise routines that don't require any equipment or cost.

One great tip is to eat your biggest meal (or most calorie-packed) shortly after your workout. Your body will still be in booster mode, and will burn off the calories faster even while you are resting. Try to pack as much protien into that meal as possible. The rest of your meals should be split into several small portions instead of the traditional 3 big meals.

No matter what results you see, exercising is a great thing to do. Health is not a number on a scale. :)

I think you might be building muscle from running. I follow Runs for Cookies and she said she didn't work out at all until she lost 50 lbs. When you first start working out, it's hard to lose weight.

I would try just eating one whole wheat bread item per day, instead of two. Also watch your liquid calories. If you're drinking coffee with cream, that adds up..Diet sodas apparently hinder weight loss as well.

Don't give up! Even if you're not losing that much, you may be losing inches and it's better for your overall health to exercise.

the main thing is to keep at it! the plateaus are SO discouraging, but you're doing it right. and i guarantee that if you quit focusing on the scales but how you FEEL, you'll have to agree that there's a significant difference.
working out on no breakfast is a disaster waiting to happen. your poor body is going to go into starvation mode if you try that again, especially post-baby. and 1200 calories is really, really skimpy. treat your body like the friend it is, don't punish it. it's trying to accommodate you, but it DOES take time and consistency. 7 weeks isn't that long. you need to find an eating and working out regimen that you can stick with long-term, and it sounds as if the one you're doing now might be it. the only thing i'd change up is to eat your carbs for breakfast before your workout.
hang in there, baby! it WILL work if you're patient and persistent and let it happen.
khairete
S.

So frustrating!
It sounds like you are doing great. And even though you're not seeing big results, working out is so good for you! I agree with another poster, add strength training!! I have a friend who's husband is RIPPED and he really doesn't eat a fabulous diet. But he does strength training like a mad man.
Not saying that's what you should do, but add weights to your routine.
Also a quick answer to that is Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. It's quick, but it KICKS your butt. I did that video for awhile and didn't watch what I ate and saw results.
Also, pay attention to inches, not always pounds. Muscle does weigh more then fat!!! Hang in there!
One more thing, if you want to drop some initial pounds quick, go with the South Beach Phase one for 1 to 2 weeks. I'm doing that this week, and have lost 5 lbs since Monday!!!
You can google tons of recipes and ideas but to give the quick over view, in phase 1 you can eat NO carbs, no fruits and sugars. Also no carrots, or potatoes white or sweet, only lowfat or 2% dairy. Get prepared and it's no too hard. I made up a bunch of turkey chili with black beans and chopped veggies that we eat at lunch. Also lean burgers over lettuce topped w/ lowfat swiss and mushrooms, and I'll eat green beans or another veggie w/ that. Veggie omelettes, greek yogurt w/ nuts etc.
Good luck!

I'm surprised the trainer told you to eat that much. For most women, especially for those no longer in their 20's, it takes a max of 1200 calories a day to lose the safe 1-2 lbs per week.

How much water are you drinking? I've found that when I try to lose weight, I seem to lose more when my water intake is sky high. I'm currently dieting and I drink at least 100 oz a day, sometimes a gallon.

Your body is going to hang on to some weight while it adjusts. In the meantime, you are building muscle with your workouts. Building muscle (tears in the fibers) also = water retention.
It will level out, but you have you give your body a chance to adjust.

I agree with the others...add weights. Heavy weights... not 5 lbs (unless that is heavy to you). No...you will not bulk up. I promise!

You are doing the right things, you just have to give your body a chance. We get very impatient while we wait for results, after we've made what feels like huge changes in our lives. Your body needs a chance to catch up with your mind.

I also agree that you should cut calories a little more. For M., 1500/day is what I eat if I'm maintaining. 1200 if I'm losing. And that # INCLUDES what I burn off in the gym.

Be patient and don't give up now! You have worked so hard so far. Hang in there. You will get your results!!

I suggest that you stop obsessing about the scale. Get a tape measure and measure yourself. Your trainer should be doing this. Pay closer attention to your inches lost and how your clothes are fitting.

Your trainer should also do a multi site caliper test to determine your body fat percentage. This is not the same as BMI, which is inaccurate and does not differentiate between fat, muscle and bone.

Put the scale away. Seriously. It's just going to stress you out.

I understand your frustration with the number showing up on the scale; I feel it myself right now. It is so tempting to let that number determine 'success' or 'failure.' However, that number really doesn't tell the most important thing, namely whether you (or I) are getting healthier, more fit. In fact, as several other people have posted, as your body replaces existing fat with muscle, your weight will not go down. To get a better sense of how your new lifestyle regimen is working, instead of weighing yourself, look for indications of being more toned.I bet that if you/your trainer measure the actual size of your stomach, legs/etc, you'd find that they have shrunk or at least become firmer. An informal way to check: do your clothes fit differently than two months ago? Also, do you feel stronger, more energetic, more fit, happier/more confident now? If the answers are yes, then the number on the scale is really irrelevant.

Maybe you need to get clear about your priorities. Why have you changed your diet and exercise patterns? Isn't it to become healthier? If that is your goal, then you want to think about how you'll measure progress towards that goal. We use weight as a measure of health and of appearance, however it isn't a good measure of either one. Well, yes, in cases where people are either obese or emaciated, the numbers on the scale indicate that they're in poor health and the people usually don't look so good in either situation, however for most of us, weight on any given day doesn't tell you so much about overall healthiness. So see whether you can look for other indications of how well your program is working. Good luck!

Add strength training. Cut dairy too! Be patient. You are doing great!

This is normal, you gain muscle as you lose fat so the weight will stay about the same.

Muscles weigh more than fat. If you're building muscle instead of reducing fat then it's likely you'll gain weight instead. If you're exercising you are building muscle, if your fat isn't going off as quickly because you're doing exercises that build the muscle....sometimes it's better to do a lot of reps without weight to get fat off and not build muscle...does that make sense? I'm not sure I'm saying it right.

I was going to Mademoiselle on South Penn in OKC for a few years and I weighed 150, 5'3" and in a size 13(ish) junior.

The staff told M. since I was doing my exercises with weights I was only building muscle. That the fat was just squishing around and sticking around. That I need to do double or triple the reps but with about half the weight or less. The increased reps would make the fat burn off and it would still build muscle but much much much slower.

So, try doing more reps of the same exercises but without any weight on a machine or the elliptical or any other tool you use.

You want to burn off calories but not build muscle at first...that's it, that's what I was trying to say.

Then, you might want to consider the carbs you are eating. Cutting out some foods isn't a bad idea. But cutting out whole food groups is not something I think is good for you. I would not like to eat the wheat tortilla every day. I'd eat one or the other for one meal.

I was also told by a nutritionist that if you don't eat enough calories then your body goes into a panic/hibernation mode and starts packing the pounds because it thinks it's going to have to survive on those stored calories. You may need to eat more calories. This way your body lets go of the excess fat easier.

To be perfectly honest you are probably still taking in too many calories. depending on your activity levels (do you have a sedentary lifestyle with the exception of your workouts? do you take the car everywhere, spend most of your day in the house or car?) 1500 - 1800 calories is probably what you burn in a day (closer to 1500 if you spend most of the day at home or in a car) - so you would only maintain your weight but not loose any.
Running, elliptical and such are reasonably good excercises, but how much do you actually work out? Most workout equipment really overestimates the calories you are burning. How fast are you running? At 12 min/mile you would be burning less than 300 cal per 30 minutes, if you did this every day you would burn 2100 calories in 7 days - not enough to maintain a weight loss of a pound a week.

It is enough however to maintain a healthy lifestyle and a slow and healthy weightloss. You should not feel like you are putting in the effort for nothing. You are putting in the effort because it will keep you healthy for your kids. You really should not excercise just to loose weight, but because it is good for your body and mind. People who excercise regularly cut their risk of heart and vascular disease, stroke, depression, diabetes, dementia....and many more conditions associated with a western lifestyle.

So give yourself some more time, going slow and steady will be much more likely to produce lasting results, rather than loosing it all quickly just to gain it all back.
Try to work towards a goal that isn't weight loss. If you like running, about you work towards running some races (5K, 10K, half or marathon)...

Good luck.

Keep doing what youre doing. Loosing weight is not easy but sounds like youre doing everything youre supposed to be doing. M. personally, I still ate everything I normally eat. Only difference was that I ate the low cal, fat free, low fat, light version of everything. I also watched my portions and worked out at least 30 minutes a day. Lost 30lbs in little of no time

Been there. Plateaus are so discouraging! In the past I have found when I'm working really hard to lose the weight, but it doesn't budge, I have to go back to calorie counting. Thats because while exercise is a great tool for weight loss, your diet is where its at. Just make sure to eat your basal metabolism and don't go below that or your body will think its starving. 1200 is likely too low unless your in your 50's. I think that for many people, drastically cutting out any certain food type inevitably leads to weight loss because it keeps people from eating everything in front of them, wether that be bread, dairy, sugar. That said, bread is very high in calories, so I would watch my bread, but I dot think its necessary to eliminate your whole grains.
But do take measurements just in case this is about muscle vs. fat. This has never been the case for M.. I love the idea that just because the scale won't budge I'm still changing my body, but I find the scale does not lie to M..

Congratulations on taking the first steps! Sounds like you are on your way, but need to make some adjustments. Here are my suggestions:

1) Research online and find a weight loss calculator where you can input your age, height, weight and activity level to find the number of calories you need to consume to lose weight and/or maintain your weight. Regardless of exercise. These are great numbers to keep in mind when choosing what you eat.

2) Keep a food log and keep your calories down. And as another poster mentioned, those little things like butter and drinks add up!

3) Regarding food, I would definitely not cut out carbs completely. Keeping whole grains will provide the fuel you need when working out. I've lost weight on the low-carb plan, but have done significantly better when keeping whole grain good carbs in my diet. But not bread!

4) Add some strength training. Even if it's primarily body weight exercises, it's something and a good start. Small weights. Perhaps a weight class at your gym? You will not bulk up, but it will help you burn that fat.

5) Finally, consider how hard you are actually working out. Perhaps you could buy one of those watches that track calories burned based on your specific body data. You might be surprised and see that you need to amp things up. I had this problem at one point.

That's all for now! I have to plan meals, exercise and such each day in order to successfully lose weight. It's a lot of work! But, if you can make it a priority you will see results. Good luck to you and keep up the hard work!

You are working hard to lose your weight dear. But I am surprised that your trainer didn't tell you to follow balanced diet to loose weight fastly. Try to take balanced diet and some workout with your exercise. You should drink lots of water in a day also dear.

Once suggestion that I have to give that helps M. maintain my weight and helped M. lose a few pounds when they were starting to creep up (I'm 44) is that I pretty much eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch 4-5 days a week.
Sounds boring, and it is at first...but it does help M. to stay on track most days. Then on the weekends, I do for sure eat other things/eat out, etc...I just try not to overdo it.

Also, I work out about 5 days a week with a workout DVD. Pretty cheap and convenient. Most days I use one of Jillian Michaels or Bob Harper/Biggest Loser. Some days I do some different yoga DVD's to mix it up.
The great thing about these is that they are usually 1/2 hr and most incorporate some weights, which I think have really helped M. to tone up. They were tough for M. at first, but now I miss doing it if I don't that day.
For M., these have been simple things that I can incorporate into my life so that I don't always feel like I have to "diet" or work out constantly, which I would hate and quit doing right away. :)

Good luck!

Hi MommyJen,

It sounds like you are doing some awesome things for yourself! Congrats and way to go!! Hitting a plateau is never fun!!
Have you ever thought about doing a cleanse? I know a lot of people that have been very successful with doing a cleanse and as a result, losing weight and feeling great!! You will figure out which foods agree with your body and which to leave out of your diet. The best cleanse that I know of is the Arbonne vegan cleanse. (I am an Independent Consultant for Arbonne, but saw the results before I decided to join the company!! Now I get to share the great products that help so many people!!) There is a program that is called the 28 day cleanse. You eliminate the most common allergenic foods (wheat, dairy, soy...) and eat whole foods and can supplement with protein shakes. It includes a 7 day drink cleanse product, protein shakes, chews (that you can eat in-between meals to help keep you full) and a fizzy drink that helps with energy. You can check out the products at https://www.arbonne.com/shop_online/showCatalog.asp?categ.... People that I know have done the cleanse to feeling better, to lose those last 5-10 pounds and to lose a bunch of weight. They are great products!!

Whether or not you decide to do my cleanse, check and see if a cleanse would help you out...I know people are very successful with losing weight on them!! If you have any questions or what more info on the Arbonne products, email M. at ____@____.com luck!!
S. D.