Frustrated : not losing weight.

[Kamille]

Last year, for multiple reasons, I gained 15 pounds. I've been trying to shed them since July, but a very ectic schedule made that nearly impossible. I was always on the road, in a different city every other week, which made it very difficult to make healthy eating choices and maintain an exercise routine.

 

So I thought that things would fall into place once I settled into a more regular routine, which I did last month.

 

I go to the gym 4-5 times a week (cardio, some yoga) and I make healthy food choices and I walk everywhere I go (30-60 minutes a day). I thought the pounds would just shed off (as they would have when I was in my twenties) Here is why I'm frustrated : I lost one pound in one month...

 

One pound! That's hardly a result. And my jeans still feel tight - which suggests it isn't a fat-turn-to-muscle thing. I don't see what else I could do: I've been steadily increasing the intensity of my work outs and I don't feel like becoming too obsessed with what I eat.

 

Any advice/ suggestions?

[SoStupid]

Last year, for multiple reasons, I gained 15 pounds. I've been trying to shed them since July, but a very ectic schedule made that nearly impossible. I was always on the road, in a different city every other week, which made it very difficult to make healthy eating choices and maintain an exercise routine.

 

So I thought that things would fall into place once I settled into a more regular routine, which I did last month.

 

I go to the gym 4-5 times a week (cardio, some yoga) and I make healthy food choices and I walk everywhere I go (30-60 minutes a day). I thought the pounds would just shed off (as they would have when I was in my twenties) Here is why I'm frustrated : I lost one pound in one month...

 

One pound! That's hardly a result. And my jeans still feel tight - which suggests it isn't a fat-turn-to-muscle thing. I don't see what else I could do: I've been steadily increasing the intensity of my work outs and I don't feel like becoming too obsessed with what I eat.

 

Any advice/ suggestions?

 

 

I havent' tried it yet myself.. a couple of my friends have completed the program and had overexciting results.. one of my gf's has started it a month ago and has lost 10lbs. i cant even imagine what she is going to look like in 90 days.. you should check it out I know i am....

Its called P90x check it out.

[Kamille]

I havent' tried it yet myself.. a couple of my friends have completed the program and had overexciting results.. one of my gf's has started it a month ago and has lost 10lbs. i cant even imagine what she is going to look like in 90 days.. you should check it out I know i am....

Its called P90x check it out.

 

Intriguing indeed. Looks interesting - and I might try it; it sounds like it's more about changing habits then 'losing weight' and I like that. I was hoping not to have to 'spend' too much on programs and such. I'm going to register to a few classes at my gym. Definitely pilates since I have back problems - but I don't what else. Spinning? Power Yoga? Martial arts?

 

I mean, I believe the best way to reach and maintain a healthy weight is to gain healthy, manageable habits and have fun doing it.

 

The advantage is, once I lose the f-ing 15 pounds, I'll never complain about my weight again. (I used to feel 'fat' when I was 15 pounds lighter. I now realize I really wasn't.)

[Confused9]

Try writing down everything you eat and keeping track as best you can calorie wise. You might be suprised at how much you are really eating. Just a thought???

[fral945]

This may sound like an odd question at first, but do you get enough sleep and is your life really less hectic? Stress and inadequate sleep can wreak all kinds of havoc on your body and make you crave lots of junk food, plus make it difficult for you to lose weight even when you are eating properly and exercising.

 

My advice is:

 

1) Get adequate sleep

2) Limit stress

3) Eat healthy, small, frequent meals (I eat 7-8 times/day)

4) Exercise with at least a moderate intensity on a regular basis

 

I don't recommend counting calories, as that is unrealistic and nearly impossible to do on a long term basis. Maybe for a little while if you just want to get an idea of how much your actually eat. But I'd focus more on creating good lifestyle habits.

[Confused9]

I don't know if you are referring to me about counting calories but I was only saying just to see why she wasn't losing weight as fast. Maybe she is eating more than she thought. That's all.

[fral945]

I don't know if you are referring to me about counting calories but I was only saying just to see why she wasn't losing weight as fast. Maybe she is eating more than she thought. That's all.

 

I was, but wasn't necessarily disagreeing with you. You're right, it might not hurt to do it initially just to see how much she is actually eating.

[Ronni_W]

Kamille,

Keeping a 'food & drink intake' journal is an excellent suggestion.

Particularly, pay attention to what you eat in-between your regular meals -- my friend lost 15 pounds in 2 months mostly by stopping ALL snacking (no carrots or cookies) and adding a bit of exercise...which you're already doing the activity part.

 

Also, fruit juices are plenty "costly" in terms of calories, and I read that diet drinks do something weird to metabolism (or some other biochemical process), and turns out to be not such a good idea for weight reduction.

 

Calorie counting is important in determining amount of energy you're taking in versus expending (through RMR, activity and digestion.) But it's not critical to weight reduction, if you're eating/drinking in moderation -- my friend mentioned above did not count calories at all.

 

Caution, of course, to maintain any special, stabilizing diet/food intake needs.

 

Best of luck!

 

EDIT: Oh, and he did also limit alcohol consumption, but didn't totally abstain, either.

[norajane]

Try some weight training to build muscles, so you end up burning more calories all day long.

 

Also, and I've found this effective, is to try "high intensity interval training". You can google the term for more details, but it's basically doing whatever cardio you're doing, but in a different way. Instead of going at a steady pace for an hour, go 1 minute or 30 seconds as fast and as hard as you can, then the next minute go at a slower pace to recover your breathing, then again take 30 seconds or a minute as high intenstity. Keep alternating for about 20 minutes, and you're done.

 

For example, if you're running, sprint for 30 seconds, walk for a minute, sprint for 30 seconds, walk, etc. For some reason, this revs up your metabolism all day, much better than just a steady pace of mid-range jogging. Plus, it cuts your works outs to 5 minute warm-up, 20 exercise, 5 cool down. Granted, you totally get worn out during that time, but, it works.

[Kamille]

Thanks for all the ideas. I'm just coming back from the gym and I'm happy to report that I've lost two more pounds! And yes, finally, I'm starting to feel it in my clothes.

 

Keeping a journal might be a good idea because perhaps I'm under the delusion that there's nothing wrong with my eating habits. I believe I eat pretty healthy: lots of veggies, proteins in some form at every meal (be it fish, meat, beans, nuts), whole grains, fresh fruits, I try to avoid processed foods as much as possible and haven't set foot in a fast food joint in years and I make sure never to reach a point of starvation. While I was with my ex, I ate a lot more cheese, white bread and pasta and also drank more often, which explains why I gained weight in the first place. So my diet has changed on top of my activity level.

 

Stress: yes, I say my life is less hectic but it remains on the realm of the crazy side and it seems that when I finally get into a good sleeping pattern something comes up to mess up (like say travelling to a different time-zone or moving to a new apartment or late nights with friends). I do think it's getting better because I no longer wake up tired like I used to do all last year.

 

Norajane, I have been doing "high intensity interval" training as I had heard of it. I'm thinking maybe I need more diversity in my work out routine, so in Jan I'll be starting an Aichido class. I'll also be taking Pilates.

 

Weight training: While I theoretically recognize the importance of weight training, everytime I've tried to incorporate it into my routine, I end up going to the gym less simply because I don't like it. At one point I realized that the best way to ensure I kept working out was to not force myself to do weighttraining. So anyone who likes weight training, could you please tell me what it is that you like about it? Please make it sound enticing! (And yes, I've hired a trainer in the past to show me the ropes and make me a program).

 

But yippee! I lost 2 more pounds so now I've lost 3 pounds.

[norajane]

Weight training: While I theoretically recognize the importance of weight training, everytime I've tried to incorporate it into my routine, I end up going to the gym less simply because I don't like it. At one point I realized that the best way to ensure I kept working out was to not force myself to do weighttraining. So anyone who likes weight training, could you please tell me what it is that you like about it? Please make it sound enticing! (And yes, I've hired a trainer in the past to show me the ropes and make me a program).

 

I like it how tightens things up, and I get a kick out of feeling powerful, ha. I really like it in conjunction with yoga because it gives me strength and endurance to hold some of the poses, as well as improving my balance for some reason.

 

For what it's worth, I hate cardio, unless it's in the form of dance.

[josie54]

I believe I eat pretty healthy: lots of veggies, proteins in some form at every meal (be it fish, meat, beans, nuts), whole grains, fresh fruits, I try to avoid processed foods as much as possible and haven't set foot in a fast food joint in years and I make sure never to reach a point of starvation.

 

Congratulations on the three pounds! I agree with other posters on the food journal...couldn't recommend it more highly as one of the most effective weight loss tools there is.

 

You note above that you eat healthy, which I'm sure is true, but keep in mind a HANDFUL of nuts is 200 calories. A large portion of fish can be 300 calories. Olive oil is 240 calories in just 2 tablespoons. One slice of whole wheat bread can be as high as 120 calories (which makes a simple sandwich 240 calories before you put a thing on it). That is what I discovered when I kept my own food journal--many of my healthy meals were between 600 to 800 calories (meat, bread, vegetables, oils, drink, etc.)--some of my snacks were as high as 400 calories--and I hadn't even realized it. I was racking up more than 2,000 calories a day in very healthy foods.

 

After my journal made it clear what was happening, I paid more attention to portion control and started measuring. Knocked back my daily intake to around 1,500 calories (about 1,800 on one "splurge" day a week). I loaded up on low-calorie/high-volume foods (like fruits and vegetables) and ate high-calorie/low-volume foods (bread, nuts, meats, oils) more sparingly. With an hour of daily exercise (5 to 6 x week), the pounds came off pretty quickly and I lost 30 pounds in about four months.

 

And guess what: Once I stopped keeping the journal, I regained 15 of those 30! BUT I lost too much weight to begin with and I haven't gone back to where I was originally. I've stayed at this weight (143 lbs at 5'6") for quite a while now (would like to lose 3 to 5 more pounds, though). And because I now have a good sense of what a portion really looks like and how many calories are in the food I eat, I haven't gone back to my heaviest (158 pounds).

 

Good luck with your weight loss plan! Sounds like you're on the right track.

[LavendarGirl]

Hi Kamille,

You said you were with your ex when you gained the weight. Most likely you picked up new eating habits while you were with him. You recognize already that you were eating more cheese and pasta. Maybe you also got used to a larger portion in general?

 

Next time you are in your grocery store, get an 8 oz fillet of fish. Now, 1/2 of that should be a portion, at least when you're dieting. You can cook it up with lots of veggies, but then eat 1/2 of that fillet (4 oz) and save the other 1/2 for dinner tomorrow night.

 

Also be mindful of the stuff that ordinarily you don't think about. Sugar in coffee? Got a Starbucks habit? Are you drinking soda (regular or diet)? If you are hooked on Diet Coke, for example, substitute it with Perrier for the bubbles, but get yourself off the sodas, they wreck a diet. Be sure to drink enough water during the day.

 

Also, having a week of a structured diet can help you in determining if your portion control is accurate. Have a sensible breakfast and the Lean Cuisine for lunch and dinner, with sensible snacks in between. Assess after eating, are you still hungry? If you are, then go for the low cal veggies (carrots, etc) for the satisfaction, but realize if you're hungry, you need to adjust to the smaller portions.

 

Hope this helps, and by the way, congrats on losing 3 pounds! That means you just have 12 to go...

[sunshinegirl]

What kind of yoga are you doing?

 

I discovered bikram-style (hot) yoga a couple of years ago. For me the 90 minute sweat-soaked classes have been incredible for toning, muscle strength, and weight loss. I don't lift weights but a combo of yoga, climbing, and running has always whipped me into shape pretty quickly.

 

The secret for me was finding activities I really love.

[Kamille]

Hi Sunshine! I do hatha style and power yoga. I could try hot yoga, but I just registered for an martial art class in january, telling myself it would be new and fun and exciting.

 

Thanks everyone for the ideas. I will try a week of structured diet to see what I could improve on. It's my pleasure to point out though that: I never put sugar in my coffee, which I drink black with a little bit of skim milk, never drink cola, don't drink juice. I do eat seeds regularly, but never in outrageous quantities (more as accents to salads or as an afternoon snack to tie me over to dinner - and then I don't find I need to eat a lot of them to feel satiafied). My meals usually consists of mostly veggies. My one weakness is pasta. I love pasta. I substituted white pasta for whole grain-durum but I could probably limit portions there too.

 

And I'm going to do my best to be mindful of portions and hidden mayonnaise and fats in my food choices in the holidays seasons. Should probably try not to drink too much alcohol either.

[Isolde]

Kamille, I have the opposite issue, and I think sometimes it can take the body a LONG time to get out of homeostasis. I've been eating a lot for several months and still no gain, so it's conceivable you could be doing all the right things and not lose yet.

[sb129]

Try writing down everything you eat and keeping track as best you can calorie wise. You might be suprised at how much you are really eating. Just a thought???

 

Kamille-

 

I have been doing this since the 1st of December, as, like you, I was eating healthily and doing alot of exercise.

I did it under the recommendation of a personal trainer I enlisted to help me get "wedding-hot".

 

It is a really big eyeopener as to how many calories are in things and has made me think twice as to whether I "really" need that extra helping/ piece of chocolate. glass of wine etc.

 

I have tried to keep under 7000kJ (1600cal) a day by measuring my portion sizes, cutting out alcohol and junk food, eating alot more salad and frozen vegetables to bulk up the size of my meals, and eating good quality low fat protein.

 

I have also upped the intensity of my workouts by doing weights 3x a week and hard core boot camp style cardio workouts 3X week. 2 of those sessions are with a trainer who does not let me slack off.

 

I have lost 4lbs since the 1st of Dec, and I am thrilled that my hard work is paying off...I also have much better muscle tone and definition.

 

Realistically I don't want to live like this forever, but its really helped me examine what I thought were "good" habits, and I will try not to completely undo all the good work once the wedding is over.

[PandaStillLovesBunny]

I just read an interesting article that suggests that exercise, despite being great for keeping one ehalthy and warding off things like heart disease, etc., is actually pretty ineffective when it comes to losing weight.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2007/oct/28/healthandwellbeing.features1

 

I would recommend diet more than anything if you wanted to shed the pounds. More and more intense exercise is only going to serve to make you more frustrated in this instance.