Ugh, sod exercise

[Els]

I've been trying in vain for the past 6 months or so to get rid of 5 kg.. and have not been succeeding. Not only do I hate exercise, but I find that after it I just get so tired and sleepy and incapable of doing anything. Not ONLY that, but it doesn't seem to make a damned difference. Exercise and eat healthy for a month, still 55kg. Eat whatever I like and lounge around all day, still 55kg.

 

My studies are more important than anything else at this point of time, and they've been suffering due to the intense sleepiness after exercising, so sod it. I give up. Maybe I'll start again one day when I can afford a treadmill and exercise half an hour before bedtime instead.

[Vesna]

Stop gloating. I used to be the same weight as you and I 'complained' about being fat just so I could get verification from my overweight friends that I am indeed 'not fat'. I was immature and wanted to be hated for being thin, however I was hated more for pressing the buttons of my heavier and insecure friends.

 

Get over yourself. Stop comparing yourself to a greyhound on laxatives.

Edited May 7, 2011 by Vesna
To enlighten.

[Els]

...Are you, like, okay? When did I say I was fat? How is me ranting about my inability to exercise pushing your buttons?

 

I am indeed 5kg above my medically ideal weight (you didn't ask how tall I was, did you?), and was trying to lose that. If that pushes your buttons, you need tougher buttons.

[Citizen Erased]

What kind of exercise were you doing, and what is your diet like?

 

I guess, on the upside, with minimal effort you're at 55kg. Most people have to put in a lot of work for that!

 

BTW, this made me crack up:

 

Are you, like, okay?

[Els]

What kind of exercise were you doing, and what is your diet like?

 

I guess, on the upside, with minimal effort you're at 55kg. Most people have to put in a lot of work for that!

 

BTW, this made me crack up:

 

 

Hee. Most people aren't 5', though.

 

I was jogging/brisk walking. Nothing terribly excruciating. I absolutely cannot abide salads and such, and get hungry very easily, so I typically try for a sandwich/steamed rice/other sorta healthy meal for lunch and eat whatever for the second, since I'll be eating with the bf. I can't bring myself to eat healthy for both, it saps all the pleasure out of life. I'm really just curious why there is absolutely no difference in weight during the times when I try and the times when I go all out and do as I please.

Edited May 7, 2011 by Elswyth

[Kamille]

Up until two weeks ago, I had the same problem. No matter how much I exercised, the "extra" 7 kilos (15 pounds) I took since being in my twenties would not whittle down.

 

So, two weeks ago, I figured this much out: exercise clearly isn't the issue. I have been exercising regularly for years and cannot imagine doing more.

 

So that leaves me with another potential issue: Calorie-intake. I decided to switch up my eating habits. I took out a few copies of Women's Health and started making recipes from there. I don't formally count calories, but I must average 1500-1800 a day (I probably hit 2000-2500 before). Lo and behold, I have lost 2 kilos in 2 weeks. (Actually, I lost 2 kilos in one week... My weight did not budge for the first week of the diet and suddenly went down this week).

 

The best part is that I am enjoying it. Most of the recipes in WH are good, easy and budget conscious. And the portions are surprisingly huge!

[Els]

I've been restricting myself to about 7000-7500 kJ/day (not sure what that is in cals). It's what the calorie counters recommended for my weight/activity level/etc.

[Kamille]

I've been restricting myself to about 7000-7500 kJ/day (not sure what that is in cals). It's what the calorie counters recommended for my weight/activity level/etc.

 

Yeah, I had done calorie counters awhile back, keeping to my own eating habits and my weight hadn't budged. For some reason, eating WH style is the only thing that's worked thus far. Plus, on the days when I log onto Calorie Counters, I now always get an A for nutrition. I think my body is getting all nutrients it needs, so it isn't going into starvation mode.

[PelicanPete]

 

 

Saves me a lot of time typing a wall of text

[eerie_reverie]

I'm guessing that during the times you exercise, you are replacing some fat with muscle.

 

Recently I lost a size without losing a single pound.

[alexandra.]

I was jogging/brisk walking. Nothing terribly excruciating. I absolutely cannot abide salads and such, and get hungry very easily, so I typically try for a sandwich/steamed rice/other sorta healthy meal for lunch and eat whatever for the second, since I'll be eating with the bf. I can't bring myself to eat healthy for both, it saps all the pleasure out of life. I'm really just curious why there is absolutely no difference in weight during the times when I try and the times when I go all out and do as I please.

 

What is a typical 'healthy' meal for you? It sounds like you are eating too many refined carbohydrates (bread in the sandwhich, rice etc.), which will leave you feeling hungry and also lacking in energy after your blood sugar levels spike and drop. I also do not consider rice to be a healthy food (unless you are eating brown, long grain rice in moderation).

 

You mentioned in another post you are restricting your calories; in some ways weightloss is simply calories in vs. calories out; HOWEVER IMO it makes things a lot easier with regards to your energy levels, hunger, and satiety if you also take care of your macro nutrients (proteins/carbs/fats). If you negelect these things you will be left hungry and tired.

 

Without knowing that much about what you are actually eating, I would be aiming for more lean proteins (including legumes and foods like quinoa) and fresh vegetables for maximum energy levels.

 

Why can't you abide salads?

[Flgirl44]

Drink only water and eat oatmeal every morning. It works I promise!

[Els]

What is a typical 'healthy' meal for you? It sounds like you are eating too many refined carbohydrates (bread in the sandwhich, rice etc.), which will leave you feeling hungry and also lacking in energy after your blood sugar levels spike and drop. I also do not consider rice to be a healthy food (unless you are eating brown, long grain rice in moderation).

 

You mentioned in another post you are restricting your calories; in some ways weightloss is simply calories in vs. calories out; HOWEVER IMO it makes things a lot easier with regards to your energy levels, hunger, and satiety if you also take care of your macro nutrients (proteins/carbs/fats). If you negelect these things you will be left hungry and tired.

 

Without knowing that much about what you are actually eating, I would be aiming for more lean proteins (including legumes and foods like quinoa) and fresh vegetables for maximum energy levels.

 

Why can't you abide salads?

 

Something like steamed rice with steamed chicken and veggies, or a Subway sub incl. veggies and roast chicken. I just hate typical 'diet' meals like salads + nuts + yogurt. And I'm pretty sure I'm getting sufficient nutrients. There is really no reason the meals I listed above should make someone overweight, honestly. Before the long-grain, brown rice fads, my ancestors had been eating steamed white rice for centuries while rarely becoming overweight. At any rate, it SHOULD prove better for my calorie intake than the fried rice w/ fried chicken I'd been taking previously. I'm just boggled at the fact that my weight doesn't seem to care.

 

This was really more a rant than anything else, I guess; along with puzzlement at the fact that my body doesn't seem to react to any changes in diet/exercise, and puzzlement at why others find exercise invigorating whereas it renders me useless for the next few hours.

 

I am also wondering, perhaps, if my motivation to lose weight comes for all the wrong reasons. I'm honestly happy with how I look, 5kg doesn't really make much of a difference health-wise (I'm still in the healthy range after all, despite not being precisely the ideal body weight), and the bf is happy with me too. The only huge bother is the people back in my homeland and parents/relatives calling me fat each time they see me.

 

I'm told that's an Asian thing. Maybe that's why so many young Asian girls are anorexic? Hopefully I'm not descending the slippery slope.

[tman666]

My advice is that you need to figure out a way of eating that is sustainable for you. If salads and chicken breasts aren't your thing (and honestly, I have no idea why they would be), then they aren't your thing. The importance of the whole "clean eating" thing is often overplayed. Carefully track your macronutrient intake for a couple of weeks and figure out where your deficiencies are (too many carbs/fat, not enough protein, etc.).

 

Another thing to keep in mind is timing. Carbohydrates (and protein to some extent) cause insulin to be spiked in the body. Insulin plays a huge role in determining how energy is used in the body. If muscle and liver glycogen stores are depleted, they will be the primary storage spot. If they aren't, then energy is stored as fat. You can still eat the foods you like and minimize their "negative" impacts if you time them properly. Grouping caloric intake density around exercising will help with this.

[Els]

So, eat immediately after exercise?

[Kamille]

So, eat immediately after exercise?

 

The trainers at my gym would answer a resounding: Yes! Preferably lean proteins and some form of complex carbs. I usually grab a handful of almonds (12-14 kernels) and a fruit (apple-orange).

[tman666]

The trainers at my gym would answer a resounding: Yes! Preferably lean proteins and some form of complex carbs. I usually grab a handful of almonds (12-14 kernels) and a fruit (apple-orange).

 

Elswyth: Kamille is correct. The post workout window is the best time to consume carbohydrates. That's not to say that you can't eat carbs elsewhere in the day, but carbs during your first meal and post exercise are the best way to go if your goal is to minimize their impact on your waistline.

 

In my opinion, the largest meal of your day should be consumed within a couple-few hours of exercising, and should be comprised of primarily protein (as with all your meals) and some sort of complex carb. Steak and 'taters, for example.

[Els]

12 almonds and a fruit barely even qualifies as a snack IMHO. Do you guys really take that as a meal?

 

I do love steak an taters, on the other hand. My exercise is already usually centered around my food intake, as I typically jog 30 min to get takeaway. But I'll keep it in mind.

[Kamille]

12 almonds and a fruit barely even qualifies as a snack IMHO. Do you guys really take that as a meal?

 

 

It isn't a meal, it's a post work out snack.