why am I not losing more?

[milehighsky]

Oh, my God. I looked at the scale this morning for the first time in two weeks. I was so discouraged, I could just scream. Now I wish I hadn't even looked at it, after swearing I wouldn't be a slave to it anymore after years of that. Anyhow, for the past two months, I have been faithfully working out 5-6 times a week cardio plus 2x per week weights at the gym. Plus, I have cut back AT LEAST 500 calories off my previous diet, bringing my daily caloric intake now to about 14--1700 a day. My workouts burn at least 400 calories each time. Well, this morning I saw that I have gained two pounds in the last two weeks, which totally puzzles me since I was expecting to have lost two pounds! I'm drinking my water, eating smart (fairly low in fat, high fiber). My goodness, what else can I do? Do I really have to cut back more calories to lose weight? I just don't understand. I have heard that yes, you can sometimes gain weight from working out with weights. However, I haven't been working out THAT HARD with the weights. And I would have thought that my intense cardio workouts would make up for that, combined with my sensible diet. My thyroid is normal. I'm NOT bloated due to my period, which ended last week. . . What else could be going on? I could just SCREAM!!! My total weight loss since Thanksgiving, now only about 10 lbs. Down one size. Yeah, I guess I should be proud of that, but I really thought I would have seen more of a difference by now. Help, please.

[StephanieH]

Hi,
I'd recommend mixing up your workout a little.When you stick to the same workout routine, the body adjusts to the stress level and you won’t be getting an effective workout. Also, for cardio, it’s best to cross train rather than, say, to run every time.

If your gym has a personal training service, meet with them and ask about a new workout routine. Otherwise, there are many online sources for getting a new workout.


I also had trouble continuing to lose weight after losing almost 20 pounds, EVEN after I continued to eat less. I was able to lose some more weight after starting a yoga class, which works the muscles much differently than weight-room training does, so I attribute that to getting me out of my rut.

[zeeleo]

Great article...Has anyone heard of or checked out thedailyskinny.com blog yet? This was an article on losing belly fat that I really liked… just thought I'd share.

[phillyskyline]

I don't think there's anything going wrong at all. 10 lbs in 2 months is actually quite healthy!

For reference, I am following a very similar plan--burning 350-400 cals 5 x week, moderate weight training 3-4 times per week, staying within about the same calorie range you are. Since Thanksgiving, I have lost about 9 or 10 pounds as well. So there you go

If you feel yourself plateau-ing, vary your workouts. E.g., circuit training one day, 30 min easy jog the next, sprints the day after, and so on.

1 to 2 pounds per week is healthy and normal. You're doing great, so keep it up!

[milehighsky]

Hi. I'm back. Thank goodness I stuck with this. I'm doing great and just wanted to share my triumph -- 32 lbs loss to date, cholesterol dropped way down, body fat percentage way down. Down from a size 12-14 to a size 6. I feel great. Ran my first 5K today. What a blast. I'm amazed I've stuck with this as I've never been able to do this before. But I'm on my way to a leaner, healthy body and lifestyle and I will never give this up. Im just glad I stuck out the rough first few months, when I didn't feel I was making progress. My advice to people who feel this way is just to STICK with it. Think of how long it took to put on all the weight. Obviously, it's going to take some time to take it off, too. My strategy has been getting in as much cardio as possible (4-5 days a week at the gym on the elliptical OR jogging, which I started last January). Weights 2X per week. And while I don't count the calories or fat, I do watch what I eat and stay away from the crap, for the most part. OF course, there are exceptions and when I'm craving something I WILL eat it, just in moderation. Just wanted to share my success.

[kozrunner]

I found this really quick workout that only takes 9 minutes a day. You don’t need any equipment and you can really feel (and see) the results. When you have a minute or two check out combatendurancefitness.com. The site leaves a little to be desired, but the DVD workout is good.