couple questions for everyone.
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I normally weigh myself once per month and have bodyfat % measures once every 3 months (now that I no longer compete in my sport) exercise has never been a problem but diet for me never got easier even now that I have been maintaining for a fair while now.
I weigh myself once a week, Saturday morning just after I've woken up and been to the toilet (apparently weighing first thing in the morning gives you a lower weight- which makes sense as your stomach is empty). I like this approach because although the number on the scale is important to me (it's a good objective measure), I don't want to be consumed by it or freak out about meaningless fluctuations. I can't speak to any additional frustrations as I've only been doing this in the last three weeks, when I've been losing weight consistently.
Exercising took about a month to get easier (or rather, not horrible and painful and hard work), although it seems that I face new challenges quite often. I'm just starting to find it fun now, and I've been a member of the gym for about six weeks.
I found diet fairly easy from the word go. I've always had a pretty good diet and once I started reading for calories I could make changes relatively easily. I've made some tweaks here and there but I haven't had any major dramas (and I promised myself from the start that I wouldn't let myself go hungry or feel ill due to lack of food, even if it meant blowing my diet. But that doesn't happen very often). In fact more often than not I'm well under my calorie goal (my calorie goal is a 500 calorie deficit, on average since the beginning of the month- my calorie counting program tells me- I've had nearly a 900 calorie deficit per day). I'm yet to lose motivation, so I can't advise on that.
Exercising took about a month to get easier (or rather, not horrible and painful and hard work), although it seems that I face new challenges quite often. I'm just starting to find it fun now, and I've been a member of the gym for about six weeks.
I found diet fairly easy from the word go. I've always had a pretty good diet and once I started reading for calories I could make changes relatively easily. I've made some tweaks here and there but I haven't had any major dramas (and I promised myself from the start that I wouldn't let myself go hungry or feel ill due to lack of food, even if it meant blowing my diet. But that doesn't happen very often). In fact more often than not I'm well under my calorie goal (my calorie goal is a 500 calorie deficit, on average since the beginning of the month- my calorie counting program tells me- I've had nearly a 900 calorie deficit per day). I'm yet to lose motivation, so I can't advise on that.
I weigh daily. I think if you own a set of scales, its difficult not to do that when you are on a diet. I am not bothered by the fluctuations.
if you don't lose much in the first month, you are probably eating more than you think you are which is too much to lose weight. So i wouldn't think that more would come off in the second month unless you adjusted your calorie intake.
I think the longest i've been on a weightloss program is three months. What usually happens to me is a change in my life which causes a big upset to my diet and exercise routine and then things slowly start to get out of hand again. It could be getting a job, coming home from a holiday, or some man trouble. Once it was a knee injury followed by a new job but it was mainly the injury.
So in all cases, i've abandonned the diet for a long time until i got motivated again.
This time i hope it will be different. I am trying to anticipate potential hazards and i am being more systematic. I've got rules. I've got some different thinking and I am more conscious of possible pitfalls. I am also keeping this diet for a year to help me keep more stable for a longer period of time. I am making my food and exercise more easily sustainable for the long term. I find that if i don't do regular exercise, i put on weight. I think this true for most people. So you've got to find an exercise you like and a frequency that you can cope with over the long haul. And you might have to change what you are doing if it gets boring.
if you don't lose much in the first month, you are probably eating more than you think you are which is too much to lose weight. So i wouldn't think that more would come off in the second month unless you adjusted your calorie intake.
I think the longest i've been on a weightloss program is three months. What usually happens to me is a change in my life which causes a big upset to my diet and exercise routine and then things slowly start to get out of hand again. It could be getting a job, coming home from a holiday, or some man trouble. Once it was a knee injury followed by a new job but it was mainly the injury.
So in all cases, i've abandonned the diet for a long time until i got motivated again.
This time i hope it will be different. I am trying to anticipate potential hazards and i am being more systematic. I've got rules. I've got some different thinking and I am more conscious of possible pitfalls. I am also keeping this diet for a year to help me keep more stable for a longer period of time. I am making my food and exercise more easily sustainable for the long term. I find that if i don't do regular exercise, i put on weight. I think this true for most people. So you've got to find an exercise you like and a frequency that you can cope with over the long haul. And you might have to change what you are doing if it gets boring.
San2
Mod
I weigh once a week. Not really getting frustrated anymore, since I have finally learned that weight fluctuates, and that usually if I don't seem to have lost anything, I'll have gotten rid off twice the usual amount the week after.
It depends entirely on your circumstances how much you lose. I usually lose most in the first few months, then slow down considerably.
I've been on this for a few years now, and it never got any easier. Last time I lost motivation, I ended up putting over 100 lbs back on - this time I'm determinded not to let it get to that point.
It depends entirely on your circumstances how much you lose. I usually lose most in the first few months, then slow down considerably.
I've been on this for a few years now, and it never got any easier. Last time I lost motivation, I ended up putting over 100 lbs back on - this time I'm determinded not to let it get to that point.
dwwise83
New member
I weigh myself almost everyday, but I fully understand that weight can fluctuate between 1-5 pounds EASILY at any given moment. Therefore, the number doesn't mean a LOT to me, I just like to check it and make sure I am on a downward trend.
The exercise does get a little bit easier. Or, I should say, you start to feel less tired and less sore all of the time. I exercise about 5-6 X / week and it is always hard (if not, I kick it up a notch), but now I tend to recover quicker and the soreness doesn't last as long.
The diet took me about 2-4 weeks to settle into. The first two weeks were the hardest because I was always craving my old foods (sugars and fats) and I was always hungry after dinner (when I usually had a big sweet snack). It got easier and now the food issue is gone. I'm still hungry sometimes, I still have cravings, but they aren't too bad.
When you lose motivation, you just have to keep going. Even though you don't want to exercise / eat healthy, you just stay in your routine, keep trudging through and the motivation will come back. If you slip, pick yourself back up and start again. It's never too late.
The exercise does get a little bit easier. Or, I should say, you start to feel less tired and less sore all of the time. I exercise about 5-6 X / week and it is always hard (if not, I kick it up a notch), but now I tend to recover quicker and the soreness doesn't last as long.
The diet took me about 2-4 weeks to settle into. The first two weeks were the hardest because I was always craving my old foods (sugars and fats) and I was always hungry after dinner (when I usually had a big sweet snack). It got easier and now the food issue is gone. I'm still hungry sometimes, I still have cravings, but they aren't too bad.
When you lose motivation, you just have to keep going. Even though you don't want to exercise / eat healthy, you just stay in your routine, keep trudging through and the motivation will come back. If you slip, pick yourself back up and start again. It's never too late.
toolips
New member
I'm doing Curves workout for women.
I've been reading through their forum, and almost 95% of women dont lose much the first month, then lose up to 12 inches the second month.
they said it's because the first month, you're toning and building muscle. then once you build some muscle, you start burning calories.
i've lost about 1 lb in 1 week, which is reasonable, but i'm so used to losing up to 3-4lbs in the first week. so i was just a little confused. i decided i'm gonna add in some cardio every day aswell.
I've been reading through their forum, and almost 95% of women dont lose much the first month, then lose up to 12 inches the second month.
they said it's because the first month, you're toning and building muscle. then once you build some muscle, you start burning calories.
i've lost about 1 lb in 1 week, which is reasonable, but i'm so used to losing up to 3-4lbs in the first week. so i was just a little confused. i decided i'm gonna add in some cardio every day aswell.
ChefChiTown
New member
Huh? If you are doing the same workout during month one as you are in month two, you aren't losing weight in month two because you "start burning calories" at that point. You've been burning calories all along.
Some people don't start losing weight right away because it just takes their body time to adjust to the new lifestyle of working out (and hopefully eating healthy). It might take you a few weeks to notice much of a change when it comes to your weight. Your body is still going to go through changes though - you just might not lose weight right away.
When you work out (lift weights, exercise, etc), your muscles retain water. So, the reason some people don't lose weight during the first month is because their muscles, which were previously unused, are now going through difficult workouts - and, when muscles are worked out, they cause your body to retain water - and retaining water might prevent you from losing weight.
As you burn calories, you burn fat. Burning calories equals weight loss.
As you work out your muscles, you retain water. Working out equals weight gain (building muscle included).
Now, can you LOSE weight from working out? Yes, absolutely. That's how you burn calories in the first place. But, as you build muscle, you retain water. And, if the amount of fat you burn during your workout equals the same as the weight of the water you retain, you aren't going to notice a difference on the scale - you won't lose weight. But, that doesn't mean you aren't burning fat or getting healthier. It simply means you may be retaining water.
And, after a few weeks, your body will get comfortable with the work out you are doing and stop retaining so much water. And, when you stop retaining water, you will expel the water. And, when you expel the water, you will notice a big drop in weight. Hence, the women reporting that they don't lose any weight during the first month, rather they 'start' losing weight in the second month - up to 12 lbs supposedly.
Talk about repetition!! What are drug are you taking today chef?
Anyhow i need to correct something. Weight training does not merely retain water.
When you weight train you build muscle. Building muscles holds more glycogen which is a liquid. That's where the water is but its a bloody good thing so you must not worry about your muscles "retaining water". Glycogen is liquid energy. Its the form that carbohydrates become so that the body can burn it up. In synch with the glycogen, fat is burnt off. Carbs and fat burn together in a ratio where the carbs are higher but there is always fat too.
When you have bigger muscles, and they can hold more glycogen, this means that your body can store your carbs as ready energy for longer than when you have smaller muscles. It can be as long as 72 hours i think. So this means if you over eat and don't burn all the carbs from your days eating, it won't be converted to fat as soon as when you had smaller muscles. That is a very good thing because its harder for the body to convert the fat back to a form that is burnt for energy.
Normally when the body is burning fat for energy, it will take the fat that you've consumed and which is circulating in your blood stream first. Only when you used all that up will the body start burning off the stored fat. This is why activity is so good for weight loss.
Anyhow i need to correct something. Weight training does not merely retain water.
When you weight train you build muscle. Building muscles holds more glycogen which is a liquid. That's where the water is but its a bloody good thing so you must not worry about your muscles "retaining water". Glycogen is liquid energy. Its the form that carbohydrates become so that the body can burn it up. In synch with the glycogen, fat is burnt off. Carbs and fat burn together in a ratio where the carbs are higher but there is always fat too.
When you have bigger muscles, and they can hold more glycogen, this means that your body can store your carbs as ready energy for longer than when you have smaller muscles. It can be as long as 72 hours i think. So this means if you over eat and don't burn all the carbs from your days eating, it won't be converted to fat as soon as when you had smaller muscles. That is a very good thing because its harder for the body to convert the fat back to a form that is burnt for energy.
Normally when the body is burning fat for energy, it will take the fat that you've consumed and which is circulating in your blood stream first. Only when you used all that up will the body start burning off the stored fat. This is why activity is so good for weight loss.
ChefChiTown
New member
What? What in the hell are you talking about? Repetition? Drugs? What?
The only thing you need to correct is your inability to read and comprehend a person's post before you aimlessly respond with factually incorrect statements of your own.
Nowhere in my post did I say that working out (or weight training) causes a person to 'merely' retain water, as if that is the only thing that happens when somebody picks up a barbell and swings it around. What you did there is something that you have done time and time again on this forum and I for one am kind of tired of it.
I stated that working out causes a person to retain water and I explained why. And, the reason I stated that fact is because it was beneficial to the OP. I was giving them information as to why the women in Curves classes sometimes didn't experience weight loss for a few weeks.
Just because I didn't list every single minute physical and/or chemical reaction that happens when a person exercises their muscles doesn't mean that I stating that the ONLY thing that happens when a person works out is that they retain water. But, once again (as you have done many, many times before on this forum), you are making it seem as if the information members are offering to others on this forum is incorrect, just because they (in this case, I) didn't write a college thesis on the topic.
Nothing I said was incorrect. But, you are trying to make it seem as if YOU have all the answers, as if what I said was wrong. Well, it wasn't. So stop acting like you know better, because you don't.
You have done nothing but point out something that I didn't. That doesn't make me wrong. And, it most certainly doesn't make you right either (and you should fact check your posts before you submit them, by the way - if you did, you would notice the information YOU have given needs correction).
I didn't go into great detail about the reactions that occur in muscle tissue during exercise (because there is no need to in this thread). That's it. But, you (once again) are trying to talk down to people and make them seem like they're uninformed. I stated that working out your muscles cause your body to retain water and you are acting as if, just because I didn't state all of the other hundreds and hundreds of physical and chemical reaction that occur when a person works out their muscles, that I am incorrect. That's no different than doing the following...
Me: Dogs have been known to eat their own poop.
You: Allow me to correct this statement. You obviously don't know what you're talking about. Dogs don't merely eat JUST their own poop. They eat a variety of things; oysters, bald eagles, comic books, Kentucky Fried Chicken biscuits and processed dog food to name a few. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah...
You take everything out of context just so you can throw in your two cents. And, when you do throw in your two cents, it's mostly not worth a crap because it's factually inaccurate.
So, do us all a favor and start doing one of the following:
1) Read the post and comprehend what the poster is saying before you respond. And, when you do respond, add links to credible resources that support your claim - no, Wikipedia is not a credible resource. Or...
2) Don't respond
Otherwise, you are doing nothing but dishing out BS information to newer members on this forum who are looking for help. That's not helping.
Chef i did not say you said "merely retain water". Merely is my word. I emphasised it because the way you wrote about it it sounded like you were saying muscles retain water whilst not explaining any benefit.
Just retaining water is not usually considered a good thing. But when the muscles hold water as glycogen it is a good thing. So your post did not sound like a positive message. If you meant it to sound like a positive thing then i am afraid i must have misunderstood you. But i wonder if i was the only one. As I said, muscles retaining water does not sound like a positive thing in itself.
If you have a problem with points i make feel free to contradict me. I will always be willing to clarify what i mean if there is confusion. That said, when someone wants to debate things to the nth degree as you did on a previous thread of mine, to the extent that you claims were beyond reason, i will not bother.
I will correct anything i read that sounds wrong or misleading and i see no reason why i should abstain.
Further now you just say what i have said is wrong but don't clarify what is wrong with what i've said. And yes i do believe that wikipedia is now a credible source of information. I use wiki because its the fastest way to access information that's clear. If you have a problem with wiki, i don't care. It's not my problem.
If someone wants to correct me and makes a fair argument and/or can show evidence, I will be happy to be corrected. But you chef, do not come across as a reasonable person and your arguements are not good. I would rather not have any exchanges with you as i regard your approach to a challenge as non-sensical and childish.
Just retaining water is not usually considered a good thing. But when the muscles hold water as glycogen it is a good thing. So your post did not sound like a positive message. If you meant it to sound like a positive thing then i am afraid i must have misunderstood you. But i wonder if i was the only one. As I said, muscles retaining water does not sound like a positive thing in itself.
If you have a problem with points i make feel free to contradict me. I will always be willing to clarify what i mean if there is confusion. That said, when someone wants to debate things to the nth degree as you did on a previous thread of mine, to the extent that you claims were beyond reason, i will not bother.
I will correct anything i read that sounds wrong or misleading and i see no reason why i should abstain.
Further now you just say what i have said is wrong but don't clarify what is wrong with what i've said. And yes i do believe that wikipedia is now a credible source of information. I use wiki because its the fastest way to access information that's clear. If you have a problem with wiki, i don't care. It's not my problem.
If someone wants to correct me and makes a fair argument and/or can show evidence, I will be happy to be corrected. But you chef, do not come across as a reasonable person and your arguements are not good. I would rather not have any exchanges with you as i regard your approach to a challenge as non-sensical and childish.
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San2
Mod
Fortyfour, please let it rest. If you do not wish to discuss things with Chef, then take your own advice and just don't respond. Going on and on about this doesn't change anything.
I also would prefer and very much appreciate if you could refrain from people's posts and opinions as childish and non-sensical just because you don't like them. For me that comes dangerously close to insulting somebody.
This discussion is over, back to the topic at hand please.
I also would prefer and very much appreciate if you could refrain from people's posts and opinions as childish and non-sensical just because you don't like them. For me that comes dangerously close to insulting somebody.
This discussion is over, back to the topic at hand please.
ChefChiTown
New member
How old are you?