Getting discouraged

M

MindiK

New member
Ok, I've been working out five days a week since July 30. Monday through Friday, I spend 25+ minutes on either a treadmill (that varies from inclines of 0 to 6 and back) at a speed of 3.5-3.7 mph, or 25 minutes on a recumbent bike at varying resistance levels. THEN I do 15-20 minutes of weights for my legs, arms, shoulders, etc. I'm lifting 40-50 reps on each part at 40 pounds. I'm a big sweaty worked out mess when I leave, five days a week.

And I'm eating SO much better. I'm eating smaller portions of dinner, with more veggies, and also fruit and/or protein bars for snacks, high fiber cereal for lunch, etc. In all I come away with at MAX 55 grams of fat and generally 1,300 to 1,450 calories a day. 1,500 calories on the rough days, but not ever any more.

When I started I was 216 pounds on my scale, and then after a week of working out and eating better I was up to 220. I didn't worry, because the lady at the workout center said, and I've heard before, that you tend to gain weight right at first.

I decided not to weigh myself again 'til the end of a month. Well, I was going to wait 'til the end of five weeks, but I jumped the gun and weighed myself Friday. I weigh 216. Which is my starting weight, originally, AND the exact same weight I've been for months while eating all sorts of good, greasy, fattening foods.

So I'm slightly discouraged. Or make that VERY discouraged. After ALL this work and busting my butt and eating right and counting calories I'm back again at the SAME weight I started. I couldn't lose then, and wasn't gaining.

What's the deal? Should I eat less? Am I doing something wrong?
 
If anything your calories seem a bit low to me...

have you taken measurements - and are you seeing any kind of changes there?
 
No measurements, because I've been having issues finding a tape measure!! I'm going to ask 'em to do it for me when I go work out this afternoon. I've got people telling me I'm looking like I've lost weight, but I don't see it.

Maybe it's just that I want SO badly to see how GOOD I'm feeling now reflected on the numbers on the scale. I will find out my measurements, though.

As far as the calories, I feel like I'm eating all day long! It's hard to get used to having as many snacks (however healthy they may be) as I am. I feel like I eat a TON, and then overanalyze dinner and eat maybe not enough.
 
Stay the course!!

Don't be discouraged! You are doing a terrific job! I remember when I joined a bootcamp class to get in shape for my wedding. I killed myself the first month and didn't lose any weight. I was so pissed and wanted to give up. But I kept going...it was in my 3rd month that I had the transformation. It was like my body morphed into a toned fit new person. It was in that month that everyone took notice and wanted to know what I was doing. I gaurantee your body is shifting fat to muscle and adjusting your water weight. Keep it up and you will definitely start seeing results.

I suggest you take measurements and use your clothing as a sign of your progress. Muscle will weigh more but it helps you burn more fat...keep building that muscle and be patient on the scale. You are on your way to a more tone and fit body. And remember, you are making lifestyle changes that will make you feel better no matter how little the scale moves in the beginning.

Sending you positive thoughts and warm wishes this week. Don't give up!
 
Thanks Lovely Lady and Maleficent....the encouragement and advice is totally helping my mood today. :hug2:
 
Well it may also be from gaining Muscle which wieghs more then fat but is smaller. So deff take measure ments. and dont get down on yourself. When going on your own diet and workout plan its not always going to be perfect at first and will need tweeking the first couple weeks untill your at a comfy. place where your losing wieght and feel healty doing it.
 
Thanks!!! Measurements are DEFINITELY on the agenda for today... I wish I knew what measurements I started with, but they'll at least give me a starting point from today on.:jump:
 
Do you notice that you have more wiggle room in your pants? That is where I notice my weight loss first. I notice I don't have as much strain on the waiste line. LOL Take notice of the small things in the beginning that show you are making progress. The scale is a mystery...with water weight fluctuations it can be very discouraging in the beginning.

Remember...a few lbs lost here and there start to add up over a few months. Don't give up!!
 
Well, I have noticed more room in my lower legs, and fewer lumps in my lower thighs and around my knees.

So maybe things ARE progressing.... :)
 
Please don't be discouraged! It is finally working if you are the same weight you started as, that means you have lost fat and gained muscle weight. The scale is not the only way to measure. Just observe the way your body is changing and becoming more fitter.

The key to successful weight loss is consistency and patience. You must cary on with the way you started and measure yourself after another 2 weeks. Don't let yourself down and believe that what you are doing is for a healthy new you.

When I work out the same happens to me my mussles become so so so hard and therefore no wonder my weight is more. After couple of weeks the muscles get used to it and all that happens is you burning fat.
 
Keep up the good work! As others have mentioned, the scale is not the only tool in which to meauser change/success. When you work out with the weights, its not daily is it? IU've heard you need to give your muscles a break every other day or so. You are doing GOOD for your body- don't be discouraged!
 
Hey MindiK train 5 days a week weights first cardio second 30-45 min. recumbent bike manual 1 as fast as you can. Food your eating to little 5-7 meals a day. Protein ( chicken-white fish-turkey-lean ground beef) carbs (potato-rice-sweet potato) complex carbs (green veggie's) easy on the fruit it's a natural sugar (FAT) . Train your whole body once a week break up your big body parts and small one's (legs and biceps)ect. reps 12-15 (remember you need to feel the burn. Your breaking down the muscle's and building them up with sleep and food. P.S Do cardio in the AM before you eat and after you train. If your eating clean all week (and you should be) have two cheat meals a week anything you want. This will shock your metabolism to burn again. Any questions please feel free to contact me . Your doing great hang in there.With a little help a support it will happen.....BobbyStayFitMD..
 
I also have been weighing myself and have been the same for a couple of weeks. My pants though have more wiggle room so I know that I losing fat.

Katy
 
HI Mindi! You have gotten a lot of good support but I thought I would add my two cents as well!! I have been in your shoes!! I started working out in June and my weight stalled (still stalled)... however it was only when I stopped working so hard that I realized it really HAD made a difference. I only noticed it when I lost it and got flabbier:( Now I have to work to gain it all back!! The only reason I am losing any weight now is that I am losing my muscle so yay the scale is down but the cellulite is right back where it was on my butt!!! sigh. Don't sweat it. Just stay the course! There is another girl on this forum (I have a bad memory... I am thinking Lukewarm... darn these fake names;) ) that started working out with a trainer and eating differently and for the first month or so she was really discouraged but she didn't quit and it has paid off!! She is almost 20lbs down!! Don't give up!!! Your body will get to that point and the weight will come off! :hug2:
 
Hi there

Lots of great comments on this so far. I agree that your body has been converting your fat to muscle which is why you may be weighing the same as when you first started. Having more wiggle room in your clothes is a great way to indicate that you're actually losing weight. I'm just wondering if maybe, now that you're working out, you might want to increase the amount of food you have rather than lower it. I've heard that a typical female (I'm assuming you are one) needs to eat about 2000 calories a day. This isn't to say you can eat junk food, but it means you may not have to worry so much about counting calories at all. Eat when you like how often you like-as long as the foods are high in nutrition (like yogurt, fruits, vegetables, meat), there's no danger of gaining weight from it. Especially not if you're lifting 40-50 reps in a weight training session. Holy! Way to go on strength training :)

Another thing I wonder is, are you taking any days off? Sometimes when you work out a muscle group, and especially if you're working it that hard, it can be better to take a day off weight training so you give the body time to recover from it. When you're weight training you're essentially breaking down the muscle so that when it rebuilds, it can build up stronger than it was before. Usually this rebuilding happens after you go to sleep or the day afterwards. If you continue to do heavy weight training day after day, it may be that the body isn't recovering as fast. So sometimes weight training every other day is sufficient (ie. weight training one day, next day off, weight training the next day, next day off), and some people weight train every day with cardio and take the last day of the week off. You can still do cardio on your off days when you're not weight training though. It helps you stick with the program you're on.

I just know this because when I've tried it, I sometimes saw a noticeable difference in weight loss the next day after my recovery day. Covert Bailey used to talk a lot about this too. He was a nutritionist/exercise expert who had a long running PBS series in the early 90's. I recommend any of his videos, truly (I'm not getting any money for saying that, I just like him a lot lol)

Well, hope this has helped a bit. Best of luck on your weight loss :)
 
Just so you know you can't change fat to muscle nor muscle to fat - they are made up of totally different cells.

You can lose fat or "shrink" the fat cells - but there is no changing it to muscle.
 
"shrink" the fat cells
Click to expand...

I was so surprised when I learned that too, SweatPea. It seems you don't actually gain or lose fat cells, it's the
same number. When you lose weight you are merely shrinking them down
in size. No matter really, same result in the end if you lose weight, you lose
weight, just not cells. :cool:

One of the best things I saw on The Biggest Loser (I dont recall which season) was when at the end, they had the contestants run a certain
distance and back. Then gave them a back pack filled with weights that
represent how much they had lost, so they could FEEL a difference in their
body when they ran. I'm not sure what this has to do with the current
topic, but it just reminded me I guess because there was a visual of the
weight lost I guess. :confused:

Keep pushing Forward Mindi- the tortoise won the race, not the hare!
 
Upate...

Wow...thanks, y'all!!

As of today, Oct. 22, I'm down to 200!!! For a few weeks there I didn't lose any weight at all...I was stalled at 206. Then I looked back at the food diary I'd been keeping and realized I'd only been eating around 1,200 calories a day. WAAAAAAAY too low. So I upped the calories (in a healthy way, of course), and started losing again. Time to set a new goal!!

After reading the advice on breaking up the weight training (training one day, skipping the next, etc.), I'm thinking that might help even more. Not only in letting my muscles rest and rebuild, but also in breaking up the monotony of the workout. I'm thinking I'm going to lift only on MWF....or maybe do arms Monday, legs Tuesday, and alternate during the week. Would that work, do you think?
 
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