Help Wanted!

[Clarimonde]

Hi there everyone. Im new to this forum. I come here seeking advice and support. Ive been dieting and exercising religiouslu for 3 weeks now. Lost a whopping...wait for it....5 lbs. I dont know what is the problem. This is why Im seeking your sage advice.

I eat about 1000 - 1200 cals per day. No white bread, rice, pasta. My biggest sin would be a small bowl of raisin bran in the mornings. I exercise at least 5 days out of the week, sometimes more. I do 30 - 40 mins or cardio (treadmill, e tc) and on alternate days I do weight training but mainly leg and thigh presses as these are my fat areas.

I dont understand why I havent lost more weight! My clothes feel a little bit looser but not very much.

My husband lost about 2 stone (28 lbs) on Atkins and swears by it. However that is not a diet which is suitable to me as I do not like to eat meat/eggs/cheese very much and I dont see it as a sustainable lifestyle.

Id love to hear your stories and advice on what I might be doing wrong.

Currently 5'10" 172lbs (FEMALE)
ANY HELP GREATLY APPRECIATED!

 

[miracle]

I think your problem is you're not eating enough. At all! you should never eat less than 1200 as a women, and 1800 for a man.

To lose weight, you have to eat. Then you have to burn it off.

Try upping your calorie intake to 1500 calories a day, and do cardio 30-45 mins every three days. It sounds like you're not getting any rests, which is vital to your body changing. As is getting enough sleep.

Sometimes after exercising well for a week, and I get a nice long sleep at the end of it, I feel smaller in the morning. Your body repairs itself while you sleep.

I'm 5'5" and 149lbs since you asked.

BTW, are you still eating bread, rice and pasta? Whole Wheat bread and pasta, and brown rice are full of very good carbs.

 

[Clarimonde]

What I dont undertand is why people who eat 500 - 800 cals a day on starvation diets lose lots of weight and yet Im always told to eat more to lose weight. It doesnt make any sense. Ive also heard recently that cardio does not aid in weight loss at all. Im getting so many mixed messages. I just want to shift this excess weight but Im getting really discouraged that Ive been punishing myself for weeks with very little to show for it.

 

[Steve]

What I dont undertand is why people who eat 500 - 800 cals a day on starvation diets lose lots of weight and yet Im always told to eat more to lose weight. It doesnt make any sense. Ive also heard recently that cardio does not aid in weight loss at all. Im getting so many mixed messages. I just want to shift this excess weight but Im getting really discouraged that Ive been punishing myself for weeks with very little to show for it.

You are not understanding how the human body works.

We have various survival mechanisms in place that fight starvation. By eating less than 1000 calories, surely you will lose weight. But at what cost? A slowed metabolism. Drastically actually. Which in all cases will lead to weight regain, plus some.

It can also lead to muscle loss. I take it one of the reasons you want to lose weight is to look good. Well, if all you are doing is losing muscle, you aren't going to look nice and firm once the weight is gone.

There are sensible approaches to dieting and starvation is certainly not one of them.

And cardio DOES aid in weight loss. Weight loss is simply the product of being in an energy (calorie) deficit. If you are eating less calories than is required by your body to function, there is no choice but to breakdown existing stores (fat) in order to function.

This energy deficit can come by means of eating less, exercising more, or a combination of the both.