How Long Till Results?

L

lusciouscurls

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I'm wondering how long it takes to actually "notice" results when you are working out, eating healthier, etc... (I'm 5"4, 155lbs - used to be 130lbs, need to get back to it!!!)

I'm very active. Over the last few weeks I've been doing cardio 4-5 times per week for 40 minutes on interval setting. I've included a bit of weight training, not much, but I plan on stepping it up a bit.

I also do Zumba classes twice a week for an hour, plus I bellydance every single night for at least 2 hours and I do a Stretch and Tone class (pilates, yoga, etc) once a week.

I haven't noticed or felt a difference at all. What the heck am I doing wrong? My diet is pretty good. I usually eat anything from oatmeal with protein powder, natural yogurt, salad, tuna, turkey breast, grilled chicken, veggies, fish, etc... I've had one cheat meal and that's pretty much it.

What the heck! I'm really getting frustrated and almost want to say forget it! Why is it taking me so long this time? Usually I see the weight just fly off, but nothing at all has happened.
 
You say you've done all this over the last few weeks - so what if anything were you doing before that? If you just started a few weeks ago, you have a bit of a way to go before drastic changes probably. You shouldn't lose more than a pound or two a week at a good healthy rate, so if you've only been at it a few weeks, you won't have lost more than a few pounds, so you might not see that right away. I checked my progress by taking a picture of myself once every month and then comparing those. Seeing yourself in the mirror every day, you might not notice gradual slow changes. If the scale isn't changing, might be because you lost a couple pounds of fat, but gained a couple in muscle.
 
Red Panda is right. If you've just started this over the past few weeks, it can take some time to really start seeing results. Dont lose motivation with this, this is why many people start a good exercise routine and then just stop because they are not seeing any results because they have not given it enough time. It sounds like you're keeping very active which is great and if you're sticking to a healthy diet you will see results. People like to through around 6 weeks as a very general time frame but this will differ with each individual. The main thing is, dont lose motivation and the results will come. =)
 
stick with it. It's hard to keep going when you feel like you're not progressing initially, but you will see results eventually if you put in the work.
 
Listen to me VERY carefully... you are at a place that I call the "turn around" point. I've seen this happen with a few of my clients, specially with those that haven't really given any thought of taking care of themselves before. They have this one week "buffer" where nothing seems to be happening.

But I make them stick with it... then all of a sudden, those "dramatic" results come about. The difference between the week 1 and week 2 picture isn't that much different, but the picture between week 3 and week 2 is dramatic.

What you need to understand is that your body is getting used to your new active lifestyle... so BE PATIENT. Keep doing what you're doing and soon enough the pounds will just fly off your body. By the way, post your exact meal plan. What you gave us are pretty much ingredients.

Post an example meal plan showing what you eat, when you eat and how often you eat during a "standard" day.
 
Thanks so much for the encouragement. This week I'm actually noticing a BIT of a difference so I'm sticking to it! No giving up for me! :)

Typical Day of eating habits:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with protein powder
Blueberries and silvered almonds

Snack:
Plain Yogurt and veggies

Lunch:
Spinach Salad with tomatoe, cucumber, green pepper
Tuna with 1 tbsp. olive oil & vinegar
2 ricecakes and herbal tea

Snack:
Chicken Breast or Turkey Breast
OR Protein Shake with Soy Milk

Dinner:
Fish or Chicken
Corn & other veggies (asparagus, or broccoli, etc)
1 Apple
 
Looks clean to me. You might want to try adding some serious spice to your meals if you can handle it, making your food thermogenic where possible.

Another trick would be to change your protein shake to the taste-less stuff. Most protein powders that are flavored either have alot of sugar or the sugar-free ones use aspartame. Bleh! Just buy protein that is PLAIN. You can mix that in anything and with 2% milk, and a slight amount of honey... it's perfect.

Cutting down sugar where you can should be of prime importance. You should also try and incorporate high-fiber foods where you can. A high-fiber eating lifestyle will prevent your body from absorbing upto a 120calories per day!

Also, what time is your dinner? Make sure you aren't eating after 9pm.
 
Anything worth while takes time and effort. Try to think of it as a lifestyle change rather than a temporary quick fix.
 
I think sometimes I'm eating after 9pm because I don't get home from classes until 9:30. I guess I'll have to pack my dinner and eat in between my bellydance classes (sometimes which isn't the best idea since I need an empty stomach to do particular movements!).

I'm into week 4 and still not much improvement. I'm still hitting the gym 5x a week and sticking to my meal plan.

Is it true that the muscle has to be toned first and then you lose weight? And do you lose weight from your "head down" or is that just a myth?
 
lusciouscurls said:
Is it true that the muscle has to be toned first and then you lose weight? And do you lose weight from your "head down" or is that just a myth?
Click to expand...

I'm not even sure what that means. First things first, there is NO such thing as TONING. People think they can alter the shape of their muscles by working out differently... NOT!

Your muscles can either grow bigger/stronger or become smaller/weaker. They cannot change their shape in any other way. Unless you surgically alter their shape. If you want to go for that "toned" look... that just means losing body fat. Simple.

Also... lose weight from "head down"... that's a load of crap. You can't lose fat in any specific area. Your body reduces fat proportionally. But, some people's genetics do come into play, for example:

I tend to lose fat around my upper body (arms/chest) first then the abdominal area. I have no control over that and neither does anyone else. But think about this... why do people's double chins disappear once they lose a whole bunch of weight? Why can you see their cheek bones?

Those questions should bash the myths that are confusing you.
 
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