Im stuck!

N

newbeginning

New member
Hi.
Im having a "problem" with my weight loss journey and that is getting me a little down.
For the last 3 weaks(at least), my measures are stuck. I lost some weight since then(not much though), but the my measurements stop ( i now weight 171 lb/78kg and im 5'4 / 1.64m).
I did a quick measurement(only measured my belly) and it's still at 42.51 in / 108cm. This gets me down a little because although i understand that i can't see the inches going away everyday( and that's probably unhealthy), it's frustrating to see not only your weight not lowering much, but your measurements getting stuck.
I have been exercising more these last days. I used to do 40 minutes of stationary bike and some jumping jacks and other exercises, and that worked for a while but i think my body got used to it, so now im flowing workout dvd's. I got the ones from Jillian Michaels because i got inspired by her lately. So, what i have been doing:
26/6- 30day shred level 1 (two times this day)
27/6- 30DS level 2 + 20 minutes of burn fat, boost metabolism
28/6- I took this day to rest because my muscles were hurting and i couldn't do the exercises properly
29/6- 30DS level 2 + Burn fat, boost metabolism (complete)
30/6- 30DS level 1
1/7- 30DS level 2
This is what i have done(besides the usual walking and all that), and i haven't been having time to do more, but i will have more time soon and will do more, but this is not making any effect =/
I know that when we hit a weight loss plateau we should raise our calorie intake for some days and then lower it again and change the exercises, i already did this and didn't do much.
Any other advice?
Sorry for the long text and thank you for your time.
 
The body puts on fat and removes fat in a genetic order. It's possible it is just pulling energy reserves from areas not being measured, you did say you are losing weight still.
 
Thanks for the reply.
I guess that is the case, that im losing fat on other places of my body,although i don't see much difference anywhere, only a little on my legs, but not much. My weight has been around the same numbers for some time, but i guess thats just the way it is and part of the process...
But is it possible that the weight plateau is due to the fact that im doing more exercise and so im building muscle or is too soon to assume that?
 
Give it more time

When you make a decision to lose weight , think of it as making a commitment to a change in lifestyle....that is.........don't put your focus on inches lost over so many weeks. This mindset is a constant that I notice on the forums and it can wind up discouraging you to the point of giving up altogether.
Ask yourself... have you found a regimine that you enjoy or at least isn't drudgery to follow through with and keep you living this new lifestyle?If you haven't then keep researching until you do ... everybody has some physical activity they love! And we all have a diet that we can live comfortably with that's beneficial to us.
If you'll take responsibility for finding this yourself...you've ascended to the next level and the weight loss difficulties will be down hill from there.
Yes there are some exercises that work for a while and then your body get's used to it..make an adjustment!
Yes there are some recipes that help for awhile and then not so much....make an adjustment!
Consider a balance on the fitness approach. Some cardio, some static exercises...have you considered yoga? The stretching, breathing and developement of increased self awareness can help with the sore muscles issue. When you optimize your body's health, you put it in state that can and will respond to diet and fitness changes...but it takes time!
So remember, until you've reached a comfort level with the diet and fitness program you land on....put the weight scale and tape measure away and learn to focus on how you're really feeling inside and always be open to making adjustments as needed.
 
I really agree with johnkeys. Do not spend too much time getting demotivated by "watching the dial." It is equivalent to driving by only watching the speedometer.

A couple questions for you though:

1. Do you watch you calorie intake intently? Meaning are adding up your daily calories and know that you are in a fat burning calorie regime? Sometimes, calories can creep back into our diets without even thinking about it.

2. Do you drink enough water? How much water are you drinking?

3. Are you getting enough rest? Many people need at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night. Do you take some days off from your fitness routine every week?

The answers to these questions may be very enlightening if you give them some thought. Weight loss is a major life change and you are obviously taking this very seriously. Give some thought to what I say and see if it makes any sense to you.

Frank
 
Hi.
Thanks for all the answers, they are not only helpful but motivating.
dobner,to answer your questions:

1. Do you watch you calorie intake intently? Meaning are adding up your daily calories and know that you are in a fat burning calorie regime? Sometimes, calories can creep back into our diets without even thinking about it.

I try to watch calories and i since i started making this change I've started to pay more attention to that and to the nutritional information on all the products and avoid some foods. I'm not calculating my calories meticulously tough, but im aware of what my calorie intake is and im trying to do 1300 calories a day,which i know is a low, but sometimes i think i don't even get to the 1300 =/ i should start paying more attention to that.

2. Do you drink enough water? How much water are you drinking?
I was drinking 1.5 liters a day(which is guess around 50oz in us measurements) and i measured that by fulling a half a liter bottle 3 times during the day and i was getting used to it and did for months, but i stopped drinking so much lately( I've drinking less for only the last two weeks) and only have been drinking like 2 bottles or 1 and half, but i started yesterday again with the 1.5 liters. Also, i only drink water, i cut all the sodas and all that(which im really proud off:) )

3. Are you getting enough rest? Many people need at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night. Do you take some days off from your fitness routine every week?
Yes, i have been getting around 8, some days less some days more. I've taken this weekend off and today. At first i was only going to take Saturday off and yesterday i tried to put a workout dvd but i still felt my muscle a little soar, and today i haven't had the time yet, i might try to do a quick workout today. But im planning on getting a day off on the weekend as a "rest day".

This past weekend I've raised my calorie intake and today i've started again controlling more the food and what i eat, let's see how it goes.
 
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Hey thanks for the great response. It looks like you are really taking this seriously.

Remember what Yoda said in "The Empire Strikes Back:" - 'there is no trying...there is do or do not'

You need to succeed in capturing your calorie intake. Make sure you list all of the food you eat. Everyday you will find something that you did not include the day before. It is really amazing. This is where weight loss happens. Once you know what you are eating, you can decide what to cut out and create routine meals that are "under plan."

Great work on cutting out soda. I drink about 3 liters per day on recommendation from medical minds. It works. Sounds like the rest of your plan is in order.

Frank
 
Thanks for Yoda quote, im having that one in mind too and thanks for the other advices.
I really im trying to not go back to old habits, i actually don't want to, and im trying to take this very seriously and see it as a lifestyle change, and im already starting to see it as such and im getting more comfortable with it. But what i really want right now, like a lot of people, is lose the weight but the lifestyle change and the way I see food is something that is going to be with me for the rest of my life and i didn't realize that before...
Anyway, I'm going to try to write down the food and count the calories more.
 
I'm still not losing weight. I actually gained a little =/ not much luckily, close to 1kg, but still, it's a gain.
I already tried upping my calories, i used foods that are not as bad and more "natural" on two days and got back to lower calories, nothing. Did the same and did with foods that are worse ( pizza and white bread mostly =/), but was only one day and im back to lower calories. I tried not working out for two days and start again, nothing :( ( but im having trouble exercising, my leg muscles still hurt and they start to hurt during the workout which makes the exercises harder and i eventually have to stop earlier )
This is really getting me down, and i was hopping to lose at least 10 kg( i have 15kg left to reach my goal) on next two months and this is slowing me down. I won't give up, because im living and making this a lifestyle and life long change so there is nothing to give up, but when you make compromises and efforts and don't see results, it's takes out motivation.
Anyway, im still hopping to get through this, because although it's not my first plateau, it's seems that it has been going on forever.

(Also, sorry for any grammar mistakes on my post, English is not my first language)
 
Regarding Sore Muscles

First... your English is just fine (better than many I've heard with English as their only language)
2nd....the sore muscles issues takes me back to one of my original suggestions about considering yoga as a method of countering this problem.
When I say "yoga", don't think of ads we've gotten used to showing the perfect body "pin-up" girl doing yoga on the beach or what ever.That's not yoga ...that's marketing. This practice can be enjoyed by all body types....all ages....and you don't have to put your body in pretzel-like positions to reap the benefits.
It doesn't have to be yoga per se. Some sort of stretching and relaxation or calming down of your muscle and joints/ligaments soreness is very beneficial and can have a positive effect on your overall weight loss process.

Johnkeys
 
I think i broke the plateau :D
Today i weigh in and i had 1.7 pounds less than yesterday, finally! I hope i continue to lose weight and don't get stuck again, it really was depressing.
So yesterday i exercised more and found different exercises to do, i tried to drink as much water as i could, and had playing more with me calories for the last 3 days, but mostly lowered them ( since upping them didn't work for me before), and i had a day with lower calories, a day with more and yesterday lower calories again. Now I will be returning to my "regular" meals and im going to up my calories slowly again because im afraid if up them quickly i will gain weight again.
Yesterday, besides the cardio and other exercises i did, i tried out yoga like johnkeys suggested and i actually liked it, i will keep doing it.
I want to thank everybody for the support and help, it was really helpful;)
 
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