Help!

[natalierugejohnson]

I gained 8 pounds on my vacation that I just can't seem to lose! I work out 6 days a week (3 days a week I use exercise videos with wieghts like Body Max) the other 3 days I run 3-5 miles. I wonder what I am doing wrong. I don't pig out, but really wonder if my metabolism/age is the problem. Normally I can eat what I want, exercise hard 6 days a week and not gain weight. I am 37 years old, 5'3" and weigh 132 pounds. I normally weigh 125 pounds. Would increasing the ammount of wieght I lift help me to lose that 8 pounds? What am I doing wrong? Your exercise video's give me the challenge I need>

I love your videos and look forward to your new ones, especially the kickboxing one.

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Natalie!

How long has it been since you have been back from vacation? It can take about two weeks for you to start to put a dent in losing vacation weight. Then it can take about two to three more weeks of hard focused workouts, a clean diet, and proper rest to take care of the rest. This is just an estimate since everyones metabolism responds a little differently.

If it has already been longer than this time frame and you have put this kind of focus into your "comeback" routine, then maybe its time to shock your system with a whole new fitness routine. Ex: If you have been lifting one to two times per week with light weights, now lift one time heavy and one time light. If you have been going on the same running path for a while, take a path with some hills and try to run a bit faster for one of your miles. Substitute one running day with Intervalmax. Hope these examples give you some ideas for your new fitness routine

! And yes, while it is natural for our metabolism to slow down as we age, its a gradual process. In this particular case, it doesn't seem related to the weight gain.

 

[jesca]

You're not alone

It took me about eight weeks to lose the Christmas vacation weight I'd put on--that was about eight pounds, too, just like yourself. (I admit I had a minor setback with the Valentine's Day chocolate hearts

, though.)

I definitely got frustrated at times, but I stuck with it, started experimenting with diet and exercise, and ended up losing a few extra pounds and going down a size just in time for a new summer bathing suit

.

Good luck!

Jessica

P.S. I think I mentioned in another post that the changes to my exercise routine that helped make a difference included mixing in light-weight days with heavy-weight days (I'd previously always just gone heavy) and adding in yoga. Surprisingly, I actually reduced my time spent doing cardio from 5-6, usually intense, one-hour sessions, to 4 times a week. Two hour-longs were intense or interval, one hour was endurance, and the other half-hour was at a steady heart rate somewhere in between. I also went to a nutritionist (it was a freebie, fortunately) who really helped me adjust my eating habits--she told me that I needed to start eating more food, believe it or not. I definitely learned that going all-out (exercising like crazy, starving yourself) isn't always the most efficient way to reach a goal.

 

[KatieH]

Me Too!

I had to chime in here because I recently had this same experience. I returned from a late May/early June trip with a souvenir I didn't intend to bring home with me - an extra five pounds! I have been driving myself nuts working out hard six and sometimes even seven days a week and the weight would just not budge! Finally, this week I started cutting back with lighter weight work-outs and less intense cardio (mostly because I had exhausted myself) and you know what, the weight is now coming off. I was stunned by this because I always equate working harder with losing weight, but in this case changing things up and going lighter and less intense was the answer. Of course, that was just my experience, but you may want to try it. Good luck!Katie H.

 

[natalierugejohnson]

Thanks Cathe!

Your letter is just what I needed today! You really made my day. I will follow your advice as well as the advice of other friends in fitness.

Thanks, Natalie