I NEED HELP LOSING WEIGHT!!!!

[intensitylisa]

I have been exercising 6 days out of the week for at least an hour and have cut my calorie count to 1500 and the scale will not budge. My clothes feel somewhat looser around the waist. My face and upper body look thinner but the lower half, forget it. In September I did start the same weight loss program only to have it deterred by hurricane Frances. So after the electric turned on after Frances, I started up this same program for 2 weeks and had to stop once again because of hurricane Jean. I read in this months M&F Hers that I am making it harder for myself to lose the body fat and I know this is true. I was thinking of getting an over the counter fat burner to get things speeding up. I am really getting discouraged and need some encouragement. By the way, I am going to be 40 this February and it seems things are slowing down drastically. I need to lose about 20lbs. Thank you!

 

[claridge]

Please dont feel discouraged - your in the right place to be ENCOURAGED and motivated and I just know you will get dozens of posts. This subject is close to the heart of nearly 99% of woman I would think.

You ARE on the right track but maybe your exercise/diet plan just needs a bit of tweaking here and there.

These are just my personal thoughts:

PLEASE dont get any type of diet pills or appitite supressents. I would rather you thought about WW or JG and get face to face support if needed.

Questions I would ask myself

How long have I been on this programme? Am I giving my body enough time to respond?

Am I eating enough? so the weight lose is not just water (but keep in mind you do need to drink alot of water during the day)

Am I cross training my workouts so every second day or so my body does not adjust to the same movements.?

Am I including enough Cardio or Strength Training in the week? Some people swear that more Cardio helps with their weight, and others prefer more Strength training.

Am I working in my correct "heart rate" zone? Investing in a heart rate minitor and wearing it while you work out has been proven to be very motivating to some.

Try very hard not to be discouraged enough to stop and start every couple of weeks. This can lead to a yoyo effect and will prove even harder to get back on track each time

Last but not least - hang in there - all the best and good luck to you.
Im sure there will be pleanty of great suggestions and motivation coming your way

 

[kimmie2191]

Hello,

Have you tried a pedometer? I still do my workouts but try to maintain a 7500 steps aday besides my workouts. It has been working beautifully for me. Most of the time at work I am sedentary and except for Tae kwon Do on Mondays get very little extra cardio in during the week, with the exception of my workouts.

However, I also am going to start looking around for a good heartrate monitor.

Kim

 

[intensitylisa]

;( I don't know ladies, I've only gotten two suggestions thus far. I pulled out my pedometer and will try to pick up my steps. Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[cjbate]

Well shucks, you just posted it on Sunday!

You sound frustrated.

I am not sure, it depends on your current weight and lifestyle, but you might want to check and make sure you are eating enough. When I cut my calories for WW, if I was also doing Cathe, I had to make sure I ate enough or the weight loss came to a screeching halt. 1500 may be too low. There are resting metabolism calculators around (RMR)...

I do think it depends on WHAT you are eating for those 1500 calories. I think your metabolism can slow down if you don't eat enough, or often enough. Maybe try eating 5x a day and making sure the proteins are lean with each meal 5x a day and also the carbs are complex. Maybe take a look at the healthy eating thread for some ideas.

Upping intensity of your workouts may also help...like IMAX type things.

Make sure you are eating plenty of fiber and drinking 64 oz of water...when I didn't do that while on WW, my weight loss stalled.

HTH
Jen

 

[Kathy02]

Here's one more suggestion. You can join us on the eating healthy thread! Just a thought, but I know that when I have to be aacountable for what I eat, I eat a lot better. Maybe it will help you. Also to see what others are eating is helping out a lot too, you can get more ideas on what might be good to eat, that is also good for you.

Kathy

 

[ColleenM]

First off, hang in there. Even if you aren't "seeing" results that you'd like, you must be healthier with all that great work you are doing!! Have you taken measurements? For me, that is the key to seeing how my body changes.

I just finished 12 weeks of BFL after being off about 4-5 months. I lost about 5.5 lbs and went from a tight 5 to a loose 3. Lost about 2" in from hips, abs, waist, belly. I was pretty close to my goal and also missed about 1 workout a week and still got great results. It might be something to try.

Colleen

 

[dss62467]

Don't frown! It sounds to me like you're accomplishing exactly what you want to! If you're looking thinner and your clothes are looser, then you're losing fat. You're not going to notice it so much on the scale yet because you're increasing your muscle mass. Eventually, you'll start to see the weight drop too.

I started in August and have actually lost only 10 lbs. by what the scale says, but I've dropped a clothing size and people are starting to comment. I was weighing myself weekly when I went to the grocery store (the only scale I have access to is in their pharmacy). But, I quit doing that because I'd only see a very slight weight reduction. I haven't checked in over 2 weeks, so I'm not sure if I've actually lost more - but I don't care because my clothes are comfortable again.

Definitely don't give up - because that will not help you at all. I have to admit that I did the meal replacement shakes for about a month. Kashi Go Lean cereal for breakfast, Go Lean shake for lunch and then a lite dinner with just lean meat, veggies and salad. I'm not sure how much that had to do with anything, but I love the cereal and the shakes were yummy, filling and pretty nutritious (lots of soy protein and vitamins. I don't think the sugar is too out of control either).

This month's Shape has an article on how you should be exercising in your 20's, 30's and 40's. Now that you're in your 40's, they suggest increasing your intensity and doing a 15 - 20 minute walk on the days you're not doing your regular cardio routine. Here's a link to the article: http://www.shape.com/getfit/7780

I also noticed than when I started doing Cathe's rotations that she publishes, I started getting better results. That could also just be a coincidence because I was starting out looking like a beanbag chair and had nowhere to go but up.

For now, focus on how you're getting too small for your clothes and how much better you feel. Don't visit your scale more than once a week (or every other week). You'll get there!

 

[rmrmr]

Hi Lisa,

Sounds like your're getting lots of great advice. I'm in the same boat as you and need to lose about 15-20lbs. Starting Nov 1st I began Cathe's rotation to lose 20-30lbs posted by someone who had 2 hrs a day to workout. I also started back at weight watchers as it helps me keep my eating under control. I workout in the morning at home (usually wts right now), and at I go to a nearby gym for my cardio or run. Absolutely do not give up, you are doing great since your clothes are getting looser. I can tell you, as a previous fat burner user, I never saw any results from any of them. Simply a waste of money for me, and you too. Eating right and exercise will get us where we want to be. Keep up the good work.

Diana

 

[Maximus]

Here's my suggestion: Atkins. All through my teens & 20s I did low fat & exercised regulary & was able to stay slim. Then after I turned 30 I started gaining weight, just a little every month, until I'd gained about 25 lbs. I'd been resisting low carb all that time, but at that point I was so disgusted w/myself I figured what the heck, I'd give it a try.

So I read the book & it really made sense to me. I lost 30 lbs in 6 weeks two years ago & have stayed on Atkins maintenance & been able to keep it off. The great thing is you're never hungry. I swear it's the easiest diet I've ever done.

In fact, I still cheat once in a while. While it's true you can gain weight back quickly if you go off the diet, you can lose it just as quickly when you go back on. I swear by Atkins.