Not losing weight?!!

E

elliemom2

Cathlete
I have been following weight watchers and doing Cathe's step and weights videos and I am NOT LOSING WEIGHT! I am getting really frustrated. I started on Jan 1st and this is April 17th and I've only lost 5 pounds. I just recently started "jogging" on the treadmill for 30 min. My main problem area is belly so I tend to do all cardio on 4 days and weights on 2 or 3 days. What am I doing wrong? Not eating enough, too much, not intense enough cardio?
I am 5'2" and 123 pounds. Very small frame. I am 42 and had a baby 2 1/2 years ago. Please help. ANY suggestions are appreciated.
ellie
PS THYROID is finex(
:-( :-( :-(
 
My past experience with WW & Cathe 5-6 days a week was way too low in calories... Not junk calories but good nutrition.

Slowly increase with good balance of Protein/ Veggies and see if that kicks it in gear.

Good Luck- I was frustrated for a year until I started eating balanced meals (Eat Clean- Tosca Reno) - & other ways like that.
 
I feel your frustration. My metabolism slowed a great deal after menopause, and even though I continued to exercise zealously, I just kept gaining weight. When I lowered my calories, I still could barely maintain my weight and my belly was also getting thicker. I thought I would try South Beach, and it really worked for me. The extra weight came off, and especially the belly fat. Phase 1, though, is pretty hard because of all the restrictions, and I also felt more tired. But I am really glad I did it, and I am on the maintenance plan now. It seems to be working.
 
Check your diet. Sometimes when people work out for an hour 5 days a week they think it gives them free range to eat whatever they want. Clean eating is the way to go. I would also ditch the scale and judge how much weight you've lost by using a pair of pants that you want to get into. Muscle weighs more than fat but it's good wieght. I have 2 kids and my belly area is also my problem. I do 10-15 minutes of abs and core work 6 days a week along with my regular workouts. I also reccomend the boot camp rotation. Trust me if you clean up your diet and do that rotation you WILL lose weight. I would be shocked if you didn't. Just remember that good exercise and a good clean diet should be part of your every day life, FOREVER and when you reach your goal, . . and you will you still have to maintain it, . .so try to make exercise something you love to do not have to do. It has made a difference for me. :)
 
I feel your pain ,I am going thru the same thing with Weight Watchers and my Cathe workouts. I started in January as well and I've only lost 3 pounds. It is frustrating because I rarely dip in to my bonus weekly points and if anything I may dip into my activity points but not by much.I am considering just throwing in the towel and converting to more of a competion style diet. A friend of mine who is a competetive athlete told me I should do a comp style strict diet for a pretty long period (6months -1 year) because I am so close to my goal I can taste it.My workouts are pretty intense as well as intermediate/advanced yoga practice on top of it 4-5 days per week. Good luck to ya
;-)
 
I agree with Teddy in that you may not be eating enough. When I followed the body for life plan and ate 6 small meals, I was eating way more than I usually ate, and the pounds came off. Melissa
 
Are you guys eating your activity points and flex points? Or are you doing the core? I signed up for WW's online the first week in Feb and I have 17 lbs gone. BUT, I am losing baby weight and breastfeeding so that may be different. I dont eat my AP or my FP b/c I am given 31 points a day and if I eat healthy, thats enough food for me. I am 3 lbs from my prepreg weight and 8 lbs from my goal weight.
If you are eating things and not logging them in, that could also be your problem. I have done this numerous times, picking at chocolate while I am cooking in the kitchen and it doesn't take long to add up.I have 2 weeks left with my membership but I don't think I am going to pay for another month though b/c I think I can lose the rest on my own.
Lori:)
 
Thanks for all the great suggestions.
First of all I think I am not eating enough and maybe not enough times during the day.
Second I am no where near ready for a rotation like BOOTCAMP. Maybe I am not working out as hard as I thought. Sometimes I make it thru an entire tape, but usually stop at about 45 min.
Third I am only using 6,8 and 10 pound weights. No barbell.
Any ideas on where to begin? Diet,exercise or weights to get a little jump start here. I am desperate
Thanks
ellie:)
 
hi ellie, . . yeah i know the bootcamp rotation is killer crazy, . .not to mention it takes a lot of time of your day. i've had to split up the workouts to twice a day and wake up at 6am then do the other half at 9pm when the kids are alseep. it is tough stuff. i'm not familiar with weight watchers but i guess as long as it encourages you to watch what you eat and eat clean then it's a good thing. the importance of clean eating is that it gives you more energy to work out harder at least so i've discovered for myself. clean eating is no walk in the park i must tell you. i would much prefer to eat whatever i want but clean eating does not allow you to do that luxury. what is your workout schedule like? although the formula is not that complicated you need to burn off more calories than you eat to lose weight, . . it is hard to do. if you can invest in a pedometer and heart rate monitor so you can keep track of calories burned and your heart rate, . .and hey 45 minutes is better than nothing. give yourself a pat on the back for doing that. work up to more if you can. good luck! :)
 
I guess I really need to look into the "clean eating". I've heard about it so much on this forum, but to be honest I never even looked it up. I guess I'm afraid it means not eating anything that I like!!! Maybe I should JUST DO IT. I would love to get these extra pounds off and am trying so hard. I don't want to quit.
What's a good resource for Clean eating?
Thanks
ellie:)
 
Ellie,
I feel as if I am in the same boat you are. My weight has steadily gone up in the past 6 months or so and I cannot get it off. I just ordered the book, The Eat-Clean Diet by Tosca Reno and started with her plan today. So far I can tell that I will be eating more protein and I never drank enough water. She recommends 10 c. a day.I also saw her book at my local Tom Thumb grocery store for less than I paid on line. Try her diet and let us know what you think. I'm hoping it will work for me.

Good luck!
Gin
 
Gin,
Does the diet look do-able? It's not just bean sprout grass and granola I hope!!! Protein and water I can do. NO SNACKS and I might have some trouble.
Thanks
ellie:9
 
Ellie,
Go to www.eatcleandiet.com and you can read about it. She recommends 6 mini meals a day. I already eat plenty of fruits and veggies and whole grains with an occassional sweet. I have a bad sweet tooth. So for me the biggest changes, like I said, will be more water, more lean protein and no sweets.

Go for it!! :) And let us know what you think.
Gin
 
In Tosca's book she stresses that it is a way of life and not a temporary thing. Not a diet. If you've ever read, Oxygen magazine you'll find most of the information that is in her book there. The book goes into great detail. Honestly, it pretty much gives you all the healthy eating advice that you would get in any fitness health magazine, . . from Shape, to Fitness, Women's Health (my favoirite). Basically don't eat junk. I bought the book when it first came out to help my family clean up their eating habits, . .I have two kids and I want to raise them healthy. I read the whole book in 2 hours. I think that it is worth the investment to buy. A few things that I did not like about her book was that she seems to sorta, . . how do I say this tweak it to her advantage. She mentions that caffine is not clean but because she can't live without it, . . she says that it's okay. There is also a section on supplements, . I'm not a fan of certain supplements that sorta, . . well promise weight loss in a bottle. Now she doesn't flat out say use these but she gives informed information on what the supplement is and it's benefits, . . what I did not like is that she did not provide information on the negative side affects of taking such supplements. I just think it is better to do things the natural way and not get hooked on what I would call a diet pill. Overall the book is worth it. Will you lose weight if you follow Tosca's advice, . .I don't see how anyone couldn't. I think that the most important thing to remember when choosing to eat clean is that it, . .like your fitness routine is part of a life long commitment, . . it's a marrage that you cannot get divorced from that will always be there for you and will always yeild positive results, . . emotionally and physically. Make the commitment and you will be guaranteed to have positive results. Oh one more thing, . . it isn't easy. You have to get used to changing how you eat, . . . which was hard for me, . .I live in Napa California and have access to all sorts of fine dining oportunities temptation rearing it's ugly head on a regular basis. Oh and I'm a big fan of the pastry too. :9
 
Hi Ellie,

After reading your posts...chances are that you need some more time to work up to an advanced exercise level. That's awesome that you get through most of the workout and keep coming back. Make your fitness goal to get through the whole workout. I think the Tosca Reno book would be a good start for you to get a hang of the clean eating concept. My suggestion....find some healthy casserole dishes and make one each weekend so you can have a portion as one of your meals each day that upcoming week. Eating clean takes careful planning and if you are not used to it it can be overwhelming at first. I tend to make my meals all the same during a one week period from Monday-Friday. Here's my plan this week:

Meal 1: 4 egg whites with veggies, 1 slice ezekial bread w/ flax oil & tea

Meal 2: lowfat yogurt with Psyllium mixed in

Meal 3: Turkey and zucchini casserole, some pineapple/strawberries

Meal 4: Tuna salad with celery and fennel mixed in on half whole wheat pita

Meal 5: Flax cereal with wheatgerm and milk

If I'm hungry later...its' 1/2 grapefruit for dessert.

Divagirl
 
Here's your problem. Your BMI is 22.5, smack in the middle of normal. Even with your "small frame" it is extremely difficult to lose weight when you are in the normal BMI range. Your body will not let you lose the weight to the lower BMI range without extreme measures of diet and exercise which are what the Hollywood Stars follow and competitive body builders. Just giving a dose of reality here in addition to all the helpful comments. If you want a perfect body, your'e going to have to sacrifice EVERYTHING for it.
Beth
 
Hi Beth,
I have been reading a lot about ideal body weight and BMI. I am smack in the middle, I also am 42 and had a baby at 40. Maybe my body just doesn't want to let go of these last pounds. I don't think I can do any more than I am already doing except maybe try the eat clean thing. Maybe I can get a few pictures of myself on here and you can see where my problem is. I need to find out how to do that.
Thank you for a good dose of reality!!! No way am I going to do anything they do in Hollywood. I'm pretty sure some of those people are starving to death and really hurting themselves in the process.
Thanks
ellie:) :) :)
 
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