What ?!?!??! No results yet?!?!??!

M

missyb70

Cathlete
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Feb-19-02 AT 05:14PM (Est)[/font][p]x( x( I am about 30 lbs overweight. I have been working out and eating very healthy since January 21, 2002. I realized on my 32nd birthday that I weighed the most I have ever weighed in my life and decided to start making some changes. I eat 1200-1300 calories a day w/ on average 25% from fat. I drink at least 8-10 glasses of water per day. I now take calcium supplements after reading all the research about calcium helping the body burn fat. It took me a little while to get motivated enough to work out regularly, but for the past 2 weeks I have been doing this schedule religiously:

Mon - PS Back/Biceps/Abs 20 minutes cardio
Tues - PS Legs/Abs
Wed - 30 min Cardio
Thurs - PS Chest/Shoulders/Triceps 20 minutes cardio
Fri - 30 min Cardio
Sat - Firm Tough Tape
Sun - off
Daily - Abs

In the last month I have only lost 3 lbs and 2% body fat (I have the Tonita (?) body fat scale). I keep telling myself that it took many years to put all this weight on and it won't come off overnight, but I just feel like I should be seeing better results than this??? You all seem like pros out there so I'm looking for any advice you can offer. Am I doing something wrong? Is there something more or different I could be doing? Or will I just eventually start seeing greater results as my fitness level increases? If so, how long should that take?? Help!! I'm fighting to stay motivated and reading these posts definitely helps!
 
Hi there Missyb,

I think you are being way too hard on yourself. First, I'd like to say congratulations on that 3 lbs you've lost and your decision to make a change. That's never easy to do - you should be proud of yourself. Clap yourself on the back (go on... we're waiting)... :)

Now, I don't consider myself a pro and I'm FAR from being Cathe, but I do have 1 or 2 things for you to ponder. We all have to keep reminding ourselves and others that when you are getting into better shape physically (especially since you are including the PS series in your rotation) that while you are losing fat, you are likely replacing it with muscle. As I've been told countless times, muscle weighs more than fat. However, it looks a whole heckuva lot better (and has major calorie burning benefits too). So how are your clothes fitting you? Are you feeling better physically? These things are both more important than what your scale is telling you.

Something else to be wary of is your caloric intake. My first thoughts are that you are not giving yourself enough fuel for your workouts, or even your day to day life. 1300 calories is NOT a lot! It may not be enough. If you starve your body of the calories it needs, it will panic and hold on to what you have. You will, in effect, prevent yourself from burning calories and losing weight. I’m no health expert, but this I do know.

Anyway, I've said my piece. You needn't worry - you are on the right track. Keep it up and you will see even more results. Results are an incredible motivating factor. Don't give up and don't beat yourself up.
 
Congratulations and hang in there. I started a "fitness regimen" about 4 years ago although I did not cut my calories back as far as you have. I kept a chart of my weight and body measurements which I measured about every month. It took several months before I actually lost pounds on the scales but, in the meantime, my body shape changed and I lost inches. If you are building muscle, you probably won't lose pounds right away. Once I started dropping pounds, they seemed to fall off rather quickly. I lost 20 pounds and my weight has remained fairly stable here for a couple of years.

I'm not Cathe, nor am I an expert on this subject but I have struggled with keeping my weight under control all my life and am a physician and have read alot about all this. I would just say..hang in there. Also, best not to cut your calories back too far to the point where you are "starving" or feeling hungry alot of the day. Be patient, accept slow weight loss as a good thing! If you lose weight by cutting back too far on what you eat, it will be hard to keep it off and also hard to keep doing that over the long term. When you don't eat enough, your body goes into it's "protective" mode of hanging onto fuel more efficiently. At least that's what I've interpreted from what I"ve read and it seemed to be true to me in my own experience. Good luck!!!
 
Hmmmmmm . . . not eating ENOUGH??? I can honestly say I've never been accused of THAT before! ;-) I wasn't sure how to determine how many calories I really should be eating a day. Websites I found gave such varied results so I just took the lowest one. But I certainly don't want my body to think it's "starving" and store fat instead of burn it! Since I've gotten the same suggestion from two of you so far. I think I'll try to be less stringent in my calorie intake and see if that helps. Thanks for the advice!!
 
Missy, I'm certainly no expert but I think you're doing GREAT! You've lost 3lbs and 2% body fat in less than a month ...those are terrific results! Slow and steady is the best way, in my opinion. And how funny, you are using the EXACT same workouts I am...PS + TT with cardio, except that I do them in a slightly different order. What do you do for your cardio? Anyway, hang in there, you are doing so well!
:-jumpy
 
Hi,

I'm certainly no expert either and what the others said about muscle weighing more than fat is right on. Plus I've heard that when losing weight (the right way) you NEED to do it slowly. I've heard that one pound a week is what you want to shoot for, which you seem to be right on track with.

BUT I did notice that you're doing PS in addition to Tough Tape and 4 cardios 20-30 minutes in length. This is just an idea, but if it was me, I would try upping my cardio to 45-60 minutes at least 3 possibly 4 times a week and just doing either the PS series once a week or an hour long total body weight workout twice a week (power hour is great). I've heard that tough tape is good but I don't think it has abs, and you need those abs!

I'm sure if Cathe answers this she'll have a really good response for you.

Also, in addition to weighing yourself, consider starting to measure yourself (thighs,arms,waist,etc)with a measuring tape. you will be amazed at the results.

Good luck, you're doing great!!!
Kristie Schultz
 
I think those are great results! Since you say you've only been exercising regularly for two weeks, your body is probably still adjusting to your new regimen, and for many of us, water retention is part of the adjustment process. You probably haven't added a whole lot of muscle yet--for most women, a pound a month is the most they can hope to add without taking steroids or anything. But you *will* add muscle, and that's a good thing because it'll boost your metabolism. Make sure you're eating enough protein--it'll help your muscles repair themselves after your workouts. I agree with those who've suggested eating a little more. Obviously you want to listen to your body, but for many of us, 1200 calories a day would not be enough to fuel the kinds of workouts you're doing. If you start to feel "out of gas" at any point over the next few weeks try adding in another couple hundred calories, preferably complex carbs and protein.
And don't worry too much about what the scale says. The way your clothes fit is a much better indicator of whether you're making progress. Since discovering Cathe last spring I've gone from a tight size 6 to a loose size 4 and I've totally reshaped my body, yet I've lost barely five pounds. If that.

You've already taken the two most important steps toward your goal. You've committed to a healthy diet, and you've committed to exercise. You *will* see results, I guarantee.

Laura
 
Hi Missy, you've gotten some excellent advice. Don't you love this forum? :) Everyone's right, muscle weighs more than fat, and you're already losing body fat. I agree, don't put too much stock in the scale. It can't tell you how fit you are, how much your endurance is improving, how much more muscular you are... it just gives a number with no qualification. Just keep working at it! I also agree that 1300 calories is just not enough, especially with a workout schedule like yours. A healthy active woman needs roughly 1800-2000. Less than 1800 and you are endangering your metabolism. Try to remember that you don't just burn calories when you exercise. You need calories to breathe, walk, think, work, wash dishes etc etc... you need calories just to be. Add in 5-6 days of intense exercise, and your caloric needs increase.

Anyway, you're doing a terrific job! Give yourself credit for the work you've done so far, and keep it up! The results you're looking for will come.

marnie
 
First, congratulations on your weight loss and commitment to exercise. Two weeks is way to early to be done on yourself. A safe weight loss is 1 to 2lbs a week. I have one more thing to add to all the great advise you have been given - you should try to increase the length of your cardio depending on your fitness level and one day try to add in an interval/circuit workout - these workouts are designed to jolt the body and get it going. I don't have circuit or interval max yet from Cathe. I know they are kind of advanced - Denise Austin has some good intermediate ones - I love her Sizzler tape and her new Fat Burning Tape - it is tough though - Or - instead of the day you do the Tough Tape -get one of the Firm Total Body workouts that combine weight training and cardio - You could look at Circuit Max to see if you could do it, and if right now it is too advanced, check out collage.com - they have all levels of tapes.

Keep up the good work.
 
Hi Missy,
Like everyone else, I think you're doing a great job! However, I DO know how you feel. I have about 40lbs to lose and launched myself into a CTX rotation 3 weeks ago. I have been following a 1500 cals a day clean eating routine, exercising 6 times per week and drinking tons of water. I weighed for the first time this week, only for the scales to tell me I had GAINED 3lbs. As you can imagine, I was a tad upset!! Anyway, I posted a thread yesterday called "Cathe - In Need of Help/Advice". In this thread, she told me that when you first start doing "serious" weight/strength work, your muscles initially hold on to water as they heal. This can cause some initial water-retention until your body adapts to the new routine. This kind of explained why I had been feeling lethargic and puffy. She also suggested cutting my workouts back to 5 per week, doing 3 longer aerobic workouts and 2 total body weight/strength workouts for weightloss. I am also increasing my calorie intake to 1700-1800 a day and have measured myself so that I can keep tabs on any inch loss.
Anyway, just to reiterate that you are doing great, but maybe the above information will help shed a little bit of light on why your progress hasn't been as fast as you would have liked.
All the best!
Kaz.
 
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