Trying to lose a stone - how long before see results?

haywood38

Hi all, used this on and off for a while now but now taking it more seriously as want to lose up to 14lbs if I can. May not seem a lot to a lot of people on here but is harder than I thought! Am exercising more regularly than I ever have at gym sessions and group fitness (at least 3 times a week) and strict on noting everything I eat but still no weight changes at all! Seem to be the same weight regardless of what I do or eat! How long before you all noticed a difference in your weight?

GRENADIER_PINGPONG

I'm so glad you asked! If you get a chance, get the book "The Tipping Point". It's not about fitness. It was written for business but its really about how to create a dramatic change in anything. Even if you don't take this advice and get the book, at least grasp the concept. You will not have any single action that creates your success in fitness. It will come from applying every contributing factor consistently over time.
I know; NOT what you wanted to hear. I spent my lifetime bodybuilding because I was a skinny little girl who couldn't get get gains (I'm actually a man but I was so skinny that people often thought I was an anorexic girl).
It literally wasn't until I was 25 years old that I finally started to develop enough muscle to look like a normal human. The most dramatic change came when I was returning from a deployment in Iraq. We stopped in Kuwait, where I stayed for over a month. During that time, all we did was eat, load ships, workout in the gym, and run 8 miles every day. EVERY DAY; without any breaks in the routine. I went from being 170lbs of lean meat on bone to 190lbs of lean meat on bone. It was the largest gain (in that amout of time) that I have ever had!
The key to my success in that case was that I was forced to be accountable. In the civilian life, you will not have that luxury. You will need to find a group of battle buddies that will help keep you accountable to your goals.
Hope this helps!
Mission first!
Out!

tinkerbellang83

It took me around 12 weeks to lose 14lbs (I have around 40-50lb to lose total), that was eating a 500cal deficit and eating my exercise calories back (approx 300-400 per day) I walk around 6km per day and do 5 days of 45 min cardio/strength training sessions at home, however it will differ from person to person. Read some of the stickied posts on the Getting Started & General Diet and Fitness Boards, there is a wealth of useful information there.

Most people who aren't losing find that their loss is stifled either because they aren't logging accurately whether this is by choosing incorrect entries or underestimating weights of food (not using a food scale) or they are overestimating their calorie burns. It's worth noting that it can take 4-6 weeks for the weight to start to come off properly too, so if you've just gotten started don't be put off by not having amazing results straight away, it's a life long journey, not a sprint.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

haywood38 wrote: »

Hi all, used this on and off for a while now but now taking it more seriously as want to lose up to 14lbs if I can. May not seem a lot to a lot of people on here but is harder than I thought! Am exercising more regularly than I ever have at gym sessions and group fitness (at least 3 times a week) and strict on noting everything I eat but still no weight changes at all! Seem to be the same weight regardless of what I do or eat! How long before you all noticed a difference in your weight?

How long have you been logging for without seeing a weight change?

Are you weighing or food or using the packaging?

As you have so little to lose it will be slower, aim for 0.5lb to 1lb a week max.

LivingtheLeanDream

If you've 'only' got a stone to lose, you'll find you'll feel better and notice your clothes looser when you've lost 5 to 7lbs - every pound does make a difference.

Aim for up to 0.5 to 1lb per week - slower is better when we haven't much to lose so we hold on to as much muscle as possible. Too large a deficit means we lose muscle mass along with the fat and that's never a good thing.

All the best!

haywood38

Hmmm am using packaging mainly to record what I eat but guess some things I do guesstimate on the weight, I cant eat big meals so I know my portions sizes are less than they should be anyway. I always seem to be under my calorie intake anyway so not sure it will make a huge difference and was trying to avoid being completely obsessive about it but may have to if I want to see results! I know when I see the 'if you ate like this every day you would be this much' posts after I complete my day that they are absolutely absurd and I will never get down to that weight as it NEVER changes!

LivingtheLeanDream

I found there's not much need to obsess too much, except when I got really close to goal within last 5lbs and losing weight got slower and slower or halted, that's when the logging needs really needed tightened up and weighing things were essential imo.
My portions for main meals aren't big either and as long as I don't go too mad on the snacks - too many biccies/choc etc then all is well. Its amazing how one snack sized bar too much can put us over our calories and stop us from losing.

tinkerbellang83

haywood38 wrote: »

Hmmm am using packaging mainly to record what I eat but guess some things I do guesstimate on the weight, I cant eat big meals so I know my portions sizes are less than they should be anyway.

You'd be surprised how wrong you can be when you're guestimating. Get yourself a food scale, they are only about £/$10-15 and well worth it for tightening up your logging and getting more accurate results. The end of day summary has been pretty spot on for me so far.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

haywood38 wrote: »

Hmmm am using packaging mainly to record what I eat but guess some things I do guesstimate on the weight, I cant eat big meals so I know my portions sizes are less than they should be anyway. I always seem to be under my calorie intake anyway so not sure it will make a huge difference and was trying to avoid being completely obsessive about it but may have to if I want to see results! I know when I see the 'if you ate like this every day you would be this much' posts after I complete my day that they are absolutely absurd and I will never get down to that weight as it NEVER changes!

The packaging is never right I find.

Yesterday alone I had to over ride the quantities to 1.2/1.23 etc as the items weighed more than they should have.

As an example. My 125g of blueberries was 157.5g.

I rarely find any packaging right. And it always seems to be up weigh wise not down. By law packaging weights can be out by 20%.

DrunkMosquitos

If you have good food logs, look into scheduling an appointment with a nutritionist. I haven't been the best with my food logs, but that is my goal. Every body is different and cookie cutter plans don't always work. Best of luck to you and your goals!