Losing pounds very slowly...but losing inches

deb_ge

I have been so concerned. I have been faithfully on my new lifestyle regime for over five weeks now. I was doing some form of excercize for at least one hour a day, with weight training included 3 days a week. For the past 10 days I have upped that to 2 hours a day, ( swimming a mile, sometimes morning and evening) I guess I expected to have really dramatic losses, as I have more that 100 pounds to lose. I have been faithful to my eating plan, eating between 1200 and 1500 calories a day. Now, after 5 weeks I have only lost 11 pounds. I must admit I am a little discouraged, but am pressing on none the less. I have noticed my belly fat is decreasing, though, as are my upper arms, which is a great blessing as they were horrifiying.

Anyone else experience such slow progress even though working really hard? I would love anyone's input. Thanks

deb_ge

I have been so concerned. I have been faithfully on my new lifestyle regime for over five weeks now. I was doing some form of excercize for at least one hour a day, with weight training included 3 days a week. For the past 10 days I have upped that to 2 hours a day, ( swimming a mile, sometimes morning and evening) I guess I expected to have really dramatic losses, as I have more that 100 pounds to lose. I have been faithful to my eating plan, eating between 1200 and 1500 calories a day. Now, after 5 weeks I have only lost 11 pounds. I must admit I am a little discouraged, but am pressing on none the less. I have noticed my belly fat is decreasing, though, as are my upper arms, which is a great blessing as they were horrifiying.

Anyone else experience such slow progress even though working really hard? I would love anyone's input. Thanks

cmriverside

Deb,

You are diong a great job! When there is so much ahead of you, focusing on today is the best thing. It seems we all lose quite quickly at first - especially the first week. Then comes the day-to-day work of losing one or two pounds a week.

From all that I have read and heard from professionals, you want to lose slowly - and you are right on target at 11 pounds for five weeks. It took a long time to gain the weight: and to stay healthy and hopefully have your skin shrink along with the rest of you, the weight needs to come off at a rate of no more than two pounds per week.

We are all here for the long haul. If we are overweight it is because of our choices over a period of time. Be gentle with yourself. EAT your calories given to you when you exercise. Eat six small meals daily, and log every bite. You can do this!

~cm

apaden4

I know the feeling, I think we all do. But like cmriverside said, you are right on target with your 11 lbs. Remember if you take it off slowly, you have a better chance of keeping that weight off - most people that have dramatic weight loss in a short amount of time tend to gain it back, that's straight from my dr.'s mouth!!!
You are doing a great job, don't give up yet!

One thing you might start doing is taking your measurements once a week, I have heard a lot of people lose inches faster than lbs. It could keep you more motivated to see that your inches are dropping too!
Good luck!

deb_ge

Thanks you guys....I needed to hear that! I have a question, cmriverside....since I am excercizing so much, I am being given a HUGE amount of extra calories. I am I really supposed to eat that, or is it better to stay at my 1550, which I was given as a daily avg. target if I wanted to shift 2 pounds a week?

If I eat more, will I not lose even more slowly than I am already?

Razboo

That's an awesome amount of exercise. One thing I see pointed out in places is that building muscle will add it's own weight even as you lose the fat. Muscle is denser than fat, though, so the inches will still be dropping.

I will let someone more expert comment on eating your extra calories, but in my opinion, you should be eating them and from what I've read, you should be having a pretty high intake of protein.

I found your post to be inspiring to me as I am embarking on an improved fitness regimen along with the calorie counting!

pamelawh

well first of all experts say 2 lbs a week is pretty good and that is what you accomplished. kudos to you for that. but they also say every 4 weeks you need to change your exercise regime and make sure that you are challenging yourself. also you may want to check out crosscrunch.com for a great meal plan, it will keep your calories between 1200-1400 range. keep us posted on your progress. i can tell you when i change my weight training to 5 circuits and the reps per set vary between 8 and 10 , i saw noticeable results. jillian michaels is the personal trainer for biggest loser program and for $4 a week you can get coached by a trainer on her staff and she also has meal plans. i have learned a lot since joining and i was at a plateau or maybe approaching one and i have blasted through that.

neverbeenskinny

If you're exercising a lot, your body is going to need the extra calories. What I would do is not to eat all the extras, but you do need some. If you don't take in enough calories, your body is going to think that you are starving it and your metabolism will start to slow...exactly what you don't want it to do.

If you're working out and eating plenty of lean protein, you will be adding muscles to your body, which will speed up your metabolism. Then your body will become a more efficient machine. At first you will think that you are not loosing weight, because your body is adding on muscles, but your clothes will feel different. You will notice your waistbands getting loose before a big difference in your pants. Then all of a sudden the pounds will start to drop because finally your body will start to burn more calories.

Trust me on this one. Don't get discouraged because you're doing all the right things and you don't lose as much as you think you should right away, especially if you're working out hard.

Good luck!

lotusfromthemud

Remember that your rec. calories are based on your BMR...which is staying in bed all day. When you're exercising, you need to add back in at least some of the calories you're using to exercise.

I was exercising like crazy and still reducing my calories, and my body plateaued (sp?)...then I started logging my calories here, and making myself eat more and presto...losing about a pound a week again! So for me, in my humble experience, more has equaled less (more food, less of me

Two pounds a week is right on target. Good job you!

deb_ge

You guys are AWESOME! I feel so encouraged, and I do believe I need more calories, because instead of feeling good doing all this excericize I feel like I am going to die....I am sore and tired all the time every day. Clearly my body is telling me I need more.

I tried the last couple of days to up my protein intake and I dropped another pound and a half!

Now my question is...should I also up good carbs for energy?

What do you think?

by the way, I am going to check out those sites you guys mentioned.

Bye, I have to go for another swim!

lotusfromthemud

Good carbs before your workout, protein after (this is what my old trainer taught me) If you're building muscle (and with that much working out, you are!), the protein is very important. The formula I use is half of my goal weight divided by 2=my protein gram goal for the day.

I usually try to have a piece of fruit and a small handful of raw almonds or walnuts before the gym, then I am fueled up and ready to go.

I also have big problems with soreness...and I've found relief with a ginger/turmeric supplement. It's the only thing that helps me..just a suggestion.

neverbeenskinny

Good carbs are great for energy, just make sure it's veggies, fruit or whole grains. Be careful of the fruits though, you want to limit them as the sugar content his much higher than veggies. Sounds like you're going down the right path. Great job!

cmriverside

Deb,

EAT the calories given to you by exercise. If you don't believe this website, and its recommendations: I strongly encourage you to visit a nutrionist, a physical fitness trainer, or a doctor who specializes in weight loss. Or if you can't do that, at least go to the library and read about the body's defense mechanism of "hoarding" calories when you are depriving it of the proper amount of food.

I know it is counter-intuitive: but it works. And think how much happier and healthier you will be when your body is nourished.

~Cheryl

Healthier_Me

11 pounds in 5 weeks is awesome Deb!!

I've only lost 6 pounds in 7 weeks so..... top that HA! lol... just kidding just kidding!!

Your body is trying to catch up with all that you're doing.
So, give it time.
Continue your workouts, continue watching the foods that you eat and you'll see more progress.

~Joanna

deb_ge

Thanks again all of you. I can't tell you how much your encouragement means. I am willing to believe the site...cmriverside. But it is scary. With the amount of exercise I am doing I am being give a HUGE amount of calories that I am allowed to eat.

Still, I have given the site my goal of losing 2 pounds a week....maybe it is trying to keep me to that and not allow me to lose too fast. I know that losing too fast can bring its own problems, although SO very gratifiying to see the numbers go down and down and down. Some years ago I tried Atkins and of course it worked beautifully. Lost a ton of weight very quickly...but had absolutely NO energy. I really need those healthy carbs, just a little bit, to give me a bit of spark.

I have been eating for my carbs: Oranges, pumello, carrots, broccoli, snap peas, steamed pumpkin, rice, whole wheat bread, and rice noodles. I am thinking of adding cous cous tomorrow, with some chick peas.

Today was Sunday, my busiest day of the week and I could not excercise. I cant wait to hit the gym tomorrow morning! Bye all, and Bless you BIG time.

julieofthewolves

Deb - I ditto all the good words others have contributed here. Do not starve your body of the carbs you need for energy. You will end up losing muscle mass. Your are doing awesome, just work the program and keep your focus. You will do this!!! Keep it up - Julie