Weight Won't Come Off!! S.O.S. PLEASE HELP!!

stealthq

Hey Everyone!

Thanks so much for weighing in with sooooo much good information and positive encouragement! I wish they had a "like' button on the replies!

I actually went to my physician the other day to see if she might be a good source of information to help me through my most recent struggle and good gracious...you be the judge:

"1. You are not getting enough cardio. You should be doing at least 60-90 minutes of cardio a day."
"2. Cut back on your weight training to only twice a week."
"3. You can TOTALLY incorporate white rice into your diet."
"4. You're getting old (35!); the weight may just not come off the way it used to."

In my opinion, you all offer far better/credible advice than she did. Except for #4 (which, i thought, was slightly insensitive), I could not disagree MORE with what she had to say.

1. I lieu of 1 hour of cardio, I've incorporate HIITs into my workouts.
2. I've INCREASED my weight training to 4x per week.
3. I've cut out all white carbs--white sugar, white rice, white pasta, white breads.
4. I may be 34.8 years old, but I don't have to look it.

Also, regarding the very interesting side-convo regarding gaining muscle and losing fat--I think it's probably true that I'm not gaining very much muscle, despite my strength training days. I've actually read numerous articles about how to lose significant fat while gaining significant muscle, and it is extremely complicated. I think most ppl in my boat see "gains" by increasing *visibility* of existing muscle mass, as opposed to actually increasing the pounds of muscle. However, once significant fat loss is achieved, the individual can increase caloric intake to contribute to actual muscle growth. Simultaneous muscle growth/fat loss is a very very slow process, though. I'm all for concentrating on losing my fat, for now, and maintaining my existing lean muscle--so that they're there when I get rid of all the extra layers of blubber!

Anyhoot, thanks all!!

Actually, 3) and 4) are correct. You can have rice, sugar, flour, bread - just make sure you get enough protein first and keep it in your calories. And every year we age we tend to lose a little muscle mass (unless we work to keep it) which means our BMR decreases slightly every year. I think the estimate is ~ 10 cals/yr. On the other two - weight lifting helps maintain muscle. No way I'd cut back on that unless you're over-training. Cardio is great for CV health, and can earn you back more calories, but is unnecessary for weight loss.

fortally

I wanna be skinnier, too, but it took me 30 years as an adult to wreck myself. It will take a few to correct myself. (Another inner mantra when the negativity gets in my head like an earworm).

Hey, that's my mantra too! :laugh:

When you make the commitment to get fit and healthy your whole outlook on life changes. It's like this huge mental shift in your brain to do things differently. At least it was for me. It is SO HARD to accept that your body can't make a sudden switch the way your brain can.

Every time I get frustrated I stand in front of the mirror and have this conversation with myself: "How many hundreds of tubs of ice cream did it take to earn this pudge? Did you eat them all in one day? No. Right, so how many hundreds of workouts is it going to take to burn it off? Exactly."

Helps me with perspective.

dezb64

Hey Everyone!

Thanks so much for weighing in with sooooo much good information and positive encouragement! I wish they had a "like' button on the replies!

I actually went to my physician the other day to see if she might be a good source of information to help me through my most recent struggle and good gracious...you be the judge:

"1. You are not getting enough cardio. You should be doing at least 60-90 minutes of cardio a day."
"2. Cut back on your weight training to only twice a week."
"3. You can TOTALLY incorporate white rice into your diet."
"4. You're getting old (35!); the weight may just not come off the way it used to."

In my opinion, you all offer far better/credible advice than she did. Except for #4 (which, i thought, was slightly insensitive), I could not disagree MORE with what she had to say.

1. I lieu of 1 hour of cardio, I've incorporate HIITs into my workouts.
2. I've INCREASED my weight training to 4x per week.
3. I've cut out all white carbs--white sugar, white rice, white pasta, white breads.
4. I may be 34.8 years old, but I don't have to look it.

Also, regarding the very interesting side-convo regarding gaining muscle and losing fat--I think it's probably true that I'm not gaining very much muscle, despite my strength training days. I've actually read numerous articles about how to lose significant fat while gaining significant muscle, and it is extremely complicated. I think most ppl in my boat see "gains" by increasing *visibility* of existing muscle mass, as opposed to actually increasing the pounds of muscle. However, once significant fat loss is achieved, the individual can increase caloric intake to contribute to actual muscle growth. Simultaneous muscle growth/fat loss is a very very slow process, though. I'm all for concentrating on losing my fat, for now, and maintaining my existing lean muscle--so that they're there when I get rid of all the extra layers of blubber!

Anyhoot, thanks all!!

I have been on this quest for a year and half. I have learned a lot along the way. First of all let me say I have Hashimoto's Thyroid syndrome with a hypothyroid (almost non existent). For me to loose weight I have to work twice as hard as an average person.
I've had weeks and months with great weight loss and some where I actually gained (even though I never went off). I had no "cheat days" for the first year and was never over in calories. I do however vary my calories from day to day within a range but again not over. I try to have at least 100 calorie difference from one day to the next.One day I am at the bottom of my range 1300-1400 the next day at the top 1500-1700. I find this keeps my metabolism from getting too comfortable. I started with the 17 day diet and it really helped me to detox from processed foods and sweets. I weigh and measure everything and try to get in as much protein as possible (that one is not always easy).
I workout 6 days a week alternating between weights (and limited cardio) and cardio only. I also incorporate HIIT into my workout as much as possible. When I first started out I only did cardio and now see how wrong I was. I'm sure I lost lots of muscle that I am now working on getting back. Good luck