For the people who work out like crazy and are not losing

Newfiedan

Ok guys I have read sooooooo many posts with this in the topic that I simply had to write this, now you may say he is crazy or that I am so full of crap that my eyes are brown but I have spent many years up and down with weight and for the first time in my life it is sticking and I am not just weighing less but I have my health back through diet. Now you may ask should I model myself after this guy, my answer is simply no, you need to find what works for you but the basic building blocks I do recommend as your foundation. So here I am breaking it down for you.

1) Ditch the bloody scale, its the greasy car salesman of the weight loss world, either get a good measuring tape or one of the sales that reads body fat. The goal here for all of you should be to preserve muscle tissue as that is what will burn the fat, and for those who say its near impossible to gain muscle on a cal restricted diet I say no its not, I am living proof of that. I have made significant strength gains on a cal restricted diet and my arms which were fat to start measure a 1/4" bigger while I am much leaner.

2) Diet and nutrition are 2 very different things, feeding the body correctly will always have a positive result, take the time to educate yourself and learn about clean eating and how to get off the junk, make them small changes the devil is in the details, for example if you only change 1 meal a day it will have positive results. (If you are going to do this I recommend breakfast as a start) A big healthy breakfast gets the metabolic rate fired first thing in the morning, and gets the day off right. Don't have time you say? Bullcrap you do, 5 mins for your health is not a big thing to ask a good protein shake with some fruit and a slice of rye bread toasted with some peanut butter will not deprive you of that all important sleep.

3) Do not expect the huge weight loss numbers every week, they are going to take time, you did not get fat overnight and you are not going to get skinny overnight, why should you expect to lose the weight in 1 month? Did you put on that extra 4 dress or pant sizes overnight?

4) If you have hit a true plateau (meaning 3 weeks or more) with 0 loss or 0 gain then your body has gotten used to what you are doing or you are not meeting your dietary needs, for the girls burning 7000 cals a week and eating 1200 a day this is pointed at you, for the love of god its common freakin sense, you are not feeding your body so it is feeding off itself in a catabolic state its not rocket science. Learn about catabolic and anabolic states for the body, take the time to educate yourself. I recently helped one of the girls who was in your boat and following my advice he has lost 3 pounds this week eating nearly double what she was. (1200 cals to 2000 cals and those were quality cals including FAT)

5) Form a group of friend who support your goals, negativity will not help you so if you have that in your life then find a way out of that and into a positive environment. If that is not easy for you then learn to develop the inner strength needed to be positive and stay positive.

6) For the people who are eating less but not feeding the body right, make it smart choices, you do not need to be a diet nazi eating nothing but veggies and fruits to get results but you do need to start seriously looking at your overall health, small changes snowball into big results. Once every few weeks go out and splurge, have a cheat day and enjoy it because it will not adversely affect you the body needs that cheat day sometimes to keep the metabolic rate going.

7) Fat is not the enemy here, good fats like omega 3s, salmon, fish, avocado, and nuts (almonds in particular) are great sources of good fats, eating these will actually aid in your weight loss not hurt it.

8) Workout recovery does not require super expensive protein shakes or gimmicky type crap. The best bodybuilders I have known know the secret is simple, chocolate milk. 1-2 cups 10mins post workout (the sugar does not go to the waistline or thighs it goes right into the muscles) followed 15 mins later with a good healthy protein shake with some fruit in it will benefit immensely with workout recovery. Now if your goal is not muscle gain then sure you can reduce that protein but make sure you get some in, you want to avoid a catabolic state at all costs.

9) This is a journey to a lifestyle change for the better, enjoy the trip and chronicle it for your own good, take a day a week to reflect on it and learn to love yourself, you deserve the best in life and to have your health is not something which should be optional, it should be something that is mandatory for you. I can stand here and preach all day to you about healthy eating and working out but until you hit that point where it becomes mandatory then you are not ready to really hear what I have said previously.

if you are going to add me as a friend then include the reason in you request otherwise I will decline it.

RTricia

Amen +

rachgleeson

Very interesting read, thank you for that!! Its really given me some ideas of what i could be doing to help myself!! I was telling myself off for having at least 1 spoon of reduced fat peanut butter each day, but i do find it feels me up at the time i am having it!! Thanks again!!

ItsOn130

Thanks for posting this!

bfh123

This should be required reading for everyone just starting out.

brendanevels

AMEN

Newfiedan

Very interesting read, thank you for that!! Its really given me some ideas of what i could be doing to help myself!! I was telling myself off for having at least 1 spoon of reduced fat peanut butter each day, but i do find it feels me up at the time i am having it!! Thanks again!!

try adding in about 5-8 whole almonds unsalted a day you will see benefits from it.

lynnie30

I wish there was a favorite button to click on posts. I would definitely favorite this one so I can look back on it to keep myself motivated. So, if you could just message me this information every few weeks that would be great. Thanks ! :happy:

bfh123

Very interesting read, thank you for that!! Its really given me some ideas of what i could be doing to help myself!! I was telling myself off for having at least 1 spoon of reduced fat peanut butter each day, but i do find it feels me up at the time i am having it!! Thanks again!!

I think reading ingredients is VERY important. Some peanut butter is utter garbage with hydrogenated oils and excess sugar. My personal favorite is Smuckers Natural PB with honey, I put some a teaspoon in my oatmeal every morning. However, Im not advertising for them. Just make sure the ingredients is things you can read and know what they are.

WashingtonGrown

This post. I wish I would have read this when I started my Journey, I've made it fine and have lost all but 5lbs in 2 months...but you get a lot of misinformation when it comes to losing weight. I refused to diet, and to exercise more than I needed to. It's worked for me. I've made a life style change that I think I can live with!

dave4d

Great post.

suejake11

thanks for posting. These are all things I know, but I need to be reminded often!

kao708

Too long, didn't read it! Sorry! ADD kicked in before the 1st bullet point. :bigsmile:

@Lynnie-Since you commented on this, it will be in your list under MY TOPICS if you ever want to review it again!

I wish there was a favorite button to click on posts. I would definitely favorite this one so I can look back on it to keep myself motivated.

WeightLossTrek

Great Post! I wish more people would follow this advice!

Kirstie_C26

bump

AmandaHammill

One of the best posts I've read since joining the site. Thanks for taking the time for write this.
cheers! or as the French say ' A Sante' - to your health!

callipygianchronicle

you deserve the best in life and to have your health is not something which should be optional, it should be something that is mandatory for you.

so many good things in this post, but ^^this sentence^^ is, for me, the number one key to success on this journey. When you get that being healthy is no longer optional, no longer something that other people should have but not you, everything else makes sense. I know what I should eat every day and how much my body needs to move because I know that getting healthy is no longer optional. It is mandatory. My life depends on it. And people I love are depending on me to take care of this body.

katschi

Great post.

I recently picked up The Body Fat Solution by Tom Venuto and this post greatly reflects what he advises people to do.

melzteach

Well said!
I've been thing / doing most of what you said but I see A LOT of posts regarding this very issue. Whereas I'd like to weigh 130 lbs, I'd rather be fit and toned. So that means the muscle I'm building is good and as long as I see a loss in inches I'll be a happy camper!

Xandi

Thanks!!!

baisleac

Well said!

mkwood10

Great advice.....now I just need to remember to follow it!! So easy to grab the "comfort munchies" at the end of a long day or week instead of thinking about the long term health.

aweigh2go

You hit the nail on the head... several times!

Shamrock40

Great, well-written post. I just hope the people who don't know any of these things get to read it!!

CherylYMerritt

Excellent post! I am taking your advice and increasing my calories! I too have been following the clean eating method. Look better, feel better. thanks for the tip on peanut butter!

isaiahxoxoender

Thank you so much for taking the time to write out all of that and I will heed your advice!

qtpiesmom

Love the post only thing #8 well some of us cant do the chocolate milk thing being diabetic, TOOO MUCH sugar in that but i do drink milk after a workout

Sueboo31

You got me with ditch the scale. I'm only two weeks in and I've already had my first moment of frustration.

I lost 5lbs (which I know is mostly water weight) after the first 8 or 9 days then I hop on the scale this morning and I'm up one pound. I know better than to let this discourage me but it's so hard when you think you are doing so great and you hop on the scale expecting to see the numbers go down, not up! ...it just bummed me out. I 'think' I have done a good job eating back my exercise calories but who knows. I've read a lot of threads on that subject...so many that it can be a bit overwhelming. I'm still new so I guess I just need to relax and let the process work before I start over analyzing everything.

Glad I saw this post. Good timing for me. Thanks so much for your advice!

rachgleeson

Very interesting read, thank you for that!! Its really given me some ideas of what i could be doing to help myself!! I was telling myself off for having at least 1 spoon of reduced fat peanut butter each day, but i do find it feels me up at the time i am having it!! Thanks again!!

try adding in about 5-8 whole almonds unsalted a day you will see benefits from it.

I will give that a try thanks

rachgleeson

Very interesting read, thank you for that!! Its really given me some ideas of what i could be doing to help myself!! I was telling myself off for having at least 1 spoon of reduced fat peanut butter each day, but i do find it feels me up at the time i am having it!! Thanks again!!

I think reading ingredients is VERY important. Some peanut butter is utter garbage with hydrogenated oils and excess sugar. My personal favorite is Smuckers Natural PB with honey, I put some a teaspoon in my oatmeal every morning. However, Im not advertising for them. Just make sure the ingredients is things you can read and know what they are.

Thanks for that, i am in ireland and there really isnt much choice in the varieties of peanut butter!!

SammieGetsFit

Brilliant! Thank you very much for summing up all the best advice I've seen and putting it in one easy-to-read post. I'll be coming back to this again and again I'm sure.