Depressed :(

RCorrell08

Okay I am not a newbie but I have never really explored this site. A couple months ago I started going to the gym every morning at 430 for about a hour and a half for a months hoping to shed some pounds but at weight in I had only lost a pound which was really depressing. I need to jump back on the wagon but I don't know how I am only 21 years old 5'2 and weight 158. I really want to get back to my old weight of 125 so I need to lose 33 pounds but I don't know how or what I should do. Can anyone give me some advice on my diet like what will fill me up or even on exercising at home what should I do.

FinoMan69

Stay positive and remember that you didn't put all the weight on in one day. Also make sure you are also doing weight lifting on top of the cardio (Weights first followed by 33mins of cardio). Building lean muscle will help burn more calories a day and it looks better.

Do this for 25 days in a row and it will become a healthy habit:)

Good Luck.

FluffyMamaNeeds2Lose

a lot of times when people exercise they don't eat enough and their body just holds onto the weight because it is craving extra calories.. make sure that you are eating those exercise calories back and you'll be sure to shed the pounds soon.

Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet

Eat lots of protein, add weight lifting, and make sure you're burning what you think you are (I'd suggest a 24/7 device like the BodyBug or BodyMedia FIT).

bekihughes

Protien will make you keep you fuller longer and it also helps your muscles with soreness. If you are building mucsle you will not see a huge drop on the scale... Mucsle weighs more then fat

SLLaurence21

I can see how 1lb loss would be de-moralising, but maybe you were overdoing it before - half 4 in the morning for an hour and a half everyday sounds a but OTT to me. Your body perhaps rebelled against extreme exercising and maybe you weren't eating enough to fuel that calorie burn.

I'd recommend little and often with exercise and food. Do weights as well as cardio and try and find something you can enjoy instead of just slogging it out on gym machines at 4AM!

Good luck :-)

douglas747

Tons of ice cold water, really work with your reporting on this site re: food intake, and WEIGHT TRAINING along with aerobic. Increase your resting metabolism by building muscle! Watch the carbs, increase your protein, and eat more often. Esp. high fiber types of things like apples. Here's the bummer for college students: stay off of the alcohol. Alcohol is mass pure sugar.

Only by tracking everything that goes into your mouth can you see if you are in calorie deficit. I found it also makes me eat more healthfully. I mean, two snicker bars and I'm almost done for the day, calorie-wise! Keep track of you exercise calories so you can make room for the small bowl of ice cream at the end of the day!

You can do this! It sounds like you are fighting genetics as well. Hang in there.

tmiqueen

Your profile page says a lot "I overeat a lot".

Make sure that even if you're eating under calories that the stuff you're eating is HEALTHY...and by that, I mean good ole fashioned fruits, veggies and lean meats.

Track your calories mercilessly.

Don't get discouraged just because the weight didn't come off as quickly as you wanted it to. It didn't show up in a day and it won't go away in a day either. One pound loss is better than NO pounds lost....or worse yet, gained!

Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet

If you're eating on a deficit and doing cardio, it's not muscle that's affecting the scale. Muscle is more dense than fat, so unless you're seeing smaller dress sizes, i'd focus more on your daily ins and outs by tracking/monitoring more.

Protien will make you keep you fuller longer and it also helps your muscles with soreness. If you are building mucsle you will not see a huge drop on the scale... Mucsle weighs more then fat

sammerlo

I used to work out in the early am as well...then baby #2 came along. It's really great for your metabolism to wake up and get started especially if you have a banana or a small snack before your am workout. You will burn more calories though out the day as well.
If you want to just loose pounds you really need to count your calories and measure out your food. Working out will help your weight loss and over all health. Try to eat high fiber and protein filled foods. Less carbs and sugar. Stay away from high sodium or processed foods. Drink a lot of water! The days I work out I have a protein smoothie to fill me up otherwise I am really hungry though out the day. Don't be sad just try something else! You don't need to kill yourself at the gym. Good luck!

H_Factor

I think its time to cut back on your exercise program. first, sleep is an undervalued tool in weight loss. getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night is, according to studies, beneficial to your healthy lifestyle goals.

second, working out 90 minutes a day for 6 days a week is probably overdoing it. I know some folks believe in this level of working out. however, since its not working for you, I think its worth it to switch things up for a few weeks and see if that helps. try the workouts at www.bodyrock.tv ... try sprint intervals 3x per week. see what happens.

third, cut out grains for a week or two and see if that makes a difference.

Eleisabelle

Exercise: Do a combination of cardio and weight training to have the greatest effect on weight loss. But it will not happen overnight! In fact, when you first start exercising, your weight may go up slightly because your body is shocked and might react by holding on a bit. But as you keep working out and staying consistent with your fitness, your body will adjust and you'll start losing. Aim to lose 1-2 pounds per week. More than that (unless you're obese, which you are not) might not be good for you. The combination that has worked for me is to do cardio (running, biking, swimming, elliptical, aerobics, etc) every other day, with weight training on the off days, and one day per week of a full break to allow my muscles to recover and heal--that's how you build lean muscle which helps you burn more fat.

Eating: Make sure you're recording everything you eat, and don't go below 1200 calories per day unless your doctor tells you to. When I first started losing weight, I only cut to 1600 calories and I started losing. Then I cut to about 1200-1300 for a while, until I plateaued. Now I'm back up to 1400-1600 again and I'm still losing, if a little bit slower (which is fine for me until I get to goal weight). Ideally, to meet your new exercise needs and keep yourself going well, you need about 50% of your calories to be healthy carbs (whole grains, fruits and vegetables, not "white" foods like white flour, sugar, etc), about 30% protein (lean protein like white meat chicken, 93% lean beef if you eat red meat, legumes, etc.), and about 20% healthy fats (olive oil, nuts, dark chocolate, peanut butter, flax oil, fish, etc.). Fill up on fiber rich veggies, and those healthy fats and proteins will help keep you feeling full until your next meal. For me, it's helped to eat several smaller meals throughout the day instead of three larger ones.

And don't underestimate the power of water weight and bloating. You very well might have lost more than one pound, but as your body adjusts to losing weight, different eating habits, and new exercise patterns, you might hold on to water, which can alter the scale. Don't let it get to you. It will all pass. Keep your salt intake at a reasonable level and drink lots of water to help keep that bloating down.

Above all, be patient with yourself. Like another poster said, it took time to put the weight on, so it will take time to take it off, too. Often, longer than it took to put it on. Aim for good health and fitness instead of reaching the perfect weight, and you'll find yourself looking and feeling better and much happier.