About to give up...

reisingmel

My name is Mel, and here is my problem. I've been working out and eating healthy (I swear) since late December 2009 and although I have lost a moderate amount of inches around my body I cannot lose a single pound. I understand that weight isn't everything, but I'm not talking about being 130 lbs and being worried, I'm talking 170 lbs. I do 3-4 hours of cardio every week and lift for at least 2 hours every week. I keep my diet as balanced as possible while maintaining my calories between 1200 and 1500 a day. Is there anyone out there with a similar problem? Or even better, does anyone have some advice for a girl who just can't lose weight to save her life?

On the edge,

reisingmel :frown:

hiddensecant

How tall are you and do you use a heart rate monitor?

twocats

I'm not an expert or a physician - but a couple of things come to mind...

1) muscle weighs more than fat - so the fact that you're losing inches means that the muscle is displacing the fat - making you smaller but perhaps not changing the numbers on the scale.

2) I don't know how old you are - but you might want to get a physical - have your thyroid checked. I've known people who have thyroid trouble and as a result are unable to lose weight.

Don't despair. You are getting healthier because of your workouts.

The only other thing I can think of is that if you are not eating enough calories your body might go into "starvation mode" and slow your metablism down. Or perhaps you need to increase your cardio intensity?

Just a few thoughts for what it's worth. Good luck to you!

kbirky73

Hey ... first DO NOT give up!! PLEASE. You are integrating toning with cardio .. so you are, by all accounts, REPLACING fat with muscle, which you know ... weighs more than fat.

Here is what i did when that was my apparent problem .. there will be many out here who disagree with my method .. but this works for ME!

I do not do weights and toning ... I do straight cardio 6-7 days a week ... about 30 - 40 minutes each session. My Mom was having the same problem .. i told her to stop the strength toning .. FOR NOW ..

Try it for 2 weeks. JUST CARDIO. It may not work for you ... but it may. Sounds like you would be willing to try something a little "not by the book" ...

cyndeebee

I agree about the theory that maybe you're not eating enough...If you're working out, that number seems pretty low.
But the main thing I want to say is that you should never give up. Even if you only see a "snail's pace" of progress, it's still progress. Right?
The other option is to give up, gain not only what you may have lost...but more.
Option two is not worth it. If need be, take a mini break, eat your maintenance calories, and then start again. Maybe the break would kick start your metabolism.

andrbac04

How tall are you? I'm thinking maybe for your height 170 is as small as your body will allow you to become.

Also, if you don't have a large amount of weight to lose it becomes harder to lose weight.

By NO means an expert, but hope this helps

Christin09

Are you making sure you changing up your cardio workouts enough and that your body isn't getting into a rut that way?

reisingmel

I'm 5'7" no giant, haha. I have monitored my heart rate on cardio machines more lately and my heart rate stay around 150.

ebkins7

Hey Girlie... DON'T GIVE UP!!! Please!!! I know and completely understand the frustrations! I have to agree... I think you are losing inches but not weight because you are gaining more lean muscle mass! Which is GREAT!!!

I know everyone has this ideal weight that they have in mind for themselves. But honestly, that weight may not be ideal for your body type.

Just keep working at it. You'll find what works. Just please don't give up!!!

lindseyk

Your probably not eating enough..your body will hold weight if it thinks your starving it. You may need to adjust your diet. Good luck and don't give up!

Dave198lbs

kick up the cardio

everyday except Sunday but do Sunday if you feel ok

gotta burn burn burn that crap off your body

takes alot of cardio

gotta eat.....set your loss at 1 pound a week and eat what it says to eat

quit eating crap (if you do)
no white bread...no pasta,,,,bo chips...no cookies...no added sugar....you know what crap is....gotta quit eatin it

get busy
sweat alot

it will come off

gc2052

My guess is that you are not eating enough calories. A tough concept for most of us to grasp. You also need to be doing more cardio.

kbirky73

Glad to see that CARDIO IS KEY!!!!!
(and way fun if you mix it up)

becca1978

Hey there...Don't give up you are making progress with the inches lost. Alot of times people eat the right amount of calories but not the right foods. There are a lot of dieters that go for those 100 cal snacks because they are 100 cals. A really good book to read is the Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno. It is very informative. Trust me I have been there. I joined this site when I had the last 20 lbs to lose. Prior to Joining I had pretty much stayed the same for a year just losing inches and lowering bodyfat. So the rest did not come off until I really payed close attention to the diet and started to avoid processed foods and focused on eating real foods like fresh fruits and vegetables and lean cuts of meats. I have lost over 60lbs in the past 2 years. Hang in there it will happen for you.

mommywoods

Don't give up, drink lots and lots of water 10-12 cups per day!! You will see results!! Shake up your workout as well!! Hang in there!!

reisingmel

You've all been extremely encouraging and I can't wait to try your ideas!! Thanks again and cross your fingers for me!

jtrabucco

Ive been in the exact same boat. I had my thyroid checked and my dose is good. I work out about 30-60 min 3x a week. I wiegh and measure everything, count every darn calorie. The only thing I can possibly think it could be is Menopause. And I have thought about giving up every day but if I do it will be worse. We WILL gain more weight. Maybe take a week off of exercise and just take a few nice walks, or just diet during the week and take the weekend off (but dont go totally crazy) . I know if feels like*@## when you wake up EVERY morning and get on the scale and it hasnt budged it really sucks.. but if you give up you will feel worse about yourself . Hang in there and I will too, that darn scale has to move sometime even if I have to shake the @#$! out of it.

annhjk

I'm 5'7" no giant, haha. I have monitored my heart rate on cardio machines more lately and my heart rate stay around 150.

I would suggest upping the intensity. My heart rate is usually around 165/170 and I'm 8 years older than you so maybe that would help. Also switch up your routine as much as you can. If you do the same machines, same strength routine and eat pretty much the same foods, you body will adapt and get used to it.

You could try to eat more protein too. That helped me drop about 5 as soon as I did that. You can go into home, goals, custom settings and change the % on macro nutrients (I'm set at 40% protein, 30% fat, 30% carbs).

I am by no means an expert though - I'm been stuck at 135/140 (I'm 5'6") forever.

reisingmel

I had no idea you could change those settings!! I'm so doing that one. I can stop trying to do the math in my head every day on how I want to eat more protein I want then what they say. Thanks a bunch!

Increasing my intensity has been the toughest part about working out for me personally because I have sports induced asthma and I'm very stubborn about trying not to use my emergency inhaler. But I have been kicking it up a notch or two this week. My gym pal refuses to let me walk (even if it's uphill at 3.5 mph), haha, and I'll make sure to thank her when I'm less sore.

Thanks for info and advice!

JDHINAZ

Regarding asthma, if you need to use your rescue inhaler, use it. But if you need to use it before every workout in order to get up your intensity level, then your preventative meds are probably not where they should be. I have acute/chronic asthma that is also exercised induced. Thanks to my preventative meds (Advair and Singulair) I haven't used my rescue inhaler for exercise in over 2 years. Talk to your doctor and tell him if you have to use it before every workout and see if there are better preventative meds for you to take. It's well worth it!!!

Hope all goes well!!!!

kaassiia

same issue here =/ could be pretty discouraging but no way ill give up.. i enjoy working out too much. look forward to it everyday

colombiana444

Omg the same thing happend to me! i was doing the strenght training and i actually gained 7 pounds the first 2 weeks. so i completely stopped it until i was about 10-15 lbs from goal weight which helped me tone up towards the end. I know that it is not a "by the book" thing to do, but everyones body is different and you gotta find what works best for you.

kukla1976

Do not give up!! I think it is all about the food.. you have to make sure you are eating enough so you are burnng enough calories. Good luck and keep us all posted!! :happy:

pcbta

I've been reading so much lately where it's NOT so much about cardio.
Read Gillian Micheal's book "mastering your metabolism". It's all about interval training...more weight training and toning, LESS cardio. It actually IS cardio the whole time...but effective cardio. I've done years and years off "useless" cardio. NOW, I do the intervals and weights and my body is really toning up. and I spend only about a half hour per day...5 days a week...so much nicer!

Also...I do understand where you are coming from. do you clothes fit better??? I'm convinced that if we stick to it, it will happen. Give yourself a day off per week...and up your calories quite a bit...maybe your metabolism is lower than you think...

Cindy

reisingmel

I finally did it! I managed to lose 6 lbs this last week!! I think the what did it was I actually ate a normal amount of calories (1400-1800). Thanks everyone for all your support :flowerforyou:

pkgirrl

CONGRATULATIONS!
isn't that the most amazing feel ever? I was actually really intrigued by your post, especially, because we had the exact same stats when i started dieting, 5"7, 170lbs

And I'm actually going through something pretty similar, I've managed to get down to about 155, but I'm stuck , been eating fairly healthy, doing loads of exercise, and not getting anywhere. Its so encouraging to see someone else break their plateau

reisingmel

You can do it dude! 155 is a great place to be and I can't wait to meet you there, haha. But lighter would be awesome of course. What are you doing now to try and get below 155? Plateau's stink and I'm sure you'll break yours

hiddensecant

I wish breaking through a plateau meant 6 pounds for me! :laugh: But alas, one pound every two weeks is about all I can muster. :grumble:

kookla33

Congratulations on losing the 6 pounds!

jlefton1212

Congratulations! This thread is the essence of what this website is all about...support, ideas, and encouragement!

reisingmel

Nevermind, the scale was broken. Still at 164 I think I've reached the point where I just can't lose weight. Oh well. Hope everyone else has better results than I do.