Help.. Need advice, suggestions or clarification or just mot

Jaymie

Hi Pals

So Ive been working on this 'lifestyle change, bad habit change' for about 4 months.

Im 152cm tall (5foot1) and my daily calorie allowance is 1200. Since April I have lost 5kilos (11pounds) I started at 127.6pounds and now am 116pounds. My goal weight is 105pounds (48kg).

I exercise on the elliptical trainer about 5 days a week for 1 hour and burn about 480calories. I have started some resistance exercises (3kilo dumbells and ab crunches) 30min 2-3times a week.

I log in everything I eat. Im not always disciplined and most weekends my calories can go up to 2500 per day. About 3-4 days a week Im good and I eat within my calorie allowance. Yes I do eat most of my exercise calories too.

I have almost completely removed alcohol from my diet (1 glass of wine a fortnight or sometimes nil). I drink water (ave 1.5litres perday).

My problem is - I may have lost some weight and my legs may have started toning up slightly but overall I look the same. Im not losing inches. So I must be losing muscle? I drink alot of water so Im not losing water. Im frustrated because my body really hasn't changed I still have a flabby stomache. I still have fat!! I know I should be patient and just keep at it....

I tried on a dress that I was given a year ago, hoping that I could fit into it... but NO!!! still tight!! arrgghh!

This is getting hard! and Im getting tired of exercising for an hour 6AM EVERY MORNING and sure the weight has come down (on the scales only).. but my other goal is to also to tone up and lose some fat.

No one has noticed any change in my appearance, not that I am telling anyone what Im doing. I don't really notice any change visually or when I measure myself either. :sad:

Maybe Im just tired and starting to lose hope.. maybe Im just being impatient! I just feel like giving up!!!
This is hard!!!

pattitricia85

I would work on waht you are eating on the weekends. For about six months i ate really healthy 3-4 days a week, but come Friday all bets were off. Now i try my best on the weekends (i do splurge now and then) and I am having great success!

MacMadame

I doubt you've lost it all in muscle. But the first 5-10 lb. is often water weight.

Do you have a way to measure your body fat percentage? That will tell you if you are losing fat.

Also, how many grams of protein to do you eat each day? When on a low calorie diet, eating more protein will help prevent muscle loss.

Jaymie

I hear you about weekends! thats my weakness!! Its when Im with other people I just mentally lose my discipline or good habits I have developed when Im on my own. I feel extra hungry or I feel like I need to have dessert when Im with a group of friends.
I need to keep practicing this good habit even when Im with people. Its really tough though!!!! I even try to do extra exercise to compensate for the 'over indulgence'..

overall i think ive been pretty 'good' or maybe I am kidding myself!!!!

This is so tough!!!

cc_campbell81

It's really important to vary your exercise routine. If you do something for too long your body gets too used to it. So you could try the bike, running, or maybe some classes. Unfortunately you will not see tone in your stomach if it is still covered by fat. I have that problem right now. Most people I know that had were successful balanced cardio and strength training, 3 days cardio and 2 days strength training. There are many great sites out there where you can find a variety of strength training exercises. Doing a variety should help you with toning. You can try the below sites to start. I have also heard that the Jillian Michael's programs are great.

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/
www.self.com


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Jaymie

I am actually going over in my proteins and sugar. The only thing that I am not going over in is carbs! I still eat carbs, I just have reduced the amount. But not drastically and my 'under' in carbs is not by that much. Probably under by about 20 or so, on average.

I should measure my body fat.. not too sure where I can do that.. maybe the doctors or some gym?

BrendaLee

I seriously doubt you lost that much muscle that quickly. Some of it was probably water weight, but we also have internal fat around our organs that comes off when we lose weight- particularly with exercise. When you don't have a lot of weight to lose, and considering it comes off all over our bodies, you're not going to notice a big change very quickly.

adopt4

Yes you can completely undo all your work during the week by going over on weekends, especially when you have so little to lose. So #1, be disciplined on weekends too. #2, vary your exercise routine. #3, if you have your caloric intake set to "lost 2 pounds a week" you won't. You don't have that much to lose. At most set it to 1/2 pound per week. You may not be eating enough good food throughout the week for your body to get rid of fat. #4 running, either outside or on a treadmill, I hear tightens abs and will help get rid of fat there. But there's no way to "spot reduce" your stomach, you can tone some, but that's about it, you will lose weight in odd places (for me, it's been my toes).

Be patient, keep to the regimen every single day of eating correctly, nourish your body with the proper foods it needs. Sometimes you can work out too much so taking a break and only doing cardio 3x/wk can help as well, if your body is adjusted to what you're doing.

twilight1542

Cardio is grat for calorie burn & endurance, but does not necessarily to build muscle. Since you have very little weight to lose, you should consider strength training, which builds muscle. From what I've read, when you lose fat, space is left under the skin (that's where the spongy look of cellulite comes from). In order to "tone" up you need to replace the fat with muscle which will even out the look of the skin. You can find tons of information online on strength training. Or if you belong to a gym, schedule a personal training session & focus on strength & toning. BTW-strength training does burn calories, but the calories burned depends on your heart rate while doing it. So a heart rate monitor is a good investment. I bought a HRM b/c I wanted an accurate measure of my calories burned while not using machines. I was shocked to find out how off the calories burned was for me on most machines....+ or - up to 50%. I can even sync my polar HRM with my computer & view my log on their website-took me six weeks to finally sit down a figure out how to do it, but I'm glad I did. I also use it while doing chores & home repairs

Don't get discouraged. The less you have to lose, the less you should expect to lose each week..

fitnessontherock

Don't give up. Here are a couple of suggestions to help you stay the course...

increase your daily water intake to a minimum of 2 litres..it will help you feel full throughout the day.
Try having a breakfast that has a healthy amount of protein paired with a complex carb such as a high fibre oatmeal...it will keep you full longer. Cinnamon also helps regulate your sugars/insulin levels and will help you resist treats throughout the day when your sugar levels may dip. Instead of using the exercise calories, try fueling your diet with high fibre foods - granola bars, berries, yogurt etc. that will leave you satisfied.

If you are doing the same cardio routine every day chances are that your body has become accustomed to it and its no longer having the same desired effect. If you introduced more strength training you could actually reduce your cardio sessions to 30-40 minutes a day and your body will burn more calories.

And the one thing I have learned is that we all have six pack abs under the layers of body fat but the only way to burn the fat and keep it off is clean nutrition...reduce splurges to one day a week but if you fall off the wagon, jump back on it the next meal. Every day is a new beginning.

Jaymie

Cinnamon also helps regulate your sugars/insulin levels -- WOW I didnt know that. Thanks

Thanks for the motivation and advice guys.. much appreciated!

So I will work on my strength training! and I need to invest in a HRM. I been hearing alot of people here are using them.

Any reccommendations on HRM?