Need a little help

chaser1977

Hello all!
I need a little help. Wife and I decided to make a lifestyle change mid-May this year. Decided to go on the eat right & exercise ‘diet’ I found this app a week ago and I must say I am impressed, even more impressed with the community. You guys really have each other’s back.

So here’s the thing my wife is having a tough time dropping any weight. Her diet is very clean, hitting about 1600 calories a day 40/30/30 (carbs/protein/fat). Our exercise program is 6 days a week, 30 min on elliptical Mon/Wed/Fri, weight training on Tues/Thurs, core work on Sat, Sun is rest day. We flip-flop cardio/weight days, I train 3 days, cardio 2 days.

She has probably dropped 2-3lbs and ‘almost’ down one size in jeans. She is 5’4” 175lbs goal is 135lbs. I am down from 196lbs to 181lbs and down 4 notches in my belt (YAY!). I see her disappointment in not having the progress that I am. We both understand this is a journey not an overnight thing. She works hard at it, pushing more weight each workout, faster harder pace each cardio day, and I cheer her thru every set as she does me. I just don’t want her to get frustrated and give up.

Looking for any tips/suggestions from the community. Stick with this longer? Try something different? A tweak to current program we are on?

If you want more details on meals/exercises I am happy to provide here.

yarwell

How does your calorie intake compare to hers ? Seems you have similar exercise regimes, does she eat less than you by the amount her BMR would suggest.

chaser1977

I am at 1900 calories a day on avg. plus or minus 100 depending on the day. we both follow recommendations by app, not including exercise. and do not 'eat back' those calories

beamer0821

2-3lbs and she dropped a size already? NICE!!

maybe she's not eating enough? sometimes eating the same meals or types of meals for weeks on end can cause a plateau. try changing it up, new foods, new ratio of carbs to fat to protein. it keeps your metabolism on its toes!

possibly her rigid workout schedule of building muscle could be offsetting the weightloss. is she taking her measurements? could be why she's almost dropped a size and only lost 2-3lbs..

keep up the good work!

Turtlehurdle

"I just wanted to post something about what to expect during the phases of weight loss.

Overview (why I'm posting this)
Over the course of about 7 months on here, I have seen many people suceed, I have also seen some drop off the map. I expect this is because some succumb to the demon that is temptation, and some to the devil that is dissapointment. I wanted to give a few "heads up"s to both new commers and vetrans to the site. Some may know already, some may not. But either way, if this helps anyone to set more realistic goals in their own head, I feel like it has done it's job.

Phase 1. The start of a brand new day! (or week, or month, or year)
Expectations are sky high, usually so is motivation and intentions. This is where most people lose the most weight. At the start it's not uncommon to see 4 to 8 lb losses per week. The reasons for this are mostly (sorry to disappoint) water weight. You drop excess water quickly, and you can have up to 5 lbs of water weight. The next biggest reason is the fat that is right next to the blood vessels, the stuff that you put on in the last month or three, it will melt like butter usually.

Phase 2. Reality setting in.
At about week 3 to a month or so, people suddenly realize that they are no longer dropping 8, 6, or even 4 lbs a week. This is a crutial phase in your journey. Expect this, it is natural. You have shocked your body by changing both eating habits and exercise routine. Now it has had a little while to become used to the new lifestyle, it's going to compensate. Your body still doesn't believe it's permenant yet, so it will still try to store some fat, so now that it knows how to regulate it's new metabolic levels, it tryies to store fat in earnest. It's not uncommon for people to hit a wall here, no loss for weeks. Expect this as well.

Phase 3. The routine.
At about 2 months or so, your routine is pretty much set, your body is beginning to believe that you really want to STAY the way you are going now. You will start to see more consistant (but lower, usually 1 to 2 lbs a week) loss, also, you should start seeing some muscle tone (depending on how much you had to lose in the first place). If you stop to think, you should realize that you have improved dramatically in your exercise levels. If you do cardio, you should notice how much longer and harder you can work. This is important to realize as it is just as big of an indicator as weight loss. Also, by now you may notice that your clothes no longer fit right. This is also very important. The weight may not be falling off anymore, but you are becomming a smaller person. Weight is arbitrary, if you are building muscle (which your body is doing at a furious pace by now) you won't notice huge losses, but you will notice wholesale changes in the mirror!

Phase 4. Really digging in.
This is where the second wall can happen. You're probably at between 3 and 4 months by now, and if you have gone this far, you feel like you have already suceeded. This is where many people stumble. they are tired of the routine, tired of eating different things from all their friends, limiting their alcohol intake. Basically the shine has worn off. this is when your really need to plant your feet. Maybe change up your exercise routine, make a concentrated effort to find different, but still nutritional food. Talk to people. And examine how far you have come. At this point, no matter how much external motivation you receive, it's all about believing in yourself!

Phase 5. End game.
5 or 6 months in you are probably working on that "last 10 pounds". This can be discouraging for many as it is a slow burn. Remember, your body probably feels like it is where it needs to be, your brain might think you need to lose 10 more, but your body is quite proud of itself now, it feels like it has "Done enough" and it wants to stay RIGHT HERE. The body LIKES to have a little fat around just in case, especially for the ladies (sorry girls, it's just human physiology). If you feel like you still need to lose it, prepare yourself for some guerrila warfare against your body. Design an exercise regimen that is very dynamic, forget the "same thing every day". Make a plan that challenges you both physically and mentally. Make sure you give yourself a day off here and there to just veg. And by all means, remember, muscle burns fat at rest. So get some weight or resistance training involved.
The last 10 may take 3 to 6 months to lose. I know nobody wants to hear that, but it's true. And forget the idea of increasing your calorie deficite, healthy bodies need good nutrition, your body no longer has the fat reserves to handle the large deficites you could when you were 30 40 or 50 pounds overweight. Better to make it a 3 or 400 calorie deficite (NET, please count your exercise calories too!). It may take a bit longer, but your body will like you for it. Plus it feeds those new muscles and keeps them burning fat, keeps your skin healthy (elasticity is important when you want those places that were stretched out to "snap back") and keeps you from getting head aches and depressed.

Conclusion:

this is what I have learned, not just from my journey, but from others as well on here. It saddens me sometimes to see people hit one of these stages and not recognize it for what it is, a part of the process. If we all can have realistic expectations, then we are more prone to win the fight and stay healthy in the long run. Note that some people will hit these stages harder then others, some may take longer, but for the most part, this is the rule that the exceptions will come from.

beamer0821

turtlehurdle > thanks for that. i agree with most but the timelines vary from person to person. and the only thing i disagree with is imo plateau's are a myth... i know call me crazy and im no dr. but thats what i think...ive always felt there is *something* that's causing that "wall".... intentional or unintentional...

chaser1977

I appreciate the post turtlehurdle, as i have read enough to expect most of that. I guess my question is: did she skip step 1? or are we doing something wrong not to spur that initial drop? I am leaning to the fact that she is well into step 2 and thats where we are working from.
thanks again

DanaDark

She = Woman.
You = Man.

Do not compare.