Getting discouraged....

Did you take your measurements before you started? How do your clothes fit now? My guess would be that you're lost fat and built muscle.
X

Did you take your measurements before you started? How do your clothes fit now? My guess would be that you're lost fat and built muscle.
X

You do not build muscle from an elliptical. It takes lots of hard work with heavy weights.

Don't get discouraged!!!! Screw the scale, if you are feeling better that's what matters most. Keep going

Patience is the name of the game. I know it's frustrating when we see other people dropping 5 or 10 pounds those first couple of weeks, but that's water weight - and yours will fall off soon. This is not a race - you're doing the work, you're building good habits - these are in the win column. Keep doing what you're doing, wait. Results will follow.

I go to a nutritionist monthly and she sent me a 13 page "Efficiency" article of how to properly control your HR and lose weight and gain distance by not going over a certain number for your heart rate. Here are some paragraphs from that article:

Another master of this is Mark Allen. He describes his evolution to this method in his website http://www.markallenonline.com/heartrate.asp. Mark tried to finish each and every run at or near 5 minutes a mile, the pace he needed to run short course triathlons. After seasons of inconsistencies and fatigue, he soon discovered that running harder and harder was not the answer. Convinced though skeptic of Phil Maffetone’s lower effort training he put a heart rate monitor on and at a pace of 8:15 per mile his HR monitor would beep at the preset 155. This was slower than he ever ran. Convinced to take the slow burn approach he took months and ran at 155 HR. During these months he became more efficient and faster at the low heart rate and soon enough he was running effortless 5:30 miles at this easy effort.

Priscilla was a believer of the powerful feedback of the Heart Rate monitor. In her build up for races she did the bulk of her training below HR 150. She would not exceed this even if it meant walking up a hill. She would judge her fitness not by a “time trail” (all out effort over a distance) but by the Maximal Aerobic Function Test. Her HR was set to go no higher than 150 and she would measure her time over a 5 mile course. She knew she was aerobically fit when she would hit her goal times at the easy effort.

So how do you determine what this “go no higher” HR is to maximize fat utilizing aerobic development and all the cellular and vascular changes that occur. Most of us do not sense this until it is too late in our efforts. The high tech way is in an exercise physiology lab. The simpler and more practical way is to apply the Maffetone Method. Phil Maffetone has been the coach and advisor to many world class marathoners and triathletes, as well as thousands of recreational athletes. See the link for a more detailed article but here is his formula:

The 180 Formula
To find your maximum aerobic heart rate:
1. Subtract your age from 180 (180 - age).
2. Modify this number by selecting one of the following categories:
a. If you have or are recovering from a major illness (heart disease, any operation, any hospital stay) or on any regular medication, subtract 10.
b. If you have not exercised before, you have exercised but have been injured or are regressing in your running, subtract 5.
c. If you have been exercising for up to two years with no real problems and have not had colds or flu more than once or twice a year, subtract 0.
d. If you have been exercising for more than two years without any problems, making progress in competition without injury, add 5.
For example, if you are 30 years old and reasonably fit you would fall into category 2c: 180 - 30 = 150.This is your maximum aerobic heart rate for base training. For efficient base building, you should train at or below this level throughout your base period.

Other good references are Joe Friel’s “Total Heart Rate Training” or Edmund Burke’s “Precision Heart Rate Training”. These two books go into more detail about determining optimum heart rate zones for training and are definitely worth the read. Joe Friel’s web site has some great free resources http://www.trainingbible.com/ . The 30 minute test linked under “free resources” and calculating Zone 2 gives the most precise method outside of the fancy exercise physiology lab. Link to tables- http://www.performancetrainingsystems.com/newstips/tips_zone_finder.html

I was only orginally going 3 miles in 30 minutes on the elliptical. Last week i was working toward a 4 mile 30 minute elliptical, this is all on Level 5, I had to cut it short to 20 minutes b/c we had roll call soon and I had to shower and get in uniform, but the most I've done recently was 3.65 in 30 minutes not going over my 154 HR.

Try the website fitnessblender.com, they have a lot of at home HIIT workouts that are easy to follow and deceivingly hard! I have started doing different workouts from their website for the last few weeks, I have only lost a few pounds but my body is tighter, my clothes fit better and I notice I am more flexible and my posture is better! I can't say enough great things about this site, oh yeah it's FREE!!! I hope this helps!