Down inches not weight, would like to know how to lose both?
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linsey0689
Posts: 753 Member
Hopefully this is going to be long because I want people to read it and get some different people thoughts on this. Okay I am 20 years old currently weight as of this morning is 261.5 pounds I have a larger frame and my goal weight is 160 which isn't really all the important to the story. I have been losing inches but not many pounds, my weight is more of a roller coaster. In the last 30 days I have lost about 6 pounds or maybe even a little less for how hard I am working it seems like so little.
I normally workout at the gym 3-4 days a week and on my off days sometimes I do at home DVDs. So I know losing inches in wonderful, but I would love to be losing inches and pounds I still I have a little over 100 pounds to lose until my goal weight. So I was wondering what will make my best time at the gym? I am normally there about 2 hours. I do 0.5 or a little more on the treadmill which takes 10 minutes for a warm up then about 40 to 60 minutes of strength training 10 minutes of the bike which is about 2 miles for me and then on to ads which is normally a total of 60 reps. The 60s reps are normally 15 for 4 different types of abs ex lying crunch, oblique crunch etc and then end my workout with 35 minutes of the elliptical.
Some tips would be great thanks so much everyone for reading this, I am still pretty new at this.
I normally workout at the gym 3-4 days a week and on my off days sometimes I do at home DVDs. So I know losing inches in wonderful, but I would love to be losing inches and pounds I still I have a little over 100 pounds to lose until my goal weight. So I was wondering what will make my best time at the gym? I am normally there about 2 hours. I do 0.5 or a little more on the treadmill which takes 10 minutes for a warm up then about 40 to 60 minutes of strength training 10 minutes of the bike which is about 2 miles for me and then on to ads which is normally a total of 60 reps. The 60s reps are normally 15 for 4 different types of abs ex lying crunch, oblique crunch etc and then end my workout with 35 minutes of the elliptical.
Some tips would be great thanks so much everyone for reading this, I am still pretty new at this.
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Replies
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Unfortunately I don't have any advice as I'm in a similar situation. I have lost tons of inches compared to pounds. I did find that I jumpstarted the weight loss again when I increased my calorie intake. Not sure what you are at for your calorie goal but if it's around 1200 you may be too low for the amount of time being put in at the gym. I was eating 1390 and now I'm more like 1700 and it's made a big difference.0
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Don't worry about pounds, they will come off eventually. Scale weight has too many variables too fret over. Think of it like this, getting to your goal SIZE, but maybe a higher weight. . .your maintenance calories will be higher
Just keep up what you're doing and the pounds will catch up. There are a lot of ladies in the EMTWL group who GAINED weight, but went down several sizes so they can continue eating A LOT of food while losing fat! 0 -
Dont pay attention to the scale, it will lie to you! most likely you ladies are toning up your muscles. Muscle weighs more then fat.
5 pounds of muscle compared to 5 pounds of fat0 -
Dont pay attention to the scale, it will lie to you! most likely you ladies are toning up your muscles. Muscle is more densely packed at a given weight than fat.
5 pounds of muscle compared to 5 pounds of fat
Edited to add a minor detail people get a tad confused on 0 -
Dont pay attention to the scale, it will lie to you! most likely you ladies are toning up your muscles. Muscle is more densely packed at a given weight than fat.
5 pounds of muscle compared to 5 pounds of fat
Edited to add a minor detail people get a tad confused on
Thank You
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Thanks everyone I need to try to get less focus on the scale because right now I am getting on it just about everyday because it is so hard for me not to. Maybe if it is more like every other day to start off would even be better. Everyone is always asking me how much weight have you lost it's never how many inches are you down lol. But it really shouldn't be all that matters I know that I can tell I am getting so much stronger.0
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I was in the same situation as you. I was losing inches, but still wanted and needed to lose weight. My gym has a great personal trainer, a woman in her fifties who has been involved in fitness since her teens. She advised me to keep up the weight training, but to add more cardio. I would suggest you add about 10 more minutes of cardio a day, also up the intensity on it. Make sure you're working up a sweat and not slacking. I started losing about a half pound to a pound a week when I added my cardio. I only have about 10 more pounds to lose, so mine is coming off slower. Just keep at it, and remember that you're in it for the long run!0
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Who cares what the number on the scale is? It is just a measure of the gravitational pull the earth has on your body and know one knows (or cares) what it is but you. But inches is what makes you look better, makes clothes fit better, is a better representation of muscles you are toning, etc. Take the inches, the weight will follow!
Plus 6lb in a month (I think that is what you said it was) is great!0 -
Dont pay attention to the scale, it will lie to you! most likely you ladies are toning up your muscles. Muscle is more densely packed at a given weight than fat.
5 pounds of muscle compared to 5 pounds of fat
Edited to add a minor detail people get a tad confused on
Bless you!
I agree btw, inches are the important part. Weight is a very erratic number that can go up or down up to 5lbs in just a single day. I weigh every week but I'd love if I could cut back to once a month. Maybe I'll get there someday 0 -
spending an hour on strength training is a lot. try incorporating more compound movements.
for example
the strong lifts workout is just 3 exercises and takes about 30 mins for the beginner.
this is including the time to adjust the weights.
bench press
squats
dead lifts
I still have a lot to learn, but it's just 3 exercises, and it works bc they are working many muscles at once.
also, doing intervals will give you a much faster and more challenging workout for cardio.
and circuit training when you're at home. alternating strength moves with cardio moves
squats
jump rope
crunches
side to side jumping
you get the idea.
saves time and gives you a more challenging workout.0 -
I second that 6lbs in a month can be great progress!0
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You're making great progress. Keep at it. Don't get side tracked worrying about useless things like the scale. Worry more about how you look, how you feel, your health, well-being, strength, and stamina.0
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6lbs in a month is better than great progress! 1.5 lbs a week isn't shabby, you know.0
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Exercise more or eat less calories. A person with more pounds that they want to lose can cut back more calories safely than can someone who has a smaller number of pounds they want to lose. But you are doing a near perfect job of losing both weight and inches right now. Congratulations on what you have been already doing. Great Job!!!0
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You're doing well--6 lbs loss in a month isn't slow or poor progress at all.
I don't think adding more steady state cardio is the solution. You don't need MORE time in the gym--you say you're already there 2 hrs. Perhaps instead of your steady state cardio (elliptical, bike) you could add in HIIT (high intensity interval training) on a couple of those days, replacing your steady paced cardio for something a bit different. Those will be much shorter cardio workouts--20 minutes max, if you're doing it right. Start with 10 minutes perhaps, and see how you get on. There are all different ways of doing HIIT. You can use the standard cardio equipment at the gym (I've used treadmills and bikes), or you can do bodyweight exercises, a combination of the two, add kettlebell work, dumbbell complexes, etc. There are all sorts of possibilities.0 -
Dont pay attention to the scale, it will lie to you! most likely you ladies are toning up your muscles. Muscle weighs more then fat.
5 pounds of muscle compared to 5 pounds of fat
That's such a good picture!0 -
Okay thanks for everyone's input! And yes on this 6lbs in a month is great I just need to remember my goal is not a spirit race but more of a slow walk. And for my cardio I do up my resistance- like on the elliptical machine is will do resistance 8 for 4 minutes then 2 minutes of resistance of 12 where after that I am totally out of breath then slow back to 8. At resistance 12 my heart rate will be very very high like 180-220 max I have even seen is 229 so I really up the work and resistance 8 my heart rate is around 150-165. Sometimes I do resistance 8 for one song then 12 for one song it just depends.0
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Okay thanks for everyone's input! And yes on this 6lbs in a month is great I just need to remember my goal is not a spirit race but more of a slow walk. And for my cardio I do up my resistance- like on the elliptical machine is will do resistance 8 for 4 minutes then 2 minutes of resistance of 12 where after that I am totally out of breath then slow back to 8. At resistance 12 my heart rate will be very very high like 180-220 max I have even seen is 229 so I really up the work and resistance 8 my heart rate is around 150-165. Sometimes I do resistance 8 for one song then 12 for one song it just depends.
I highly suggest lifting weights if you want to have a strong, fit physique. 0
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