How long til you see some results?

I don't know anything about bodily changes after having children, but in my experiences, it seemed that my body took a couple of weeks to really acclimate to the change in diet and caloric intake. Keep in mind that with your work out schedule you are most likely watching the scale rise to account for increase in muscle mass. Start measuring your inches and see if you notice a change there. Sounds like you are on the right track, but honestly, I think 1200 calories may be too low for all the excercise you're doing considering your work outs.

You also need to do strength training. You can't judge how vigorous your exercise is because you are sweaty and tired when done. You need to measure your heart rate and be in the fat burning zone. You can actually exercise too hard and not get the benefit. Take pictures. You can often notice your body change in a picture before the mirror.

It takes about 12 weeks to see a noticeable difference in your body. For the first several weeks, your body will fluctuate as you adjust to the new lifestyle - gaining muscle, water retention etc. You'll likely see a couple pounds drop on the scale before then, but count on 12 weeks to see a real difference overall.

Wouldn't that depend on how much you have to lose? I'm on my 8th week and have lost 15 of the 20lbs. By the 12th week I excpect to be done and in maintenance mode.

I think 3 months can be adequate to safely lose 15-20 lbs if done correctly.

Here's my rundown for new clients. Obviously, this is incredibly individual as we all handle behavioral changes differently and we're all also physiologically different. What I recommend is using a variety of METRICS and INDICATORS.

Metrics are objective and measurable. Bodyweight, already on your radar, but a bodyfat estimation, waist and hip measurement will all be very enlightening... especially for when the darn scale doesn't seem to want to budge, changes in other variables can be psychological stabalizers. Other important metrics are weight used, reps performed and total session time. Track all of these things and find small improvement that will, over time, amount to major changes.

Indicators are subjective and observable. Clothes fitting better (will generally correlate to improved circumfrence measurements), more energy throughout the day, feeling strong in activities of daily living... all great feedback even if it isn't "measureable."

The poundage will come with the necesary and intelligent improvements in lifestyle... but there is a lot that needs to change and a lot that we might need to do differently to get there, so let's find small victories in those things.

My typical new basic Fitness Assessment:

Bodyweight
BMI
Bodyfat (either BIA or Skinfold, sometimes both)
Neck
Shoulder
Bust
Waist
Hip
Upper Arm
Thigh
Calf
1 Leg Stand
Squat to box
Plank Hold
Push-Up
And any structural or Functional Movement Screen that I might deem useful.

Odds are, a trainer at your gym will do these things on the comp or as a one time session. Either way, knowing these things even if you only check it ever couple of months can be incredibly useful.

Not to mention any improvements you're seeing in your performance in your training log... these are all assessments. And can all be quite enlightening.

Hopefully this is somewhat clear and helpful.

Hi,

I am 5'6 and 156, and my goal is 135. I had twins last summer so trying to push off those last 20 lbs. I started working out 2 weeks ago and eating 1200 cals a day, most days. I don't do it everyday, but making a conscious effort to be better. How long til I will drop a lb? I think I gained 3 lbs this week. I am running 3-4 miles, 4-5 times per week, or doing elliptical. I don't do light workouts and am always super sweaty and worn out after them. I lost 30 lbs 10 years ago and cant remember how long it took! Also, now 34 years old, so that makes it harder. Any words of encouragement are appreciated!

1200 calories on that much exercise? that's not enough. I am 150lbs started at 160. my BMR is 1500. I eat anywhere from 1600-2200 a day depending on exercise. If you are worn out you may be low on iron also-ask your doctor

Check out the message posts on eat more to weight less.

Hi! I know it's hard to stay the course before you notice any results. I'd say don't expect anything for a solid two weeks, in my own personal experience. I noticed people use the phrase, "eating back my calories." I'm not sure what that means, but if it means allowing yourself extra calories because you exercised, I have to say, I never do that. I track my exercise calories for fun, but I don't "eat those calories." I think that a half hour or even an hour of whatever I'm calling exercise (2 mile jog, or 30 min. cardio machine, or hour bike ride) is not really enough to worry about, even if I sweat a lot because, in my own opinion, the human body is just supposed to be moving around some every day anyway. (I do cardio a half hour a day 6 days a week.)

I think people are going to flip when they read me saying something like this because people might be worried that I'm not being careful to fuel my body, but I think I watch my nutrition well. Lots of protein, every meal. I think if I actually want to lose pounds I have to dare to eat about 1200 cal/day even if I do 3 sets of 10 dead lifts with a 20 pound weight ( or a 5K) or, frankly, I think I'd be kidding myself. I've been counting my calories for literally 20 solid years and this is just my own opinion about my own body.

Also, when you subtract out your exercise calories, it does not take into account that you would have been burning at least a few calories anyway during that exercise time just normally. Those regular calories should not be "eaten back." I know it might be a tiny amount . . . but who knows? What if you would have been mowing the lawn or washing the dog? I think regular people like me should probably not quibble about the 200 cal we burned on the rowing machine, but athletes who go for hours a day on the soccer field, well, they should definitely worry about it.

Hey there!

It's great you have little ones, so congratulations are in order there. As a youngster myself, I have no personal experience but my mother was my fitness partner for awhile and I can give you her story.

My mother always complained about her "stubborn weight" and "bad metabolism". But when I wanted to start going to the gym she went with me and did purely cardio work (elliptical, swimming, jogging) for about a 6 weeks before any significant weight ( 5 lbs lost since we started) was lost. At that time she said she noticed a /little/ difference but nothing to write home about.

She didn't notice a huge difference in her clothing until the second month, this is when we were shopping and found out her go-to brand size 12 jeans were far too big. After that though, people started to notice. (I.E. she would get "you look great, have you lost weight" by her co-workers)

So I think it's safe to say that weight loss isn't necessary a guarantee in the first three-four weeks of working out. There are just so many variables at the beginning. But if you are really working hard on eating right and doing enough workouts a week then IGNORE THE SCALE and just concentrate on doing well, the results will follow.

Wishing you much luck! As a fellow mother of twins (mine are 8 yo now), I feel your pain with work and trying to get back in shape. I also had another child one year after the twins were born and for some reason the weight fell off at that point - I'm thinking it was from breastfeeding...

I have since gained and am trying to get back to that point again. Work, stress, kids and sleep deprivation all come into play. I am now 46 and managing to lose quite steadily over the last 2 months. Heavy exercise will also cause your muscles to retain water as they repair and rebuild, so you can have 2-4 lbs of water weight hanging around at any point in time. Doesn't mean you aren't losing fat, just not seeing it on the scale.

Good luck!

HI, need to eat more calories...you exercise a lot....take advantage of it! Like others say....eat back your workout calories....it really does work, especially since you are only needing to lose 20 lbs....your body will fight it if you don't eat enough. I don't think that 1200 calories is enough. Need to establish your resting metabolic rate then go from there. For instance, I am 5' 6" and mine is 1500. So for sure I need to eat more than that each day, especially when exercising.

Hope you don't mind me jumping in on your post but noticed a couple twin moms commenting here. I too have two year old B/G twins and a 5 year old son. To you ladies - any luck getting rid of that twin skin? My stomach is SCARY!

With only 20lbs to lose set your weekly loss goal at 0.5 lbs. You can't sustain a large deficit since you are closer to your goal weight. I'm guessing you put in a weekly goal of 1.5 to 2lbs per week which is too fast for your current weight.

Ensure you eat all your calories... along with at least half of your exercise calories. Make sure you are using a kitchen scale to weigh your food. Do not use measuring cups and they can be quite off. Only use measuring cups for liquids. Make sure you track everything. It's easy to forget that bit of cream in coffee, the little tastes while cooking, the snack of a cookie, etc.

Get your exercise in and switch it up now and again. Lift heavy weights. Take your measurements.

Lifting heavy I have noticed gives more noticeable results faster. Give anything at least 4 weeks to see if it's working. Take pictures. You won't notice changes in the mirror since you look at yourself daily but two pictures side by side will show progress.

MFP calories of 1200: That's simply the lowest # that will be shown, as it's the lowest calories to be safe. I initially went with the MFP # of calories, because I wasn't educated on BMR, TDEE and associated information.

Keep an open mind to the person that suggested you eat more calories, they are trying to enlighten you. There's lots of strings on MyFitnessPal on this subject, and I decided to follow that advice. I was scared. But I studied the posts, did other internet research on the subject and decided to try it.

Result: using 1,500 a day as my # (I'm really short, 5'3"). I continue to lose over a pound a week. I'm really happy. Those additional calories, each day, have prevented me from feeling hunger, fatigue or just cranky. Did it show down my weight loss? Not at all. Matter of fact, I jump around from eating 1,500 (non-exercise days) up to 1,700+ (on days I exercise). Purposefully, I'm not being consistent, so my body doesn't get accustomed to any particular # of calories.

In your corner, you don't have many pounds left to go (and you never let your weight get totally out of control). For that, you're awesome. So, staying at 1,200 for a month or two, may be hard, but because you don't have much longer to real goal.

I am blown away that my body, in sleep mode or comatose for 24 hour period, still burns approx. 1,570 calories. So, remember, when you're up, walking to & fro, cleaning house, standing and all other movement, you are burning more than 1,570 (in my case). Then, when you exercise, you burn even more calories. Guessing, my body's real #, each day, counting movement, is more like 2,000 calories per day without exercising (and I am "sedentary", office job, stuck at my desk all day). So, even if I eat 1,500 calories, I'm still 500 under each day or 3,500 for a week (without exercise), and that's enough for at least a 1 lb. loss.

My choice was to reach my goal of over 100 lbs loss with a plan that kept me happy and healthy throughout the entire process. I could tolerate 2-3 months of 1,200 calories a day. However, why would I when I can eat about 33% more calories every day, with the same weight loss result? No smugness intended here, I am in the early stages of my journey and I am excited to stay the course and see if my decision was the right one for me. For now, I have seen no negative effects, only good ones (physically and emotionally). I needed this so that I wouldn't panic and immediately "shave off "those calories again.