Cardio, no weight loss = frustration

Have you tried taking measurements? Sometimes people don't see a budge in the scales, but may have lost an inch or two. Whatever you do don't give up, it will happen eventually, you just have to keep at it!

So basically, im new to doing a lot of cardio, but I've been doing it about 3 weeks about 4 to even 5 days a week, and my diet is not bad eather, I've cut back on a LOT of calories and sugars. I havent seen any results AT ALL .... i havent' lost a single pound, and of course, this is very discouraging!!!
I can see why people stop fitness programs all the time, or want easy weight loss like diet pills (don't want to do that)..... its because doing so much work and no rewards really really sucks!
can someone please tell me that it gets better, or approximatelly how long does it take for your body to actually lose any weight from doing cardio? .... anything, ant info would be great, cuz I'm ready to GIVE UP!!!!

you said you cut back but have changed it to where you eat less than you burn in a day?

if you are starting out, there always a chance that musscle which weighs more than fat can be keeping your weight from going down.

Hi NenetRN,

Please don't feel discouraged at all from this. One thing that everyone should remember is that the numbers on the scale don't really tell it all, it's all about how you feel or even how you feel when you wearing your clothes. You might feel more energized, clothes getting more loose, just feeling good!

It sometimes could just be your gaining muscle so you might not see any lost in weight. Especially if your doing cardio 4-5 days a week - burning calories but gaining muscle at the same time.

And remember, when you cut down calories or your sugar intake, there's more that you have to look at. Carbohydrates (the "bad" ones), Fat, Protein, Sugar, Sodium, etc. Everything can play a big factor in everyone and any ones day to day nutrition.

Word of advice that I can also give since you are a member and using the MyFitnessPal tracker. Once you have set up your goals in the diary settings, I have found that when I started using MyFitnessPal, the suggested values for my nutrition everyday was just slightly too much. Try making some changes in the settings of your diary, adjusting it properly of course.

I hope that helps you in a way. And just keep digging deeper and remember to always keep pushing! Don't get discouraged from this, because if anything - you have already made that step into living a healthy life.

I started Zumba (DVDs) before I found MFP. I would say it was early late June, early July or so. My eating was never that bad - even found out I wasn't eating enough. I, too, was not losing much, but I could see a noticeable difference in how my clothes fit. I think you are probably building muscle, which weighs more than fat. If you are really worried, I would check with a doctor just to put your mind at ease. Hope this helps!

keep at it! i was working out for 6 months before i saw any results, and then it just started to fly off! i've lost 30lbs since. every body reacts differently, keep at it and you'll be sure to see some results!

can someone please tell me that it gets better, or approximatelly how long does it take for your body to actually lose any weight from doing cardio? .... anything, ant info would be great, cuz I'm ready to GIVE UP!!!!

Why give up? Eating healthy and exercise are good habits to have. Weight loss or no weight loss. Moi' 6 months and only 6lbs losts but I feel great that I'm doing what is right for my body. Try different kinds of diet regimine. I think I found one that has started to help. If you are eating clean already it is easy to do. Jay Robb fat burning diet.

:-)

Lack of progress on the scale usually falls into two categories:

1. Starting an exercise programs results in a number of physical changes that can add to your "fat free mass" (I don't use the term "muscle" because it is almost certainly NOT muscle at this point). Often at the beginning, these changes occur more quickly than you can lose fat, or at the same rate. Therefore it is possible that some changes are taking place, it's just not enough to show up on the scale.

2. You are still in an energy balance. You can only lose fat by maintaining a negative energy balance. That's a simple concept, but there are several factors involved that make it more complicated. You may have miscalculated your energy needs, you may be overestimating your exercise calorie expenditure, you are most likely eating more calories than you think. In more rare cases, there might be some other physical condition that affects your metabolism.

Saying you are "eating good" unfortunately does not always mean you are actually eating a proper amount of calories or types of food. If you are not measuring and documenting everything that goes into your mouth, then you really don't know if your calorie intake is appropriate or not.

When people first start an exercise program, they often are not burning many calories at first. They don't have the fitness level or the knowledge. Often the workouts are only in the 150-300 calorie range.

I see this happen all the time. My wife tried to start a program last summer, but was not fully committed. She didn't have the fitness level to exercise as effectively as she wanted and she didn't measure her food intake. After 5-6 weeks she gave up.

This summer she tried again (she teaches school, so Sept-Jun are like "lost months"). She was able to do a little more, but still did not see any results for 5-6 weeks. This time, however, she worked harder on her diet, on her exercise program, hit the weights and didn't give up, even when she was down (in spirits, not on the scale). Finally in the beginning of August, she had a breakthrough--just a couple of pounds, but it was an exciting moment. That kept her going, and was the motivation she needed to stay with the program even when the school year started. Tonight was typical--she comes home at 6:00pm, and instead of sitting down to dinner, went to the gym because this is weight lifting night--she came back at 7:30 and ate and put off grading some papers instead of giving up all of her time for her job. I keep the dinners warm (and healthy) until she gets back. Results: she is now down about 12 pounds--and I am replacing some of her frumpy old workout tshirts with some sleeker newer stuff.

Three weeks is not a long time. Stick with it and reanalyze your plan to make sure you are doing the right things.

One thing I would urge everyone to do when starting a program is to do some circumference measurements (have someone else do them for better accuracy). Do a google search to find the proper site locations. Even though you may not get an exact body fat % number, circumferences are one of the most reliable ways to track actual fat loss--often better than the scale. Body fat scales (e.g. Tanita) can fluctuate with changes in hydration, but measurements won't lie.

I have been cycling and rock climbing for a number of years now and I could never seem to loose any weight. I might tone up a bit but the weight stayed the same. It wasn't until I started using the calorie tracker that I started to see how much I was eating. I realized that I needed to not only cut back on how much but change what it was that i was taking in. I started eating less processed foods and pre-made foods and started eating more whole wheat and making my own meals. I kept track of how many calories I was taking in and also how many I was burning during workouts. It was hard at first to find the right balance but once I did I started to loose weight and feel better. I shed 15 pounds over 4 month or so. To be honest I haven't been keeping up with it for about a month now. i just wanted to take a break and start up for the winter so when the next cycling season comes around I'm ready to go rather than trying to loose weight in season like I did this year. Just find your balance and what foods work for you and you will see the results.

Just a little anecdote to add to all the great advice. In January I started exercising. By the end of Feb I had lost little if any and was frustrated. Found the App just so I could check calorie content of foods, got into logging everything, then got obsessed about keeping my calorie deficit reasonable, enough fuel to keep things going, enough deficit, to burn a reasonable amount of fat. MFP does that for you if you keep your calorie goal. It started working and am pleased with the results so far.