New to working out and so frustrated

dcnemesis
dcnemesis Posts: 31
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all!

So I have never really 'worked out' before... I'm 5'7, 157lbs right now and have been stuck at this exact weight for about 4 weeks after losing about 30 lbs.

I am working out 6 days/week for an hour to 2 hours doing either uphill walking on the treadmill (with and without 3 lb hand weights that I do arm exercises with-alternating off and on not for the whole 2 hours), jogging on the treadmill, or just power walking (if I walk I'll do 2 hours definitely) and I am also doing the plank, ab exercises, squats and other toning exercises on top of the cardio stuff.

Eating wise about 1800 cals a day (not counting deficit stuff because I'm not 100% what the calories I'm burning are exactly- (I go til my treadmill tells me 500 but its very old and it doesn't know I'm doing weights at the same time sometimes). Im watching my calories like a hawk so I know I'm not going over.

So my question is - why have I not lost weight recently? I have been pushing myself to new limits and I'm wondering if I simply had nil muscle before and walking uphill for long periods of time and using hand weights is making me build muscle so the weight of fat I'm losing is being replaced with weight of muscle?

What do you guys think? I didn't think I was doing enough strength exercises to build that much muscle, but my body definitely looks different in the stomach area (my pregnant looking belly is flattening anyway)

Replies

  • Smirnoff65
    Smirnoff65 Posts: 1,060 Member
    Going by your stats I would say that your calorie intake is about right in order to lose about a pound a week however as you say you are not losing for a few weeks now I would say you either need to double check what you are logging to make sure it is correct or failing that perhaps drop to around 1500 cals to see if that kick starts your loss again, well done on your 30lb loss, you look great in your picture.
  • Walter__
    Walter__ Posts: 518 Member
    I think you are working out too much and your routine is a bit odd.

    How long do you see yourself being able to work out 2 hours a day, 6 days a week, resting only one day a week? Will you be doing it a year from now, or will you be too burned out within a few weeks and give up?

    I say your routine is odd because I don't see the benefit in doing arm exercises while you are on the treadmill. If your goal is to "tone", it would be smarter to train with a more structured weight training routine. If you wish to incorporate cardio, you can do so after weight training.

    You will probably see the results you're after with a more structured, properly thought out weight lifting program. 3lb hand weights on a treadmill won't cut it.
  • dcnemesis
    dcnemesis Posts: 31
    Thanks for your responses!

    So glad I'm finally down the first 30 but the first lbs are always the easiest...I'm thinking the same thing I tried to keep it around 1500 today and will continue this way.

    Yeah its totally odd actually haha. I can't see it lasting forever but as I get more fit I am going to up the intensity. I've been doing it for about 2 months now and I'm good with it I'm not going to stop, just switch it up when I can't fit 2 hrs in. Right now I cant run for longer than about 8 minutes so I hope to run instead of walk eventually and then I wouldn't have to do it for 2 hours. I don't have a gym membership so I'm just working with a treadmill and only have 3lb weights. As soon as I can I will get heavier weights but for now all I can do is as many reps as possible with 3lbs. And it's too boring to do that many without also being on the treadmill but I'm assuming your saying 3lbs is pointless to do?
  • KeairaSedai
    KeairaSedai Posts: 138 Member
    Sadly.. the 3lbs weights are sort of pointless.. Doing as many reps as you can may build muscle endurance (for 3lbs), but not make you stronger or make you gain muscle. Not gaining muscle means you're not really toning either. (Although you may look more slim by losing more fat).

    To get stronger, you generally need higher weights, lower reps.

    Good job for the weight loss and the two hours cardio a day, though.. I'd be bored out of my mind after just one session.

    That said, I see no harm in say, doing arm curls while on the treadmill, but I don't really see benefits either.

    Out of curiosity, if youŕe walking.. wouldn't it be nicer to walk outside?
  • dcnemesis
    dcnemesis Posts: 31
    Okay maybe ill quit the weights and just continue to do planks and push ups and that kind of stuff. I wonder why they bother to make 3lb weights then... so dumb.

    I walk outside too, but I get bored actually because I put the treadmill up to the TV (haha) so I'm actually watching all my recorded shows while I walk/run so I lose myself and forget I'm even working out. And on the treadmill its so easy to control the incline and my area doesn't really have hills.
  • fushigi1988
    fushigi1988 Posts: 519 Member
    Not needed to do 2 hours cardio per day for 6 days a week, also boring.
    I just do 5 minute warmup, weight training for 30-40 minutes an some more cardio for 5-10 minutes after. Leaves me pretty tired and sore.
    I do that 3x a week, losing inches.

    Train smarter, not longer. More weights, bit less cardio. Maybe add some interval training.
  • KelseyBee2014
    KelseyBee2014 Posts: 188 Member
    I had a session with a personal trainer when I signed up for my gym. He wrote down three things: Cardio, nutrition, and resistance training. Then he asked me what I think is the most important. Naturally I said cardio. It was wrong and he said 9 out of 10 people will say that. Think of those three things as a pyramid. The resistance training is the most important with nutrition coming a close second and cardio is the least important.

    For you, I would suggest a lot more resistance training and a lot less cardio. I know you said you don't go to the gym (it's a very good investment imho, even just for the weight machines), but I'm sure there are videos you could watch to do different ones. As another commenter noted, try bringing down your calories. It might kick start losing again. As for cardio, 30 minutes max, really. But I think maybe your worst problem is repetition. You can't do the same thing every day as you are doing with the treadmill because your body will start getting used to it. You need to constantly be surprising your body by switching things up. Maybe do your 2 hour thing only once a week and then focus on strength training with small walks outside or 10 minutes on your treadmill? But don't do the same strength training routine everyday either (another nice thing about the gym, with, say, over two dozen machines you can do 6-8 a day and just always keep switching it up).

    Good luck and congrats on losing your 30!
  • tanyamartha
    tanyamartha Posts: 10
    I thought you must follow instruction of your trainer..It favorably works for you..There are lots of diet and workout plans to call upon..Kindly go through it..Don't think too much and workout without stress.... Good Luck... :):)

    Thanks..
    Tanya...

Categories