New and needing advice!

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jessicavigil14
jessicavigil14 Posts: 6
in Introduce Yourself
Hello everyone!

My name is Jessica and i am a 25 year old married, stay at home wife, in New Mexico. I did body building for four years in high school and was a lean, mean 130lbs. Going to college full time, working two jobs, then obtaining a job at a police department and being on call 24/7 took its toll on me and i am currently 175 lbs. I just downloaded mfp app on my phone about three weeks ago and it has helped so much. I work out three to four times a day with 20-30 minutes of cardio then 60-70 mins of circuit/strength training to follow, along with 10 mins of crunches and stretching to finish. I also ride and train horses and ride at least twice a week. I feel better, feel like i am losing weight but the scale is not showing it. I have never had a problem maintaining my weight until the last few years so i need help. The scale is actually showing me three lbs heavier since i started. I rarely drink cokes and if i do it is diet, i never eat sweets and i typically eat grilled chicken, salad, tuna and pb and j sandwiches. What else can i do to cut down my weight and actually show a difference on the scale. Be aware that i have a lot of muscle due to body building and the main thing i am worried about is my midsection and dropping the weight.

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  • maykay89
    maykay89 Posts: 9
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    Are you eating your recommended calories for the day?
  • eversits
    eversits Posts: 177 Member
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    Perhaps start doing more cardio than strenght training.
  • jessicavigil14
    jessicavigil14 Posts: 6
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    yep! i might miss it by 100 calories bc its to much for me sometimes. I started using the mfp bc i was having a hard time tracking my calories and everyone told me that was a great way to lose the weight.
  • JEK717
    JEK717 Posts: 1,497
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    Hello.
    Since you are working out a lot your muscles are growing. Since they are growing then you will probably gain some in the beginning. But you should start seeing results anywhere between 2-6 weeks after you first started exercises.
    Hope this helped:)
  • jessicavigil14
    jessicavigil14 Posts: 6
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    The strength training actually includes cardio, it just has weights included in it. It is a combination of exercises i got from fitness magazine and shape mag.
  • MaryBachert
    MaryBachert Posts: 66 Member
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    Just a reminder, don't forget to drink lots of water. I have found the more I drink, the more I see results.
  • father5
    father5 Posts: 69
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    HI, Jessica. Just keep with it and try different things until you find what works. I believe we all can agree that each week is different for us as our body changes, whether we do more exercise, calorie intake, etc. I don't know but what worked one week for me doesn't the next. Just hang in there, I believe you will see some changes soon.
  • jessicavigil14
    jessicavigil14 Posts: 6
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    thank you everyone. I just get discouraged =)
  • MissPiggy0718
    MissPiggy0718 Posts: 12
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    Well as long as your staying within your calorie intake&actually being true 2 it i think u should just keep on what your doing & make sure to measure cuz u may b loosing inches rather than weight.....but i suggest u cut the coke out for at least 2 weeks &stick to a crystal light types of drinks..make sure your drinking plenty liquids.......stick 100% whole wheats,measure measure ,measure your food even veggies & fruit buy a food scale if u dont have one already its my lifesaver ...it may seem like a lot but once u get used to it &get the hang of it ,it gets way easier especially if your inputting everything into this sight the memory has it all! goood luck
  • MissPiggy0718
    MissPiggy0718 Posts: 12
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    oh & actually strength training actually burns calories even after u worked out because your muscles are trying to recover from waht u were just doing!
  • jessicavigil14
    jessicavigil14 Posts: 6
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    oh & actually strength training actually burns calories even after u worked out because your muscles are trying to recover from waht u were just doing!


    ya thats a reason why i integrate it into my workout. I just lowered the weights less than what i was used to, integrated more cardio type exercises with the weights and did more "girl exercises" than lift weights like i used to. I also drink lots of water, that is mainly what i drink.
  • karyn2321
    karyn2321 Posts: 18
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    Lots of cardio, LOTS of water and TONS of rest. Your metabolism lowers a considerable amount if you aren't getting enough rest. Thats why Mommy's of little ones don't always lose weight as fast! (at least thats what I tell myself) ;o)
    Blessings to you and don't give up!!
  • wairererose
    wairererose Posts: 5
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    Hi Jessica,

    I'm having the same problem as you and doing a little less exercise. I have previously been successful doing interval workouts but due to a knee injury and no access to an exercycle have not been able to do these lately. I'm hoping to pick up an exercycle on TradeMe (NZ version of eBay) sometime this week and get back to the interval workouts which can increase the metabolism for up to 24 hours afterwards (I think), but if you are able to run you can do them anyway. The idea is to warm up, run hard for 2-3 minutes, run paced (slower) for a minute or so to recover, then do another burn for a few minutes, rest, burn, rest - you get the picture - 3-4 repeats for the first few workouts. Each 'burn' you do would get your heartrate a little higher than the one before, but only go up to about 80% of your personal limit for how tired you get as a maximum, you don't want to drop or end up vomiting from overdoing it.

    I did get a tape measure out when I first started working out about 2 months ago, and despite having the scales remain stubborn the centimetre loss was reasonably significant over the same period so I am trying to console myself with that, but I agree with you, it is very discouraging when the scales seem to be jammed in the same place no matter how hard you are trying. I'd be happy to have you as a friend if you can figure out how to add me (I would have no clue how).

    Rose
  • Steen918
    Steen918 Posts: 9
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    I've found in the past that you can't just make the food goal to come in under calories - you have to eat a variety of foods and get in all your food groups. Sometimes you actually have to eat more food to balance out your metabolism. If your body thinks it is starving, it will hang on to the fat instead of burning it. Eat your fruits and a variety of vegetables along with your chicken and peanut butter sandwiches. I sooooooooo admire your ability to work out that much. You are hardcore and super impressive!! :)
  • mamawildbear
    mamawildbear Posts: 93 Member
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    I agree with a couple of the other posters. Take your measurements so you have another way to see success. A few years ago I was training hard for a triathlon I went a couple of months without losing weight but during that time I lost two dress sizes. Also, keep at it. It often takes 4-6 weeks to see noticable results. Don't give up.
  • jessicavigil14
    jessicavigil14 Posts: 6
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    I've found in the past that you can't just make the food goal to come in under calories - you have to eat a variety of foods and get in all your food groups. Sometimes you actually have to eat more food to balance out your metabolism. If your body thinks it is starving, it will hang on to the fat instead of burning it. Eat your fruits and a variety of vegetables along with your chicken and peanut butter sandwiches. I sooooooooo admire your ability to work out that much. You are hardcore and super impressive!! :)

    lol thank you. thats all i know how to do is work out, i suck at my diet but i am slowly learning and it seems with the help of you guys here i can do a lot better. As far as measurements, i have done that and i have seen a loss in it and i feel it to so thats my main encouragement. Thank you everyone for the kind words and advice it is greatly appreciated!!!
  • mamawildbear
    mamawildbear Posts: 93 Member
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    It's so easy to eat back all your exercise calories and more if you only workout and don't work on the eating portion. It really does take both components. I find that just logging my food automatically causes me to eat less and healthier because it makes me more conscious of it so even if you're over your calorie goals you might still find you lose weight.

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