In need of motivation

Hi Rosale101;

Okay so you haven't lost any weight, but if you've been dieting and exercising regularly then you can bet your body is changing under the covers. You just can't see it. Your body is laying down new muscle, new capillaries, strengthing your bones, improving your lung and heart function. And you have probably burned off some fat, but you've probably added muscle which weighs more than fat. Heck I always pick up 5 lbs at the start of cycling season as I'm hitting the gym and the bike. I always always put on the new muscle first and then I start burning off the excess fat. Losing weight is a very long process. And with improved heart and lung function you may find your body's blood volume increasing. You need more blood to carry more O2 to your improved and added muscle tissue. If your blood volume goes up then so does your weight. The true test of change is checking how your clothes fit. Can you draw in the belt another notch. Truly how do your shirts fit?

One guaranteed way to lose weight is by doing intervals in training. For me long steady rides don't do it for weight loss unless of course I'm out for 6 hours on the bike then I'll lose weight. And competition burns fat big time! But early season when I start doing intervals, fast spin ups on the bike where my RPM(pedal cadence) is up around 120-130 then the weight loss happens. Usually I'll do a 10 second interval followed by 50 seconds of slow spin recovery then repeat 7 more times. If you run then try some speed ups anywhere from 5-10 seconds at a time recover for the rest of that minute and then repeat no more than 7 times. First time out I would only do 3 to 5 intervals - tops. I do spin ups at most twice a week along with longer endurance rides interspersed on other days. And I'll do resistance intervals as well along with max time trial efforts on the weekends.

You might think about setting a goal event for yourself like a 5K or 10K, a triathalon or a century bike ride, and then train for it. Better yet set a goal event and then join a group who is training for that event. Believe me the weight will just come off as you train and prepare. And suddenly weight loss will not be your goal but rather increased fitness. But the weight loss will happen.

Anyway hang in there stay dedicated and engaged - the change you want and maybe the change least expected but most welcomed will come your way!

Best of Luck
Rick

+1 for what was said above. I've het several plateaus and picked up 5kg in the last month. You just have to push through it. just keep on reminding yourself what your goal is and why you are doing it.

Rosale101 wrote: »

I've been feeling very discouraged lately, I've been dieting and exercising regularly and have not lost any weight.

The best motivation will come from identifying what the issue is and then and then solving it so your weight starts falling again. Unless you want generic cheerleader answers, then you need to give more information so they can understand where your diet actually is and what you are doing.

If you are doing everything right, then as said above it might just be a case of patience and pushing through. Weight loss isnt linear so you can be doing the correct things but it can stall for a number of weeks.

People who are not losing weight for a sustained period are normally closer to eating at maintenance because they are eating more and burning less than they think. That means they arent at deficit and will need to reappraise their weight loss strategy. This would be more obvious the greater the deficit you are running or think you are.

If you want people to identify possibly if you are going wrong or just confirm that you are doing things correctly then you need to give them information to check what you are doing.

How long have you been on this diet?
How much have you lost so far?
Age, starting weight, current weight, Height. calories eaten.
How much exercise are you doing, what type, are you eating back and how much % of calories burned.
Are you weighing your food and logging it all?
Its helpful if you open your diary.
How are you estimating your burns, machine, MFP estimate, HRM?

The normal answer will be to improve the accuracy of what you are doing by weighing food, not overestimating burns and maybe reducing calories. Then you just try the new strategy.