Weight loss help

jdawson002 · July 2016

After piling on the lb's, I started going to the gym about 2 months ago and exercising 5 nights a week. Since then I have lost approximately 1 stone in weight which I am happy about but thought it would come off a lot quicker.

Each gym session I burn off about 500 calories (I do 30 mins on the cross trainer - 300 calories and 25 minutes on bike - 150 calories and a 5 minute cool down on treadmill - 50 calories). I have also restricted my diet to the following on Monday - Friday and the weekend more relaxed but conscious

Breakfast - Bowl of rice crispies with skimmed milk
Brunch - banana
Lunch - 2x Ryvita Cracker with low fat cheese spread, carrot sticks and low fat yogurt.
Snack - Apple
Dinner - variety of meals which include a variety of fresh meats and veg. none fried or pre-packed.

Any suggestions? where am I going wrong?

SezxyStef · July 2016

weight loss is not about exercise really...you can lose weight without exercise.

it's about the deficit you have each day.

Unless you are logging consistently and accurately using a food scale and correct entries there is no telling if you are in a deficit.

AS well the exercise machines probably are over estimating the calories you burned....could be as high as 50% higher than reality.

In order for me to burn 50 calories I have to walk 1/2mile at a pace of 4-4.5mph...not cool down speed yet the machine tells you it's 50 for a 5min cool down walk...

jdawson002 · July 2016

Thanks for the reply.....I will have to start measuring portions and logging all meals.

What should be a healthy calorie deficit?

Strange that machine will over exaggerate calories burnt. The picture below shows a recent 30 minute cross trainer session. I have the resistance fairly high so does this look about normal?

SezxyStef · July 2016

I personally don't trust machine burns...I've read articles where the manufactures have admitted to inflating the burns.

the deficit is dependant on how much you currently weigh, how much you want to lose a week and current maintenance.

you enter your stats here, try to follow these guidelines

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

and it will give you the amount of calories without exercise you should eat to lose the amount of weight you want.

mankars · July 2016

Hi,

You should stay away from simple carbs that may make you bloat & retain water. Rice is definitely a no-no.
Have proteins at every meals, especially breakfast, lunch & dinner.

Here's what you should do... I did & it works.

For one "PILOT" week... do every day.
1.) Weight yourself as soon as you get up in morning.
2.) Any/all the foods (including liquids, e.g. soups, shakes etc.), weigh them before you eat. Have more proteins & less of carbs.
3.) Do only cardio exercise (no strength training) & record only the minutes & not the calories burned or distance.

As the week progresses, you will find if you are losing or gaining your weight, adjust your cardio/food intake accordingly until you hit that 'sweet spot' where you will find your body is losing weight consistently.

Also, see a doctor to rule out any medical conditions (hormonal imbalance, thyroid..etc.) that might affect weight gain/loss.

All the best!

fr33sia12 · July 2016

I disagree with @mankars you can eat carbs and there's nothing wrong with rice, I'm having brown rice today and have eaten if before and lost weight. You can eat whatever you want, just as long as it's within your calorie allowance and you're burning more calories than you eat.

RobD520 · July 2016

jdawson002 wrote: »

After piling on the lb's, I started going to the gym about 2 months ago and exercising 5 nights a week. Since then I have lost approximately 1 stone in weight which I am happy about but thought it would come off a lot quicker.

Each gym session I burn off about 500 calories (I do 30 mins on the cross trainer - 300 calories and 25 minutes on bike - 150 calories and a 5 minute cool down on treadmill - 50 calories). I have also restricted my diet to the following on Monday - Friday and the weekend more relaxed but conscious

Breakfast - Bowl of rice crispies with skimmed milk
Brunch - banana
Lunch - 2x Ryvita Cracker with low fat cheese spread, carrot sticks and low fat yogurt.
Snack - Apple
Dinner - variety of meals which include a variety of fresh meats and veg. none fried or pre-packed.

Any suggestions? where am I going wrong?

14 pounds in two months? That is not really slow! It seems that you have done quite well.

Also, for you to have netted 297 calories in that time, you would have had to have been working REALLY intensely. As a racewalker, I usually credit myself maybe 400-450 for an intense hour on the treadmill.

jdawson002 · July 2016

14 pounds in two months? That is not really slow! It seems that you have done quite well.

Also, for you to have netted 297 calories in that time, you would have had to have been working REALLY intensely. As a racewalker, I usually credit myself maybe 400-450 for an intense hour on the treadmill. [/quote]

Thanks!!

The 297 calories is on the cross trainer but yeah I do whack the resistance up quite a bit; when I started 2 months ago I couldn't even manage 5 minutes with zero resistance!!

By the way, I'm about 16st 2lbs at the minute......not a bad cross trainer workout for a fatty!!!

MFPUser42354 · July 2016

If you've lost 14 pounds in two months that is good. Keep it up! Consider adding in strength/weight training. Don't worry, you will not get bulky. When done right you will add lean muscle. That benefits you in 2 ways 1) A pound of muscle takes up 1/3 of the space of a pound of fat. 2) Muscle burns more calories. So the end result is you will look thinner, be more toned, and your body will be burning more calories every day.

SezxyStef · July 2016

mankars wrote: »

Hi,

You should stay away from simple carbs that may make you bloat & retain water. Rice is definitely a no-no.
Have proteins at every meals, especially breakfast, lunch & dinner.

Here's what you should do... I did & it works.

For one "PILOT" week... do every day.
1.) Weight yourself as soon as you get up in morning.
2.) Any/all the foods (including liquids, e.g. soups, shakes etc.), weigh them before you eat. Have more proteins & less of carbs.
3.) Do only cardio exercise (no strength training) & record only the minutes & not the calories burned or distance.

As the week progresses, you will find if you are losing or gaining your weight, adjust your cardio/food intake accordingly until you hit that 'sweet spot' where you will find your body is losing weight consistently.

Also, see a doctor to rule out any medical conditions (hormonal imbalance, thyroid..etc.) that might affect weight gain/loss.

All the best!

NO

StaciMarie1974 · July 2016

14 pounds in 2 months: you're not doing anything wrong. This is a great pace, almost 2 pounds per week.

jdawson002 · July 2016

Thanks for the support everyone!!!

Just thought that being a fatty it would come off quicker!!

jdawson002 · July 2016

Managed 300 calories in under 30 minutes on the cross trainer last night.....not bad for a fatty eh!!

pompeyjosh1990 · July 2016

Don't beat yourself up- you are doing great!! keep it going as its showing its working, id just do more circuit training or HIT training (High Intensity) look it up and go on youtube to view how some people do it, that seems to burn off fat faster then normal cardio sessions and it takes up much less time.

savithny · July 2016

As others have said: 14 pounds in 2 weeks is a really good rate.
Weight loss isn't something you can hurry beyond a basic rate. You didn't gain that stone in 2 weeks, you can't lose it in two weeks.

jdawson002 · July 2016

And beat my personal best on the cross trainer again last night.....buzzing!!

Weight loss help

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