Losing Weight is hard work!

Nquach
Nquach Posts: 3
edited October 1 in Health and Weight Loss
I had a baby about 3 months ago and started exercising about a month ago. Going to the gym 4 days a week for 60 miunes each time and have not lost a single pound!! . What am I doing wrong? Why is the weight not coming off? Some say I might have a slow metabolism...can this be? :cry:

Replies

  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    Hard to know without being able to see your diary, or without a bit more detail on what you're doing at the gym, how much you have to lose etc.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Congrats on the new addition.

    Losing weight is 80% diet, so going to the gym may not help much if your diet is not good.
  • Nquach
    Nquach Posts: 3
    @meerkat70- I want to lose 13 lbs. Normally I do cardo for 30 mins, then move on to abs and free weights for another 30. Two days a week, I also do Zumba for 60 minutes. Accoding to MFP, I should be eating 1200/day, which I am....any idea what I'm doing wrong?
  • asmithies
    asmithies Posts: 1 Member
    Hey there,

    There could be soo many reasons why you are not losing the weight. One is possibly because your eating pattern has changed now that you have a baby to care for. I found that I always forgot to eat or would eat the complete wrong things to save time. If you are breastfeeding then maybe your body is doing its best to keep hold of as much energy stores so that you are able to produce enough milk. Maybe you are building muscle so it wouldn't seem like you are losing weight because muscle is heavier than fat. Has your body shape changed? I do think it takes at least a month to start seeing results from going to the gym and 4 days a week is exceptional as I would be lucky to make it twice a week after having kids. How are you doing with your food diary? Bel x
  • kasmir8199
    kasmir8199 Posts: 507 Member
    It all depends on what you're doing at the gym and how you're handling your nutrition. When you workout, make sure you warm-up (5-10 min) prior to your routine. For the best results, I'd recommend at least 30 minutes of resistance training, whether you're weight training or performing something like Yoga/Pilates or TRX, which uses body weight resistance. Follow his with at least 30 minutes of cardio (treadmill, bike, stairs, rowing, elliptical) to capitalize on the after burn. Also, doing cardio after resistance training prevents you from being too physically exhausted to maintain proper form while lifting weights.

    After you workout, you NEED to replenish some of the calories you just burned within 1 hour of completing your workout! Also, throughout the day, you should supply your body with fuel (food) every 2-3 hours. Your body's not going to burn fat if it's out of fuel to do so. If your body thinks you're a risk of starvation, it'll store fat instead of burn it. What it will burn is your muscle tissue. Not good. Lean muscle mass burns fat, so you don't want to lose any of it. Be sure to get your daily recommended amount of calories in to prevent this from happening.

    I hope this helps.
  • Nikki881
    Nikki881 Posts: 203
    @meerkat70- I want to lose 13 lbs. Normally I do cardo for 30 mins, then move on to abs and free weights for another 30. Two days a week, I also do Zumba for 60 minutes. Accoding to MFP, I should be eating 1200/day, which I am....any idea what I'm doing wrong?

    Your net calories should be 1200, not the total of what you ate. You might need to eat more if you're only consuming 1200 calories a day, your body could be in starvation mode.
  • morganadk2_deleted
    morganadk2_deleted Posts: 1,696 Member
    Are you eating to enough?

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficit


    This is just a part of it! please read the link above


    Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
    With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
    With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
    With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week)
    and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle tone, and reducing fat. This means is EXTRA important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode)


    Also this might be helpful http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/00trayn/view/how-to-bust-a-3-month-plateau-87677

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/153704-myth-or-fact-simple-math-3500-calories-one-pound-eat



    Good luck on your journey
  • lambchop1042
    lambchop1042 Posts: 102 Member
    If you're breast feeding, you should definitely be eating more than 1200 cals! You need energy to feed you and your baby.
    I just eat when I'm hungry and stop when full, but I know it's not that simple for everyone. Figure out what works for you, switch things up for a week or two and see if the weight starts coming off. You'll figure it out if you keep trying!
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