Exercising not working anymore?

shakybabe
shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
edited October 6 in Health and Weight Loss
The othe week I exercised loads like really pushed myself got up at 5-6 am did 2 hours workout, t back Wii again in afternoon fr an hour sometimes passive trainer bike too burnt about 1,000 cals 3 of the days..some days only managed two workouts but still managed 600-800 cals kept it up 5 days straight before TOTM arrived thnking one I dropped water,i could lose another 3 lb besides with all exercise that week when woman's metabolism is meant be naturally higher.

The water came off but nothing else..now I'm really de-motivated to exercise..twice I've set alarm and just turned tiff and gone back to sleep ..what's the point of all that work if I'm notogin g to lose a thing and I was exhausted, taken me most of this week to recover.

When I was first overweight and did these early morning workouts I sweated loads lost inches and 2 stone (28lbs)..now I'm hovering around 10st 7 (147lbs?) and can't seem to get any lower, even after all that exercise. I get much stiffer in winter from my condition and pain levels are higher throughout the day. I'm low carb gluten free and allergic to nuts.

Has my body decided 2 stone is enough and it doesn't want to lose any more? I'm just at top end of healthy for my height but my goal weight was another 18lbs off, should I give body a break. Diet and exercise? (since June) and start again after Xmas? ..I just don't want to find I've piled more weight on if I come back to it after Xmas if I leave it too long, after all the hard work it's taken me to get this far!

I burn higher than average at sedentary due to ataxia and the involuntary movements so in theory the weight should be dropping off me without me having to do loads of exercise on top. (I try to make at least a 500 cal deficit from exercise daily)

Thanks
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Replies

  • Oni19
    Oni19 Posts: 3
    I believe what you have hit is what is normaly called a plateu, weight loss in the first few weeks of excercersiging and dieting show reather quickly but then just seem to come to a schreecing halt. this is due to your body getting used to the Routine the key is to keep your body in shock, vary your wourkouts as much as possible you can work out, also if you take in the same calories every day in and out your metabolims will adjust acordingly so thats why what are comonly known as cheat days are a good idea i normanly doublee my calorie intace on those days. Keep you body guesseing and keep proegresing dont stop
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
    eeeekk.. the dreaded plateau!! :noway: :sad:

    I was gonna stay low till xmas dinner as that will be about 2,000 cals and I usually only eat 1200, sometimes comes in less as I don't eat bread, potatoes, or rice etc with dinner... and wanted to hit 30lb lost for xmas eve! (2lb off)

    But maybe a few more calories over the weekend won't hurt. I'll try not exercising, (other than my physio stretches) to make sure I don't gain any more water or muscle... could it be muscle?

    I have some body fat scales and from June they were 12st 3 (5 lbs behind my digital ones which weighed me at 12st 7 in June) but the body fat has consistently gone down since June from 39% to 32% and my lean muscle mass started at 31.5% and has gone up to 33%? I'm now getting readings between 9st 12 & 10st 2 on there, they do seem to fluctuate alot more than my older digital ones. .. so I've been taking my weight from the digital ones but watching to see the body fat number goes down.
  • blisterpeanuts
    blisterpeanuts Posts: 67 Member
    I've found that fasting for 24 hours seemed to break the plateau and get me back to losing weight.
    Best of luck,
    Bp
  • lthomas42
    lthomas42 Posts: 73 Member
    Don't do the same exercises all the time. Make sure you mix it up. Once your body gets use to the same workout, it's not nearly as effective anymore.
  • Jess5825
    Jess5825 Posts: 228
    If you are burning sometimes 1000 calories, are you really only eating 1200? If so you need to eat more. If your body is that tired, it is telling you to eat more.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Exercise always works. It not only burns calories which helps with weight loss, but it lowers your risk of many diseases. When losing over a long period of time it is natural for it to slow at times as your body adjusts. But even if you are not looking to lose any weight at all, exercise is the best thing you can do for your body.
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
    You can set your calories to maintenance until after Christmas if you want, but don't go over maintenance, because you don't want to gain it back.

    I suggest finding some different workouts to do. Your body has gotten used to the ones you are doing. It's time to switch things up.
  • 4HealthyMe
    4HealthyMe Posts: 34 Member
    I know you are exercising a lot to lose weight. I get that. But I think you are going to suffer burnout and quit completely. Exercise because it is good for cardiovascular health & strong muscles, not "just" to burn calories. I mean, do you really want to exercise for hours upon hours for the rest of your life?

    Just a suggestion: cut down your exercise, eat sensibly and enough, be active through the rest of your day. Stick with it.
    Good luck!
  • elmsallmissile
    elmsallmissile Posts: 86
    When you hit your muscle hard they store as much glycogen as possible, in order to store 1 gram of glycogen 3 grams of water are needed as well, keep going with exercise it will all come good, your body needs to use and store water where it needs to, but it is not fat and will sort itself out!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Google "over-training." I think you're doing way too much. Unless you're a professional athlete, there's no need to exercise for 2+ hours a day.
  • 4HealthyMe
    4HealthyMe Posts: 34 Member
    Google "over-training." I think you're doing way too much. Unless you're a professional athlete, there's no need to exercise for 2+ hours a day.

    I so agree!
  • thecrossfitter
    thecrossfitter Posts: 424 Member
    Exercise always works. It not only burns calories which helps with weight loss, but it lowers your risk of many diseases. When losing over a long period of time it is natural for it to slow at times as your body adjusts. But even if you are not looking to lose any weight at all, exercise is the best thing you can do for your body.
    Yes. BUT. Your body is really, really, smart. It becomes very efficient and what you repeatedly do. Routine is your enemy in exercise (aside from the 'routine' of waking up and doing some form of exercise). Okay, perhaps enemy is a bit harsh, but you get my point.

    So there are a lot of factors here - and I'll try not to be redundant (I feel like AS I'm typing a post, someone else posts something in the meantime)

    1. If you weigh in after an exercise day, you're likely to be retaining water. You create micro tears in your muscles when you put strain on them. This is how you get stronger! But your body is going to hold onto extra water to repair this. This is okay, yes you want to lose weight, but more precisely, you want to lose FAT.

    2. If it bothers you - only weigh in after a rest day - which most recommend you should be taking. Why take a rest day? This is actually when you get stronger! It is in these rest days your muscles can really repair

    3. Not to knock on anyone's preferences, but in my opinion, you don't need to have 2+ hours of exercise. Have you considered going for shorter and more intense workouts? There's a lot of research that supports this manner of exercise --- but from a pragmatic perspective you're less likely to get burned out! I could never exercise 2 hours a day everyday!

    4. In an attempt to shake up the routine, have you considered some basic strength training? Steve has a video showing you how to do the following - it's all free and can be done at home:
    http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/
    Here is a general article about his "Angry Birds Workout Plan"
    http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/03/10/angry-birds-workout-plan/

    5. I don't want to get into plateaus and have that debate, but I think most people agree that these just happen. Keep doing what you're doing. It will pass. I weigh weekly when I'm losing. When I'm not losing, I literally put the scale away for a month.

    Focus on the PROCESS, not the results. It takes times. And as you get closer to your goal, it's going to go more slowly. My coach said this yesterday, and I'm really trying to take it to heart:

    "Focus on getting the hard work done, not the results that come from it, in this type of thought process, you will not be stuck in the “watching paint dry” scenario, one day you will turn that corner, and admire that wall you painted 6 months ago! It will be an amazing day!"

    Best :)
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    On top of the other replies (all good things to consider), here is something else to consider - how much are you eating.
    Here is a good article you should check out - "why big caloric deficits and lots of activity can hurt fat loss"
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

    I also agree that two+ hours of working out is a lot.

    ETA- are you also saying you have been at this exercise plan for a week and haven't seen results? That is not enough time. I just broke my plateau of over 1 month. My size went down, lost inches, but no weight.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Exercise always works. It not only burns calories which helps with weight loss, but it lowers your risk of many diseases. When losing over a long period of time it is natural for it to slow at times as your body adjusts. But even if you are not looking to lose any weight at all, exercise is the best thing you can do for your body.
    Yes. BUT. Your body is really, really, smart. It becomes very efficient and what you repeatedly do. Routine is your enemy in exercise (aside from the 'routine' of waking up and doing some form of exercise). Okay, perhaps enemy is a bit harsh, but you get my point.

    I see this posted a lot on these forums, but it has never proven true for me. I am 50 yo and have stayed at a healthy weight for most of my life so I'm not new to any of this. Routine has always been my saving grace when it comes to exercise.
  • thecrossfitter
    thecrossfitter Posts: 424 Member
    Exercise always works. It not only burns calories which helps with weight loss, but it lowers your risk of many diseases. When losing over a long period of time it is natural for it to slow at times as your body adjusts. But even if you are not looking to lose any weight at all, exercise is the best thing you can do for your body.
    Yes. BUT. Your body is really, really, smart. It becomes very efficient and what you repeatedly do. Routine is your enemy in exercise (aside from the 'routine' of waking up and doing some form of exercise). Okay, perhaps enemy is a bit harsh, but you get my point.

    I see this posted a lot on these forums, but it has never proven true for me. I am 50 yo and have stayed at a healthy weight for most of my life so I'm not new to any of this. Routine has always been my saving grace when it comes to exercise.
    That's super interesting! So - I'm a runner. I went straight from half marathon training into full marathon training in 2011 (ran the half in June and full at the end of the summer). Even though I wasn't over eating, I could NOT get past a certain point with my body. And I was running 40 mile weeks! I was stuck looking like photo #1.

    I added in strength training and BAM! See photos. My running routine helped - and I lost weight - BUT it only got me so far.

    Very interesting to hear a different experience!
  • BobbyClerici
    BobbyClerici Posts: 813 Member
    You have reached a point where your body is down-regulating the results.
    Change what you do, and change again and again every 2 weeks.

    What this means is that you're no longer a "beginner" - this is a good problem to have.
    Also, make sure you're employing a weekly rest day.

    That can just kill results, motivation - everything.

    Also, make sure you're eating enough. Many self-sabotage with these absurd starvation diets.

    Good Luck!
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
    no.. sorry I had read that my metabolism was naturally higher the week before my period started so I thought if I exercise loads that week and rest when they start (as usually get two days of stomach cramps) , when the water drops off I would have lost a couple of pounds extra besides from all the exercise I did the week before when my metabolism was higher than it normally is. ... that was my theory anyway... it didn't work!! ... and they never actually started this month so seem to have messed them up too! :ohwell:

    I don't normally do over 2 hours a day, but I was kinda just testing my theory that if I was burning more naturally, if I increased exercise that week I should in theory drop the pounds easier.. maybe as some have said this resulted in the deficit been too high. I kind of eat the same things (mainly salad, veg, white meat & fish) except that week I allow chips once a week and allow chocolate for my cravings (a few brandy & cokes too!) so thought I'd best exercise off enough calories to still have a deficit!

    Also I suspect the problem may be that due to having ataxia and dystonia together which causes some involuntary movements, my body has possibly got used to been more or less constantly moving, even 'resting' I probably burn the same as 'fidgeting'.. I'm never completely still for any length of time unless I'm fast asleep. I have wondered if I was on too few calories and should reset my thingy to lightly active or something to cover the calories I may burn form the involuntary movements then add exercise on top when I manage to do an hour on wii fit or passive trainer?

    It is possible I'm not on enough calories?
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
    I've found that fasting for 24 hours seemed to break the plateau and get me back to losing weight.
    Best of luck,
    Bp


    So if I wait until after my Sunday dinner before I start fast... I wouldn't eat again until Monday at same time I had dinner on Sunday? ..and I wouldn't exercise during this time?
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    I've found that fasting for 24 hours seemed to break the plateau and get me back to losing weight.
    Best of luck,
    Bp


    So if I wait until after my Sunday dinner before I start fast... I wouldn't eat again until Monday at same time I had dinner on Sunday? ..and I wouldn't exercise during this time?

    dont do a 24 hopur fast because someone here said to do it without doing at least a bit of research. maybe its a good idea maybe it isnt but dont just do it based on one person saying it helped them.
  • BobbyClerici
    BobbyClerici Posts: 813 Member
    I've found that fasting for 24 hours seemed to break the plateau and get me back to losing weight.
    Best of luck,
    Bp


    So if I wait until after my Sunday dinner before I start fast... I wouldn't eat again until Monday at same time I had dinner on Sunday? ..and I wouldn't exercise during this time?

    dont do a 24 hopur fast because someone here said to do it without doing at least a bit of research. maybe its a good idea maybe it isnt but dont just do it based on one person saying it helped them.

    You can keep your fasting - no way!

    I do just the opposite with a free day. Elephants will roost in trees before I ever fast for 24 hours....
  • Thena81
    Thena81 Posts: 1,265 Member
    that happened to me when i first started. stick to it and you will see results! good luck sweetie!! :)
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
    24 hours is a long time!.. though I have eaten dinner early like before 4pm then not eaten again until following morning about 11am.. think thats longest I've managed! .. most likely day to manage this is after xmas day as I'm usually stuffed until afternoon boxing day anyway.. lol!
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
    oops sorry that went on twice!.. we need a delete post button on here!
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    Here are a couple things that helped when I hit a plateau:

    Try new exercises. Our bodies get used to what we're doing and the workouts aren't as effective anymore. Switch things up to keep your body guessing.

    Have you considered upping your calories? Often times, people will post on here that they're no longer losing and they up their calories and boom - weight loss starts again. You HAVE to fuel your body properly if you want it to lose weight. You can't starve it to death and expect it to be okay with burning fat and losing weight. Our bodies have a natural instinct that keeps us from starving when it feels food sources are low. If you aren't eating enough, it is will focus on protecting your body and NOT on burning fat and losing weight. When you give it enough food and it realizes there's no reason to store the food "just in case" - then you'll see a loss. I would seriously look at how many calories you're consuming, how many calories you're burning and see what you are netting in a day. I suspect you aren't eating enough. Also, you have to give your body 3-4 weeks to catch up and realize what you're doing. So, if you don't lose any weight at first (some people actually see a GAIN at first) - don't panic. It takes your body a bit of time to catch up.

    Are you drinking enough water? Getting enough water is key. They say 1/2 your body weight in ounces is perfect for most people (I weigh around 145lbs and I TRY and get around 75oz a day).

    Are you taking rest days? I found I lost more weight and felt better when I took at least 1 day off from the gym. Also, every 4-6 weeks, I would take an entire week off from the gym - and would focus more on the "diet" side of things. Our muscles need time to rest, recover and relax. Days off don't mean you're lazy, it means you care about your body. Make sure you take them.



    It is time to re-evaluate what is going on. When what you've been doing stops working - don't be afraid to switch things up.


    Good Luck!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    It is time to re-evaluate what is going on. When what you've been doing stops working - don't be afraid to switch things up.

    This. And "switching things up" doesn't mean going from something extreme (hours of exercise) to something MORE extreme (fasting or cutting calories). Sometimes it means making things a little easier for yourself... acquiring habits that are more sustainable long term.
  • gashinshotan
    gashinshotan Posts: 749 Member
    Exercise is really just a tool to assist weightloss by raising your BMR and allowing you some extra calories to eat back... diet is most important by far! For example, I was at a plateau for two weeks despite me doing relatively high mileage (35) and I lost more weight since last Saturday despite doing only 1/3 the miles I ran last week...
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    It is time to re-evaluate what is going on. When what you've been doing stops working - don't be afraid to switch things up.

    This. And "switching things up" doesn't mean going from something extreme (hours of exercise) to something MORE extreme (fasting or cutting calories). Sometimes it means making things a little easier for yourself... acquiring habits that are more sustainable long term.

    I agree 100%. Exercising harder or severely restricting calories isn't sustainable in the long term. Sure, you can do it for a week or a month or maybe even 3 months, but can you do it for the rest of your life? No. Once I learned to adjust weight loss into my normal lifestyle - it was like a light bulb went on and boy did it get easier. If you want to keep the weight off, you MUST adapt it to your life. I don't know about you but I know I don't want to workout for 2+ hours a day or to only eat 1200 calories for the rest of my life.
  • RAFValentina
    RAFValentina Posts: 1,231 Member
    You won't lose if you stop doing the exercise... switching off the alarm isn't burning calories and you're still eating the same so why would you lose any more? and also how much are you seriously expecting to lose extra per week? Also, you might be burning slightly higher than your regular sedentary with the condition but it won't be THAT much more. That is also a variable that has actually remained constant as a proportion to your body weight (i,e your BMR) so that can't be counted as negligible. As a previous mathematician and engineer... the math add up to ... you;re not losing because cal in vs cal out are equal to or greater! Simples! You're also gonna have to work much harder either in calorie deficit from food or from exercise to bust the plateau... I've had 3 plateaus and not lost motivation. It;s just one of those things.
  • RAFValentina
    RAFValentina Posts: 1,231 Member
    It is time to re-evaluate what is going on. When what you've been doing stops working - don't be afraid to switch things up.

    This. And "switching things up" doesn't mean going from something extreme (hours of exercise) to something MORE extreme (fasting or cutting calories). Sometimes it means making things a little easier for yourself... acquiring habits that are more sustainable long term.

    I agree 100%. Exercising harder or severely restricting calories isn't sustainable in the long term. Sure, you can do it for a week or a month or maybe even 3 months, but can you do it for the rest of your life? No. Once I learned to adjust weight loss into my normal lifestyle - it was like a light bulb went on and boy did it get easier. If you want to keep the weight off, you MUST adapt it to your life. I don't know about you but I know I don't want to workout for 2+ hours a day or to only eat 1200 calories for the rest of my life.

    It's not sustainable yes... but you're also not meant to be permanently losing weight for the rest of your life. You lose it, then go to maintenance. Which is more sustainable. If you really want the weight loss, you'll bust a gut to do it. Calorie defcit from food or exercise or both.
  • bens_momma
    bens_momma Posts: 47
    If you are burning sometimes 1000 calories, are you really only eating 1200? If so you need to eat more. If your body is that tired, it is telling you to eat more.

    This.

    You need more, you're only netting about 200 calories. If you hit a plateau, generally the solution is to eat more. Cheers!
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