How to still lose weight whilst exercising?

Options
caroline_g
caroline_g Posts: 201 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
For the past 5 weeks I've been doing the Kettleworx programme. So I've done a cardio, core and resistance kettleworx workout each week and on 2 or 3 of the other days, I've done a cardio workout such as turbo jam or cardio box. My losses while I've been doing this have slowed right down, which I know is likely because of the exercise. My first week I lost 0.5lbs, then 3.25lbs which made me think I'd go small, big, small big but after that I lost 0.5lbs then 0.75lbs. I'm expecting another small loss again this week at my WI later. I'm losing inches too which is great but I'd like to shift a little more in terms of lbs too if I can.

So my question for you guys is, is there anything that I can do to help my body still shift the lbs whilst I'm doing this exercise? I don't know if anything like drinking more water (I aim for 2 litres a day, though I've failed at that the past few days) or changing my diet by say lowering my carbs or anything like that might help. Any thoughts or advice? I know I might just be stuck with them as they are, which as long as I'm losing inches too is fine, but just thought I'd ask.
«1

Replies

  • CnocNaCu
    CnocNaCu Posts: 536 Member
    Options
    I'm in the same boat with you . Am exercising every day (otherwise sedentary) and eat a pretty healthy diet, low cholesterol, low fat, low sodium. My weight loss went to 0=ZERO the last few weeks, just since I've upped exercise. I've tried to stick to a 40-40-30 (Protein-Carbs-Fat) ratio, drink a lot of water or herbal teas....NOTHING! Yes, I've lost 1 inch during the last 2 weeks but not a single pound. I thought, maybe it's water retention because the more you exercise the more glycogen your body has to store and in order to do that it needs water. But I'm not sure. Waiting for other posters/opinions
  • caroline_g
    caroline_g Posts: 201 Member
    Options
    I currently do 45% carbs, 25% fat and 30% protein. I work out my percentages after each day as I won't always eat every calorie. Carbs usually range 40-45%, fat 20-30% and protein 30-35%. I know that I need a rest day before I weigh in, otherwise I see a gain or STS on the scales because of the water retention. I'm a lot further away from my goal than you so I've lost better inches but the lbs are pretty low for me considering that.
  • Claire594
    Claire594 Posts: 357 Member
    Options
    I've just started the 30 day shred and now I'm worried my weight loss will stall too as I have only started and still have 65 lbs to lose. I'm alsodoing zumba class once a week and another 2-3 times a week on the Wii. Maybe its not that much exercise but its far more than I've ever done in my life.
  • inge88
    inge88 Posts: 184 Member
    Options
    My losses while I've been doing this have slowed right down, which I know is likely because of the exercise.
    How would doing exercise make you lose less weight?

    Your diary is not open so I cannot check, but are you eating enough?
  • Marks281172
    Marks281172 Posts: 127 Member
    Options
    I think this is the problem with so called medical experts (here in the UK at least) constantly shoving scale weight and BMI down our throats as the key indicator for health.

    You will hold on to a bit of water when you exercise as cnocnacu pointed out but that will ease off over time (its a bit of an urban myth that its muscle after just a few days/weeks in a training program, as an ex bodybuilder and powerlifter i can attest that muscle doesnt come that easy :) )

    If you are losing inches and feeling the benefits of exercise (the multitude of which are well documented on this forum) then to hell with the scales. There are plenty of men out there under 150lbs with a 40+ inch waist, but id much rather be at a 34 inch waist and weigh 220lbs.

    Trust your mirror, your clothes fitting better and the measuring tape... to hell with the scales :)
  • MDWilliams1857
    MDWilliams1857 Posts: 315 Member
    Options
    As the above poster mentioned, perhaps you are not eating enough. The more you workout, the more calories you need.
  • caroline_g
    caroline_g Posts: 201 Member
    Options
    It does make you lose less weight. I'm obviously losing fat because I'm losing inches and my BF% is coming down, which implies that I'm losing fat and gaining muscle, which would bring my weight loss (rather than fat loss) down a bit. My diary used to be open but after I made a thread once about calorie counting with a low carb slant and had two people who decided to then look at my diary and critique it, telling me that I didn't log enough. I was extremely busy on a school placement at the time so I counted but didn't always get the chance to log and really didn't need unwanted and unneeded criticism when I asked for advice on something else.

    As an idea of my daily diary...
    Yesterday (no exercise): 1238 cals, 124g carbs, 17g fiber, 36g fat, 100g protein, 1270mg sodium.
    Sunday - couldn't log
    Saturday (burned 400 calories): 1303 cals, 125g carbs, 14g fiber, 42g fat, 103g protein, 2208mg sodium
    Friday (burned 500 calories): 1406 cals, 166g carbs, 23g fiber, 30g fat, 120g protein
    Thursday (was an ill day so didn't eat as much, burned 300 cals): 1219 cals, 138g carbs, 33g fat, 91g protein, 586mg sodium
    Wednesday (burned 350 cals): 1301 cals, 131g carbs, 15g fiber, 41g fat, 104g protein, 459mg sodium

    Thee week before that I tried eating more of my exercise calories back so that I was at 1200 NET but it made no difference, I still had a small loss.
  • yesiamaduck
    yesiamaduck Posts: 531 Member
    Options
    People remember that WEIGHT is a number that is totally meaningless without other statistics, if you're getting leaner and healthier but not losing weight then whats the problem?!?!? Seriously I don't understand peoples fascination with this number!

    Consider it a good thing because rapid weight loss without rapid toning and muscle gain = saggy skin
  • anonymouswheels96
    anonymouswheels96 Posts: 15 Member
    Options
    Its not just about the lbs. You'll be building muscle which replaces the fat and muscle ways more than fat.
  • kerrybrookes
    kerrybrookes Posts: 4 Member
    Options
    I also found that these cardio work outs made me lose less weight weekly than i wanted i have been doing Yoga, muscle work outs and aerobics on the WII fitness plus losing about 1lb - 2lb a week at the moment
    Kez xx
  • countryviolet333
    countryviolet333 Posts: 10 Member
    Options
    Its probably cause your gaining muscle as well as loosing weight and muscle weighs more than fat does....if thats the case then your doing a really good job!!!!!
  • caroline_g
    caroline_g Posts: 201 Member
    Options
    I know that it's not just about weight loss, didn't I say in my first post that "I might just be stuck with them as they are, which as long as I'm losing inches too is fine". As I said, losing inches is great but if I can lose some lbs too, then I want to which isn't a ridiculous thing to want, at all. I know that it'll help me look more toned and therefore better once the weight is off but that doesn't mean that I can't hope for slightly better losses. I just did my WI and I've lost 1.25lbs this week, I'm alright with that. It's not a huge number but that's fine, it's the 0.5lbs that I get annoyed/disappointed with.
  • yesiamaduck
    yesiamaduck Posts: 531 Member
    Options
    I know that it's not just about weight loss, didn't I say in my first post that "I might just be stuck with them as they are, which as long as I'm losing inches too is fine". As I said, losing inches is great but if I can lose some lbs too, then I want to which isn't a ridiculous thing to want, at all. I know that it'll help me look more toned and therefore better once the weight is off but that doesn't mean that I can't hope for slightly better losses. I just did my WI and I've lost 1.25lbs this week, I'm alright with that. It's not a huge number but that's fine, it's the 0.5lbs that I get annoyed/disappointed with.

    I'd understand where you were coming from if you didn't inform me that you are losing inches, you know you're making progress yet you still want another number to confirm this for you? It's not a very healthy attitude to have and it's undermining your progress which from the sounds of things is going great! I know you want both but it's really meaningless
  • porffor
    porffor Posts: 1,212 Member
    Options
    It's really hard to shift from watching weight decrease to watching inches or bodyfat. I do empathise. I have recently been asking the same questions but a trip to a body fat scales yesterday showed progress of 1kg drop even though I'd stayed the same on the 'normal' scale.
    so hold out hope - keep track of your inches and I'm sure that will prove you are exchanging lumpy bumpy fat for lean healthy muscle.
  • caroline_g
    caroline_g Posts: 201 Member
    Options
    I'd understand where you were coming from if you didn't inform me that you are losing inches, you know you're making progress yet you still want another number to confirm this for you? It's not a very healthy attitude to have and it's undermining your progress which from the sounds of things is going great! I know you want both but it's really meaningless

    How is it an unhealthy attitude to have? Why is it so ridiculous and unhealthy to be wanting to see my weight come down? It's not like I'm trying to lose just 10lbs, I have a fair bit to lose. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to see both numbers coming down. It's also not undermining my progess, I know that I'm doing well, I was just asking if there was anything that I could be doing to try and do a little bit better. So are we not meant to aim for better and just settle for alright? So in your job, you're never going to aim for a promotion because you want to do better? It's human nature to try and do better, there's nothing wrong or unhealthy about that. If this is the best that I can do then that's fine but I want to be doing the best that I can and that's not a bad attitude to have. As I said at the beginning, it may be a case of that's just what my losses will be and there's nothing I can do about it, if that's the case then that's fine, as I've said a number of times. But in my opinion, it's not unhealthy to be asking what I can do to further my weight loss. It's a healthy question to ask. I didn't say shall I starve myself down to 800 calories a day, I didn't say shall I work out every hour god sends and eat next to nothing, I didn't say shall I go on a soup/fruit juice diet, those things are unhealthy but my questions about water, carbs, protein etc. are nothing but healthy. So I'm sorry but you're wrong.
  • leanneakaliz
    leanneakaliz Posts: 229 Member
    Options
    I totally agree I roughly do

    Mon - burn just under 400 cal
    Tues - 800
    Wed - 400
    thurs - 400
    fri - 600
    sat - rest
    sun - rest

    I have been working my butt off all week and have somehow managed to gain 2 lbs ! its so frustrating,
  • Marks281172
    Marks281172 Posts: 127 Member
    Options
    Reading properly rather than skimming it does look like you have a good understanding of whats going on with your body as you exercise, i do still think our obsession with scale weight is misguided though and stems from that blasted BMI nonsense.

    Maybe try switching your activities to something with lower intensities. While i was recovering from injury i kept my cals low (for me, still around 1800 a day) and walked a lot and saw big loses. Now im almost back to 100% and ive upped the level of my cardio and brought weight training back in the scales arent budging much (like you im seeing victories elsewhere still though, clothes fit better, the compliments are starting to come in and im feeling fitter than i have in a good 10 years)

    Walking, moderate effort cycling or swimming will all burn cals as equally well as higher intesity stuff (as you can do them for much longer) but wont have the same effect as stuff that causes your muscle mass to hold onto water while the little muscle pixies do their repair work (they get very thirsty :) )

    Good lucK!
  • jsnearly
    jsnearly Posts: 61
    Options
    For the past 5 weeks I've been doing the Kettleworx programme. So I've done a cardio, core and resistance kettleworx workout each week and on 2 or 3 of the other days, I've done a cardio workout such as turbo jam or cardio box. My losses while I've been doing this have slowed right down, which I know is likely because of the exercise. My first week I lost 0.5lbs, then 3.25lbs which made me think I'd go small, big, small big but after that I lost 0.5lbs then 0.75lbs. I'm expecting another small loss again this week at my WI later. I'm losing inches too which is great but I'd like to shift a little more in terms of lbs too if I can.

    So my question for you guys is, is there anything that I can do to help my body still shift the lbs whilst I'm doing this exercise? I don't know if anything like drinking more water (I aim for 2 litres a day, though I've failed at that the past few days) or changing my diet by say lowering my carbs or anything like that might help. Any thoughts or advice? I know I might just be stuck with them as they are, which as long as I'm losing inches too is fine, but just thought I'd ask.

    You won't always lose weight every week. Some weeks it will be inches and other weeks it will be body fat percentage. Keep track of your measurments, body fat percentage, weight, and BMI to see your progress the best. Keeps you motivated. Last week I didn't lose a pound but dropped a half percent in body fat.
  • yesiamaduck
    yesiamaduck Posts: 531 Member
    Options
    By all means I'm not criticising the way you're going about it, you're putting too much emphasizes on scale weight though! If weight loss is what you're looking for then do less intense exercise regimes for a couple of weeks of each month to slow muscle build. I'm sorry if I cause any offence as it was not intended, but I've seen too many people fail despite making great progress because the number on the scale isn't going down as fast as they'd like (myself included)
  • caroline_g
    caroline_g Posts: 201 Member
    Options
    I have been working my butt off all week and have somehow managed to gain 2 lbs ! its so frustrating,

    Do you have your rest day before your weigh in? I would, I can gain 3lbs the next morning after exercise! So having it before WI helps me get rid of that.
    Reading properly rather than skimming it does look like you have a good understanding of whats going on with your body as you exercise, i do still think our obsession with scale weight is misguided though and stems from that blasted BMI nonsense.

    I'm really not a BMI person, I don't think it's all that important. My goal gives me a BMI of 27, technically overweight but for me I think that's about right. Personally, I'd rather go on body fat percentage than BMI, which is how I worked out my goal weight.
    Maybe try switching your activities to something with lower intensities. While i was recovering from injury i kept my cals low (for me, still around 1800 a day) and walked a lot and saw big loses. Now im almost back to 100% and ive upped the level of my cardio and brought weight training back in the scales arent budging much (like you im seeing victories elsewhere still though, clothes fit better, the compliments are starting to come in and im feeling fitter than i have in a good 10 years)

    To be honest, if it's a case of giving up the exercise for a lower intensity thing or keeping the losses I've got, I think I'd stick with it to be honest. I love the exercise that I'm doing and it's easy for me because I don't have access to a gym or swimming pool really. I know what you mean though, I lost better doing that kind of exercise but I definitely feel better doing this kind.
    Good lucK!

    Thanks :)
    You won't always lose weight every week. Some weeks it will be inches and other weeks it will be body fat percentage. Keep track of your measurments, body fat percentage, weight, and BMI to see your progress the best. Keeps you motivated. Last week I didn't lose a pound but dropped a half percent in body fat.

    I've actually just this week added my body fat percentage to my measurements on here so that I can track that because I look at it but haven't logged it. It definitely helps looking at the bigger picture.
    By all means I'm not criticising the way you're going about it, you're putting too much emphasizes on scale weight though! If weight loss is what you're looking for then do less intense exercise regimes for a couple of weeks of each month to slow muscle build. I'm sorry if I cause any offence as it was not intended, but I've seen too many people fail despite making great progress because the number on the scale isn't going down as fast as they'd like (myself included)

    I didn't take offence, I just didn't agree. I do see what you're saying and I think that maybe I've come across the wrong way. If I carry on losing like I am (small lbs, big inches) and that's the best that I can do then I'm fine with that. As i said to a previous poster, there's no way that I'd cut back my exercise just to have bigger losses because I know that the benefits of it go way beyond inches and lbs, so I'd rather just carry on as I am now. And I'm definitely not going to give up because of it but I agree, it would be easy to do. I just wanted to know whether anyone else had been in the situation and found a way to bust through it and see the scales come down more. Though, I realised that I've got my losses wrong. Last week I actually lost 1.5lbs not 0.75lbs so my losses aren't as bad as I thought and over the past 5 weeks I've averaged 1.45lbs a week, which with my inch loss, is pretty good. But still, if there's ever a way that I can do better, at anything, I do try to give it a go.

Categories