Advice needed-I haven't found the right mix???

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srogers01
srogers01 Posts: 29 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I joined the gym 03/17/11 since that time I have done a variety of classes, machines, elliptical, etc. for a minimum of 4x a week. I have lost 21 lbs since I started my weight loss journey/lifestyle change (which I am grateful) but I just don't think I've found the right mix to really get my metabolism moving??? I'm looking for suggestions/ideas...

Just to give a little background...I am one of those people that read the blogs and articles on this site/internet and then tweak my diet/exercise routine to try to get results. I thought my body was in starvation mode so I ate more calories, then I switched up my workout regimen thinking my body may have gotten used to my workouts. I added in strength training/weight training 2-3x a week so I'm not just doing cardio. I started eating 3 meals a day with 2 snacks in between which is usually fruit. I'm just not sure what I'm doing wrong so I would love some insight. :smile:

Replies

  • jlr_12
    jlr_12 Posts: 170 Member
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    has your weight loss slowed or is it just not coming off as fast as you'd like? If you're still losing...what you're doing doesn't need tweaking. If you have stalled and that's the reason for the changes, one thing you might consider is how long did you try each change? Your body takes time to adjust...you can't try something for 2 days and expect to see a difference. I would suggest picking ONE aspect of your routine that you think needs tweaking..make the change, and try it out for a few weeks. If that change didn't work, move on to another one. If you change multiple things at the same time, you won't know which adjustment to attribute the results to.
  • AbiNichole
    AbiNichole Posts: 300 Member
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    First off- congrats on your success so far! That's awesome!!!:flowerforyou:

    Well I think you gave yourself advice, buddy. Stick to a plan! Don't switch things up until and unless it isn't working. You have to give it some time. Plus remember everyone is different. What works for 1 person may not work for you.

    But to post a question like that on the boards more than likely someone will ask you to open your food diary so... just a heads up.

    I would suggest the following for metabolism boosters. Don't know if it's 100% true because I too am a research junkie but I've had some success with these techniques in the past.

    1.) Work out first thing in the AM. It wakes up your metabolism and sets your nutrition mood for the rest of the day. Then don't eat for 1 to 2 hours after that workout to give your body time to utilize stored fat for the afterburn.

    2.) Incorporate HIIT into your workouts (especially in the AM.) High intensity interval training so that you work at 1 minute at maximum exhaustion then recover for 2 mins (or a pattern similar to that.) My favorite way to get in a HIIT is through Turbo Fire, elliptical, or spinning.

    3.) Eat 5-6 small meals daily. I hear this was a myth but for me it helps me stay full all day. I don't feel deprived and I feel like my metabolism is up. Sounds like you're already doing that so take a critical look at the combination of the foods you're eating. Are you eating proteins w/ complex carbs? Fruits/carbs early in the AM? What time do you eat your last meal? All things that affect how your body metabolizes food.

    4.) Eat foods that are metabolism boosting- you probably already know them. I try to make them a staple in my diet everyday. I eat lots of raw almonds, some avocado, drink green tea, lean proteins like fish and chicken, etc.

    5.) Drink water! Dunno why or how this one works but everyone says it so it must be true. Drinking water boosts metabolism so drink up. :drinker:

    Good luck! Obviously you're motivated and determined to do this so I have no doubt it will work out for you.
  • BridgetRodrigues
    BridgetRodrigues Posts: 4
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    Hi!

    Sounds like you've been given some good advise already. I just have a couple of comments to add to the mix...

    1. I completly believe in the 'quality of the calorie' . In other words if you eat the right amount of calories at the right time, but the calories are low in nutrition, your body will not respond as well as if the calories were full of nutrition.

    2. What works for one person may not work for another, keep switching it up until you find what works for you. And even then what works for now may not be the same thing that works a couple of months from now.

    Good Luck,
    Bridget
  • srogers01
    srogers01 Posts: 29 Member
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    Thanks for the ideas!
    I'm not one to switch up what I'm doing every 2 days. I am most definitely allowing my body time to adjust to the changes. I guess I just feel that after almost 11mos I should have lost more than 21lbs??

    I'll keep at it...:happy:

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