Am I doing enough?

LosingJenn
LosingJenn Posts: 27
edited 9:15AM in Fitness and Exercise
I am confused as to whether I am doing enough I seem to get to this plateau and gain it all back and I am going back and forth with the same 5 pounds and never really breaking the plateau. I am only 5' tall and weigh around 180-185 depending on where in the 5 pound see-saw I am in at the time.

I work out 3-4 days a week for around an hour. I do cardio and strength training. One day a week is with a personal trainer and mostly strength training on the TRX system. I swim and do elliptical and zumba or some other type dance aerobics for the cardio. I try to change it up. I also do yoga.

I am eating healthy and watching portion and calories, but the weight is sticking although I am losing clothing sizes and some inches, but I am not satisfied with my progress. I see others doing much less and getting better results. What am I doing wrong? I am going to start P90X as soon as I get the DVDs and see if that can break the plateau. Do you think this will work? I want to lose at least 20-30 pounds by my birthday in late September. I think that is a reasonable goal.

Replies

  • jukemaster
    jukemaster Posts: 49 Member
    If you're losing clothing sizes and inches, then I wouldn't worry about the weight. It might mean you're gaining muscle as you lose fat. Have your body fat checked, or get an Omron handheld bodyfat scanner. Check it monthly with your weight and your measurements. As long as your body fat is going down, you're doing it right.

    I know a lot of people who've been successful at P90x. The key; however, is nutrition. As long as you eat right, your body will adjust and use the fat stores. But if you only focus on calories and your not getting much wholesome food, you'll still find trouble.
  • bemiller51
    bemiller51 Posts: 1
    I agree with jukemaster about the nutrition part.
    I do have another suggestion but am no expert by any means. And I've never tried what I'm about to tell you either but I've heard it works.

    So I've read where people actually cut their exercise back a little and increase their calories for a week. It might be that you are doing too much and your body needs another shock to the system. I've read of people doing this and it helped them get out of a plateau. BUT I've also read where people increase their workout intensity and that worked for them too.

    Again not an expert and just a suggestion. Good luck! It sounds like you are determined and willing to do whatever it takes.
  • RedPepper39759
    RedPepper39759 Posts: 10
    Another thing I can think of to suggest is: for those like us whose metabolism have slowed down, working out once a day is not as good as breaking it into 3 times (morning, noon, and evening). If you work out an hour day once, you might want to try to work out 20-30 minutes 3 times a day. Just to keep your fat burning furnace burning.

    When the last BL season at home winner Mike was interviewed, he said he did what Dr. H. told him to do - that if one wants to lose weight quick, one has to get the heart rate high enough. Interval workouts are the best - do whatever you do for 30 seconds at very high intensity that you can't talk and gasp for air, then take a couple of minutes to catch your breath, then repeat.

    Perfect to do if you break your long workout into 2-3 shorter ones. I understand you have to gear up (both motivation and other things) for more than once a day to do this. But Mike proved it works. I am on a plateau too. That's what I am going to try too. Good luck!
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