I Can't Seem to Lose Weight, Please Help?

SusieBlue · 13-06-2012 12:48am #1

Hi All.

I started a vigorous diet and exercise plan 4 weeks ago today. I'm on a very low calorie low carb diet. I go to the gym for 1.5 hours every day, as well as a spinning class once a week and a session with my personal trainer for 2 hours twice a week.

I have just weighed myself for the first time since starting the diet and exercise plan to find I haven't lost an ounce of weight. I'm gutted, I've been strict on myself and working hard. I'm going on holiday in 3 weeks and was hoping to have shifted a stone by then but that's not looking likely any more.

Anyone have any ideas why this is? I'm going to start SlimFast tomorrow, I'm getting desperate now. Feeling really deflated so any advice would be great, thanks!

heno86 · 13-06-2012 12:57am

A scales isn't a great gauge of progress if your doing resistance training(which I'm assuming you are) you may very well have added some weight in toned muscle and lost bodyfat so the weight has stayed the same but your body composition has improved. Are your clothes fitting better? Did your trainer take your measurements or body fat %?

2qk4u · 13-06-2012 1:04am

I agree with Heno 86, when I needed to loose weight I decided to change my diet and habits and done very little exercise, I lost 4.5 stone in six months.
A lot of people up their water intake when the try loose weight and some suffer from water retention too.
What does your daily diet consist of ?

spacecookie555 · 13-06-2012 1:05am

WhiteRoses wrote: »

Hi All.

I started a vigorous diet and exercise plan 4 weeks ago today. I'm on a very low calorie low carb diet. I go to the gym for 1.5 hours every day, as well as a spinning class once a week and a session with my personal trainer for 2 hours twice a week.

I have just weighed myself for the first time since starting the diet and exercise plan to find I haven't lost an ounce of weight. I'm gutted, I've been strict on myself and working hard. I'm going on holiday in 3 weeks and was hoping to have shifted a stone by then but that's not looking likely any more.

Anyone have any ideas why this is? I'm going to start SlimFast tomorrow, I'm getting desperate now. Feeling really deflated so any advice would be great, thanks!

You say your on a low cal diet, how low is it may I ask?? Cause if your not eating enough or frequently for that matter youre body can go into starvation mode and actually store extra fat!
The key is to eat several times a day cause your metabolism only works when you eat so the more little meals you eat the better, also with the amount of exercise youre doing you should be taking in at LEAST 1200cals a day.
Also try to eat slow burning foods such as wholewheat bread and porridge (keeps your metabolism going longer) I know they contain carbs but the length they take to burn more than makes up for that fact.
Fair play btw that amount of exercise takes some serious commitment!

SusieBlue · 13-06-2012 1:25am

Thanks for the replies!

I'm on about 1,200 calories a day. My typical daily diet would include porridge with blueberries and grapefruit for breakfast, a salad with lemon juice dressing for lunch and whole wheat pasta with lean boiled chicken for dinner, as well as rice cakes in between if I'm hungry.
I definitely feel less bloated but my clothes don't feel any looser. My trainer took my measurements (as well as "before" and "after" photos) but won't be retaking my measurements for another 2 weeks.

I'll definitely try the whole eating less and more often approach, that sounds like its more doable than what I'm doing now.

I finally decided to give my gym membership good use after getting laid off last month, I have very few responsibilities so I'm trying to keep myself busy with losing weight while looking for a new job

Again, thanks for the replies!

Mellor · 13-06-2012 1:50am

spacecookie555 wrote: »

The key is to eat several times a day cause your metabolism only works when you eat so the more little meals you eat the better,

That's not actually true. It's common misconception.

WhiteRoses wrote: »

My typical daily diet would include porridge with blueberries and grapefruit for breakfast, a salad with lemon juice dressing for lunch and whole wheat pasta with lean boiled chicken for dinner, as well as rice cakes in between if I'm hungry

That's not a low carb diet. In fact, its almost only carbs, except for the chicken. Nothing wrong with the foods you are eating. But if you are misjudging the carbs, then you might be misjudging the calories.

flywheel · 13-06-2012 11:37am

WhiteRoses wrote: »

as well as a spinning class once a week... I'm getting desperate now. Feeling really deflated so any advice would be great, thanks!

hi, from your other reply it sounds like you are getting really into it, the commitment and consistency are some of the toughest parts of sticking to a routine so nice one

now on to the other parts like the routine itself and nutrition...

for the nutrition there is nothing like arming yourself with info (if you ask 10 people for nutrition advice, you'll usually get 10 different responses...) it's always challenging to ask specific questions about something so specific as personal nutrition in on-line forums when no one has sat down and had an in-depth conversation with you about your diet/nutrition/lifestyle...

it might be worth your while checking out some of the Sports Nutrition books from the likes of Anita Bean or Nancy Clark there should be copies in the local library (or they can reserve it in for you, just make sure it is a recent volume) or you can pick up a copy yourself for under €20 in a local book store or £10-12 on amazon.co.uk

for the indoor cycling, how are you finding it? hopefully your sessions are with a qualified Spinning® Instructor who has spent time on your bike set-up (to make sure you are positioned safely and efficiently), and they offer a range of classes as you build up then enhance your fitness and they keep it safe and give you a real training effect to reach your goals... here is a post from a while back that might help you with some info:

flywheel wrote: »

Spinning® is about you, how hard you make it is up to you. If you push too hard it can have as negative effect as not pushing hard enough...

It can be challenging, it can be easier, it is all down to you. If you need to ease back you can, if you feel you can push hard you can. Try not to get caught up into flooring yourself or thinking that if you aren't in a heap afterwards it wasn't a success.

Turn it into a training activity to reach your goals, not a random workout you throw yourself into. A qualified Spinning instructor will provide you with a selection of classes, of varying intensities.

When you are starting out, ease into it, get your bike setup up perfectly, and have the instructor explain the technique involved with using an bike with a weighted flywheel. An indoor cycling studio bike is totally different to a 'regular gym floor bike' due to the flyweel effect.

Hopefully you get to go to a class with someone actually qualified to teach Spinning and understands technique and safety. If they just scream at you to go harder or do any aerobics moves (push-ups, hovers, squats) on the bike they are wasting your time.

here's some info from a post I made a while ago:

a key factor is to make sure your bike is set up correctly for you... the instructor should have spent some time with you correctly configuring the saddle height, fore/aft position (using knee in relation to pedal position, not your forearm length) and handlebar height... if you are using a Star Trac Spinner (R) bike here is some specific info on the Bike setup Factsheet [pdf] and Bike Setup Video [link]

cadence ranges are built around the particular move you are doing on the bike, in the Spinning (R) programme the basic moves have the following cadence: flat road work seated, standing, jumps (done correctly) are taught at a cadence of 80-110 RPM; your climbs seated or standing are taught at a cadence of 60-80 RPM... of course there are times when you can work around the threshold of those e.g. getting used to a move like a standing flat, or a last surge/push to the top of a hill in a standing climb, but those ranges give a solid range to work from... you need to use your efficient pedal stroke and appropriate resistance to allow you to get/stay in those cadence ranges... a heart rate monitor properly calibrated can provide some good information when you use it together with a good perception of your exertion level

as has been said above, a lot of Indoor Cycling classes are taught that you go as fast as you can, usually resulting in people being over 110 RPM (and past 120 RPM which is not appropriate for an efficient pedal stroke)... you usually see bouncing in the saddle from the energy generated by the flywheel with legs going too fast and no / ultra low resistance on the bike... good instructors use phrases like: "don't let the bike ride you, stay in control you're riding the bike" 'bouncing' is usually fixed by adding some resistance and also becoming more aware of a smooth efficient pedal stroke, "even a flat road has some resistance"... but ensure you don't load a hill when you want a flat road...

you can do cadence checks by counting the number of times one of your legs passes top dead center (top of pedal stroke, 12 o'clock)... counting for 15 seconds should give you a guide... 15-20 count for 15sec equates to 60-80 RPM (for climbing) 20-27 count for 15sec equates to 80-110 RMP (for flats) - remember just because there is an upper cadence limit doesn't mean you are to be at it all the time - your resistance is there to work on intensity also...

be careful about only following the BPM of the music track... you have to know the instructor has worked on building a class profile and selecting music appropriate to cadence... it isn't all that common... if you're luck enough to have a instructor who does this then the music can be a guide and inspiration, but still be aware that different people can hear different rhythms even in the same song... if every track sounds like hard core techno at crazy BPM no matter what you're being instructed to do on the bike use your own cadence checks... or find a class/instructor who puts the effort into the prep / music selection

here's some links i posted before with resources that may help with some more background info, the first by Edmund Burke about the science behind the Spinning (R) Programme:

Spinning Program Science (Cycling Efficiency / Pedal Stroke) [PDF]

if you are every asked to do any movements in this don't, as you are a cyclist you need to keep the phrase "If I don't do it on my bike, don't do it in a class", none of the moves outlined here will be of any benefit, and could lead to injury...
'Keep it Safe' (Avoiding contraindicated movements) [PDF]

These are the basic movements used in the Spinning (R) programme: Core Movements [PDF]
Also you can check out one of the Master Instructors video's here with lots of examples of how to perform each one effectively...
Josh Taylor (Master Instructor) Video footage [LINK]

Stay hydrated during (and after) the class [PDF].

Stench Blossoms · 13-06-2012 12:22pm

Flywheel - Your post is good but might be a bit too much for the OP to take on board.

OP - How are you working out your calories? As Mellor said, your diet is far from low cal so you might be miscalculating your calories as well.

ferike1 · 13-06-2012 1:08pm

spacecookie555 wrote: »

The key is to eat several times a day cause your metabolism only works when you eat so the more little meals you eat the better,

Common misconception

Intermittant fasting says hi!

http://www.leangains.com

alexsmith · 13-06-2012 6:28pm

spacecookie555 wrote: »

You say your on a low cal diet, how low is it may I ask?? Cause if your not eating enough or frequently for that matter youre body can go into starvation mode and actually store extra fat!
The key is to eat several times a day cause your metabolism only works when you eat so the more little meals you eat the better, also with the amount of exercise youre doing you should be taking in at LEAST 1200cals a day.
Also try to eat slow burning foods such as wholewheat bread and porridge (keeps your metabolism going longer) I know they contain carbs but the length they take to burn more than makes up for that fact.
Fair play btw that amount of exercise takes some serious commitment!

youre wrong on the eating several times a day part.it doesnt matter if you eat twice or ten times.it all comes down to the thermic effect of food (TEF).protein has the highest,then carbohydrates,then fats.

also your diet is not low carbohydrate as another poster has said.

do NOT start slimfast it is a joke and will only make you crave more calories.by what ive read is that your metabolism is completely dead and you are in near starvation mode.1200 calories is very little.what age are you? height and weight etc.

higher protein,moderate fat,high fibre but low starchy carbohydrates will burn fat,you will be holding less water though.

i suggest bumping your calories to 1400kcal a day. but continue to excercise hard.45mins low intensity cardio first thing in the morning will almost guarantee fat loss 5x a week

p/c/f = protein/carbohydrate/fats macronutrient breakdown.

1400kcal =
170p = 680kcal.
80c = 320kcal.
45f = 405kcal.

who gave you your diet? with excess carbohydrates,stored fat is less likely to be used for energy

spacecookie555 · 13-06-2012 7:05pm

A lot of people disagree about the metabolism working only when you eat and its near impossible to find a definate answer on it. I know that it does work for me though, I was told it by my doctor thats why I believe it, theres also many articles and websites mentioning it such as

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-importance-of-eating-small-portions.html

But its so true I think what was said above that if you ask 10different people you would get 10 different answers. I dont know for definate if its true could be complete bs but I myself did lose about 2 n a half stone in 3months just by switching to this meal plan and swimming for an hour 3 times a week. I suppose if you find something that works for you stick with it!

Mellor · 14-06-2012 4:34am

spacecookie555 wrote: »

A lot of people disagree about the metabolism working only when you eat and its near impossible to find a definate answer on it. I know that it does work for me though, I was told it by my doctor thats why I believe it, theres also many articles and websites mentioning it such as

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-importance-of-eating-small-portions.html

But its so true I think what was said above that if you ask 10different people you would get 10 different answers. I dont know for definate if its true could be complete bs but I myself did lose about 2 n a half stone in 3months just by switching to this meal plan and swimming for an hour 3 times a week. I suppose if you find something that works for you stick with it!

You are a victim "false cause". You lost weight when eating frequently, but don't be fooled into thinking this is why you lost weight.

You lost weight by eating less calories than your burned. That's a must, and its universally agreed upon by everyone. That article is blurring the line between small portions (good) and eating often (irrelevant). But the important part is total calories not frequency. If some people large meals less often, its because they are eating too much in total from 3 large meals. Equally, some people may eat more by eating more often.

Your metabolism has to do the same work to digest the same food. No matter if its all at once, in 3 sittings or on 6. There are benefits to bother 3 and 6 meals, the best one is an individual thing, do what ever feel most comfortable.

I Can't Seem to Lose Weight, Please Help?

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