help needed!!

eclectichoney

I'm 5 7", female and weigh just over 9 stone, so am not overweight (dont think so anyway!!) and want to lose about half a stone or so. for the last 10 days i have been comsuming about 1200 calories a day, and i've been to the gym about 4 times, each time burning about 400 calories (i know the calories counters on gym machines are prob not accurate but its just a guide). i generally do about 25 minutes on the climber/step machine, 10 minutes on the rowing machine, and 25 minutes on the bike, followed by some weights.

however, so far i havent lost a pound!! may have even out on a half a pound...i cant understand this and its very frustrating. iv cut out the white bread and alcohol and eat mainly lean mince, chicken, tuna, baked potatoes, beans, that kind of thing.

very frustrating....any advice...., i cant understand it!

is_that_so

No doubt the experts will figure it out for you. I was told in my gym that it took up to three weeks to see any effect. Not sure why exactly, but they were right.

Shrimp

Ok, well, where's the "fat" which you mainly want to burn off?

eclectichoney

well its just losing weight in general really, not any specific area, like i say not overweight, but can't seem to shift that last half stone...

LegacyUser

I lost 5.5 stone .. by eating 5 rivita a day .. and only meat and fresh veg for dinner and tea. I lost 3 stone myself and went to sureslim for the final 2.5 stone. Used to jog about 5km every 2 days along with rowing machine and also stepper. Sounds like what you are doing is absolutely fine .. but make sure you don't eat too many potatoes.

I lost a whopping 8 pounds the first week ..(probably fluid) and after that it was kinda steady ..1 -2 pounds. Give it a chance though and don't over do it.
They also say that you shouldn't go to the gym more than 3 times a week. Be sure that you don't start to build muscle. If I were you I'd get a fitness checkout at the gym, and tell them you want a fat burning programme.

(They'll put you on the threadmill for half an hour and it will all fall off)

I would recommend getting a tub of multi-vitamins .. take one a day, just in case you're missing out on anything NB.

Best of luck

B

BTW - drink 2 litres of water a day. Its important. It is actually what your body needs to process properly. It reall helps weight loss.

Shrimp

Go to the sauna.. and spend ages in there.. till you have to leave.. then rest and go back.. the sweat you loose is emense.. but make sure to drink loads..

trotter_inc

is_that_so wrote:

I was told in my gym that it took up to three weeks to see any effect. Not sure why exactly, but they were right.

Yeah - this would be about the same for me - the weight just doesnt fall off straight after you do your work out. When I train hard it takes about 3/4 weeks before I can see any effects... so be patient and train hard... it'll be worth it in the end

trotter_inc

bubby wrote:

BTW - drink 2 litres of water a day. Its important. It is actually what your body needs to process properly. It reall helps weight loss.

Try drink more than 2 litres if you can, 2 litres isnt a whole lot.

Gossip_girl

It's also important to eat loads of fruit and veg. Boring I know but it does work. I lost 15lbs in four weeks by just eating a little healthier. I went from 90lbs to 75lbs in four weeks without making much extra effort except for a minor dietrey alteration. Good luck to you and I'm sure you'll do great cause you sound commited.

eclectichoney

thanks guys, i'll keep it up and hopefully see some results soon. gossip girl, surely 75lbs isn't a healthy weight...it's only just over 5 stone? that can't be healthy??

Chucky the tree

training wise best time to train in first thing in the morning, dont eat anything before aswell ,just drink water. Obviously this might not be plausable.

Jak

Go by the mirror and not by the scales. Weight or lack of it is utterly irrelevant if you don't like what you see. If you are keen to watch the change though ensure things are consistent when weighing. Use the same scales, weigh at the same time in the same clothes, be aware of food/liquids etc. If you weighed yourself in the evening in the gym in your kit, having drank two litres of water and eaten you will likely be heavier than weighing yourself in the morning after a shower.

Just stick with it and keep a balanced diet and you will be fine.

Don't get stressed about time of training either, one can adapt to train efficiently at any hour, though generally the optimal time would actually be after midday for most. Do not avoid eating prior to training.

JAK

AlisonB

eclectichoney wrote:

thanks guys, i'll keep it up and hopefully see some results soon. gossip girl, surely 75lbs isn't a healthy weight...it's only just over 5 stone? that can't be healthy??

eh no that doesnt sounds right at all..

Transform

Shrimp are you for real!! Your advice is complete bo%$^£ox most of the time - sit in a sauna etc Also, most people become aerobic freaks when it comes to dropping some body fat i.e. doing excessive amounts, and then doing 10mins of weights, abs and stretching thinking this is best!!
Focus on healthy foods and smaller portions - women have it harder on this front as most portions need to be cut for women e.g. when you eat with a male in a restaurant they will give you the same sized portion as a man which then amazingly some women eat in its entirety. Very very very silly - just because its on the plate does not mean you have to clear it.
Put in a good weights program covering all the major muscle groups, do 30-40mins of aerobic exercise at a medium intensity, stretch well after and most of all BE PATIENT

irlirishkev

eclectichoney - You don't mention alcohol.. Are you drinking much? Even cutting down a little bit on alcohol can do a lot.

Keep doing what you're doing, and keep the food portions small. Try and avoid large meals during the day. Smaller meals spread throughout the day will up your metabolism and help you burn off the extra fat.

One more thing to remember, those last few pounds are always the hardest to lose, so don't be disheartened, keep at it

Kev.

seamus

irlirishkev wrote:

Keep doing what you're doing, and keep the food portions small. Try and avoid large meals during the day. Smaller meals spread throughout the day will up your metabolism and help you burn off the extra fat.

One more thing to remember, those last few pounds are always the hardest to lose, so don't be disheartened, keep at it

Kev.

Indeed. Watch what you eat too. You will still need a balanced diet, even if you are eating less. See our bodies aren't that easily fooled. We get fat for a reason - so that we have some reserve storage when food is scarce.
When food intake drops drastically, your body implements its emergency plan and enters starvation mode (or whatever it's called). This mode is designed to optimise the use of any energy gained through food, and minimise the use of body fat for energy (or optimise *how* it uses your body fat for energy, thereby burning less). This will slow down any weight loss, and results in periods of instability where you lose little weight, or can even gain it, despite having eaten very little. Eventually you will lose the weight, and quickly, but not until you've endured a few weeks of painful starvation, and a growing lethargy.

A balanced diet (i.e. still maintaining a certain intake of carbs *and* saturated fats, along with the usual nutrients) ensures that your body never enters this mode, and you lose weight heathily. On top of that, starvation mode can account for many people's experience of "Putting it all back on and more", where people complain of quickly regaining all of the weight they lost. This is caused by slipping back into your old eating habits, while your body has become super-efficient at processing fat and carbohydrates. From it's perspective, all its Christmases have come at once. From your perspective, you'd swear you were eating blocks of lard.

What Jak says about going by the mirror and not the scales is dead on. How heavy you should be, should be a function of how you'd like to look, and not what some mathematical formula determines you should weigh. OT: I bought a digital scales this week, and the difference that intake makes is staggering. I weighed almost 2 kilos heavier immediately after dinner (and a pint of water and a cup of tea), and half a kilo lighter, two hours later. Goes to show that obsessive and/or inconsistent weighing of one's self can be more harmful to your determination than not.

eclectichoney

thanks guys, lost a couple of pounds so im keeping at it:) by the by kev, iv cut out the alcohol completely since jan 1st (tough but worth it i feel), so fingers crossed .

irlirishkev

eclectichoney wrote:

iv cut out the alcohol completely since jan 1st (tough but worth it i feel), so fingers crossed .

Nice one. That just screams dertimined.
Keep us posted on how you get on!

Kev.