Have you ever NOT had results from exercise? - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

LivingWater · 06-25-2006, 12:05 AM

I know I have to amp up the exercise, because I'm getting noweher with discplined eating.

My fear: Once I worked out like a crazy woman (hard and long) and ate EXTREMELY well for three months. I'm not kidding you. I lost only 12 pounds and eventually peaked and stopped losing altogether. I had a good 70 pounds to lose at the time. This was VERY discouraging. I don't want to go through this again. All the hard work with little results.

I think my thyroid may have been a factor back then, but I'm not certain.

Has anyone else gone through this? I'm really looking for positive, I did and it worked fine in the end stories.

Or even testimonies of how exercise has worked.

kaplods · 06-25-2006, 12:11 AM

You may be expecting too much from exercise, and from your body. I complained to my doctor that I was losing only 1 and occasionally 2 lbs a week even though I had made a complete turn around with diet and exercise. At 350 lbs, I should lose even more quickly than you, so I was kind of ticked off about it, and my doctor chastised me for wanting a miracle. He said that as long as the weight was coming off, I wasn't to be worrying about how fast it came off, because my body wasn't necessarily going to work on the schedule I wanted.

nelie · 06-25-2006, 10:33 AM

I will say yes, I've had similar experiences. You may need to tweak the type of exercise you are doing. Yor body does get efficient at exercise if you keep doing the same exercise. Try different forms of cardio? Try different weight training? Even try to change up your food plan a little?

Heather · 06-25-2006, 11:35 AM

I think the benefits of exercise go beyond weight loss. I have been doing cardio since sept and weights since january. I have lost weight, but I have gained stamina and energy. the other day I was able to rake my lawn for over an hour. NOT something my arms, back or legs could have handled a year ago. Wonder where I'll be next year?

Sure, weight loss is great, but think about all the OTHER reasons to exercise and it's easier to find the benefits. But you have to look at both kinds of results over the long term.

lucky · 06-25-2006, 11:49 AM

I've been through something similar on a couple of occasions. On the first, I had to finally admit to myself that I wasn't working as hard as I thought I was and, therefore, was not seeing the results I felt I deserved. The second occasion I had to admit that my work was paying off just not as fast as I felt I deserved. See the trend? LOL.

After a lot of thought I decided to stop having expectations of how my body should respond to the things I did. The fact of the matter was that exercise was improving my body...my heart was getting stronger, my moods were improved, muscles were developing, etc. But, those factors were conveniently ignored because MY focus was on the scale and losing weight. I knew I had to resign myself to the fact that my body is a complicated machine and it does what it does. I can push it along but I can't necessarily make it do what I want when I want.

Exercise isn't a waste of time. Sometimes, though, the key to proving it is tracking improvements other than your weight. If you can walk further now than when you started, if you can lift heavier now than you once did, if you can run faster than a month ago then great things are happening...even if the scale never moves. Obviously, most of us are here because we want to lose weight and it is one of our highest priorities (if not THE highest). But our bodies just want to be healthy. If we work towards good overall health the weight will take care of itself...just not necessarily on the schedule that WE set.

tchrnow · 06-26-2006, 08:23 AM

The most weight loss results I see is when my food choices are good. I have not seen any weight loss that I can specifically contribute to exercise. HOWEVER, like Wyllen, I have increased my stamina, energy, and ability to perform tasks for longer periods that I could have previously. Also, I have noticed a change in my body. I can feel definition and muscles, albeit, it is still under fat.

Keep exercising.
Lynne

dragonwoman64 · 06-26-2006, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucky

After a lot of thought I decided to stop having expectations of how my body should respond to the things I did. The fact of the matter was that exercise was improving my body...my heart was getting stronger, my moods were improved, muscles were developing, etc. But, those factors were conveniently ignored because MY focus was on the scale and losing weight. I knew I had to resign myself to the fact that my body is a complicated machine and it does what it does. I can push it along but I can't necessarily make it do what I want when I want......If we work towards good overall health the weight will take care of itself...just not necessarily on the schedule that WE set.

lots of good advice given here. I would totally agree with the above.

Goddess Jessica · 06-26-2006, 12:51 PM

I'm sorry to say that yes, I have NOT had results with exercise (at least the results you are seeking). Simply, I'm a strong, active girl but if I eat a whole carton of Ben & Jerry's after I run 5 miles, I'm still going to gain weight.

I know a lot of people (especially in the biking and tri community) that say, "Oh I train so I can eat whatever I want." Oh how I wish that were true for me! But I have come to terms that it's not. I can't eat whatever I want, not even if I run 5 miles.

However, exercise makes me a much healther eater. I want to eat well because I just exercised. It's a huge motivator for me. Also, you pay attention to how your body reacts to different foods. I notice which grains or proteins give me more energy and which seem to drag me down. That's an awesome feeling to know how food is working for you.

LivingWater · 06-27-2006, 09:33 PM

Thanks for your replies everyone. I know I'm not alone. I really should focus more on just health, it's just difficult when you know that healthy=skinny and you're not.

Jessica, you're right about the fact that some people get to eat whatever they want because they work out. I'm NOT one of those people.

I think my other issue is that I have to resign myself to the fact that I can't eat whatever I want, like some, there are foods I can't eat at all, etc... For some reason I have huge issues with being left out.

Thanks again, everyone, for helping me get refocused.