[JustForUs]

I have a question I guess, I lost 9 lbs in my first week, then I slacked and gained it back well most of it. And Now Im stuck at 216 I work out at least 3-4 days a week, Im not eating bad, and Im also drinking a ton of water!!!!!! Why wont I lose?? Im getting 30 mins cardio plus 300 crunches and weight training! What is goin on???!!!! I am PMSing right now, and extremly bloated, could that be it??? Im at a lose right now. I feel like I have been working out for a month and have NOTHING to show for it!!

[WastedThermos]

In my opinion, the pms is definitely the problem. I honestly gain 5-7lbs that week and it sucks because I'm already grumpy.
Stay away from sodium, keep up your working out and eating right and don't weigh until its over!

[babybee3184]

Yeah, it definitely is the PMS. Don't get discouraged. I only weigh myself once a month. I try not to fret about the scale too much. even if your body stays the same weight, it doesn't mean other changes aren't taking place. i.e. muscle gain = more than fat, loss of inches, etc. Its normal for weight to fluctuate. Esp. during PMS AND at certain times of the day. You're doing great. Keep up everything. And I would make sure you're eating constantly throughout the day. Split calories into little mini meals. As long as you constantly eat, you're constantly burnign cals. :]

[*lei*lei*]

aww it is defintatly the pms, as someone else said stay away from alty foods, keep up the water intake an keep up the excercise, if you have been good but still get a gain wait until next week to get a true reading.

what theydo at my meeting with people who gain alot during TOTM is to have a look at the results over a month (although you still weigh every week) that gives a true result.

good luck

[jenne1017]

I would use FitDay and see how much your eating -- it could be caloric intake coupled with PMS. I know when I used to (URGH!!! need to get to the gym) work out, I'd eat more (not even typical bad stuff either) thinking I was working out and it would come off.

WRONG!

[gray eyed girl]

I have to agree that PMS plays a big part. I have paid attention to it for the past 2 months and I gained 5-ish pounds during that TOM both months.

I also wonder if it's possible that you're underestimating your calories? I don't know if you keep track or not, so maybe I'm completely off base. I know that before I started tracking it carefully, I was underestimating - by about 600-800 calories a day! - how much I was eating.

[JustForUs]

Oh I write every little thing down to hte T. I even over estimate sometimes just to make sure. Some days Im at 1300 or even 900, Im just bloated and dont want to eat anytihng !! I felt sooo skinny 2 weeks ago, now Im like whats the damn point of working out?? ARG! just a bad tuesday/week I guess. I did just give in to my second coffe with CREAM <vanilla/caramel> YUMMY! But bad bad bad.

[jennie934]

If you are working out all the time and eating only 1300 calories or less, you body probably won't let you lose much weight. It goes in to starvation mode and basically slows your metabolism so much that it won't burn any more fat. Its a good idea to get between 1300-1500 to lose and try not to let it dip below 1200 for more than a day so that your body furnace will keep burning that fat.
But, I'm sure TOM has a lot to do with it as well.

[Lizzyg]

Originally Posted by jennie934

If you are working out all the time and eating only 1300 calories or less, you body probably won't let you lose much weight. It goes in to starvation mode and basically slows your metabolism so much that it won't burn any more fat. Its a good idea to get between 1300-1500 to lose and try not to let it dip below 1200 for more than a day so that your body furnace will keep burning that fat.
But, I'm sure TOM has a lot to do with it as well.

yeah that thats exactly what I was thinking.


~Liz

[aphil]

Originally Posted by JustForUs

Oh I write every little thing down to hte T. I even over estimate sometimes just to make sure. Some days Im at 1300 or even 900

900 calories a day is eating if you are a 4 year old child. I posted on the other thread that you listed here, you need to up your calorie content, and pronto. Your metabolism is slowing down to conserve calories, because it thinks you are starving. (and it is correct!) At your current weight and with you exercising, you should be eating about double that (1800) a day for weight loss. Never go below 1200 calories a day for any given time.

[paperclippy]

One more thing to add . . . You said you do 300 crunches each time, so I just wanted to point out that if you are doing that many, you probably aren't doing them quite right. Your abs are like any other muscle -- you wouldn't do 300 bicep curls, right? I recommend the book Fitness for Dummies, which has some info about crunches. Basically, you need to make sure you are actually using your abs to lift your shoulders off the floor, not just pulling your head with your hands (which can strain your neck). Also, you probably want to do them a little slower, and hold in the crunch position for a few seconds before you lower back down.

Also, if doing them on the floor is too easy for you, there are some other options: first, you can do them on an inclined bench, so that your feet are higher than your head. This really increases the resistance and is my favorite. Also, you can hold a weight in your hands, above yourself, while you crunch, which also adds resistance (but I would worry about dropping the weight on my head!). Anyway, I love the incline. I could do at least 50 crunches on the floor, but I can only do 20 or so on the incline which is just right.

BTW, I'm no expert, but you knew that already. Good luck!

[aphil]

I agree, if you are doing them CORRECTLY you will fatigue well before 300. They should not be fast, think 2 or 3 seconds up, and 2 or 3 seconds down. Make sure you are doing them right as stated above-using the abs and not momentum, or the head and neck. To help with this, keep your elbows out to the side, not crunched in with your elbows pointing at your knees (too easy to pull the head) and keep a space between your chin and chest. Do not pull your chin down to the chest, keep a space large enough there that you could cradle an orange.
I also find it helpful if you think differently while you do them, instead of crunching in towards your body, look UP at the ceiling keeping the elbows open and the neck space there-lift UP and not IN. Lift up by tightening the tummy. It shoulf feel like the abs are tightening and leading the movement, not the head leading the movement and the abs assisting.

[JustForUs]

Im doing them on the ball. So Im told my fitness instrctor that I am doing them right.
I weighed in today, and Im down 2 lbs!! whoohoo must have been PMSing really bad. And I even broke downa nd had a margerita on saturday and a caramello yesterday... bad bad...