[josanne]

Hey I'm Jo,

I'm 24 and a full time student. Since 2nd January (I couldn't count the 1st as i was still up and going with the food and drink until the early hours) I have been going to the gym regularly 2-3 times a week and recently I'm there every day except Wednesdays doing classes or swimming, and all I've managed to lose is 6lbs. I don't eat like a normal student I cook all my meals from scratch and love meals like casseroles that I can cook on a budget. I just cant lose any more weight and im struggling to think of other things to try.

Any suggestions would be great.

Jo x

[CooCooCaChoo]

Hi and Welcome! Congrats on the efforts you are making! Sounds like you are committed and that's a great first step. You might want to evaluate what you are consuming. I never considered myself an over eater. I never binged on junk food. When I started counting calories I was so disturbed with how many calories I was consuming every day. I'm not saying calorie counting is the diet you should follow, but it will at least give you a grasp on what you are doing. This is the only diet I've stuck to for this long, and I love that I can still eat all the same things (mostly). I just need to limit what I consume. Good luck!

[firegirl441]

Welcome! Glad you found us here. I have found this is a great place for motivation, education and others going through the same struggles as you. I contribute my success to exercising at least three days a week and drinking 1/2 of my body weight in water daily up to 100 ounces max. There are the nicest people here who are more than happy to share their journey with you and offer advice too.

I look forward to following your journey and watching your success unfold before our very eyes.

Blessings, Firegirl

[Donna34747]

Welcome!
I agree with coocoocachoo. You might want to log in what you eat in one of the tracker programs (I use my fitness pal) for a few weeks just to get an idea of how much fuel you're putting in vs how much fuel you're using. Being that you do your own cooking you can just put in the recipe and how many servings you get out of it and the program will do all the math for you.
Good luck on your journey!

[Pattience]

Originally Posted by josanne

Hey I'm Jo,

I'm 24 and a full time student. Since 2nd January (I couldn't count the 1st as i was still up and going with the food and drink until the early hours) I have been going to the gym regularly 2-3 times a week and recently I'm there every day except Wednesdays doing classes or swimming, and all I've managed to lose is 6lbs. I don't eat like a normal student I cook all my meals from scratch and love meals like casseroles that I can cook on a budget. I just cant lose any more weight and im struggling to think of other things to try.

Any suggestions would be great.

Jo x

They are right. weightloss is 80% diet and 20% fitness or at least that's the ratio that is often touted as a good approach. From having tried various approaches i would agree that this is probably the most sustainable approach.

So do as they say, keep a food diary. I think its worth while actually knowing what you eat and being able to look back on it, not just monitoring as you go, although that's useful too.

I use my fitness pal though there are apps that seem to make it easier.

Its great you are doing your own cooking. I mean its brilliant as most overweight people seem to get that way from junk food, myself especially included.

Another thought is that you have to remember that muscle weighs more than fat so you are probably burning fat and building muscle - which is a good thing.

If you do not monitor what you eat, you may find you are just eating more to compensate for the extra energy you are burning at the gym.