So I got three, one hour long personal trainer sessions. So I used the sessions in the past two weeks, along with exercising on my own. I worked out 3 times last week, for an hour or more. I worked out 4 times this week, same thing.

I have not been eating past 7 p.m. (because I'm an oversnacker if I do).
I have been eating all three meals, with smaller portions.

I've lost a pound. Why? Why, why, why?

Even if I ate the same, shouldn't I have lost same weight because of the sudden strength training I've been doing? I have been unbelievably sore everyday because I've only done cardio before.

What the heck is wrong with me?

It's probably water weight. Read this thread: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/weig...er-weight.html

I've been doing lots of strength training myself and the scale hasn't moved too much. I have lost inches however. The compliments from my bf and the comfort of once-too-small jeans make up for what the scale says. It's a long process, but I'm doing it right. Just keep on keepin' on!

I'd suggest that you try setting a daily calorie target and counting calories of the foods you eat. Pay attention to serving sizes and measure foods by ounces or some other measure, if you're not doing that already. You've got the right idea, but it's really easy to still be eating too much. The only way to know is to track your foods and see what the numbers say. FitDay is a good online tool for this.

Exercise doesn't burn that many calories. Don't let shows like Biggest Loser give you that idea. Those people work out hours and hours every day, and we never see much about what they are eating.

Good luck! Don't give up!

Jay

Well, I am certainly not an expert, but are you counting calories? I would start there and figure out how many calories you should be eating a day vs. what you are eating.

Also, about 6 years ago, I had a similar issue. My mom urged me to have my thyroid checked and it turns out I am hypothyroid. Have you had your thyroid checked recently?

Good luck!

J

Hey Metal Chick,

Maybe it is water weight. I hadn't thought of that. I also didn't mention I had been doing cardio for a few weeks before I started the trainer too. I also forget to mention that I feel sooo much stronger after these two weeks. I work on the third floor of an elevatorless office building and I went from gasping when I got to the office to breathing just slightly heavier than a normal level. Pretty cool, huh?

I've thought before that I might be hypothyroid. I am always chilly when everyone else is warm, or feeling fine. But I don't quite have too many other symptoms. How would getting diagnosed help with the weight loss process? Can I not lose weight at all if I have it?

Hey...i just want to let you know my experience. I totally believe in weight trainng while losing weight. Keeps everything nice and toned. However, I think we see less loss and more replacement. For example, i hit my goal for 170.? in September. Then...I let myself go a little, climbed back up to 180 in October. Then relost the 10lbs I had been working on before September and another 5 more. Net loss =5 lbs. But if you look at my pictures "Too sexy for my clothes" in minigoal photo album...you will see I RESHAPED my body. I also lost 4 inches off my abdomen at the navel which is where I really wanted to see progress. So the scale can not give you the TOTAL picture. I would find other ways NOW (like measurements or clothes you want to get into) to show your progress since you know you weight tends to drop slowly..or you might get discouraged and give up. Before I really caught onto this I would get so discouraged and give up time after time.

Well, if you are hypothyroid, it makes it much harder to lose weight because your metabolism slows way down. Once you get on a thyroid medicine, your thyroid hormone levels will even out and you should be able to lose weight. Being cold is a classic thyroid symptom. I have some symptoms (hair loss, being cold), but not all of them.

It might not hurt to get it checked; it is a simple blood test.

Cheers,

J

If you're sore, that means your muscles are repairing small microtears. They're swollen. I am always, always up a little when my muscles are sore, and if you're up 2-3 lbs, which I can be easily, it'll mask any weight loss progress.

Keep it up, drink lots of water, and as you get stronger, the swelling will go down, and the water retention will lessen.

Any change in your exercise schedule can cause a 1-2 week stall...just so your body can adjust. But then you get rewarded with a "whoosh" afterward.

VERY COOL! See? You're doing great!

I also love how much stronger I'm feeling. My endurance and balance are improving too. Maybe you'll want to take your measurements and/or pictures instead of just listening to what the scale is telling you. Scales are notorious jerks.

I've gotten into the habit of looking at myself nude in the mirror once in a while, just taking a minute to admire the definition I'm chiseling out for myself. That may sound weird, but it makes me feel good to see the bones and muscles showing up where they weren't before. At first I hated it because all I could see were the flaws (of course!) but then I started to see how awesome my shoulders were looking, then my arms, then legs. Now I'm even seeing improvement in my stomach!

It will happen for you too. I wish you the strength to not give up before the miracle happens.

jendiet- that is a good point. I should measure myself once a week. Maybe just stash the tape in my gym bag so I remember when I am there for my Monday afternoon workout. I can't wait for my body to "reshape" itself like yours has. It is going to be so rewarding.

jrmohr- I might be getting a job WITH health insurance (!!!) in February. I have it now, but it stinks and I just had to pay 455 dollars for one gyn. appointment. So I am going to get my other doctor appointments in. I know they did a bunch of blood work at the gyn. office, they should have just thrown a thyroid one in there. haha. I really hope I don't have it though. I'm already trying hard enough without another obstacle in my path.

Manda- Thanks for the info. I didn't know we get microtears in our muscles from strength training.

MetalChick- hopefully I start to see the changes soon. I just started the strength training and hopefully it will be one of the keys to my success.

Do you know how many calories you're consuming?? Because that is the bottom line. A popular theory is that weight loss is 80% diet and a mere 20% exercise. Exercise can only burn so many calories. If we were to *just* incorporate exercise into our lives and not adhere to a calorie budget, the deficit most likely would not be enough to show up for many, many weeks. Unless of course we started adding in daily marathon runs. It takes a 3500 calorie deficit to lose a pound (appox) and strength training doesn't burn all that much, especially in the short run.

Also, some people find that they work out for an hour, then do less for the rest of the day. So you might burn more for a short period of time, but less overall. As a couple have already said, count calories just to make sure your calories are under control.

In your opinion, how many calories should I be consuming in a day?

First, track your calories for a week w/out altering your eating habits, just eat like you normally would. This is important. You can figure out a rough idea of your metabolism.

If you are taking in 1800. And you are not gaining, but not losing..drop to 1600, see if you gain or lose. Also find a good calculator for the activity you do above your normal activity. Basically, that is the science of calorie counting. IN vs. OUT. you want out higher.

I'm sure others have good ideas too.