Hi,
I gained 10 lbs a couple months ago, and I have been working out in the past 2 weeks in attempt to lose it. I do 1-1&1/2 hr of running every morning and 2 more hr of cardio (biking/stepper) later in the day. I do this for 5 days per week for two weeks now and I have been watching my eating as well, 1200-1500 calories everyday. I lost only about 3 lbs which could be just water weight. In the past 2 days, I didnt exercise but ate around 2000 calories
for 2 days, and the 3 lbs that i lost came back again, so I'm now back to the original weight.I'm really frustrated and disappointed b/c I worked so hard but in the end went back to original weight.
Why is losing weight so hard??

(i run a lot b/c i was a former XC runner in highschool)

Hi!

Maybe you should post your starting and goal weights, and your height. Depending on what you weigh now, someone here can give you an idea of how much you should be eating. It didn't go on overnight, it won't come off that quickly either. But stick around, it gets easier with the right motivation and support, both of which you'll find here

It will always be easier to gain than to lose, especially for someone who is overweight or obese. That's because to gain all we have to do is sit back, relax, and eat. And, there is no upper limit on how many calories we can consume in a day.

To lose, we have to exercise or do some form of physical effort. We have to fit that into our day's schedule. We have to think about foods to eat and foods to avoid. And, there IS a lower limit on how many calories we can consume in a day and be healthy.

Overweight or obese people have gotten used to overeating. I don't mean that we are stuffing our faces all the time--I mean that we eat more calories than we burn, for whatever reason. So, it does take effort to change one's habits.

Losing weight is not about limitless choices! Gaining weight has no restrictions!

So--that's the fact of the matter. Easy to gain 10 pounds in a month, hard to lose 10 pounds in even two months for some.

Don't give up. That is all.

Jay

Hello!

Just a couple of thoughts. I've noticed that when I run 60-90 minutes (ie while training for half-marathons), weight loss doesn't happen. My body fat % increases a bit and my lean mass decreases a bit. I think some other runners here at 3FC have had similar experiences. Steady state cardio (especially if you can carry on a conversation while you do it) might not be the ticket for all of us. How long have you been running these distances?

I'd encourage you to try running intervals, hills, fartleks, try some HIIT. 20 minutes of intervals might bring better results than an hour of steady state.

Depending on your current weight, age, body composition, recent exercise base, and types of foods that you eat, it might take some time to see some results.

That's a lot of steady state cardio.

Take a look at Rachel Cosgrove's story:
http://figureathlete.tmuscle.com/fre..._cardio_coffin

it sounds as if you are not eating enough for all that working out you are doing. say if you eat about 1200 calroies a day but you've burned like 700-800 then you've really only taken in around 400-500 calories, and your body thinks its starving itself.

I agree with midwife on eveything!