Hello I'm almost done with my first week of Chalene extreme and my weigh in's have been incredibly inconsistent. I've been consistently losing two pounds every week up until this program. I'm hoping that I haven't stalled and it's just the new workout routine. I do diet and don't ever go over 1200 calories and my sodium is low. I drink a gallon to a gallon and half of water every day and I do 30 min hard core cardio mon-thur and 1 hour 3 mile walks with 40 flights of stairs (intervals and skipping a stair at a time) 7 days a week. So is it safe to say I'm retaining from doing weights? This is the first time I've incorporates them since I began almost 10 months ago.

My weight is fluctuating and I haven't gained overall, but some days I do go up. I have lost a pound overall this week, but I'm bouncing around between 1-2 pounds. I just don't understand why I'm not losing if I'm burning more calories than before.

I do feel soreness in my legs and arms and my legs do feel and look like they're swollen, but is this really because of only 5 days of the video? Will the weight start to come off again? Does everyone stop losing weight when they start weight training?

Everyone else gain the first week or so? Am I having a freaking over nothing? Is this actually normal or am I just making excuses? Any help and input is appreciated as I am having a serious meltdown!

Wow. Nice weightloss. I just wanted to point that out first. It appears you have already accomplished a lot! You are also getting pretty close to your goal.

Its really hard not to gauge success based upon the scale weight. Unfortunately, the scale doesn't always show us the whole picture and these little fluctuations up and down can make us crazy because we want it to reflect all the hard efforts we are putting into our day.

You may be retaining water from the new workouts. It's possible. I'm usually up a pound or pound and half after a new strength routine.

I would take tape measurements as another guideline. Or use an item of clothing to more accurately gauge the changes. Eventually the scale catches up and reveals the bigger picture but it will be an up and down fluctuation in the process. Usually, I like to give new programs about four to six weeks of consistent effort before I evaluate the results. There are just so many variables that can fluctuate daily...sodium content of food, monthly hormonal fluctuations and the retention of water as you adapt to new strength training programs.

Hang in there. It's obvious you already know what you are doing. These last few pounds are tough and present themselves with their own unique challenges.

Hmm. I don't know Chalene Extreme, but I can tell you from experience that my weight usually bounces up at least 1 pound and often 2 the day or two after a good weight-lifting session. Often, the amount of soreness reflects how much water I retain in my muscles from the inflammation, and it's that water retention that causes the scale to go up. I will also gain more weight after "leg day" than "arm day," probably because those muscles are bigger. So, I think it's safe to say that you are retaining from using weights :>)

I know you didn't ask for my opinion on this point, but for the record, gaining muscle mass will be virtually impossible on 1200 cal/day plus 60-90 min. of cardio 7 days per week. This doesn't mean you won't get any stronger, but if your purpose with weight training is to get "more toned" (that is, build some muscle mass), you are much better off decreasing your cardio or alternating weight training and cardio days, and try to eat 90-100 grams of protein on weight-training days (note, since protein is 4 cal/gm, this is not actually easy to do on 1200 cal/day unless you go seriously low-carb). Many women who weight-train find that they can eat 2-3 hundred extra calories on weight-training days - to get in that protein and build some muscle- and still lose weight very well. Just a suggestion.

I'm still fluctuating, up a 1.5 down a pound. I'm still down over all but not as much as I think I should be.
I really hope that the scale catches up! I went and tried on clothing this weekend since I don't have anything in my size right now (refuse to buy until I'm at goal) and I will go back and try them on in a month to see if anything changed. I am using my measuring tape as well, I just don't have the confidence that this will actual work. Since losing so much weight I do have a lot of jiggle and flab but I can see the muscle hiding under there. My legs and stomach jiggle a lot, especially my legs. I do have some loose skin but not as much as I thought. Sometimes I'm scared I have 20lbs of extra skin and that I'm not going to lose another pound, but I know that can't be true. Lydia and Neurodoc - did you guys experience jiggle, like a handful in your legs? It doesnt seem like you did in your pictures! THanks again for your kind words and help!

Lydia227- Thank you for your kind words on my weight loss! It still is new to me and I'm hoping that I'll stop seeing myself as my former self when I look in the mirror. Who knew that would happen?
I figured there were many factors that could contribute to my weight fluctuating, however, I know it's not what I've been eating. I know this because I eat the same exact thing everyday for each meal and I eat the same amount (weigh and measure everything). I only eat the same thing for about 2-3 months at a time. I get really into certain foods that are nutritious, filling and are totally fresh. Are you still trying to get to 120? How has it been for you? How strict with diet and exercise have you been since trying to get there?


Neurodoc- Thank you for the advice on the protein. I've recently started weight lifting and read that I do need to up my protein. I thought I was getting enough by the weighing it, but I didn't realize that the weight of the actual protein doesn't mean I'm actually getting that much protein in grams.
Could you explain how much I'm supposed to be eating? I'm eating about 3-5 oz of turkey breast/salmon/eggs a day. I also eat cottage cheese, fruit and veggies (all fresh) and some almonds. Nothing else really. Is this not enough to full my body with my new weight lifting?

Not really. I set the scale weight goal when I joined the forum. I thought that for my height, that would be a good number to end my weightloss journey. During the past four years my goals are more composition related than scale related. I"m at 21% body fat. I fluctuate between 20 and 21. I think I may have even dipped into 19% when I was getting up a 4:30am to workout and road cycling once a week with a group for two hours and taking Ashtanga yoga classes twice a week in the evenings. I was pretty tired...(mostly because of the 4:30am alarm) and I was really lean. Loved the look. I also came into that with a lot muscle hypertrophy from the lifting I had down the year and half prior. I weighed in about 124.

During that year my periods got really light and I thought that it was just age related. Now I suspect that I was getting a little to low in bodyfat and overtraining. I have since scaled back: relocation to new city and a lot of demands that require my attention away from training. Guess what...normal periods again. So with that experience my goals are more fitness related than scale related. Yeah, I'm interested in leaning out a little, but I'm more interested in which direction my bodycomp is going. Just under 130/129 with 20% BF is actually a good look for me and I rely upon visual cues as well to determine where I need to be.

Is there some jiggle? Well, sure. We're women. The area of the "jiggle" is going to be dependent upon which area we store bodyfat. I'm a pear, got a nice lean upperbody. Bottom half? I'm always a work in progress. If my knees could hand it , EVERYDAY would be LEG DAY.

There is no perfect body. Really. The best we can do is embrace what we have and treat and love it for all that it offers to us.

There are times when I get feel frustrated and that my efforts are not enough. But when I look at the bigger picture I just am in awe of what I've put my body through and how kindly it responded when I took the time to care for it.

Good luck!

On protein requirements: opinions vary widely, both in the nutrition community and the fitness community, about how much protein is enough. I've read enough of the primary nutritional research to think that for otherwise healthy lifters, erring on the side of "too much" is better than erring on the side of "not enough."

So, how much is enough? Unless I'm trying to cut fat, I shoot for 1.5 g protein per pound of lean body mass. If you don't know your lean body mass (total weight - fat weight), 1 g protein per pound of total weight will be close enough. Seven ounces of chicken breast, roughly one large breast, has about 60 g. of protein. A half-cup serving of cottage cheese is about 15 g., depending on the brand. Nuts do have protein, but you get a lot of fat and carbs, too.

Oh, and you didn't ask this question, but there's no need to fuss about combining different sources of protein, or worry about whether you're getting a complete protein with all the right balance of amino acids, or care whether you're eating protein at the right time of day relative to your bedtime or your workouts. That level of detail only matters if (a) you're a super-elite fitness athlete or (b) you are a supplement company that is trying to sell products. (Another unasked-for tip: there's nothing magical about protein powder. It's convenient and good for traveling, but "real" food is tastier and provides greater satiety.)

//b. strong
Kim