Hello there,

I have recently starting 30 day Shred with Jillian M, and have found that I am not losing any weight. I know that I am probably gaining muscle, which would be great if I were smaller. Let me explain.

So when I started with my weight loss in December 2012, I was 363 pounds. It is now August 2013 and I am down to 294. Which I am super excited about. I cant tell the difference all that much, but my clothes fit a bit better and my face is a lot smaller. I have an excellent work out buddy who is a whole lot smaller than I, and she recommended that we start the 30 day shred to lose inches along with our weight loss. Which sounded great, Only it is day 8, I have gone up and down (probably water retention I am sure) but I have not lost not one pound. I have been combining it with my normal cardio which is about 4 to 5 days a week for 30mins to 1 hour (We have been doing the shred even on our days off cardio). Before starting the Shred, I would lose anywhere from 1 to 4 pounds a week. Now that I do the Shred and Cardio (still eating my recommended calories 1630-1700), I am not losing anything.

I have been searching for a while to help lift my spirits but I am not finding any luck. I know that doing some sort of weight training is helpful in weight loss. It tones and adds muscle which burns fat, but come on! The fact that I am steady at 294 is pissing me off. I don't want to be a tone 294 pound woman. I want to lose weight and be tone! Could I just be doing too much strength training? I am creating the same deficit, yet no weight loss. What is happening?

I am at my wits end with this. I am frustrated and feeling like I should stick with the shred so I don't give up on my friend, and afterwards, stay away from weights for a while until I reach my first goal of 260. Which losing a whole month of weight loss is going to kill my time line. I have just been obese for so long and I am ready to just feel some what normal. I am so tired of always being the fattest person in the room where ever I go! I am getting married at the end of the year and I want to love what I see in my pictures. At this rate, I would rather not take pictures than be stuck with a life time of bad memories.

Any helpful advice anyone can give would be greatly appreciated! And if you are just going to be a jerk, spare me and don't post.

A new, strenuous workout that taxes your muscles can cause you to hold water. Are you measuring your inches with a tape measure? That might be a better measure of progress right now.

Another thing that may seem counter intuitive, is that you may need to up your calories. When I added exercise, I stalled myself out, but I upped my calories by 150 per day and it broke the stall.

There is no timeline in weight loss - at least not one we can control. I know how frustrating that is, but weight loss is almost never linear. YOU ARE MAKING PROGRESS, if you're truly eating within your calories and working out. Sometimes the scale just doesn't keep up. The exercise will increase your strength and up your metabolism, which is never a bad thing.

Been there...done that

Keep in mind a couple of things...weight loss in not linear and when you add in a high intensity workout, you WILL retain water at first as your muscles adjust to the new regimine. A workout such as 30DS, or any strength training for that matter, will create tiny tears in your muscles. Your body uses water to repair those muscles to make you stronger. That is why rest days are important. If you listen to Jillian's Podcast, she recommends 2 one one off, 2 on one off with workouts. Make sure you are getting your rest days!

Now...when you work out, make sure you drink extra water those days. Water helps rid your body of water weight. sound counter productive, but much when your body needs that extra water to repair muscles and finds it still has the same amount it used to, it is goign to retain out of fear it won't get enough. So, on exercise days, if you add a liter of water throughout the day, it will help.

After an intense workout, feed your muscles. A low calorie, low carb, high protein shake will do the trick. Or even 6-8 ounces of dairy, such as Greek yogurt. Personally, I am an EAS Carb AdvantEdge fan (vanilla only though...hate that chocolate!) Do that ideally RIGHT after a workout, but at least within the first 90 minutes post workout. Try to keep it between 100-150 calories if possible.

Now, check your BMR. I assume, since you know your caloric intake, you count calories...that is great! Don't however, go by the generic number all the websites and doctors give. Know your BMR, and check it often, as it changes with age, activity level, and weight.

Here's a BMR calculator my baratric doctor helped me create. So far, it works (unless I am on predisone, but that is a different beast!) You are more than welcome to use it, just don't alter any formulas!

Now...consider this...the average human gains 10-15 pounds a year if they don't exercise or watch what they eat. In reverse, if we DO watch what we eat and exercise, we can lose .5 to 2 pounds a week on average...that means we can lose MUCH more than we gain...and MUCH faster! In 8 months you have lost 69 pounds...I'd say you are due for a plateau. And remember, a plateau is your metabolism resting, much like a two year old has to nap, so it can be ready to rock and roll once more.

I've also found, that when I stall on the scale, I NEVER stall on the tape measure. Take that habit up now, if you haven't already, measuring every 2 to 4 weeks.

You got this, I know you do!

Exactly. It takes me about 6-8 weeks after starting intense exercise to see the scale go down again. I sometimes gain 1-2 lbs during that time and usually feel like my pants are a little more snug. It's worth it, though!

When I was 285 I started working out like a mad man. After 30 days I had not lost a single pound. The next month I lost 20 lbs.

Stick with it!

I agree wholeheartedly with what everyone else is saying about gaining the water weight while starting a weight training program (been there and done that too many times to count). So please do not give up the weights because of this temporary stall. Keep it up because your weight WILL start going down again. And it'll only get better from there because each pound of muscle you gain will burn off 3 times as many calories as a pound of fat, even if you're just sitting there doing nothing. Just keep at it and soon you will see the scale start dropping again, and usually a bit faster than before as your metabolism starts to speed up with the additional muscle you've put on.

Thank you so much to everyone who replied! I really appreciate each of you taking the time to give me advice/ encouragement! I am going to stick at it, stop weighing myself obsessively and just relax a bit. Thanks again, and I am sure my body thanks you even more!

I started with the 30-day shred almost two years ago. I did not loose any weight on it, but lost quite some inches. Water retention will mask what you loose for some time. Women also do not accumulate muscle that fast. Weight loss comes mostly through your diet. But once the fat starts melting, you will see what working out did to your body. JM is great. She knows how to tone a body. I could barely get through the warm-up in the beginning. Now I do full sit ups with heavy weights and single leg push ups without a problem. Just stick with it, ignore the scale and watch your body change.

I have started doing JM's 30 day shred. Its been 12 days. Instead of loosing I gained 4lb. I was so disappointed and on the verge of giving.

After seeing all of the above comments, I feel motivated.

Thank you so mach