I'll try not to make this a novel. Basically I'm struggling to lose even though I'm doing everything right. I eat 1300 calories per day, drink 120 - 168 oz of water every day, and I'm in the gym for an hour a day (at least!) four times per week. I went to the doctor to see if there was something else going on and he said, "You are building muscle and it weighs more than fat." Frankly, I don't buy it. I'm not weight training, I'm doing mostly aerobics type things. I'm going back to see him on Thursday and I want to go armed with articles that debunk the muscle/fat thing or at least explain how long it would take for me to gain muscle weight. I mean, it's only been 4 months. How much muscle weight could I have gained in 4 months? Not enough to weigh what I do, I think.

So can anyone help?

Thanks,
Sara

First, what do you mean by "struggling to lose?" How much exactly have you lost? Are you losing, say, a pound a week? Second, what's your height and current weight?

Muscle DOES weight more than fat -- a certain volume of muscle (i.e., a cubic inch) will weigh more than the same volume of fat. The flip side of that is that a given weight of muscle (i.e., a pound) will take up less room than the same weight of muscle. This is why it's important to track your measurements and/or body fat % as well as weight, because, yes -- even a beginning exerciser will gain muscle, even through just cardio. You are right that it may not be a huge factor and the effect tapers off after the first few weeks, but it's not total bunk, either.

More importantly, depending on your current weight, and given your activity level, you may not be eating enough calories. If you don't eat enough to sustain your resting metabolism and activity, your body can start to work hard to PRESERVE fat stores rather than burning them. You might check out http://www.jimkaras.com/loss_math01.cfm to see if your calorie intake is in line with your actual needs.

I still have about 60 to go. I've been at this for a year and a half and it's only been in the past four months or so that it's been a struggle. And by struggle I mean I'm doing everything right and yet only dropping a quarter of a pound or even gaining sometimes. I'm 28 years old so it's not age related. I still have 60 lbs to go so it's not because I'm getting close to goal. I'm very, very frustrated. The program I am on does not allow me to move my target calories around. They set my calories at 1300 using three different calculations and they preach consistancy. The program was developed by the University of Pennsylvania so it isn't some wacko fly by night thing. I'm just so frustrated right now. I swear all I have done today is eat because of my frustration.

Can you shake things up at all? Maybe alter your ratio of carbs to protein for a couple weeks? Substitute some healthy fats, or maybe go veggie for a week? On the exercise front, maybe add some strength training to your program, or do some intervals in cardio? Sometimes just a change will restart progress.

The other thing I can think is to make sure you are continuing to pay attention to portion sizes and bites and nibbles. I get a bad case of portion creep if I'm not careful, and I weigh and measure almost everything to combat that. Day 1 my cereal is one cup, day 2 it's 1.1 c, and by day 10 I'm eating 2 whole portions and counting one, if I don't measure.

Good luck,

Anne

I saw the doc today and he really feels I'm fighting against my Depo Provera. Luckily for me I'm due for a shot this month and I plan to switch bc now. Finally an answer. Shew!