#213
Maureen L
Registered User




Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Oregon
Posts: 3

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi girls,
If anyone can give me some encouraging words I would really be grateful.

I need to lose 25-30 lbs. by March as my son is getting married, and I thought I could do it easily.So much for thought!!

However in the last 3 weeks I have only lost 1 lb. I am getting really discouraged.
At this rate I am only going to lose about 5 lbs.

I started Jillians suggestion of a 40-30-30- balanced oxidizer weight loss plan. I got the "Formula 40-30-30" diet plan and have been faithfully following it.
Before that I was eating lower calories. I've read that I need to increase my calories. So for the past 2 weeks I increased my calories to a little over 1400 calories. ( I'm not used to eating that much food on a diet) I didn't lose anything...maybe 1/2 lb. but that's about it.

I joined the gym 2 and 1/2 weeks ago also and I talked to the trainer and he took my weight and measurements and told me I should be eating over 1500 calories just for my body to function ( I am 5'4 and weigh 164 and am 52 yrs. old) and that any weight I lose would be from my exersizing.

Well, I have been doing the circuit of weight lifting for3 days a week about 1 hr each time. plus I usually do 1 hr. of cardio 5 x a week at 85 percent
heart rate.

I feel like I am spinning my wheels. I don't want to give up, but shouldn't I be losing faster? .

Am I being too impatient???
Any suggestions will be very appreciated.

Hi Maureen and welcome to LWL!

The unfortunate thing about our darn bodies is that they just don't listen to timetables. You may 'need' to lose 25 or 30 pounds by a certain date but your body may have different ideas. In the end, it's going to lose at its own rate, in its own time ... and all that YOU can control is practicing your new healthy eating and exercise habits. But rest assured, the weight WILL come off eventually!

I think your cardio and weightlifting plans are exactly on target for weightloss. As for your calories, everyone's different and sometimes it takes a little experimentation to find out what level works for YOU (most of us have found metabolic calculators to be off-base). At your weight, I had to stay between 1200 and 1300 calories/day to lose weight (and was doing at least as much exercise). Try tracking your calories carefully and tweaking to see how your body reacts to higher and lower calories.

I'm not familiar with Jillian's diet plan and have never heard of being a 'balanced oxidizer' -- regardless, if you're eating a 40/30/30/ratio (I assume that's protein/carbs/fats, in that order?), you should do fine if you stick with what we at LWL call 'clean eating'. Everyone's definition varies, but clean eating generally is minimally processed food, with as little sugar as possible, lean proteins, whole grains, fruits and veggies, and good fats. I think of it as eating food as close to nature as possible and staying far, far away from processed 'diet junk food'.

Keep in mind that the scale is not the best indicator of success! You may only lose a pound a week on the scales but your body will be going through a dramatic internal transformation if you keep up your exercise program. See, if you add muscle at the same rate that you lose fat, you're not going to see a change on the scale. But you're going to look completely different and that's really what counts in the end, right?

I have a client who's worked out with me for about two and a half months now. She's gained a half pound in weight but dropped tons of inches and two pants sizes. She doesn't care at all what the scale says! What she cares about is going to a party (like she did last weekend), wearing a halter top, and having her friends ooh and aaah over her buff arms and slim hips. I'm guessing that's your goal also for your son's wedding - to look as fabulous as possible? So my advice is to keep up the exercise, count every calorie and experiment to find the right level for your body, stay strong during the holidays, and keep track of your measurements and body composition to see true progress.

I'm sure you'll get other suggestions too ... we're glad you joined us here!

Great advice from Meg as usual. I have to tell you that I haven't lost a pound in months (in fact gained a few), but I, too, have noticed the difference in my clothing and everyone keeps asking me if I've lost weight. I even have a two-pack now. While I'd love to see movement on the scale, I'm happy that my clothes are hanging on me, and that I keep getting compliments on my "weight loss." So, although you may not be down to the scale weight you want by the time you want, I'm betting you'll look darn hot at your son's wedding.

I just got back from the gym, all the while thinking about your answers of encouragement, which I think will be just what I need to keep me doing what I know I should do, even tho the scale isn't moving.
I think too I might see a little loss if I cut my calories back to 12-1300 like Meg said.
I was using 14-1500 cals. The gym trainer said that I should be eating a little over 1500 cals. I think that was putting a damper on the weight loss.
Hopefully cutting back will help.

Personally, I find 1200-1300 calories a little low for the amount of physical activity you are doing.

The trap a lot of women fall into is that they do a ton of cardio/physical activity and don't consume nearly enough to support that. The result is that they do not lose weight because their bodies are holding onto their fat for dear life.

Now I consume around 1800-2200 calories a day. Granted, I am a big girl at 5'8" but I am doing less cardio than you and still losing fat.. (weightlift 4x a week/cardio 3-4x for less than 1hour.)

Unfortunately, age and hormones have a lot to do with it also. I'm about your age, Maureen, and just slightly shorter. I lift 5 days a week and do cardio at least 4. I lose on 1200-1400, maintain on about 1500-1600 with all that exercise, and gain on anything more. You really have to experiment.

Mel