I am down 2 more lbs today for a total weightloss of 20.5 lbs. While I am really proud of that, I am disappointed because I thought I would try on a pair of shorts from last summer thinking surely they would hang on me. Well, there was enough room to get 1 finger in the waistband but not nearly what I expected.My waist is where I was really hoping to see improvement.
I know that some of this will come with exercise and I have been doing the 2 mile WATP video in morning and sometimes BFL 's Jillian workout at night. On average, I probaly only do good with exercise 3 days a week. Am I expecting too much? Or should I just be more dilligent with exercise? I was really hoping to wear size 12-14 by the end of April (instead of 18).

No one can control where the weight comes off. Your body is stubborn that way. When you lose body fat, it comes off from various places at various times. Usually the torso area is the last place to trim down. If you have been exercising then the fat may be leaving your arms and legs or deeper down where it's not noticeable. Just keep at it, and it will go away.

Generally, the more times per week you exercise, the faster the results. 4 times a week shows results over 3 times a week. Same for 5 or 6 times a week. I don't recommend exercising all 7 days; you need one day to rest your body. Consistency is the key.

I would just be happy that I could get the shorts on at all! 20.5 pounds gone is certianly nothing to scoff at. And it sounds to me like you're exersizing and doing everything you "should" be doing, so just keep it off and the shorts will seem bigger and bigger.

You are doing so awesome!!!! Keep going, and eventually, those shorts will have to go somewhere else because they will be too big!!!!

I don't think you are expecting too much. We all sit on the edge of our seat with the results of our weight loss. Like it has been said, we just have no idea where we will shrink the most in the beginning.

My most dreaded test is the arm test. My waist is smaller than the other parts of my body. No problem. My thighs and buttocks? Could be smaller, but I deal.... but my arms... oh my goodness. I inherited some massive upper arms from my Mom's side of the family. It is awful. They look masculine, and even if a shirt fits through the chest, it is tight in the arms. I really have to be on the lower end of the weight range to keep those arms at a more proportionate size compared to the rest of my body. So, I know whe I will have achieved something great.... when I can fit those things into a long sleeve shirt without feeling like I'm wearing a blood pressure cuff on each arm.

See, we all pick ourselves apart as we lose weight.

What do you eat? What sort of diet are you on? I tend to think that sometimes belly fat comes off differently depending on what sorts of foods you are eating. Possibly (if the commercials are to be believed) what sort of stress levels you are under could contribute to "belly fat" too.

I've lost about 20 pounds too and I've also been measuring the inches lost. My belly is still way bigger than I want it to be, but the weight is coming off mostly there and around the hips. Legs and thighs too, but not as drastically.

Try eating higher protein, cut the carbs. That might help the belly to shrink more quickly. But in reality, each of us will lose the fat first that we put on last. Often when we first started gaining we gained in the belly area first. So that can be the last place to go.

Where the weight comes off depends on what kind of body shape you are. I don't know what your body shape is Lilolme, or where you usually carry your weight, but my problem area is definitely my waist and torso. I've tended to notice that wherever you *want* the inches to come off (like, if you are pear shaped you are probably hoping for the thighs) is where it comes off last. Just give it some time and you will see bigger changes as you get closer to goal, but to start your waist will always be your problem area and while exercise can help it won't really tighten or slim it.

Hi

I started coming to 3FC about 3 yrs ago and at that time lost 50+ lbs. (20+ of which I gained back this last yr which is why I'm back.) Anyway, back then I actually lost 30 lbs before I could even fit into one size down!! It was very frustrating to me. People never even seemed to notice I had lost until that point. But then it was like at 30 lbs, I went down and then every few lbs I went down another size. I went from a 22 to a 16 FINALLY! So dont get discouraged or let the slow pace get to you. I promise in time, the sizes will drop down quickly. Keep up the good work!

Miki

I am right there with ya. I have lost 17 lbs so far and only small amount from my waist as well and i know how frustrating that is since thats the first place we want to lose it. I just bought the abs workout from tae bo hoping that will help more then just my walking on the treadmill. Until now my poor legs have been doing all the wrolk for the rest of my body. So i also bought some free weights cuz my 2lb ones are too easy. I got 5lb and 10 lb ones. Good luck to you and maybe in april we will both wear that size 12 or atleast a 14!

This is just a thought ... the shorts that you were wearing last summer, were they a 'perfect' fit when you last wore them? ... Or were they a 'tight' fit? I ask this as I know from my own experience that the majority of the clothes that I'm wearing right now are most definitely a 'very tight fit', and if I'm truthful with myself I should probably be wearing a larger size if I want to feel comfortable. That being the case, by the time I can get a finger inside my waistband, in reality I will probably have shrunk a couple of dress sizes.

Well done on your fantastic weight loss so far, keep up the good work!