I am starting to get really discouraged, I'm hoping someone can help me!

About a month ago, I joined a gym with the determination to lose the rest of my baby weight. I weighed about 160 and had around 34.5% body fat. My goal is to get down to 135-140 by October 15th.

I've been working out 3-4 times a week - any chance I get. I've been doing weights, with about a mile run for a warm-up, and on cardio days I do 45 minutes of running, which for me is about 4.25 miles, or split the time between the treadmill and elliptical when my knees are bothering me.

Like I said, I've been doing this for about 4 weeks. I haven't made too many changes to my diet, except that I know I'm taking in fewer calories during breakfast. I know I'm not eating more.

Can someone please explain to me why in the world the scale said 167 and 37.8% body fat this morning??? I've been weighing myself at the same time (first thing in the morning).

This is really depressing. I've been busting my butt for a month, and all I have to show for it is negative progress. My pants are getting tight again, which is obviously not the direction I want to go in!!

Why is this happening, and is it even possible to get to 140 in 8 weeks at the rate I'm going??

First off congrats on sticking to your workouts for 4 weeks, that is great. You should be really proud of that. Next, if you just had a baby your horomones are still probably out of whack and that may be part of the reason you are not losing it as quickly as you would like. As you move forward, try and make some changes in your diet, nothing big, just subtle changes, and you may see a shift downward. DON"T GET DISCOURAGED. Keep up the hard work and you will see results. Maybe talk to a trainer at the gym too and ask them their advice. Maybe you should be doing different exercises than you are. Hope that helps

Hi Aggie and welcome!

First of all, I'm wondering if your BF numbers are accurate? Are you using a BF scale? Is it under exactly the same conditions every time - time of day, hydration etc?

Assuming your numbers are accurate -- at 160 pounds and 34.5% BF, you had 105 pounds of lean body mass (LBM) and 55 pounds of fat. Now you're at 167 and 37.8% BF, so you have 104 pounds of LBM and 63 pounds of fat. If the numbers are accurate, you've gained 8 pounds of fat.

What does that mean? First of all, it means that you haven't gained muscle - what you've gained is fat pounds. How is this possible? Actually, it's not too hard to figure out. When you exercise, it increases your appetite. If you're not tracking what you're eating and using portion control, it's very easy to eat more and not even realize it. Gaining eight pounds of fat simply means you're eating more calories than you're using in a day, even with the increased exercise.

Your exercise program sounds perfect since you're doing weights and cardio. So don't change a thing there - instead you need to focus on the food side of the energy equation. I suggest you start out by getting a sense of how many calories you're eating every day. A lot of people use Fitday- a free web site - to track what they're eating. Write down everything you eat (even bites, licks, and tastes!) and weigh and measure your portions.

Once you know what your current calorie level is, then you can see what needs to be adjusted. We have lots of people who would love to help if you'd like to post your meals for a day.

Don't be discouraged! This will work for you and you're off to an awesome start with the exercise.

I don't know how often you weigh, but scale fluctuations are not unusual...they can be related to sodium intake, time of the month, water balance, and even just scale malfunction. It takes a lot to gain seven pounds, so unless you've been eating amazing amounts of food, it's hard to gain that much for real in a week.

On the other hand, re: the lack of weight loss. I often have heard that diet modification is really the most important part of weight loss. You often hear of people that have lost significant amounts of weight with healthy diet modification and little exercise, but weight loss tends to be slower the other way around. I think changing what you're eating is the key. I have no idea what your diet is like now, so it is hard to give any real advice.

I read what he said about cardio and weights. That may answer some of your questions. He said that cardio doesn't burn fat like you would think.

I have to rethink what I'm going to be doing.

Q: I’ve heard that high intensity workouts are good for your cardiovascular system but not that great for fat loss. Is that true?

A: Yes, if you are really pushing hard. As you increase closer to your maximum heart rate your body can only derive energy from one anaerobic system. That system can only burn carbohydrates. No fat can burn when you are anaerobic. So, work out hard but not too hard.

By Mike Monroe, Certified Personal Trainer (NASM); Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA)
Fitness Director and Personal Trainer for PUSH.tv

Mare - I'm a personal trainer too and I disagree with Mike's answer. Yes, you burn more calories from fat at lower intensities and more from carbs at higher intensities. But ... you burn more TOTAL calories from higher intensity exercise. And weight loss comes down to calories in versus calories out, so the more calories we burn, the larger the deficit we create. For weight loss purposes, it doesn't matter what fuel we're using while we're burning those calories.

BTW, he seems to be talking about working in the anaerobic zone. You're anaerobic only when you're working at 90% of your max heart rate or above. I doubt that most of us do that on a regular basis.

Thank you for that. There is so much information out there. It's hard, at least for me, to know what to do!

I think that's another reason why I'm no longer a wall flower here. So many of you have helped me in the last 2 days with some very wrong information I'd received.

See why I need ya'll?

Oh, goodness, now my head is spinning!!

I have been weighing myself first thing every morning. I don't snack and am not eating as much at meals as I used to. My son's almost a year old, so I don't think it's hormones going crazy.

I'm at a loss. I think I'm going to have to suck it up and hire a PT, because this just isn't making sense. Makes me wonder what I am doing this for if I'm not building muscle or losing fat.

I appreciate all the help - I may just have to become a regular around here!

Aaaaah, this used to not be this hard! Before I got PG, I managed to lose weight/maintain just fine by running.

How about tracking your food on Fitday. You may not be getting enough protein. It must be very discouraging!