guysss... I really don't know what to do with myself.
I've started working out since June 27th of the last month, and I've lost 4 pounds up until 4 days ago, and then I gained it all back on the weekend. My problem is, that I usually work on the weekends, an 6 to 8 hour shift and I eat a lot before work, after work and before sleep (since I usually close which is around 11pm).
Since June 27th, I've been working out around 4 hours each day, 4 days a week. I don't eat that much through out the day, but I've always been like that. I usually get really hungry at night, and eat a lot of fruit, then cereal, then maybe oatmeal or pasta. Although I'm not vegetarian- I've never liked meat. I eat it sometimes, but barely.
On the weekend though, if I don't work, I go out with friends a lot and we always go out to eat.
I noticed that I got stronger since my first work out session about 1 month ago, but I am getting very discouraged because I have not lost any weight.
Last night I went over to my friends house, and about 4 girls were there. ALl of them were much skinnier than me and I immediately asked for a big shirt so I can change and not have to sit there and "suck in" my fat rolls. I also noticed how hard for me to get up from sitting on the floor I either have to roll over and get up of grab my leg ( like my gma does). I feel really disgausting and I've been crying for the past week. I am not seeing any results and I feel like my stomach is getting bigger. UGH.

5'9, 135, and working out 4 hours a day?

This isn't fat, and I suspect this isn't healthy.

Do you have someone to talk with?

Weight isn't everything.

WEIGHT does not necessarily mean FAT. Weight can be muscle, water, bones, organs.

At some point, especially for those within normal weight-ranges, you have to start looking at inches and body composition as VASTLY more important than pure WEIGHT on a scale...which shows you absolutely nothing of what is actually inside your body.

4 hours a day four days a week... is that... sustainable? Maybe for you it is. It just seems a little much.

You feel stronger. Have you been measuring inches and taking pictures of the differences? Have you been noting your exercise progress? Those things are all successes.

Keep a healthy workout routine going. Make sure you're strength training. And start counting your calories to make sure you're not eating more than you think you are.

Honey, you're not fat at all. It's ok to want to be healthier and to push for your goals, but your weight and height wouldn't make you obese or even extremely chubby looking.

There are a few things about working out you should know about:
1) If you do a lot of weight training, your muscles will retain water which can show as weight gain. Muscles "shred" when they are being built and to repair themselves they hold on to excess water.
2) Without the correct nutrition (such as proteins) our bodies have a hard time breaking down our food the right way to burn as fuel for our workouts. If you aren't eating enough or aren't eating the proper nutrition, your body might have a hard time letting go of any weight at all because it will think it's famished.
3) Sometimes the scale doesn't move, but the muscle tone and inches are changing. I've lost an inch around my waist this week, yet I gained 2 lbs. I can also see more tone and I GAINED weight, and I'm totally ok with that because I can see hard work paying off.
4) Other things can affect our bodies other than work outs and eating right. Stress often makes us hold on to fat cells. I have the hardest time losing weight when I have a big test coming up or when I have a lot on my plate. I can eat right, exercise and not lose anything because I can't sleep at night nor can I relax my muscles to work them.
5) I would see a doctor about what is healthy weight for you as well as anything else.
There are also articles out there showing the pounds aren't everything. One woman started her weight loss journey at 155lbs and ended it at... 155lbs. The pictures of her, were VASTLY different. She lost inches and built lean lovely muscle. She shrank in clothing sizes and looked healthier. Yet, she didn't lose a single pound.

MariaMaria; 153 actually not 135.. And no I don't have anyone to talk with. That's why I turned to this forum.. Cause I don't.


Lovely; I'm scared to measure! I don't wanna see how big I actually am.. I have been taking pics, well I took one at the beginning and one yesterday. I do not see any difference..

kurisitaru; Ugh I feel like I am not eating enough, but I just can't force the food down my throat. I have been calories counting and for those 2-3 weeks I worked out I ate around 1000 cals and I felt full and disgusting then. I can't eat more than that. I also counted calories I burned and it was anywhere between 200 to 400 a day. I just have a hard time eating,

and NO I DON'T have an eating disorder. I don't know how many people have asked me that, because I just can't seem to word it properly I guess, but I just don't eat that much ever.

1000 calories isn't that good for you. I was told that the bear minimum you should be consuming is 1200. Try snacking threw out the day perhaps? I would really up the calories though.

I looked at some calculators online and for you to maintain your weight of 153 lbs you would need to be eating approximately 2000 calories (The calculators ranged from 1950-2200). To lose weight, you would want to eat around 1700, extreme loss would be around 1200 (and it's not recommended). It takes approximately 3500 calorie deficit to burn a pound of fat. We burn calories with everything we do. Even sleeping burns calories (8 hours sleeping alone burns approximately 400-500 calories). Exercise helps us burn more calories as well as helps us stay fit and healthy. Sometimes excessive exercise can cause problems in a person as well. Too much strain on our muscles and joints can cause problems later in life.
Stress, lack of sleep, depression, and "bad" calories can also hinder our ability to lose weight.
Make sure you drink plenty of water and try to fit in all the food groups. Nuts are a good source of calories, protein, fiber, and vitamins. Maybe have some almonds as a snack at some point?

I'm surprised you haven't lost more weight. I'm guessing you haven't because you are literally starving yourself. I would personally see a doctor to talk about nutrition and healthy weight loss.
Not eating the right amount of food can lead to a lot of health problems, just like eating too much food can lead to problems.

I am not an expert, these are just things I've learned from personal experience, a ton of research, and these forums. I really wish you the best. And remember, we are really our own worst critics. I use to think I was a "cow" in high school. I look back at those pictures and am surprised to see how pretty I really was. I was fit and tone and didn't see it. I'm sure you're a lot thinner than you think.

kurisitaru; Thank you for your post. I really needed that.. You know, I've tried researching and calories counting and everything but it just seems like I don't eat the right foods, but if I do it's always at the wrong times (before I nap or sleep). I have been told by my friends that I look fine and my boyfriend doesn't want me to lose my "tummy" but I just need to. I will post a pic tomorrow. My legs are not that big but my stomach and arms are. Thanks again

Hey little sister,

I'm sorry you're feeling so bad about yourself and your body. That's a terrible place to be!

The good news is that you definitely are not fat. I'm the same height as you and I've been 155 pounds and it definitely is not fat. You might be a bit flabby with a little belly, but not fat. (Also, depending on how your weight is distributed, 135 might be too low for a 5'9 woman to maintain for long.)

The bad news is that what you are describing--the self-loathing, the unwillingness to eat reasonable amounts of food IS disordered eating. You gotta eat food and treat your body with love and respect if you want it to do what you want it to and look good for you. Hating on your body is a bad place to start!

What the good and the bad add up to is that you need to be eating healthy foods (at LEAST 1500 calories a day! Minimum!) and doing exercise to transform your little flabby bits into smooth lean muscley bits. (Perhaps you might like to check out the exercise board and the weight training board?)

But this is important: by starving yourself and eating too few calories each day you are making things WORSE for your body and your weight. Your poor body thinks it is in the middle of a famine and it is holding onto its fat for dear life. Worse, you might be screwing up your metabolism for ever and ever so that your weight is always a big struggle for you. You've got to stop it and you've got to start eating.

I can't ever make sense of the claim that a person can't "stuff" more than 1000 calories per day into their mouths. That's really not right. Some cereal or toast and egg for breakfast, salad with protein and light carb for lunch, afternoon snack, protein and veggies for dinner with a little fat, perhaps an evening snack. These are things that WILL HELP YOU TO GET THE BODY YOU WANT.

But love, not hate will get you there. <3

(And perhaps finding a counselor might be good idea to help you with the love thing.)

DietVet
thank you. I really didn't think of my eating habits that way... Now I do know that what ever my body gets stores as "fat". Just to let you know I ate healthy today, well no breakfast ( I just couldnt eat anything in the morning,drank water though. Oh wait! I ate an orange) for lunch (around 12ish) I ate a breakfast sandwich that my mom made; it was 1 slice of whole weat bread toasted, turkey slices, eggs. For dinner at 4:15ish I ate a turkey that my mom prepared, a little beans, and a salad-cucumbers,tomatoes,and greens, and pineapple(lol Im weird). I feel really full. Now let me tell you why I ate so early- I work 6 to 11 on most days and they don't give us a lunch-only a 10 min break which is basically a walk to the bathroom and back. =/ Idk if it's healthy or not but I can't do anything about it, and I dont want to eat when I come back because I just get super tired and pass out.

Now I will post a couple of pic, one when I started with my workout&diet at June 27th and one from today.

Please tell me what you guys think is wrong with me not losing any weight=/

this one is from when I started back on June 27th ish


This one is from today

I'm glad to hear about the healthy day of eating! It's nice to have a mom to make you tasty meals.

In your pictures you look good--just like a normal, slim girl. I think what you really want is to get *lean* and not necessarily shed pounds. Check out this link: see post below

Eat healthy, get some exercise and your body will start to change. There's nothing wrong with striving to be fit and healthy and hot, so long as you are kind to your body!

(Re the not losing weight--it's almost certainly the starvation thing. Try eating decent calories and exercising for a while and see what happens.)

Here's the link--I finally have enough posts to post one!

http://everydaypaleo.com/2011/06/22/...ddicts-part-2/

DietVet OMG that article is unbelievable! There's nooo waaay she weights the same lol! I still can't believe it.. Yeah you are right, I want to tone up my body but I don't see how that would happen without losing weight... Well maybe if I gain a lot of muscle! But I don't really want to be buff, just some abs...=/

but it looks like she lost all of her cleavage! That's what Im scared of.. I don't wanna lose my babies x(

So you want visible ab muscles but not to be muscular, and you want to lose weight but not in a particular part of your body.

I want world peace.

I suspect that I'll get what I want first.