I am a 24 year old female. Height is around 5'9", and I weight 235. My goal is mainly to lose weight but to also get stronger and toned.
Right now I go to the gym 4 days a week with days off in between.
One day I do 45 minutes cardo (15 mins elliptical, 30 mins bike) and about 20 minutes in weights (leg lifts, inner and outter thighs, shoulder press, and abs).
On the second day I do strictly cardio. 30 mins elliptical (intensity is 1-10 and I 'hill' between 4-7) and 30 mins bike (same intensity but between 3-7).
Right now I am eating average 1700-1800 calories a day, and try to stay away from any greasy or bad foods.
According to my BMR, I should be eating 2927 calories a day to MAINTAIN my weight with the ammount of exercise I do, is this right? This is based on exercise 3-5 times a week.
I have been working out for a month and a half, though the first week I was doing a less intense workout and have progressed to what I have shown you above.
My beef is, I am not losing weight. I can feel that my pants are a bit looser, just a tad and I have less what you call 'muffin top' (when theres too much fat it bumps out the top of your pants.. how emberassing).
Also, the first couple of weeks I was working out, my fatty ares literally got soft (boobs & stomach) which I read means the fat is breaking down so it can be burned off, I assume that is a good thing.
Like I said, I make sure to up my intensity each work out to as much as I can stand and then some, and have been rising. My heart rate is in the 160's to 170's, a bit high but I am not in pain, or out of breath.
What I think could be the issue is, am I eating enough calories -maybe I am not eating enough to lose the weight? Or, could it be I put on enough muscle in a month and a half that it over-took whatever I lost in fat, so that the scale is not budging?
It sounds like you have a really good system going for yourself. Youre calories sound great to me...I eat between 1200-1500 so I think at the 1700-1800 range youre def getting enough.
My bet is what youve already stated...you're building muscle from the weight training is which great but it def slows down the scale movement.
I would recommend taking your measurements. I do and it really helps me stay motivated when I see all my measurements going down with the scale isnt budging. Im sure though if you give your body some more time to adjust and get used to your new routine that you're scale weight will start dropping. I wouldnt be surprised if you experienced a big drop suddenly.
Something else that I used to do when I did alot of weight training is testing your body fat percentage. They used to have a machine at the personal trainers desk at my old gym and then I could track how much fat I had lost and how much muscle I had gained.
Hello,
Right now I am eating average 1700-1800 calories a day, and try to stay away from any greasy or bad foods.
My beef is, I am not losing weight. I can feel that my pants are a bit looser, just a tad and I have less what you call 'muffin top' (when theres too much fat it bumps out the top of your pants.. how emberassing).
)
I first joined 3FC because I thought that I had the same problem as you, I had a bit of a look around and everyone suggested actually measuring portions. I thought it seemed a bit obsessive so I gave it another week before giving it a try, turned out my own idea of a normal portion and the idea of the folks who work out calories was somewhat different.
Some stuff has been really easy to cut out or cut down on, like olive oil and some stuff I don't really eat any more because a regular portion size feels more like a tease than a meal, like pasta.
I definitely agree with the portion measuring thing. 1800 calories can easily turn into 2400 calories if you aren't aware of "portion distortion." I eat between 1200 and 1500 calores as well and I work out everyday, this is the optimal range for me in terms of my own weight loss but EVERYONE is different. If you don't see a change is a couple of weeks, try adjusting your calories until you see a change.
It sounds like you are working really hard and after a month and a half, you deserve to see some progress
Good luck!
I do keep a food journal and record every little bite I eat a day.
I am hearing that I should probably adjust my calories, should I eat more or eat less? That's where I get confused, and I am afraid if I do one and I am wrong then I will not see results.
Also, I weighed myself this morning (I weighed myself last night and the scale didn't budge) and it says I lost 3 lbs I am hoping that's accurate. It's not as much as I was aiming for -1 pound weight less a week, but it's awesome, and I am hoping I chalk up the other 1-2lbs to being muscle gain.
Any other tips are appreciated, thanks again! I am hoping to stick around the community.
Schubunny, I found the exact same thing to be true when I started out at the gym. I had gone faithfully for a month, and expected to see a huge weight loss, and actually found I'd gained weight. But, my jeans were loose, and I felt better, so I just figured it was my body trying to adjust to this new thing called exercise, and let it be.
It's now been 8 weeks since I started at the gym, and my weight loss has been 6 - 8 pounds since then. Not quite a pound a week. BUT my body shape has changed drastically. Which I like.
For this month, I'm working out 5 days a week with a personal trainer, running 3 - 4 times a week (C25K - on week 5) Add elliptical (level 10) for 1.5 miles EVERY day to warm up. Then stretch, then weights, then running.
Next month I'll switch it up a bit.
For you, at 24, your calorie count sounds fine. You should see results both on the scale, and on a tape measure.
I know it's hard, at 5'9", to sometimes SEE the results. I have to lose a good amount of weight for it to show. But once it does, and my body has had time to adjust, suddenly everyone thinks I've gotten taller.
Schubunny, I found the exact same thing to be true when I started out at the gym. I had gone faithfully for a month, and expected to see a huge weight loss, and actually found I'd gained weight. But, my jeans were loose, and I felt better, so I just figured it was my body trying to adjust to this new thing called exercise, and let it be.
It's now been 8 weeks since I started at the gym, and my weight loss has been 6 - 8 pounds since then. Not quite a pound a week. BUT my body shape has changed drastically. Which I like.
For this month, I'm working out 5 days a week with a personal trainer, running 3 - 4 times a week (C25K - on week 5) Add elliptical (level 10) for 1.5 miles EVERY day to warm up. Then stretch, then weights, then running.
Next month I'll switch it up a bit.
For you, at 24, your calorie count sounds fine. You should see results both on the scale, and on a tape measure.
I know it's hard, at 5'9", to sometimes SEE the results. I have to lose a good amount of weight for it to show. But once it does, and my body has had time to adjust, suddenly everyone thinks I've gotten taller.
Thanks Suzyszoo
I measured myself last night, I'll do it again the end of next week to see if there's any change.
Today I've gone up 5lbs on the ab machine (50lbs now) and 5lbs on the inner thigh machine (6kgm now). I feel really good! I love the burn.
I also went up to an 8 on my elliptical, when the max I usually go is 7.
I know just to feel better is worth it. I have so much more energy now, and I don't feel bad anymore just to eat a meal.
To be honest I want to lose slow enough that my skin has time to adjust to the fat loss. I don't want to be stuck with any excess skin. But at 24 I am told you still have quite a bit of elasticity -crossing my fingers!
I have some questions..
I am hoping that's accurate. It's not as much as I was aiming for -1 pound weight less a week, but it's awesome, and I am hoping I chalk up the other 1-2lbs to being muscle gain.
