What am I doing wrong?

[chody47]

I've decided that its time to start being healthier. I've had a few people around me (some younger) have serious health issues lately and it's made me think about the way I treat my own body. I'm trying to eat a bit better and I'd like to lose a few kgs and tone up. I'm not overweight by any means, I'm around the middle of the 'healthy weight range' for my height.

Previously when I've gone on a bit of a health kick I've slowly lost a few kgs and then, when I've gotten slack and stopped or reduced my exercising and started eating a bit more junk ive generally held my new weight steady and haven't put any on. My weight generally fluctuates around 1kg depending on where I am in my cycle.

Two weeks ago I was at the upper number of my weight fluctuation. I rejoined my local gym and have gone 4x a week for the past two weeks. I feel like I've worked pretty hard (besides, anything is better than the nothing I was doing before). I've been eating healthier. Because I've been exercising in the evening when the girls go to bed I'm not eating dessert or snacking in front of the tv as I often would. I've done mainly cardio at the gym (I just finished week 2 of couch to 5k) and have done 1 pump class (I wanted to do a second one last week but couldn't make it in that day). I generally work out for 45 mins.

Whats annoying me is that the scales have not budged at all. I'm still on that upper number. Surely, eating less and healthier and exercising (when I wasn't prior) would have resulted in even a little movement..... What am I doing wrong????

[Frangipani Lou]

Sounds like you're working hard. Are you eating enough portions of all the food groups?

[chody47]

I think so! I'm eating a variety of foods.....maybe I'll start to see results this week? I didn't do any measurements or anything so I don't know if I've changed in that way. I guess I would have thought that even the difference made by not eating unhealthy foods at night and exercising instead should have made a difference by now!

[JoeSpratt]

You need to make sure that you are eating enough fuel foods...protein & carbs...to give your body the energy to burn & recover. Try taking your measurements too. The number might not be moving on the scales but you could be loosing cm's everywhere else. I know ditching all soft drink, even diet stuff helped me move beyond my plateau. Keep going, remember weight loss is not a sprint, it's a full on ultra-marathon & every little bit helps. Go girl!!!!!

[chody47]

Hmmmm perhaps I need to buy a tape measure....

[xXHopeXx]

Ive had this same problem as you know chody! If you're results driven, perhaps also take some measurements as you could be losing fat but gaining muscle? Also it depends what you eat and when. Have you been having more carbs since youve started exercising? Or eating more during the day without realizing?
Usually it takes a couple weeks to see proper results on the scales but cm's do show alot quicker.
I TOTALLY understand your frustration hun! Im inbthe exact same boat!

[k4t]

My only suggestion is to double check your portion sizes. It's really easy and common to increase your intake without realizing it when you increase your exercise. And also much easier to create a calorie deficit through adjust your food than relying on burning more calories through exercise (although that's extremely important for other reasons - fitness, strength etc)

[nothing2lose]

Forget about calories. Reduce your carbs (to less than 30gms a day) and increase your fat intake. Keep your protein to no more than 1gm per kilo of body weight. The weight will fall off you.

[me4ever]

Upping your protein intake is very important, there are special protein shakes out there that you can use instead of a snack in between meals. I can look up the one that I used to take in combination with bootcamp that I was doing, if you want to know, please PM me, as I don't know if I can mention it here?! Also muscle weighs more than fat, so you might have been building muscle and that's why the weight is not changing at the moment. Soon the muscle that you're building now will burn more energy, even in resting and you'll definitely see a difference on the scales. Forget about the scales for now and leave it for another 3 weeks or so. Try and drink loads of water as well! Good luck!

[Santosha]

I'm sorry if this is unhelpful or invalidating... but personally, I'd say forget the scales.

You are doing a wonderful thing for yourself, for your body and your family. If you gain health, energy, self-esteem, modelling self-care to your children... does it really matter what you weigh? Health - psychological and physical - is so much more than that number. In fact, the former can only be limited by attachment to a measure which will not provide you with an accurate reflection of your progress or well being.

FWIW, l have been 'underweight' according to BMI measures my whole life yet my health, fitness and happiness have varied greatly.

I hope you start to feel the benefits of the great work you're doing, numbers or no. Kudos for your efforts.

[maybebaby2012]

I'm sorry if this is unhelpful or invalidating... but personally, I'd say forget the scales.

You are doing a wonderful thing for yourself, for your body and your family. If you gain health, energy, self-esteem, modelling self-care to your children... does it really matter what you weigh? Health - psychological and physical - is so much more than that number. In fact, the former can only be limited by attachment to a measure which will not provide you with an accurate reflection of your progress or well being.

FWIW, l have been 'underweight' according to BMI measures my whole life yet my health, fitness and happiness have varied greatly.

I hope you start to feel the benefits of the great work you're doing, numbers or no. Kudos for your efforts.

I agree with this. Have a little google of set point theory, if you are in your healthy weight range already and do not do anything drastic to stay thee you might find that your body fights you to go any further down, and even if you by chance do manage to squeeze a few more kilos out, in a few years time it is very unlikely to be maintained. Dieting can very often result in you heavier than you were when you started in a few years, along with worse body image and dodgy eating habits.
Just another perspective anyway,

[Beach Mama]

I know how frustrating it is, especially when you are working hard and not seeing results. I'm doing Michelle Bridges and keep plateauing on scales but have lost 15 cms so I keep reminding myself that my body is changing, I want it to happen slowly so it sustainable and that my internal changes are more important for health! I also feel happier and have so much more energy so that is a good motivator. Good luck xxxx

[chody47]

Thanks for your advice everyone.

You're right, I should forget about the scales (at least for a while ). Now that i think about it, I've already noticed changes in myself in terms of happiness (because I'm getting more 'me' time) and I do feel that that is reflected in being a happier and more 'there' parent. I'm also more motivated to achieve more on a daily basis. So, if I think about it, I've had plenty of positive results already. Thanks for helping me see that.

[candy_maree]

As a bodybuilder (who fell pregnant while in full competition) I can debunk some myths that are already popping up here.

Firstly, DO NOT eliminate carbs. Your brain needs carbs to function. You need to make sure that you're taking in enough fat, carbs and protein to fuel your muscles. Otherwise your body will eat muscle first as it's easier to break down than fat. My fitness pal is a good site that can help you track how much of each macro you are taking in.

Do not run yourself silly with cardio. Yes it has it's place, but the more lean muscle you build, the more cals you will burn just sitting there. I went from 30% body fat to under 10% on 3 x 20min HIIT sessions a week. But you need to keep an eye on your diet and lift weights. WEIGHTS WILL NOT MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE A MAN!!! Any girls who start to look manly are on the juice. Trust me on this one. Build your muscle up and you will lose bodyfat. And 1kg of muscle takes up 1/4 the space of 1kg fat. ALSO, it is impossible to replace fat with muscle at a high rate on women, it takes years. You will see your measurements drop as the fat comes off, but ignore the scales. Go off your measurements and how your clothes fit.

So key points, eat well, eat smart, don't drink your calories (smoothies etc are full of hidden sugar and calories) but also don't go into starvation mode, stay above 1500 smart cals a day. Drink lots of water 2.5L + per day. Lift weights and be consistent. Eventually it does move.

If you want to talk about this more, please PM me. I hate seeing people go to starvation diet, high cardio and get nowhere while metabolically damaging themselves.

[nothing2lose]

Candy Maree, it's a myth your brain needs carbs to function. Happy to publish as many peer reviewed studies as you like debunking this. Your brain can, and does, do very well in a ketogenic state. I suggest you read
The Art and Science of Low Carbohydate Living by Volek and Phinney who are scientists leading the way in the field of nutrition and metabolic study

[candy_maree]

Candy Maree, it's a myth your brain needs carbs to function. Happy to publish as many peer reviewed studies as you like debunking this. Your brain can, and does, do very well in a ketogenic state. I suggest you read
The Art and Science of Low Carbohydate Living by Volek and Phinney who are scientists leading the way in the field of nutrition and metabolic study

Dr Layne Norton also has some very interesting published works, also very respected in the field. There is a difference to low carb diets and no carb diets. Most low carbs are still getting a realistic amount of carbs through fruits and vegetables. Please note, I did say don't eliminate them. I'm more than happy to read additional works, and enjoy doing so in order to read other people's opinions.

Either way, Diet is still key. You can't out exercise a bad diet.

[Amaunet]

For me, I needed to combine formal exercise with diet/nutrition advice and tracking (I did Weight Watchers). I found if I only did one or the other (diet focus or exercise focus) then my success was limited. After my DS2 was born I finally managed both - I did a combination of Weight Watchers and Jazzercise (combines cardio and strength/toning in a 1 hour class) and FINALLY saw decent results. I realized that I always are too much (even of 'healthy' foods) when I wasn't tracking my intake. Low carb doesn't work for me, I can't stick to it, but is found a sensible low calorie diet worked really well. The calorie king website and app are really good for looking up foods and tracking intake (for free). I got to a healthy weight for the first time in over 7 years!

So my advice would be to stick with the exercise but really look at what you are eating - I know I was really surprised at how many calories (or weight watchers points) I actually consumed, without actually eating rubbishy foods iykwim.

[Sopdet]

stop looking at the scales, measure yourself instead.

I've dropped 46cm in the last month and the scales haven't shifted.