Help! Eating Right and Working Out and Not Losing Anything

I am wonder how over weight you are? I have Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome which manifested itselt at about 30 years old. It make it really hard to lose weight and easy to gain. It just seems to me should should have lost something. Unless you are putting on muscle which replaces the fat. I am not overweight by more then a few pounds but I can't even look at unhealthy food.

Try Southbeach diet i lost 8lb in 2 weeks ,13lbs in 4 weeks.Change the way you eat and eat 5 times a day
no bread and potatoes no white food a lot of Veggies and meat no sugar it works! V.

At the moment I'm 7 months pregnant, so you wouldn't know it, but last year I did the TrimBody system and had great results. I dropped 10 lbs. the first 30 days and inches to go along with it. It combines daily meal plans that are easy to follow and a special 4-3-2-1 exercise program (10min/day) There are also supplements that you can take that will help regulate blood sugar levels, digestion, etc. If you are interested, just shoot me an e-mail.

____@____.com

You may be reaching a point in life where your hormones are taking over or your thyroid needs to be checked. Not likely you can lose the weight in time, but you may want to try the grapefruit diet. Grapefruit fights fat and you may be able to work some off within two weeks which is the alloted time of the diet. My mom swore by this in her younger days!
Good luck. We are all fighting the battle!

I commend you for eating right and exercising. You didn't mention if you have always had a problem with weight or what your age is. Weight can be medically related (PCOS) or other reasons. You might need to see your health care provider to rule out any medical reasons.
Eating right includes eating more nutrionally packed food, i.e. whole grains, fruits, vegetables and leans meats. You must always eat a well balanced meal including a lean protein, good carbs, and a non carb vegetable. Desserts, if any, should be fruit related. Foods should be fresh and cooked to keep nutrients in. Learn to read labels. Most convenient foods are processed and nutrionally lacking. Limit your sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS a biggie!) and fats. Case in point, sodas are filled with empty calories and HFCS! Cut these and you could lose weight with out trying. Drink water. Learn which fats are better than others and well as what carbohydrates are. You can google these. Also you should take a whole food multi-vitamin, calcium and iron to supplement your diet for women in child bearing years.
When you exercise do you include strength training, cardio and stretching? Perhaps you could use the services of a personal trainer to evaluate where you could improve.
Above all, weight loss should be a "life style" change, not a "diet". We don't stay on diets. Determine your weight loss on how your clothes are fitting, not your weight. Muscle weighs more than fat. You will also hit a plateau, but keep up what you are doing. Good luck!

E.,
You do come to a holt at some point. I did this too when I was trying to lose weight several yrs ago and I was running 5 miles a day. What I read about and was told that you are losing from the inside out. Your muscle is kind of like meat you buy in the grocery store. It is marbled. You have to lose that fat in the muscle at some point and it kind of comes to a holt for a while. I went through that stage forever it seems and then all of the sudden it seemed like I woke up skinny minnie. Just don't give up. It will happen. It is your body changing and getting use to the weight loss. One thing that I found too was that after I got over that hump, I was able to eat just about anything and even if I over ate one day I never gained an ounce. I stuck right where I was. When I gained weight back, (when I got pregnant) it actually took a long long time to gain any. So that holt that you are talking about it a really good thing. Just don't change and keep up the good work.
Also if you can send me a list of some of the things that you are eating now I would appreciate it. My daughter is 2.5 now and I am working on losing about 20 pounds and feel like I am eating the same thing over and over. Need snack ideas and all. ____@____.com
Thanks, M.

E.,
It took me a few years to figure out why I could no longer lose weight the way I used to be able to before my daughters were born. You are on the right track with working out. I'm no dietician, but I will share what finally worked for me - I lost 30 lbs. in 4 months and did not deprive myself of food.

The first thing I was doing wrong was not eating enough. My body went into starvation mode, making it impossible to lose weight. I started working out, too, and although I gained some muscle, I still could not lose the weight and I was ravenous all the time - then when I started eating, I would overeat the wrong kinds of foods.

Miraculously, the weight started peeling off when I ate a high fiber, high protein diet, with lots of fruits and vegetables. Basically, I avoid sugar as much as possible and rarely eat traditional desserts. Now, an apple or grapes or something like that serves as my dessert most of the time if I even feel that I need one. I eat a small amount of protein at each meal, along with something that has a lot of fiber in it - whole grain, fruits or raw/steamed veggies. I also drink lots and lots of water throughout the day.

The funny thing is, I no longer feel deprived, and I am eating PLENTY of good food. Sometimes I have to make myself eat now because I realize that three or four hours have gone by and I haven't eaten - yet I'm not hungry the way I used to be.

I believe that a lot of stubborn weight loss has to do with your blood sugar levels, too. If they are balanced, you will not be hungry. You can balance them by not eating processed, refined carbs (in other words STAY AWAY from white flour, high fructose corn syrup, sugary drinks, and refined cakes, cookies and candy). If you fill up on the protein, fruits, vegetables and fiber, you will stay satisfied. I also take a supplement called glucommanan (available at many health-food stores). It lowers blood sugar levels and cholesterol by bloating up in your intestine and pulling out much of the bad fats and other junk in your colon - but it does not give you diarrhea. One other thing - make sure you are eating plenty of good fats: these are olive oil, fish oil supplements, flaxseed oil, and even extra virgin coconut oil (it is a very healthy saturated fat that can be used in cooking).

I am sharing what has worked for me and changed my life. I went from a size 12/14 to size 6/8. I never thought I would see the day when I could wear my pre-pregnancy clothes. You can do it, too! You might have to tweak my magic formula to meet your unique needs.

I also take a high quality multi-vitamin supplement. I have loads of energy, I sleep better and can deal with life's stresses so much better than before.

Kudos for working out - I used to work out like a fiend at the gym and can no longer do that because of my current schedule, but I take walks with the kids every night and lift some dumbbells at home, along with doing push-ups, crunches and other floor exercises. Because I've changed my way of eating, I don't have to work out nearly as hard and I have seen fantastic results.

I thank the book "Ultrametabolism" for getting me back on track, and giving me very valuable information.

I know you will get back to where you want to be!

Blessings

You have some great responses, especially by Sharon. I will add a couple of things. You may have plateaued in the gym, so change your routine. I recently started doing this. I met with a trainer and asked her what she did. She works out with weights only 3 days a week and does cardio the other 4 days. She only works certain muscle groups on each day and that is the only work out those muscles get for the week, but it's all they need! I do circuit rounds, moving from machine to machine with only a 20 second rest. Monday: 5 min on stair stepper or eliptical, then chest press, triceps, abs, 5 min on tredmill - do three sets of all this 15 to 20 reps. Another chess press (different machine focuses on differnt part of the chest, shoulders and another abs, 5 min on eliptical or stair stepper - 3 rounds of these, 15 to 20 reps. You will feel this in the morning, I promise and you won't want to do it again for a week. Tuesday: 5 min cardio, lat pull down or another back machine, biceps, abs, another back machine that focuses on upper back and traps. Repeat pattern 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps. Wednesday: 5 min stair stepper, quad machine, hamstring, calves, abducter. Repeat 3x 15 to 20 reps. Make sure the weight is high enough that you really feel it burn at the end of the set. I always add at least another 20 minutes of cardio after the workout. When doing the cardio, the length of time is not as important as how you do it. If you will add short bursts of one minute going as fast as you can, you make the workout much more productive. So, in the 20 minute cardio, go fast for one minute in between 3 minutes of regular speed. Give us an update!!! Good luck. Also, here is a great web site: www.bodyforlife.com. While I do not follow their routines anymore, they give very specific how-to's with the workouts and they have amazing recipes! It's free. There are before and after photos and contests to join, so check it out.

Sometimes you actually have to eat MORE to keep your metabolism working smoothly. I'm 51, and 2 different times in just the last 5 years I lost about 10 lbs (gained it back, though) JUST by eating a 'real' breakfast ('food', not snacks) and then another meal I (which I was actually HUNGRY for) a couple hours later, then a good supper.

If you don't keep something in your system for the digestive processes to 'work on', your body can go into 'starvation mode' (even on a daily basis) where it tries to retain all the calories that have been consumed, because it (body) doesn't know if/when another meal is coming. On the other hand, if you keep stuff moving through, less is retained and more is excreted. Kinda weird, but true.

Ditto on the 'drink lots of water' advice, too!

Make sure you are eating enough. The body will store fat when it thinks it is not going to have enough to burn. Try eating 4-5 smaller meals throughout the day with a couple of healthy snacks. Starting with breakfast as soon as you get up. You've got to kick start your metabolism and this is one way to get going. Also, what is your workout like? Are you warming up(7-10 minutes of walking/strecthing), then hitting the weights(alternating upper and lower body workouts every other day) then doing at least 21 minutes of cardio? You've got to raise your heart rate into the fat burning zone. If you have just joined the gym you probably have at least 2-3 free visits with a trainer. Take advantage of this! They will show you proper way to exercise using your own muscles as resistance. Learn your true weight, BMI and inches. Then go to a website that offers you diet management assitance. This will help you in the meal planning, shopping and cooking your meals. Should make it easier for you. God bless you for starting this with 3 kids to take care of. This will make it better for them in the long run to learn the ins and outs of healthy eating now instead of having to learn it the hard way later. Good luck to you!

Wow, some really good advice. All I want to add is, when I was on Depo I could not lose so much as an ounce. Just something to think about.

go to www.everydayhealth.com they have a great blogging area, and a FREE calorie counter! This has helped my mom extreamly well! She has lost 30 pds in the last 3 months! I like the calorie counter because it tells you how many calories, fat grams, sodium, water counter, etc that you consume. (Some things you think are healthy really aren't, etc) It also has a place to put in what you exercise and tells you how many calories you burned. My mom is on a 1500-1800 cal diet, and no more than 20 gms of fat.

sleeping well has been linked to healthy weight loss, too. If you have three kids, maybe you're busy and not getting the rest you need? good luck to you!!

Hi, I don't know your medical history, but any time I am on a regular medication I CAN'T loose weight. No matter what I do, if there is any med involved I am stuck. Just something to think about in the event that you are. If that is the case, you may want to talk to your Dr or a trainer. Just a thought.

Another tip:
Change the type of exercise you are doing. Add in something new. You will work new muscle groups and it could ramp up your calorie burning machine. Our bodies easily slip into a rut when we do the same things all the time.

Since you are at a gym, change to a different machine some. Try out a different workout machine or a yoga class or a different aerobics class. Add weight training regime once or twice a week (muscles burn more calories than fat).

It is common to reach a plateau in losing weight. Good luck.

Well, there's a lot of reasons why you might not be losing "weight". Try getting a bathroom scale that measures your weight and body fat. If you're going to the gym and working out, you might be losing fat and replacing it with muscle. Your body fat % is really more important than your weight. You've also had three children....Your waste line might not shrink as quickly or as much as you'd like. I lost 50 lbs and weigh less then before I got pregnant and I still can't wear my pre-pregnancy clothes. I think our bodies change and how we deposit fat. There are also medical reasons....thyroid, hormones....Those can only be determined by your doctor, though. I know when I stop taking birth control, I lost another 2 pounds. You might also try and mix up your diet a little. Your body might be in shock from such food restriction-thinking it needs to hold on to everything right now. Try going out to eat or having a slice of pizza (in decent moderation). It may be just enough change your body needs to know it's not being starved. Good Luck.

Muscle weighs more than fat so if you are fitting into your skinny clothes you are doing a good job.
You can also go to livestrong.com and they actually count your calories and you can put in your workouts and it will tell you how much you need to eat to lose the weight.
That being said have you been to the doctor and discussed this with him? It could be an underlying health issue that needs to be addressed, like hypothyroidism, which I doubt since you have the energy to get to the gym on a regular basis. It's always a good idea to start with a clean bill of health though.

Looks like you have some wonderful weight-loss advice. I just wanted to add one thing.....DRINK PLENT OF WATER and skip the diet sodas.

Good luck.

You're not losing weight because you're gaining muscle mass when you work out at the gym. Try some fat burning exercises, maybe, yoga or pilates. Try to reduce fat intake by eating foods with less than 50% fat calories. Good luck...

I follow the rules for South Beach and do very well. Meats, veggies and low fat dairies are the basis for this diet. Make sure to watch for hidden sugars in canned foods. The weight melts off me with this diet, and I eat as much as I want. I make a big pot of chili for us and my husband goes nuts, then the next day, i have lost another 2 pounds.

This is going to depend on what you are eating (not how much) and how much muscle mass you're building at the gym. Stick to cardio only, up to your deadline. Cut out ALL sugars (natural and synthetic) and just go with vegetables and proteins. You'll see a huge difference in 4 weeks! The South Beach diet is a good book to pull the basics from if you don't want to be on a full-fledged plan. There is no portion measuring or any of that complicated mess. It's a great resource if you want a healthy way to lose weight relatively fast.

Hi E.,

Have you tried any of the colon cleansing products? They are really good at helping you flush out your system, so that you can keep things "flowing" properly and then you should be able to get past this bump you've hit so that you can continue to lose weight.

I hope this helps and don't give up.
B.

I know your deadline has past but I did all of the same thing's that you did and had an extra size I wanted to lose. I tried this garment and it work. You can look at their site www.drop3sizes.com, the sales rep in charlotte is Tara davis ###-###-####. This garment corrected my posture as well as drop me 2 sizes. Hope it works.

If you haven't already, get your doctor to run a CBC (complete blood count) on you. It's a simple blood test that will give you loads of information. Should it show your triglycerides, blood pressure and glucose are elevated, you are probably in metabolic syndrome. I too had this same problem....I went to the gym faithfully for 2 years and there was no progress. It gets pretty disheartening. Come to find out I was borderline diabetic and in metabolic syndrome. I was put on metformin, a bp med and a triglyceride med and immediately started seeing results. In the last year, I've lost almost 40 pounds. Hopefully, this won't be your problem but it's worth being checked for it.

When you look in the mirror do you see results? What are you doing at the gym? Lifting weights...cardio?

First of all here is a great site to help with this goal.
www.sparkpeople.com My name on there is jennip1 if you want to look me up.

Second of all...I do my best to eat well...counting calories is really the only way for me to stay in a calorie range. But I do walk every weekday morning and follow a program by www.firmdirect.com I LOVE these workouts and they really have given me great results. My husband comments all the time if you know what I mean.

Good luck,
Jen

I was in the same boat! I was exercising and eating right and it took forever to finally see some results because I had been building muscle at first. But then the weight loss slowed down again. I was very frustrated so I turned to Weight Watchers. This program helped me with exactly what I needed. I "thought" I was eating right, but I wasn't at all!! Weight Watchers not only taught me the tools on how to eat better, but also what to eat! The great thing about W.W. is that it's very easy to follow and they offer tons and tons of recipes that even your family will enjoy! I've lost 50 lbs since January of this year! Also, since I've been on the program three of family members & two of my friends joined because they were amazed with my results! Goto www.weightwatchers.com and check it out. If you decide to go to a meeting I do believe the first meeting is free! Good luck! :)

I went to talk to a trainer today and they said the best tips are to switch up your workout routine every two weeks. Also, when getting your heart rate up, if you do treadmill or eliptical, you need to go at a fast pace for 2-3 mins and then slower but with a steep hill/incline for 2-3 mins. Continue this for 30 mins. back and forth. You need to make sure you are eating at least 5 meals a day. A snack after breakfast, snack after lunch and then dinner. Portion control, make sure the meat serving is no bigger than your fist. Even veggies such as corn turn into sugar, greens are best. Make sure to always eat breakfast, it helps jump start your metabolism. Make sure to be lifting weights too, you need to build the muscle to help burn the fat. If you do not have enough muscle mass, the fat cannot burn b/c your body needs something to feed off of. Drink lots of water and I just recently found out that drinking green tea, about 2 cups a day, helps burn fat. Oddly enough, I drank it for a week straight and lost 3lbs! Maybe coincidence, not sure. Then, the bad part, if you REALLY want to lose fast........no carbs. Or very little. Good luck, good for you working out 5 days a week! I am envious!

W.