I have a question. I'm 27 years old and have a 4 year old daughter. I love to exercise! I exercise about 4-5 times a week. I watch what I eat, and I do yoga, pilates, I walk, use toning weights. I love high intensity workouts. I sweat alot which is good. I get enough rest and drink lots of water, etc. I was pretty small built before I ever had my daughter, and didn't really gain alot of weight while pregnat with her. However, it seems no matter how much I seem to work out, eat right, etc I'm not losing alot. I have seemed to built up some muscle mass, not alot but toned. I do not mean bulky either, I mean cut and toned. It just seems like no matter what I do, I'm bigger than I once was. I would have thought that all the workouts I do I would be somewhat smaller. Yes my hips are a little wider after giving birth and I know theres not alot that can be done about that, but why is it I'm not really getting any smaller? Its been 4 years since I had my daughter.

[pippen_2k]

Hmmmmm probably best talking to a personal trainer.

Tell him/she what you have been doing, and im sure they will have some insight on why you aint achieving your goals.

Might cost a little, but it will be well worth it.

[littlekitty]

Ok, so it sounds like you've gained muscle mass, but not physically lost any weight.

What is your fat % like? You sound like you are toned/muscular with not much fat? So is your issue simply that you are bulkier because you gained more muscle? Or do you actually have fat % to loose?

If you've simply gained muscle and aren't happy with size, then I'd suggest doing some lower impact workouts which won't bulk you as much.

Also examine your diet and see if there something there that causes it? If you give me some more details I'll see if I can help you out.

[sophia34]

Ditto on what littlekitty says. If you're toned but still want to lose weight, you need to examine your diet. Barring any medical reasons, weight loss is all about calories in vs. calories out. You mentioned that you "eat right." But do you really know how MUCH you are eating? You can eat a lot of "what's right" and then those calories add up in a hurry. A banana, for example, is healthy, but it's also about 100 calories. Orange juice, also healthy, but a glass is also 100 calories.

Salad with grilled chicken? Lots of greens and veggies is good, but it can be 400 to 800 calories, depending on the dressing you use.

To lose weight (meaning a 1 to 2 pound weight loss per week), you need to be eating around 1400 to 1600 calories a day, depending on your level of activity. I would suggest keeping a food journal for one week, with approximate calorie counts, so that you know how much you're truly eating. My guess, again barring any medical reasons, is that you're simply taking in too many calories, even if it's from healthy food, to see the weight loss you want.

You need to create a 3,500 calorie-deficit in one week, from what you're eating/expending now, to lose one pound in one week. That may be cutting back 500 calories per day and exercising to burn an extra 100 to 200 calories per day, however you want to work it out.