Frustrations when losing weight (Women)

[RiverRunning]

I started working out and losing weight in late April. It's now been 12 - 13 weeks. I've lost somewhere between 19-20 pounds...but most of the weight came off in the first few weeks.

 

I vary my routine - from the elliptical to walking, short distance sprinting, stair climber, swimming, stationary biking, etc. I try to push myself during my work-outs and I watch my calorie intake. I slip a bit here and there, but nothing that would stall my (planned) 2 lbs. a week loss.

 

I also strength train. I know muscle growth might be impeding the numbers on the scale...is it possible I'm just worrying about nothing? I'm on birth control and it's been showing some complications lately, so maybe that could be a culprit too...

 

I'm in my early 20s; I once lost 60 pounds as a teen but NEVER had difficulties getting it off. I guess 5 years can really make a difference!

 

Is there anything else I can do to try and improve my current situation? I eat a reasonable number of calories per day, given my age/weight/activity level (about 1900).

[Star Gazer]

How tall are you and how much do you weigh now?

[Els]

Birth control can certainly contribute to the body's tendency to store fat. Muscle also increases weight, yes. Have you felt your clothes fitting more loosely despite the stalled weight loss?

[Chocolat]

Is there anything else I can do to try and improve my current situation? I eat a reasonable number of calories per day, given my age/weight/activity level (about 1900).

 

You need to weigh, measure and log everything you eat. There are free tools online that will allow you to do this (fitday.com is one). This is the only way to gain a true understanding of what are maintenance calories for you and, therefore, what you need to cut to in order to lose weight.

 

Yes, muscle is denser than fat, so it's possible you are not seeing the scale move because you have added muscle. The easiest way to test for this is with a tape measure. If you are smaller, but don't weigh as much, then you've added muscle. However, if both your size and the scale are the same, then muscle is not the cause.

 

Why don't you post a typical day's nutrition as well as your workout program?

[josie54]

I second Star Gazer's question: how tall are you and how much do you weigh? I don't think we (or even you) can gauge the situation unless we know where you're starting from.

 

My first response is that there's a very good chance that your body has reached its "setpoint" -- that is, the weight it "wants" to be. Trying to get your body to move off its setpoint weight is incredibly difficult, because that's the weight that it needs to be comfortable and healthy.

 

However, because we're caught up in how we look, and want to look a different way, what our body wants and what we want can be two different things!

 

That said, let's assume that you do still have some room to move. All the exercises you mention are different in motion, but not necessarily type. There're all kind of "set it and forget it" type exercises that we start doing, zone a bit during, and then stop. I would advise you to really mix it up by doing something completely different like a martial art, boxing, or boot camp. All three of those involves a trainer to push you, even harder than you'd push yourself. And they all involve heavy bursts of movement, that can "shock" the body out of a plateau.

 

Interval training is also a great way to get your body out of a plateau--try working out at your maximum ability for two minutes and at a slower pace for two minutes, and then alternate between those two levels for 30 minutes or so. You shouldn't be able to do interval training for as long as you can do "slower and steadier" training, because those maximum bursts should really take it out of you.

 

So, if you're at your set point weight, you might not be able to go much farther. If not, you need to shake up your exercise routine to include intervals and high-intensity exercise (like boxing or boot camp) to shock your body out of its lull. Just be careful not to eat more if you start exercising at a higher intensity.

[Star Gazer]

I second Star Gazer's question: how tall are you and how much do you weigh? I don't think we (or even you) can gauge the situation unless we know where you're starting from.

 

My first response is that there's a very good chance that your body has reached its "setpoint" -- that is, the weight it "wants" to be. Trying to get your body to move off its setpoint weight is incredibly difficult, because that's the weight that it needs to be comfortable and healthy.

 

However, because we're caught up in how we look, and want to look a different way, what our body wants and what we want can be two different things!

 

That said, let's assume that you do still have some room to move. All the exercises you mention are different in motion, but not necessarily type. There're all kind of "set it and forget it" type exercises that we start doing, zone a bit during, and then stop. I would advise you to really mix it up by doing something completely different like a martial art, boxing, or boot camp. All three of those involves a trainer to push you, even harder than you'd push yourself. And they all involve heavy bursts of movement, that can "shock" the body out of a plateau.

 

Interval training is also a great way to get your body out of a plateau--try working out at your maximum ability for two minutes and at a slower pace for two minutes, and then alternate between those two levels for 30 minutes or so. You shouldn't be able to do interval training for as long as you can do "slower and steadier" training, because those maximum bursts should really take it out of you.

 

So, if you're at your set point weight, you might not be able to go much farther. If not, you need to shake up your exercise routine to include intervals and high-intensity exercise (like boxing or boot camp) to shock your body out of its lull. Just be careful not to eat more if you start exercising at a higher intensity.

 

Great post! I was going to say everything you did about the "set weight"!

[Lauriebell82]

The lower you get in weight, the harder/slower it is to take more weight off. The times that I have seen a significant drop in weight (after hitting a plateau) has been when I upped my workout. Add an additional 10-15 minutes to your work out routines and see if the extra weight comes off.