Workout Question?

[Aimee]

Okay. So I've been dieting and working out for a couple of weeks now
and it's been going great.

I run a mile [2 miles on a good day] in the morning
and I do a workout tape in the evening.
Everyday.
I eat healthy. And I've lost 13 pounds so far.

But now I have been stuck at my weight for 5 days.
Nothing is changing even though I feel I'm doing everything right.
I can't even remember the last time I had chocolate!
So why is my weight not changing?
Is there something else I need to be doing?

I'm just losing motivation.
I mean how can I go from losing pounds everyday to none at all?
Helpppppppp.

 

[..Glamorous..]

You hit a plateau, you have to workout more through out the day and change up what your doing.. try pilates it's amazing for abs and it's something different, or even a little weight lifting.

If you've been doing the same things everyday, those muscles aren't really getting a workout anymore, focus on another part of you.

 

[Aimee]

You hit a plateau, you have to workout more through out the day and change up what your doing.. try pilates it's amazing for abs and it's something different, or even a little weight lifting.

Damnit! I was afraid of that. haha
I will definitely try anything new at this point!
Thanks Glam! <3

 

[Mister Scruff]

Weight drops off you easily enough at the start because you'll be losing water and the excess-excess baggage, but after a while it becomes a much slower process.

I dunno any safe ways to make it go faster; when I got to the stage that the weight wasn't falling off me anymore I stopped bothering about losing weight and focused on fitness goals instead. What I will say, though, is that the worst thing you can do is get demoralised. Don't do that. Tis a slippery slope.

 

[..Glamorous..]

Haha, I was having this same problem.. it sucks! I hate hitting a plateau, it's always discouraging.. even now I still workout about 2 hrs a day.

 

[Synful Pryde]

I just want to say PLEASE be careful with the diet! Generally, healthy weight loss shouldn't exceed a 10% reduction of your original weight over several <i>months</i>. A balanced diet and exercise will get you where you need to go, no matter what your jean size or bathroom scale says.

 

[SantaFeSwitch]

Hi Aimee,

As you know I'm a holistic trainer and I happen to specialize in healthy holistic weight loss. Since you're such a nice girl and a fellow ticklephile I'll be glad to give you a free consultation if you're interested.

 

[DLazarus]

Glam is exactly right. Changing the workout for different area's is the key. Don't give up and don't get down on yourself.
BTW, congratulations on loosing the 13 pounds. I know the feeling, cause I have lost 50 pounds since last November and I feel great.
Keep up the good work.........i'm happy for your success.

 

[Aimee]

Weight drops off you easily enough at the start because you'll be losing water and the excess-excess baggage, but after a while it becomes a much slower process.

I dunno any safe ways to make it go faster; when I got to the stage that the weight wasn't falling off me anymore I stopped bothering about losing weight and focused on fitness goals instead. What I will say, though, is that the worst thing you can do is get demoralised. Don't do that. Tis a slippery slope.

What kind of fitness goals did you have?

Haha, I was having this same problem.. it sucks! I hate hitting a plateau, it's always discouraging.. even now I still workout about 2 hrs a day.

Do you do the workout tape and weight lifting or do you have different workout routines you do?

I just want to say PLEASE be careful with the diet! Generally, healthy weight loss shouldn't exceed a 10% reduction of your original weight over several <i>months</i>. A balanced diet and exercise will get you where you need to go, no matter what your jean size or bathroom scale says.

Thanks. I'll be good and healthy, I promise.

Hi Aimee,

As you know I'm a holistic trainer and I happen to specialize in healthy holistic weight loss. Since you're such a nice girl and a fellow ticklephile I'll be glad to give you a free consultation if you're interested.

PM me!

Glam is exactly right. Changing the workout for different area's is the key. Don't give up and don't get down on yourself.
BTW, congratulations on loosing the 13 pounds. I know the feeling, cause I have lost 50 pounds since last November and I feel great.
Keep up the good work.........i'm happy for your success.

Congrats on the 50lbs! That's amazing!

 

[..Glamorous..]

I've been doing weight lifting, aerobics, dance, and I've been taking a bunch of classes at the gym with my best friend, as well as using the treadmill and cycling machines. But the aerobics, dance and weight lifting I do at home frequently. I highly recommend the pilates, I lost 40 pounds alone doing that.. I wasn't even eating a healthy diet.. I plan on going back to that after my pregnancy, as well as staying at the gym. Your doing a good amount of cardio with the running, I would keep that up. If I were you I would get 3 or 4 different workout vids, maybe an abs/pilates, lower body (usually covered in pilates as well), yoga for stretching and flexiblity.. it's also wonderful for weight managment.. and then maybe get a tape that covers all of the above to do once a week.

 

[SantaFeSwitch]

"PM me!"

Ok, I will later today after some training appts.

Just a few things now: to get the most bang for the buck and to make your weight loss both healthy and sustainable over time really requires a systemic approach beginning with the control systems of the body, CNS and endocrine, to coordinate the dietary and exercise and other lifestyle factors in order to create a favorable neurotransmitter, hormonal, and metabolic environment in your body for weight fitness which is a combo of building muscle, bone, and blood volume (anabolism) while getting rid of excess body fat (catabolism). As someone else mentioned, you can lose weight but it can largely be in the form of water and muscle which is not good and sets you up for weight gain by lowering your basal metabolic rate.

The most common piecemeal approaches fail because people tend to jump straight to the dietary and exercise nuts and bolts at a lower level of complexity without considering how diet and exercise effect your hormones and metabolism at a higher level of complexity--if you don't get your hormones and metabolism right forget about it, you'll waste your time and get frustrated. So they may be doing something on the dietary front that effects their hormones (insulin, glucagon, testosterone, estrogen, cortisol, prostaglandins, lipoprotein lipase, etc.) in one direction while doing things on the exercise side of the equation that effect their hormones in a different direction and then wonder why they don't get great results or why results are short-lived. These things have to be synced to get the fastest results.

Also, the use of advanced customization techniques is important so that you are doing things that are right for your metabolic type, endocrine type, body type, blood type, muscle fiber type, personality type, etc. so you can get even faster results while not harming your body over the long-term.

Habituation, intrinsic motivation, self-discipline, time management, stress management, subconscious blocks, etc. are also vitally important.

Right now I'm the strength coach and nutritionist for a pro boxer who I'm helping make weight for an upcoming fight without losing his strength and these techniques are extremely effective.

I'll PM later today you so we can set something up.

 

[Mister Scruff]

What kind of fitness goals did you have?

For starters it was just general stuff like running further, doing more reps, adding more weight, that sort of stuff; then once I was happy with my general fitness I started focusing a bit more. Trying to improve my running times (no mean feat because I fucking HATE running), trying to swim for longer using different strokes, trying to use the rowing machine for a full twenty minutes without injuring myself (they're a great training tool, but for some reason they hate me and like to hurt me). I also got back into martial arts, which was a good thing too; whenever I wake up feeling like shit and really not wanting to go for a run, I can just tell myself I'm doing it as part of my muay thai training and I tend to find that pulls me through it, plus you find that as you start to get fitter the urge to compete becomes hard to resist, which also serves as a motivator if you're a sad person like myself. I am basically That Fucking Guy, the bloke who is on the treadmill next to you increasing his speed as you increase yours, who gets off thirty seconds after you just so he can say he lasted longer... it really is pathetic sometimes. The saddest part is I don't even care >_<

I think at the end of the day it's a case of keeping your enthusiasm and motivation going by any means necessary until you're comfortable enough to just do the stuff you're doing for the sheer enjoyment of it.

 

[Knot Amewzed]

Okay. So I've been dieting and working out for a couple of weeks now
and it's been going great.

I run a mile [2 miles on a good day] in the morning
and I do a workout tape in the evening.
Everyday.
I eat healthy. And I've lost 13 pounds so far.

But now I have been stuck at my weight for 5 days.
Nothing is changing even though I feel I'm doing everything right.
I can't even remember the last time I had chocolate!
So why is my weight not changing?
Is there something else I need to be doing?

I'm just losing motivation.
I mean how can I go from losing pounds everyday to none at all?
Helpppppppp.

5 days? Please tell me that you don't weigh yourself everyday. The human body fluctuates daily, there is no way to get a consistent reading everyday. If you must weigh yourself at all, keep it at once a week at the most. Personally, I find a tape measure and a mirror shows true fat loss. Weight is merely a number. Check out one of my bogs titled, One Foot on the Scale; One in the Grave. There is plenty of info in there that may help you.

 

[Aimee]

For starters it was just general stuff like running further, doing more reps, adding more weight, that sort of stuff; then once I was happy with my general fitness I started focusing a bit more. Trying to improve my running times (no mean feat because I fucking HATE running), trying to swim for longer using different strokes, trying to use the rowing machine for a full twenty minutes without injuring myself (they're a great training tool, but for some reason they hate me and like to hurt me). I also got back into martial arts, which was a good thing too; whenever I wake up feeling like shit and really not wanting to go for a run, I can just tell myself I'm doing it as part of my muay thai training and I tend to find that pulls me through it, plus you find that as you start to get fitter the urge to compete becomes hard to resist, which also serves as a motivator if you're a sad person like myself. I am basically That Fucking Guy, the bloke who is on the treadmill next to you increasing his speed as you increase yours, who gets off thirty seconds after you just so he can say he lasted longer... it really is pathetic sometimes. The saddest part is I don't even care >_<

I think at the end of the day it's a case of keeping your enthusiasm and motivation going by any means necessary until you're comfortable enough to just do the stuff you're doing for the sheer enjoyment of it.

Wow. That sounds like it works out great. Thanks for the awesome advice!

5 days? Please tell me that you don't weigh yourself everyday. The human body fluctuates daily, there is no way to get a consistent reading everyday. If you must weigh yourself at all, keep it at once a week at the most. Personally, I find a tape measure and a mirror shows true fat loss. Weight is merely a number. Check out one of my bogs titled, One Foot on the Scale; One in the Grave. There is plenty of info in there that may help you.

Yeah. I do weigh myself everyday. I can't help it.
But I'll stop.
And I'm gonna go check out your blog.

 

[falcon]

hey aimee,
heather and i have been doing a fitness bootcamp class at our gym for about a year now and the results have been really good. we dont do any running or anything like that but its an hours worth of different exercises. everything from using weights to plyometric movements (jumping up on things, through rings, side lunges, box drills, etc). these types of exercises work the entire body and different muscle groups. sometimes we focus on a specific area and sometimes we just work the shit out of the whole body. i started at about 205lbs and before my vacation i was down to 184lbs.

all that, plus eating better (no fast food AT ALL) and eating more frequently (small things every 2 and a half to 3 hours) has really helped. i could always do straight cardio on the side on the days that i'm not doing bootcamp. so i'm doing that twice a week plus playing hockey on one of my bootcamp days as well. i think you just have to change it up. just be careful, though. you really don't seem like you have that much to be losing (meaning i have no idea where you're trying to lose the weight from, girl!! supposed to be a compliment but i may have fucked it up lol)

and remember to get your protein in and maybe a good multi-vitamin. go see your family doctor, if you have one, before taking anything though (such as vitamins or whatever). that's what i say, anyway. keep in mind that what works for other people may not work for you but i would say to try and change up what you do. also remember that your body needs time to recover so its not really necessary that you're doing stuff every single day. but that's totally up to you.

so there's my two scents.

 

[Mister Scruff]

also remember that your body needs time to recover so its not really necessary that you're doing stuff every single day. but that's totally up to you.

This too. Overtraining is not a good thing at all. Recovering from a bad burn out or injury can be just as difficult as coming back from giving up. I normally take a break from training on Monday (long day at work), Thursday (another long day at work), and every second Sunday (because I tend to do a lot of heavy weights on my second weeks and those are a bastard to recover from). Make sure you're sleeping properly too.

Also I reckon if you shaved off all your hair you'd probably save yourself at least 3lbs.

 

[Strider]

For starters, don't weigh yourself more than once per week, you'll drive yourself insane while doing so. If you're weighing yourself daily you'll be open to little fluctuations and you really won't get any sort of accurate representation.

Second, find out what amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight. Healthy loss is around .50 pounds to 1 pound per week, so drop that level a couple of hundred calories daily.

Last, realize there's a difference between losing weight and losing fat. This was a big deal for me to realize when I was in the middle of losing weight (I went from around 230 a year and a half ago to about 185 at the beginning of this year). I've been around 185 for a while now, but I've definitely gotten more toned during that time, and now I'm starting to get visible abs for the first time in my life. So check your body fat, a pair of calipers are cheap and pretty simple to use, but it's even simpler just to notice how your clothes fit over time.

Hope some of that helped.

 

[Aimee]

hey aimee,
heather and i have been doing a fitness bootcamp class at our gym for about a year now and the results have been really good. we dont do any running or anything like that but its an hours worth of different exercises. everything from using weights to plyometric movements (jumping up on things, through rings, side lunges, box drills, etc). these types of exercises work the entire body and different muscle groups. sometimes we focus on a specific area and sometimes we just work the shit out of the whole body. i started at about 205lbs and before my vacation i was down to 184lbs.

all that, plus eating better (no fast food AT ALL) and eating more frequently (small things every 2 and a half to 3 hours) has really helped. i could always do straight cardio on the side on the days that i'm not doing bootcamp. so i'm doing that twice a week plus playing hockey on one of my bootcamp days as well. i think you just have to change it up. just be careful, though. you really don't seem like you have that much to be losing (meaning i have no idea where you're trying to lose the weight from, girl!! supposed to be a compliment but i may have fucked it up lol)

and remember to get your protein in and maybe a good multi-vitamin. go see your family doctor, if you have one, before taking anything though (such as vitamins or whatever). that's what i say, anyway. keep in mind that what works for other people may not work for you but i would say to try and change up what you do. also remember that your body needs time to recover so its not really necessary that you're doing stuff every single day. but that's totally up to you.

so there's my two scents.

Thank you for your two cents and the compliment, Luke.
And congrats on your weightloss! Very impressive!
You're right on how I should try to change up my exercise routine.
Because doesn't your body get used to things after a while .. so you sorta have to trick it?

This too. Overtraining is not a good thing at all. Recovering from a bad burn out or injury can be just as difficult as coming back from giving up. I normally take a break from training on Monday (long day at work), Thursday (another long day at work), and every second Sunday (because I tend to do a lot of heavy weights on my second weeks and those are a bastard to recover from). Make sure you're sleeping properly too.

Take a day off from exercising? Ah. I dunno if I can do that.
I've sort of come obsessed.
I suppose 1 day won't kill me.

Also I reckon if you shaved off all your hair you'd probably save yourself at least 3lbs.

I'll get right on that.

For starters, don't weigh yourself more than once per week, you'll drive yourself insane while doing so. If you're weighing yourself daily you'll be open to little fluctuations and you really won't get any sort of accurate representation.

Second, find out what amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight. Healthy loss is around .50 pounds to 1 pound per week, so drop that level a couple of hundred calories daily.

Last, realize there's a difference between losing weight and losing fat. This was a big deal for me to realize when I was in the middle of losing weight (I went from around 230 a year and a half ago to about 185 at the beginning of this year). I've been around 185 for a while now, but I've definitely gotten more toned during that time, and now I'm starting to get visible abs for the first time in my life. So check your body fat, a pair of calipers are cheap and pretty simple to use, but it's even simpler just to notice how your clothes fit over time.

Hope some of that helped.

First off, congrats on your weightloss! That's awesome!
Second .. what in the world are calipers? haha

 

[Strider]

Second .. what in the world are calipers? haha

They're a tool designed to measure body fat.

 

[Filthyweasel]

Hi Aimee,

Now I've never tried to lose weight but I'm trying the workout thing too so I'll put in my couple cents here. My metabolism works in overdrive 24/7 to the point where I'm most likely burning calories sitting here. Now most people would say I'm lucky, but it makes me a very skinny guy, which made my high school life a misery. last year I'd just lost my girlfriend so I decided to change my life a little. I was never very confident so I thought I would give myself little confidence tests to bolster myself. I had long hair for 10 years, cut that off and donated it on a whim. Then I decided to just bite the bullet and brave a gym.

Of course today I'm waiting until the 25th for a consultation with a surgeon for a hernia, even though I really don't think I overdid anything, but if you can afford it, try a gym. Most of the time you can attend the classes they offer without having a membership. Change your routine around often, keeps the muscles active and might get you beyond from this stagnant period.

Or if you can, and this sounds almost silly, try the Wii Fiit. It's actually really good, the system itself weighs you. It works on the BMI body mass index system which I believe to be innaccurate and outmoded way of telling your height/weight ratio, but it still gives you a good idea of what to do and some really good routines.

Yoga classes are good too. They help with stress also.

 

[Capnmad]

First of all, congrats on the weight loss, babe. Second of all -- wish I could be of help, but my weight just plain old doesn't change -- I can change my diet and work out like a fiend or be a total lazy ass, and the only thing that changes is my fat/muscle ratio. For me, the weight always remains in a certain 10-12 lb range. I'm quite happy with that, actually, but that also means I wouldn't know what to suggest to help you break through your plateau.

Give Santa Fe's offer a go, though. In this environment, the price "free" is hard to beat.

 

[EcEu]

minus the workout tape, we pretty much do the same thing each day!

Amy i think that first couple of pounds that you lost was the same thing everyone loses when they first start getting a routine working which is water weight.

Another thing to consider is that muscle is much heavier than fat, since i finally got back into my routine, i gained weight, i went and had that Body Mass Index test and i found out i have very little body fat.

Remember that your body will use what is easier to process into energy to keep going, proteins are much easier to convert to energy than lipids/fats, so you really need to make sure you are eating enough of the right things so you are not burning away all your hard work after an exercise.

When I'm not exercising, i'm drinking a LOT of water, no less than 10 cups a day myself, Gatorade or G2 is good during the time you are exercising, but i definitely recommend water or sometimes milk for any other time of the day.

And don't forget to stretch before you do anything, i know it takes time but it's very important to get your body primed for the real workout, also you don't want to pull anything.

Just stay focused, running two miles is no easy thing so you should feel very proud of that, set some goals, maybe next month give it three miles? Just keep a clear mind and know that everything you are doing is very good for your health and you'll see results if you keep at it.

 

[Aimee]

Hi Aimee,

Now I've never tried to lose weight but I'm trying the workout thing too so I'll put in my couple cents here. My metabolism works in overdrive 24/7 to the point where I'm most likely burning calories sitting here. Now most people would say I'm lucky, but it makes me a very skinny guy, which made my high school life a misery. last year I'd just lost my girlfriend so I decided to change my life a little. I was never very confident so I thought I would give myself little confidence tests to bolster myself. I had long hair for 10 years, cut that off and donated it on a whim. Then I decided to just bite the bullet and brave a gym.

Of course today I'm waiting until the 25th for a consultation with a surgeon for a hernia, even though I really don't think I overdid anything, but if you can afford it, try a gym. Most of the time you can attend the classes they offer without having a membership. Change your routine around often, keeps the muscles active and might get you beyond from this stagnant period.

Or if you can, and this sounds almost silly, try the Wii Fiit. It's actually really good, the system itself weighs you. It works on the BMI body mass index system which I believe to be innaccurate and outmoded way of telling your height/weight ratio, but it still gives you a good idea of what to do and some really good routines.

Yoga classes are good too. They help with stress also.

Well I most definitely don't have the money for the gym or Wii.
Which really sucks because I would love access to weights.
But alas .. being poor has it's disadvantages and I'll just have to stick to my local park and workout DVDs.
Thanks for the advice though.

First of all, congrats on the weight loss, babe. Second of all -- wish I could be of help, but my weight just plain old doesn't change -- I can change my diet and work out like a fiend or be a total lazy ass, and the only thing that changes is my fat/muscle ratio. For me, the weight always remains in a certain 10-12 lb range. I'm quite happy with that, actually, but that also means I wouldn't know what to suggest to help you break through your plateau.

Give Santa Fe's offer a go, though. In this environment, the price "free" is hard to beat.

I am still waiting for his PM.. but we shall see!

minus the workout tape, we pretty much do the same thing each day!

Amy i think that first couple of pounds that you lost was the same thing everyone loses when they first start getting a routine working which is water weight.

Another thing to consider is that muscle is much heavier than fat, since i finally got back into my routine, i gained weight, i went and had that Body Mass Index test and i found out i have very little body fat.

Remember that your body will use what is easier to process into energy to keep going, proteins are much easier to convert to energy than lipids/fats, so you really need to make sure you are eating enough of the right things so you are not burning away all your hard work after an exercise.

When I'm not exercising, i'm drinking a LOT of water, no less than 10 cups a day myself, Gatorade or G2 is good during the time you are exercising, but i definitely recommend water or sometimes milk for any other time of the day.

And don't forget to stretch before you do anything, i know it takes time but it's very important to get your body primed for the real workout, also you don't want to pull anything.

Just stay focused, running two miles is no easy thing so you should feel very proud of that, set some goals, maybe next month give it three miles? Just keep a clear mind and know that everything you are doing is very good for your health and you'll see results if you keep at it.

Do you have a list of proteins?

Also .. everyone keeps saying water, water, water ..
BUT I can't do it. I've tried. I feel sick if I drink too much water .. I can barely get through 3 glasses a day. How in the world do people do it?
I know if I could get a full 8 glasses a day I would be on a better track and not feel so damn lightheaded all the time .. but I can't do it.

This also may sound weird.. but I don't stretch. LOL
After years of Cross Country you think I'd know to do this .. but eh.
I feel fine when I'm running. I actually ran 3 miles today.
But. Yeah .. I'll start stretching. Maybe.

 

[EcEu]

hmm maybe presentation is key here, water is very very yummy to me but it's probably because i always drink it cold and in a nice glass

and quit being a dork and stretch Amy!


edit: oh yeah the proteins.....umm for me that usually consists of mixed nuts from cost co, steak, beans and such. Depending on what you're already eating, you're probably already getting what you need for your level of excercise. and one more tip, bananas are the ultimate fruit, you can eat them late at night and have no problems and you can eat them before an excercise and already be burning it.

 

[falcon]

Thank you for your two cents and the compliment, Luke.
And congrats on your weightloss! Very impressive!
You're right on how I should try to change up my exercise routine.
Because doesn't your body get used to things after a while .. so you sorta have to trick it?



Take a day off from exercising? Ah. I dunno if I can do that.
I've sort of come obsessed.
I suppose 1 day won't kill me.


yeah you should definitely change it up. not only does your body get bored but so will you!! and you're working the same things all the time so you're really getting a disproprotionate training session. and you GOTTA give your body time to recover!!!! really really need to take at least a day or two off, especially if you start working with weights. when you work with weights frequently, you're actually tearing your muscle fiber down and they definitely need time to recover and rebuild, which is what the protein intake will do for you. if you start a training program that puts weight lifting into it, look into protein shakes. drink those after your training session to help rebuild the muscles that you've just spent the last hour destroying, if that makes any sense lol. i usually drink mine with 1% milk. that's another thing, if you're drinking 2% milk, which heather and i were drinking for years, switch to 1%. just better for ya. again, just my two scents.