Three weeks and counting...no results

I think the title pretty much says it all.

I was pretty fit and healthy.  I would go to dance classes 3 times a week.  I never really watched what i ate but i never really had to.  I have been in that weight for the whole year..until the holiday season kicked in.  No exercise for 1 month and eating...a lot.  I am not exagerating when I say i gained 10 lbs...seriously.  I thought, since i was quite active before the break, i wouldn't have a hard time losing the excess weight...WRONG!

It has been roughly 3 weeks.  I have been going to the gym 4 times a week to attend dance classes or spinning classes...sometimes, even both.  I never even used to watch how many calories i ate but since i got back, i have been a calorie fiend!  Writing down everything like i would go senile.

I have used both the weighing scale and the fit on my clothes as basis and i have NOT lost weight.  AT ALL.    Someone please shed some light into my situation as it is beginning to look bleak and hopeless.  I am not going for anything but to be how i looked before the holiday break.  I am rotating my only 2 pairs of "fat jeans" and i have no pairs of slacks that would fit me for work.

Please help...

Hey!!Hang in there!! I can relate, I've been at this for about 2 weeks now and have seen very little results. I have to keep reminding myself that losing weight, and more importantly, getting healthy, takes time. I am a person who, unless I see immediate results, gets discouraged easily and will give up. It takes a phenomenal amount of willpower to keep going even though you may not be seeing results on the outside.

 What makes it worse, too, is that it is so easy to GAIN weight and so much harder to LOSE weight. Seriously. How fast can I eat a chocolate bar? I'd say less than 3 minutes. But to burn off that chocolate bar will take an hour in the gym. It is so unfair!!Keep going, remind yourself that anything too easy isn't worth doing. And losing weight and being healthy is one of the most worthwhile things you can do for yourself. Good luck!!! 

Thanks, jenabel.  I appreciate your vote.

I would just like some form of indication...at all...that i am doing the right thing.  Is there a time frame i am supposed to be looking at?  I hear about people losing 1 to 2 pounds a week.  I haven't lost ANY in 3 weeks.   Will i wake up tomorrow and be at least a pound lighter?  What's taking it so long? 

OH. MY.  GOSH!

I just weighed myself and...I GAINED 3 POUNDS?!  How in heaven's name did I manage to do that?  An no, my clothes are not fitting better.  I wanted to lose 3 lbs by now...instead, i gained it!  What did i do wrong?

HELP!!!!

how many calories are you eating a day?

an average of 1400 - 1600 a day...

i feel almost inconsolable right now....

Hey don't get down on yourself, you know making an effort is better than going back to your old ways. You just need to tweak things a bit to see results.

I don't know what you eat everyday but I did see a red flag in your post. It looks like you may be overtraining and perhaps undereating.  You shouldn't be doing a vigorous dance class AND spinning. Spinning can burn up to 800 calories and you aren't eating enough at 1400 to compensate for that - and definitely not that and dance class.

what do you eat in a day? give us a sample day and maybe we can find some ways to help you out. I think 4 days a week is good at the gym, you may want to incorporate some weights classes too. I hate the classes but I find that after a couple of weeks I do see results.

Also how old are you? what is your height and weight?

Don't give up, we'll help you through this :)

dont give up!!!

Hey angelnya.  I really appreciate your taking an interest in my HUGE problem (pun intended).

Technically, i dont really do the spinning classes twice a week...at max, i attend it once a week.

I was just under the impression that to lose weight, you really should just burn more than you eat...which is what i was trying to do...or rather, what i am doing. Wasn't this supposed to be some golden rule?

I am around 5'3 but a really tiny frame.  It may appear like i am underweight but i really am not.  My normal weight for several years now has really been at 100lbs but now, including the 3lbs i just gained... I am at 113.   I am 27 years old as well.

Thanks, georgia465.

Hey if you exercise to much and eat very little sort of like what angelyana its not good for you. If you dont eat enough it will keep all of its contents and expell very little because your body will know you need energy to keep up with the exercies and your pretty underweight if you ask me so dont worry about it 

Make sure to double check that the amounts of food you are logging is consistent with what you are eating.  It could be your portion size.

I am new here... Babygirl not sure how old you are but could you be pregnant? are you feeling well anything other than the weight gain going on? You are saying you are active before and were happy with the way you were before the ten pound weight gain so that is why i ask.  If you were someone who usually struggled with weight i wouldnt ask... 

I just saw you are 27 i know i said i didnt know how old you were but i guess i do! If you are eating well at 5'3 and 113 pounds and are healthy and active I think you are at a good weight and the other possibility could be you gained 10 pounds at the  holiday and now you are cutting calories so drastic and working out and your body is storeing what food you are eating..??

 

So...it doesnt always follow that to lose weight, you just have to burn more than you eat?  Is that what i am doing wrong?

Hi kay27. I think i have been as accurate with my portions as can be but if i am off, it shouldnt be by too much.

my target is really just to fit back into all of my old clothes.  i'm really not even into my weight per se but the reason why i have been obsessing about it is because i am not losing both ways...in size and weight.

What should i do now?

It's not just that you need to burn more than you eat.  You also need to keep the "deficit" -- the difference between what you burn and what you eat -- less than 1000 calories. If you run up too big a deficit, your body thinks there's a famine going on and it hangs on to weight.

A 1000 calorie deficit will give you 2 lbs per week weight loss. A 500 calorie deficit will give you 1 lb per week weight loss.  

Use the tools on this site to log your food and exercise, and then see what the differences is between what you're eating and what you're burning. If the difference is too much, then eat some more, and you will lose weight.  It sounds counter-intuitive but it's true. 

try to measure yourself too! You may find that the loss is coming in ways other than lbs... I have lost only 26 lbs, but 17 inches! When I plateau, I make sure I measure, and more than likely I have at least lost an inch somewhere!

Hi alevin.

That, i didn't know.  But after taking your advice, my deficit doesnt appear to be more than 1000 calories still....i'm not losing any additional weight.  Infact, as far as progress goes, i even gained 3 lbs!

In terms of fit of clothes, they are still the same.  I still can't fit into my old clothes which, as can be imagined, can get more frustrating everyday.

*sigh*

I dont know what else there is to do.  I'm going towards my 4th week now and still, no results.  This is beginning to look very hopeless.  Has my body just given up on me for no reason at all?!

Bummer.

mollymouser, one of the volunteer moderators, has a great set of questions to try and diagnose weight loss blocks. You answered the first two questions, try the others.  And one more -- what is your age/height/weight now?  

What is your daily calorie deficit, factoring in exercise?

Are you exercising?

Are you eating breakfast?

What is your fat-protein-carb ratio  breakdowns?

Are you drinking enough water?

How are your sodium and caffeine levels?

Are you eating 7-9 servings of fruits and veggies every day?

Are you eating at least 25g of fiber every day?

Are you taking a multivitamin?

Are you sick? PMS? TOM? Getting enough sleep?

Hey, great questions alevin! (grin)

=^..^= MOLLY

Original Post by alevin:

Bummer.

mollymouser, one of the volunteer moderators, has a great set of questions to try and diagnose weight loss blocks. You answered the first two questions, try the others.  And one more -- what is your age/height/weight now? i am 27, 5'3 and a 113 although i was 100lbs before and that is my target weight (i know you think i may be underweight but i have a really tiny frame)  

What is your daily calorie deficit, factoring in exercise? somewhere between 500 and 1000

Are you exercising? oh yes 

Are you eating breakfast? never miss it

What is your fat-protein-carb ratio  breakdowns?

Are you drinking enough water? yes

How are your sodium and caffeine levels? i have a cup of coffee everyday...sodium is fine

Are you eating 7-9 servings of fruits and veggies every day? maybe not that much but i definitely eat a lot of fruits..at least 1 banana a day

Are you eating at least 25g of fiber every day? maybe about 15 - 20g only

Are you taking a multivitamin? yes

Are you sick? PMS? TOM? Getting enough sleep? my average is at 7 hours a night and no, i am not PMS'ing...right now.

what's the verdict?

 

double check your calorie intake and exersise I like this one its streamlined and easy to add, but doesn't have some of the thing cc does,