When did you start to see results?

Hi,

I'm 29, 5'10, and weigh 184.  I'd like to get it down to 150 by sometime this summer.  Anyway,   I've been working out 5-6 times a week, doing cardio (classes or machines) for 1/2 hour to an hour a day and have also been weight training twice a week.  I've been working out for 3 weeks and have been counting calories for about two weeks now (I'm on 1500 a day).  I haven't lost any weight at all and I'm getting incredibly frustrated.  I did South Beach a few years ago and the weight came off very easily, but it has since came back.  If I wanted to maintain my current weight I could not exercise and just sit around and eat.  How long did it take all of YOU to lose weight?  And also, what do you feel is better, cardio, weight training, or both?

I am going to hazard a guess that you are adding muscle as you lose fat.  You should really have your body fat % measured and track that... you could then calculate the fat loss...

I would suggest focusing less on pounds, and more on measurements and body fat%

I am 29, 5.3 and 128 lbs.  I used to work out everyday but the last 2 months I haven't because I wanted to get used to eat less since working out was making me extremelly hungry.  Anyway I have a sitting job and I eat about 1450 cal a day and I lose about 1 lb a week. 

My advise?  Try to eat a little more, more vegetables and fruit, skim milk, lean meats and I think you'll see difference.    Something else that I have done that really makes the difference is what type of food i eat now.  I used to eat the same calories (i swear, i was so carefull) but bagels, chocolate, candy, fatty foods and I couldn't lose even when I was starving but I with the same calories...  Now I eat a lot of veggies and fruit (don't listen to people that they contain sugar... is still better than white bread and cheddar) and that makes the difference.  So yes, I think you eat too little.

Original Post by g1rl79:

(don't listen to people that they contain sugar... is still better than white bread and cheddar)

I understand the bread, but cheddar? Why is that worse than other cheeses?

Hey, I'm 27 and I've lost about 60 lbs so far. What you're describing happens from time to time. Just keep chugging along, doing what you're doing. Just because the scale isn't moving doesn't mean you're not burning fat. Offhand though, I'd say that you're not drinking enough water. Don't underestimate the importance of that, especially with all the exercise. Also, try as best you can to get your calories from the healthiest foods you can. Stay away from simple sugars and other refined carbs. Try to eat whole grains and other foods that have a lot of complex carbs. Drink water, and also... drink water. You should also remember to drink a lot of water.

And remember this: its a marathon, not a race. If you're ever wondering 'how much longer do I have to do this?' - the answer should be: for the rest of your life. If you eat and exercise like a healthy athletic person, you'll look like a healthy athletic person.

I saw a difference in how my body looked and felt when I bumped up the strength training.  I do body work classes 3 times a week for an hour, and cardio another 2-3 days.  Do the kind of exercise that leaves your muscles a little sore the next day, and you'll know you're making progress! 

I saw a difference within the first week which gave me incentive to exercise...then I really saw a difference, at first it was just inches, then I started mearsuring my waist--back--hips--chest. I was shrinking, but don't get it twisted, I would mess up and eat. Then I got sick one weekend and that did it for me for about 5 months. But if you really work at it and do what is suggested I promise you there will be results, if you mess up just get back up and start all over again, and drink water, like you have never before. That helps a lot.  

It took me a few weeks to see some weight loss. I was 160 on July 5 and it took me until August 6 to get to 155... I think the first two weeks I didn't seem to lose anything, but I was consistent with my eating better and less and exercising and the weight started to come off around week 3.

I was only doing about 1 day a week of strength training so I know that my slow start to weight loss wasn't due to losing fat and gaining muscle, but in January I started strength training 3 times a week and have lost about 7 lbs. since then and my clothes are fitting way looser... so if you want faster results I would try to add in one or even two more days of strength training, it really helps!

Also, maybe change your work outs? Like do intervals, or try a cardio/strength mix where you do 10 min of cardio, then 5 min strength, then 10 min cardio, etc. Going back and forth like that is supposed to help burn fat faster and increase your metabolism...

Hope this all helps!

Hi,

 I am 48 years old 5'10 and weigh 234. I have been trying to lose weight for about five months. Of those five months four of those months I did not lose one pound and was getting very frustrated. I trained with weights six days a week as well as cardio six days a week but still did not lose anything in pounds or size.

  Now this past month has been a different story. I have lost seventeen pounds.

 This is what I am doing different. I still workout with weights six days and do cardio six day a week but those workouts are different now.

 I now work out at home, which lets me focus more on the workout then waiting for equipment and being interrupted by other distractions. I cut down my sets per exercise and rest periods between sets. I also increased my protein intake. I also lift heaver then I was which allows me to do a max of eights reps per set. I have cut down my workout time from one hour and a half to less than fifty minutes.

 I read an article that said that when the body is pushed more then fifty minutes it produces chemicals that stop the body from building more muscle so that is why I changed my workout to be no more then fifty minutes. I train no more then two body parts a day and do cardio in the same workout  for twenty minutes,or I do the cardio in the morning for twenty minutes and lift later in the day. I also train abs everyday just before bed time.

 I increased my protein to feed my muscles so that they could get bigger and burn more calories. I believe that the more muscle you have the more calories you burn so the balance from intake to process will be on the negative side for intake if that makes since.

 I know that working out at home might not be for everyone because of cost of equipment but you can be very productive using the following items, sandbags, a ten pound long handle sledgehammer and a set of dumbbells. The dumbbells should range from five to forty five pounds depending on your strength. There are some very good videos on YouTube that show how to use sandbags and a sledgehammer in a workout. I use to ride a stationary bike but that broke and my elliptical machine broke two weeks ago so now I use the sledgehammer and an old tire and do burpies for my cardio.

 As far as eating I stay around 1800 to 2400 calories a day. Notice that I say “stay” and not “try” I was one of those guys that tried to eat well but never really did. Now I enter everything I eat in my log so that I know exactly how many calories I have going in. this way I can keep that negative calorie ratio. I now need to increase my water intake to see if that will help too I do not drink much water now so i will work on that.

 They say that as soon as you hit thirty it becomes harder to lose weight I have to agree with them. It has been hard at forty eight to lose weight I can remember when I had trouble keeping weight on at age twenty. But now I have hope since I am seeing results with this new way of eating and working out.

 Sorry for the long essay but I hope that this might help you too.

 Good luck!

Thanks for the advice everyone!  I will try to drink more water, good idea.  I actually weighed a pound less when I stepped on the scale today. Holla! Hopefully that lb won't be back tomorrow!  But I'll just keep at it though, and I'm glad to hear that other people have gone through the same thing in the beginning.

I lost 3" around my waist the first month. Who cares about pounds?

Seriously, I've been working out for 6 months and have lost only 10lbs, but I can't tell you how many inches I've lost (well, I can, but that's at home and I'm at work - it's pretty amazing!)