Working out for a month with no results on the scale yet!?

I'm 41 and 4 years ago I weighed 240 lbs. (I'm 5'8")  I lost 65 lbs. by dieting - very little exercise.  I now weigh 180 and it won't budge.  I decided a month ago to establish a routine that I thought would burn calories, build muscle and help my endurance to eventually be able to hold my own at a 5K me and some co-workers are doing next month - my first race of any kind.  I have been doing the routine at least 5 days a week.  It takes about an hour each day.  I'm really getting frustrated though because I haven't lost a SINGLE POUND!   Here is what I do:

5 mins. fast walking on treadmill  @ 4.0 mph          

10 mins. jogging on treadmill @ 4.5 mph

then I alternate sets until I've done of:

75 sit-ups

30 squats w/handweights

30 step-ups

20 push-ups

30 tricep dips

Then back on the treadmill to do the same 15 min. routine I started with.

Is this enough?  Any suggestions for improvement?  I'm not usually one to ask for help - kind of stubborn and do things my own way.  But I don't want to give up.  I usually keep my calorie count around 1500 - 1600 per day.  My friend at work suggested that maybe I needed to up my calorie count for one day only.  I tried going up to 2000 cal. for one day and gained 2 pounds! :(

When is the last time you went to the Dr? You probably need to have your thyroid checked. Women in your age group often see quite a dip in thyroid function and need to go on medication.  A malfunctioning thyroid could def be the culprit bc with your diet and exercise...[considering, diet alone can give you weight loss] you should be seeing results.

To gain 2 pounds of weight you'd need to eat an extra 7,000 calories above maintenance (equally, it takes a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose a pound). Seeing as you only ate around maintenance, your weight would have fluctuated because of food and water-weight gain. I only weigh myself once every week or 2 weeks to avoid getting irked by all those fluctuations!

For your weight and exercise level, 1500 may be a little low. You could try maintaining your routine but raising to 1600-1700 calories daily to see if that has any effect.

Other options - increase the intensity of your exercise; run faster, on an incline or do intervals. Lift heavier weights. Or try something else - the stationary cycle, eliptical, cycling outdoors, hiking, dancing etc. Varying your routine is a great way to get better results without working harder.

I'm not sure about the scientific evidence of this but I know the quality of food I eat and the quality and amount of sleep I get affects my results in the gym. Also, start weighing your food to make sure you're not underestimating your intake - it's pretty easy to and I have done this! There was a video posted on CC a couple of days ago about how easy it was to underestimate without weighing - very insightful.

I also agree with fitnessgirll - have a checkup to see if you have an underactive thyroid.

Try taking your measurements. When you start the program, you are losing fat but gaining muscle, so you might not notice it on the scale but if you measure your waist, you will notice the difference. My weight is the same for the last 3 weeks, but in that time I've lost 3 inches off my waist. So that really keeps me from getting frustrated.

I am actually due for my yearly dr. visit.  I will ask him to check my thyroid.  I will say that, even though I haven't taken my measurements, I feel better and feel like my clothes are looser. 

I will try all the suggestions mentioned and see if I can 'shake things up' a bit and start seeing results on the scale.  I need to be more patient, I guess.

muscle = heavier with fat

if you see the results then it's fine! :)

* sorry excuse me heavier THAN fat

Which weighs more, 1 lb of muscle or 1 lb of fat?

Uh....

They weigh the same.  A pound is a pound is a pound. 

1lb of fat has more volume than 1lb of muscle.

OP, if you feel your clothes are looser you're probably losing some fat.  That, or you need to toss them in the dryer.    I'm thinking it's the former.

Original Post by ellygirlxxo:

muscle = heavier with fat

if you see the results then it's fine! :)

muscle and fat weigh the same

My suggestion is, if your thyroid is okay, definitely check your body measurements, especially since you think your clothes are fitting looser.  Sometimes, when you're working out regularly, you won't see the scale change but will see you're slimming down. 

The other thing is to buy an inexpensive body fat loss monitor.  It's the kind they have in the gym where you enter in a few numbers (i.e., age, weight, etc.), then hold it for about 5 seconds and it estimates your overall body fat.  Omron makes one for about $25.  That could be a way to see if you are trending down on your body fat.  It's not completely accurate (I own one), but at least it will give you an idea of your fat loss, and it's easier for me to do myself than using calipers.

My only other suggestion is, as you said, try shaking up your routine a bit.  The body naturally becomes accustomed to the same exercises day after day, making it harder to lose weight.  For cardio, try swimming or riding a bike, and change the weight-lifting exercises you do, and make sure you are pushing yourself.  Weight lifting shouldn't be easy -- you should be pushing yourself hard, but not so hard that you hurt yourself (of course, proper form is key).  As the weight you use gets easier, try upping it a bit until it's more difficult again.

It's unlikely that you're not losing fat, given your routine.  Maybe trying one of these suggestions may help.  Good luck -- I feel your pain because, at age 42, my weight loss is plateauing, and these were suggested to me to help get back on the weight loss trend!!!!!!!!

Thanks!  I didn't realize there was such a thing as a fat loss monitor - have to check that out.

I know the weight loss would be sped up by varying the routine.  Problem is, I want my body to get used to running because I would like to be a able to actually run a couple of miles a day without it being SOOO HARD! :-)  I do love riding my bike.  Might try incorporating that every other day.

Great that you have a fitness goal of wanting to run a few miles a day.  However, running is quite hard on your body, so most articles on learning to run or getting your body to run 5km or so has a strict schedule with rest days.  There is a coach to 5km programme (if you google it, will pop up) on the web a lot and good running books around.  My favourite is Run for Life by Sam Murphy, which takes a really healthy attitude to running and staying injury free, which is perhaps one of the biggest things to keep in mind about running. 

Perhaps you could get this book or some other reputable advice on a running programme, then do other things (perhaps cycling like your suggested, or another low impact exercise and weights, strengthening exercises) for your runnning rest days.  That would also means that your body is getting a different workout on different days, which keeps it burning calories. 

Definitely also take your measurements so you can see your success.  Measure everything including tops of arms & calves so that you get a complete picture of how your body is changing.

Great that you have a fitness goal of wanting to run a few miles a day.  However, running is quite hard on your body, so most articles on learning to run or getting your body to run 5km or so has a strict schedule with rest days.  There is a coach to 5km programme (if you google it, will pop up) on the web a lot and good running books around.  My favourite is Run for Life by Sam Murphy, which takes a really healthy attitude to running and staying injury free, which is perhaps one of the biggest things to keep in mind about running. 

Perhaps you could get this book or some other reputable advice on a running programme, then do other things (perhaps cycling like your suggested, or another low impact exercise and weights, strengthening exercises) for your runnning rest days.  That would also means that your body is getting a different workout on different days, which keeps it burning calories. 

Definitely also take your measurements so you can see your success.  Measure everything including tops of arms & calves so that you get a complete picture of how your body is changing.

It's very common when you start a new excercise regime to see your weight loss stall.  It doesn't mean you're not still losing fat.  But when you start a new excercise regimen, your muscles are suddenly being asked to do more.  There is probably a bit of muscle gain, but most of the gain often comes from the fact that the muscles have decided that they are going to be called upon a lot more than they used to, and they need to have more energy on hand in the form of glycogen, and glycogen holds three times its weight in water.  This is a good thing, though.  You want your muscles to store more glycogen, because the more energy your body stores as glycogen, the less it will store as fat.

I'm getting annoyed at the "muscle weighs more than fat / no it doesn't" debate that has cropped up on these boards.  We know what people mean when they say muscle weighs more than fat.  They mean muscle is denser than fat.  The same mass of muscle takes up less space than fat.  And aren't we all more interested in getting thinner than weighing less.  You want to weigh less?  Go to the moon.  You'll weigh a sixth of what you weigh here.  You won't be any thinner though. [end rant]

When is the last time you went to the Dr? You probably need to have your thyroid checked. Women in your age group often see quite a dip in thyroid function and need to go on medication.  A malfunctioning thyroid could def be the culprit bc with your diet and exercise...[considering, diet alone can give you weight loss] you should be seeing results.

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I'll second this. I'm planning to do that myself. 

I appreciate the input on the first month because It oo am doing everything "right" and seeing not only little loss - but actually a GAIN.

Worse, I'm not impressed with clothes fitting better or anything. I don't feel any 'better' other than mentally (oh gee look at me sticking to a workout routine!) but I'm really not at ALL interested in "feel good" nonsense. I want to look better!

Original Post by nicholsapril1:

I feel better and feel like my clothes are looser. 

So, what's the problem? Sounds like everything is going well to me. 

Original Post by kymberly68:

Worse, I'm not impressed with clothes fitting better or anything. I don't feel any 'better' other than mentally (oh gee look at me sticking to a workout routine!) but I'm really not at ALL interested in "feel good" nonsense. I want to look better!

Clothes fitting better is a good indication that fat is being lost.  The scales are not always good indicators of fat loss.  It's not a mind game or something... it;s about changing your body and sometimes the scales don't reflect it well. 

Would you rather lose 5 pounds on the scale and go up a size in jeans?  I'm gonna have to say that clothes fitting and inches lost is a LOT more important to looking better than losing pounds on the scale.