Stuck

[Melody]

I had a doctor once tell me "Don't worry about your weight... Look instead at how many clothing sizes you've gone down." This is especially true whenever you're building muscle.

I used to have a personal trainer at the health club I'm a member of. When I first signed up they asked "What are your goals?" and I said "to lose weight." The guy looked at me and said "You want to lose fat specifically right?" and told me that while I was working out, especially weight training, my weight would probably go up, but my fat mass would go down.

It was nice of him to explain things but I guess that's what PTs are for

Mel who hates the elliptical trainer :P

[RoadRaven]

It has already been said... we reach plateaus... don't be disillusioned...

Personally, I would not be weighing myself wekkly or fortnightly, but rather over months...

I wrote a month or two back that after a year of training I had not dropped weight - but I had dropped two dress sizes... I was very disappointed to not have dropped numbers on the scales but absolutely thrilled to fit clothes that I had not worn for a few years...

Just always bear in mind that muscle weighs more then fat, and although you may still be losing fat, if you have gained a little muscle, then you may not notice a change on the scales.

Also remember the BEST and LONGEST-LASTING weight loss is that which occurs over months and months... most people who lose weight quickly will invariably put it back on... you need to give your metabolism time to adjust to new demands and to new ways of being 'fuelled'.

[SilverComet1945]

One last bit of advice: WATER! Drink it! and Then Drink some more. Especially when you are trying to loose weight, being totally hydrated is so very important. I am taking the post-breast cancer drug Tamoxifen and last year when I visited my Oncologist, he surprised me by saying "So it IS possible to loose weight while on Tamoxifen." Well, I had been dieting of course, (Adkins) but I noticed that the weight only came off when I superhydrated myself. Try for a gallon a day. That is if you are not heavily exercising. More if you are. GOOD LUCK. Liz

[Nanci]

Don't forget that, as you weigh less, it takes less to maintain that weight, so you have to drop your calories down, too. (Yes, that really sucks!!) I started out at 1500, then 1400, and am now at 1300, which barely seems like enough to stay alive, but I have had it with being fat.

I went through years of that whole "eating healthy, exercising (MTBing and running 40 miles a week) accepting my body how it is" thing. Yeah, turning 30, 40, childbirth- pretty soon I went from 110 in my 20's to 178***EEK*** in my 40's. Last summer, that became unacceptable.

So just realize, that over the years, those couple-five pounds a year _do_ add up.

Nanci

[sandraseigle]

Hi everyone

We've all hit those plateaus (sp?), Limewave, so hang in there A good thing to keep in mind is that our bodies adapt very well to certain behaviors - excercise, the way we eat, NOT excercising...so try changing your routine a bit. Also try eating a little more. I know it doesn't make sense, but if you eat light - LIGHT, mind you, lol - snacks throughout the day, and keep up your protein and fiber, and a little carbs, you'll max out your metabolism, making you burn weight even when you're sleeping.

Melody made a good point, too - when you build muscle, you may actually become heavier than you would before - but it's lean muscle mass, not fat (muscle weighs quite a bit more than fat). Having more muscle also means you'll burn more calories, so maybe try a little strength training.

Try finding some extra info, on specific diet and excercise regimens, by doing a search of "women's fitness competition." Sounds crazy again, I know - but these women aren't body-builders, they're normal women like us, who have simply refined their diet and excercise techniques to acheive and maintain maximum health, and improve muscle tone, without bulking up (which I have a BIG problem with, if I excercise a certain way...). Hope this helps, and good luck to you!

Sandra

[sandraseigle]

WHOA! Nacy, It just registered to me what you said in your post. Sweetie, you DON'T have to keep depleting your calorie intake like that! At least you're at 1300, which isn't entirely unhealthy...in fact, it's about right, but it all depends on how active you are. Remember, it takes burning 3500 calories OVER your caloric intake to burn 1 pound.

Ideal caloric intake is your ideal weight X 10 if you have a slow metabolism or aren't very active, 11 if your metabolism is normal and you are fairly active, and 12 if you have a high metabolism and/or are very active. When you reach your ideal weight, you stick with that caloric intake to maintain, and subtract roughly 300-500 calories a day, if you want to lose weight. Healthy weight loss is about 1-2 lbs a week, but like it's already been said, if you're building muscle, don't even worry about what your scale says, it's all about how you feel, look, and how your clothes fit you

Since this is a cycling forum, I assume most of us are at least fairly active...But remember, the more active you are, the more calories you need!

Do some research, you don't have to take my word for it There are plenty of places you can find on the internet about calories and weight loss.

Again, good luck!

Sandra