Need motivation to stick to program

[Anonymous]

5'7" at 160 pounds. Want to drop to 140 (pre-pregnancy weight). I just embarked on an exercise program and I am watching my calorie intake. I exercise 5 times a week:
Day1: 30 mins cardio, 30 mins weights
Day2: 45 mins cardio, 15 mins weights
Day3: 1 hr zumba
Day4: 1 hr zumba
Day5: 20 mins cardio, 30 mins weights.
Its been 2 weeks and my clothes definitely fit better (I feel better mentally) but the scale hasn't moved a pound ....

Am I doing something wrong or will it just take a little longer for the pounds to start dropping.

[Anonymous]

Don't pay attention to the scale. Remember that muscle ways way more than fat, so while the scale may not be going down, you very well may be burning fat and gaining muscle.

The real proof is how your clothes fit, so it sounds like you're doing great! Keep it up!

[Anonymous]

Muscle WEIGHS not "ways"

doh!

[Anonymous]

Do less cardio and more strength training. Traditional cardio does not help with fat loss. Eat fewer carbs.

[Anonymous]

There is so much misinformation in just a few posts.
OP yes muscle weighs slightly more than fat but you (especially as a woman) wouldn't have gained enough muscle mass for that to constitute a reason for lack of weight loss.
To the last PP, what do you mean cardio does not help with fat loss? Of course it can as long as you end up burning more calories overall (by living + exercise) than what you eat. Cardio is a great calorie burner. Yes strength training is great too, for different reasons. I agree with cutting down on carbs.

OP what do you mean by "watching" your calorie intake? Are you keeping track of all calories accurately? People are notoriously bad at estimating and eyeballing their intake and tend to underestimate how much they're eating. I use myfitnesspal to track cals and when I'm being strict about it I also measure or weigh my food.
Exercise is great but if you eat more than you burn you won't lose fat.
As to your specific issue, when someone starts a training programme the muscles often retain some fluid for repair. It's possible the reason you're not seeing a change on the scale is because of water retention (or maybe you're eating more than you think). Is it possible to move one of your rest days to the middle of that 5 day stretch?

Good luck and keep us posted!

[Anonymous]

Per ^^ comments, I also like "Loseit!" as a way to keep control over what I am eating. A friend has lost 50 pounds using it.

[Anonymous]

Do not make the scale your only measure of success. Your clothes fit better and you feel better. Those are HUGE signs of success. Keep up the great work.

[Anonymous]

Try eliminating grains, sugar and processed food instead of watching calories so closely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is so much misinformation in just a few posts.
OP yes muscle weighs slightly more than fat but you (especially as a woman) wouldn't have gained enough muscle mass for that to constitute a reason for lack of weight loss.
To the last PP, what do you mean cardio does not help with fat loss? Of course it can as long as you end up burning more calories overall (by living + exercise) than what you eat. Cardio is a great calorie burner. Yes strength training is great too, for different reasons. I agree with cutting down on carbs.

OP what do you mean by "watching" your calorie intake? Are you keeping track of all calories accurately? People are notoriously bad at estimating and eyeballing their intake and tend to underestimate how much they're eating. I use myfitnesspal to track cals and when I'm being strict about it I also measure or weigh my food.
Exercise is great but if you eat more than you burn you won't lose fat.
As to your specific issue, when someone starts a training programme the muscles often retain some fluid for repair. It's possible the reason you're not seeing a change on the scale is because of water retention (or maybe you're eating more than you think). Is it possible to move one of your rest days to the middle of that 5 day stretch?

Good luck and keep us posted!

Talk about misinformation. NO muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle weights the same as a pound of fat. Just as a pound of feathers weights he same as a pound of lead. A pound is a pound is a pound. Muscle is however more dense than fat and thus takes up less space. So if two women weight the same, but one has more muscle then the one with more muscle will be smaller. Ever look at a female body builder and think wow she weighs 140, I weigh 140 so why do we look so different? It is also not all that easy to put on muscle. To do so takes some serious effort and lifting heavy weights. So is some is not losing weight it is likely not just a matter of putting on muscle.

OK all that aside. The key to losing weight is diet. Losing weight is 80-90% diet and only 10-20% exercise. You cannot out train a bad diet. So get your diet in check. Stick to real foods-meat, veggies, fruit and some healthy fats. Track your calories, you’d be amazed how even when you eat healthy you can still be eating more than you should to lose weight.

OP- what are you doing for cardo? You will get much more bang for your buck doing some HIIT versus just 30-40 min of steady state cardio. Spending 45 min on the elliptical while you watch TV is not at all an effective way to burn calories. You also say you do weight training-what kind of weights? Doing curls with 5lb dumbbells won’t do much for you. You are better off lifting heavy weights and doing bigger compound moves that work the entire body.

Hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

45 minutes on the elliptical is not "not at all an effective way to burn calories." If you're using the elliptical at 0 resistance, then yes, it's not that great of a workout. Same if you're just walking flat on a treadmill. Up the resistance and do intervals - maybe something like alternating between 5 and 10 for your intervals. And add incline to your treadmill walks. Go hands free to strengthen your core.

[Anonymous]

I was you (same height and weight, same goal). What worked for me was tracking everything I ate with My Fitness Pal and combining weights with running. For some reason, running really works for me better than almost any other cardio. Running outside is better (for me) because it presents more of a challenge. I started signing up for 5Ks, etc. Try to avoid sugar and processed food but don't go too crazy with cutting carbs or gluten or whatever other fads.

[Anonymous]

It's only been a short time - keep up the good work! It can be a slow process, but you want to think about this as a lifestyle change, not just a "fix." Buy yourself new workout gear as a reward, even something small like new socks. This seems to work for me when I hit a slump.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is so much misinformation in just a few posts.
OP yes muscle weighs slightly more than fat but you (especially as a woman) wouldn't have gained enough muscle mass for that to constitute a reason for lack of weight loss.
To the last PP, what do you mean cardio does not help with fat loss? Of course it can as long as you end up burning more calories overall (by living + exercise) than what you eat. Cardio is a great calorie burner. Yes strength training is great too, for different reasons. I agree with cutting down on carbs.

OP what do you mean by "watching" your calorie intake? Are you keeping track of all calories accurately? People are notoriously bad at estimating and eyeballing their intake and tend to underestimate how much they're eating. I use myfitnesspal to track cals and when I'm being strict about it I also measure or weigh my food.
Exercise is great but if you eat more than you burn you won't lose fat.
As to your specific issue, when someone starts a training programme the muscles often retain some fluid for repair. It's possible the reason you're not seeing a change on the scale is because of water retention (or maybe you're eating more than you think). Is it possible to move one of your rest days to the middle of that 5 day stretch?

Good luck and keep us posted!

Talk about misinformation. NO muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle weights the same as a pound of fat. Just as a pound of feathers weights he same as a pound of lead. A pound is a pound is a pound. Muscle is however more dense than fat and thus takes up less space. So if two women weight the same, but one has more muscle then the one with more muscle will be smaller. Ever look at a female body builder and think wow she weighs 140, I weigh 140 so why do we look so different? It is also not all that easy to put on muscle. To do so takes some serious effort and lifting heavy weights. So is some is not losing weight it is likely not just a matter of putting on muscle.

OK all that aside. The key to losing weight is diet. Losing weight is 80-90% diet and only 10-20% exercise. You cannot out train a bad diet. So get your diet in check. Stick to real foods-meat, veggies, fruit and some healthy fats. Track your calories, you’d be amazed how even when you eat healthy you can still be eating more than you should to lose weight.

OP- what are you doing for cardo? You will get much more bang for your buck doing some HIIT versus just 30-40 min of steady state cardio. Spending 45 min on the elliptical while you watch TV is not at all an effective way to burn calories. You also say you do weight training-what kind of weights? Doing curls with 5lb dumbbells won’t do much for you. You are better off lifting heavy weights and doing bigger compound moves that work the entire body.

Hope this helps.

You're an idiot. OF COURSE I meant it weighs more FOR A GIVEN VOLUME. That would be more than obvious to anyone who's not a complete moron.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is so much misinformation in just a few posts.
OP yes muscle weighs slightly more than fat but you (especially as a woman) wouldn't have gained enough muscle mass for that to constitute a reason for lack of weight loss.
To the last PP, what do you mean cardio does not help with fat loss? Of course it can as long as you end up burning more calories overall (by living + exercise) than what you eat. Cardio is a great calorie burner. Yes strength training is great too, for different reasons. I agree with cutting down on carbs.

OP what do you mean by "watching" your calorie intake? Are you keeping track of all calories accurately? People are notoriously bad at estimating and eyeballing their intake and tend to underestimate how much they're eating. I use myfitnesspal to track cals and when I'm being strict about it I also measure or weigh my food.
Exercise is great but if you eat more than you burn you won't lose fat.
As to your specific issue, when someone starts a training programme the muscles often retain some fluid for repair. It's possible the reason you're not seeing a change on the scale is because of water retention (or maybe you're eating more than you think). Is it possible to move one of your rest days to the middle of that 5 day stretch?

Good luck and keep us posted!

Talk about misinformation. NO muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle weights the same as a pound of fat. Just as a pound of feathers weights he same as a pound of lead. A pound is a pound is a pound. Muscle is however more dense than fat and thus takes up less space. So if two women weight the same, but one has more muscle then the one with more muscle will be smaller. Ever look at a female body builder and think wow she weighs 140, I weigh 140 so why do we look so different? It is also not all that easy to put on muscle. To do so takes some serious effort and lifting heavy weights. So is some is not losing weight it is likely not just a matter of putting on muscle.

OK all that aside. The key to losing weight is diet. Losing weight is 80-90% diet and only 10-20% exercise. You cannot out train a bad diet. So get your diet in check. Stick to real foods-meat, veggies, fruit and some healthy fats. Track your calories, you’d be amazed how even when you eat healthy you can still be eating more than you should to lose weight.

OP- what are you doing for cardo? You will get much more bang for your buck doing some HIIT versus just 30-40 min of steady state cardio. Spending 45 min on the elliptical while you watch TV is not at all an effective way to burn calories. You also say you do weight training-what kind of weights? Doing curls with 5lb dumbbells won’t do much for you. You are better off lifting heavy weights and doing bigger compound moves that work the entire body.

Hope this helps.

You're an idiot. OF COURSE I meant it weighs more FOR A GIVEN VOLUME. That would be more than obvious to anyone who's not a complete moron.

How am I the idiot when you couldn't use the correct term? Muscle is more dense than fat, it does not weigh more, and you be surprised at the number or people who say this over and over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's only been a short time - keep up the good work! It can be a slow process, but you want to think about this as a lifestyle change, not just a "fix." Buy yourself new workout gear as a reward, even something small like new socks. This seems to work for me when I hit a slump.

+1000! It can be hard to launch into an exercise program (if you weren't doing anything before, this seems like a bit much right off the bat, btw) but if you make it a regular part of your life you will feel so much better. Don't obsess about losing pounds in the first couple of weeks. Just get out there and think of this as a long-term positive change in your life. Hang in there, OP!