You can't outrun the fork at your age. Cut out carbs, eat lots of protein and leafy green veggies, and you will slowly start to see the weight go.

Weighing in from the perspective of someone who is not overweight (e.g. I am not trying to lose) but was really deconditioned. My gym has us do dexascans so I did one when I started working out a month ago (mostly weights with a trainer, a bit of cardio) and one just today. It was pretty interesting. I lost 6.8lb of body fat mass and gained 4lb of lean muscle. My actual weight on the scale went down by less than a pound but my percent body fat went from 28.2 to 27. I am not sure how much this applies to you since you have different goals & circumstances but hopefully it tees you up not to be too frustrated by the scale, it is entirely possible that you have incremental change like me which I wouldn't have realized without the metrics. Also they measure your waist/hips & my torso decreased by about an inch during this time. All of these things may be happening for you so keep it up!

Finally, I think getting healthy & strong is actually a different goal than weight loss. I can never work out hard without eating a lot at the beginning (especially protein). I don't know how folks who restrict calories exercise hard. Doesn't work for me.

Anonymous wrote:You’re a white woman over 40 there is no hope

I get the fact that being over a woman over 40 makes losing weight more difficult (although i think 45 or 50 is more the real mark with the beginning of pre-menopause). But why add "white"? Genuine question from a non-white woman.

It's absolutely your diet.

You can't out exercise your eating. It's the food. I travel a lot and you have to get that in control.

Hey OP, I was in a similar situation last summer. It took me about 3 weeks for the weight loss to start showing but then it fell off at a steady clip.

Anonymous wrote:I know weight loss is a marathon not a sprint, but I am feeling so defeated. I have about 40 pounds to lose (42F) and have been exercising daily (except Sunday) for 3 weeks. My routine either consists of a 5 mile walk, 3 mile run, tennis, lifting etc. I am burning at least 400 calories in a session. I am eating less than I was before and have cut out breads/alcohol, but I travel often for work so am eating out more than I would like to be, though I have been boxing half my meals. I realize its all about calories in vs calories out, but I was basically sedentary prior and I have definitely made changes in my diet, so I feel like I should see something. For those who have been here, how long was it before you noticed a change or started losing weight?

If you’re not losing weight you’re not in a deficit. Eating out is a deficit killer. Exercise doesn’t burn enough calories to make up for restaurant chefs love of butter and oil to make everything taste delicious. Maybe start ordering salads, dressing on the side, grilled protein, no cheese. See if that shifts the needle?

Sounds like PCOS. I worked out 5 days a week for 6 months and lost 2 lbs. My doctors diagnosed PCOS and refused to treat it. Another doctor identified insulin resistance and was willing to treat me but other doctors even with confirmed insulin resistance don't believe in treating it. I've never felt so gaslighted in my life.

I’m 45 and I workout in some capacity (running, hiit, Pilates) 6 days a week. The things I have found that helps the most is to be moving as much as possible - walk whenever you can even if it’s 10 mins after a meal. Try to reach 5 miles of walking per day - you can count the 3 mile runs towards the goal . I started losing weight and have kept it up with the combo of working out and making it to the 5 mile mark most days.

Eating out really throws me off though. Try to be disciplined there- the salt and oils used in restaurants add up even when you try to order healthy. Gets salads with a protein, dressing on the side.

You’re eating more than you’re burning.

Track and weigh (if possible) everything you eat. You’re probably eating more than you think you are. You’re also probably overestimating how many calories you’re burning if you’re factoring that in. You didn’t say how much you weigh but 400 calories is really high for a 5’ female to burn on a 3 mile run/5 mile walk. It’s closer to 100 cal/mile on a run and less for a walk (60/70).

another question- how often are you weighting yourself? If only once a week i recommend weighting daily and tracking the trendline over time. You can do this in a spreadsheet or in an app like happy scale.

Reason for weighing daily is that weight fluctuates for all sorts of reason and sometimes these fluctuations can hide fat loss, especially over a short period of time like 3 weeks.

Exercise and physical activity can very easily affect weight. It’s just that by the time you get to being able to have a 2000 activity calorie out day you need to be trying not to drop weight.

Agree with all the other posters. The exercise will motivate you to eat better. Eating better will be the thing that causes the weight loss.

I'd suggest trying the Lose It app - track every bite!

Weight loss is diet.
Exercise is for health with a byproduct of weight loss only if diet is good.

Anonymous wrote:
Exercise really changes the composition of your body. Nutrition is what loses weight. The exercise will make you LOOK better (and likely feel better!), so keep it up! You'll get there!

+1