Eating healthily, still not loosing weight

[Falcore]

Hi,

I think everyone who's lost a lot of weight on this forum have done brilliantly - well done!!

I was wondering though, before you lost all your weight - did you eat a very unhealthy diet? I only ask because when I read successful weightloss stories, it tends to be people who have eaten a very unhealthy diet. Then they have suddenly started to eat more healthily and the weight has dropped off them. Mainly because of the extreme lifestyle change.

I was wondering if there are any people out there, who (like me) have always eaten healthily, but yet are still overweight and find it extremely hard to loose weight. As mentioned in my introduction, I eat small healthy portions through the day and I exercise and hour (cardio and toning) every day, and even with that mammoth effort I only loose a max of 2 pounds a week. I've lost 19 pounds in total since the 1st July 08, which is good - but I narf have to work at it.

Are there any people in this forum who have very slow metabolisms or who find it very hard to loose weight, even with eating healthily & exercising???

 

[Carolanski]

Hi there

19 lbs since the 1st July is a brilliant weightloss!!! Well done! Don't forget that as you are training you are gaining muscle too - which weighs heavier than fat. Why don't you also take all your measurements as that may be a better way for you to gauge your success.

I never really overate before, I ate very healthily - cooked all my food from scratch using fresh ingredients. Last year - I trained for a Power Walking Marathon and didn't lose an ounce - despite powerwalking up to 15 miles three times a week, so I know exactly how you feel!!! It doesn't take very many extra calories every day to put the weight on gradually - but a lot of hard effort to take it off. Even following a set diet I struggled - only lost 12lbs in 9 months on Slimming World so your progress has been fantastic since July.

Unless you are following a VLCD (which is how I've finally lost my weight) a healthy weightloss is 1-2lbs a week, so you are doing fine. 2lbs a week equates to over 7 stone loss in a year!!!!!! How much do you need to lose?

Keep it up you are doing really well!

Carol x

 

[shrinkingannie]

hi falcore,
I have had a similar experience, I feel it takes a lot of effort on my part to lose one pound - like not deviating one tiny bit and exercising almost every day. I have come to the conclusion that it is a lot easier to maintain your weight than lose some - but I am happy to lose it slowly ( even though I gained it rapidly:cry and then when I am my ideal weight I will have an occasional treat now and again only.

 

[Falcore]

Thanks for replying & your support. It's nice to chat to other people who are trying to loose weight. I think my OH is sick of me telling him what I'm eating and how much weight I've lost/put on etc! I currently weigh 15 st 5 IIbs. That's after loosing those 19 pounds. Actually this is my usual weight. I somehow put on an extra stone in June 08, which is what shocked me into putting in a real effort.

Because I lost a stone in that first month I started thinking 'whoopie, I'll loose a stone every month' but I was just getting over excited. I know it's not going to come off that quickly, and I know that if it comes off slowly(ish) hopefully I won't get that saggy skin thing that I keep hearing about!! I'm 5ft7 so I reckon my ideal weight is around ten stone, so I would like to loose around 5 1/2 stone in total.

I think for the first time in my life I'm very motivated, so fingers crossed I'll keep loosing a few pound ever week or two.

 

[KD]

As mentioned in my introduction, I eat small healthy portions through the day and I exercise and hour (cardio and toning) every day, and even with that mammoth effort I only loose a max of 2 pounds a week. I've lost 19 pounds in total since the 1st July 08, which is good - but I narf have to work at it.

2lbs is really a maximum to lose when doing the healthy eating/exercise way. The first couple of weeks will be bigger because of a loss of water weight, then the fat starts going (along with a little lean mass...as always with reducing calories). Best not to try to lose too quick with this method for various reasons. Anything from 0.5lb-2lbs a week is fantastic :clap:

Remember that you can overeat the healthy stuff and gain. You can also under eat too! Eating too little, especially along with exercise can cause a stall in weight loss.

Are there any people in this forum who have very slow metabolisms or who find it very hard to loose weight, even with eating healthily & exercising???

It sounds to me like you are doing really well The weight is coming off steadily

Might I make a suggestion? Okay...thanks

You sound like you are trying to make this a real lifestyle change. I know you were eating healthily before, but obviously cutting down. If you can focus on how much better you feel with controlled portions, exercise etc, and take the focus off what the scales are saying, you are more likely to stick to it for as long as needed. Relax, enjoy, perhaps make note of how many calories you eat (even if just for a day...just to be sure that you are not over/under eating), and feel the benefits

One of the side effects will be that you will lose weight. Not necessarily quickly, and you may even have some plateaus, but there's much more to be gained from your way of eating and looking after yourself.

You have food under control and you probably feel better :clap: This should raise your self esteem and make you feel confident that you can continue doing what you are doing. Be proud

Sorry. Long post. Very best of luck.

 

[Falcore]

Thanks for your advice. The main reason for eating so healthily & exercising is to loose weight, but I'm of the mind that if I just diet and don't make it a lifestyle thing, then I will just put the weight back on again, as so many dieters do.

I'd like to loose at least a pound a week. I suppose the scales are always tempting. But I do need to go on them less and maybe weight myself every couple of weeks. I mainly weigh myself to see what is working best for my weightloss. As what I am doing isn't a set diet as such.

I've been keeping a food diary. I started it as a way of checking that I wasn't having too many calories and also that I wasn't having too little, as I know the body can go into a kindov starvation mode and starts to store the fat.

I do feel good, and I think this is something I can maintain. Fingers crossed I will keep steadily loosing weight and eventually reach my ideal weight.

 

[KD]

Sounds like you are doing all the right things, which is why you are getting such good results.

Hang in there and enjoy the process

 

[Georgiestar]

hi, ive been watching what eat for about 4 months now and ive been going to the gym for a bit longer but it hasn't always been regular, I found that I only lost a pound each week and then i had a fase when i didnt go to the gym and I stayed the same weight for a few weeks even though i was eating healtherly, I put it down to the fact that i had lost weight before so i think maybe my metabolism isnt as good as it should be and also my friend mentioned that I didnt sweat enough when I went to the gym. so this time ive started going to the gym again at least 3 times a week and wearing a jacket, but I have decided not to weigh myself as this might not always motivate me.

 

[KD]

Virtually every weight loss plan works on the idea of less calories 'in' and more 'out'. It doesn't matter if it's healthy eating/exercise own plan, SW, WW or whatever.

Of course, various ways of doing it might be easier to do than others. For example, SW and WW work on calorie deficit, low fat, so that you can eat more for the same amount of cals. Ketogenic diets that mean you aren't hungry, so don't want many calories. Healthy eating/exercise, so that you don't feel you are on a diet at all so can start to work on making it a lifestyle change.

All have their pros and cons, but as far as weight loss is concerned, they do the same thing. Less calories 'in'.

Eating 1,000 cals of rubbish food will bring the same results as eating 1,000 of healthy foods when you read the scales. Of course, it's not good to eat 1,000 cals of rubbish and can lead to wanting to eat 2,000 of rubbish, but that's another story.

I found that I only lost a pound each week and then i had a fase when i didnt go to the gym and I stayed the same weight for a few weeks even though i was eating healtherly,

If you lose 1lb a week and you are going to the gym, when you stop going to the gym, you have to eat less as calorie 'out' will be less.

It doesn't matter how healthy the food is, if the same amount of cals (energy) goes in and out, your weight will stay the same.

The healthy eating/exercise route is fabulous. The ideal really in terms of overall health and long term plans. Does need patience though

 

[Ellegirl]

Hi Falcore,

have you spoken to the trainers in your gym?

Sometimes doing steady cardio is not the best way to lose weight...you actually need to "shock" your metabolism, say by sprinting for 1 minute, jogging for 3 minutes, sprinting for 2 minutes, jogging for 5 etc.

You have to mix it up like that to trick your body into burning off the excess fat as fuel. If you are just doing constant cardio it won't be as eager to do that.

Hope that helps!

PS-lifting weights can also be good for this...

 

[Georgiestar]

Thanks for the advice, I think im having an issue with food perhaps i should follow a diet, maybe im not eating enough! I think its the lunches that are the problem sometimes I only have fruit so I'm changing this to a sandwich everyday.

 

[GTPeach]

Falcore - I actually went on the CD because I couldn't lose weight. I spent months watching everything I ate, counting calories, being healthy. No sugary drinks (except my sweet teas once or twice a week), no desserts, no candies, no fried food.... and I was at the gym all the time. I just couldn't lose. I think I lost 1 or 2 lbs in 3 months. I went on CD out of desperation because nothing else seemed to be working at all. I'm 1/2 way through my 4th week, and I've lost 20 lbs already and 2 sizes. I think if you browse around and find the diet that is right for you, you will lose weight, even if you were healthy before. Good luck!

As for cardio, believe it or not, it does wonders for your heart, but very little for fat burning. If you jogged a few miles a day at a steady pace, it would take you about a week to lose 1 lb. by jogging. I would recommend doing hip hop dance - it works out your cardio but also works your abs. Also, try finding some of Ellington Darden's books. He has a superhydration and super slow crunch plan that really works to flatten abs rather than just doing a zillion crunches. Another great fat burner that is likely the healthiest for your body is swimming. See if ther'es a local pool with some water fitness classes. It's got a much greater resistance, so every exercise you do has huge huge benefits as compared to doing them outside of the water, and the added benefit is low impact.

If you've already got a trainer at your gym, ask about circuit training, interval training, and/or adding some ab and strength exercises to your routine.

 

[Ellegirl]

GTpeach,

I forgot about the water classes...I haven't done those for ages. It can be a lot more gruelling than I expect it to be, but I find them really enjoyable. Certainly more fun than regular classes anyway. Maybe I'm just a waterbaby!

Elle

 

[GTPeach]

Elle:

They're quite enjoyable, and they're far more effective. Exercising the worng way with weights can be horrid on your body, as can running (because of the high impact), even for very light people. Doing the same things in water doubles the effect and completely removes the stress on your body, but oh boy will you feel it the next day!! I only go 2 days a week, and then do just swimming without the rest on a 3rd day, so my body has time to rest.