Why Am I Not Losing Any Weight

This is what I know:

www.DrSpeaksOut.com.

It is what I did to release 42 pounds 4 years ago AND KEEP IT OFF!

Want help?

Oyi do I know the weightloss struggles! I worked out at a gym for 3 years and saw very little results. I had a physical job and while I exercised my tushie off I wasn't "shrinking". It wasn't until I took a really good look at what I was eating that I realized, while I wasn't eating too much, I wasn't eating the correct foods. I also personally found that the eliptical was my downfall, I burn way more calories walking, riding a stationary bike or doing a work out video (Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred is wicked! and only 20 minutes).

I super increased my veggies, cut back my pop consumption (oh do I love Coke! and not the diet kind either) saving it for only the weekend, in fact I changed my average beverage to water, and I didn't eat anything after dinner. Doing that changed things for me and I've seen a constant decrease in weight ever since.

Just remember weightloss is a slow battle and for some of us it's harder than others. Keep in mind your over all health out "weighs" your scale number. Be active, eat right and your heart will thank you.

Just as an aside, because I haven't blabbered at you enough :) Take a good look at the weight you are at. If it's in your healthy weight range, your weight loss problem may have nothing to do with any of the above mentioned stuff and everything to do with the fact that your body is happy were it's at. Sometimes that means if you still want to go lower it takes longer.

Good luck and I hope that helps!

Oh, it quite frequently takes that long/even longer to start seeing results, especially if you've dieted in the past... any decrease in calories or increase in exercise will put your body into a temporary "hoard" mode... grabbing onto and storing every calories it can (aka temporary drop in metabolism).

As you keep eating HEALTHY, and keep up the exercise, the body stops fearing starvation and begins to allow the metabolism to return to normal, and then will *finally* start speeding it up again. One of the biggest *tricks* is to EAT when you're hungry and drink so that you're NEVER thirsty (thirst is a sign of dehydration). Ideally 5-7 small meals a day, and constant water. Your body is building denser bones and repairing muscle and flushing toxins every time you exercise. Once your body believes that it will have everything it needs, the process starts to move really really quickly.

this is quite easy actually... losing weight is about 80% diet and 20% exercise. It is great that you are doing some time on the elliptical, but you do need to vary it and you also need to do some weight lifting since it is muscle that burns fat.

Journal EVERYTHING you put in your mouth and you will see your reason.

I have lost 170 pounds naturally and now help other people do the same thing! check out my website and if you are interested in some more detailed assistance i'd be happy to set up a consultation.

J.
www.HolisticWellnessAndNutrition.webs.com
when you contact me, mention that you saw me on Mamasource and I'll take an additional 10% off my services.

This has happened to me. What I'm about to recommend it not popular and its not easy. It takes real determination, but because it works, you can find a way to do it. Its what all Hollywood movies stars do whether they admit it or not. Its counting calories. Likely you are like I was and ate to a certain level of satisfaction without realizing that you where still not creating a calorie deficit. You have to create a calorie deficit to loose weight. Unfortunately, just adding exersiese doesn't do it for most of us because we still eat more that we realize (in part because exercise increases your appetite). When I successfully lost 15 lbs it was because through calorie counting I learned that I was eating more than I realized, that I could get by on quite a bit less, and I learned my pitfalls like nibbling while cooking and many other things I did to sabotage success. Most of all it took away the mind games you play while watching you're weight like "can I or can't I have a third piece of pizza?" Instead of agonizing and eventually giving into the third piece I simply knew my limits ahead of time and didn't agonize about it. I simply knew that two pieces where all I could have and I didn't torture myself any further. They say the average woman eats 800 calories more per day than she thinks she does. I could go on and on, but its a fool proof no nonsense way to loose the weight. But yes is takes serious dedication and time the first month you do it. Even if you can just set out to calorie count for 3-6 months, you will learn so much you can carry with you. FYI most important rule, eat your basal metabolism and don't go lower or you'll slow your metabolism. You can figure out your basal metabolism by googling it and answering a few simple questions. Mine is 1450 cal. The reason eating your basal metabolism is so awsome is its like flying under the radar: its enough food you don't starve, but it creates just a large enough calorie deficit to loose gradually and consistently. When dieting isn't painful you can do it for a long time! I took 6 months to loose 15 lbs.

I recently lost 60 pounds and am working to lose 25 more so here is my advice.

Losing weight is 70 percent what you eat and 30 percent exercise. I lost by cutting out white foods and switching to whole wheat and eliminating anything with high fructose corn syrup. These can be eaten in moderation after a few weeks but you need to give your system a jolt.

Good luck to you and I hope all of your tests come back okay.

Change your eating habits. It's ALL what you put in your mouth. Yes, exercise helps, but... All these weight loss programs talk about the FOOD. People lost weight on WEIGHT WATCHERS by portion control and NOT EXERCISING. Of course the health awareness now advocates exercise, but I work 1 1/2 hours 5 to 6 days a week, and if I don't watch the portions, there will be no weight loss and I've actually gained weight this holiday season regardless of upping the time to 2 hours a day... I didn't realize those darn breve lattes had almost 600 calories in them, and I was indulging everyday. And regardless of my workouts, I GAINED!

MY ADVICE: KICK THE EATING HABIT!

It's great that you're exercising, but if you really want to see the weight loss come you'll have to watch your calorie intake as well. Until I understood that concept, I would actually gain weight when I started exercising because I would subconsciously eat just a little more than I had been. Anyway, what eventually worked for me was to exercise 4-5 times a week for an hour on the eliptical/stationary bike and also incorporate some easy free weight exercises. ( If you'd like a list of these exercises send me a message.) Anyway, I also started eating 4 meals of 400 calories every 3 - 3 1/2 hours. WIthin 2 months I had dropped 20 lbs and my waist had gone from 34 inches to 28.... I lost inches other places too. Remember that to burn a pound of fat, you need to burn 3500 calories. Good luck! I would also try keeping a food diary for a few days and write down everything you eat, just to see if you're eating more than you thought. Research shows that people who keep a food journal are twice as likely to lose weight. GOOD LUCK!
:)

J.:
I found a great website to record a food diary at: www.livestrong.com. It has something called MY PLATE and you record your fitness and food there. There is a free version that I use or you can upgrade to the deluxe version. I also suggest increasing your cardio and adding some weight training to your workout. I actually teach aerobics and have a class on Saturday mornings in Lakewood that has some openings if you are interested. It is a bootcamp class and many of my people have lost a lot of weight.

Hi J.,

You're not doing anything wrong. The reason why you are finding it difficult to lose weight is because even though your conscious mind wants to release the unwanted weight, your subconscious mind is putting up resistance. I recommend Dr. Robert Anthony's, Zero Resistance Weight Release Program. You can read about it here, and I want to make it clear I am not selling it or benefiting financially in any way. Until I cleared my subconscious programming, I found it hard to lose weight and impossible to keep it off. Diets don't work. Give it a try! The program is very inexpensive ($20).

http://www.zeroresistanceweightrelease.com/

It is only been 5 weeks. Don't lose hope. I lost my pregnancy weight over a period of 12months and am now back to my pre pregnancy weight (not quite in the mid section though but it is enough that my pre pregnancy jeans fit). My only cardio is brisk walking 3x/week and taking care of my now 15 month old son. Breastfeeding helps as well but I stop breastfeeding/breastmilk feeding when my son is 11 months.A negative calorie intake also helps. This is not advisable if your breastfeeding.
If you're doing elliptical it may help to vary your cardio work out as your body gets use to it. You can actually do elliptical for 15-30 minutes but on a higher tension.

I feel your pain! What I think may help is adding some serious strength training to your workouts, like "New Rules of Lifting for Women" or even P90X by Beachbody. Also, I hate to say this but it's true--and I know I am going to get a lot dissent on this--some women, myself included, have to go very very very, I mean VERY, low on the calories to see any improvement. To say that losing weight is not easy is an understatement. It is painful. Finding a way to cope with the pain and hunger of it is the most important factor in being successful at it.

You probably also need to change however you're now eating. Something like Weight Watchers is a great start to give you the boost you need.

You should do a complimentary training with one of the personal trainers. They told me that 70% is diet. Maybe look at what you are eating and not only how much.

As far as exercise, I benefitted from doing only 10 min of cardio at the beginning of my routine to get my muscles warm and burn off sugars. Then I switch to about 30 min weight resistance exercises that target the whole body. These sort of exercises continue to burn calories even after your work out is done. Last, I do 30 min of cardio. I was told that after 30 min of cardio, the benefits are minimal. Also, you should switch of the machines/routine about every 2-3 weeks so that you reap the most benefit.

Good luck!

Be patient. It takes time to lose weight. Just stay completely consistent with your exercise and nutrition. I recommend 2 things right now. Keep a food journal. Even if you think you're spot on with your diet the majority of people who keep a food journal are 1) surprised by how much they consume, and 2) stay on track more because the journal keeps them accountable.
My second recommendation is to start weight training. Even if its a fast paced circuit you do at home with minimal equipment. Building a little muscle will kick your metabolism into high gear.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me. I'm a personal trainer/nutritionist

Based on the information you’ve provided, there are two points I would like you to clarify: how intense are your workouts and have you being controlling your meal portions?

Add some free weights or strength training to your work out a couple of times a week even if you need to cut your cardio down to 30 minutes instead of the full 45 minutes. You may not lose actual pounds this way, because muscle weighs more than fat, but, because muscle is more compact than fat, you will lose actual inches.

You may also want to start keeping a journal of what you are eating each day. Even if you are working out, calories do count and a food diary may give you a clue as to what modifications you may have to make in what you are eating to reach your weight loss goals.

Keep in there and you will see results.

Hi there,
I just saw your heading and it caught my eye because i just did a cleanse that I found out about through my brother and I lost 7 pounds in 9 days. They have a 30 day cleanse too which is for people who want to lose more weight and it's much less intense than the 9 day cleanse apparently, which I didn't find intense at all. What I loved about this cleanse is that you basically drink shakes (vanilla or chocolate) to replace two meals a day, breakfast and dinner. And for lunch you have a 600 calorie meal which they suggest. You can snack during this cleanse so I was never hungry. Then there are two days where you don't eat meals but drink a fruity tasting drink 4 times a day but you can snack all day on things they suggest, hard boiled egg, celery, berries, carrots, almonds, walnuts, cashews. It was fabulous!!!! I didn't even work out (they suggest you do 20 minutes a day on the shake days) and I lost weight...I am wearing pants I haven't worn in about 2 years since I had my son. I lost my back fat and my little pouch in the front. All my friends and family are doing it now because of my brother :) email me at ____@____.com if you want more info.
Good luck.

I had a great trainer who told me that if you do not give the body something that it cannot do, it has no reason to change. Maybe your heart rate is too steady, or not at a high enough "beats-per-minute". Also, you might need to switch from just cardio to some weights.....building muscle will burn MORE fat than anything else. Secondly, measure and then write down everything you eat! You will be amazed at the difference actually measuring makes. If you want more info, like the names of some great trainers, you are welcome to email me....L.

It just probably is not enough, 3 days really is more like a maintenance program. Try going more often AND adding a weight lifting component to your work outs. Or take a spin or aerobics/step class. Changing things up helps your body not get used to what you are making it do. Our bodies are amazing, they adapt and learn and therefore become much more efficient at what they are doing. Hence, not burning as many calories. Also as we age our metabolism slows so you may need to cut more calories, I know not what you want to hear. I struggle myself with that part.

J.!! Don't give up mamas, loosing the weight can be frustrating HOWEVER, you will get the body you desire. We all know the basics good diet and exercise :) sounds like you are on the right path. Remember to switch up your workout routine and also really take a look at the amount of calories you are taking in or NOT. Most women are not consuming enough calories--yes, it's true. It takes a lot to chase around a little one and on top of that working out.
Just by logging on to this site I can tell you are the type of Mom ready to reach out to "the world of Mom's" for guidance and assistance. I would also like to suggest looking into your local Stroller Strides group! Strollerstrides.com you will find a whole new world of fitness!
Stroller Strides changed my life!! I have made lifetime friends, as has my 4yr old daughter.
Good luck with your fitness goals!
K. Connelly mother of 4yr old Raegan and Stroller Strides fitness instructor ;)

Have you tried the South Beach Diet? At first it seems pretty radical and the first 2 weeks you need to follow it exactly to reset your metabolism. After a while it fells so good to eat that way that you won't even want dessert anymore! Exercise is really, really good, but you may need to adjust the way that your body processes food in order to lose weight. Try reading the book and see what you think. It worked for me!

J.!

It's so great that you are sticking with it. I'm going to agree with a few of the thigns the other moms have suggested and then give you one more! 1. I also attend Stroller Strides and love it! It's a fun way to get a great workout for an hour with your child. 2. Monitor the food you are eating. You need to be ingesting enough calories to actually burn any off.
And here's mine! 3. I found a system called Core 4! I added it to my daily life and within a month I was down 10 lbs!!
I have since finished the 18 lbs I had to lose with it and now maintain my weight by Stroller Strides and 2 of the 4 Core 4 products! I couldn't be happier! My best friend recommended it to me after she too had lost 14 lbs in 6 weeks without changing her diet or exercise routine!
www.C4weightloss.com

Good luck with everything!! And make sure you measure your waist and hips... when you start becoming leaner you may not drop much but the inches will come off!!
B. : )

Hello, You don't say how old your son is or how long you have been trying to lose weight. I feel as though it takes at least a year to recover from having a baby. Also, when you had your blood work done, did they check your thyroid levels? I kept gaining weight a few years ago and not eating much. It turned out that I have thyroid disease. My weight is much better and I feel much better as well.
Good luck with this and with your precious family.
K. K.

Hi J.,
Have you heard of the Body Bug? You can get it at 24 Hour Fitness, or from Amazon probably. My husband used it and saw great results. It helped him realize how many calories he was eating and burning each day. In order to lose one pound, you have to have a deficit of so many calories. It was amazing. He started eating smaller portions and walking or working out more to burn enough calories to compensate for the calories he ate each day.

In addition to that, my husband also drank the protein and fiber shakes from Arbonne, as well as Arbonne's appitite suppressant chews. Arbonne has a handful of other weight loss products too. As you may have guessed, I sell them and can help you with deciding which products would benifit you in your goals.

Call or email me if you are interested in learning more. Here's my website that you can check out in the meantime.

Keep at it, and good luck!
M.
www.marybethb.myarbonne.com
____@____.com

I have a feeling you may be eating more calories than you think. Try a food journal for a week and record all your food and calories. You also may not be eating enough.

Good Luck!

Maybe you should try to keep a food diary daily. That would help you see exactly what your intake is.

Best of luck to you.

as much as i despise conventional science, even it recently came to realization that extra weight should be considered as an organ - even though it consists of fact cells dispersed in different places in the body, notice how some accumulate more in the "belly", others around the hips, face, upper body etc. there is a reason it is there, albeit we don't know it. until we do, changing your accumulations is not going to be as straightforward as weight loss industry makes you to believe. one of the approaches that really works is to make your body burn the fat on it's own. there is so called "white" fat and "brown" fat. you want to change ratio toward having more of the the "brown' and less of the "white". on the personal note - i an convinced in body intelligence, so taking any alternative approach that shows your respect to it is way more beneficial than trying to submit it to your will. Homeopathy works well for weight loss if you are ready to concentrate on the process. i've gone few sizes down since i started using correct remedy, but remember that the journey counts more than a destination.
Good Luck
V.

unfortunately,yes, it's normal. HOWEVER...the results are probably in measurements!! Start now, if you didn't before, with your neck, upper arm, bust, waist, upper thigh, ankle. Your gaining muscle, which is good because it 'eats' fat. Fat weighs more than muscle. Before you get frustrated by that know that one pound of fat looks like an 8pound baby! One pound of muscle looks like a raw serving of beef. So keep it up mama!! Kick up your routine once in a while so you don't get stagnant like sprint up a hill or grab some soup cans on your eliptical and pump some weights : )

J......

you are doing GREAT with the cardio workout 3x a week.... it DOES take time. maybe take a look at your diet. cut out any white sugar and flour. gratefruit and grapefruit juice burn fat. so does asparagus.
eat plenty of protein.... and up the cardio 5 min per week. and maybe add in an additional day
you WILL see results. hang in there.
E.

Your question cannot be answered in any way to actually help you without knowing more. You say you aren't eating any more than usual - what does that mean? Do you know what and how much you actually eat everyday?

I'd start here- making sure you are eating right and enough will give you results alone. On top of that, exercise is just a great idea and will help you along the way to take off some weight, have more energy and just feel better. Weight training is a must, muscle burns fat, muscle also weighs more than fat (why you don't want to be a fanatic over the scale). How you feel, perform and look(are your clothes getting loose?) are what will tell you whether or not you are doing the right things. Log what you eat for two weeks and then go from there. I'd be more than happy to review it and give you some pointers.

You can do this, whatever you do - don't give up!
M.

J....a couple thoughts/ideas that may help...

1. Drink half your weight in water ounces. So if you weigh 150, drink 75 ounces of water per day. That will keep you hydrated, more full feeling and help remove toxins from your body. Cut soda, including diet sodas, from your diet and any of those drinks marketed as "water" (i.e, fitness waters, crystal light, etc.). Feel free to indulge on one of thses drinks only after you have had all your water for the day.

2. Question - Are you breastfeeding? Here's why...I had a hard time losing weight while I was breastfeeding. It wasn't until I stopped breastfeeding that my body began to shed the weight. I even trained and competed in a triathlon and lost two pounds over a 12 week period. I know its frustrating, but stick with it...hope this helps.

Good luck.

The bottom line is you need to be burning more calories than you are eating. First, it is my training that it's 60% food, 30% resistance/strength training, and 10% cardio. Cardio (which is what you're doing on the elliptical) is really good for your heart, but you only burn the calories when your involved in the activity. Strength training builds muscles and keeps burning calories as your body "repairs" itself. Do not work out the same area 2 days in a row to avoid injury! You absolutely need to keep a log/journal of what you're eating and how many calories you're burning. And, most calorie burn calculators are high! I track all of this using the website livestrong.com. There are other excellent sights out there that do the same thing.

What I successfully do is 1. Log activity & food 2. Eat every 3-4 hours (many small meals) 3. Drink 8+ glasses of water 4. Work out 5 days a week 5. Do resistant training every day just doing different muscle areas each day (ie. arms one day, legs the next, etc.) 6. I do about 5-10 minutes of cardio at the beginning of my workout to get my heart rate up and then do a full 30+ minutes after my resistance training to maximize calories burned. 7. I always eat some form of good protein within 30 minutes of my workout so my body doesn't lose muscle, but burns away the fat.

I work out at a gym most often, but I also work out at home or while traveling. I will run on the street for cardio. I also use a deck of cards called "Fit Deck" to help my with my resistance training without the use of equipment. It's a deck of cards making it easy to travel with. Livestrong also has an iphone app.

I hope this helps. Good luck!!!

if you're doing the same exercise routine your body doesn't burn as many calories..you need to change things up...only do the epi machine once a week..try to do other workouts...cardio one day...then weights another..are u working out at a gym or at home? if at home get different dvd workouts..u can do the P90X series..they have many different routines. u can also speed up your metabolism by doing short 10 minute workouts throughout the day...10 in the morning/afternoon and eve..
if you have carbs with one meal don't have them w/ any other meal the rest of the day..cut out dairy
i am going to run today..tomorrow i will do pilates and spin..monday bosu ball and kettle ball..and then the rest of the week i take a different class at the gym..i was a size 10/12 before i had my son...
now i'm a size 4/6 and i'm 45..i had my son at 41..i think joining a gym is the best thing to do b/c they have a daycare so u get a break from your child and u take classes and instructors help u along w/ weightloss goals..i go to Equinox..if u would like a week pass there let me know and i'll send u one..
i'm preparing to get certified as a spin instructor..i never would have thought i was going to do that...but after being at the gym over a year i'm more into working out.

D.

Hey J.,
What you are doing sounds great. You may want to add more variety in the type of exercise you are doing though, such as speed walking, pilates, etc...exercises that work the entire body and not just the legs.
Also, you may want to analyze your diet. Many folks will sometimes consume more carbs to give an energy boost from all the exercise, but carbs can help to pack on more pounds, which is self-defeating.
Programs such as weight watchers are enormously helpful. It will help you to determine how many calories are right for you in this stage of life and take into consideration calories that you need for breast feeding, etc. It will also help you to identify which foods may be creating more problems for you. I have been on several different diets throughout my life and the ones that I have had the best results with were ones with higher amounts of vegetable consumption and foods with a lower glycemic index.

Hi you already got a lot of good advice. From my own experience, I have to say I agree with the comments about weight loss being 70% diet and 30% exercise. However, don't get discouraged, because exercise helps your overall wellness and in the end it all contributes to the same goal - living a better life. I never put myself on a "diet", but I was able to lose about 12 lbs in 4 months (still 5 more lbs to go before I return to pre-pregnancy weight). Here is what I think helped me -
1. Eat absolutely nothing after dinner. I used to eat a big dinner plus some snack just before I go to bed. Now I try to have at least 3 hours of empty stomach before going to bed.

2. Eat healthy breakfast, with protein (egg usually for me).

3. Eat good meals with no restrictions; but absolutely cut off processed food as much as you can. Try eating in more, so you can control what goes in your food. But do NOT restrict yourself in terms of quantity as long as it's nutritious food eaten at meal time. Control the timing of your meal and the quality of your meal.

4. I cut off coffee -- this may not apply to you. I used to drink a lot of coffee, but my doctor suggested that I stop because of my other health conditions. Now I believe that coffee may also have increased my appetite. So when I stopped coffee, I started to lose weight. I drink green tea instead. Again, this may not be an important point, but it may not hurt to try.

Good luck with everything. Let us know in the "what happened" if you will if any of the tips your received worked for you.

I'm in the same boat. I've been going from NO work out to using both the elliptical and Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred (she is evil, but I'm hoping to see results).

I've dropped none and worried I'm gaining weight. I'm sure I'm consuming more but am just not recognizing it.

There are a lot of hormones in your body that have an effect on your ability to lose weight (thyroid, leptin, ghrelin, cortisol, etc). Stress can also be a HUGE factor in our ability to lose weight.

Everyone I know who does Weight Watchers has having amazing results. I'm tempted to add that into the mix of what I'm already doing (in addition to training for a 1/2 marathon in May).

I'd also check your medications you currently take. Weight gain can be a wicked side effect of some. I'd speak with your physician/pharmacist to see if that might be a problem, and if so, I'd ask if there are any comparable meds that might be used instead.