Another month - still no weight loss

Deb said:

Yep, it's me again. It's been 3 months now since I dropped from around
2200 calories to 1500-1600 calories, and I still weigh 154 at 5'5". I
still do weights 3 days a week and my strength continues to increase
and increase, still do cardio 1/2 hour a day 6 days a week, and that
scale does not move. I lost a total of 6 pounds. All of that weight
loss took place in the first month.

The whole thing sucks. I'm not dropping my calories any further. I'm
considering doing two cardio sessions every day instead of one. I'm
also considering doing nothing...just continuing on like this until the
end of time.

This weekend I gave away all my clothes that weren't a size LARGE.

That's all the news from this end!

Somebody cheer me up.

You said strength continues to increase, but the scale doesn't move.
That's a good sign. How's your body composition going? Do you look
better naked? Do your clothes fit better?

-----------
Proton Soup

"And all this peace has been deceiving,
I need some wind to get me sailing"

don't do little reps. i think ( i am not sure ) that doing few reps and
big weights gets u bulked up and packs on size.

Anyways, as u add muslce, u r bound to get heavier.

maybe, some of the weight is not fat anymore, it may be muscle.

Advice, don't sleep less than 3 hours after eating dinner. Eat early,
then sleep 3 hours later. ( don't know what this has to do with losing
weight though)

Also, do cardio before u eat breakfast. When the muscle does not have
the enegy, it burns the fat to release some energy to get u to do the
cardio!

"Proton Soup" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Deb said:

Yep, it's me again. It's been 3 months now since I dropped from around
2200 calories to 1500-1600 calories, and I still weigh 154 at 5'5". I
still do weights 3 days a week and my strength continues to increase
and increase, still do cardio 1/2 hour a day 6 days a week, and that
scale does not move. I lost a total of 6 pounds. All of that weight
loss took place in the first month.

The whole thing sucks. I'm not dropping my calories any further. I'm
considering doing two cardio sessions every day instead of one. I'm
also considering doing nothing...just continuing on like this until the
end of time.

This weekend I gave away all my clothes that weren't a size LARGE.

That's all the news from this end!

Somebody cheer me up.

You said strength continues to increase, but the scale doesn't move.
That's a good sign. How's your body composition going? Do you look
better naked? Do your clothes fit better?

Replace the scale with a tape measure ... its the advice any doctor
will give you. How's your belly circumfence? Thighs? Hips?
Chances are you're replacing ugly, unhealthy fat with sexy, healthy
muscle.

I've a co-worker who's been stuck at about 200lbs for 2 years;
which sounds horrible except he traded in a pot belly for a
brand new set of muscles ... looks a lot better, and you know he's
a lot healthier.

-JS2

Oink oink!

Deb,
Don't give up just yet. I'm a guy and was eating 2000 calories a day
and exercising all throughout high school and never lost that much
bodyfat. I was under the belief that if I went any lower than 2000 I
would lose all my strength and size. It wasn't until college that I
lowered my calories down to 1200 that I lowered my bodyfat from 25% to
10%. I never lost muscle or strength either. (You're a women so large
muscles shouldn't matter anyways) In your case if you are not losing
weight eating what you are now, then it's just too much food. (Even if
it seems like very little) Cut whatever you are eating now in half and
replace them with vegtables and salads. These contain very few
calories and fill you up for hours. (For dinner I used to have a
combination of brocolli, cauliflower, eggplant, zuchinni, mushrooms and
diced onions seasoned with Butter Buds or Molly McButter. It tasted
like it should have been 1000 calories but it was only around 200 max)
Anyways, reduce your calories further (there's no other way) and keep
training with weights and doing cardio. Load up on veggies, salads and
water when you are hungry.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Deb said:

Yep, it's me again. It's been 3 months now since I dropped from around
2200 calories to 1500-1600 calories, and I still weigh 154 at 5'5". I
still do weights 3 days a week and my strength continues to increase
and increase, still do cardio 1/2 hour a day 6 days a week, and that
scale does not move. I lost a total of 6 pounds. All of that weight
loss took place in the first month.

The whole thing sucks. I'm not dropping my calories any further. I'm
considering doing two cardio sessions every day instead of one. I'm
also considering doing nothing...just continuing on like this until the
end of time.

This weekend I gave away all my clothes that weren't a size LARGE.

That's all the news from this end!

Somebody cheer me up.

If your strength is increasing, you might be putting on muscle and still
losing fat. ;-) Muscle is dense and heavy.

Throw away the scale and buy a pair of skinfold calipers.

Ok, I know those are not all that accurate in measuring bodyfat, but at
least they can indicate gains or losses of fat.

Don't give up! It sounds like you are doing well!
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-[censored]." -Jack Nicholson

On 2005-04-20, alex78 penned:

Quoted message said:

I never lost muscle or strength either. (You're a women so large
muscles shouldn't matter anyways)

I'm a women, and if I thought I could build large muscles just by
working out, I'd definitely try it out! Don't assume that all women
don't care about muscle. I get a major rush when I can just barely
see my upper arm move when I flex my bicep ... I'm sure lots of women
feel the same.

--
monique

Deb said:

Yep, it's me again. It's been 3 months now since I dropped from around
2200 calories to 1500-1600 calories, and I still weigh 154 at 5'5". I
still do weights 3 days a week and my strength continues to increase
and increase, still do cardio 1/2 hour a day 6 days a week, and that

What sort of cardio are you doing ? You haven't mentioned whether you've
made any progress there, or what your workload is. Workload is not measured
in time -- it's measured in energy. Watts x time, or calories.

It is near impossible to maintain 154lb at a height of 5'5" if you're running
a reasonable amount (e.g. around the 30 miles per week range) Of course most
beginners can't do that immediately, but the idea is to build up to that. If
you're unfit (in cardio terms), and willing to stay that way, you're never
going to produce enough power to burn those calories.

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

Aziz said:

i think

Could've fooled me

Quoted message said:

( i am not sure ) that doing few reps and
big weights gets u bulked up and packs on size.

BS

Quoted message said:

Anyways, as u add muslce, u r bound to get heavier.

BS

Quoted message said:

maybe, some of the weight is not fat anymore, it may be muscle.

The only correct assertion in your post

Quoted message said:

Advice, don't sleep less than 3 hours after eating dinner. Eat early,
then sleep 3 hours later.

Bad advice

Quoted message said:

( don't know what this has to do with losing
weight though)

Absolutely nothing.

Quoted message said:

Also, do cardio before u eat breakfast. When the muscle does not have
the enegy, it burns the fat to release some energy to get u to do the
cardio!

BS

--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

Aziz said:

don't do little reps. i think ( i am not sure ) that doing few reps and
big weights gets u bulked up and packs on size.

You are right not to be sure. Few reps and big weights will not
"bulk" you up. In fact no weight training protocol will bulk you up
in the absence of excess calories.

Quoted message said:

Advice, don't sleep less than 3 hours after eating dinner. Eat early,
then sleep 3 hours later. ( don't know what this has to do with losing
weight though)

I don't know what it has to do with anything. Would you care to
explain the science behind those recommendations?

Quoted message said:

Also, do cardio before u eat breakfast. When the muscle does not have
the enegy, it burns the fat to release some energy to get u to do the
cardio!

Oh please.

Ellis

Proton Soup wrote:>

Quoted message said:

You said strength continues to increase, but the scale doesn't move.
That's a good sign. How's your body composition going?

Quoted message said:

Do you look better naked?

Quoted message said:

From the waist up ONLY.

Quoted message said:

Do your clothes fit better?

Nope. The whole thing is a mystery.

Monique Y. Mudama said:

On 2005-04-20, alex78 penned:

Quoted message said:

I never lost muscle or strength either. (You're a women so large
muscles shouldn't matter anyways)

I'm a women, and if I thought I could build large muscles just by
working out, I'd definitely try it out! Don't assume that all women
don't care about muscle. I get a major rush when I can just barely
see my upper arm move when I flex my bicep ... I'm sure lots of women
feel the same.

I agree with Monique; I like large muscles. The current giant and
sculpted state of my shoulders, back and arms is the only thing that
fills me with joy about this whole workout cycle....and it's the one
thing that everyone who sees me in the gym has started commenting on.

"Deb" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Proton Soup wrote:>

Quoted message said:

You said strength continues to increase, but the scale doesn't move.
That's a good sign. How's your body composition going?

Quoted message said:

Do you look better naked?

Quoted message said:

From the waist up ONLY.

Quoted message said:

Do your clothes fit better?

Nope. The whole thing is a mystery.

Might be gaining leg muscle ... is your leg strength
going up as well? Though I guess the most important
question is: do you feel better (healthier, fitter etc).

-JS2

Donovan Rebbechi wrote:>

Quoted message said:

What sort of cardio are you doing ? You haven't mentioned whether

you've

Quoted message said:

made any progress there, or what your workload is. Workload is not

measured

Quoted message said:

in time -- it's measured in energy. Watts x time, or calories.

It is near impossible to maintain 154lb at a height of 5'5" if you're

running

Quoted message said:

a reasonable amount (e.g. around the 30 miles per week range) Of

course most

Quoted message said:

beginners can't do that immediately, but the idea is to build up to

that. If

Quoted message said:

you're unfit (in cardio terms), and willing to stay that way, you're

never

Quoted message said:

going to produce enough power to burn those calories.

I do HIIT on an elliptical machine for 30 minutes. 1 minute intervals
on level 4, 45 seconds on level 10 until 30 min have passed. Recently
I have started running on the treadmill for 15 minutes at 5 mph...then
finishing up with 15 minutes on the elliptical with the same intervals
as listed above. The intent is to run for longer and longer periods of
time until I can run for the straight 30 minutes. Right now, I'm not
able to run for the full 15 minutes without a break, so I run 4
minutes, rest one minute, run 4 minutes, rest one minute, and then run
5 minutes. I rest about 2-3 minutes then head over to the elliptical.

What do you think I should do differently? Today it was 84 degrees
here in NYC and while that is unseasonable, it means that it's now time
to perhaps start running outdoors in the morning.

Thanks, as always, for your comments, Donovan.

Deb said:

Proton Soup wrote:>

Quoted message said:

You said strength continues to increase, but the scale doesn't move.
That's a good sign. How's your body composition going?

Quoted message said:

Do you look better naked?

From the waist up ONLY.

Well that's something.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Do your clothes fit better?

Nope. The whole thing is a mystery.

Despite the fact that muscle is a little bit denser than fat, the
amount of space they occupy isn't *that* different. Just keep at it.
It does sound like you're making progress and trading some fat for
muscle.

-----------
Proton Soup

"And all this peace has been deceiving,
I need some wind to get me sailing"

Deb wrote:
:: Yep, it's me again. It's been 3 months now since I dropped from
:: around 2200 calories to 1500-1600 calories, and I still weigh 154 at
:: 5'5". I still do weights 3 days a week and my strength continues to
:: increase and increase, still do cardio 1/2 hour a day 6 days a week,
:: and that scale does not move. I lost a total of 6 pounds. All of
:: that weight loss took place in the first month.

How old are you? 10x bodyweight may simply be too much for you. Try
dropping calories to 9x bodyweight.

::
:: The whole thing sucks. I'm not dropping my calories any further.
:: I'm considering doing two cardio sessions every day instead of one.
:: I'm also considering doing nothing...just continuing on like this
:: until the end of time.

Well, it's totally your choice.

::
:: This weekend I gave away all my clothes that weren't a size LARGE.
::
:: That's all the news from this end!
::
:: Somebody cheer me up.

Deb said:

I do HIIT on an elliptical machine for 30 minutes. 1 minute intervals
on level 4, 45 seconds on level 10 until 30 min have passed. Recently

What is your power output (watts or calories per hour) on those levels ?
Rhetorical question -- but this is something you should be attentive to. When
you're doing intervals of any kind, you should always aim to improve.

Quoted message said:

I have started running on the treadmill for 15 minutes at 5 mph...then
finishing up with 15 minutes on the elliptical with the same intervals
as listed above. The intent is to run for longer and longer periods of
time until I can run for the straight 30 minutes.

That's excellent. Stay focused on this goal, and don't worry too much about
what the scales say. By the time you can comfortably run for 30 minutes, you'll
probably have lost a good deal of weight.

Quoted message said:

Right now, I'm not
able to run for the full 15 minutes without a break, so I run 4
minutes, rest one minute, run 4 minutes, rest one minute, and then run
5 minutes. I rest about 2-3 minutes then head over to the elliptical.

What do you think I should do differently?

I think your training plan looks fine.

The only thing that needs changing is the goal-setting aspect of it -- I'd
suggest just forgetting about the scales for now. Focus on fitness goals.
Focusing on the scales is the wrong emphasis, especially at this stage (where
your power output is too low for aerobic exercise to do you much good)

As your fitness improves, your weight will take care of itself, but the
progression might not be terribly linear or predictable. FWIW, when I was out
of shape, I had a long period of stagnation (months) before my weight loss
started to pick up. But as I steadily improved my running, I lost weight.

Quoted message said:

Today it was 84 degrees
here in NYC and while that is unseasonable, it means that it's now time
to perhaps start running outdoors in the morning.

You could do that. I'd recommend it -- but then, I'm a year-round outdoor
runner.

BTW, since you're in NY, if you ever feel like trying out some interval
running, I'd highly recommend this:

http://www.nyrr.org/classes/running_specifics.html

I attend these sessions regularly. They involve various sorts of intervals and
hills. Because you work in a group, it makes the hard work (and it is hard
work) mentally easier, and more enjoyable. They are open to a very broad range
of ability (see the requirements for the different levels. From beginner to
somewhat competitive)

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

Deb said:

Yep, it's me again. It's been 3 months now since I dropped from around
2200 calories to 1500-1600 calories, and I still weigh 154 at 5'5". I
still do weights 3 days a week and my strength continues to increase
and increase, still do cardio 1/2 hour a day 6 days a week, and that
scale does not move. I lost a total of 6 pounds. All of that weight
loss took place in the first month.

The whole thing sucks. I'm not dropping my calories any further. I'm
considering doing two cardio sessions every day instead of one. I'm
also considering doing nothing...just continuing on like this until the
end of time.

This weekend I gave away all my clothes that weren't a size LARGE.

That's all the news from this end!

Somebody cheer me up.

I still think your goal weight is too low.

Hi Deb,

Firstly you need to ascertain what foods work best for you. I tried for
years to loose weight and trained not to disimilar to your routine and
also found I had poor results.

What worked for me is to reduce the carb intake and increase protein
(lean not fat ones), vegetable and fruit and lots of walking.

Secondly, it is a mind set, see yourself being slim and the shape you
desire. (I weigh 119 pounds (54kg) and am 5'6"😉

Good luck.