Weightloss - what am I doing wrong?

[slackerinabox]

Well, I lost the water weight the first week but nothing after that. (7 pounds the first week, no loss the 2nd and 3rd - no inches or pound loss).


I will blurt out how much I weigh to prove I ain't a wuss - 241 pounds, 6'0.5". My goal weight is 180-190.

Here's what I'm doing:
Exercising every day- 30-45 min on an elliptical (treadmill when I'm in a lazy mood), weights routine 3x a week (nothing too intense- moderate weight done at a moderate pace for 30 min, 2x a week arms, 1x legs)

Diet- low carbs, low fat (relatively) and very low sodium. My family has a history of high blood pressure so I'm keen on keeping my sodium intake low. My caloric intake is around 1,400-1,600 calories and I'm eating about 30-40 carbs. I'm not counting carbs, just staying away from refined products (just veggies and chicken, occassionally some lean pork as well).

So I'm not cheating on the diet and have only missed 3 work out sessions in during the period due to the flue. Sooo, why haven't I lost any weight in 2 weeks? Is there anything I should be doing differently?

I don't feel like i'm doing this the wrong way nor do I expect to lose 40 pounds a week, the scale not budging in 2 weeks makes me feel like i'm doing something wrong.

*UPDATE*
I lost a bunch more weight when I got on the scale this week! 23 pounds so far!
So I tweaked my diet a little bit - I actually ate way too little this week but am upping the carbs/calories. I also worked out one less day (6 days instead of 7) and did less weights and more cardio (gradually getting up to my all time max of an hour an the elliptical). So, yeah, I was stuck for a while and then - bam! more weight fell off.

Thanks for the advice guys!

 

[Pepsi90919]

you're probably gaining muscle

 

[Cattlegod]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
you're probably gaining muscle

 

[kitkat22]

You are gaining muscle. If you want to lose weight you have to change your focus to aerobic excercise. Run, take up cycling, swimming. Right now you are getting healthier, depending on your diet, but if you want to lose weight and keep it off work a regimin that keeps you losing weight about 2-3lbs every month. Interesingly the slower you lose weight the slower it comes back. Limit your calories and avoid protein shakes. Your trying to lose weight, not become a body builder.

 

[darkxshade]

Just keep at it, it'll happen

 

[narutofan36]

swimming is the beat


btw, try to go on a all liquid diet for like a day or 2. only drink carrot juice/beats/ginger.

 

[slackerinabox]

Originally posted by: cscpianoman
You are gaining muscle. If you want to lose weight you have to change your focus to aerobic excercise. Run, take up cycling, swimming. Right now you are getting healthier, depending on your diet, but if you want to lose weight and keep it off work a regimin that keeps you losing weight about 2-3lbs every month. Interesingly the slower you lose weight the slower it comes back. Limit your calories and avoid protein shakes. Your trying to lose weight, not become a body builder.

Haha- i'm having a low cal/ carb protein shake (only 150 calories) as a meal replacement after my A.M. workout sessions! Maybe I need to re-think that. I wish I knew how to swim or could afford a gym with a pool, but I've always viewed ellipticals as aerobic - I'll switch it up a bit though.

My current workout schedule is very much heavier on cardiovascular work out vs. weight lifting - I may try to leave out the weights entirely for a week to two just to see how much body reacts (my legs had to carry around 250+ pounds everyday for years anyways). Is 2-3 lbs a month really what i should be expecting? Now, I'm not a quick fix sorta guy and I'm working my a$$ off and am proud of myself - but 2-3lbs a month means it would take me... 3+ YEARS to reach my goal... Now, I'm a patient fellow but I was hoping I'd have a radically different body come next winter, 3 years is kinda.. depressing...

Not that I plan on quitting.. I have more energy than ever and enjoy working out.. but.. 3 years? Man, give me something to look forward to! I want to shape up partly to meet ladies- 3 years and my wrists will have a workout that... OK, I'll shut myself up now....

 

[Schfifty Five]

stop lifting and only do aerobics/cardio workouts.

 

[coomar]

a couple of things

in terms of caloric burning, running and swimming are the best (running as opposed to jogging)

you might be gaining muscle mass but you need some carbs in your diet to burn the fat

things like waist size or your beer belly should be a little smaller

you should be able to do 5-10 pounds a month at least, you will notice that the weight loss starts to increase as time passes

do some more cardio (right in the morning), eat some more carbs

 

[coomar]

muscle mass burns more fat than fat

even when your sleeping that muscle is burning energy

 

[SSP]

Dont stop lifting, but keep going. It will happen very gradually but give it time.

I didnt weigh my self for the first 2 month or so cause I knew I'd be doing what you are doing now. Weight loss takes time, 3 weeks is nothing.

 

[lasergecko]

Caffine is supposed to increase your fat burn rate up to 30%. (Don't have carbs with it though.)

And if you workout first thing in the morning you can cause your body to directly start burning fat.

Control your insulin level by eating smaller meals more often so you don't get insulin spikes.

You can also shift your carbs to earlier in the day so they are burned off by the end of the day.

 

[Hacp]

Originally posted by: freedomsbeat212
Well, I lost the water weight the first week but nothing after that. (7 pounds the first week, no loss the 2nd and 3rd - no inches or pound loss).


I will blurt out how much I weigh to prove I ain't a wuss - 241 pounds, 6'0.5". My goal weight is 180-190.

Here's what I'm doing:
Exercising every day- 30-45 min on an elliptical (treadmill when I'm in a lazy mood), weights routine 3x a week (nothing too intense- moderate weight done at a moderate pace for 30 min, 2x a week arms, 1x legs)

Diet- low carbs, low fat (relatively) and very low sodium. My family has a history of high blood pressure so I'm keen on keeping my sodium intake low. My caloric intake is around 1,400-1,600 calories and I'm eating about 30-40 carbs. I'm not counting carbs, just staying away from refined products (just veggies and chicken, occassionally some lean pork as well).

So I'm not cheating on the diet and have only missed 3 work out sessions in during the period due to the flue. Sooo, why haven't I lost any weight in 2 weeks? Is there anything I should be doing differently?

I don't feel like i'm doing this the wrong way nor do I expect to lose 40 pounds a week, the scale not budging in 2 weeks makes me feel like i'm doing something wrong.

Seriously, it generally depends on what you want to do. If you want LONG TERM weight loss, gaining a few pounds of muscle first before you start losing weight is ideal. Not much, just try eating more of the right foods for 3-4 weeks and lifing heavily. After that time, start limiting your caloric intake but not severly, around 90% of what would be taken to maintain your normal body weight. Do heavy aerobic work as well as some light weights to help keep those muscles. Once you lose enough weight to be satisfied(look decent in clothes), hit the weights again and try to build more muscle mass.

 

[Albis]

when i first started working out, i was almost 155 lbs and 5'6 and i went on an all cardio workout. i would do 3 miles straight at 8/mph pace and did it for two weeks and i noticed some pretty fast weight loss

cutting back soda and beer really made the trick though. just keep it up and your waist will slim up really fast and you'll notice the weight loss

 

[saahmed]

If you actually want to lose weight instead of just being fit, skip or reduce your weight training. Stick to cardiovascular exercise. Low calorie intake + exercise + patience is the best and only way.

 

[mrrman]

I work out on my Bowflex about 6 days/wk...dont diet as I dont believe in that, take EAS Muscle Armour and 100% whey after my workout...my body has changed as I see alot of muscle gain however my weight has not changed but that is not a concern for me. My goal is to turn by excess body fat into muscle or get rid of it entirely. I also do not drink soda,alcohol or use sugar products. I am also an active tennis player and into karate.

 

[moshquerade]

don't eat too little or your body will go into hybernation mode and your metabolism will go down.

 

[radioouman]

It takes a while to start losing weight... I can work out for about 3 weeks regularly before the pounds start melting off.
It sounds like you are on the right track, except that your caloric intake may be a little low considering your size.

 

[MBrown]

Woosh maybe? Woosh as I understand it is where you body is loosing weight too fast and as a result your body replaces the fat with water to keep your body weight under control, but you still loose inches.

 

[aidanjm]

you're still eating to much. WAY to much.

 

[aidanjm]

Originally posted by: moshquerade
don't eat too little or your body will go into hybernation mode and your metabolism will go down.

yes, God forbid another American goes hungry.

 

[J Heartless Slick]

Start walking three miles a day which will burn two or three pounds a month.

 

[StevenYoo]

yeah man, keep at it!

to lose weight, you gotta eat. you gotta feed the calorie burning furnace!

regardless of whether you're losing weight or not, I bet you feel like a million bucks, and that's awesome in itself.

like everyone else has said, i do believe that flab is turning into muscle.

Don't use your scale. Use your clothes as a measure of how fit you are.

Good luck!

 

[dullard]

You seem to have a great start. It is good that you are exercising - that'll help keep you healthy and keep you on your diet. You might want to consider cutting back just a little on the exercise. 45 minutes a day + weights is great, but if it causes you to burn out from too much too quickly, it'll all be lost when you stop. If you KNOW you won't stop exercising, then you don't need to cut back. However, it is just so common for people to overexercise and then in 3 months find it too much work and quit entirely.

For real weight loss, the important key is (mass in) > (mass out). You MUST eat less mass than you eliminate. Even people who THINK they are eatting very little are almost always still eating far more than they need (especially true for those who are overweight).

Low carbs does not help in the long run (but it does help signficantly short term), but you are doing it the right way - just avoid the refined or easy to digest carbs. Carbs like whole wheat are good for your diet.

Low fat is proven time and time again to NOT help lose weight. In fact, if you look at graphs of America's fat consumption (moving down) and weight (moving up), they go hand-in-hand in opposite directions. Forget about low fat. Keep your trans fat low, but forget about the rest. A fatty protein snack 30 minutes before a meal is possibly the #1 way to keep yourself full without pigging out at that meal.

Keep gradually upping your fiber intake. Studies keep showing that fiber is the #1 way to consistantly keep losing weight AND then to keep that weight off.

 

[sourceninja]

My wife had good success by just eating healthy, drinking lots of green tea, and doing massive ammounts of cardio (4 days a week for like 45 minutes, plus weights for toning). She looks great (She lost about 60 pounds over 2 years). I had great success by taking up mixed martial arts training plus kettle bells.

I used to be a big runner when I was young. I've always been good at cardio. But the cardio required to train kickboxin/boxing/maui thai is insane. Its the best cardio workout I've ever had. The cardio/strenght workout from the grappling portion of the training (brazillian jiujitsu) is also very good. I'm close to being in the best shape of my life and my core strenght is very very good (Thanks to the kettlebells).

I highly suggest to anyone who wants to get in shape fast and stay in shape to go to a boxing/kicboxing/Mixed martial arts gym and train. You dont have to spar of even fight if thats not your thing (although that also is an insane amount of cardio), but you will get into shape extreamly fast and possibly have a lot of fun. (I've always found bikes, treadmills, etc boring and could never use them).

I still eat too much, but I dont really care I work out enough to keep it in line. The only change in my diet was I cut out pepsi and started drinking more tea. I still eat tons of food at the steakhouse and cheesecake all the time. Plus pop tarts in the morning or other breakfest junk while I"m at my desk.