Diet Discussions - View Single Post - i excersise 5 times a week..and im not loosing weight!

Maybe you're just at a plateau -- sometimes I find that scale just won't budge although I've been very good in my eating habits and my exercise. But after a while, if I just keep dieting, I suddenly get a big drop in my weight. Sometimes I've gotten discouraged because I wasn't losing weight and I've eaten more as a result -- but, all the same, I still got a big weight-loss (because I hadn't eaten so much as too much offset my short burst of overeating). So keep dieting -- my scale always eventually pays the weight-loss it owes me. (Grin.) And maybe try measuring your waist every day -- I have about 20 pounds to lose and I measure my waist every morning as well as weigh in. Often when the scale isn't registering the weight-loss I would expect, my measuring tape shows fewer inches. And I do weigh in daily despite some people saying not to. Because, although I may not lose weight every day -- indeed, my weight fluctuates all over the place in the mornings, before breakfast -- if I OVEREAT or even stop dieting, my scale goes up about 2 pounds. (I suspect this reflects more water retention, once my calorie intake goes up substantially. Or debits the 2 pounds I seem to lose almost immediately, once I start a diet.) Anyways, I weigh in every day because I know I'll probably see a 2 pound increase in weight if I stop dieting. Knowing that helps keep me dieting.

But maybe, also, you do need to look more carefully at what you're eating. Oddly, not losing weight might be result of consuming too many calories or consuming too few. Sometimes -- more rarely -- people eat so little that their metabolism gets very low, and they need to eat more in order to lose weight. More commonly, people consume too many calories to lose weight (despite the calories they use up while exercising). Do keep exercising in any case -- consuming less calories but not exercising enough can result in muscle loss and lower metabolism (not good things). And exercise does use up calories; over the long haul it can result in substantial weight loss, and maintain you at a good weight. It's essential for good health in many ways.

But for weight loss, especially over the shorter haul, it's important not to consume too many calories. You have to use up 3500 calories to lose a pound. Exercise, while important, doesn't consume a HUGE amount of calories unless you go crazy with it. But eating habits CAN drive your calorie count too high for weight loss, despite exercising. Some people just eat smaller portions or less bread, or take other simple measures, and lose weight. Personally, I like looking up the calorie count of what I eat -- those counts can surprise you. Buttermilk is low in calories though it tastes rich. And, myself, I won't drink wine-- I'm told it has as many calories as oil. Some people weigh or measure the volume of their food for at least a while, until they're familiar with what are not-too-big portions. And there are websites -- very possibly this one (I'm new here) -- that can help you keep track of what you eat and your daily calorie count. (If you don't know of one, tell me, because I can find this information.)

Somewhat new and surprising news: while soups and stews were filling beyond their calorie count and helped stave off hunger well, people who consumed skim milk, orange juice and one other clear liquid (which I forget) were left hungrier than the calorie counts of those clear liquids would suggest. In other words, those clearliquids (and maybe others) didn't seem to register very much with our appestat -- our appetite regulating mechanism. I faintly recall that consuming about 150 calories of skim milk somehow seemed to the body as if you had only consumed about 90 calories. Those numbers may be off, but my main point is that drinking some clear liquids at least seemed not to register with the body as much as other foods. So you might be careful to not get a huge amount of your calories via that way. I myself drink about 2 cups of skim milk a day because of its calcium and low calorie count, but I'm aware that this may not stave off hunger pangs that much. I rely more on other foods for that. Often if I'm hungry after a diet meal, I'll have a green salad with some nice salad dressing to fill me up. I often find vegetables filling, and sometimes apples.

Anyways, I'm sure if you keep an eye on whether you're eating too much or too little, and you keep exercising, you'll lose weight. Kudos on your exercise regime. (I think -- think --that aerobic exercise for one hour a day is now nationally recommended. A lot of us can't manage that much -- or don't, like me-- but people who walked only 10 minutes a day improved their health muchly in one study. And one can benefit about as well from exercise if one does it in segments. So do what you can, folks.)

04-05-2007, 11:43 AM	#2 (permalink)
Slinky DD Beginner Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 13	maybe U need to count calories or watch food intake Maybe you're just at a plateau -- sometimes I find that scale just won't budge although I've been very good in my eating habits and my exercise. But after a while, if I just keep dieting, I suddenly get a big drop in my weight. Sometimes I've gotten discouraged because I wasn't losing weight and I've eaten more as a result -- but, all the same, I still got a big weight-loss (because I hadn't eaten so much as too much offset my short burst of overeating). So keep dieting -- my scale always eventually pays the weight-loss it owes me. (Grin.) And maybe try measuring your waist every day -- I have about 20 pounds to lose and I measure my waist every morning as well as weigh in. Often when the scale isn't registering the weight-loss I would expect, my measuring tape shows fewer inches. And I do weigh in daily despite some people saying not to. Because, although I may not lose weight every day -- indeed, my weight fluctuates all over the place in the mornings, before breakfast -- if I OVEREAT or even stop dieting, my scale goes up about 2 pounds. (I suspect this reflects more water retention, once my calorie intake goes up substantially. Or debits the 2 pounds I seem to lose almost immediately, once I start a diet.) Anyways, I weigh in every day because I know I'll probably see a 2 pound increase in weight if I stop dieting. Knowing that helps keep me dieting. But maybe, also, you do need to look more carefully at what you're eating. Oddly, not losing weight might be result of consuming too many calories or consuming too few. Sometimes -- more rarely -- people eat so little that their metabolism gets very low, and they need to eat more in order to lose weight. More commonly, people consume too many calories to lose weight (despite the calories they use up while exercising). Do keep exercising in any case -- consuming less calories but not exercising enough can result in muscle loss and lower metabolism (not good things). And exercise does use up calories; over the long haul it can result in substantial weight loss, and maintain you at a good weight. It's essential for good health in many ways. But for weight loss, especially over the shorter haul, it's important not to consume too many calories. You have to use up 3500 calories to lose a pound. Exercise, while important, doesn't consume a HUGE amount of calories unless you go crazy with it. But eating habits CAN drive your calorie count too high for weight loss, despite exercising. Some people just eat smaller portions or less bread, or take other simple measures, and lose weight. Personally, I like looking up the calorie count of what I eat -- those counts can surprise you. Buttermilk is low in calories though it tastes rich. And, myself, I won't drink wine-- I'm told it has as many calories as oil. Some people weigh or measure the volume of their food for at least a while, until they're familiar with what are not-too-big portions. And there are websites -- very possibly this one (I'm new here) -- that can help you keep track of what you eat and your daily calorie count. (If you don't know of one, tell me, because I can find this information.) Somewhat new and surprising news: while soups and stews were filling beyond their calorie count and helped stave off hunger well, people who consumed skim milk, orange juice and one other clear liquid (which I forget) were left hungrier than the calorie counts of those clear liquids would suggest. In other words, those clearliquids (and maybe others) didn't seem to register very much with our appestat -- our appetite regulating mechanism. I faintly recall that consuming about 150 calories of skim milk somehow seemed to the body as if you had only consumed about 90 calories. Those numbers may be off, but my main point is that drinking some clear liquids at least seemed not to register with the body as much as other foods. So you might be careful to not get a huge amount of your calories via that way. I myself drink about 2 cups of skim milk a day because of its calcium and low calorie count, but I'm aware that this may not stave off hunger pangs that much. I rely more on other foods for that. Often if I'm hungry after a diet meal, I'll have a green salad with some nice salad dressing to fill me up. I often find vegetables filling, and sometimes apples. Anyways, I'm sure if you keep an eye on whether you're eating too much or too little, and you keep exercising, you'll lose weight. Kudos on your exercise regime. (I think -- think --that aerobic exercise for one hour a day is now nationally recommended. A lot of us can't manage that much -- or don't, like me-- but people who walked only 10 minutes a day improved their health muchly in one study. And one can benefit about as well from exercise if one does it in segments. So do what you can, folks.) Last edited by Slinky : 04-05-2007 at 12:08 PM.