WHY IS IT TAKING SOOOO LONG?

I have been working out for about a year, but really started doing more toning and a little more cardio the past 2 months. I am also doing the south beach diet (been on it a month) and the first 2 weeks i lost 5lbs. Now I can't seem to get my scale to budge, and I am still working out 4x a week and eating low carb. Will I lose weight if I am not taking in enough calories? At one point i actually gained a pound,

Sat. Feb 4, 8:20am

Hang in there:)

You can do it! PLEASE , dont go by wha the scale says, go get your bodyfat tested. I was feeling the same way and i wanted a jumping off point , so i got mine tested. WOW, i didnt even realize that i lost i had lost boday fat (granted it was a looooong time ago since i was last tested). BUT what i thought was going to be my jumping off poin was really my "hop, skip and jump off point"
Get it? Meaning, you may be better off than you realize !
Good luck and it will happen! :)
~Workout25

Saturday, February 04, 2006, 2:17 PM

You could be loosing fat, but gaining muscle

The scale only tells you how much muscle +fat you have. The problem is that you don't know which is which. I had the same problem a bit back, my lbs. were increasing . . . but my measurements were decreasing. Probably you are gaining muscle, which is heavier, and will be great for you in the long run. Hang in there and don't obsess about the scale!

Have you measured yourself with a tape measurer?

Saturday, February 04, 2006, 3:50 PM

Yes!!! Measure AND take weight into consideration.
My body tends to add muscle quickly. I can see my legs and arms toning, but the scale is barely moving. I attribute that to my body "re-distributing" between fat & muscle... :-)

Some people see, to burn off weight quickly, while others move "slowly" due to muscle building. I am the latter, so I have to realize that my weekly decrease may be 1/2 - 1-1/2 lbs. vs. 2-4 lbs in someone else. :-)

Saturday, February 04, 2006, 8:19 PM

THANX FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT. I WAS DESPARATELY HOPING IT WAS MUSCLE THAT I GAINED. I JUST GET SO IMPATIENT WHEN IT IS NOT COMING OFF FAST ENOUGHT. I DO NOT PLAN ON GIVING UP.

Sunday, February 05, 2006, 11:28 AM

That 's my mistake. i didn't measure, but I will start.
thnx you guys

Sunday, February 05, 2006, 11:29 AM

To respond to one of the OP's questions, though, if you're not taking in enough calories, you will not lose weight b/c your body goes into starvation mode and holds on to all of it's reserves. Additionally, though, if you're eating too many calories (even if they're not coming from carbs), you also won't lose weight. I'd advise counting your calories for the day. If they're not between 1200 and 1600 calories or so, depending on how tall/short and how active you are (maybe higher), I'd probably talk to a nutritionist to be sure that you're eating the correct amount of calories.

Sunday, February 05, 2006, 4:56 PM

You need to make sure that the calories you do take in are mostly nutritious. Even if you cut your calorie intake to around 1500, if a lot of those calories are from junk food you are not helping your body's metabolism. Too many calories of a healthy food-like veggies and fruit- is better than less calories of the sugar and fat variety. I try to limit my "snack" calories to 400 a day or less and one day a week I leave out the snacking and added sugar completely. This has helped me a lot.

Monday, February 06, 2006, 9:40 AM

the rate at which you lose weight depends on several factors.
your age
metabolism
type of physical activity
and amount of calorie intake.

obviously, the older you are, the harder it is to lose. Your metabolism is controlled by your thyroid. If your thyroid is not functioning properly, you might find it harder to lose weight. 4 times a week seems enough physical activity. And these fad diets don't all work for everyone.

You might be right that you're not taking enough calories. very often, people find that increasing calorie intake can actually help lose weight. You should find out the amount of calories a person of your size and height burn on a daily basis. that might help too

Tuesday, February 07, 2006, 6:20 PM

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