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Please help, I'm having trouble losing weight despite really trying

Hi all, I'm new to this forum and am having real difficulty in losing weight. I have been going to the gym now properly for 8 weeks and dieting for 6 weeks, however I don't seem to be losing any weight. I'm weighing myself every fortnight and the first time I weighed myself I'd lost 3 pounds and the second time I'd lost half a pound.
At the gym I do spinning on a Monday and a Wednesday, I do pilates after spinning on a Wednesday, studio resistance on a Thursday and just do my programme at the gym most other days. I'm really getting down about it. I go on holiday in 7 weeks and can't bear to go looking like this. Oh by the way I'm 5.3 and weigh 13 stone. Please someone help me. I don't know where I am going wrong or what else I can do.


Thu. Aug 5, 6:05am

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While exercise is one part of losing weight, I'd put it at <30% for me. What I eat (or don't eat) is the other 70+% of success. Are you keeping your food log? Are you tracking calories or points? Do you have group mates who can point out to you where you might be going off track?

Thursday, August 05, 2010, 6:21 AM

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No I'm not keeping a food log, but what i'm eating is this:
Breakfast - either a boiled egg with a glass of milk or some cereal (oats and honey), I alternate each week.
I then have a snack of carrot sticks and hummus. For lunch I either have a chicken salad, with a light salad dressing, olives and feta cheese, or I have crisp bread crackers and low fat cheese spread. For my tea (sorry I'm from England, not sure what you call this meal) I have something like a jacket potato with cottage cheese, or a prawn or chicken dish, or noodles etc.

Thursday, August 05, 2010, 6:38 AM

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All of that could be helpful or not, depending on _amount_. Hummus is great for one in moderation -- small serving size is key for chicken salad or potato or noodles or cereal. Start measuring and counting calories and see how you come out. It's easy to be eating >2000 calories/day with those foods without realizing it.

Thursday, August 05, 2010, 8:23 AM

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actually, as healthy weight loss goes, 3 1/2 pounds in 4 weeks is on the slow side of normal. I know you want to drop a bunch of weight before your trip, but it's risky to go faster than 1-2 pounds per week over several weeks.

Maybe the eating plan you're following isn't the right one for you? Many women have better weight loss and keeping it off with a low carb or balanced carb plan like Atkins, Protein Power, or South Beach. For some reason we turn carbs into fat where men use them for energy. :-(

Also, portion control is important. Get a set of measuring cups and spoons or a postal scale, and stick eactly to what you plan prescribes - you will be amazed at the difference between usual servings and the real deal.

Hang in there - it is harder for shorter people for some reason. My 5'0" mom struggled with her weight almost her entire life - only ill health and dentures allowed her to return to her pre-marriage weight in her 80's.

Thursday, August 05, 2010, 10:22 AM

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Having trouble losing weight despite really trying, here's help

It sounds like you are not doing cardio. So in essence, you are building muscle but not doing anything to lose fat. It could also be that you are not eating the right diet foods for your body to react to. Remember, the first 5-10 lbs is always water, then you will start losing weight if you are doing the right things. And the more weight you have on you, the more you will lose initially. I am not sure what 13 stone means but if you have 50+ lbs to lose, try starting out on a veggie diet first. If you can stick to eating veggies with spinach and beans for protein for two weeks, you will definitely see a loss. Stay away from fried foods and processed foods and fat for those two weeks, and the weight will jump off. You will also need to do cardio at least 4 days a week. Swimming, walking, or jogging are great ways to do cardio. And stay off the scale for the two weeks and you should see some progress after this.

Thursday, August 05, 2010, 11:19 AM

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the soup rocks... definitely try this recipe:

http://blog.peertrainer.com/tip_of_the_day/2009/12/pureed-peertrainer-energy-soup-recipe.html

Link

Thursday, August 05, 2010, 11:32 AM

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log, log, log!

You said you're not keeping a food log?
I can almost GUARANTEE that once you do, you will lose weight. Log every bite, every single thing you put in your mouth. And yes, as others suggested, watch your portions. Measure them out exactly and calculate the calories. At 5.3, I wouldn't go much over 1600 calories a day. (I'm 5'2" and I try to stick to 1200-1400 calories a day to lose weight).
Good luck and hang in there!

Thursday, August 05, 2010, 12:02 PM

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I'm a shorty and completely agree with 12:02. We just don't need as many calories to maintain a healthy weight and the calories to maintain (vs. lose) add up SO quickly. It can be the simple difference between a few extra bites at every meal/snack.

Thursday, August 05, 2010, 12:52 PM

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Doctor

Have you been to the doctor? Do you know your numbers? This is something I keep meaning to blog on and write on for peertrainer. Your cholesterol, thyroid, tryglycerides, fasting blood sugar, and cortisol levels all affect weight loss and gain. If you don't know your numbers, get them checked and then sign on with a professional weight management counselor (like myself).
Carrie

Link

Thursday, August 05, 2010, 1:07 PM

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Logging your food intake is SO important. I always manage to convince myself that I'm eating so healthy. But when I start logging, I realize I have a handful of M&Ms here, way too big of a serving of rice there, and it's easy to overlook when you 'drink your calories' - cream and sugar in your coffee, etc. It adds up. When I got back on track a few weeks ago, I took a hard look at what was going in my mouth by writing down EVERY single thing. End result? About 750 calories a DAY of crap I just didn't need.

Also, please be aware that when you're exercising a regularly, especially when you're strength training, you might NOT see the scale budge much. But then ask yourself: Are your clothes looser? Do you look more toned? It may be simply a matter of building muscle (which is more dense) and losing fat which may seem to you like you're not losing weight - but if your body is becoming slimmer and more toned, maybe it's time to focus less on the scale numbers, if your body is improving?

Thursday, August 05, 2010, 3:05 PM

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Also, it definitely DOES sound like you are doing cardio (one of the PPs said you weren't, but you said you spin and work out at the gym), so I have to agree with the above poster that you need to look at how your clothes are fitting and how you feel. I'm a big proponent of before and after pictures, too! Even when the numbers don't move on my scale I can look at pictures I took the week or two before and see a difference. And I agree that food logging is imperative. Good luck! We are all in this together and we all go through plateaus. So frustrating, but keep at it :)

Thursday, August 05, 2010, 3:09 PM

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Can't lose an ounce either!

I'm also short and 52, which could be part of the problem, but I've been logging religiously for over 7 weeks and have lost...1 pound. I haven't been exercising much because of an injury, but I'm averaging 1350 calories a day, almost no wheat or starchy carbs and I'm even eating the PT soup. I keep thinking that I must be doing something wrong.

Then tonight I was listening to the tip of the day #6 and something really grabbed my attention (I wasn't really paying attention, I was making a salad, of course) I heard Joshua say if you eat and eat and eat and never feel satisfied, it's emotional eating. It came across so loud and clear.

Every night I eat until I go to sleep. I'll eat cardboard if I have to to keep the calories low, but I ruin every 1200 calorie day with a couple hundred more of ... something. (often air popped popcorn, my only bad carb.)

Just realizing that seems to have stopped me from eating tonight. Could this be a turning point for me? Stay tuned.

Saturday, August 07, 2010, 10:52 PM

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