need help to lose the bulge!

[Binky]

Well, I have been on a diet, and only recently (about the past four weeks) been heading to the gym.

Before going to the gym, while just on the diet, I managed to only lose 10kg in 8months. It was not a strict diet, and I did manage to find some exercise to do, but it was at best, 1-2 hours a week.

Now I'm going to the gym minimum 4 days a week. So far out of the 4 weeks (I think it's been four might be more) most times I've been 6 days. I stay for about 1-2 hours and work out hard! I got a personal trainer for a day and he showed me what to do to burn the kilos.

However, I have not even dropped a GRAM. I'm still on my diet, I drink a crap load of water, and I have limited any form of soft drink to ONE drink, maybe once a week or just on the weekends. Same with junk food. If I have it at all it's been in small dosages.

What am I doing wrong? I thought I might at least see SOME results by now. I don't expect to practically dump 20kg in a week but maybe 1-2kg at LEAST in 4 weeks of really hard workouts.

Any advice people?

Got my wedding in less than 4 months!

[Arucard]

In my experience, the first 1-2 months of exercise after you haven't been doing any, your weight will make no sense. Sometimes it'll drop, sometimes you'll gain a kilo or two and wondering what the hell's going on. All you can do is keep up with it and trust that it'll work out, because you're doing the right thing.

The reason it fluctuates is because while you're burning off the fat, you're developing muscles you didn't used to use much, and a little bit of muscle goes a long way in altering your weight.

[iradney]

How do your clothes feel? Loser? Tighter? I'm willing to bet they're fitting better! And that is actually a better gauge of weight loss. Take measurements now, and measure again every fortnight/month to see how many cm's you've lost. Remember, muscle is denser than fat.

[Bright_Star]

You're doing everything right. It took a while for you to gain those unwanted pounds so logic dictates that it's gonna take a while to lose those pounds. Far too many people think that they can work out for a few weeks, stop & resume their previous behavior & then get pissed when not only do they gain back the pounds they lost BUT they also gain a few additional pounds.
Shouldn't be on a diet but a lifestyle change. Make eating sensibly & working out an everyday thing to the point it becomes a habit.
So if you want to eat something naughty like pizza or what-have-you then do it BUT do it in moderation. It makes no sense to deprive yourself. Just make sure that you eat the same healthy foods everyday so that an occasional "cheat meal" won't derail your efforts.

[friendofjimmyk]

About two years ago, I found myself in a spot where I needed to lose weight. I started going to the gym, but still eating like I always did. The gym helped a little - a few pounds, but not much.

I started talking to people in the gym and at various "nutrition" stores (mainly a store called Max Muscle) and started working with a personal trainer.

FIRST AND FOREMOST - DO NOT GAUGE YOUR WEIGHT BY A SCALE. Yes, scales tell you how much you weigh, HOWEVER, you may be staying at the same weight but still losing fat - just gaining muscle. Does that make sense? It took quite some time for me to realize the scale is not my friend. That was because I would get weighed, my weight would stay the same, however, my body fat % was dropping. I was getting "lean".

Second, increase your protein. It's a good fat burner. Lean protein - chicken, turkey, fish. Then decrease your sugary carbs and eat things like veggies (green beans and broccoli) for your "good" carbs. Drink at least a gallon of water a day.

My current nutrition plan as put together by Max Muscle:

It's an exchange diet.

I was measured, weighed, and my body fat % calculated. I weighed in @ 137 lbs when I started. My 16 week goal is 130 lbs. Not much, I know, but that's because my goal is to lean up. Which means, I'll lose some weight, but gain muscle which weighs more than fat. He asked me what my daily schedule was and in a day he put together this 16 week meal plan. I love it because it's a spreadsheet that has drop down menus to see the MANY different things I can eat.

My daily diet is:

6:15am
1 cup cereal
1 cup skim milk
1 scoop protein mix
1 piece fruit
2 teaspoons peanut butter

(On wednesdays, it's waffle or pancake day because the diet allows for that)

8:00am
1 cup cottage cheese
1 1/2 sheet graham crackers

11:00am
1 slice bread
4 oz chicken, turkey, or fish
1 cup (or 1/2 cooked) veggies
1 teaspoon butter or reduced fat miracle whip

3:00pm
1 scoop protein mix

7:00pm
1 slice bread
4 oz chicken, turkey, or fish
1 cup (or 1/2 cooked) veggies
1 teaspoon butter or reduced fat miracle whip

(On Sundays, that's when this 7pm meal is a "cheat" meal. It's a eat whatever the hell I want. He said its to stay sane as well as prevent little cheats throughout the week)

9:00pm
1 scoop protein mix
(or 1 cup cottage cheese)

Each item in each meal has a drop down menu to change the item and the portion.

The key is to eat every 3 - 4 hours to keep your metabolism going. If its always going, its always burning food. Its when you put off eating for several hours 5, 6, 7 hours - your body stores more fat. My diet also calls for 50 - 71 ounces of fluid (water) as well.

This way has helped me tremendously. The first time I followed something similar was a year ago. I went from 145 lbs to 130. I got off the diet and gained 7 lbs back and that's when I started this one.

[blas]

I feel for you. I started my official diet way back in January and did not lose a single pound, despite quitting soda all together for a while and drinking tons of water and doubling my exercise. So around late March/early April, I started cheating and using diet pills. Nearly everyone else will swear up and down they don't work, but they did for me.

Don't lose faith quite yet. As others have said, it isn't going to all magically disappear quickly, and if it does, that's not healthy, and you'll be thrice as likely to gain it all back and then some. With going to the gym, working out, and drinking more water, you are toning yourself. You may not be 2 pants sizes smaller yet, but you probably look thinner already.

Always remember, muscle is much heavier than fat, and it takes up more room.

[friendofjimmyk]

Quoth Bright_Star

Shouldn't be on a diet but a lifestyle change. Make eating sensibly & working out an everyday thing to the point it becomes a habit.
So if you want to eat something naughty like pizza or what-have-you then do it BUT do it in moderation. It makes no sense to deprive yourself. Just make sure that you eat the same healthy foods everyday so that an occasional "cheat meal" won't derail your efforts.

Perfectly stated.

I have come to the terms that in order to maintain my weight, the "diet" I am on has to become my way of life. Its easier as time goes on. I've been working out regularly for over two years now. Except for the most recent time, where I blew my "diet" out of the water (wasn't much help that I was broke which caused me to pursue a ramen noodle diet - high carbs & sodium) that I gained some weight back.

Plus, if you get off track, as I did just recently, its easier to get back on it if its your way of life.

And one cheat meal a week has prevented me from cheating during the week.

[friendofjimmyk]

Quoth Binky

Got my wedding in less than 4 months!

That's plenty of time to see some favorable results. Perseverance.

[blas]

I wouldn't even call it cheating, it's just being normal. Every diet needs some wiggle room. I have to "behave" all week long....by the time Friday night rolls around and bf is hungry and wants to go out, I'm ready for some Olive Garden or some Applebees.....

Just don't drink too much. Too much alcohol will ruin your diet in no time.

[Kiarna]

Hey.....long time weight struggler......
I agree with all these points that the above posters have made.

Please note that it is a life style change and if you think of it as a diet you are more likely to not stick to the change!

These are a few things from Jillian Michaels, TBL and just in general which have helped me immensly.

One make sure you really want to do this.
Two try to eat 5 small meals per day so you don't go long periods without eating
Three do NOT eat the same type of protein in a day, eat like chicken for breakfast and steak for dinner.....this is due to the fact your body breaks down different protein differently and if you eat the same protein constantly then your body gets used to it and gets lazy....
Four try to change up the routine of what you eat and keep your body guessing.

As Jillian says there is no such thing as cheating its all about balance!!

Also like stated above you CAN'T rely on the scales, please measure your arms, legs and waist with a measuring tape so you can see changes even if the scale says no kilos have been shed.

Also use an indication of your fitness as another good sign of change. As in if you can now run for a minute and walk for 4 in interval training, when you were struggling with walking for 2 before its a good sign positive changes are occuring.

Thats all the advise I can give now but keep it up!! Seriously it's all worth it.
PM me if you want to chat.