Well... seeing as I don't want to double post in my fitness accountability thread..... and seeing as you seem to know a little on the subject.... let me pass this by you.


I feel a little frustrated, because for the past week or so, I've been pretty regular with my exercise.  I missed maybe 2 days, but I've been doing 45-60 minutes of heavy workout and/or treadmill.  I've also been eating less than usual, and healthier than usual.  However, after 7-9 days (I can't remember the exact number), I haven't even lost HALF a pound.  Not even .2 pounds.  I have stayed CONSISTENTLY at 177 pounds, with the decimal values wavering just slightly.

I don't know what the normal pace of losing weight is... but I do know that when I did nearly the same thing last summer, I lost weight pretty quickly, and I'm pretty sure I saw results after around a week of exercising.

It's got me very frustrated, because I'm not sure what I'm doing differently.

I DO have one of the most severe cases of PCOS possible (look it up, 'cause I'm not going to post details on a family friendly site), and one of the minor parts of the disorder, is that losing weight is difficult.  Last year, the doctor prescribed two pills to me, one being a diuretic.  I have stopped taking both pills for a few months now, and I'm wondering how much that might be affecting my ability to lose weight.  Do you know?

I'm feeling pretty discouraged.

warmaker: Yes I do this as my job. And thanks for posting some helpful information.

Singelli: warmaker is right, you may be gaining muscle. What I recommend is every two weeks, try measuring yourself. You'll see yourself losing inches more so than losing weight. Also, try not to eat too little, cause then your body will attack itself. I know this from personal experience. Drinking water is good, keep at it! And just make sure you eat more of the healthy foods. More fiber, protein, stuff with nutrients in it.

It seems like you have a good exercise routine going, but try to vary it up a bit. Even aquatic exercises can be fun and give you results. I myself go on the treadmill, I do any kind of Zumba or dancing. And of course lifting weights to get toned. If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask.

warmaker :
and Sunflower,

Thank you guys so much for the heart-felt, and informed advice. You know what's weird?  After 9 days of being 177 pounds pretty strictly, I stepped on the scale this morning to see I was at 174.  While that could be due to any number of things that cause weight to fluctuate, I felt a little better. XD (I also didn't exercise the past two days, making this even odder...)

To warmaker directly though:
I've been trying to keep a pretty good record of what I eat and drink, because I've heard that I simply need to burn more calories than I put in.  I tried keeping track of it, but didn't do a great job, and I think it's time for me to do better.  It just seems so discouraging to eat a full bowl of food which is 360 calories, maybe... and then to jog on the treadmill for 45 minutes and maybe burn 400.  I feel like not being fit is making it so difficult to get a proper amount of exercise in. Why, even just to burn off a soda, I'd have to jog on the treadmill for about 20 minutes! (Does that sound right?)

I've been doing the TapouT XT program, but I can't seem to find a reliable source that will tell me roughly how many calories each day's DVD helps you burn, either... which also doesn't help.

As for 3,500 calories to lose a pound?  That sounds.... so..... SO incredibly daunting for reasons I mentioned above.  When I saw that number, I think my heart fell a few inches in my chest.  I feel like for each meal, I can maybe get a deficit exceeding no more than 200 calories, and that's ONLY if I get on the treadmill for 45 minutes after each and every meal.

I think I'm definitely going to do a few things though, based on your guys' fantastic advice.

1.  Drink more water!
2.  Do both treadmill AND TapouT XT.  At least both of them once each day.  It's hard to make the time, but your post definitely encouraged me, warmaker.
3.  I'm going to try and find a tape measure and measure my gut every few days and see if I notice a change there.  If I'm becoming more fit and building muscle, I guess that's a better way to measure what 'weight' I'm losing, or how much progress I'm making.

To SunflowerGaming,

I'm not trying to eat too little, but my appetite is surprisingly small and seems to get smaller every day.  I've been mainly eating fruit and having protein shakes, with one 'bad' meal a day.

I wish I had a way to get other types of exercises.  I don't have access to a pool or gym, and I'm probably far too shy to go to a place with a pool or gym.  I also have the grace of a flopping fish, so I have no idea how to dance, nor can I. I mean, I could always wave my arms about and do the hippy shake shake.  

I actually do have a question.  Unlike Singelli, I actually want to gain weight (Congrats on loosing some).  I know that sounds weird but I mean gaining muscle.  I am starting senior Canadian Football and Rugby next year in school and I have a weight lifting schedule all planned out.  The only problem I would actually have with this, is being determines enough to keep to it all summer.  Do you have any tips on how I can keep to my schedule?  

Singelli : Make sure not too weight yourself too often. The best way to weight yourself and measure yourself is every two weeks. This way you can see the progress and not get to disappointed. You don't want to lose too fast anyway, otherwise you can gain it all back and plus some. Also, try going on to YouTube and type in the search box, Zumba routine. It will teach you dance moves but they're also exercises.

I'll  bite, Sunflowergaming,

I have a running base of about 20-22 miles a week and I've been doing that, plus cross-training in the pool (1,500 yards a go) and soccer practices + games.

I'm trying to run a sub 4 hour marathon.

What do you recommend for my training program.  It's in Indy in November and I'm about 20 weeks out.

Ideas?

Thanks

SunflowerGaming :

warmaker : Make sure to pace yourself while you're in training. Also making sure you maintain proper nutrition. It's all about the mind. Motivation is the best tool to use when training for anything. Make sure to drink plenty of fluids, like water, gatorade, etc. You need your electrolytes.

I think you're doing good so far. Just keep at it and I'm sure you'll do well.

warmaker : I sell an herbal weight loss supplement. And I also have a blog where I post health articles, recipes and exercise tips. =)

I have a question for you. What's your opinion on eating in the morning. Let me explain myself.

There seems to be two schools of thought from what I've read online.

1. People say eat withing 30min of getting up a good breakfast with a verity of food groups and preferable good protein. By eating early, you get your metabolism running fast all day.
2. This group of people believe it's better to work out in the morning on a empty stomach after fasting all night (some even say a 12 hour fast is best) and that what you body has to burn the fat stores in your body. So some people say go for a 2k run before breakfast, and then eat your healthy breakfast.

I'm just wondering which I should do, eat first thing, or do my working out first.

Thanks.

Light Knight : If I may:

Eat breakfast.  You need the calories to exercise and you won't hurt or get light-headed.  The body needs energy to exercise.  Eat first and go do whatever you do afterwards.  If you fast all night and work out after, you're going to feel uncomfortable, sick to your stomach, and you won't enjoy it.

Fuel up to do better with exercise.

Hello everybody
Now here's a tip for a healthier life style, exercise regularly, prepare and eat well balanced that has each of the food pyramid categories in the meal plan, and above all stay away from really fating food with alot of cholesterol and trans fat in them, as well a sugar its really not that healthy to have high amounts of those ingredients in one product/food.

I have a question about eating.
How long should you put between each meal if you have a normal sized meal?

Light Knight : I've gotta go with warmaker on this one. Eat before you do any kind of exercise. Your body needs fuel in order to be able to function. Fasts, in my opinion, are never healthy for you. The ONLY time I fast is if my Doctor asks me to if I need my blood drawn, otherwise, I don't fast.

Barathemos : Not really sure about this one. Maybe warmaker: has some idea's? I'd say ever 4 hours but don't quote me on that.

SunflowerGaming :
Mind if I add my 2 cents as well? If I'm stepping on toes here, let me know and I'll certainly back off.

I can combine those last two questions into one answer. The process your body goes through to either store energy (as carbs/glycogen or fat) occurs generally for 4-6 hours after a full meal. In this time after a meal, not only is your body storing energy, but it is using all the excess blood sugar for energy if needed. So after 6 hours or so, your body is done trying to store energy, and will now get the majority of its energy from food stores like fat.

And to piggy-back the morning exercise question, the same energy principles apply.  If you exercise 3 or 4 hours after eating, instead of mostly burning fat while your exercising, the body just takes up all the excess blood sugar already available before moving on to fat. So, if you run in the morning before eating, you'll move on to your fat stores earlier, if not immediately, leading to more efficient fat burning.
....BUT you should be careful with this. If you are going to work out in the morning, make sure you're very hydrated before you start. Plus what I'll tell my patients is that it doesn't hurt to have a piece of candy (jolly rancher, gummy bears), just to make sure your blood sugar doesn't tank and you end up collapsing. Just be smart. For example, if it's 95 degrees outside and you decide to run 10 miles, running on an empty stomach isn't safe. Just use good judgement.

Hope I was able to help. And if you feel like I just hijacked your thread Sunflower, I sincerely apologize, and I won't do it again.

mikez913 : Oh I don't mind at all. That's what this thread is here for. Feel free to post any thoughts you have. That goes for everyone here. =)