What''s the deal? Getting a little discouraged.

[bubbly1126]

So it's been about 3 weeks now. I've been working out daily... began working out in the evenings and then switched to the mornings b/c I have so much energy afterwards, I figured I would put it to good use! Haha. Anyway, according to the scale *at the gym...the only one I have ever weighed myself on* I have lost 4 pounds. I've been feeling great and can notice some difference in the back of my thighs by where the butt and thigh meet. I used to have a slight buldge there... now, it's pretty much gone away!

But here's my issue... While my work pants do fit looser, my jeans do not. Not in any way, shape or form... well except that I don't really have any more "muffin top" as they say (only had a little)... that's pretty much gone. But, no difference in the butt/thigh area what-so-ever. Why is this? Should I being seeing more results or is it still too early in the game?

I alternate between the elliptical and the treadmill. When I do the treadmill, I do the fat burning option which changes the inclines according to my target heart rate. You max out at level 15 and I usually get it up to 13.5 before my heart rate goes too high. Anyway, I prefer doing that over the elliptical b/c I feel like the treadmill really works my body/muscles. I feel nothing when I get off the elliptical. I also do circuit training as well here and there.

So... what do you all think? Am I being unrealistic thinking I should *see* more reults? I think 4 pounds is a great amount to lose in 3 weeks (for me, anyway) but I'm not really *seeing* that loss.

 

[emeraldlover1]

Don''t forget you see yourself every day. I didn''t see one of my friends for three weeks and she came into town last week and said "OMG...you are still loosing weight." I didn''t think I was but then I see myself every day. Sometimes clothes are hard because jeans have lycra in them.

It sounds like you are seeing results but just in different places. Be patient and keep with it. It took me 12 weeks to loose 4 lbs. I thought that was fast for me. Try not to think about it so much and it''ll come off. Again, it sounds like it already is.

 

[BeachRunner]

Date: 1/16/2009 1:49:38 PM
Author: emeraldlover1
Don''t forget you see yourself every day. I didn''t see one of my friends for three weeks and she came into town last week and said ''OMG...you are still loosing weight.'' I didn''t think I was but then I see myself every day. Sometimes clothes are hard because jeans have lycra in them.


It sounds like you are seeing results but just in different places. Be patient and keep with it. It took me 12 weeks to loose 4 lbs. I thought that was fast for me. Try not to think about it so much and it''ll come off. Again, it sounds like it already is.

DITTO! I thought the same thing when I started working out regularly. My co-workers began to comment on the weight loss. I really still can''t notice THAT much, although I''ve gone down from a 6 to a 4. I didn''t have a lot of weight to lose, so it took some time. Like Emeraldlover said, be patient and your hard work will show itself!

Another thing to remember, muscle weighs more than fat, so the scale may be deceiving once you start gaining muscle mass.

 

[AmberGretchen]

I think it sounds like you are definitely seeing results, and solid ones, considering you are only 3 weeks in. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as "spot" burning fat or bulk, and the hips and thighs are one of the last areas to lose weight for women generally, so that may take a while.

It sounds like you are making great progress - I''d just stick with it and I''m sure you will get the results you want, even if its not quite as quickly as you might like.

 

[emeraldlover1]

Date: 1/16/2009 1:57:07 PM
Author: BeachRunner

Date: 1/16/2009 1:49:38 PM
Author: emeraldlover1
Don''t forget you see yourself every day. I didn''t see one of my friends for three weeks and she came into town last week and said ''OMG...you are still loosing weight.'' I didn''t think I was but then I see myself every day. Sometimes clothes are hard because jeans have lycra in them.


It sounds like you are seeing results but just in different places. Be patient and keep with it. It took me 12 weeks to loose 4 lbs. I thought that was fast for me. Try not to think about it so much and it''ll come off. Again, it sounds like it already is.

DITTO! I thought the same thing when I started working out regularly. My co-workers began to comment on the weight loss. I really still can''t notice THAT much, although I''ve gone down from a 6 to a 4. I didn''t have a lot of weight to lose, so it took some time. Like Emeraldlover said, be patient and your hard work will show itself!

Another thing to remember, muscle weighs more than fat, so the scale may be deceiving once you start gaining muscle mass.

Same thing here went from a 6 - 4. I didn''t notice that much but my friends and co-workers still did.

Also, you are not that big to begin with so your weight loss actually seems pretty fast to me.

 

[bubbly1126]

Uhh. 6.2lbs down and I feel like my thighs/butt are just never going to give in! I still can''t see ANY results what-so-ever. It''s very frustrating!

 

[chrono]

Date: 2/6/2009 2:22:17 PM
Author: inhisarms17
Uhh. 6.2lbs down and I feel like my thighs/butt are just never going to give in! I still can''t see ANY results what-so-ever. It''s very frustrating!

Uh-huh...I just lost 5 lbs but don''t see a whit of difference. Still have my muffin top and thunder thighs.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Sounds like you are seeing a lot of results for only 3 weeks! Be proud and keep it up. You will reach your goal.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 2/6/2009 2:22:17 PM
Author: inhisarms17
Uhh. 6.2lbs down and I feel like my thighs/butt are just never going to give in! I still can't see ANY results what-so-ever. It's very frustrating!

Well I lost 27 lbs and went down one jean size; we are all different and lose in different areas 1st. I guess what I am saying that I didn't lose it in the legs 1st, I lost it in the upper body; hang in there. Slow and steady wins the race; you are actually doing great!!!!
A good reminders is finding a 4 lb weight or holding the equivalent.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Well, from what you are describing, maybe your jeans were a little too small, and were stretching, and now they are not stretching so much? You probably won''t be able to tell that when you put them on. You are doing very well, you are loosing the perfect amount of weight for the time period you have given. You don''t want to loose more than 1-2 lbs a week. Keep working at it. Results might be slow, but doing regular exercise will help you loose weight and keep it off.

 

[ckrickett]

Date: 2/9/2009 1:16:50 AM
Author: LtlFirecracker
Well, from what you are describing, maybe your jeans were a little too small, and were stretching, and now they are not stretching so much? You probably won''t be able to tell that when you put them on. You are doing very well, you are loosing the perfect amount of weight for the time period you have given. You don''t want to loose more than 1-2 lbs a week. Keep working at it. Results might be slow, but doing regular exercise will help you loose weight and keep it off.

I think jeans should be their own category of clothing, separate from pants. Denim is such a fickle fabric. .

 

[bubbly1126]

Date: 2/9/2009 1:16:50 AM
Author: LtlFirecracker
Well, from what you are describing, maybe your jeans were a little too small, and were stretching, and now they are not stretching so much? You probably won''t be able to tell that when you put them on. You are doing very well, you are loosing the perfect amount of weight for the time period you have given. You don''t want to loose more than 1-2 lbs a week. Keep working at it. Results might be slow, but doing regular exercise will help you loose weight and keep it off.

Yeah, I would have to say they do feel better on me. I guess I''m just not *noticing* anything, as in... I haven''t dropped a size yet or am able to fit back into my size 3''s. Haha. I know I should have never expected that to happen (especially so soon) but one can dream, right? lol.

I do feel better over all, so that should say something in itself.

 

[bubbly1126]

Date: 2/9/2009 10:58:09 AM
Author: ckrickett

Date: 2/9/2009 1:16:50 AM

Author: LtlFirecracker

Well, from what you are describing, maybe your jeans were a little too small, and were stretching, and now they are not stretching so much? You probably won''t be able to tell that when you put them on. You are doing very well, you are loosing the perfect amount of weight for the time period you have given. You don''t want to loose more than 1-2 lbs a week. Keep working at it. Results might be slow, but doing regular exercise will help you loose weight and keep it off.

I think jeans should be their own category of clothing, separate from pants. Denim is such a fickle fabric. .

Yes, yes it is! haha.

 

[marcy]

It sounds like you are seeing amazing results for just 3 weeks of effort. Keep up the good work!

 

[Itgirl76]

I think it is great that you are alternating...and I agree with the others that you see yourself everyday and you are always your worst critic. I know I am
The only thing I can think of that will help you is your diet? What are you eating? are you still eating the same way and adding excercise? Because while it will help chaning your diet may give you that extra boost. I went from being a meat eater to being a full time veggie and it made a world of difference, I also don''t drink soda, coffee or sweets (candy)...in other words I am no fun...I am not reccomending that you do the same diet but perhaps cut back on the things you love...
Good luck and great job!!!

 

[bubbly1126]

Date: 2/10/2009 12:04:05 AM
Author: Itgirl76
I think it is great that you are alternating...and I agree with the others that you see yourself everyday and you are always your worst critic. I know I am

The only thing I can think of that will help you is your diet? What are you eating? are you still eating the same way and adding excercise? Because while it will help chaning your diet may give you that extra boost. I went from being a meat eater to being a full time veggie and it made a world of difference, I also don''t drink soda, coffee or sweets (candy)...in other words I am no fun...I am not reccomending that you do the same diet but perhaps cut back on the things you love...

Good luck and great job!!!

I am dieting too. I went from eating geez, who knows how many calories a day (!!) to 1400. I cut out soda completely and have only been drinking water for the past month and a half. That in itself makes a world of difference. I''ve been counting calories and practicing portion control, which was very hard for me... considering I have had an issue with always having to eat EVERYTHING on my plate. Now I just put whatever the serving size (or sometimes less) on my plate. This way, if I eat the whole plate, I''m not eating too much! I think that is the hardest part for me b/c my eyes are way bigger than my stomach but somehow I''d always seem to find a way to fit it in there! lol. I also cut out candy. And I am a big candy freak. (For sour/sweet stuff, not really chocolate.) But I find that the longer I go without these things, the less I even think about it or want it. So that''s good!

I put this weight (15 lbs) on probably over the course of 2 years and the first place it started building up was my thighs. So, I guess that will be last to go. And what do you know, that''s the part I hate the most! My thighs. Ugh.

Quick question, when dieting, do you only pay attention to calories or do you also watch sodium intake (and fats, fiber, sodium, cholest, etc.)? I am having a huge problem keeping my sodium level down. It''s EVERYWHERE!!

 

[emeraldlover1]

This is coming from someone who was an obsessive dieter, me. If there is anything that I have learned out of the 15 years I spent stuggling with disordered eating patterns and counting everything is that it is much more effective to focus on the big picture. To answer your question, I don''t try and reduce all sodium (you do need some) just don''t add extra and try and avoid foods that are processed with lot of it. Frozen meals usually have a lot of sodium so I try and stay away from them but sometimes when you are in a hurry you can''t. That usually does not contribute to the big picture all that much. The most important thing when dieting is to maintian a healthy balance of everything. Hope that helps.

 

[Itgirl76]

Date: 2/10/2009 7:37:05 AM
Author: inhisarms17


Quick question, when dieting, do you only pay attention to calories or do you also watch sodium intake (and fats, fiber, sodium, cholest, etc.)? I am having a huge problem keeping my sodium level down. It''s EVERYWHERE!!

I generally watch all the bad stuff...generally I found on a lot of prepackaged items they may be low fat but the sodium is sky high!!! I try to stay away from prepackaged items as much as possible...because firstly it is more expensive. But I do keep some on hand just in case I am having a really hectic day and I don''t have time to eat sometimes eating the pre packaged foods are better than getting something from a fast food place.

I mainly watch calories and fat per serving...if something is a serving lets say a cookie and it has 12g of fat for 2 cookies I won''t buy it because I can get 12g of fat from a more nutrious and more filling item.

My rule of thumb with sodium or salt is that if it''s already in an item I don''t add more...I don''t even have a salt shaker! I generally will add other seasonings instead of salt like different spices! YUM.

I know how you feel about cleaning off your plate, my mom made me be part of the clean plate club and it took a while to deprogram myself that not finishing everything is not a bad thing . I have struggled with weight all my life!! I am the largest person in my family at a size 10 everyone is 4 and below so it is pretty rough living up to some family standards!

**Don''t let diet rule your life...have the 1 cupcake once in while just not 4

 

[kcoursolle]

I think it sounds like you are doing great! It takes time to see results. To boot, you may be gaining muscle which would prevent the scale from moving more. We are opposites, because when I loose, I loose in my thighs and butt (which are already small), but nothing comes off my stomach. I wish you could specificly loose in certain areas, but unfortunately there isn''t really any way to do this.

I too am trying to loose a little weight after I gained some weight a few months ago when I lost a family member. I''ve lost about 4 pounds in the last 6 weeks. I also wish things would go faster, but I''m happy that I''m seeing results at all. I don''t mind if it takes a while as long as I''m slowly achieving a goal. I''ve also read that you are more likely to keep weight off if you loose it slowly rather than quickly, not really sure how true this is though.

 

[bubbly1126]

Date: 2/15/2009 3:38:57 PM
Author: kcoursolle
I think it sounds like you are doing great! It takes time to see results. To boot, you may be gaining muscle which would prevent the scale from moving more. We are opposites, because when I loose, I loose in my thighs and butt (which are already small), but nothing comes off my stomach. I wish you could specificly loose in certain areas, but unfortunately there isn''t really any way to do this.


I too am trying to loose a little weight after I gained some weight a few months ago when I lost a family member. I''ve lost about 4 pounds in the last 6 weeks. I also wish things would go faster, but I''m happy that I''m seeing results at all. I don''t mind if it takes a while as long as I''m slowly achieving a goal. I''ve also read that you are more likely to keep weight off if you loose it slowly rather than quickly, not really sure how true this is though.

Thanks a bunch! It definitely does take time to see results, I am just very impatient! haha...

BUT...

I''m so excited! I''ve lost 7.8lbs!

AND... my jeans, size 5, that I always wear and have been snug on me for quite a while are actually pretty loose now! I was sitting at work the other day and I looked down and noticed all this extra slack in the front. I got up and started pulling at it and wow, I didn''t notice until then how much looser they''ve gotten!

Also, my stomach is MUCH flatter and the cellulite on my thighs is GONE! (Although, the fat is still there! haha).

But yay, PROGRESS!!

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 2/15/2009 6:06:05 PM
Author: inhisarms17

Date: 2/15/2009 3:38:57 PM
Author: kcoursolle
I think it sounds like you are doing great! It takes time to see results. To boot, you may be gaining muscle which would prevent the scale from moving more. We are opposites, because when I loose, I loose in my thighs and butt (which are already small), but nothing comes off my stomach. I wish you could specificly loose in certain areas, but unfortunately there isn''t really any way to do this.


I too am trying to loose a little weight after I gained some weight a few months ago when I lost a family member. I''ve lost about 4 pounds in the last 6 weeks. I also wish things would go faster, but I''m happy that I''m seeing results at all. I don''t mind if it takes a while as long as I''m slowly achieving a goal. I''ve also read that you are more likely to keep weight off if you loose it slowly rather than quickly, not really sure how true this is though.

Thanks a bunch! It definitely does take time to see results, I am just very impatient! haha...

BUT...

I''m so excited! I''ve lost 7.8lbs!

AND... my jeans, size 5, that I always wear and have been snug on me for quite a while are actually pretty loose now! I was sitting at work the other day and I looked down and noticed all this extra slack in the front. I got up and started pulling at it and wow, I didn''t notice until then how much looser they''ve gotten!

Also, my stomach is MUCH flatter and the cellulite on my thighs is GONE! (Although, the fat is still there! haha).

But yay, PROGRESS!!

Woohoo, gal that is awesome!!!! This sounds like real noticeable progress!! You must be thrilled! I bet you''ll be at 8 pounds in no time!

 

[tlh]

SWEET I MADE YOUR THREAD LINE!

Ok. Kuddos to you for rockin'' out the work pants! For me I find 5 pounds is the diff between a 6 and a 7. NOT a 6 and an 8... that''s more like 7-8 pounds... again, WEIRD, right?

Be happy of your accomplishment, it is something to be proud of. Jeans, well... man. They have their own category. I think I''d prefer swimsuit shopping in unflattering flouro lighting to shopping for jeans... so don''t worry... they''ll come around.

Ooo, and if your gym has a real stairstepper... wowza, that wears me out faster than running!

 

[bubbly1126]

Date: 2/17/2009 2:04:31 PM
Author: tlh

SWEET I MADE YOUR THREAD LINE!

Ok. Kuddos to you for rockin'' out the work pants! For me I find 5 pounds is the diff between a 6 and a 7. NOT a 6 and an 8... that''s more like 7-8 pounds... again, WEIRD, right?


Be happy of your accomplishment, it is something to be proud of. Jeans, well... man. They have their own category. I think I''d prefer swimsuit shopping in unflattering flouro lighting to shopping for jeans... so don''t worry... they''ll come around.


Ooo, and if your gym has a real stairstepper... wowza, that wears me out faster than running!

Yes, you made my thread line! If you didn''t already know, your words meant A LOT to me. It really helped set me straight! Again, thanks so much!

I did try one of their stairsteppers the other day and I was sweating in 10 minutes what it would take to get me to sweat in 40 min on an elliptical! lol. They have another type that I want to try... it''s actually like true stairs. I''m sure that''ll really make me sweat!

 

[tlh]

Date: 2/17/2009 7:47:24 PM
Author: inhisarms17

Date: 2/17/2009 2:04:31 PM
Author: tlh

SWEET I MADE YOUR THREAD LINE!

Ok. Kuddos to you for rockin' out the work pants! For me I find 5 pounds is the diff between a 6 and a 7. NOT a 6 and an 8... that's more like 7-8 pounds... again, WEIRD, right?


Be happy of your accomplishment, it is something to be proud of. Jeans, well... man. They have their own category. I think I'd prefer swimsuit shopping in unflattering flouro lighting to shopping for jeans... so don't worry... they'll come around.


Ooo, and if your gym has a real stairstepper... wowza, that wears me out faster than running!

Yes, you made my thread line! If you didn't already know, your words meant A LOT to me. It really helped set me straight! Again, thanks so much!

I did try one of their stairsteppers the other day and I was sweating in 10 minutes what it would take to get me to sweat in 40 min on an elliptical! lol. They have another type that I want to try... it's actually like true stairs. I'm sure that'll really make me sweat!

No worries! Glad I could help!

The stairstepper w/ the stairs that like revolve? I LOVE THAT ONE... totally makes my booty rock!

 

[bubbly1126]

Yup! That''d be the one. Did it this morning and WOW... I''ve never felt so disgusting in my life! haha.

What a workout!

 

[tlh]

Date: 2/18/2009 9:50:53 AM
Author: inhisarms17
Yup! That''d be the one. Did it this morning and WOW... I''ve never felt so disgusting in my life! haha.

What a workout!

That is true. I figured since I used to work out at the gym Matt Leinart and Donovan McNabb use -- and that was always their machine of choice... it was probably a good one. I''d run on it - and it was crazy. Got me marathon AND wedding ready!

 

[bubbly1126]

Run on it? Holy crap. I would never do that just for the fear that I'd fall and smack my face. Which is something I'd totally do! (I would never run on treadmills until... umm... 5 days ago... for the fear of losing my footing and falling! haha)

I can just imagine me running on it (the stairmaster) now... not a pretty thought. lol.