Unsure, confused and discouraged...

[DarkAngel]

Hi all. I'm not sure if I'm even in the right area to post this, so if not, OOPS and I'm sorry.

How do you know whether or not an exercise regiment/weight lifting is actually doing anything and or working for you? For example, I feel sore a day or 2 after focusing on certain areas, but then when I focus on others, I feel nothing. If I don't feel anything or see any results after a given time period, does that mean that I'd wasted my time or done the exercises wrong? My boyfriend is in very good shape and I use him at my PT when we go to the gym together, but I just feel like I should be seeing more definition or my clothes should be fitting looser or something. I know he has a fast metabolism and has no problems with losing weight, where as I don't think I have a metabolism(it's just that slow) and losing weight has always been a huge struggle.I'm very discouraged ESPECIALLY because there's no way I will hit the goal I was aiming to hit on time. Any ideas? Words of wisdom? Advice?

[Hawkwind]

We all have those moments. Change takes time. How do your clothes fit? Don't go by the scale as to whether or not you are making progress. Muscle weighs more than fat.

Soreness is not uncommon...and it's not strange at all to not be sore in some areas after a workout. Some people never really get sore.

How long have you been training?

[TRAZ]

/\ I agree...Don't get discouraged! The changes will come if you stick with it! It can take months for muscles to start really changing (took me a good 6 to see anything worth writing home about). Fat loss could come quicker than the muscle gain, but don't rush things...Stay intense and consistent and your body can't help but change!

[Hannainnc]

Just stick with it and keep track of what you are eating...sometimes we eat more calories than we think we do.

[DarkAngel]

I got a gym pass at the end of February and I go everyday on my lunch to lift. I usually go after work 2-3 times a week to do some type of cardio, and on the weekend I try to do a Step Class or more cardio or something. I guess, in my mind, I am doing more now than I EVER have before and can't figure out why I see no results.

[Hawkwind]

You have probably made more progress than you realize. Honest. It can take a while for the changes to show up.

Have you been tracking your diet? I use fitday.com. It's a free service and very helpful in that it can help you figure what you need each day and where your calories are coming from.

How about starting a workout journal here in the members section? That can be invaluable for helping to sort through the hundreds of questions that come up when you first start training.

Are you doing any weight training? Cardio is good...but cardio + lifting is even better.

[rednek555]

big bump to hawlks suggestion to start a workout journal, itll let others make more informed suggestions. whenh not noticing progress, keep in mind that acxtual bodyweight or measurements arent the only form of progress. you spent years getting your body intot whatever shape it is currently in, so your body will need time to adjust to what you want it to be. keep in mind, that even if you arent noticing actual weight loss, you are slowly changing your metabolism and strengthening your cadriovascular system, so you are achieveing health benefits which will leter on allow you to get where you want to be. not all results are visible, but with hard work, patience, educ ation and dedication, you can get where you want to be. keep your chin up, you'll get where you want to be

[DarkAngel]

Awesome! Thanks for the advice and positive reinforcement. Another quick question I had, is there a way to know how many calories you're actually burning? I mean, if I'm on the elliptical and it says I burned 500 cals, does that really mean I burned that many or is that dependent on the person and their body?

[Hannainnc]

Not really accurate. If it asks for your weight, it will be more accurate than one that does not. I recall reading an article that explain that most machines are based on the calorie expenditure of a 165 lb male.

However you can rely on them to gauge your endurance...for instance, if two weeks ago I burned 400 calories on a machine, then next week on the same machine I burned 450...I know that I pushed myself and am working harder or longer.

[narcsarge]

Originally Posted by DarkAngel

Awesome! Thanks for the advice and positive reinforcement. Another quick question I had, is there a way to know how many calories you're actually burning? I mean, if I'm on the elliptical and it says I burned 500 cals, does that really mean I burned that many or is that dependent on the person and their body?

Quick answer, not exactly. All of us can 'guess-timate' what we burn based on averages. Such as you burn X amount of calories running @ X mph/kph. But that does not take into account your heart rate, your body mass, your ability to run/jog, etc. Everything is an average of 'normal' people. What the heck is normal about any person. Give machine-given numbers a little credance since most of them ask for information like your age, weight, etc. Just use them as tools. Besides, once you are done with a machine, your body continues to burn calories at a higher rate then someone that does not work out or do cardio.
To comment on your first post in this thread, pay attention to what people are saying here. We all have plateaus. We all get stale and stagnate. We have to figure out a way to push through and force those changes! Keep at it. Reading helps a lot. Learn what others have done and try that, but give your choices time to work. I usually do not try something for less then 6 weeks. I am sure by then to have a good idea how it is working. Good luck and push through to your goal!

[DarkAngel]

Ok, so I guess the next thing I'd like to know is whether or not 3 meals a day with no snacks is ok? I've read post after post that you need to keep your metabolism up and going and that to burn more you need to consume more (I totally do NOT understand that) but I've met so many people who swear that by not snacking, the were able to lose more, tone up and keep it off. Does this also depend on the person and how their body works? Or is it a silly idea entirely?

[jiujitsugirl]

you eat almost the same amount of food...maybe slightly more, but you don't eat it in three sittings, you eat it in 6. Sometimes I just scrape the other half a meal into a tupperwear and eat it 3 hours later. this single simple change makes a HUGE difference, so you know...get some tupperwear and watch...in 2 weeks you'll definitely notice...or at least most people do....

[narcsarge]

Originally Posted by jiujitsugirl

you eat almost the same amount of food...maybe slightly more, but you don't eat it in three sittings, you eat it in 6. Sometimes I just scrape the other half a meal into a tupperwear and eat it 3 hours later. this single simple change makes a HUGE difference, so you know...get some tupperwear and watch...in 2 weeks you'll definitely notice...or at least most people do....

Precisely, maintaining a constant metabolic rate actually helps you burn calories at significantly higher rates. Also, you body will learn that it does not need "extra" calories nor does it need to hold onto calories because it gets what it needs so often. Think of this with water intake. If you drink water constantly do you swell up like a whale? Maybe if you are done cutting for a competition. Normally you just hit the bathroom more often. Why, because your body will take in what it needs and discard the rest.

[DarkAngel]

Again, thanks for all the info. I think my biggest issue is that I'm impatient and if I don't see results within a set time-frame, I get discouraged and think I'm doing something wrong and try changing things. I guess the other hard thing is looking at other people who haven't been working out as much/long as me but look a LOT better than I do (their results are showing). Que sera, que sera though, right?

[phat chick]

Hang in there Dark Angel I am very impatient too...i can really understand your frustration LOL. Changeing your physique is a life-long journey. And your program will be every-changeing as well, as your body adjusts and adapts.

The above comments of keeping journals are excellent. It is cheap and effective, and an easy way to track what you are doing and watch your progress, and to make adjustments from there.

If you have a digital camera, that is (imo) more helpful than a scale. A weight scale will not indicate how your body is changeing in composition (muscle & fat), unless you combine your weight tracking with fat-testing (caliper testing is pretty good). Personally i like to keep my pics the same as possible...i take them every week, roughly the same time and in the same clothes and from the same angles/lighting. Just makes it easier to compare. I only take weekly pics because i am on-season. Otherwise, every 3-4 weeks is probably better (for your sanity LOL).

The REAL "secrets" to achieving your ideal physique is consistancy (not necessarily always the same program, but more as in sticking with good eating habits and training regularily), hard work, and patience (yes, the dreaded 'p' word LOL).

Finding what works for you, your lifestyle and what illicits results is a matter of trial-and-error. I"m not talking about crash-dieting, pills, and marathon cardioing or anything like that----those are never good weight-loss techniques. But having a sound diet and solid training regimen, and from there playing around with things like calories, macro nutrients, cardio intensity & duration, weight training styles, etc. Track the things you can track (like your diet, for instance) and observe the cause and effect of changes.

It's like a giant science experiment ;-P and if it is any encouragement, slower weight loss is MUCH more maintanable over the long term and healthier as well. The ol' one-pound-a-week thing is good. Losing 2 lbs/week is okay, but hard for most, and anything beyond that really isn't a good thing.

And big bump on the eating every 2.5 - 3 hours.

[rednek555]

yeah most people think they automatically need to eliminate calories, its really about what kind you have and when, not just how much. starving yourself tells your body that you dont get nutrients often so you need to store them for later, i.e. turns into fat. having a constant intake tells your body that you wont need fat storage for energy later.