Question About Diet & Exercise?

Question

Hi, I have been going to the gym for the past 3 weeks and started eating a lot healthier. When I had an apointment with a personal trainer a week and a half ago I weighed 148, I only lost 2 pounds since then. Is that normal? Also I have had decreased appetite and only eating an apple for breakfast and an apple for lunch and a healthy dinner which usually consists of two pieces of grilled chicken and that's it. However on the weekends I eat a little bad, but try to keep it to a minimum. Is that ok, or should I cut out bad foods all together? Also could my age be the reason I am not losing more weight? I am 35 years old.

Answer 1

I think you need to eat more. Your body is storing the few calories it is getting everyday instead of burning them. I'm not saying jump into fast food, but two apples and a piece of grilled chicken is not enough.

The nromal amout of weight to lose once you start dieting and excersing is about 1-2 lbs a week. You are under what you could lose, but not by much.

Answer 2

Oh my dear. Is that your idea of healthy eating?? First off, yes 2 lbs is pretty good. You don't want to lose more than one or two pounds a week. PLUS, being that you are 35 (I'm 52, so I know) the weight will be slower coming off. The worst possible thing you can do is skip meals. Skipping meals slows your metabolism down. For breakfast you should eat some protein, grain, fruit and dairy. Apples are great fiber, but not enough nutrition wise. Eat a small snack mid morning if you do feel hungry, like a piece of fruit or yogurt. Lunch, salad and grilled chicken. Dinner, steamed vegetables and your choice of meat. Stop eating at least 2 to 3 hrs before bed. And drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. If you don't like to cook, buy weight watchers or healthy choice TV dinners. They are very good and well balanced and the portions are controlled. Pick one day, like on the weekends, when you give yourself a "free day" to enjoy a dessert or something special. That way you won't feel deprived. And try to vary your excercise so you won't get stuck in a rut. Good luck!

Answer 3

Well, eating to little could slows your metabolism. Your body thinks it's starving and holds on to fat. The best way to lose weight and see results is to exercises 30 mins. 3 times a week and eat sensibly. Eat 6 small meals a day and try to eat at the same time every day. Have Breakfast around 7:30 am then have a small snack at 10:00. Eat a healthy lunch around 12:30 then have another small snack at 3:00. Little portions throughout the day will keep your strength up and your tummy full. Have a decent dinner around 6:00 and don't snack any more. I have found that a weekend of bad eating really does mess up my weight loss during the week, so watch what you eat when going out. Just stay fit and take care of your body and the pounds should drop in no time flat.

Answer 4

First off, congratulations on losing 2 pounds. Now, don't make the mistake of letting the scale tell the whole story. You may have lost 2 pounds total, but since you've been working out with a personal trainer you have probably gained some muscle weight too. It's very possible that you've lost 5 pounds of fat but have gained 3 pounds of muscle in the past 3 weeks.

Instead of being a slave to the scale, measure your progress by how you look. If you must measure, get a seamstress' measuring tape and measure your waist, hips, thighs, arms, etc. Watching the inches come off your "trouble spots" will be a good motivator.

As for your diet, you'll lose weight faster if you don't force yourself to eat when you're not hungry, so what you're doing right now is fine as long as you eat a balanced diet. One exception to that rule: Allow yourself 1/2 a day once a week to eat or drink whatever you want. Yes, you read correctly -- ANYTHING you want. Just don't stuff yourself. Successful dieters don't completely cut out everything they like; they just make the "bad for you" stuff the exception, not the rule.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Your actually only supposed to lose 2-3 pounds a week. Thats the healthiest rate, but your's is going way to slow. Also, you should eat more. It sounds like your not eating ENOUGH. If you want to lose weight you also want to remain healthy. Why don't you cut down on ALL the junk food and start having FULL nutritious healthy meals. THe most important thing is to stay healthy. Try talking to a dietition or a nutritonist. Make a plan of a healthy diet for the month. Get a shopping list and head to the market. Remember remain a healthy diet and keep going to the gym 5-6 times a week. GOOD LUCK!

Answer 6

Without a more detailed exam of your body phisiology, any preexisting medical conditions, etc., it's hard to be accurate. That being said:

1) When you work out, how long do you work out for?

2) What do you do? Primarily aerobic exercise (i.e., treadmill, stationary bike) or anaerobic (i.e., weight training, pilates, yoga)?

3) What does your new diet consist of?

Your age should have nothing to do with it. I'm working out and losing weight (about 8 lbs. in 12 days) and I'm 45. Try cutting out ALL of the refined sugar (all trash - candy, sodas, sugary snack foods) and simple carbs (pasta, rice, bread). Eat more protein and vegetables. Your healthy diet is probably healthier than what you were eating...but still may not be all that healthy.

Also, to lose weight you'll need to major on aerobic exercise, a minimum of 20 minutes at a workout before it makes any real difference. I try to ride my bike for 1-2 hours everytime I go out. I'm also lifting weights, so hopefully the fat loss is being replaced by muscle gain, as far as the total pounds is concerned.

Bottom line is you need to put in at least 45 minutes aerobic exercise every other day, combined with healthy eating ALL the time to make significant progress.

Best to you, hope this is helpful.

Answer 7

The healthy weight loss is 2 lbs a week... It is great to hear that you are eating healthier during the week.. It is ok to eat a little bad on the weekends (we are human, aren't we?) All you have to do is monitor your calorie intake for that week if you know you consumed more than you should have during the weekend. You should consume around 1200 calories a week. As far as the gym goes, my nutritionist told me I should burn about 2000 calories a week, to lose weight. This co-insides with the 1200 calorie diet. If you are new to the gym...slowly work up to burning 2000 calories. AND the biggest thing that has proven most effective for me....is when I am doing cardio exercise, stay within your target heart range (the trainers at the gym should tell you what that is).. For over a year, I was exercising way over this range and not losing a pound...well..it turns out.. when you go over your target heart range, you burn muscle, not fat! Good Luck

Answer 8

first of all you need to eat MORE. an apple for lunch is not enough. did you know that if the body is not getting enough nutrition it will actually hang onto what it has in order to keep from starving? shut down. you also need to have enough energy for the workouts. 3 full meals plus small snacks. healthy choices. try seeing a nutritionist. not the trainers because they are often looking at bulk etc.

as for the results of the workouts it takes a while. dont give up yet. it can take 6 weeks to 3 months. the weight didnt go on overnight and it wont come off that quicklly either. and yes it takes longer at 35 than it did at 15.

Answer 9

You need to eat more food! That is not enough food for your muscles to rebuild themselves!

Try this instead:

A bowl of granola with low fat milk for breakfast
Apple

Add a piece of whole wheat bread with peanut butter for protein to your lunch

Grilled chicken and salad for dinner

Give yourself two or three snacks throughout the day and even some low cal ice cream for dessert. You need at least 1200 calories and 2 apples and a couple pieces of chicken is not going to cut it.

As for the weekend splurge - if you set a more reasonable calorie intake, it will be easier to stick to it on the weekend. Most resturants have healthy options, it just takes disipline!

2 lbs. in a week and a half is good progress, but you'll lose more if you increase your protein and calorie intake.

YOU CAN DO IT!!! Good luck!

Answer 10

There could be a couple of reasons you are not losing.
1. You are building muscle, which weighs more than fat. A better test of the effects of you exercise is to think about how your clothes fit, are they getting losser? Try taking measurements in addition to weighing.
2. You may not be taking in enough calories and nutrients to allow for weight loss. Some times by adding a little in the way of healthy calories your body is able to better burn fat. I notice you don't have any grains or dairy listed. You should try to eat a more balanced diet. Try checking out www.mypyramid.gov to see how you can form a better diet plan.