why haven't i lost any weight?

Question

I have been doing cardio 5 times a week and strength training 4 times a week and have limited my caloric intake to 1200-1500 a day for the past 2 months. I am currently 5'4" and 154 pounds. I would like to lose 30 lbs, but have been very discouraged lately. My starting weight was actually 151. Ihave GAINED 3 lbs!! HELP!!

Answer 1

Because you are building muscle and that weighs mor ethan fat. Exercise every other day allowing your body to rest.

Answer 2

You are probably not eating right.

It doesn't matter that you are reducing your caloric intake if the calories you eat come from **** food.

Nutrition is your #1 focus. Abs are built in the kitchen not the gym. Not that you are trying to build abs as a girl, but its the same truth.

If you are also starving yourself and that reduction in calories is too little energy to support your muscle then you are forcing your body to go into "survival" mode and it slows your metabolism AND cannibalizes your muscle because it is the part of your body that requires the most energy to keep. Energy you are not supplying to it.

I would suggest learning about good nutrition and healthy eating first. Learn what foods are good and bad for you and most importantly WHY. A good place to start is Eat Drink and Be Healthy, the Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating. It is a book about eating healthy and giving nutritional information it is NOT a diet book or a diet plan. Although it does discuss "healthy weight" and "weight loss" concepts.

On Workouts:

Working out is a good way to build lean muscle and increase your metabolism (more muscle, the more calories you burn), but it is no substitute for a proper diet.

Also what type of stregth training are you doing? Lifting actually burns more calories than cardio, because of the "afterburn" effect (after you do a weight workout you continue to burn calories 24-48 hours as your muscles heal).

I would suggest a more "cardio focused" stregth training workout like circuit training where you do one set of each excercise with no more than 15-30 seconds rest in between doing full sets of 10 or more reps of each. Once you have completed one set of all the excercises, rest for 1-2 min, then do another circuit. Do this 3 times at first, and increase it later as you build up your endurance. Do this 3-4 times a week, give yourself a complete day off in between.

On those "days off" do HIIT High Intensity Interval Training, which is the ABSOLUTE BEST kind of cardio you can do. You SPRINT for one minuite, then jog (your regular long distance speed) for one minuite. The ideal goal is to increase your sprint periods to double your jogging periods.

Proper nutrition and eating habits are 90% of the game, but don't overlook excercise which can give your metabolism a boost when combined with healthy eating.

Answer 3

Because muscle (heavy) is being replaced by fat (light) you will start to gain weight first. Look at yourself in the mirror and check if you can see a difference in your body structure. The hell with the scale, if clothes start to fit loose and you notice that you are getting more toned then pounds dont mean a thing. you could also be doing the same routine. Bodies adapt very quickly (3 months) to a workout routine. If you do cardio at the beginning swtich to the end, likewise for weights, switch up which exercises you do. Your body might not find it challenging anymore. If in doubt, increase the weight by 5 lbs and lower the reps. Good luck

Answer 4

kick boxing, cardio helps: plus have a celery stick next to your desk don't take so much protein or even starch trust me that last part helps a lot, if you still cant loose weight than start off with a harder regiment of work try to move or be active and watch what you eat, low protein is a good thing take in more greens. Take it from some one who was persecuted his childhood years for being fat, activities that challenge your mind and body, are the ones that will work, good luck if you need any one to help I will be here, my email is [e-mail]

Answer 5

Don't lower your caloric intake. When you cut the amount of food you take in, your body converts more of what you eat into fat. If you need to, take in more carbohydrates, fruits, and veggies. Also your strength training could be adding more to your muscle which could account for the added weight.

Answer 6

Please don't get suckered into a low carb diet as some people are suggesting. Get a good book on nutrition, like the Harvard Medical School's "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy". As for the weight loss, focus more on how you look and feel than what the scale says. A trainer may be helpful, or a gym membership.

Answer 7

you need to give more info on what cardio you do and how long...and what kind of strength training you do. 5 cardio sessions and 4 strength training sessions a week seems extreme...especially since you only eat 1500 calories a day.

Answer 8

Your calorie intake is too high, and youre most likely building muscle. If youll cut ALL carbs and ALL sugars, youll lose without the exercise.

Answer 9

If you're doing strength training you're building muscle which is heavier than fat. The good thing is muscle burns calories - hang in there - it's hard work - good luck

Answer 10

strength training builds muscles which are twice as heavy as fat. you really aren't overweight that much. check your inches difference instead of your weight stop exercising so much, eat less, and walk instead of strength training on 2 of those days.