I am 5ft 6 and 11st 8. I started the gym 6 weeks ago and have not lost any weight yet - in fact have gained 2!

Question

I have not changed my diet but I do not eat anymore than what I did before. I go the gym twice a week doing th actual gym - burning 350 cals. And two toning classes per week. Am I doing enough?? I am feeling quite demotivated already!!

Answer 1

Chart what you eat to make sure that you're not eating more without realizing it - when you start to exercise and build muscle your appetite can increase without you noticing.

Toning and strength training are important, but will not actually help you to lose weight in the short term. Once you have built up more muscle, your resting metabolism will increase and you will burn more calories, but it's too soon for that to be happening.

Also remember that a pound of fat is worth about 3500 calories, so at a rate of 700 extra burnt calories a week it would take five weeks to lose a pound (this is oversimplified, but basically correct).

To kick start weight loss, cardio is the only way to go. You have to get your heart rate up and keep it there. 30 minutes of cardio three times a week (brisk walking, running, stairmaster, cycling) is a good starting target.

Pay attention to your diet as well - it's fairly easy to trim two hundred calories a day without noticing it. You can also burn extra calories by taking the stairs instead of the elevator (jogging up the stairs makes this even better), parking at the back of the lot, a brief walk at lunch - there are many little changes you can make that add up to few calories a day, but result in pounds worth of difference at the end of the year.

Successful weight loss works best when you change your whole life - thinking of diets as a short term goal usually means we gain back the weight plus a few pounds.

Don't get discouraged - the exercise you're already doing is making you healthier on the inside and is changing the way you feel about your body - keep it up and the results will begin to show on the outside as well!

Answer 2

Quite alot of people go through this spell, the body is just beginning to react to the improving metabolic rate, so you may not have lost any weight yet, but soon enough the pounds will be dropping.
Also, what type of excercises are you doing? If you're lifitng weights or doing muscle building excercises, muscle weighs more than fat so will add more weight. Toning means adding muscle, is the extra weight just the muscle? You should really try and drop the fat before you tone, as this will give you leaner tummy, and make it easier for muscle development. Try jogging and walking to burn the most calories!
Try and weigh yourself at the same time of day, and preferably in the morning, when you're not so full and you get a more accurate measure (try weighing yourself after going to the toilet too)!

Answer 3

For f***s sake, don't stop. Yes you are doing enough, more than enough by the sounds of it. So you haven't lost weight, so what? That doesn't mean you haven't lost fat! When will people stop using the term 'losing weight' when what they really want is to lose fat. If you are exercising then of course you won't lose weight, because you are gaining muscle, and muscle weighs more. But you will definitely be losing fat. And above all else you are getting fitter and healthier, and that is FAR more important. Try measuring yourself rather than weighing yourself, especially around your waist; it's a much better way of determining how much good you are doing.

Answer 4

Maybe you needed a big dump before you last weighed yourself? That could easily account for an extra 2 lbs of weight!

Other than that, I think that you've probably gained a bit of muscle. This is good as extra muscle means that your basic metabolic rate is higher - it is estimated that you burn of an extra 50 cals a day per extra pound of muscle.

Don't worry about getting muscular, it won't happen, women are limited to how much muscle they can build naturally (i.e. without drugs).

Answer 5

You should exercise 3x a week for at least 30min. When you first start to exercise you may put on a couple of pounds before they start coming off. It may be taking you a little bit longer to lose the weight due to your exercise habits (burning cals is one thing and focusing on weight loss areas is a whole other exercise.)
Keep up the good work, you will see results or rearrange your exercises and times.
Good luck!

Answer 6

It is possible that your burned some fat off and it was replaced by muscle which is heavier than fat. But only 2 visits to the gym with no change in diet, along with the fact you only burn 350 cals every time will not help you lose weight. You must change your diet to suit your gym workout along with more visits perhaps?

Answer 7

don't give up working out!!!! if you want to loose weight, you have to decrease your calorie intake( give up junk food and sodas). you should eat more healthy..
you could also take your training up a notch.. i have an elliptical machin at home and when i first started working out on it i didn't see any imediate results( i did 10 min a day) but when i started doing 20 min a day( that's 250 burned calories) i started seeing some results faster.

you may have gained muscle( which weighs more than fat). it also depends what time of day you weigh yourself. the best time to do this is in the morning, after drinking one glass of water.

good luck and keep on working out!

Answer 8

well, you probably have gained muscles and lost body fat, that's why you weigh more. keep going to the gym but consider some change in your eating. e.g. skip dinner once a week (meaning have a light snack around 4 pm), lower your carb intake in the evenings. small things can make a big difference.

Answer 9

Weight is more than likely Muscle Mass you are adding...Continue to work out and dont get discouraged more than likely you may not loose alot of weight in the begining but more inches off the areas your working then the weight will be noticed

Answer 10

What Is Happening is you are building muscle and you will need to carry on with your exercise but it would help you if you can ajust your eating habits I.E regular meal times not less food but a healthier diet you should start to loose weight, take you time with it as it is not good to loose to much at one time. Do not give up!