5'4" 265 have lost 15 w/eating right (cals?) walking, dancing and strength trng. i've stalled, what's wrong?

Question

Why am I not losing more weight. I eat between 1500 - 1700 cals. a day. I drink tons of water. I've given up sodas. still have a sweet tea every now and then. I walk (high intensity) about 3 or 4 days a week for at least 30 minutes every morning before breakfast; which for the past 3 days has been a whey protein shake, egg whites and oatmeal. I do strength training and also use 5 lbs. dumbbells. (i'm a beginner). On days I don't walk; which is on my treadmill by the way I do hip hop dancing. One more thing, usually after a work out I feel tired and sleepy..What's going on...Thanks

Answer 1

You seem to be doing everything right...maybe your body is in starvation mode though, cause for me at 190 doing extreme activity i'd be dead on 1500 a day.

You seem to have the strong motivation for this, so I recommend a dietitian and a properly certified trainer.

Answer 2

okay as you start to lose weight it can take up to awhile. First thing you are going to lose is your water weight. Which is around 15 to 20 lbs. That is going to come off pretty quick. A month or less. Then you have to really test yourself. You have to cut back your calories some more. That is too much still. Especially with the amount of exercise you are doing. I mean its good exercise but not enough for that amount of calories. The only way to lose weight is to burn more then you take in. So if you eat 1700 calories you need to burn 1700 calories, A 2 mile walk only burns around 150 calories so you have to keep that in mind. Great job on cutting out sodas, that is as real big calorie intake there. You just have to get your body used to your new regimen.

Answer 3

First off half the posts thus far (especially those about "plateaus") are great advice for body building, not so great for straight weight loss. If you want to be muscle bound keep adding weight, working on machines, etc...

You will gradually want to up your duration and intensity (ex: try walking for 45 minutes and jog for a few minutes each time), but other then that your regiment sounds fine.

Kari hit the nail on the head; at stages in an exercise program your muscle gain will counter your fat loss. So do not just focus on weight- take measurements! If you're thinning down but not losing weight you are doing great- eventually your continued diligence and new muscle mass will make you lose weight even better.

Answer 4

I would consult a diet/exercise specialist if you haven't already. I know for my husband he was working out dropping weight and then he hit a wall and he had to change his routine up and add more cardio. If you have the time try and extend your workout to 1hour instead of thirty and see if that kick starts your metabolism. About being tired afterwards all I can think of is try and add more protein to your diet like tuna fish to give you more energy throughout the day. Other than that I hope this helps a little but would still talk to my doctor to make sure I'm on the right path. Lots of luck and Congrats so far.

Answer 5

You just have to keep at it. It's not an instant thing. On top of which, you will build muscle which weighs more than fat. Just remember, it's not just about the weight, but you are trying to lose inches. So as your weight stalls (which is does for everybody, it's temporary in the beginning stages), watch your waistline. You may still see a difference there. But hang in there, you will drop the pounds.
I would step up the routine too. Keep that heart rate up around 45 minutes a day, the majority of the week.

Answer 6

nothing you can plateau the first weight that comes off is excess fluid. Then you start working on fat. Fat cells actually shrink they don't go away. Your metabolism changes to protect you from losing weight too fast for it. and it will slow down periodically. A women's body will try to keep up levels of fluids and fat because you could need it to carry a baby. Just keep working , quit weighing very often and you will start losing again. I know how hard this is I lost 100lbs in 1 1/2 year but i would plateau for weeks at a time and get real discouraged. You may want somebody to work with. That can help. Chin Up, You want this you make it happen.

Answer 7

Multivitamin. I used to feel pretty stripped after workouts when I woke up the next day, but the multi helped. Also, mix up your workout routine. Dancing is not a workout. 30 minutes is not enough cardio, a treadmilll is not as good as actually getting out and walking. Do over 45 minutes, and do that every day. Start jogging. Losing weight is tough, cut out as much junk food as you can, there is no easy way out of it. Good luck!

Answer 8

Change up your workout. Use different machine, different speeds, different resistance. Your body is a creature of habit. If it gets used to something, the gains/losses will not be as dramatic as if you changed things up.

By the way, 15 lbs to start is excellent. Keep up the good work. Also, the less you weigh, the less you can lose. Dont be upset about decreasing numbers. If you always lost weight that fast, you would disappear!

Answer 9

My guess is that your strength training is adding muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. That is good though. The more muscles you have the faster you lose weight. ( this is why men tend to lose easier than women ). Keep doing what you are doing. Some weeks you don't change your weight and the next week you lose 3 or 4 pounds! Don't be discouraged!

Good Luck and Take care!

Answer 10

I've noticed with my weight loss, that it happens in stages. Instead of going down steadily, it seems to go more like steps - lose a bunch, then stall, then lose again, etc. You are doing all the right things. Just be patient and give it time (I know, easier said than done). Just remember that it took you awhile to gain the weight, so don't be discouraged if it takes you awhile to lose it.