[teeny]

Hello Guys,

I have been struggling with my weight for most of my life. I am not overweight, but i find it hard to lose the 10-15 lbs that i had gained over the past couple of years. I used to have a bad image of what a diet was, i would eat very little (800-1000 cal a day), but it wasn't working in the long run, since i would sometimes binge eat and gain the weight that i had lost.
People tell me that eating so little is bad because the body goes into a starvation mode and clings onto every calorie that it takes in, so i decided for once to try and lose weight the healthy way.

For the past 3 weeks i have been going to the gym 5 times a week. My typical work out is
30-40 minutes on elliptical
30 minutes weight training (biceps, triceps, deltoid, quads, hams etc)

my typical meals for a day is:

breakfast: 1 sunnyside egg with 1 whole grain toast + 1 banana
snack: apple/banana/orange (whatever i have at home)
Lunch: steamed whole grain bun with thin slices of avacado, thin layer of rasp jam and 1 low fat sliced cheese
snack: apple/handful of bran cereal
Dinner: bulgogi with a cup of rice and steamed brocolli

I eat so that i am full throughout the day without overeating~ I set realistic goals, hoping to lose about 3-5 lbs per month. HOWEVER i weighed myself after a month, and i actually gained 2 lbs...(127 --> 129)

Its upsetting to see that my work is not paying off, and its making me think that its not worth it sometimes....

Can anyone give me any advice on to what is wrong with my diet/exercise?

[joxxy]

If you gained weight, maybe it's because you're gaining muscle.
Muscle weighs more than fat.
To be honest, I don't think weight really matters.. it's the way you actually look.
Be happy with yourself <3

[huongface]

it looks like you're doing okay. It could be that you are gaining muscle, which is great. You can't expect payoff right away, it will take at least 6+ months. good luck!

[Hax]

it looks like you're doing okay. It could be that you are gaining muscle, which is great. You can't expect payoff right away, it will take at least 6+ months. good luck!

She's looking to lose 3-5 lb a month, not 30-50lb. It's not going to take her 6+ months for a payoff of that degree.

When you weighed yourself, did you weigh yourself at the exact same time? If you weigh yourself at one point of the day and another, the weight will fluctuate due to water/food/whatever.

[JuStLykEwhOa]

hmm you should weight yourself at the same exact time. maybe weight yourself tomorrow morning when you wake up and 3 weeks from now, weight yourself at the same exact time in the morning. before you eat anything. cause I know I could gain 5 pounds one day just because I weighed myself at the wrong time. Your diet looks okay though, pretty healthy. Are you sure you aren't stuffing yourself with bulgogi and lots of rice?

[daisyink]

I think you probably gained muscle, and that's why you've gained weight? You might wanna measure yourself to see if you've lost inches instead and maybe that will indicate whether your routine has worked.

[ambition]

Don't rely too much on weighing yourself. Sometime you might weigh more due to water retention or it can also due to muscle gain from weight training like others have said. When you feel that your clothes are fitting nicer or your body is more define, that's when you know that you're really getting in shape - for me at least.
About your daily diet, add more green leafy vegetables since they have more nutrients and fiber and drink plenty of water; that will help you flush out all the bad stuffs and make you feel lighter too.
Your weight goal is very realistic and doable. Keep it up:)

[vinylswing]

How many calories are you taking in? Don't look like much.

You probably need more calories since you are exercising 5 days a week.

As for exercising, you should up the intensity every workout.

[Meenuh]

Oh nice we're the same weight. Lol. I dunno but I've been losing like a lb a week since I started dieting and I don't even exercise as much as you do... I don't eat as much carbs as you do either.

[Danni3]

perhaps you gained more muscle than loss fat =P
try measuring your bmi instead, and set goals for that.

[BorAMi]

okay, first of all... lets count your cal intake

breakfast: 1 sunnyside egg with 1 whole grain toast + 1 banana ( 75+80+100 = 255) give or take...
snack: apple/banana/orange (whatever i have at home) (lets say... 90 so at this point, you're at 345)
Lunch: steamed whole grain bun with thin slices of avacado, thin layer of rasp jam and 1 low fat sliced cheese (120+117 really depends on how much avacado you're putting.. +30 for the jam + 80 for the cheese ... puts you at... 692
snack: apple/handful of bran cereal (81+171... = 944)
Dinner: bulgogi with a cup of rice and steamed brocolli (325+205 +35 = 1549...

so you're probably eating around 1500-1600 cals a day. if you're working out... you're for sure in a 500 deficit a day which equals to 1lb of fat a week.

my advice would be...

1.) measure/weigh your food so you can get an accurate calorie count. I know this sounds intense, but it will give you an idea of exactly how much a cup should be, etc.

2.) how intense is your cardio? i wear a heart rate monitor and make sure that my HR is in the medium to high intensity range for my age and health. Also, try doing a 5 min warm up, weights, and then cardio. make sure you're switching up your cardio too. try interval training... look it up and find a good interval workout online. so pretty much like.... 5 min warm up a low range, hit the medium range for 4 min and then for 1 min hit the intensity HIGH. also, running is probably the best fat burning cardio out there... interval training on the treadmill will seriously give you results, not only for your fat burn, but also your endurance. remember, the important thing is to BE HEALTHY. Also, if you want, you should definitely look into Jillian Michaels new book "Master your metabolism" or any of her other workout/eating books. knowledge is key and make sure that it's from a reliable source.

3. make sure you're eating before you workout. you cant run a car on E so dont expect your body to run on E! the more energy you have, the better your workout will be and worth your time. It's not about how long you workout for.. you can workout for 2 hours and not get crap done....

4. Maybe take out the bulgogi and replace it with a lean healthy protein that isnt filled with sugars and sodium. doesnt HAVE TO BE chicken breast if you hate it. just get some lean beef and season it with some herbs or Mrs. Dash seasoning. it's about eating healthy and not putting toxic chemicals into your body. remember, you're trying to lose weight the healthy way now.

5. seriously research some full body workouts. if you want, message me and i'll make a full body workout routine for you. I'm not trying to brag or anything, but i just want to let you know that i'm a reliable source. I am a APEX and NASM CPT (Certified Personal Trainer). As for nutrition, i dont have a major in it, but i've struggled with my weight for years and managed to shed 40+lbs and build a great endurance. I still have fitness goals right now and i want to get down to a certain body fat percentage, but honestly... scale weight is poopy. it's always nice to go by something more accurate like your bodyfat % or measurements AND just how you feel in your clothes!

just remember... if you want to lose a 1lb a week, you have to be under 500 cals and to lose 2lbs a week 1000 cals (which i DONT recommend doing for a long time... not healthy!) make sure you drink a lot of water and take a good multi-vitamin

http://health.discovery.com/tools/calculat...asal/basal.html

use this to find out how many cals you burn without doing ANYTHING... as in, you burn this much even if you were to just lay in bed all day. and then base your calorie intake on this, but remember that you have to add cals burn for your workouts and just moving around...


hope this helps... sorry if its all overwhelming, but if you have any questions i'd love to help! good luck on getting FIT & living a HEALTHY life!!

[teeny]

okay, first of all... lets count your cal intake

breakfast: 1 sunnyside egg with 1 whole grain toast + 1 banana ( 75+80+100 = 255) give or take...
snack: apple/banana/orange (whatever i have at home) (lets say... 90 so at this point, you're at 345)
Lunch: steamed whole grain bun with thin slices of avacado, thin layer of rasp jam and 1 low fat sliced cheese (120+117 really depends on how much avacado you're putting.. +30 for the jam + 80 for the cheese ... puts you at... 692
snack: apple/handful of bran cereal (81+171... = 944)
Dinner: bulgogi with a cup of rice and steamed brocolli (325+205 +35 = 1549...

so you're probably eating around 1500-1600 cals a day. if you're working out... you're for sure in a 500 deficit a day which equals to 1lb of fat a week.

my advice would be...

1.) measure/weigh your food so you can get an accurate calorie count. I know this sounds intense, but it will give you an idea of exactly how much a cup should be, etc.

2.) how intense is your cardio? i wear a heart rate monitor and make sure that my HR is in the medium to high intensity range for my age and health. Also, try doing a 5 min warm up, weights, and then cardio. make sure you're switching up your cardio too. try interval training... look it up and find a good interval workout online. so pretty much like.... 5 min warm up a low range, hit the medium range for 4 min and then for 1 min hit the intensity HIGH. also, running is probably the best fat burning cardio out there... interval training on the treadmill will seriously give you results, not only for your fat burn, but also your endurance. remember, the important thing is to BE HEALTHY. Also, if you want, you should definitely look into Jillian Michaels new book "Master your metabolism" or any of her other workout/eating books. knowledge is key and make sure that it's from a reliable source.

3. make sure you're eating before you workout. you cant run a car on E so dont expect your body to run on E! the more energy you have, the better your workout will be and worth your time. It's not about how long you workout for.. you can workout for 2 hours and not get crap done....

4. Maybe take out the bulgogi and replace it with a lean healthy protein that isnt filled with sugars and sodium. doesnt HAVE TO BE chicken breast if you hate it. just get some lean beef and season it with some herbs or Mrs. Dash seasoning. it's about eating healthy and not putting toxic chemicals into your body. remember, you're trying to lose weight the healthy way now.

5. seriously research some full body workouts. if you want, message me and i'll make a full body workout routine for you. I'm not trying to brag or anything, but i just want to let you know that i'm a reliable source. I am a APEX and NASM CPT (Certified Personal Trainer). As for nutrition, i dont have a major in it, but i've struggled with my weight for years and managed to shed 40+lbs and build a great endurance. I still have fitness goals right now and i want to get down to a certain body fat percentage, but honestly... scale weight is poopy. it's always nice to go by something more accurate like your bodyfat % or measurements AND just how you feel in your clothes!

just remember... if you want to lose a 1lb a week, you have to be under 500 cals and to lose 2lbs a week 1000 cals (which i DONT recommend doing for a long time... not healthy!) make sure you drink a lot of water and take a good multi-vitamin

http://health.discovery.com/tools/calculat...asal/basal.html

use this to find out how many cals you burn without doing ANYTHING... as in, you burn this much even if you were to just lay in bed all day. and then base your calorie intake on this, but remember that you have to add cals burn for your workouts and just moving around...


hope this helps... sorry if its all overwhelming, but if you have any questions i'd love to help! good luck on getting FIT & living a HEALTHY life!!

Thanks for the information! Although i haven't lost any weight, i can tell my arms are more toned, and my stomach feels more tight. I think my problem may be the food i am eating...its hard to measure teh amount of calories in korean food because my mom usually prepares the food for me ^^.

Question though, you say i have to be under 500 cals to lose 1 lb per week...if i ate like 1500 cals per day, does that mean i would have to burn off the 1500 cal + additional 500 cal? or just lose 500 cal in general?

[BorAMi]

1500+500. this is why its great to be as accurate as you can with your calorie count. so you'd need to burn 2000s cals a day if you stick with what you're eating. honestly you have good carbs (brown rice instead of white) whole wheat, fruit, but honestly... switch out some of the carbs for lean proteins. so that bulgogi is probably like a 4 oz serving which is 375 cals +- when you can eat 4oz of chicken breast and it will be about 125 cals. BIGG DIFFERENCE and you're not eating all that saturated fat, sugars, and salt.

make sure you go on that website and see how much you're burning by just being alive. mine was like.. around 1500 cals. so that means... i could eat 1500 cals and STILL be in a deficit because i'm moving around during the day and i hit the gym. so tell me what you get from that website and i can tell you about how many cals you should eat.

hope that helps!

[strawberrykiwii]

i think you need more protein in your diet imo
add nuts to snacks and meat to meals

[teeny]

1500+500. this is why its great to be as accurate as you can with your calorie count. so you'd need to burn 2000s cals a day if you stick with what you're eating. honestly you have good carbs (brown rice instead of white) whole wheat, fruit, but honestly... switch out some of the carbs for lean proteins. so that bulgogi is probably like a 4 oz serving which is 375 cals +- when you can eat 4oz of chicken breast and it will be about 125 cals. BIGG DIFFERENCE and you're not eating all that saturated fat, sugars, and salt.

make sure you go on that website and see how much you're burning by just being alive. mine was like.. around 1500 cals. so that means... i could eat 1500 cals and STILL be in a deficit because i'm moving around during the day and i hit the gym. so tell me what you get from that website and i can tell you about how many cals you should eat.

hope that helps!

It says my BMR is 1400. Does that mean i burn 1400 calories just by like being alive? How many calories such i be aiming for then if i want to lose weight?
Thanks so much for the help ^^

[suzushii]

Always measure yourself in the morning, before eating drinking, and after going to the bathroom.
The difference can be IMMENSE - for example yesterday morning I was 113 pounds. Yesterday evening - 117 pounds. OBVIOUSLY I didn't gain pounds from thin air, it was simply water, food, and well, u know, the stuff in your guts . I didn't go over 1500 calories, so it was impossible. But, say, if I measured myself 3 weeks ago and again yesterday evening, I'd think I didn't lose anything. Wrong.


Measure yourself with a tape ruler - much better then the scale. The tape never lies. When I was 117 - my measurements were the same, with the exception of my belly which was obviously bloated, and not fat.

Switch the elliptical for some good ol fashioned jogging on the threadmill - for me at least it slims me down a LOT. Elliptical never gets the same intensity out of me.

Eat more protein/more green vegetables/less carbs - When you don't give your body the needed 40 or so grams of protein a day, it will hate you and act all weird. I thought I was getting enough, but since I don't eat dairy, and little red meat, after doing the math I was only getting 20-30g if protein a day Added a can of water-packed tuna a day or chicken breast and I feel much better.



Check if you're also getting enough calcium and other vitamins. But since you're working out, you'd really benefit form a multivitamin since you need MORE then the regular person who doens't work out. When I started taking extra calcium, I immediatelly noticed an improvement in my muscles (they didn't cramp up as much, the muscle fever lasted a lot less).

[drago]

breakfast: 1 sunnyside egg with 1 whole grain toast + 1 banana
snack: apple/banana/orange (whatever i have at home)
Lunch: steamed whole grain bun with thin slices of avacado, thin layer of rasp jam and 1 low fat sliced cheese
snack: apple/handful of bran cereal
Dinner: bulgogi with a cup of rice and steamed brocolli

so you go tot he gym 5 times a week and you do 40 mins on elliptical and the rest on weights?

That's a good start, i would suggest maybe doing an 40 mins on elliptical and jog for 20 mins. If you don't feel like jogging, increase the incline and just do a walk, you'll burn more calories. Weights shoudl be concentrated, since you're a girl you don't really want to bulk up so just stay away from heavy weights and do what you're comfortable, usually around 10 or more reps.

Diet:
You seem to be consuming a lot of carbs.
try getting rid of the avocado and eating canned tuna with crackers instead of the whole grain bun and add celery stick or carrots.

dinner: try not eating bulgogi, try eating more lean meats like chicken or fish. with steam brocolli and tomatoes with half a bowl of rice.

[AKIRA-x]

For the past 3 weeks i have been going to the gym 5 times a week. My typical work out is
30-40 minutes on elliptical
30 minutes weight training (biceps, triceps, deltoid, quads, hams etc)

my typical meals for a day is:

breakfast: 1 sunnyside egg with 1 whole grain toast + 1 banana
snack: apple/banana/orange (whatever i have at home)
Lunch: steamed whole grain bun with thin slices of avacado, thin layer of rasp jam and 1 low fat sliced cheese
snack: apple/handful of bran cereal
Dinner: bulgogi with a cup of rice and steamed brocolli

BREAKFAST: Sunny side egg...bad bad bad BAD! Do not eat egg yolk if you wanna lose weight. 1 Egg yolk has so much cholestrol in it, I swear it's like double your recommend daily amount or something? Instead, have egg whites. I have them every morning and they're great in providing lots of protein whilst also filling you up and helping you shed the pounds.

SNACK: Hmmm, sounds good enough. But I think perhaps a handful of almonds or something would be good along with your fruit.

LUNCH: Skip the cheese, even if it's low fat. And raspberry jam...sugar sugar sugar! Sugar gets converted into fat when it's not burnt off. Why don't you have some chicken breast with salad and avacado?

SNACK: Sounds good.

DINNER: I really don't think you should be eating bulgogi everyday. Eating it everyday will be bad for your health. Instead, try varying it - have bulgogi once or twice a week and have grilled fish the other nights. Also, add more vegetables instead of just broccoli.


About your workout...you need to vary your cardio otherwise your body will get used to the workout you're doing and not be as beneficial. Vary between jogging/running/bike...

[sealbee1]

ok....i'm not a health expert, but I can tell you what worked for me.

I'm 5'1 and my average weight is 97-99 pounds. My last year of high school
I went up to 105, for my height even a couple of pounds makes a huge difference.
I was eating late every night and at restaurants etc.

I went to Korea that summer and lost 12 pounds automatically, I didn't
exercise or watch what I ate, I had exactly 3 meals (rice, soup, side dishes)
didn't eat past 7(my aunt's rule, my mom lets me eat whenever) and played outside
everyday with my friends.

In college, there was a time I went back up to 100 something, I tried exercising,
eating super healthy meals like salads, grilled chicken and rice, veggie soups etc.,
eating 3 meals and 2 snacks a day drinking tea whatever.
but I was stuck at my regular weight, like no matter healthy I was eating and exercising, I couldn't even lose
like 1 pound, I kept gaining a pound or two and then fluctuating back to my regular weight.
Then after that term I went back home for the summer got a part time job
and was working hard, eating smaller meals, and I lost like 5 pounds automatically.

So now that I look back to the times I tried losing weight, I realized that even though
I was eating healthy, I think amount I ate was enough to maintain my weight not lose
it. Your daily diet is for the most part healthy, except the sunnyside eggs, eating the yolk
is ok if you eat one egg a day but try eating a hard boiled egg instead. Fried food has oil
in it and is really bad for you.

Also, bulgogi is pretty bad too. It actually made of fatty meat, a lot of sugar and cooking oil.
the breakfast and lunch is not bad but the dinner seems pretty unhealthy.

And even though whole whole wheat is good for you, store made breads tend to surprisingly have a high
sugar content as well, check your ingredients label and see what it is, and try to buy bread
that has natural sugar in it not high fructose corn syrup (the artificial kind)
Personally for me, bread, sugary foods, and fried foods make me gain the most weight.

I think exercise helps you lose weight but I think your diet is the most important factor.

If you want to LOSE weight I would suggest:

cutting out fried foods i.e. fried egg and fried meats
avoid sugar (except the ones in fruits)
don't eat right before you go to sleep
don't drink a ton of water right before, during, and right after you eat
don't eat too much of anything, even fruits or veggies.

and try herbal teas! they really help soothe my stomach and help me digest
green tea, ginger tea, chamomile, lemon, and dandelion
they are all good for you and help your stomach digest food!

hope that helps~~

[sus]

uve gained muscle weight
dont be discouraged

i think u shouldnt eat 1 egg a day
maybe like 2 times a wk
and dont eat so much fruit

eat more veggies and lean protein...
n cahnge ur routine.... doin the same workout .. ur bodi adapts to it..