# not losing any weight despite exercise (lots of)??



## renton (Nov 27, 2005)

right i after some help here as im at my wits end!!

basically over the past 2 or so months Ive drastically changed my diet and exercise regime and i haven't lost any weight??

basically ive cut all spoons of sugar( i worked it out at 23 spoonfuls a day!!) and coffee from my diet .

ive also upped the amount of exercise ive been doing to 4 times a week for an hour at a time .

im just not losing any weight??

why is this ?


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## Fin2982 (Feb 20, 2009)

coffee isnt as bad as you think but sugar yes......whats the rest of your diet like? food wise that is(carbs etc)


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## NickP (Nov 20, 2005)

Have you noticed a change in your shape?
Muscle weighs more than fat, so whilst you may have been losing fat, you may have been gaining muscle, although not seeing an overall weight decrease..


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## cloudnine (Jun 3, 2009)

Maybe your body fat is turning to muscle.. hence no apparent loss.
I think it also prolly quite important what kind of excerise you are doing.. it might be best to have an appointment with a personal trainer who can work out a regime geared to what you want to achieve. Maybe you also need to change other aspects of your diet and drink heaps of water always helps. Good luck with it and don't get dis-heartened.. you only get one life and one body so take good care of it.


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## fat-tony (Nov 8, 2008)

What type of exercise are you doing? If its weights then you will put on weight, muscle weighs more than fat etc. If its cardio it can be the same. You need to do a mix of both, then give it time. Check your food intake also, are you eating enough? small and often works for some, but not others. An hour of weights could be to much, but an hour of cardio at a steady pace could burn plenty off. hope this helps.


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## renton (Nov 27, 2005)

im naturally a big lad like the rest of my family , havent noticed any real change in my shape.

i also havent been lifting weights to build muscle , ive been doing low weight lots of reps to tone the muscle up.

daily diet is the following.....

brekkie.
small glass orange juice
cup of tea
large bowl of cereal with skimmed milk

snack at 10.00
handful of raisins and a yogurt

lunch .
soup 
3 slices of bread unbuttered.

afternoon snack.

cereal bar

tea 
jacket spud with tuna or whatever the wifes cooking!!


drinking lots of water through the day too and dont eat after 7 at nite.

i also feel very tired and lethargic throughout the day


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## renton (Nov 27, 2005)

i had an op on my legs in 2003 and never really got the correct physio until now , currently doing a return to running program.

also do lots of cycling throughout the week.(done 7.5hours in wales cycling on Saturday)

lots of cross trainer too.


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## Fin2982 (Feb 20, 2009)

Sent you a PM bud



renton said:


> im naturally a big lad like the rest of my family , havent noticed any real change in my shape.
> 
> i also havent been lifting weights to build muscle , ive been doing low weight lots of reps to tone the muscle up.
> 
> ...


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## cloudnine (Jun 3, 2009)

Maybe you need more cardio work like swimming, cross trainer etc.. Might be worth getting your blood suguar levels checked too if youve had large suguar intake for years and are well built to be on the safe side. Possibly too much carbs for the energy you are expending?? Do you drink alcohol much??


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## David (Apr 6, 2006)

cut out the carbs, it seems to me you're eating too much


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## Bridges (Jul 12, 2009)

Keep at it dude. Its taken me months to loose a little bit of weight and ill be onest my diet aint as strict as yours. I go to gym about 3 times a week do 20-30mins cardio on the bike (hate running) and lots of weights (heavy weights due to rugby). 

Through looking at my weight tho on scales i havent lost much due to muscle but trouser waste size and shirts and t-shirts are a lot baggier on me. Just dont give up and itl soon come :thumb:


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## Sparco (Jul 2, 2006)

Rule of thumb to lose weight is to use more calories than you take in, regardless of what those calories are made up of if you are burning more you will lose weight so something isn't quite right.

I recently changed my diet, took in around 1500 calories a day and I lost 2 stone in 6 months when I combined this with exercise, drinking around 3 litres of water a day. I have an office job so my only real exercise was around 4 times a week from gym and cycling around an hour a night

Your diet does seem to have a lot of carbs, try a diet so you have a greater protein and healthy fats intake, carbs in the morning or after a work out are fine, a few at lunch but try and reduce them on an evening. Things like tuna, chicken breast, steaks, olive oils, greens. Try to have a diet of 90% whole unprocessed foods, that allows for the treats and takeaways as we have to have them 

Working a treat for me although I've lost the two stone I wanted to and am now concentrating on losing fat and building muscle so I have cut down on my cardio and am just doing weight training 3 times a week.

Hope some of that info helps!


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## five£wash (Oct 12, 2008)

so guys what would you suggets is a good diet is am a veggie however, dont eat eggs........


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## Fin2982 (Feb 20, 2009)

Whats your goal?
loose weight, bulk up?



five£wash said:


> so guys what would you suggets is a good diet is am a veggie however, dont eat eggs........


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## five£wash (Oct 12, 2008)

Fin2982 said:


> Whats your goal?
> loose weight, bulk up?


to lose weight, gain strength (my muscles are like jelly) and tone up.


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## jkb89 (Nov 7, 2008)

Eat more white fish and lower the carbs - (I know you said you're a veggie, but you did mention tuna before so I'm guessing you're not strict) 

Good luck!


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## five£wash (Oct 12, 2008)

jkb89 said:


> Eat more white fish and lower the carbs - (I know you said you're a veggie, but you did mention tuna before so I'm guessing you're not strict)
> 
> Good luck!


hi sorry guys should have made it clear no meats whatsoever


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## one_question (Nov 12, 2008)

five£wash said:


> hi sorry guys should have made it clear no meats whatsoever


I'd look at protien rich foods - nuts (contain fat though).

Protien aparetly(sp) satisfies your appatite.

Unfortunately, protien from plants aren't full amino acid strings (Read it somewhere) - you may have to suppliment with something - this is so that you can build up muscle mass.

G

PS - apologies for the dire spelling. I know it's wrong but I simply can't be bothered pasting into word to check (at work so haven't got the luxury os Firefox).


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## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

It's a shame you don't eat eggs, because those are excellent when boiled for protein and when combined with weights were very effective (for me at least) with losing weight as they keep your appetite under control whilst providing the right proteins for building muscle.

Having maybe 2 cereal bars a day which aren't ridiculously sugary, so for example maybe alpen light, would be generally good.

If you don't eat any meat you'll find it very difficult to build up muscles as it needs a large amount of protein intake. There are supplements but I'm not sure whether those would be enough on their own.

I'm still of the opinion that cardio makes you healthier, whilst weights are the best for losing weight and gaining muscle definition.


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## BENJY (Oct 26, 2005)

renton said:


> im naturally a big lad like the rest of my family , havent noticed any real change in my shape.
> 
> i also havent been lifting weights to build muscle , ive been doing low weight lots of reps to tone the muscle up.
> 
> ...


This may sound stupid and i am no way an expert but you may not be eating enough!
Take a read of this website it will explain it all to you
http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/article-beginners-guide.aspx


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## rik24 (Mar 13, 2009)

If you can get into running the weight will fall of you ! But it does take a few weeks before you see any results,i seemed to put on weight before it took effect.A lot of people seem to give up to early when they starting jogging but if you start off 10 to 15 minutes 3 or 4 days a week and gradually add a a minute per run it can get quite addictive .when i started i couldnt run for more than 5 mins i can now happily do 8 miles in an hour.


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## Fin2982 (Feb 20, 2009)

I'm trying to find an article that was posted a few months back about Vegetarians and Muscle building.



five£wash said:


> hi sorry guys should have made it clear no meats whatsoever


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## Fin2982 (Feb 20, 2009)

hey five£wash

Heres that article I was saying about http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/nsca2.htm


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## Renmure (Jan 18, 2007)

I am sure there will be folk along to offer practical advice about training so I won't bog the thread up with exercise physiology stuff but..



NickP said:


> Muscle weighs more than fat,


Nope. 1lb of fat weighs the same as 1lb of muscle.
That isn't ment to sound pedantic but it is one of these myths that you hear repeated which is comforting to the 'larger' person but fairly misleading. They do have different densities and a given mass of fat will take up more space than the same mass of muscle but it isn't quite the same thing.



cloudnine said:


> Maybe your body fat is turning to muscle..


That doesn't happen, any more than brass can be turned into gold.
Again thats not meaning to be pedantic.

In terms of exercise, it would probably be helpful to say what you used to do before, and what you do now.


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## roscopervis (Aug 22, 2006)

BENJY said:


> This may sound stupid and i am no way an expert but you may not be eating enough!
> Take a read of this website it will explain it all to you
> http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/article-beginners-guide.aspx


It should be small, reguylar meals about 3 hours apart. Look to take in no more than 2000 cals, cut out the 3 slices of bread with the soup and try cutting in the cereal portion (or to kickstart it try half a honeydew melon with natural probiotic yoghurt) for breakfast, or 4 eggs scrambles, but with only 1 yolk on a slice of brown bread. Cereal bar snacks are not that great, try a tin of tuna with a slice of brown bread or a small bit of salad.

Also try and eat more protein, you'll probably require around 120 grams per day. Protein also acts to keep you fuller for longer and retains the mucle you have which is essential to mainatin your metabolism.

Nutrition is about 70-80% the key to losing weight.

As for exercise, to start you need to keep the intensity right down. Exercise for an hour, but try to keep your heart at no more than 120 bpm. So low level cross training for 20 mins, walking at 5kph for 20 mins and a gentle cycle. Do this for a month and the weight should come off.

After that you will need to add weights, but light weights and highish reps (16 x2). Start with 10 mins of low intesity cardio, then do a full body circuit that should take about 30-40 mins and hopefully have some compound moves in there. Then do low intensity cardio for 20 mins (again low heart rate.

Do this for 4-6 weeks.

By this time your body should be at a stage where the intensity and weight can increase, plus in those 2 months you should have lost around a stone and a half if you eat right. Worked for me!


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## Sparco (Jul 2, 2006)

one_question said:


> I'd look at protien rich foods - nuts (contain fat though).
> 
> Protien aparetly(sp) satisfies your appatite.
> 
> ...


Don't worry too much about the fat in nuts or olive/fish oils as they are good fats which actually help you lose fat....as strange as that may sound! Obviously don't go eating a whole bag of nuts in one go as a 400g bag is around 600-700 calories on its own! Just a handful for a mid morning or afternoon snack is sufficient

Whey protein is a good supplement to increase your protein intake but also need whole foods, do you eat cheese?? Another high protein/fat food but good for you in moderation. With your meals try and eat some green veg eg brocolli, healthy carbs that are easily digested.

Have a look on Myprotein website, the forum has a good diet section which I've found handy.

Just been and weighed myself today and in the last 4 weeks i've managed to only lose .1kg of total weight but actually lost fat and gained 1.3kg of lean muscle so i'm still quite high on my body fat % at 18.1% but its moved down 1.6% in 4 weeks so its going down which is the main thing!

As i said, all i'm doing now is weight training and little cardio


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## chunkytfg (Feb 1, 2009)

I was always told when dieting there are 2 measurements to look at. 

1 is your weight 
2 is your size.

Measure yourself with a tape measure in all the usual places, belly/chest, waist, thigh's, and arms. you may find you have not lost weight but because, as was pointed out muscle is denser than fat, you have lost fat and gained the equivalent muscle weight. this will however show up with the tape measure.

good luck and keep at it


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## Charley Farley (Jul 8, 2009)

Possibly not right for you but after giving up body building (20 yrs plus) I was fifteen and a half stone and after 6 months the weight had sadly rearranged itself so thought ... 'that is it, of you come.'

I went on fruit all day, apple orange etc, 3-4 pints of water, shredded wheat for brekkie, no booze, good evening meal, cut bread and spuds down to very little and 6 months later I am twelve stone and quite happy getting cloths that now fit.

It worked for me. Exercise wise I just walked 5 miles a day in one hit at a good pace.

Good luck


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## lanciamug (May 18, 2008)

Sparco in post # 12 talks a lot of sense as does Renmure in post #24. It really is as simple as burn more cals than you take in. The thing not many appreciate is that 1 pond of fat is equivalent to 3500 Cals, so you have to be in deficit by 500 cals a day to drop just 1 pound a week. Don't forget that before you were putting weight on so your actual deficit from your previous life has to be greater! 


Looking at your diet, it seems pretty healthy, the only problem ara is the 3 slices with your soup, cut 2 out. Carbs at lunchtime make you sleepy! Don't try to go ultra low carb, it's not sustainable and you need them for energy. Rather, try to have a lower poportion of your energy intake as carbs, eating more protein instead. (low fat- say tuna, or skinless chicken)

Run (walk, jog ) as much as you can. Weigh yourself no more than once a week and think long term, in months or years even. Be consistant and the pies will drop slowly. A year from now people will notice!

PS I went from 15-8 to 11-3 I'm 5' 7"


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## Star2 (Aug 20, 2008)

chunkytfg said:


> I was always told when dieting there are 2 measurements to look at.
> 
> 1 is your weight
> 2 is your size.
> ...


.

Or get some body fat calipers. They don't lie and are less subjective. Personally, I reckon for weight to start coming off takes 6 weeks and then is a steady loss. I wonder if the OP's body is 'holding' onto any calories it receives just because there are a lots less than before. May take a while for the body to start fully utilising fat reserves.

Good luck


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## bilabonic (Jul 25, 2008)

Tend to agree with other posts. I have lost 2 stone in 6 months.

Doing all cardio at the moment. Cycling to work and walking more ie shops Also go for 4 mile jogs when my legs allow.

Cut out all rubbish from diet ie Takeaways, Pizzas, Crisps.

Also cut out all alcohol !!!!

I mainly eat chicken breast, steaks, small amounts of pasta (wholemeal) plus loads fruit with Onken fat free yogurt and mixed seeds also mixed in for EFA.

Just had Fajitas for supper. I now make them on skewers kebab style with low fat wraps and zero fat greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

Calories in to calories out, simple.


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## RedCloudMC (Jul 19, 2008)

bilabonic said:


> Tend to agree with other posts. I have lost 2 stone in 6 months.
> 
> Doing all cardio at the moment. Cycling to work and walking more ie shops Also go for 4 mile jogs when my legs allow.
> 
> ...


I think this kind of sums it up. Watch your calories more.

Cutting carbs is all well and good but you need carbs in your diet so just choose those that work for you. Don't go for high GI carbs (unless after hard exercise when your body needs them), keep them low GI where possible.

There are supplements that genuinely do help too if you've plateaued in your weight loss. I'm not talking about Thermobol or stuff like that - try that if you want but don't expect miracles - I mean L-carnitine, HMB, CLA etc. Trust me on this one...they do help..but over time. Don't expect to see your weight loss shoot upwards (nor should you want it too)...but persevere and over time, they do work...from personal experience.

Also, and this has been proven many times over in various tests - green tea acts as a thermogenic and helps weight loss. Either drink green tea instead of coffee/black tea (although coffee in small doses is no bad thing for weight loss either!) or add green tea extract to your diet. It's also good for you in loads of other ways as it's packed with antioxidants and even helps prevent tooth decay...allegedly.

Cheers :thumb:


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