[BubblyDebz]

So for a long time now have been exercising at the gym and also running. I have been doing Weightwatchers as well since Jan 2008 but haven't lost any weight. I am more muscular but still have the jelly belly that just won't go unless I lose weight.

I exercise 3-5times a week, vary what I do too include swimming, gym ball, weights, walking, ski machine, rowing, cycling etc

Am new to road running so I run about three quarters in total and walk in between, today I ran/walked 5.3km.

Kinda at a loss.

Does anyone else exercise lots but not lose any weight?

 

[Owain]

Welcome to the forum!
Firstly remember muscle weighs more than fat.

Im suprised you havent lost any at all though with doing all that excercise. I read somewhere that doing a diet and doing masses of excercise can cancel themselves out because you actually end up eating too much because you think that because you have done all the excercise you need more food but also because your possibly hungry before you start your metabilism may slow down so your not actually burning as much fat as you would normally.

Have you asked the people at WW why you might not be loosing weight as fast as you hoped?

Ive only started running since January, Im not on a diet but run about 3 or 4 times a week and have lost a stone. I just eat the same as I used to eat, maybe a wee bit smaller portion sizes but thats it.
I enjoy my food too much to stop and count all the calories and things in them

O.

 

[Steve]

Welcome to RF BD!

Weight will eventually drop off as long as you keep at it....in no time at all you'll be running all the way, running faster and further....just be patient!

 

[JamboKaren]

me too!

Hi there,

Before I start- I am no expert- but...


In my experience when I am running a lot I don't lose loads of weight but I do shrink a lot. So if you are planning on following a diet as well as exercising more you should probably measure yourself as well.
I followed the weightwatchers plan years ago and lost loads of weight on it. I put a little back on but when I combined the diet with running the second time round, although I weigh more I am actually smaller in size. I am not sure at all about targetting specific areas though- my tum is a bit on the jelly side too....:d

Hope this helps you a bit. I also bought a book on sports nutrition which has probably had more of an effect on me than anything else, though I do believe I always have the weightwatchers stuff in the back of my head. The more running you do, the more you will think of yourself as an athlete, and the more healthy foods you will want to eat (in my experience anyway).

K x :embarrassed:

 

[almost_no_specifics]

Hey! Welcome welcome!

I know it can be quite frustrating when trying to lose weight, god knows when I try it never happens and then when I don't try it drops off - go figure! So I'm not hugely qualified to give any useful advice. I agree with what Owain said about eating more because you're exercising more - you really have to be very honest with yourself about how much you're actually eating and how much you're actually exercising, also muscle weighs like 4x as much as fat, so you really should be looking more at your size!

It has to be said though that there are a few things that could be making it harder to lose weight, and that's dieting!! If you're always hungry your body goes into starvation mode and stores whatever you DO eat as fat! Also, I've read that if you're particularly vunerable to stress this can make it harder for you to shift weight from your stomach area, and in fact can make you put on weight, and running can be stressful for some people... so take it easy. Also I've read that too much caffeine can make you put on weight because it releases glucose in to the bloodstream and if you don't do anything to burn it off it gets stored as fat...

It's a big melting pot of millions of reasons why you might not be losing weight... BUT basically modertaiton is the key with food and being sensible and honest of course... and with exercise - KEEP AT IT!!

Sorry I hope any of that was any help at all! But good luck, I'm sure you'll notice changes soon!

 

[BubblyDebz]

Thanks all

I do try and keep my food in check and I certainly don't undereat. Some of me not losing weight is muscle gain as I haven't become massive but I cannot seem to lose weight or anymore inches now!!

I have cut back on carbs (not totally) and stopped eating crap like biscuits and cakes but I was controlling this before when on Weightwatchers. I will see if it helps, perhaps I have an intolerance to wheat or something.

 

[Streako]

I am constantly battling with my weight this year. I am certainly not overweight, but I reckon my running form will improve if I lost about half a stone.

I think the only way to lose weight is to go hungry. Cut out chocolate, fizzy drinks, alcohol, junk food. It is surprising how the body adapts to a smaller intake of food over time.
Dont just "Not eat" them, dont buy them in the first place. If I have a packet of biscuits in the house I will eat the whole packet after a long run or bike ride. Better to have a bowl of fruit you can tuck in to, or some nuts.

When you reach your ideal weight it is easier to keep it in check than lose it in the first place.

My parents recently came to visit and I put on nearly a stone because of all the "Presents" of easter eggs, cakes and biscuits they brought! Add to that more lazing around, chatting in front of the TV, combined with going out for big meals. They know no better and are trying to be kind, but it is hardly surprising that I was 2 stone heavier when I lived with them!

Also I have noticed how friends have a habit of saying how gaunt and underweight I am looking if I lose a bit. In reality its just because I look slightly different to last time they saw me.

 

[Streako]

Remember that the body is just a machine. What goes in will either be used up as energy, stored as fat or crapped out!

You cant get fat by simply breathing fresh air.

 

[almost_no_specifics]

I think the only way to lose weight is to go hungry

Eep! I never go hungry and I'm losing weight, and I certainly don't have a fast metabolism or anything! I find that a slightly scary attitude to have, there are plenty of foods you can snack on that won't make you pack on the weight, it's just about being sensible, so yeah, don't buy biscuits, eat fruit and instead. I mean it depends if you're used to eating a stupid amount so that when you cut down to a reasonable amount you're going hungry for a bit... but y'know that shouldn't go on for a looong period of time

 

[richardsimkiss]

The more I've been running and the more I've tried to lose weight, the more I've learnt... Dieting does vary from person to person and everyone will have certain methods that work better than others...

My findings thus far that I'd recommend to any runners are:

• Keep a food Diary for a short period of time (say a week), so you can be sure of how much you're taking in to how much you're burning off
• Make sure you're eating enough
• Don't cut out/down on carbs, carbs are the best form of energy you can get hold of and if you're running, you need your carbs! If you're worried about putting weight on from eating carbs, eat wholegrain items rather than the refined items such as normal white bread and pasta.
• Try and pay most attention to what fats are going into your body - as far as I'm concerned there's a definate link between the fat in food and the fat in your body.

If you're eating too many calories, OF COURSE you're not going to lose weight. On the other hand you can get so caught up on trying to not eat too much, that you did what I did and end up eating too little. I was undereating by around 1000 kcals each day once I'd factored in calories burnt through exercise. As a result my body did exactly what Almost_No_Specifics has mentiond and gone into Starvation mode. I was running 20-30 miles a week, still eating 3 meals a day but simply not eating enough, and as a result my weight just didn't budge! MOST FRUSTRATING!!!! I was of the opinion that I was eating enough and was completely lost as to what I could do to lose weight.

Anyway, I'm sure I've repeated myself in places, and waffled a lot, but I'm pretty confident that if you make sure you're eating enough, and cut down on fatty foods, and keep exercising, you'll steadily shift the excess weight. At the risk of sounding argumentative, my apologies Streako but I couldn't disagree more with your statement about only losing weight by going hungry (basically starving yourself) - not healthy or very productive at all.

There's another thread that's been quite active lately on weight-loss etc, it'd well worth the read if you can find which one I mean! lol (I forget what it's called :embarrassed: )

 

[Streako]

Sorry, when I said to go-hungry, I was really meaning not to give in to hunger pangs rather than starve.

I didnt mean to starve oneself, but I think most people are prone to eating a little more than is really necessary from time to time.

 

[bagpuddycat]

But you shouldn't really even have hunger pangs to ignore if you're eating the right things at the right time, unless there's something wrong.

When I first lost lots of weight, I was permanently starving, and I thought that was the only way to lose weight, but I've since found out that some medication I was on at the time massively increased my appetite and has been responsible for a considerable amount of my overweightness (including putting back on almost all I lost then - I just couldn't keep up the willpower against the starvation any longer)

Since I came off the evil meds, I've found that it's perfectly possible to eat well and lose weight and not be hungry. I eat healthy meals with a good mix of carbs, protein and fruit/veg and snack on fruit, with maybe some seeds or an oatcake here or there if I'm particularly hungry for some reason.

I'm extrapolating from my own experience now, but I think that we often interpret peckishness ("ooh, I fancy a biscuit") as hunger. My rule of thumb now is that if I'm still hungry 15 or so minutes later after a cup of coffee/tea/glass of water, I can have a snack, but often I'm not - which means it wasn't really hunger in the first place

 

[almost_no_specifics]

But you shouldn't really even have hunger pangs to ignore if you're eating the right things at the right time, unless there's something wrong.

When I first lost lots of weight, I was permanently starving, and I thought that was the only way to lose weight, but I've since found out that some medication I was on at the time massively increased my appetite and has been responsible for a considerable amount of my overweightness (including putting back on almost all I lost then - I just couldn't keep up the willpower against the starvation any longer)

Since I came off the evil meds, I've found that it's perfectly possible to eat well and lose weight and not be hungry. I eat healthy meals with a good mix of carbs, protein and fruit/veg and snack on fruit, with maybe some seeds or an oatcake here or there if I'm particularly hungry for some reason.

I'm extrapolating from my own experience now, but I think that we often interpret peckishness ("ooh, I fancy a biscuit") as hunger. My rule of thumb now is that if I'm still hungry 15 or so minutes later after a cup of coffee/tea/glass of water, I can have a snack, but often I'm not - which means it wasn't really hunger in the first place

I think you've got the right idea there. I always question whether my hungriness is actually thirst, etc etc. (Which it usually is seeing as I barely drink anything during the day).