When will I see results on the scale?

[solanabeacher]

Hello eveyone. I'm not new to diet and exercise, but it's been a long while since I was in good shape. I'd put on 50 pounds over the last 3 years and recently made the commitment to myself and family to get it off asap. I want to get back in shape for a veriety of reasons but mostly to look better, and feel better both physicaly and mentaly. I'm tired of struggling to get up off the coutch, and getting winded just walking up a flight of stairs. I'm also smoke free now since I've made this commitment 12/01/10.

Now, big question to you all is when am I going to start seeing results on the scale. I'm only consuming between 1500-2000 calories a day (burning over 3000) and have been doing both cardio and weight training Mon. Wed. and Fri. I've also been going to the gym even on off days. Elliptical training, and running on the treadmill until it feels like shin bones are coming through the skin on legs.

diet mostly consists of lean proteins from chicken, fish, tuna, steamed veggies, fruits, and rice cake snacks. No pasta, bread, potatos, or junk food for the last 2 weeks.

I started weighing 250lbs 12/01/10. Here we are 2 weeks later and I only lost 5 lbs? That is discouraging to me. Where and I going wrong? goal is to shead 50 lbs, at this rate it will take 2 years.

HELP!

[LozTaylor]

5 lbs in two weeks is good going, and at that rate it will only take a total of 20 weeks, not 2 years. 20 weeks for 50 lbs seems ambituous though, as I'm sure you'll have weeks where you'll be under your current loses. It'll probably be about 24 weeks, about 6 months. I'm in exactly the same possition. I started at the start of July. 5 and a bit months on and I'm 48lbs down, which means I'll be on target for 50lbs in 6months. Just keep it up (you may be over training though), and your current loses should be an encouraging sign.

[solanabeacher]

Thanks for the encouragement guys. As you know, it can be frustrating at times when you've been busting your hump like no other but not seeing results like they do on the biggest loser. LOL, how can they be consistantly dropping 10-20 lbs a week?

Overtraining..............no such thing

[solanabeacher]

There is such a thing as overtraining. Trust me.

The Biggest Loser stuff is different. They have controlled diet and exercise programs and are monitored by doctors. You also have to think that most of them have over 250 lbs to lose, have horrible eating habits, and have never exercised. So it's easy for people who are that big with those unhealthy habits to drop huge amounts of weight at first...but you notice that they slow down after a few weeks as their bodies get accustomed to things. They have serious rest, stretching, icing, etc. sessions that you rarely see on camera, and they have at least one day off per week because rest days are vital to progress. They don't show 24/7 of reality on television.

You've got a good point there. Many good points acutally.

[solanabeacher]

You say overtraining...............wouldn't P90X be a the apitamy of over training? Working muscle groups to failure, everyday, for 90 days straight? If so, why is it then so successful?

[solanabeacher]

Could it be that I'm gaining muscle mass since I'm lifting heavy and regularly? We all know muscle weights more (on a scale) than fat, right?

[solanabeacher]

Update...........almost a month now and still hoving around only 10-11 pounds lost. Maintaining a 800-1200 calorie defacit and working out 3-4 days a week. What gives?

[solanabeacher]

I enter everything I eat into fit tracker. It's pretty consistant for me to be at a 1000 defacit, and even more on workout days.

[solanabeacher]

FYI down 20 lbs since 12/01. Definatly putting on lean mass too. Guess the plan is working after all. Be patient, results will come.

[pjdrews]

Congrats on your success so far! Especially on being smoke free!! (I have been smoke free 1 year now too
A 10lb weight loss in 1 month is great progress and a healthy and smart rate as well. I am at the end of weight loss journey, 70down and 30 more to go. It took me about 8 months, at the time I too got frustrated and wanted quicker results, but in the long run (isn't that what life is, a marathon not a sprint) 1 year in your life goes by fast. Take 1 day at a time, take pride in your accomplishments and give it 2 more weeks you will start to see the results (thats how long it took me to see and feel it)
Here's to a Healthier and Happier 2011
-Jen

[solanabeacher]

Thanks for the kind words and insperation Jen. Keep on keeping on girl.

[ekalf33]

think about this, you said over the last three years you gain and kept 50 lbs, now look at you, over the last 2 months you lost 20 of them! simply awesome, keep up the great work!

[Bonnie]

Okay I have a question for the scientist.Les I need to know, there are so many opinions on this its staggering, from university people downwards...DOES muscle weight MORE or is it just more condensed...for instance 5 lbs of compact sawdust...now if it is loose sawdust there will be a lot more space taken up, but the weight should remain the same ?..I have packed on considerable muscle, however weight went down or now stays the same, I just LOOK & measure smaller.

[Bonnie]

Yeah it helps to know the numbers, thanks

[Boss Man]

For me the fat versus muscle debate will never stack up.

Muscle may be more dense, but if you had a bit of muscle and a bit of Fat and both were exactly identical in proportion, the muscle being denser would have to weigh more, because you've crammed more molecules into a completely congruent body, to that of the Fat.

So surely therefore you can only match Fat weight for muscle weight, if the proportions aren't exactly identical.

Being more dense, you'd need less muscle proportion to equal 1lb, compared to the proportion and dimensions of the Fat.

However if 1lb is 1lb, then you can't have two things being perfectly equal when they are in someway disproportionate, they have to be congruent in every way to be perfectly equal.

Therefore any amount of muscle weight, can only be matched exactly by Fat weight, if both mediums are disproportionate, because one is more dense.

Therefore a lb of muscle must equal a lb of fat, when disproportionate, because when a proportionate amount of fat and muscle are compared, the muscle must be heavier.

To me that all makes sense.