Do Less!

Hey Honugirl:

I totally hear your frustration... I'm not sure what your goals are - you said you were training for a marathon, and after surgery I can't tell if that's still on your radar, or what your current weight is. If you're obese and gain 10 pounds, it's a different situation than if you're "normal" or underweight obviously. But I'm guessing weight is an issue since you're frustrated by the 10 pounds.

I would take a minute and go back to square one, and re-imagine your program. Because it sounds like you just keep adding workouts and adding to your program, almost as punishment. It's definitely possible to overtrain, wear yourself out, and add muscle, without burning off the fat, which would net a gain.

But I really believe what my trainer says over and over again -- that 80% of any program is THE DIET, so if you're gaining weight, 80% of the reason is your diet.

I just went to the California Wellbeing Institute outside LA for a consultation (I'm a writer and was doing a story on the spa there). And even though I always roll my eyes at the thought of keeping a food journal, since I know everything about everything you can know about diet and nutrition (so I thought), it was really an eye-opener when the nutritionist went through my daily calorie intake. A "normal" portion size to me of cereal, for example, was like THREE portions. (I realized I needed to junk my favorite GIANT cereal bowls from IKEA..) I was also drinking 1-3 glasses of wine most nights, but a "glass" to me was actually TWO portions because I use a water tumbler. So 3 glasses of MY wine portion was like 540 calories!!!

So I'd recommend keeping that tired old food journal for a few days, be rigorous about adding up the calories, and make sure you're getting enough and not overdoing it OR starving yourself.

It's GREAT that you can do water aerobics, and weights 2-3x/week, and I think if you just focus on those two things plus making your food intake your number one focus, you'll reach your goals. 2-3 hours/day in the gym I think is WAY too much, as many of the latest health and fitness articles will attest. Obviously, it's not the quantity that's the problem, it's the quality of what you're doing. And if your current program is making your gain weight, STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING and try a different approach. You've proved to yourself what DOESN'T work, so now try something different. 1 hour a day is much more than most people can do, and you should be able to see noticable gains from that. If you do an hour a day and still DON'T see any weight loss, you know you're doing something wrong.

And remember - EIGHTY PERCENT IS DIET -- that's a huge thing to get your head around.

Good luck!

WEIGHT GAIN

I FEEL YOUR PAIN ABOUT GAINING WEIGHT, BUT HAVE YOU THOUGHT THAT IT COULD BE MUSCLE YOU ARE GAINING? YOU SHOULD TRY GOING BY MEASUREMENTS INSTEAD OF THE SCALE. SOMETIMES AFTER A SURGERY (LIKE WITH MY BACK SURGERY IN 2000) THE MUSCLES REBUILD THEMSELVES AS YOU GET STRONGER. SO MY SUGGESTION IS TAKE YOUR MEASUREMENTS EVERY 30 DAYS AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT LOSING WEIGHT. MUSCLE WEIGHS MORE THAN FAT AND BURNS MORE CALORIES TOO! GOOD LUCK AND GOOD LUCK ON YOUR OTHER SURGERY!

Re: Frustrated

Hey Honu,

To reinforce what's already been said, it sounds like you're so active in the gym that you've gained muscle weight -- muscle is denser and so heavier than fat. In fact, muscle keeps working to get rid of fat even when you're not exercising. You might be heavier, but I bet you _look_ a lot leaner and maybe you feel a bit healthier?

Consider talking to a staff member at your gym.

Good luck, and enjoy your time at the gym (you better if you're spending 10+ hours a week there!).

Alex

Thanks for the replies.

Thanks for the replies. Thanks for the luck too! I need all I can get! I have thought that it is muscle that I'm gaining. I've heard the two sides on that: 1. it weighs more, hence you don't lose any weight and 2. it doesn't matter. So of course I never quite know what to believe.

I've tried the measurement thing, but they are not really going down. I'll just keep working hard at it. I never really thought that I was overtraining, but maybe I am just in a sense that I was out for so long that I'm trying to do what I used to and can't.

Unfortunately, the marathon is totally off my radar for this year, maybe next year. Hopefully! Baring anymore surgeries... ha. I'm sure I'll end up with at least one more. But the better shape I'm in before, the better off I'll be after.

Weight is an issue because I am about 170 pounds now and I really need to be at about 140-135 to do my best on the ice when I return to hockey.

I will keep a food diary, that's a good idea. I agree on the diet. In July when I go up to the performance institute at Burnaby 8 rinks, I think I will also take advantage of the nutrition program up there too.

Thanks again!

Thanks Alex. I honestly

Thanks Alex. I honestly can't argue about spending time at the gym. It's the only time I get to be free of school and all the other frustrations of my life.

I don't know what the deal is! I'll bet I am leaner. I just can't see it because I'm still looking through the old glasses of the "fat" me. We'll see what my man has to say when I see him next month. He'll be able to notice a change in me if there's one.

Time to push my PT for more. More exercises, up the tempo of stuff, it'll be good. If only my body could equal my drive to get back to sports I'd be in business!

Stick in there

I know it is tough when you look at the scale. You are probably gaining muscle. Remember that muscle weighs more that fat. Dont worry about the scale, and do what you can do. If you start feeling better, and your clothes start fitting better, than you are going in the right direction. I also know the frustration with having an injury hamper your progress, but just stick in there, and the results will come.

thanks

Thanks Techgui. I'm hoping my clothes will start fitting better. :) I'm impatient. It's only been a few weeks since I've been able to get back to the gym so I figured the weight would just start falling off, but it's not. I'll just have to keep going. Someday it'll work.

remember

weight falls gradually, not drastically. if you lose weight drastically, your either sick, or you are doing damage to your body.

don't forget the old saying: slow and steady wins the race.

keep at it!

J

Thanks for reminding me of

Thanks for reminding me of that. Unfortunately, now my weight is stagnant. Sigh. I gain weight, now it's stuck. Oh well. Guess I'm kind of destined to be the fat chick forever.

Keep with it

Dont give up. You are not destined to be the fat chick forever. Dont ever think that. You need to think positive. I was starting to worry about my weight not coming off, but I convinced myself that it is only a number. I know that losing weight makes you feel better, but my clothes are continuing to feel better on me, and this morning jeans that I was never able to fit into, I finally fit into. I felt great about that. I agree with Team G20. About 6 or 7 years ago I went from weighing 266 down to 216 in 6 months. Unfortunately I did it the wrong way. I skipped meals, and didnt drink water that much because I thought that I would gain the weight back. What happened???? I gained it back over the years, and then some. Back in Jan of 2005 I was up to 298. I was totally scared. I knew that what I did failed me and wasnt healthy. Now I am doing things right by eating healthy, cutting out those extra sugars and yeast. I am exercising regularily. I am now down to 241 as of this morning. My weight goes up and down all the time, but I am not worrying about that anymore. Also, my wife is in the same boat as you. Over the past 5 years that I have been with her, her weight has always stayed steady. She tried many things, and nothing seemed to work. Our friend put us on this Candida cleanse last month (it cuts the sugar, yeast, whites and dairy from your eating). In 1 month she lost 35 lbs. Now I know that it wasnt fat, but she is starting to do a lot better. She was going out for walks before and complaining the whole time. Now she goes for walks and feels great about it. She is just keeping positive, and is feeling her clothes get baggier. As long as you keep positive, you will be alright. My suggestion is to put that darn scale away right now. It only seems to be depressing you. As long as you eat well, and exercise regularily, the weight will gradually come off. There were people on this site that were there for me when I was down, and giving positive advice to help me out, and I want to do the same for you. We all deserve to be happy.

Thanks Techgui. I agree that

Thanks Techgui. I agree that staying positive is good, I really need to, it's just so hard some days. But, I will keep trying. Not much else I can do but keep working at it. Exercise is getting harder and harder to do because of an undiagnosed medical problem that they just began testing for today (I have a couple ideas what it is, I just need confirmation)that has left me with extreme fatigue. I hope I get some answers soon so that eventually I can start being the person that I want to be.

An Alternative Viewpoint!

Hi! Have you thought about trying to track your bodyfat percentage rather than just your weight? I use www.perfectwaistline.com to track mine. All you need is your weight and a tape measurement of your waist (around your belly button) and neck. That way you'll be able to see if you're losing fat and gaining a bit of muscle or regaining the fat again.
Don't worry about not doing cardio- it's not essential. If you do weights and follow a calorie controlled diet then you will lose fat. It works like this- your body's using more energy (through living, everyday activities etc) than it's taking in (through food) so has to get that energy from either bodyfat or muscle. Normally, it'd use a combination of these two but, if you're lifting weights, your body will be fooled into thinking that you need your muscle to survive, so will take energy from your bodyfat! Hey presto, you lose fat and keep muscle!