So what happens when you are doing everything right for weight loss and the scale is showing zero results? I mean, what could it be? What else could you possibly do to make that scale move?
First, check this article and make sure you are doing all of them: 22 Weight Loss Secrets. The head over and make sure you are not fitting into any of these categories: Why Can’t I Lose Weight?
Finally, here is the question that was posed to me.
Here’s a question for you…. I have hired a personal trainer 2 months ago, I train 3 times a week intense 1/2 hour sessions + 30 – 45 min cardio 3 times a week. I eat healthy (cut down on red meat & eating more chicken breast, not a fan of anything sweet, do not cook with salt, eat breakfast everyday: i.e. yogurt, fruit, boiled egg, lots of fruit and veg throughout the day, no sodas, drink AT LEAST 8 bottles of water a day, etc, etc)….
My first assessment is as follows:
age: 27 (birthday coming up)
height: 5’3
weight: 154
Body fat %: 37%
2 month assessment
age:28
height: 5’3
weight: 158!!!!!!!
body Fat %: 36%
lost 11mm in measurement!!!! 11mm WTF!!
My resting heart rate has decreased and my blood pressure has also but I have gained 4 pounds. That is crazy… I have purchased these session to go 3 times/week until Decemebr 2008…. What is happening to my body that I am not losing weight and/or inches?? My trainer has increased the weights (again) and the intensity, adding cardio between sets, she is really great at what she does so I can only assume it is something with me.
Thanks!!
Quick Answer From Ray? You need to drop you calories just a wee bit or bump your cardio up a notch.
Here’s why If you run the stats:
When you first started you were 154lb @ 37% BF. That means you had 56.98 pounds of body fat and 97lbs of lean muscle (not in actual fact because of bone and such but that’s how we do it).
Two months later you weighed 158lbs at 36% bodyfat which means you had 56.88lbs of body fat and 101.12 lean pounds of muscle.
What does that mean? It means your caloric intake right now is perfect for the anabolic process and that is why you are gaining muscle weight but not losing fat weight. You’re not gaining fat either, which rocks. With a slight increase in cardio you would create the proper caloric deficit. You could also eat a little less but I’m not a big fan of that approach.
Once you get the deficit you will probably stop gaining muscle but you will start to lose body-weight as well as body-fat. This is also why you should zig zag your calories. You get the best of muscle building and fat loss. You could also look at it the other way though..you’re doing mediocre at both with zig zag dieting. It depends on your goals and outlook.
This is why fitness competitors and bodybuilders have competitive as well as off seasons in their training. So they can optimize their approaches.
FLS MEMBER WRITES BACK:
Hello, Thank you for getting back to me. After reading your email I realized that I have started doing exactly what you have suggested about 1 month ago. I have definitely increased my cardio time and intesity and I have joined a boot camp once a week. I am now starting to see results!! The scale is still not where I would like it to be, however my clothes are starting to fit better!! I have also lowered my calorie intake but not eating less as I am making wiser decisions!!
Thanks again for getting back to me!!
Ray, I just wanted to say thankyou many times for pushing and challenging me to keep MOTIVATED and spending additional time with me in in the FLS coaching site to adapt my training to compensate for my injury.
The concern and support that you showed allowed me to re-charge and I NEVER GAVE UP and made the suggested changes and adaptations to my program. In fact I never missed a COMMANDO bootcamp class or training session during the program.
The results are that I went from 18% body fat to 11%. As well I increased my lean muscle mass and improved my cardio conditioning.
Thanks for all of your support Ray and I am now ready for a new challenge.
Dave Fafard
Hi Ray,
I found this site looking for ways to lose weight. I have worked out 6 days a week since the end of December, put my calories at 1640 per a trainer and haven’t lost any weight and actually gained 10lbs. So I lowered my calories to 1200 and lost 10lbs in a week, but then nothing since.
So I wanted to thank you for the advice. I am going to try adding more cardio, my workouts right now have consisted of THE FIRM which is cardio, step, squats, lunges and weights, but I am going to start running and see if that helps.
So thank you! We will see if it works for me.
im not afan of eating less neither ray i think maybe up the cardio-with simplyt replacing a little of the carbohydrate in the mans diet and increasing vitamins and minerals from supplements and also sea kelp which has been shown to speed up metabilsm is this relevant to9 the question posed to you in this article
regards liam
i have been going to the gym and i have never lost any pound pls advice me whwat to do am overweight
I am wondering what I can do to GAIN weight in muscle only. I went on a diet and worked out (cardio and weight training) and lost 15 pounds, but now continue to lose weight even though I have cut out my cardio and focused on strength training. At times, I don’t even have the energy to strength train (I am 5’2″ and 111 lbs down from 130). Please advise, thank you!
If you lost weight then your daily caloric intake was too low to gain muscle Ellen. Up your calories.