What else can I do?

[Gottabringmeback]

I know everyone's weighloss is different, but I feel like mine has slowed. Parts of me are telling me that it's normal and other parts are saying do more. I had started to go to the gym in my one hour lunch (we have one at work) and it made me feel better but that alone didn't result in weighloss so like everything else I stopped. A few months later I got fed up and May 1st I started Atkins. Now, I am losing and I need the motivation to start going to the gym again. I think this is the part I am missing but why is it so hard for me to start!!! I feel really stupid not having the want to do this. I can fit it into my time but just don't know why I'm not. I NEED to... I'm 25 and I don't want droopy skin and I want to speed this up. I feel like I've done ok so far...in 30 days, 12.5 total inches lost and 20lb. What is your opinion. (Oh, and 0 cheats!!!)

And for the experts...in your opinion, when do you think I should be hitting my goal?

[ziggy]

Re: What else can I do?

you need full body muscle exercise to reach your goal even though you lose the weight you still will have parts of you that dont look good

i know because i just did cardio with Atkins for awhile and i was 230 pounds for a year or so then i finally started going to the gym i stayed the same weight 230 pounds but i must have lost another 40 pounds of fat and put on 40 pounds of muscle so i look and feel alot better

so with that being said

proper exercise + Atkins and for guys i think a guy could reach his goal in 11 months - 2 years depending on how much he worked at the gym and how accurately he followed the Atkins diet


and for girls 1 year 4 months - 3 years depending on how much she worked at the gym and how accurately she followed the Atkins diet


and when i say goal i mean GOAL i dont just mean all of there fat gone i mean fully muscle toned too

these are just 100% complete guesses though so dont take them seriously

[msanjelpie]

Re: What else can I do?

How much did you lose the first 2 weeks, and how much the second two weeks?

[liv]

Re: What else can I do?

Maybe the gym is not where you belong? There are many types and ways to exercise and I think you should try different things and find something you really enjoy.
Maybe for you it is walking, yoga, doing tapes at home, being part of a team.

It is June first and we have about 6 different exercise challenges starting in the Challenge forum. Sign up for some. I participate in almost all of them every month and they keep me going. I do push-ups, squats, strength, abs and milage. And it is fun.

[imagood1]

Re: What else can I do?

how much water are you drinking daily -- I mean PURE water, not crystal light, coffee, tea, soda, etc...water???? You should be drinking a MINIMUM of 64 ouncese of water daily to keep the fat flushing out of your system and to keep your internal organs working properly.

I agree you don't have to go to a gym to get a good workout - I do ab work in my living room on the floor, I ride 25 miles a day on a stationary bike in my bedroom, I have a stepper machine in the living room also - that is my "gym" -- don't use the excuse you haven't been to the gym - open your door and walk outside - best exercise you can get and it's free - all it "costs" is your time.

[chinadoll]

Re: What else can I do?

Starting is always the hardest part. And even though I exercise regularly it is still hard to make myself begin some days.

My suggestion is this: Place your workout clothes next to your bed. All laid out. Then get up tomorrow and do something. It may mean going to the gym with the idea of just doing two sets of weights or ten minutes on a machine. Or maybe walk one mile. Don't set a high goal. Heck, it might even be just to put the gym clothes on (then you may feel silly enough that you actually use them). What you will find is that once you start out, you will probably do even more than your goal for the day. Day two is to do the same and add five more minutes, or one more activity--anything. Make the goals so ridiculously small that you cannot fail. When I first started going to the gym my first goal was to just drive there. Goal two was to make myself walk through the door. It wasn't that I was self conscious (I was, but that wasn't what was stopping me) but more the inability to just make myself do it. It sounds silly to me now, but it is a real challenge to make the start and make it become a habit.

[Gottabringmeback]

Re: What else can I do?

Thanks everyone....I lost I wanna say 15 my first two weeks..the gym is free and I don't have any equiptment at home. We do have a pool and I swim daily.I also work from 5pm to 2am so I am NOT a morning person. I wake up about noon and that is my morning-I'm in Florida so working out outside at that time is out of the question. It's hot and disgusting and the pool is the only place I can stand being. I just want to make sure I'm doing this right. Oh, and as far as water, I drink ALOT of water..I can't tell you exactly but that's pretty much all I drink all day long. I always liked water.

[lovebunnyok]

Re: What else can I do?

Here's an idea...

After you get off work, go for a walk. That is what I do. I live in Arkansas where it's hot during the day, so I go out walking at night. It's not so hot then, and it makes me tired enough that I usually get to sleep quickly.

[chinadoll]

Re: What else can I do?

I am hoping you are not expecting to keep up the pace at which you lost during induction. That simply doesn't happen. Your losses will slow considerably after the first two weeks. That's normal. After that, if you are a slow loser you will have to work for every pound. That's just the way it is for some of us. And often when you start exercising or whatever, you won't see it on the scale for a couple of weeks but the thing to get your head around is that you aren't doing it for the scale. You should be doing it because it is a healthy thing to do not just because of a number. Its a habit you should have anyway. Many people experience an extended stall after Induction. The way to succeed is stick it out and be patient and do things right. It may take a month, it may take 2 or 3, but the stall will break and you will start to lose again----but only if you haven't thrown in the towel and stopped doing the things you need to do.

[momonmission99*]

Re: What else can I do?

I am hoping you are not expecting to keep up the pace at which you lost during induction. That simply doesn't happen. Your losses will slow considerably after the first two weeks. That's normal. After that, if you are a slow loser you will have to work for every pound. That's just the way it is for some of us. And often when you start exercising or whatever, you won't see it on the scale for a couple of weeks but the thing to get your head around is that you aren't doing it for the scale. You should be doing it because it is a healthy thing to do not just because of a number. Its a habit you should have anyway. Many people experience an extended stall after Induction. The way to succeed is stick it out and be patient and do things right. It may take a month, it may take 2 or 3, but the stall will break and you will start to lose again----but only if you haven't thrown in the towel and stopped doing the things you need to do.

It really doesn't happen! She's right LOL. I lost 18 lbs the first 2 weeks and 25 the first 30 days. After that, the weight loss slowed way down. It got to 2.5 pounds a week, sometimes 1 and then 3 the other week. You have to know, and be ok with the fact that the weight is going to slow down. I stopped worrying about when I was going to reach my goal because I KNOW I'm going to reach my goal.

You want it, so get out there and work for it girl!! Good luck to you

[deerfu39]

Re: What else can I do?

"I've done ok so far...in 30 days, 12.5 total inches lost and 20lb. What is your opinion. (Oh, and 0 cheats!!!)"-quote.
That's absolutely wonderful! Oh how many times I wish I could have lost 20lb. in a month and 12.5"-WOW! Just keep doing everything right and the results will come. A lot of people think that this is a "fad" get rid of your excess baggage diet but it's not, it's a way of life. Chin up girl you're doing great!

[Gottabringmeback]

Re: What else can I do?

Thanks everyone...and thanks fellow recovering sugar addict. I was also a carb addict. I can't get over that I could have gone thru a whole bread like it was nothing or a thing full of pasta or french fries and I haven't it in more then a month. I really don't care now. Sure, I see it, it looks good. People in my house tend to indulge in all those things right in front of me..ice cream, cake...BUT I don't touch it. I smell it, I look but don't touch and won't. I can't believe I wasted so much time looking and feeling this way. Oh, and I will start going to the gym @ work again tomorrow. It will help tighten me up and feel better. I can't go walking at after work since I work until 2am. I'm not a morning person for the same reason so my mornings start at 11am.. Anyways, working out atleast 4 days a week during my lunch should help plus the swimming that I've been doing.

I know the weightloss stalls and slows down. I am still only eating induction foods-no more then 20 grams of carbs a day and plan to keep this regim until I reach below 200...then move to OWL. I am happy to say I got over my stall *took about a week, and now it's going down almost daily!

I can't wait to get to the little palm trees in my ticker...I'm half way there..once I reach there I've only got a third left to my goal!

[chinadoll]

Re: What else can I do?

You are probably going to fine that your body does a sort of readjustment every once in awhile and the losses on the scale can sometimes halt for a couple of weeks while this happens. At those times, the best course is to put the scale away and concentrate on doing things correctly. Know that it is your body playing a waiting game and decide to live at that weight til your body is ready to move on. Then hop on the scale 2-3 weeks later and see if all has shifted yet. If not, then take a look at how good you have been and make adjustments.