Day 31 - Weight Loss 0

[KTB93]

I was excited to step on the scale this morning at the end of my whole 30, only to see that I hadn't lost any weight at all. I wasn't expecting to lose a lot because I'm not tremendously over weight but I was in Rome studying abroad eating bread, wine and chocolate all the time before so I thought that such a dramatic change for healthy eating would make some difference. I looked at what the website said about stress and health "bank" but I'm not sure how to apply it. I sleep 7-9 hours a night, I'm not stressed out by my job. I do workout 6 days a week, because I was hoping to boost my weight loss. I do a combination of cardio, Pilates and weight training, usually for about 90-120 minutes and rest on Sundays. What am I doing wrong?

[Carlaccini]

Maybe over excersising and not eating enough?  Are you eating pre and post work out meals?

 

Have you noticed if your body composition changed?  A number of months ago my weight loss plateaued.  So I decided to add excersise back because I was bursting full of energy.  I tried running.  I went to bootcamp classes.  I saw huge gains in what I was able to do.  I was getting more of that "toned" look but the scale refused to budge.  So although my scale number is not ideal, I came to the conclusion that this is what my body saw as being healthy for it.  It took me a while to come to terms with that.  So maybe your body is healthy at the weight it is now.  But do make notes on how you body composition has changed and how you feel.  That is more important than any number on a scale.

[Tom Denham]

You might not be doing anything wrong, but we would need more information about the composition and size of your meals to go with your notes about sleep and exercise. 

 

Exercising 9-12 hours per week is enough to be a hindrance to weight loss. The stress of so much training often leads to your body holding onto fat stores tightly. I know that sounds wrong, but I found that when I tried to make my weight loss go faster by running more, I stopped losing. 

[KTB93]

I was surprised when I read that it might be too much exercise which is keeping me from losing weight, but it makes sense. I'm not conscientious about eating pre & post workout, but typically I workout between breakfast & lunch, or between work & dinner. After work I'd usually eat a few almond or an apple or something. 

Typical meal plan:

 

Breakfast - Two eggs & fruits or veggies. Sometimes an apple or banana with almond butter (I'm usually not hungry at all in the morning)

 

Lunch - Salad of mixed greens, 1/2 can tuna & fruit or veggies of some kind

 

Snack - handful of almonds or piece of fruit with almond butter(I had been eating a lot more nuts originally but they were making me sick so I cut back)

 

Dinner - Ground turkey & green vegetable of some kind. Sometimes I throw in a sweet potato is I'm extra hungry.

 

Water - 64-68 oz. per day

 

 

During my Whole 30 I was trying to concentrate on feeling satisfied after I ate, eating when I was hungry and not just because I wanted to or from boredom. I definitely wasn't cutting down with weight loss in mind because I didn't want to undermine the process. But I was eating less than before because I was better satisfied with the food I was eating.

How much should I cut down on my exercise?

[Carlaccini]

Well I would maybe scale down the weight training to 1 or 2 times a week max.  Pilates or slower movement exercises are a little easier and less stressful on your body so those you can do a little more.

 

You are not eating enough. Really.  For the amount of activity you are doing that is not nearly enough fuel. 

 

Eggs should be the amount you can hold in 1 hand (for me I can hold 3 comfortably, 4 if I push it)

Try to eat veg rather than fruit in the morning.  Fruit should not be pushing the veggies off your plate. 

Salads are not filling.  Unless they're the size of your mixing bowl.  1/2 can a tuna - that does not sound like enough protein.  Try to get the whole can in (if it's a regular 150 - 170g can) 

Since you are so active you should be eating more starchy veg more often.

Your snack should look like a mini meal - protein, fat, veg.

Go easy on the nuts - they cause bloating and discomfort for many.  ALthough they are fast and convenient, they are not an ideal fat source.

 

I hope this helps!!!

Good luck