My Weight Is Unchanged After 2 Weeks Diet/exercise!

[desi]

it's not exactly low carb (like Atkins) as i eat quite a lot of vegetables (i forgot to mention mushrooms which i eat on a daily basis). tried Atkins, did not work.

Yeah, Atkins is awful. Especially if you stay on the early stage of the diet and don't add in carbs.

I have a problem eating vegetables, which is why I'm going for the green smoothies. I have the best intentions on consuming greens, but, I either shove them around my plate then into the bin they go... or they never make it to the stove and into the bin they go. Same with apples. I buy bags of the things... they get old so into the bin they go... then I buy more bags. Green smoothies takes care of that. Blend everything together. Put in fridge or freezer. Eat as smoothie or frozen treat. Instant energy.

Well, yesterday was my first day with your no bread, potatoes, rice version. I'm feeling good. Wish me luck...

[simon43]

Update after 5 weeks of dieting/exercise:

Starting weight = 77.7 kg

Weight now = 73.7 kg!!

I've really settled into my new regime now. Eating lots of fruit and veg, daily cycle ride (and sometimes a 10km walk when I get a puncture miles from home...)

No hunger pangs at all. Still not really doing any weight training/exercise to tone up my upper body though.

Same clothes size, no improvement yet. But for sure the fat is slowly diminishing above my waist. so I will keep at it...

Simon

[Naam]

Starting weight = 77.7 kg

Simon, 77kg was my "starting weight" exactly 10 years ago. since then i made excellent progress........... gaining weight although i have managed as of yesterday to lose 10kg my chance to reach 77 is as good as the survival of a snowball in héll.

p.s. i consider exercising a waste of precious life time

[simon43]

Naam, some of the weight-watching websites suggest that energetic sex is a good way to burn calories. Perhaps you should try that?? (assuming you are not doing so already...)

Simon

[Naam]

Naam, some of the weight-watching websites suggest that energetic sex is a good way to burn calories. Perhaps you should try that?? (assuming you are not doing so already...)

nice try Simon but how "energetic" do you think sex is when you push age 65?

question: what is your height?

[simon43]

Height is 172cm (used to be 173 cm but I have a testosterone deficiency which can lead to 'shrinkage'!). I've started to take testosterone supplements again. (There is an old thread from me running on this topic)

Simon

PS - what has my height got to do with energetic sex??

[Naam]

Height is 172cm (used to be 173 cm but I have a testosterone deficiency which can lead to 'shrinkage'!). I've started to take testosterone supplements again. (There is an old thread from me running on this topic)

Simon

PS - what has my height got to do with energetic sex??

nothing at all. i just wanted to see your correlation height/weight.

[IMA_FARANG]

Well, this is a bit depressing! 2 weeks ago, I decided to try to lose some weight and get into better shape. Prior to that I weighed 77 kg, (173cm height) flabby chest, paunch, love handles, cycled a bit, drank beer, eat rice etc etc.

I have never been a huge eater, but I wanted to bring my weight down to about 70kg.

I cut out beer, coffee, rice, extra sugar etc etc.

Started cycling 10km each day (level ground but riding strenously)

Press-ups, crunches each day, (slowly increasing the number each day).

My daily food is typically:

Breakfast:

unsweetened muesli with zero-fat yoghurt

2 boiled eggs

green tea

1 slice of toast with thin peanut butter

1 glass of cranberry juice

1 bottle of water

2 bananas

Lunch:

1 glass of red wine

1 tuna salad

Evening meal:

Grilled fish or chicken with vegetables

1 bottle of water

Snacks:

bottles of water, handful of nuts, fresh fruit

Despite 2 weeks of this, although I feel more 'healthy' and my chest is a little toned up, my weight is still 77.0kg! No sign of any improvement with the paunch (beer gut) and love handles.

I am enjoying this diet and not missing the previous foods. But can informed individuals advise me if it's normal not to lose any weight at all after 2 weeks? Should I continue with the same regime or make some changes? (to either diet or exercises)?

Thanks

Well there are things that you never get told by those who are selling those "miricle" diets.

For one thing, the first two weeeks, much of the wirght you will lose is water wieght. That is due to the anount of water retained in your body normally. If you let your body dehydrate, in the first 1 or 2 weeks you can lose 2 Kg. All you need to do is drink a little water, and bam...it looks like the wieght came back.

The second thing, and it is disapointing for most dieters to realise this, is that for long term wieght loss you should never expect real wieght loss (not water wieght loss) to be more than 1 pound (about1/2 kilo) a week.

Another thing you need to learn is that those "love handles" will be the LAST thing to go. It is a normal response for the human body to store excess calories in the hips/stomach area. This was a valuable characteristic in the days when humans were hunter gatherers scrounging for food. If there was a temporary surplus of calories, the body stored it in fat around the hips/belly area for later when food was scarce. Now life styles have changed, more food id readily available, but the old rule from the human evolutionary past still applies. So you get "love handles" around your hips/belly.

The best thing I can recommend is to pick your sensible diet and stay with it. It may take you a while for your body to adapt to a new lower calorie diet. It will eventually, but a lot depends on your metabolisim. Don't expect quick results, but you will make long term steady process.

The real truth about wirght loss is this...for many it does not come easy or quickly. Long term wieght loss is work, and requires a lifestyle change. You have to work at it.

That isn't what the "miricle diet" people will tell you, but it's true. By the way, did you ever notice those people that are premoting a "miricle diet" are often thin already. Very few of them were obese, but have always been thin.

A good example from when my brother and I were young. I woild eat a meal, go outside and play sports, and stll gain wieght on that meal. My brother would eat the same amount or more than I did, sit inside and watch the television all afternoon, and still lose 1 Kg. Different metabolisims.

But now that we are both in our 60's, that doesn't seem to apply any more. So you have to just face the fact that as you age expect to gain wieght, or cut back on what you eat. It depends on genetics and metabolism.

But the bottom line about dieting is just keep at it, slow but steady.

[toptuan]

...my biggest incentive is my class reunion on 27th september in Germany. the last reunion i attended in 1997 when i was still a lean mean fighting machine with a body like an ancient greek statue....

By the looks of that forehead, a lobotomy should bring down the weight at least another 2 kg!

[simon43]

Yes, I'm aware that my love handles and ab-fat will be the last thing to go. I'm quite happy with this slow but steady weight loss. 3kg in 5 weeks is fine. My final target weight is 63.5Kg (10 stone). This should be feasible because I am still carrying a lot of spare flab around my middle!

Actually, my body type is 'compact' - very similar to a Thai male (the result of the testosterone deficiency...). My father also had this problem, but was unaware of it for most of his life).

Now I need to do more to tone up my upper body. I will probably do my 30km cycle ride every other day and intersperse it with some weight training. (I know from previous training that doing exercise with weights whilst sitting/using an aerobic ball can be very efficient).

Simon

[tango]

All of two weeks....so long for no results

As an information point, on 12 April I eliminated all alcohol from my diet. Prior to that I would say I was a moderate to heavy drinker. At that time I was around 90 kg...16 weeks later I am at 80 kg. No other changes in diet or exercise.

I believe you "hit the nail on the head" in recommending no alcohol.

I've lost about 3kg in the last 6 weeks by giving up my beer and a half per day. I actually and honestly usually eat very little, so I was concerned when a friend noted I had put on weight. Weight gain sneaks up on you until you finally have to confront it, usually when someone else mentions the fact as most of us do not notice the weight gain as it grows ony a few grams at a time.

I now eat only 1 small meal a day in the afternoon, with an apple or banana morning and evening; eating mid-afternoon works for me as I no longer have hunger pangs. I had tried all kinds of diets over the past year or two with no noticeable loss in weight. Giving up the beer seems to be working, for me. Nice to hear it's working for you too.

[desi]

All of two weeks....so long for no results

As an information point, on 12 April I eliminated all alcohol from my diet. Prior to that I would say I was a moderate to heavy drinker. At that time I was around 90 kg...16 weeks later I am at 80 kg. No other changes in diet or exercise.

I believe you "hit the nail on the head" in recommending no alcohol.

I've lost about 3kg in the last 6 weeks by giving up my beer and a half per day.

I'm another one for the no alcohol move. Since around 21 I've had a hoot of a life, partying and having a great time. To give my system a rest, every couple of years I quit for almost a year at a time. It's never been a big deal as I always knew I'd be going back to g & t's and kicking my heels up again. I thought it was who I was.

This time it came about due to... not sure... stomach problems brought on by asthma? But this time I have no desire to add alcohol back in. I'm losing weight. I'm not tired like before. I certainly feel younger. I'm feeling quite chuffed actually.

[Naam]

...my biggest incentive is my class reunion on 27th september in Germany. the last reunion i attended in 1997 when i was still a lean mean fighting machine with a body like an ancient greek statue....

By the looks of that forehead, a lobotomy should bring down the weight at least another 2 kg!

Klingons (as opposed to humans) have their frontal lobe at the back of their skulls. reason: more protection when forehead is hit by a battle axe.

[Naam]

I'm another one for the no alcohol move.

me too. sooner or later i will try. most probably later than sooner

[desi]

I'm another one for the no alcohol move.

me too. sooner or later i will try. most probably later than sooner

Well, you still have your reunion to get through. It's not always easy for a guy to show up for a party night and bow out from drinking. I'm assuming it's not (?)

From what I can tell, girls have it easier. And as two of the gals I'm sharing a condo with this year are not really partiers, it'll be even easier than if I attempted this during the past two years.

[Samuian]

Naam (imho) got it most right, of all the hints and tips on watching the scales, weights, exercise, 'n this 'n that.

Common sense, who the heck got the time to download and read all these recipes, instructions, who got the nerve to follow 'em all...

Can't do nothing wrong with just Veggies, reduced meat-protein intake, Lime Water=Tops! and of course common sense!

From experience the body starts, under normal circumstances to lose weight after about 3-6 weeks of change in diet, radical changes after sticking to changes for 6 months!

[Naam]

I'm another one for the no alcohol move.

me too. sooner or later i will try. most probably later than sooner

Well, you still have your reunion to get through. It's not always easy for a guy to show up for a party night and bow out from drinking. I'm assuming it's not (?)

From what I can tell, girls have it easier. And as two of the gals I'm sharing a condo with this year are not really partiers, it'll be even easier than if I attempted this during the past two years.

i think that's a wrong assumption. the last reunion i attended was in 1993 and at that time i hardly touched any alcohol. to the best of my knowledge nobody seemed to mind.

[Naam]

Naam (imho) got it most right, of all the hints and tips on watching the scales, weights, exercise, 'n this 'n that.

Common sense, who the heck got the time to download and read all these recipes, instructions, who got the nerve to follow 'em all...

Can't do nothing wrong with just Veggies, reduced meat-protein intake, Lime Water=Tops! and of course common sense!

From experience the body starts, under normal circumstances to lose weight after about 3-6 weeks of change in diet, radical changes after sticking to changes for 6 months!

my problem is that i'm a protein lover. can go for a week or ten days with vegetable only but then i need a huge big chunk of meat which i wolf down. 2 liters of lime water is a daily must (besides vodka). if only i could force myself to drink more lime water and less vodka (although i have reduced my alcohol intake considerably).

[desi]

I'm another one for the no alcohol move.

me too. sooner or later i will try. most probably later than sooner

It's not always easy for a guy to show up for a party night and bow out from drinking. I'm assuming it's not (?)

i think that's a wrong assumption. the last reunion i attended was in 1993 and at that time i hardly touched any alcohol. to the best of my knowledge nobody seemed to mind.

Ah. Well good luck with it. Some people can continue to drink what they want and stay thin. I'm not one of them.

I've made the transition easier by splurging on nectarines, peaches, cherries and plums - with a dollop or two of plain yogurt. Most are pretty close to heaven so I'm satisfied. Then I started leaving the yogurt off (cutting back on calories). I'm now in the process of weaning myself off expensive winter fruit and on to the local. But I'm not in any hurry.

[Captain Chaos]

I've lost about 5kg on my diet & exercise regime this year - slow (but not too slow) & steady is fine for me, as I want this to be a sustainable, long term project. At 188cm and down to a waif like 135.1kg yesterday it needs to be!!!

Of that 5kg, 1.8kg has gone in the last couple of weeks - and the thing that has made the difference has been to really really really focus on cutting out the carbs, and most importantly aiming for minimal carbs after lunchtime. Breakfast / lunch - you may well be able to work off some of those carbs during the rest of the day, but in the evening it likely won't be used up and that excess may be stored as fat as a result.

And yes, BEER does have lots of carbs. I am a bit warey of switching to vodka or spirits though, as I tend to ship a lot more alcohol when I try that. What I have done is switch from regular beer to that San Mig Light beer - it doesn't have much taste, but stick a lime in it and it's acceptable (sort of), and with 5% abv you're not just swapping alcohol for sugar.

May be worth a try for others too...

CC

[grapetable]

You may be losing fat and hence weight but replacing it with muscle (3 times heavier than fat)......keep going it will work eventually

[simon43]

Update on 6th September:

Last weight on 24th august = 73.7kg

Weight now (2 weeks later) = 72.2 kg = 1.5kg less!

Total weight loss over 2 months = 5.5 kg

I'm happy with my diet now - no hunger pangs.

The rainy season is making it more difficult for me to cycle...

Simon

[dclaryjr]

Update on 6th September:

Total weight loss over 2 months = 5.5 kg

Congrats, Simon--that's great! Keep it up!

[Wrong Turn]

Well, this is a bit depressing! 2 weeks ago, I decided to try to lose some weight and get into better shape. Prior to that I weighed 77 kg, (173cm height) flabby chest, paunch, love handles, cycled a bit, drank beer, eat rice etc etc.

My daily food is typically:

Breakfast:

unsweetened muesli with zero-fat yoghurt

2 boiled eggs

green tea

1 slice of toast with thin peanut butter

1 glass of cranberry juice

1 bottle of water

2 bananas

Lunch:

1 glass of red wine

1 tuna salad

Evening meal:

Grilled fish or chicken with vegetables

1 bottle of water

Snacks:

bottles of water, handful of nuts, fresh fruit

Despite 2 weeks of this, although I feel more 'healthy' and my chest is a little toned up, my weight is still 77.0kg! No sign of any improvement with the paunch (beer gut) and love handles.

I am enjoying this diet and not missing the previous foods. But can informed individuals advise me if it's normal not to lose any weight at all after 2 weeks? Should I continue with the same regime or make some changes? (to either diet or exercises)?

You might try adding some monosaturated fats to your diet. A table spoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil for example, which has 100 calories.

Also, try to gauge your macros since your cycling.

Macros are Protein/Carbs/Fats.

I don't know what your Macros are. Many ratios: 40/40/20, for example.

You could be starting to lose fat, but your weight is not changing.

As we get older, it takes a little longer, also.

Best of luck.

[simon43]

Wrong turn - thanks for the advice. Indeed, I do have a litle extra virgin olive oil on my salads.

I'm happy that I am now into a rythm, with the weight slowly coming off. I am eating like a mouse, but that is not so different from my normal lifestyle - I presumably have a very low metabolism. But at least now I am eating more healthy foods.

As for the exercise and cycling, having just returned from my 30km ride in the pouring rain - I have to say that losing weight is certainly not easy. It does need dedication and will-power. But at leat I'm seeing results.

Simon

PS - Yesterday I went and bought some new trousers a size smaller than before. and I have had to add an extra hole onto my belt. Now that is satisfying

[mgjackson69]

Yesterday I went and bought some new trousers a size smaller than before. and I have had to add an extra hole onto my belt. Now that is satisfying

Those two seemingly minor things are more satisfying than any numbers you will ever see on a scale or Excel spreadsheet.

[Wrong Turn]

The reason why I eat a little peanut butter every day is down to the proven benefits:

See http://www.femhealth.com/BenefitsofPeanuts.html

I eat maybe a teaspoon each day, not half the jar:)

A quick note on Peanut butter.

Natural Peanut Butter is healthy, while the major (unnatural) PB brands in the supermarkets contain trans-fats.

[simon43]

Too late about the peanut butter anyway! It was my 'private' supply but my hotel staff put it out for our paying guests and they finished it all off

Simon

[Mighty Mouse]

Your exercise routine seems to be confined to cycling with the occasional walk. (when your bike breaks down.) You don't seem to be doing any exercise that targets your upper body.

There are numerous exercises that you can perform with light dumbbells. (Emphasis: Light dumbbells.) You can carry two whilst power walking. Whatever exercises you choose to perform with dumbbells should be planned for high and fast repetitions.

Example: For shoulder work, 20 reps of front lateral raises, 20 reps of side lateral raises, 20 reps of bent over side lateral raises. 60 uninterrupted reps whilst holding some form of resistance. (dumbbells or maybe just a short iron bar in each hand, etc) ..then take a short rest before moving on to the next exercise.

You can then find exercises that target your back, your chest, your arms.

A punching bag hanging from your backyard tree will provide a great opportunity for you to work your upper body. Punch whilst floating like a butterfly...Ali style.

Swimming, skipping, side bends, push ups, chin ups, tying rubber cable ties onto the tree to do certain resistance type exercises..such as rowing, straight arm pulls etc.

You must finish your routine with an exercise that targets your stomach. Sit ups, leg raises etc.

Don't rush into these exercises. Start off with just one or two and gradually add more over time as your fitness level improves. You need high repetitions for weight loss. (15 reps or more and don't use or increase weights/resistance until you can do all the repetitions with relative ease.)

Record your body measurements first and compare these measurements at the end of each month. Forget your body weight.

There has been a lot of advice of diets from others but I'd be wary of cutting your calorie intake too much. You still need strength for endurance and only quality food can give that to you.

[simon43]

Mighty Mouse, thanks for your advice.

Indeed, I need to start doing some training etc to increase my upper body strength, which has always been weak. My weight loss/diet is all fine, so it's now time to combine weight-loss exercise with body-mass training....

Simon