Exercising More but Not Losing Weight?
I've been keeping to my New Year's Resolution of raising my walking schedule to twenty miles a week. I wasn't keeping track of my walking mileage before this, but it was probably averaging only about seven miles per week.
I didn't make any plans on changing my diet for a couple of months, but was just going to focus on the increased exercise. I'm already feeling much better with the increased exercise. I've got more energy and am in a better mental and emotional spirit. But I haven't lost any weight and it's been over a month now!
But I do feel more toned, and though I didn't measure myself at the beginning, it's quite likely I'm losing a bit in inches around most parts of my body. My sister is trained as a dietician. She says they were told muscle is three times as dense as fat. Meaning a pound of fat takes up three times as much space as a pound of muscle. So she thinks I've added a little bit of muscle and have lost some fat. The scale doesn't show this difference at all, but if it's true, it would be a big improvement.
I've done over two hours of research on the web, trying to find the definitive answer for the muscle versus fat density question. (This is as good procrastination as any for delaying my walk today ;-)) There are a lot of conflicting answers out there. If anyone has a good online reference, and more encouragement for those of us who have started exercising but don't see the good results on their scales, please let us know!
9 comments:
i had a personal trainer once and i lost 12 lbs of fat and gained 14 lbs of muscle. so i was 2 lbs heavier than when i started but way smaller and more toned! Dont go by the number on the scale go by how your clothes fit
Exercising more, you will get more muscle tissue. They are metabolic active tissue, they will need more calories to maintain themself, so I think more muscle, more calories to burn.
Of course, in the first days, only muscle gain, fat isn't burned, so that you gain weight. But I think your metabolism is improved, and that's a good start.
Just my opinion, hope you will success!
May you view this post? I've read it
This is the problem with things like BMI. Even if you calculate your BMI with something like theBMIcalculator.com , it doesn't take fat procentage and muscle mass in to account. Fortuently theBMIcalculator.com tells you this, but it feels like a little ripoff...
The best way to judge is not by the scales but how clothes fit you and how you look in them. In terms of weight, I did not drop much, in fact, the weight loss stopped but so many people commented that my body is more toned (and these are the same people who always tell me previously when I gained weight and need to watch what I'm eating. If your clothes fit you better or your jeans size is dropping, you can bet you are losing fat and gaining muscle :)
Hi, i just read your most recent blog. I have to say that your goal is commendable. keep it up! i'm not sure what your eating habbits are, but that may be it. Also, are you walking every day? or doubling up on some days and not doing it on others. YOu probably have answers to thses in your past blogs, but I haven't read them yet. In any case. Dont be discouraged, keep up the good work!
Thanks for your comments everyone!
I stepped on the scale this morning and it looks like i've lost a couple of pounds now. And it's definitely true that i'm losing inches. My pants are getting quite baggy around my thighs and rear. But most of my pants are low rise, so it's hard to know how much i've lost around my waist -- and that is the area where i really want to lose weight.
But I can definitely see progress now. It's been five weeks so far. If I can keep it up for another five weeks it could get really good.
Keep at it! You are doing great. Muscle is more dense and takes up less room so the fit of your clothes is your best guide. Also, your ability to burn fat goes up when you have more muscle. :)
Hey, I started dieting and exercising on Jan 1 too. It took me over a month to lose the first 5 pounds, and prior to that it was pretty much nothing. Now that it's been about 7 weeks, I've found that I've lost 7 pounds now. But it was a slow start for me too. I would recommend checking your eating habits (I am writing down everything I eat and how many calories, and am trying to stick to 1600-1800 cals. each day). It seems to be working as I'm losing about a pound a week. Trick your body by doing different activities other than walking and you could see faster results. Yoga, pilates, tae bo, jogging, biking, etc. are all good things to try and will work different parts of your body and your body needs to be "kept on it's toes" so to say. Doing the same thing every day can lead to plateu-ing. Switch it up maybe? Good work and keep it up! You'll keep seeing results, just be patient and dilligent. And don't go by the scale too much :)
Thanks all for your comments.
Yes, things are definitely starting to look more rosy. I'm keeping to the schedule and my pants are falling off now even though I've only lost about 3 pounds. But from my face to my ankles, I can really see a difference in fat loss. I've always been a mesomorph build so whenever i go a couple of years without doing much exercising and then start up again, my muscles start building up in top speed. And as they weigh more than fat, I don't see the great results on the scale (and I have been eating more by the way, not restraining my bigger appetite) but I definitely feel and look much better than where I was a couple of months ago.
So in summary, all is great so far, I am on my way back to reaching my ideal weight given my age.
Post a Comment