Why am I not losing weight?

[Anonymous]

Why am I not losing weight? I go to the gym and spend an hour altogether doing cardio. I haven't started wait training because I don't feel comfortable feeling weak in front of so many bodybuilder looking men. Anyhow, I spend 45 minutes on the treadmill and 15 minutes on stairmaster. I'm iron deficient so I run out of breath really quick. Also, I don't eat in large portions and eat pretty healthy. I'll have one junk food snack, but that shouldn't kill, right? Please help everyone!

[Cobalt]

What quality of cardio are you doing? I'm just curious about the general speed you're doing it at on the treadmill as well as the stairmaster since you mentioned you're hampered by your iron deficiency.

In regards to that, is it something you can/are taking care of? If so I would suggest that you worry less about the length of time you do cardio and more the quality of the work out. I always found that doing intervals worked best for me, which equates to something like doing two minutes at a high intensity (roughly 80% of your max heart rate), then two minutes at low intensity. Depending on the level of your fitness or how your breathing may limit you that can literally be a walk as long as you're moving. Doing that for about half an hour is significantly better for both losing weight, and improving your overall fitness.

As you get stronger then you can shorten the low intensity time, just ensure that you still do maintain the two levels so you can. I would never drop it below 30 seconds or so, if you find its not as strenuous a workout you can always tag on more time so you have more intervals thrown in.

And don't be shy about the bodybuilding men around. I've noticed that a lot of guys that are really into that sort of thing can be both knowledgable, and happy to lend a hand getting others up to speed.

[Asker]

Since I run out of breath quick, I can't run for more than 2 minutes. So I've been walking on 4.3 speed and 13.0 incline for 45 minutes and I rest after 20 minutes. (I hold onto the treadmill while doing this). And the stairmaster at my gym goes up to the speed of 16, and I use it at the speed of 11 or 12. Maybe this isn't good enough for losing weight? I'm 5'9" and 162 lbs. I want lose to most of my fat from my tummy and jiggly arms lol.

I've tried running for more than 3 minutes and I feel like I'm never going to catch my breath. I recently started taking iron pills, but haven't see a difference in stamina yet. And I will definitely try intervals, that sounds like a good bet.

[Cobalt]

I would say to do the intervals then, make your low intensity a walk. I generally find that things like an elliptical make it easier since you can forcibly control the speed you're going at and the majority have intervals built in that will increase the difficulty every two minutes or so. Elliptical work won't necessarily translate to running, but it may work better for you in your current situation.

[Anonymous]

Number 1. Fat is heavier than muscle. You may be losing far but not weight
Number 2. Eat slowly. You may be eating less but still eating more than what you'll need. Put down the fork between bites and never feel inclined to finish all your food if your feeling satisfied. Yes you will waste food at first but soon you'll adjust your portion sizes appropriately.
Number 3. Take your time and be kind. Stress is a much larger factor on weight gain than people think. When your body believes it's in a danger situation it packs on reserves. Aka the more you worry that more fat your body thinks you may need to get through tough times. Try your best to stay positive and happy the weight will come off eventually if you just keep trying at the very least you'll be a healthier version of you.

[Asker]

Thank you so much! Stress is definitely a large factor for me. I do have a bunch of personal issues going on, but never actually thought it would have something to do with my weight. I will eat more slower and try intervals as someone else previously told me.

[Climber]

What is your height and weight? And did you have your muscle/fat ratio measured? If your body has an optimal bmi, its normal it doesn't want to loose weight. And do start weight training. Getting extra muscle will increase your metabolism and help burning. Also work on your iron content. You need iron to build muscle. Eat a red piece of meat at least once a week or take iron supplements. Also in cardio, you need your heartbeat to be in the fat burn region, not higher, not lower. Check with an instructor.

[LJHam]

It's all about more calories burned than being taken in. Also, just straight treadmill & stairmaster time burns only moderate calories. Switching it up between going all out, as fast as you can, short term high intensity runs and then longer moderate runs will do more for you. Learn more about HIIT - high intensity interval training. HIIT causes the body to release HGH - human growth hormone, which keeps the body young and good looking.

[KitKatKo]

The thing about cardio is that you need to raise your heartrate and sustain it. You saying you run out of breath quickly makes me think you're probably not getting there.

Before you start trying to do so much, get your iron deficiency treated. Have your doctors refer you for an iron infusion if its that bad, or pick up some iron + vitamin c pills. You'll find you won't be able to have effective workouts while anaemic.

[ryan4298]

How much water are you drinking? How long have you been exercising? How much have you lost?

[Asker]

I drink about 2L of water a day. And I've been exercising for three months. I don't go the gym during the week of my period because of extremely painful cramps. I've only lost 2 lbs.

[axel31]

You might be surprised how many calories are in that junk food snack! I heard a good quote once along the lines of "weight loss starts in the kitchen". Doesn't matter how much cardio you do if you're not eating properly. Try cutting out that snack for a week and see if anything's changed.

[Intellectiskey]

You need to count how much calories you are taking in. Then cut that by 300, and see if you get results, if not, cut some more, until you are seeing your weight drop. Diet is very important.

[Cj_Shway]

do cardio in 15 minute increments, then lift weights. compound exercises, dead lifts, squats, u can find those all over the internet. 15min cardio-15minute weights-5-10 minute break. repeat

[Stefan1738]

Try free dieting dot com.