Frustrated With My Body

[vertical_sky]

Hey everybody. This post is mostly just cause I need to rant, but feel free to give advice if you've been in a similar situation.

I've been working out at a gym for about three months. The exercise I've gotten in the past has been things like martial arts, belly dancing and tennis; this is the first time I've done dedicated weight lifting.

I go about three times a week and work out for about an hour. I do the stairmaster for about 10-15 minutes for some basic aerobic workout (I do my martial arts stuff to get more aerobic workouts, as I HATE running/stepping in place for an extended period of time.) The rest of the time I do exercises for chest/arms, legs, or shoulder/back, depending on what muscle group is in rotation.

I know that SOMETHING is happening, as I am losing some body fat and I'm able to increase weights and reps on my exercises. However, I don't LOOK any different. I still weigh the same, and the last two monthly evaluations with my trainer, I've only lost a total of 2 inches (one of which was my bust.... GREAT.) I'm also not gaining any inches either.

The worst part though is that I don't look like I'm working out. I'm still chunky and flabby. At a girls' night a few days ago, some of the women were snickering that girls they didn't like from high school had gotten fat, and were going on and on about how the obesity epidemic is happening because fat people are just lazy.

I feel really ashamed about my body. I work hard at trying to improve it... Alongside the gym three times a week, I also do belly dancing for two hours and martial arts for one to two hours every week. I know I'm getting healthier, but I'm not looking any better!

It kind of makes me want to give up, as I feel like I'm chasing after something unattainable (a better looking body.)

Anybody feel the same/had a similar experience?

[Mongoose]

These things take time. 6 months to a year at least for real gain's I believe. I'd love faster results too. Keep at it, what you're doing is really good. If you're not a fan of runnning for long periods of time, maybe sprinting is something to try. 1000m, divided up however you like, once or twice a week should be pretty helpful. Don't worry about others, be proud that you are working to improve your health and the way you look

[vashti]

It sounds like you are doing the right thing, exercise-wise. Maybe you need some dietary modification? I suggest you cut out sugar and other refined carbohydrates.

[qwertz]

Whats your diet like? You need to work off more calories than you consume...

[eonbar]

diet and cardio!
seriously, no matter how many sit ups you do if you have a flabby belly you'll never see the results. weights and that are for building muscle, not burning fat. you need to be boshing the cardio like running, cycling, rowing etc until you've burned the fat then you need to start toning up with various weight exercises, with high repetitions and low weight increments...aim for 15-18 reps and three sets of each, as apposed to trying to lift heavier sets for lower reps. You also need to PUSH yourself ... i mean really really push yourself. run harder, concentrate on the feeling in your legs, increase the incline, run faster, push yourself until you feel sick and you'll lose that excess. also, get a gym or training buddy. nothing like a bit of peer pressure ....

you may hate running, but what do you hate more ... the bordom of running of being flabby and hating your body?

[vertical_sky]

I'd just prefer to get my cardio doing something other than running.

I also don't believe in diets. I believe in eating healthy, but most of the health articles I read have started saying that dieting is actually pretty dangerous. Better to eat lots of healthy foods, and then eat the unhealthy ones in moderation. (This is just the article I have handy but there are loads of others: [url=http://shine.yahoo.com/event/green/seven-reasons-not-to-diet-2453759/]Seven reasons not to diet on Shine[/url])

Lastly, I don't really think it is just a matter of working off more calories than I consume. My eating habits haven't changed at all since before I started working out. So before I was working out, and while I'm working out, I have nearly the same calorie intake. In order to stay the same weight/body type, I'd need to be eating way more, since I'm burning way more. But I'm not (I know this because I'm on a very fixed budget, and so buy the exact same things every week.) So it doesn't really make much sense that I'm eating the same, and exercising more, yet not losing anything.

[Regnent]

3 months is really only starting. Your body doesn't adjust how it stores and burns fat in any short time.

On top of that, diet is a huge thing. Personally, I think counting calories and such is mostly garbage, unless you have some sort of condition where you -need- to monitor it.
A -balanced- diet I think is for more important than just calorie intake. Also, eat -regularly- nothing tells the body to store energy like not eating properly, or enough.

Cut sugar. Most people don't realize just how much sugar they intake on a daily basis. Almost all packaged food is too high in two things. Sugar and/or salt.
Fast foods aren't very healthy either.
If you -make- your own food, you can take alot of control over what you're eating. There are alot of guides around that indicate how much of certain things your body will need. Dieting is -not- about starving yourself. It's about eating the right things that your body needs to function properly.

If you're focused on getting into shape, ditch the pop, diet or not. Drink lots of water. Have some juice or caffine free teas if you need something with flavor.
If you cut sugar down to a minimum, you should be able to tell if you're eating right by how much energy you have throughout the day.

[vashti]

There is no quality in sugar and refined carbohydrates, so cutting them out would be good for you.

Also, a diet - defined more broadly - is just another name for the way you eat. You can either follow a generally healthy diet, or a generally unhealthy one, and it need not include weight loss or calorie restrictions at all.

[Sonrisa]

i've said it before, cut gluten out completely

[KingZ]

You might want to focus more on cardio and diet, instead of pumping iron. I think they provide the most health benefits, and they certainly have more of an impact on your appearance, too. Healthy people look healthy.

When I wanted to lose weight, I forced myself to jump rope for an hour every morning. My diet pretty much consisted of egg whites, hummus, and salads. Lost 40 pounds in just under 3 months.

[eonbar]

Lastly, I don't really think it is just a matter of working off more calories than I consume.

are you joking? at a very basic level if your eating the same and not getting thinner you need to either a) eat less b) work harder and push yourself for longer at CARDIO. weights really dont help lose weight at all, simply for toning / muscle mass. if you wanna get thinner you need to burn through your fat stores AND food intake which is done by working out more. try rowing. nakers you and its defo not running, lol. also cos its upper body you'll get good upper body strength and toned especially around the legs / bum


p.s. dont rely on scales either. healthy people with defined muscles etc, who do a lot of exercise are surprisingly heavy because pure muscle is dense and heavy. judge yourself either on how you look or on specific medical and quantitive measurements.

[vashti]

I think you should continue with the weight training. Muscles require more energy to maintain than fat, so including it in your workouts will help you burn more calories. But you still need to do the cardio, and your diet.

[eonbar]

mmm yeh, although this is true its a tad of a myth and manipulation of data. yes each pound of muscle over fat burns maybe 40 - 60 extra calories a day but this is nothing....

quick google for exact figures shows for 40 mins cardio V 40 mins strength

Cardio: 522 calories burned during the activity, 30 calories burned in afterburn, 0 calories burned from gained muscle

Strength Training: approximately 136 calories burned during the activity, 20 calories burned in afterburn, 30 calories burned from gained muscle


YES, do as vashti says, but seriously increase that cardio over weights.

[bball95]

i'm in the same situation adn i think the only way to really burn fat is cardio but the important thing is that you eat healthy and unless you use steroids (which i dont usexD), you'll probably see results in like 5-6 months, good luck!

[Michael8]

Focus more on your diet. The key is BALANCE, regardless of any bullshit fad diets you hear about.