I have started putting more effort into exercising again for the last month and have not lost any weight. I think I look slightly thinner so I am hoping that it is due muscle development. In the past, I have actually gained weight prior to losing weight.
It is a little discouraging not to see any progress especially since I am eating healthier and exercising more. I have put in about an hour worth of exercises a day. There have been a few days that I did not exercise mostly due to the holidays. I did eat more than usual on those days, but also did not gorge myself.
I am at least 50 pounds over normal weight, so I was hoping to see a little more progress on the scale by this point. Besides my actual weight, I am feeling better fit in the gym. I can lift more weight than when I started and can jog 6 mph for 10 minutes even on bad days on the treadmill.
I plan to cap my weights and start to do more reps instead. I have started increasing my speed slightly where I can run 7 mph for at least 5 minutes after some jogging. I hoping hoping to return back to running 5k around 30 minutes.
I did slightly jar my knee from sitting awkwardly for a period of time. I could feel the slight stress on the knee while working out which I would not force myself to keep running or lower body workouts. I would change it to a slower pace or just focus on upper body exercises or sometimes biking or the elliptical.
I am trying to find different exercises to work on my abs. So far I have only found that doing crunches on the floor is not effective.
Reference
1. http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1757
How to Overcome Any Excuse Not to Exercise
Update - 1/25/2014 added reference 1
Crunches are the best way to get abs but only work if you eat really healthy and stop eating fast food or other 'bad' fats (like soda, cookies, etc.)
ReplyDeleteAlso what's important is not how much weight you loose, but how much body fat percentage dicreases. Sometimes you loose body fat and gain muscle, so your weight seems to be the same but internally it's getting better. The best way to loose fat is by doing cardio activities, such as running!
Also beware of over training your muscles, because then it will seem as if nothing is improving and you'll feel tired and frustrated. Take turns, one day do legs, other do upper body. And maybe take a day or two off to rest your muscles. Also sleep well, if you can up to 7 hours of good sleep so you don't get hurt when exercising.
It's all part of a life style, don't get discouraged if a few months pass and you don't see much change, this is more of a long run thing! I started exercising about a year ago, and I am just seeing the results, but it was totally worth it. I look better than a year ago, and now I am used to a much healthy style of living. Don't give up!! It seems hard at first but it can only get better if you keep at it!
Thanks for the tips and encouragement!
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