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Exercising 6 times a week- can't lose weight!

Hi Everyone,

My last year of college, I unfortunately put on a bit more weight than I would have liked. I was very thin to begin with, but by the end of the year I was over a place comfortable for me. Then, after I got on the pill last year I gained a few more pounds.

I know I'm in the 'healthy' range-- I'm nearly 5 ft 6 in and am around 127 pounds. However, I have been on a mission to lose weight so I can get back to my more normal 115-120!

I've tried EVERYTHING. I went from barely exercising senior, to working out a few times a week. I wasn't getting results, so lately within the last 3 or 4 months I've bumped up my work outs to nearly 6 days a week. (every once in a while 5 days a week). You think that in itself would boost weight loss. Unfortunately, it didn't.

I should also mention I'm a SUPER healthy eater. A typical day for me includes: fat free greek yogurt with a 1/4 cup low fat granola, an around 300 cal salad for lunch , almonds for a snack in a pre-measured pack, and for dinner an example would be quinoa with beans and veggies. I'm pescitarian, my sweet intake is at most some dark chocolate, I don't drink soda, and drink my coffee with just a bit of soy milk...

I'm getting extremely discouraged. I'm eating as healthy as I can and working out hard. I usually spend 40-45 min at the gym a night, and interchange that with work out dvds or running. At the gym I'm usually doing the elliptical or stairmaster and some weights and I always do interval training.

My only thoughts are a) the birth control pill is slowing my metabolism to what seems like zero b) I usually drink a small glass of wine with dinner and eat a piece of dark chocolate after. Is this what is preventing me to lose weight??

Can some one please give me some tips on what I can do to lose a few pounds? I'm so discouraged and don't know what else to do.
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Avatar universal
Train like an athlete eat like any athlete. You are putting yourself in starvation mode if u do not eat more with the amount of working out you are doing. I to over did the working out and did not increase my caloric intake and had no results. I went to a nutritionist and was advised all my efforts were sabotaged because of the low caloric intake.  Increase your calories slowly and once your body trusts you again you will start to see the results.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Do the following!
You do your strength training first then cardio!!!
The Peak 8 routine it will quickly raise your heart rate 8 times for very short bursts, with a cooling down period in between. Ideally you’ll be sprinting or cycling full throttle for 30 seconds with a 90 second cool down in between each outburst.  

This is the fastest way to lose fat and build muscle in the body. Peak 8 actually stimulates the growth hormone in the body. I personally feel that it is one of the best ways to exercise, especially considering the speed at which you can lose fat and build muscle.  

What you eat after Peak 8 training does matter  

It’s recommended that you do not eat sugar or carbohydrate for 2 hours after the Peak 8 exercise because these foods can impact the release of the growth hormone in the body.  

Figure your heart rate by this formula  
The Karvonen Formula is a mathematical formula that helps you determine your target heart rate zone. The formula involves using your maximum heart rate (MHR) minus your age to come up with a target heart rate range (which is a percentage of your MHR). Staying within this range will help you work most effectively during your cardio workouts.  

an example of the Karvonen formula for a 23 year old person with a resting heart rate of 65 beats per minute (*to get your resting heart rate, take your pulse for one full minute when you first wake up in the morning or after you've resting for a while). This formula also includes an updated calculation of maximum heart rate (the previous formula was 220 - age, which has now been shown to be inaccurate):  

206.9 - (0.67 x 23 (age)) = 191  
191 - 65 (resting heart rate) = 126  
126 * 65% (low end of heart rate zone) OR 85% (high end) = 82 OR 107  
82 + 65 (resting heart rate) = 147  
107 + 65 (rhr) = 172  
The target heart rate zone for this person would be 147 to 172  

First thing in the morning before you get out of bed have a clock with a second hand and check your resting heart rate then figure your rate by the  
Karvonen Formula above.

You burn 30 percent more fat from doing cardio after a weights session as opposed to cardio on its own.
With weight training, although you may not feel like you are working as hard because you might not sweat as much, you will continue to burn calories for up to 48 hours after your workout. Not to mention the fact that for every pound of muscle you build, you burn an additional 50 calories at rest  so you are burning more even when you are not doing anything!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hello Ataps,
The pill makes most women gain weight. It sounds like you eat very well
and that you are indeed a super healthy eater. Does your doctor say
you're over weight. Your weight, 127 pounds being as your're 5 ft. 6 in
sounds like a good weight to me. You say you want to be anywhere from
115 -120. Personally, I think it's better to have a few extra pounds to play
around with incase you ever get sick and lose some weight as a result.
Personally, it may be the birth control pill that has caused the weight
gain. If it's possible, I'd make an appointment with your family doctor
and ask if you can have a referral to a dietician or a nutritionist. I'm older
than you, however, my doctor referred me to a dietician. She and I worked out a food plan which for the most part I follow. Many years ago I was on
birth control pills too until one day I read the information pamphlet on the
birth control pack very carefully. I discovered some possible really serious
side effects of these pills. I became very concerned and asked my doctor
to take me off them. I'm not telling you to stop taking them. There are other
birth control methods other than birth control pills. Something to think about.
I wish you well.
Helpful - 0

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Arlington, VA
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