Workouts not working!

I have been trying very hard to lose weight since the first of the year, and I did - around 40 lbs, which I have kept off so far. Unfortunately I have more left to lose, and I've been exercising and trying to eat a very low carb diet except for the occasional cheat day, but my loss has slowed to approximately zero. For exercise, I have been using my elliptical at max incline, max resistance and lifting weights (a few basic exercises targeting large muscle groups) 2-3 times per week. I think I will keep the weights up but looking for something better than the elliptical - I can easily go 45 minutes on it (again, max incline / max resistance) and not even be very winded. I'm positive I could go for an hour+ if boredom didn't set in first. Seems like it is no longer a very efficient use of my exercise time. So, what to replace it with? I need something more intense, apparently, but the reason I like the elliptical is that it's low impact (or really no impact), so easy on the back and knees, both of which I've had problems with in the past.

Start a weight lifting program. Muscles burn fat faster than cardio does. Get your strength up and then get something like p90x that will use muscle confusion programs to keep your muscles from plateauing and will keep your gains going. You can do the lighter weights/more reps to get leaner muscles. You might want to also get your testosterone checked to make sure you're producing enough if you haven't already.

My Stairmaster regimen may not be the best option for someone with knee issues, but I can tell you that it is highly effective.

If you can last 45 minutes on it, you will know it's working. Pain and utter exhaustion is always a good confirmation, right?

Or come join MMA with me. I've been looking for a partner!

My Stairmaster regimen may not be the best option for someone with knee issues, but I can tell you that it is highly effective.

If you can last 45 minutes on it, you will know it's working. Pain and utter exhaustion is always a good confirmation, right?

Or come join MMA with me. I've been looking for a partner! Originally Posted by Ginger Doll

While I appreciate the offer, I'm not sure that getting my ass kicked by you on a regular basis is the best option for me.

The Stairmaster sounds interesting. Wonder if I could pick one up for cheap on Craigslist or something like it.


Edit: Well, no - after checking out Craigslist for FayAr they are apparently quite expensive, even used. Good results would make it worth it, though.

Start a weight lifting program. Muscles burn fat faster than cardio does. Get your strength up and then get something like p90x that will use muscle confusion programs to keep your muscles from plateauing and will keep your gains going. You can do the lighter weights/more reps to get leaner muscles. You might want to also get your testosterone checked to make sure you're producing enough if you haven't already. Originally Posted by Hogfan69

Sounds like a solid plan but I don't know much about P90X. My uninformed impression is that it might be a little too hard on the joints and back for an old geezer such as myself.

p90x is great, did it and got in great shape.

...Well, no - after checking out Craigslist for FayAr they are apparently quite expensive, even used. Good results would make it worth it, though. Originally Posted by SpankyJ

You just have to watch the ads... I bought my Stairmaster 4000pt from Craigslist for $80 and they even delivered it.

Try a stationary bike. Or you can put a bike on a trainer. You can get a solid workout on it. You can pick up pace and go hard. You can get in great shape on bike if you work at it. Easy on joints. Can be boring if you do stationary but listen to music, watch tv, change up workout and you are golden. Injuries have forced me mainly to bike for the time being. When I heal i'll get back to swim, bike and run and aim for a half ironman in november.

Weight loss is a science, a few friends of mine are into the body building thing, when they lose weight, they have a set meal plan, where everyone they hit a wall they decrease calories a bit and increase cardio. At some point they just increase cardio and keep the calories the same. A lot of people do good on the stair master, hut if it is just boredom, start doing it twice a day or decrease your calorie intake.

Exercising is a poor way to loose weight. It's a great way to improve muscle tone and the cardio-vascular system, but it stimulates the appetite.

The secret to losing weight is calories. You can eat anything you want, just keep your calories intake to 1,000-1.200 calories/day. When you reach your desired weight, you increase your intake until your weight stabilizes where you want it.

Then the challenge is to keep the weight off - Your metabolism wants to put it back on so your body readily retains any excess calories over the stabilizing amount, which varies with individual metabolisms/activity -but in the range of 1800-2000/day.

Just some input from one who's gone through the process many times -

As my nutritionists maintains, the best exercise to lose weight is pushing yourself away from the dinner table!

good luck with your endeavor - it takes discipline!!

Spartan Workout, get a dry erase board and track yourself weekly. Started it last year and then transitioned to Westside MMA. Great workout regimen..

Also, as stated, keep the food intake down and it will come off. Losing weight is simple math, calories in versus calories out.

Good luck

But you do have to eat enough and often during the day or your metabolism will slow down.

Go with the caveman diet eat as much as you like. No processed foods.

So the workouts help with cardio and muscles and can make you lose calories, but the biggest factor when it comes to weight is the diet.

How bad are your cheat days? How often are they?

The key thing to remember with weight loss is that for the most part you need to use up more calories than you consume. If you're busting max resistance and elevation on the elliptical and it's easy, your body isn't struggling as much. You can use the borg scale of perceived exertion, try to aim for above an 11
http://www.zentofitness.com/wp-conte...14/04/BORG.jpg

You can also mix up the workouts. You're going at a constant rate, maybe increase the rpms or do sprints for one minute at every 10-to 5-minute intervals to help with the intensity. Some people get more winded on a bike or a treadmill. Maybe calisthenics will get you right. It's good to mix up the routine as one workout done ad nauseum can neglect using certain muscles and lead you to injury.

The big player, like I said is calories. People can burn 1000 calories in a workout if they go hard but a vegetarian chipotle burrito can be 800 calories. Very low carb is good but like I said, how much do you cheat? What works for me is looking up the calories. That shit will make you say DAMN a lot when you look at foods you thought were benign. You don't have to cut dramatically either. If you find one thing you can replace with less calorie dense alternatives, that will create a deficit every day and then you'll have a net deficit at the end of the week and month.

Lastly someone mentioned doing strength and that is always good. Muscle mass is more metabolically active, yes, but do it properly. You want to balance your strength exercises to avoid injury and you have to use good form otherwise you can hurt yourself pretty badly, especially with squats and deadlifts. Machines can get you right if free weights worry you.

When I lose weight, eating is 80% and exercise is 20% of the reason.
1. Stop the cheat days
2. Record your calorie intake (you will likely discover you are eating back your exercise calories ) https://www.myfitnesspal.com/ or similar site which also has a great weight loss/exercise blogs and community
3. Add variety to your cardio work out , in exercise type, duration and intensity.
4. Continue the weightlifting though you may consider adding variety to it also.

The human body has a great feedback mechanism to prevent weight loss and to keep it off. You must adjust you exercise and eating to prevent your body from adapting to the changes and thus hopefully continue your weight lost. Don't be discouraged but you need to up your game.

Article on weight loss and metabolism changes

6 Years after The Biggest Loser, Metabolism Is Slower and Weight Is Back Up
The work provides new insights into why it is difficult to keep off the pounds
http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...ht-is-back-up/