Started walking - not much weight loss ???!!!

[azdisneymom]

I decided it was time to start walking again. I went from a phycially demanding job to a desk job that I love. However I have gained about 10 pounds. I now walk on average 30 minutes a day during the week and an hour a day on the weekends. The first week I lost 6.5 pounds. The second week zippo and the third week only half a pound. How can that be? I don't have a perfect diet but I am more careful.

I thought I would lose a pound or two a week. Any suggestions?

[Jeri Lynn]

Great Job! I need to get motivated to get on my treadmill again! Each week I tell myself that starting on Monday I will do it...and Monday comes and goes...

Even if you don't see a weight loss each week you still may be losing inches.

Maybe change your walk a little, a slow walk, some power walking, back to slow walking...sometimes a little change will make a difference.

Don't get discouraged and keep up the good work! Now I need to get myself in gear!!!

[Strmchsr]

Keep in mind that much of the weight you lose the first week is water weight. Then your body adjusts. However, walking alone, in general, does not burn enough calories to drop serious weight unless you're really getting the heart rate up and going for 30+ min 3-4 times a week. Even then, it's not always enough.

The one thing to keep in mind is that the scale is the WORST indicator of progress. In fact, I constantly tell my wife to stay away from the scale. You can often tell more by the way your clothes fit than how many lbs you drop how you're doing because you'll also gain some muscle as you drop fat. Also your metabolism changes with age, hormonal balance/imbalance, time of the month, etc. A lot of factors will make that scale fluctuate.

If you still need to drop some, add some light workout to your walking routine and reduce your caloric intake slightly and that should do the trick.

[MNNHFLTX]

Walking is actually a great way to burn fat, but I believe the key is to do some weight training too. This builds muscle and increases metabolism, making the walking that you do more effective.

[PopPhan]

Don't be too hard on yourself....7 pounds in 3 weeks is noting to complain about -- more than 2 pounds per week (on average)

As others have said, you will initially build muscle (or strengthen those that had gone lax from lack of exercise)...this will 'trick' you as muscle has more mass (weight) than fat...

Keep up the good work and let those muscles work on burning the fat, while you work on a better (less caloric intake) diet and yu'll be surprised at how quickly clothes fit better and how much more comfortable you will be with yourself...

[TheVBs]

Don't give up! It will make a difference. Eventually you'll be able to walk longer and/or faster. Walking is great. Stay away from the scales for awhile so you don't get discouraged.

[Christine]

As soon as I read your post I felt compelled to share my own personal experience. I think I could have posted this same thing a year ago! I was at the same roadblock. Strmchsr is right- sometimes walking just isn't enough.

I started walking daily when I moved to Florida. I lost about 10 pounds and came to a plateau.
A trainer that does consulting in the medical office where I work said to me "when you're a female over 40, you have to work twice as hard for half the result". Well that just about turned me back to donuts and my lazy boy recliner. The idea of huffing and puffing and sweating and soreness didn't appeal to me.

But I decided to do it- my walks had become the "norm" for my body. I needed to put out more effort/challenge to respond. So I started couch to 5K- and before I knew it, I was running! A slow, awkward runner, but I was out there doing it and LIKING it! I couldn't believe it bc my motto had always been "I don't run unless I'm being chased "


Within six months I did my first 5k. I wasn't last, I didn't die, and I finished. Goal achieved!

Since then I have run in 3more 5Ks, soon to be my fifth at the princess this month. In may I will do the Everest challenge , the tower of terror 10mile in the fall, and ultimately leading up to the 1/2 marathon wine and dine in November.

I had always said "oh I can't run bc of my knees, etc" but I actually got stronger by running!

My time has gotten better & I feel a little less awkward when I run. Am I an athlete or a marathoner? Heck no. I'm just out there moving my body. There's a saying that says "no matter how slow you run, you're still lapping everyone on the sofa!"

And I'm eating better (no real DIET, just doing what I know is best- whole grains, lean protein, dairy, veggies, & fruit while allowing myself a SPOONFUL of something dreamy here and there!) Once a week I let myself have whatever i want but I find I still show discipline with that bc it's not worth undoing all the work I do.

Once I upped the walking to running I noticed much more results! Lost another 18 pounds, but the best part- my Body fat dropped! My muscle mass increased! My visceral fat (fat around the organs) plummeted! Am I ready to don a bikini! No way! Maybe never will be. But I've taken years off my age! I've added energy and quality to my everyday life- I'm happier & more confident (not bc of weight loss but bc of what I CAN DO!!)

When I plataeu, I know it's time to add more mileage to my run & try to pick up the speed. I also do a set of pushups and sit ups every day (I don't like videos or equipment- I won't do it- just me and the floor)

So my whole reason for this novel is to say don't give up! Chili cheese dogs & donuts were fun but not worth dying for. I spent the last two decades sedentary, eating horrendously, and trying to do as little as possible about it or find quick fixes. I am healthier at 40 then I was at 25- and 100 pounds lighter!

Don't give up!! You're worth it!!! And you CAN do it! I promise!!

[azdisneymom]

The company I work for is have their own form of "biggest loser" and after our weigh in on Friday I wanted to throw in the towel. You will never, ever know how much your advice and encouragement has helped!

I now have a total of 40 pounds to lose. It took those last 10 to move me to action. Thanks again for your posts.

[JanetMegan]

I'm with you, I've been walking a lot more in the last 4 weeks or so and not seeing much improvement either, I think it's part of what Christine is saying. I think it's not enough hard work to burn the fat. I also can't hardly think about running I hate it so much but I think I need to do more...

[BrerGnat]

If you don't like running, try interval training worked into your walks.

Walk for 5 minutes. Run for 1 min. Repeat over and over again.

Or, walk for 5 minutes, then stop and do Jumping Jacks for 1 minute. Repeat.

You need to get your heart rate up every so often; this will make your workout more productive.

If you are using a treadmill, up the incline. Walk at a 3 or 5 percent incline the majority of the time. Every 5 minutes, crank it up to 10 for a couple minutes, then back down.

Also, really, if you are trying to lose weight, tracking your food intake, at least for awhile, is key. It is REALLY easy to underestimate how many calories you are consuming. It can be quite eye opening.

And remember, you burn calories ALL day long. If you just sit on your behind and watch t.v., you will burn about 30-50 calories an hour. If you go for a walk for an hour instead, and that walk "burns" 200 calories, it really only burned an extra 150-170 calories, because you would have burned some calories if you had stayed home on the couch.

[BrerGnat]

I thought I would lose a pound or two a week. Any suggestions?

Just for clarification, to burn 2 pounds per week, you have to have a total calorie deficit of 7000 calories. That would be 1000 cal deficit every day. That would require eating around 1200 cal/day and no more. Is that what you are doing right now?

[DisneyDog]

I have lost 14 pounds since the fall. One thing I do is drink a lot of hot green tea. We have an insta-hot in our water cooler at work, so that makes it easier. I get the water I need each day, and the tea (unsweetened and preferably decaf) keeps me feeling full so I don't snack throughout the day.

For breakfast, I eat a fat-free Greek yogurt and a piece of fruit. For lunch, I have 1 serving of low fat and/or low sodium Progresso soup, some fruit and perhaps some cheese or a Thomas' 100 calorie multigrain English Muffin. Then I eat pretty much what I want for dinner but don't take seconds. I might eat a piece of hard candy or two during the day to keep me going.

It has been very easy. Also, I have taking in a lot less sodium now than I used to (which was really my goal, as opposed to weight loss, which was a nice perk.) The sodium gives me migraines and I wanted to change my diet to get fewer migraines.

[azdisneymom]

Just for clarification, to burn 2 pounds per week, you have to have a total calorie deficit of 7000 calories. That would be 1000 cal deficit every day. That would require eating around 1200 cal/day and no more. Is that what you are doing right now?

No kidding. I am starting to keep track of my meals. Too much soda.

I have lost 14 pounds since the fall. .

Way to go!! Your diet sounds much like mine except I have been drinking soda in place of green tea. Gotta stop that.

[diz_girl]

Given the activity level of 30 minutes a day during the week and 1 hour a day on the weekends, you're walking for 4 1/2 hours a week. If you burn 300 calories per hour walking (on average), then you'll burn 1350 calories per week, or about 1/3 lb per week. If you don't change your diet, then you'll lose 1 pound every three weeks.

A lot of people think that if they start walking, then the weight melts off. Totally not the case. I trained for two half-marathons in a year (about 6 or 7 years ago), but didn't keep track of my eating. Do you know how much weight I lost? Nada, zero, zip and zilch. Your body adjust its eating to increased activity.

If you want to lose 1-2 pounds per week, then you need to do some serious calorie restricton and keep track of everything that you put into your mouth. I'd recommend Weight Watchers. I use them online and with an app on my iPhone.

[BrerGnat]

If you want to lose 1-2 pounds per week, then you need to do some serious calorie restricton and keep track of everything that you put into your mouth. I'd recommend Weight Watchers. I use them online and with an app on my iPhone.

This is absolutely true, and on top of that, I'd add that you have to be willing to feel hungry MOST of the time. I am on a 1200-1500 cal diet because I want to lose weight. It stinks because I am constantly hungry. But, I just deal with it because I remember that when you have that feeling like you are hungry, it means your body is burning fat for fuel. I look at it as a temporary thing I have to deal with. Once these pounds are gone, I can go into maintenance mode and eat much more than I am now, so I won't always feel hungry.

No pain, no gain. Or, in this case, loss.

[diz_girl]

This is absolutely true, and on top of that, I'd add that you have to be willing to feel hungry MOST of the time. I am on a 1200-1500 cal diet because I want to lose weight. It stinks because I am constantly hungry. But, I just deal with it because I remember that when you have that feeling like you are hungry, it means your body is burning fat for fuel. I look at it as a temporary thing I have to deal with. Once these pounds are gone, I can go into maintenance mode and eat much more than I am now, so I won't always feel hungry.

No pain, no gain. Or, in this case, loss.

Hungry all the time? That sounds about right. It's basically your body craving the food that it needs to maintain your current weight. One word of caution to our OP is to not eat fewer than 1200 calories per day. Once you go below that threshhold, then your body enters starvation mode and really slows down your metabolism. If you were to go back to eating what you did before the calorie restriction, you would pack on the pounds because your metabolism has slowed down.

[ronandjulie]

Walking doesn't burn many calories. It might be good for you to get out and walk, but it is pointless for losing weight. It's all simple math. You need to burn more calories than you take in and, unfortunately, walking doesn't really achieve this. I used Jeff Galloway's run/walk/run plan when I was doing my transformation that started 1/1/11. I lost over 60 pounds on it.