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Exercise Questions - Why Can't I Lose
Weight Despite Tons of Exercise?
Exercise Question:
I have started to get back in shape. I was always active
in high school, but with this upper level education I have been going for, the
fitness has suffered. Until recently at least. I have a little less than 4 months
off before I get really busy again and decided to throw myself back into things.
I joined a gym and on average I probably spend 2-3 hours per day about 5 days
a week doing various things. My cardio includes elliptical, walking on treadmill,
and stationary bike. In addition I take several classes including step, kickboxing
and pilates. I do weight training as well. My question and my frustration is that
I am beginning the 5th week and I am not losing any weight. I have gone from more
or less pretty sedentary to what I have described above and I don't know what
I am doing wrong that I am not seeing any results from the scale. I find myself
getting frustrated with it. Any advice?
Exercise Answer:
Your biggest problem without a doubt is that you're completely
overtraining! By working out 2-3 hrs/day about 5 days a week, you're body is screaming
for precious recovery time and has most likely severely plateaued. Your body absolutely
needs quality time to recover from intense workouts and without this, it will
simply start shutting down. I highly recommend cutting back on your training and
focusing on only 1 hour of intense training per day for a maximum of 4 days a
week. Its great to break up your 1 hour training routine into 30 minutes of high
intensity weight training and finishing off with 30 minutes of high intensity
cardio training. Push each weight training set to positive failure and really
work your muscles. Once your weight training is finished, move right into your
cardio routine. Choose high intensity cardio exercises which will burn more calories
and keep your body's metabolism stoked throughout the day. Great examples are
sprints, jumping rope and spinning. This may also stimulate muscle growth and
strength in your weight training routine.
The second major thing is to really
look at what your eating everyday. Make sure you document everything you eat and
drink into a diet journal, which you can download for free here: Make sure to limit all simple sugars (fruit, etc.)
after 6pm. Your insulin levels are very sensitive at night and it will be much
easier to store extra fat if you consume sugars later in the day. Stick with a
lean protein and non-starchy carbs. A great meal would be a grilled chicken breast
salad with romaine lettuce, sliced cucumbers and a little balsamic vinaigrette
dressing. You could also opt for a nice chicken breast/veggie stir fry. Throw
some broccoli, mushrooms and chicken into a stir fry pan with a touch of soy sauce.
This makes a great meal for later in the day! 
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