Hi Hayley,
Over the past three years or so, I've gained about 20lbs. Blame it on finally NOT being pregnant and eating too much, drinking too much, and generally being too merry/lazy.
Six weeks ago I decided to finally buckle down. Exercising for 20 minutes every day (alternating strength and high intensity cardio) and adding in an extra 15-20k of bike riding throughout the week. Also using myfitnesspal to help count calories. I know I blow it a bit on the weekends, but in general I've been dedicated to breaking my bad habits.
The scale hasn't moved. Not even one measly pound. I've lost inches and I feel tighter (which I know, I know, is the end goal) but it's killing me I can't get back to where I was number wise before I started my era of debauchery.
Suggestions? What am I doing wrong?
S
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As I’ve been writing about in my posts, we need to be realistic with the expectations that we set onto ourselves. But more importantly your goals and your expectations need to match the work that you are putting in to reach them.
You want the scale to move and you are frustrated that is hasn’t. But you say right in your email that you blow it on the weekends.
I am going to be honest with you here, the extra 20 minutes a day of exercise burns maybe 150 calories and your added 20km of cycling a week is another 200 or so. There is nothing wrong with this. However this will not get you to where you want to go. I know this probably comes as a shock but you are really only burning an extra 1000 calories a week. That is equivalent to a few cocktails and when you add in indulgent weekends it becomes pretty obvious, quite quickly, why the scale is not moving.
If you want to see the scale move, you need to put in the work, and not just 5 days a week. You have to up your workouts, to at least 45 minutes a day, 5 or more days a week and they need to be intense. And diet can’t just be a Monday to Friday thing, it needs to be 7 days a week. You need to focus on clean eating and making every calorie count. This means that you do not get to cheat, because if you do you are going to have limited calories to give your body what it actually needs. When you are trying to create a caloric deficit there is zero room for error.
You say your body is firmer and the inches have decreased, which is fantastic, but if you do want to see that scale drop you need to burn more calories and decrease the body fat on your body. Until you start to pick it up a little more during the week and stay focused on the weekends, it will not happen.
If you are not willing to, or ready, to make these sacrifices then you need to reconsider your goals and also ask yourself is there really a need for the scale to move? You can still challenge yourself physically as well as focusing on filling your body full of healthy foods without focusing on numbers.
