45F 5’7 and 160lbs. 15 days in to IF (16:8), macro counting 107p 45f 107c, alcohol free (this is huge for me, Im usually 3-4 glasses of wine a day), 4 days on tonal (so hard) and 2 days on peloton (hard) and NO results. In fact I think I’m getting fatter (clothes feel tighter). My goal was to lose 2lbs a week in hopes of getting back to my svelt pre-pandemic 125 lbs by summer. What gives? How long does it usually take to see results? I’m definitely feeling like the IF is hard but not unbearable. It feels disciplined. Everything else, I like. I feel genuinely good. But this is a lot of effort for no results. Would love some advice.
Disclaimer: no judgement intended. You should feel great about choosing health.
There is a documented phenomenon that when frequent drinkers stop drinking they gain weight at first. NIAAA would consider 4 glasses of wine daily throughout the week to be binge drinking, so even if you are a normal functioning adult a substance abuse specialist might tell you that you’ve been operating as a heavy drinker until now.
Give your body time to adjust. Blood sugar levels need to correct, your body needs to adjust to the new normal. Also, don’t discount that you may have subtly replaced alcohol with another coping mechanism. Maybe your sleep is impacted, maybe you are eating saltier food to handle the urge to not drink.
All this is to say: message us after 6 weeks, i very much believe you will be in a different place. DONT QUIT!!!
I’m mid forties as well and I notice my body doesn’t act like it used to- maybe peri menopause in my case. However, you are making positive choices and try not to get discouraged. Keep up the good work!
get your thyroid checked, make sure you’re drinking a LOT of water, and make sure the majority of your carbs are green leafy vegetables, crucifers (broccoli/cauliflower) and low-glycemic high-fibre fruits like berries.
Also look out for bloat due to sensitivies - things like sucralose, dairy, nuts - just about anything can trigger a reaction in people that will make them retain water - takes some time to figure out what might trigger you. I switched protein powder to a different brand and after the first scoop I looked like I was pregnant and the next day was up 4 lbs
you’ve changed a lot of things in a short period of time. I have no idea what your maintenance is, but your calories are \~1,260 based on your macros and you’ve increased your output via exercise. Your body and hormones are probably wondering what the hell is going on and is in a state of confusion. Consistency is key and some people don’t see results for the first month or two then bam start to lose weight. Weight loss isn’t linear and it would be good to have some nsv (non scale victories) to keep you motivated if the weight loss is slow.
15 days is not an amount of time to take weight results seriously. You should not worry about results of short terms like that.
If you love the working out as is, go ahead and keep that up, but decent chance that could be the reason why you arent losing weight (inflammation from exercise causing the body to hold on to water). IF, macro counting, quitting drinking is already a bunch of changes.
I would focus on gradual progress to avoid burnout, and if you were going to give any of it up I would swap hard workouts for walks.
That said, you will get results if you keep at it for a few months, 25% of your body weight in 4 months is probably not realistic though. That sounds like a good goal for 7-8 months.
I would recommend you change your exercise routine to center around high intensity interval training. I don’t know tonal but peloton is great for cardio, not necessarily for fat burning unless your specific plan is fat burning only.
I used to do an hour of cardio on an elliptical with no results. I changed my program to HIIT and starting burning fat quickly.
I would also incorporate some serious keto principles into your diet (i.e. more fats/proteins and less carbs). Starving your body of sugar and carbs by going dry January is a great start. It will take awhile for your body to reset but once your insulin levels are down then your body will get used to ketosis and by end of month you should start seeing results. Drink lots of water, black tea (no sugar) and stay hydrated as it will help your body adjust.
Couple things:
First off… great job on making such major changes!! I know it can seem frustrating at first when you’re working SO HARD and you haven’t been able to reap the results yet. I think this must be common with women, especially. My body has clung to my fat for dear life whereas I had a male friend who took up exercise AFTER I did, and he judged me for not losing 50 lbs like him (first of all… I didn’t have 50 lbs to lose. UGH!)
Anyway, I think the hardest part of a fitness journey is the beginning. Because you can work your butt off every single day and you still won’t see results for a little while. I’m constantly sore from my exercise routine, but I’m nowhere near as sore as I was in the beginning.
It just takes a little time. I know it sucks, but I hope you’ll just keep up all this awesome work that you’re doing!! Eventually it. Will. Pay. Off. Trust!!!! I didn’t start noticing visible results in my body until like day 45-60. And my bf at the time didn’t even notice a damn thing about my body until like 3 months. But now? It’s undeniable. I just kept it up… even if everything around me was telling me it doesn’t matter. It matters! If you can measure your resting heart rate, I highly recommend it! My resting heart rate quickly improved from the 80s all the way down to the mid 60s within a short period of time. There are some other ways to measure your progress that’ll hopefully keep you motivated while you’re waiting to see results in the mirror.
Don’t give up. 15 days is good and definitely respectable but just stay consistent for the sake of your health and the weight loss will come.
Try to weigh yourself in the morning on an empty stomach, if you’re weighing yourself after drinking water / eating then it might not be your true weight (meaning the weight you are when you aren’t carrying water or food)
With IF and burning more calories than you consume, the weight loss will come.
If your concerned that you have some sort of health issue that may be stopping the weight lost, maybe go see your pcp for a routine check up and maybe see an endocrinologist to check on yourself.
You will be okay. Just stay consistent and tell yourself that you’re a healthy person.
Don’t focus on a weight loss goal, focus on having positive and healthy systems, and the results that you want will inevitably come