Ok I am officially furious. I am done with this total mess of weight gain. I have to tell you it’s not as much about the weight (though, of course, that plays a part.) as it is about working so hard and having the results go in the opposite direction. I still exercise 5K every day.
This might not seem like a big feat to most people. But it is to me. I hate exercise. This week I hit my 300th consecutive day of exercise. I’ve been doing this for so long now and yet I still loathe it. I am not looking forward to it. I am just tolerating it. And I know it’s good for me and it will help keep my metabolism high so I suck it up and I do it. Day after day. I show up and I do it. Because I do it on the treadmill, I know that I am not doing it halfway. I am doing this. I am working hard at it.
And yet.
And yet it does not appear to be working lately. I don’t buy the plateau argument, nor doI buy the muscle one. Something isn’t working right here and I am committed to fixing it. I haven’t come this far and I am not working this hard for these results. Something will change.
and here’s this week’s card:
Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
Sad to say but doing the same exercise day after day, week after week will not get you the best results. The body is incredibly effective at adapting to change and if you do the same exercise all the time you will get diminishing returns. Change up your routine every 4-6 weeks and add other routines, such as weight bearing exercises, stretches and focusing in on certain muscle groups. Just doing cardio on the treadmill will not get the desired results. Trust me. I have been there and have been as angry as you. Then I started doing some research and obtained advice from professional fitness trainers. I don’t get bored. I am feeling better and I am toning up AND losing weight.
Joan, I have heard that before and I do understand. It’s why I added the leg lifts and sit ups etc. While I could understand cardio not being as effective as it was in the beginning, it still doesn’t make full sense. since this is pretty basic math of calories burned and calories eaten. so the daily running should still have an effect. i know weights are important but i have several problems with my back and jaw, making the weights a bit problematic 🙁 so i am not sure how to move forward now 🙁
Check out the training articles in The Globe & Mail. They deal with problems like you’re facing and have some really good advice. I agree you shouldn`t be pushing yourself into pain.
Ugh, I have been in a plateau for MONTHS but through diet alone, I can’t get my butt in gear to exercise, especially when all of sudden the plateau broke this week and I lost 2.5 pounds doing the same old, same old. You are awesome for walking 5km a day! That is a huge accomplishment. I hope to start a daily exercise habit in August 1st – you and CathyZ have inspired me. Have you tried upping the elevation of the treadmill? Do you need more protein? Who knows how these things work, I assume it is strictly magic at this point.
I apologize for this unsolicited advice, but I feel your pain. I recently began listening to a podcast called Dishing up Nutrition, which I read about on Cathy Zielske’s blog. They are a group of women who are nutritional professionals, RNs, RDs, etc. I’ve begun to follow their advice and have cut back on carbs and upped my protein, and it is helping. I’m 53, menopausal, run 3 miles a day and it takes WEEKS to get a pound off. But, this little tweeking has resulted in a recent two-pound gain finally getting off my belly. I’m a Weight Watchers Lifetimer, too, at goal weight, so it’s not like I don’t know how to do this. But, this has been a bit of a game-changer for me.
Have you seen a chiropractor about your back and jaw pain?
I agree that you need to mix it up. Do intervals and give your body a chance to rest.
Good luck.
Hi Karen, just a silly thought that popped up in my mind but I remember reading that you weigh yourself on the wii scales. Are you sure they are accurate? The first thing I did when I started looking into losing weight was to purchase a proper set of scales because my old one threw random numbers at me. The new one is more accurate but still, if you weigh yourself on a daily basis, you will notice some pretty different readings to do with time of month, water intake and other peripheral factors like that. Anyway, sorry about the rambling. I do admire you for taking the first step of actually doing something and sticking at it for so long. It’s more than I have been doing. Take care
Sophie
Girl I feel you pain and frustration because I to am right there with you. I eat healthy exercise every day and loose nothing. Been on every diet known to man kind, met with nutrianist and nothing happens. There is only 1 thing the exercise has done for me and hope you to is give you more energy to get thru my days. I feel fit but don’t look it. Keep working on it and so will I. I am driven by wanting to live a long life to be with my family. Hang in there.