Trouble losing weight

[woo246]

I am 47 years old and I weigh 248.  In the past few months I have started working out regularly.  I go to aerobics twice a week for 75 minutes and strength and flex for 45 minutes once a week.  On the weekends I do an exercise video at home.  I have been watching what I eat following a high carb/low carb diet every other day.  According to what I have researched, my BMR is 2485 and I eat about 1800 calories a day, so I should be losing weight just being me.  Add in the approximate 2000 calories I burn with my exercise and I should be melting into a puddle!  We do a lot of weights, pilates, abs, pushups, strength bands and squats at my aerobics class so I know my body is changing.  Does anyone know what I am doing wrong?  I have had my thyroid checked in the last 4 months and it was "normal".  I understand that muscle weighs more than fat so I could just be gaining muscle but come on.  It is very discouraging at my age and size to work out as hard as I do and have nothing to show for it on the scale.  I also attend a TOPS group for weight loss, so it is hard to go there every week and not see the numbers going down.  I just needed to vent and hope that someone has something encouraging to keep me going.

Thanks. -- Wendy

[woo246]

Gymdandee:  

Thank you for your advice.  I did look into Peak 8 and will definitely give that a try on the days I don't do my class.  The class combines 40 minutes of aerobic dance which gets my heart rate slowly up to target and then back down.  Then we do abs, pilates, pushups, weights, back strengthening, strength bands and stretching.  It is 1-1/4 hour and i feel really strong and enjoy the ladies I work out with.  Peak 8 would give me something to do on my nights off and concentrate my efforts.  

In regards to the diet.  I DO NOT like to diet because I feel deprived.  I started the high carb/low carb because of an article I read by Chris Powell who did Extreme Makeover - Weight Loss.  The idea was to stoke the thyroid by confusing it.  When you cut out carbs, the thyroid slows down so by having high carbs on alternating days, you confuse the thyroid and it keeps working but then you get the low carb days to help with weight loss.  I have really cut back on sugar and junk.  I eat a lot more vegetable and make sure that I eat protein before i work out.  I guess I am just gaining more muscle then losing fat right now.  I feel very strong and as my husband says "my butt is perky" so I am happy with that and will keep going.  Hopefully at some point the fat will start melting off and reveal the toned person underneath.

Thanks again for your direction and I look forward to trying it out.

[gymdandee]

Best and Worst Foods for Weight Loss


http://www.everydayhealth.com/weight-pictures/15-best-and-worst-foods-for-weight-loss.aspx?xid=nl_EverydayHealthHealthyAging_20120212#/slide-1

[gymdandee]

"I understand that muscle weighs more than fat" NO!!!
A pound is a pound! 1pound of steel is the same as 1 pound of feathers!

The Peak 8 routine it will quickly raise your heart rate 8 times for very short bursts, with a cooling down period in between. Ideally you’ll be sprinting or cycling full throttle for 30 seconds with a 90 second cool down in between each outburst. 

This is the fastest way to lose fat and build muscle in the body. Peak 8 actually stimulates the growth hormone in the body. I encourage you to visit Dr Mercola’s site to learn more about Peak 8 fitness because I personally feel that it is one of the best ways to exercise, especially considering the speed at which you can lose fat and build muscle. 

I highly recommend you read this article and watch the videos on the page. It will give you all the information you need to know about Peak 8 – Flood Your Body With This “Youth Hormone” In Just 20 Minutes 

What you eat after Peak 8 training does matter 

It’s recommended that you do not eat sugar or carbohydrate for 2 hours after the Peak 8 exercise because these foods can impact the release of the growth hormone in the body.  The link is below 
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2010/11/13/phil-campbell-on-peak-8-exercises.aspx 

Figure your heart rate by this formula 
The formula involves using your maximum heart rate (MHR) minus your age to come up with a target heart rate range (which is a percentage of your MHR). Staying within this range will help you work most effectively during your cardio workouts. 

First thing in the morning before you get out of bed have a clock with a second hand and check your resting heart rate then figure your rate by
checking your pulse for 15 seconds and multiply that by 4 that's your resting heart rate. Now take your age 47 subtract that from 220 that is your maximum heart rate 173. when you do cardio you want to stay between
65%- 85% of your maximum heart rate that would be between  112-147
I suggest buying a heart rate monitor that straps around your chest and has a wrist band that shows your heart rate. the ones at your gym that are part of the equipment aren't accurate.  
You burn 30 percent more fat from doing cardio after a weights session as opposed to cardio on its own.
Don't be doing high carb and low carb you have to have protein and only complex carbs not simple carbs.