# Damn it, why can't I lose weight? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 21, 2003, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-it-why-cant-i-lose-weight/176579 "2003-05-21T15:47:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![spinningplates](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7c8e57/32.png) [@spinningplates](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinningplates)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-it-why-cant-i-lose-weight/176579/41 "2003-05-22T17:33:47Z")
I’ve got to say that Scylla is correct when it comes to the importance of exercise. I resisted establishing a routine, preferring to cut back on calories instead. Surprise, surprise, I could never stay on the diets I set up for myself. Finally, I’ve found that walking (when I grow up I wanna be a runner), is fun for me and the benefits are amazing. Also, I too thought exercise would take up too much time. Once I decided my health was a priority and worked it into my schedule, I found there was plenty of time, every day. I just remembered a couple of things. Keep a bottle of water with you at all times. Good for you and will help a bit with snacking. That said, no snacking! You’ll be amazed how much you snack, once you decide not to eat a morsel between meals. You’re measuring/weighing your portions, right? Best of luck! ---
**Author:** ![CRorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CRorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CRorex)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-it-why-cant-i-lose-weight/176579/42 "2003-05-22T19:07:54Z")
I’ve got a 100% sure fire, garunteed INSTANT weightloss program. _gets out the chainsaw_ Ok, so do you want both legs chopped off or an arm and a leg? ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-it-why-cant-i-lose-weight/176579/43 "2003-05-22T19:35:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by metroshane \* > \*\*Let me clarify a little more. > > 3 weeks this time. I’ve gone through phases and I just started back 3 weeks ago. A few months ago I went on a 5 day/week 40 min/day treadmill cycle and lost about 8lbs…then stalled. Gained it back. \*\* Did you measure? Or are you just going by scale weight? Remember, the scale lies. And you got good ole testosterone going for you. If you’re hitting the weights, I’d be really surprised if you DIDN"T gain some pounds (but they’d be muscle, not fat, don’t freak out over the number on the scale). It’s fairly easy for men to put on muscle with the right weight training program. You obviously measured when you started, have you measured lately? Also, whichever poster said “graze” that’s exactly right. You want to eat 5-6 small “meal-lets” a day, with even portions of lean protein and “clean” carbs. For a man that’s about 30-35 grams each for protein and carbs. An example of a “clean” (or complex) carb is a piece of fruit, or brown rice, or whole grains. Stay away from simple carbs as much as possible. They cause your insulin levels to spike which can slow the muscle building/fat burning process, which is why drinking alchohol is a bad idea for optimum success (I’m still looking for my personal trainer buddy’s great dissertation on why not to drink for ultimate success). Bottom line, three weeks isn’t very long. And remember, just because you aren’t showing VISIBLE results, doesn’t mean that muscles aren’t being built, that the metabolism isn’t changing for the better etc. It can take a few months for outside appearance to change in some people, don’t get discouraged and give up!!! ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-it-why-cant-i-lose-weight/176579/44 "2003-05-22T19:36:51Z")
Shoot!! A PS… You don’t want to do cardio on the same day you do weights. It’s like tearing down a building that you just built, your muscles need recovery time. Excess cardio can actually eat up your hardwon muscle. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2003, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-it-why-cant-i-lose-weight/176579/45 "2003-05-23T03:50:44Z")
**Metro** , I finally got the links about alcohol, here they are: [http://www.femalemuscle.com/q\_a/question18.htm](http://www.femalemuscle.com/q_a/question18.htm) > **[Alcohol's Curse On Bodybuilders.](https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/dean3.htm)** > > I have studied drinking, and I have come to the conclusion that it is the anti-muscle. As far as bodybuilding goes, it's everything you would never want to have in you. [http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/2253.html](http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/2253.html) These sites also have follow up links regarding alcohol’s detrimental effect on your workouts. Hope this helps!!! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2003, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-it-why-cant-i-lose-weight/176579/46 "2003-05-23T04:23:08Z")
Ever since I quit smoking Dec 99, I was maintaining a 215 lb weight on my frame. I finally undertook the Dr Atkins regimen by eliminating sugar, bread , rice , pasta and potatoes in favour of meat, cheeze , eggs and lots of green vegetables smothered in butter. I returned to homo milk as well. I eat as before till I achieve full satiety. I do not fear fat. It provides satiety. I have lost 35 pounds in the last several months, now bouncing around 180. I feel great, sleep extremely well (seem to need only 5 or 6 hours) and most of all my body aches seem to have disappeared. I’m going to get my cholesterol checked in a couple of months to ensure that as according to the recent study on the Dr. Atkins diet, I will improve on the numbers which heretofor have been acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-it-why-cant-i-lose-weight/176579/47 "2003-05-23T12:51:22Z")
Metro, I know how you feel. After giving birth to WeePundit #2 I had almost the exact measurements as you do. What sucked is that I was working out 3-4 times a week (I religiously attended a 2 hour step class/mat workout) and was in really good shape. But I couldn’t lose weight. A friend of mine is a personal trainer and he said to me. “Lisa. 90% of what you weigh is your calorie intake. You can tweak 10% of it with exercise, but at the end of the day, you’re not going to lose weight unless you cut out some of the food you eat. Pop and chocolate (my downfalls) are a good place to start because they’re crappy for your body.” And he was right. I went on Weight Watchers combined with the exact same exercise routine I had been doing for 2 years and immediately lost 12 pounds in 6 weeks. It’s amazing what a simple thing like eating lite bread can do for your figure when you incorporate it into your diet on a daily basis. The good thing about WW is that it is a realistic eating program because: a) it lets you eat the foods you normally eat; and b) it does it gradually; and c) it forces you to think about how much food you’re putting into your mouth because you journal every bite you eat. So keep up the exercise. But cut out some of the food. Consider joining WW, because if you follow the plan, it works! If you are truly honest with yourself (journal, journal, journal) you’ll see where the extra calories are coming in. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Boo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@Boo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boo)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-it-why-cant-i-lose-weight/176579/48 "2003-05-23T16:23:06Z")
you are probably “sleepwalking” through your workouts…meaning you are doing the same thing time after time. The same lifting techniques/machines,etc and the same cardio. I see it all the time at the gym…the same person doing the same thing…over and over and over. Here’s what you do. Cardio - do interval training. This will actually burn more fat than doing low intensity…the fat is burned after you workout because internal training will speed up your metabolism. By interval I mean go two minutes at your current pace then a minute at whatever pace will top out your heart rate. Also try using differnent types of cardio…stairstepper, transport, bike, etc. Weight training- muscles adapt to the same workout if you do it time after time…I’d suggest drop sets and compound movements to “shock” your muscles. for example to do a drop set bench press, you’d use dumbbells (you can’t drop the weight off a bar fast enough) and do whatever weight you can do 4 or 5 times…when you reach failure, drop those dumbbells and immediately (within 3 seconds) start with dumbbels of 50% the weight of the ones you started with…and do presses with these until failure. An example of a compound movement would be flies immediately followed by presses. The idea here is to “pre-exhaust” the muscle you are targetting and then bringing in supporting muscles to exhaust it even further. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-it-why-cant-i-lose-weight/176579.md?page=2)