Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

It seems no matter what I do I can't lose weight. I've been doing cardio, calisthenics, and eating well for weeks and haven't dropped a pound. I know theres an initial period in which you gain a lot more muscle then you burn fat, so you wont see the results on the scale. But thats usually only a week or two.

I'm on the verge of resorting to doing a low carb diet again, that dropped 60 pounds off me in the past.

Actually it can be a lot longer than 2 weeks - but if you're only doing cardio and calisthenics your muscle gain won't be as great. Do you keep track of how many calories you eat? Do you intake a lot of sugar? How about fiber - fiber itself can help you lose weight. The problem with a low-carb diet is that you have to maintain that lifestyle in order to keep the weight off; once you fall off the wagon it's a slippery slope.

Drink a lot of water - and I mean a lot. Water is a natural fat burner, and, especially in this heat/humidity, you'll be losing a lot, which means you can dehydrate easily. Keeping yourself well hydrated can actually help you lose weight.

Don't get discouraged, hitting a plateau is natural. Sometimes it just means your body is trying to adapt and that might take a few weeks.

Increase the intensity of your cardio, too - maybe you've hit a wall with what you're doing.

Good luck, and stick with it!

It seems no matter what I do I can't lose weight. I've been doing cardio, calisthenics, and eating well for weeks and haven't dropped a pound. I know theres an initial period in which you gain a lot more muscle then you burn fat, so you wont see the results on the scale. But thats usually only a week or two.

I'm on the verge of resorting to doing a low carb diet again, that dropped 60 pounds off me in the past.

Everyone's body is different and will react in different ways. The scale is a quite deceptive tool that makes you a slave to a number instead of looking at the bigger picture. Do you really feel this has been a total failure? That you have gained nothing in terms of overall health and plain discipline just because a scale says so? You have gained a lot more than you think you have, the results just aren't coming in the form that you want them to and its understandable that you are frustrated, but changing your body isn't a week long process and you have to just keep moving forward- not making eating well and exercise a means to an end, but in fact the end and making it your lifestyle.

You mention going back on a low carb diet, though it did drop 60 lbs off of you in the past; it did not keep those 60 lbs off because it is a plan based on deprivation instead of proportion. If you go back on it, certainly you will see results very fast- the waistline will shrink, the number on the scale will go down: but truly consider this- if it is such an excellent course of action then why is something such as the Atkins plan that swept the nation by storm a few years ago nowhere near as popular as it once was? Because people are finding out that it's results are only temporary and that it isn't a viable option for an everyday diet plan. Just a short term solution to a long term problem.

Stick with what you're doing, try to remain positive and know you aren't alone. It's tough but all you can do is just keep trying.

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