Bought elliptical, but not seeing results after a month

I'm 25 years old, male, 6'1", and 215 pounds currently. I would like to get under 200 pounds, but 185 or so would be ideal for my height.

I bought an elliptical a month ago (from today) and i've been using it 20-35 minutes a day, 6x a week. BPM is high during this, the first week I was at 190 BPM when going about 4.5MPH (which is the max safe range for my age) and now i'm at a more "safe" 177 BPM while maintain 5.5MPH. So my heart rate dramatically improved. I also went from 2% milk to skim, stopped drinking any type of soda (including diet), stopped eating white bread/noodles and went to 100% grain, etc. I got rid of every unhealthy thing in the house. I drink only water and juice (the juice I drink is natural and 0 calories) but I also drink 1 AdvantEDGE Carb Control drink after each workout because it was suggested to me to have a protein drink once a day. The forum won't let me link it but google for it to see what it is, i'd like advice on these.

My weight was maintained with VERY light activity over the last 3 years with terrible eating habits. I just never recovered from the weight I gained as a teen. So.. I figured eating better and exercising would result in an easy 2 pounds/week loss.

However here's my problems/concerns:
- I weighed 215 pounds when I bought the machine a month ago, and the day after I started exercising I gained a massive 12 pounds. Yes, 12 pounds. This was not a broken scale or water weight.. It stuck on me and did not disappear even after a week. So exercising seemed to "shock" my body or something and caused it to gain weight? I heard this is normal but i've never heard of someone gaining more than 5 pounds. After a whole month of hard work and healthy eating i've managed to get back down to my original 215, few days ago I was even at 211. Now i'm gaining weight again though.. and back up to my original 215. I've measured my waist and it's also the exact same. So nothing seems to be happening!
- Would you recommend taking out the carb drink and just drinking water instead? The machine claims I lose about 250-360 calories per workout, but the machine also assumes i'm a fit 150 pound person. With calorie burning charts online, it puts me upwards of 500-600 calories burned per session. Having a 110 calorie drink right after exercising seems counter productive over just having a glass of water? Many sites also say I should consume about 1800 "healthy" calories and I will still lose 2 pounds a week with exercise which is roughly what I consume.
- This last week has been really tough. I was going 3 miles a day (about 35 minutes for me) on my elliptical on Weeks 2-3, but the 4th week i've been having a hard time just doing 2 (I actually have to do 1 mile then take a break before the other). I took a 2 day break to rest because of this but it did not help. Any idea why? I should be having a easier time.. not a harder time?

Any advice? Thanks.

 

Bought elliptical, but not seeing results after a month

one question: are you counting your calories, very accurately, every single day? forget your elliptical. are you counting your calories? every meal, every drink, every day.

also just noticed this "natural" zero calorie juice? please aware me on that. most natural juices are actually high in calories...you sure on that? why are you drinking some 110 calorie gimmick drink? you aren't lifting, why drinking a protein shake?

its physically impossible if you are counting your calories correctly against your daily maintenance rate for you not to lose weight. period.

 

Bought elliptical, but not seeing results after a month

No i'm not.. I couldn't find any easy way to do it. I look at the boxes and estimate, and I really don't understand how you are suppose to figure out how much many servings of something you are eating. I mean I get like 5 bowls out of an entire box of cereal, which is probably a lot less than most people (I eat big meals because it takes a lot to fill me, if I don't eat a big meal i'm starving the entire day). If I had to guess, if anything, i'm eating less than i'm suppose too since i'm not very hungry now that I started exercising.. I eat like 3 times a day. Before I started exercising I was eating constantly, nearly every waking moment and it was food that was really bad for you. I thought I was suppose to be eating around 1200 calories a day, which is about what I was consuming in my rough guesses (as of last month). I don't "add" anything to anything I eat, so i'm assuming my guesses can't be terribly far off.

I was maintaining a solid 215 for YEARS with terrible eating habits and no exercise. Figured I wouldn't need to count calories... and exercising and eating healthier would just give me that 2 pounds/week I want. I can't see how i'm not losing weight considering my weight was stable with much MUCH worse habits for so many years.

 

Bought elliptical, but not seeing results after a month

Last edited by Murlocke; Today at 07:40 AM.

 

Bought elliptical, but not seeing results after a month

did not read

If you don't lose weight, it simply means you are eating more than you are burning. Lower your calories, period.

 

Bought elliptical, but not seeing results after a month

Get a food scale. Weigh and count everything!

 

Bought elliptical, but not seeing results after a month

Eating healthier =/= weight loss
Caloric deficit = weight loss
Eating Healthier is not mutually exclusive to gaining weight.

Exercise =/= weight loss
Exercise = increased maintenance calories.
Exercise is not mutually exclusive to gaining weight.

------------

Counting calories isn't "easy" but its not rocket science either. And if you don't know how much you are consuming, you will never be able to change your weight in a controlled, scientific manner.

Terrible eating habits = fairly consistent caloric intake.
No exercise = fairly consistent maintenance calories.
1 + 1 = steady weight.

 

Bought elliptical, but not seeing results after a month

exactly. what you just said is a recipe for frustration.

2 pounds/week = a 7,000 calorie deficit per week. thats 1,000 calories per day in a deficit. are you doing that? how close? whats your maintenance rate? etc...etc...etc...the only way you can do this is to KNOW what you rae eating.

5 bowls out of a box of cereal: with 1/4 cup of skim milk a box of cereal has 2,500 calories. thats probably about 500 calories down in cereal, every day...plus who uses a frigging 1/4 cup of milk. you fill the bowl like everyone else I am sure. still think with your other "big meals" you are eating 1,200 calories a day? get real. count your calories for 2-3 weeks and you'll have a good idea....the elliptical is bonus. the elliptical is next to worthless if you aren't doing this.

 

Bought elliptical, but not seeing results after a month

That's great and all but i've also been told that eating too little will result in nothing too. This is why I eat healthier calories. If anything I need to eat more. I definitely have a deficit. I burn 600 calories a day on the elliptical and consume at MOST 1200 calories with my over-estimations. Every site i've plugged my information into claims I will burn around 1500-1700 calories just doing my daily activities and pretty much "existing". This puts me at a -900 to -1100 deficit a day. This equals out to around 2 pounds a week. Even if my calorie estimates are incredibly off, i'm at a deficit and should be seeing at least some weight coming off.

Even I was consuming 1500-1600 calories a day I would still be at a deficit. Say I fill the bowl to the top.. OK, 600 calories per meal. I eat 2 big meals and a small snack before bed usually. Thats 1200 calories + a small 200ish calorie snack. That's 1400 calories. I burn 600 alone on the elliptical a day, that's 800 calories to burn just by moving around throughout the day to break even. According to everything I read I should be burning about 1500-1700 calories a day just by moving about (not including my exercise). That's a -700 to -900 deficit a day. Even if i'm somehow estimating my calorie in-take to be 500 points off every day (an entire extra meal). I should still be seeing some weight loss after a entire month of this unless im missing something?

 

Bought elliptical, but not seeing results after a month

Last edited by Murlocke; Today at 08:06 AM.