I have been working with a trainer for the past 6 weeks and I'm not seeing results.I work with the trainer 2x week for one hour. 10 mins on the elliptical and then weight bearing exercises with her.
I was going about 3 other days for cardio which was either 1/2 hour treadmill or 15 each on treadmill and elliptical.
I log all my food on the 14-hour fitness program and keep a watch on the nutrition mix. She advised a 20-60-20 ratio of protein-carbs-fat and a goal of 1500 calories. I have a good deficit every day (over 500 calories) but the scale is not budging.
This past week I decided I needed to move more so I went every day (other than Mon and Fri) and spent 50 mins on the treadmill and/or elliptical.
I weigh in every week and I lost an initial 2 pounds and that's it. Since then nothing has changed - either weight or measurements.
What's up with that? Any advice you can give is appreciated.
If you look around a gym, the people that are in the best shape are the ones that are working the hardest; they're running on the treadmill (not jogging), lifting heavy weights (usually with free weights, not the machines), and taking less breaks than the rest of the gym-goers. This isn't a coincidence!
Intensity: It's the number one key to getting results at the gym (and nutrition is number one for getting results, period (more on that later).
I'd talk to your trainer if you feel that you're not being decimated by your sessions. Seriously - you're not paying her for conversation, and after 12 sessions, you should have a pretty good idea of your form, so her main job is to push you to achieve what you can't by yourself (and "just showing up" doesn't count as an achievement!). She should be tracking your workouts, so you should be able to see a sizeable increase in strength (the amount of weight you can lift) over the last 6 weeks. If not, ask to be pushed harder. A good trainer can work you reeeeally hard without breaking you!
(A great example of intense training (to work up to) is on the Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp - these people work HARD, but get fantastic results in 4 weeks) http://www.slice.ca/Shows/ShowsPage.aspx?Title_ID=105451 (also some great menus and meal ideas!)
Cardio: 3x a week (on top of 2 weight days) sounds great - but again, how hard are you working? Generally, light cardio needs to last 60 minutes, moderate about 45 minutes, and intense/intervals from 20-30 minutes in order to be effective. If you're sticking with 30 minutes (I'd rather work harder for less time, personally), choose ONE cardio machine for each workout (alternating them is fine), and, after a 5-minute warmup at an easy pace, try pushing yourself through some intervals - 1 minute of running/very brisk walking/high incline, followed by 2-3 of recovery...and if that's ok, then work up to 3 minutes of the intense interval for every 1-2 minutes of recovery, and a 5-minute cooldown. In a 30-minute session, that's 20 minutes of "work", so again, make it count! (if you're doing 15 minutes on each machine, there's the break in between in which your heart rate goes down, and because it's a different mode of exercise, your body takes a while to want to burn fat... don't make me get all science-y here.
For those following along at home, this means ramping up your workouts, whether it's walking more briskly (actively refocusing: picture me walking beside you and peskily reminding you to swing your arms more ("chest/hip, chest/hip") or "faster!" every 30 seconds or so), making bigger movements with your exercise videos, or doing a few extra repetitions of your weights. Work harder, please!
Food: If you are being honest with your workouts, and giving it your all (or at least 90 percent on the days that you don't have the full 100 to give), and you are honestly eating fairly cleanly and maintaining a reasonable calorie deficit, and not seeing results, well, somebody isn't being honest somewhere.
This is always the hardest part, but if you have a little bit of this and that here and there, you're probably overshooting your caloric requirements and unwittingly sabotaging your efforts.
Do you have a food scale? I was surprised by how big a 4 oz chicken breast was and how small a 3 oz potato was. Measuring your carbs is always an eye-opener, as is measuring your "extras" - I had to put a measuring cup in our giant bag of trail mix, so that we could see what a serving looked like (it was NOT what we had been eating, that's for sure). If you feel that you really need your treats (I'm typing with sticky fingers and a wine smile, so no judgement from here!), start skipping them every second day. Cutting out homemade raspberry-rhubarb tarts with lemony cream cheese icing (for example) for the rest of your life is a bit daunting and unreasonable, but deciding that my willpower can last ONE DAY and that I can have one (ONE!) tomorrow (and possibly a glass of wine with it) is manageable. Just make sure that you're not overcompensating on the "good" days!
Are you eating three small meals and three healthy snacks? This keeps your metabolism pumping, and prevents the "oh dear, I'm starving and I need to eat a box of donuts" problem. Try to make sure that you have whole grains, lean protein, and a fruit or vegetable with each meal/snack.
Water: the more, the better! If you eat processed or salty foods, water retention can be a big problem, and can prevent you from seeing results. Aim for 2 litres a day (I think that's half a gallon to you Americans), NOT INCLUDING what you drink during and right after your workout. Measure it, drink it, and burn extra calories on your many trips to the bathroom! :)
Um...so that's all the advice I can give you from this far away.
To sum up: 1) Make every workout count (and make sure your trainer is earning your money); and 2) Be scrupulously honest about your food intake.
Let me know how your talk with your trainer goes, but I definitely recommend continuing with a trainer for another 4-6 weeks before deciding to go it on your own...maybe there's another trainer there that you see really pushing her clients? This is probably rather scattered, but I hope it's a little helpful.
