How long to get results from a diet/exercise plan?

Dinosaur_Train

I have been eating a low fat, healthy diet and exercising daily (well known fitness DVD that is famous for its great results), hoping to go from a flabby size 12 (not saying everyone who is a size 12 is flabby but I certainly was!!) to a more toned size 8.

I thought I was doing OK; looking in the mirror my tummy was looking better and I thought my arms were more toned. I haven't weighed myself as I don't have any scales so I was going to weigh myself in a few months when I was the size I want to be.

A friend then took a photo of me a few days ago and put it on FB and if anything I look bigger than I ever have done; my face looked absolutely massive, and my arms looked very flabby and absolutely huge. I could honestly see no improvement there at all. I then went into Topshop today to buy Baxter jeans in my usual size, like I always wear. Got home and I can't even get them over my knees!

I am so upset; even if I hadn't have lost any weight, I would have thought I'd be looking a bit more toned now, as I was only a size 12 to begin with, but there is no difference at all, or rather there is a difference but it's for the worse not the better.

Has anyone got any ideas on where I'm going wrong? I'm following the slimming world principles although not officially doing SW, and have been working so hard exercising every day. I am spending about an hour a day on the exercise, and I really don't have the time to do much more as I have three children and a busy lifestyle

Rapished

Simplest way, is if your on the right diet and doing the right exercise without cheating and to the best of your ability you'd be loosing weight,

What diet are you on, some just don't do anything, some foods contain as much preservatives in as macdonalds etc,

I currently do a very strick diet and work with a personal trainer 3 times a week and cardio 2 more times

I have no
wheat
dairy
salt except naturals in food
no sugar
only eat fresh veg
basically nothing in packets
no sauces etc
anything with a label on it

but you can have
chicken turkey steak tuna white fish etc etc all fresh and lean
pretty much any veg, raw is better or steamed
water or green/fruit teas
fruits
nuts/berries

basically its pretty hardcore diet but its a 12 week plan and first 4 is weight loss, I started 2 weeks ago at 16 stone dead I now weight 15.2 and have another 10 weeks so target is a very healthy 14

I'd set a target figure and an excersise plan and diet that really pushes you, not chatting on the phone whilst squatting etc,

What well know video are you watching?

You tube is a great way to find alternate excersises that can help certain areas, you have to treat yourself to a beasting in all the right places, ideally if your working hard enough you'll be hurting for a week or 2 but you need to keep going through this, and you'll be amazed with the results.

Rapished

Further more an hour a day is maybe even to much, if your doing the right stuff and eating the right diet, slimming world is pants really, some meals are better than chips but that's about it, if your upset and want results its got to be the whole hog, then once your in motion you can introduce a few cheat meals.

45 minutes 3/4 days a week of the right excersise will see you loosing pounds in no time provided your committed to that and the diet.

pink_princess

how are your own clothes feeling, any looser?

I wouldn't go by a pair of new jeans, the size might be way out.

murphydog999

It is going to be extremely difficult for anyone to tell you what you are doing wrong without all the details, however the main question is, unless you are petite and small boned, why do you want to be a size 8? It's not a healthy size to be.

If you had put weight on, wouldn't you have noticed it in your regular clothes? Working out for an hour every day will get you toned and change your body shape - depending on the exercise you are doing, however (yes another one) 'dieting' as well and over-exercising - which is what you are doing - will stress the body and get you nowhere. Rapished is dead right on this.

Your 'flabbyness' could just be down to water retention? I've seen it happen in numerous people (clients), they have been following low-fat diets and getting nowhere, and had much better results taking wheat and sugar out of their diet.

As you say yourself ' I was only a size 12 to begin with, size 12 is good. If you are exercising and not doing weight training or resistance exercise, then change it, and take it down to 3/4x a week. Just eat healthily rather than 'diet,' - if you suffer from water retention, no wheat/flour products - and go from there.

sweetcheeks33

A size 8 is a healthy size for some please don't generalise for all.

murphydog999

sweetcheeks33 wrote: »

A size 8 is a healthy size for some please don't generalise for all.

I wasn't - unless you are petite and small boned,

thor

Being a male, I don't really have much of an idea of the difference between a size 8 and a size 12 but are there any famous size 8 women who are unhealthy? Surely they are not too thin? Maybe size 2 or 4 perhaps but size 8?

ninadam

i am a size 6-8 and perfectly healthy. i weigh 8stone4 and am 5"5 tall????? lots of my friends are also size 8 and healthy.
Maybe OP has been a size 8 before and thats what she feels comfortable at??

Anyway i just wanted to say that my friend has recently done really well, shes lost 3stone since xmas going from 13stone2 to 10stone2 and this has been made up of mainly running and spinning classes and she has gererally just done low cal healthy eating. shes very strict eating wise (no cheat days/no choc/cakes/crisps/pizza etc just eats fruit/yoghurt for snacks) and shes at the gym everyday which i personally could not do so i really admire her commitment.
i think she was about a size 14before and now size 10.
I think that different things work for different people though so maybe its just a case of trial and error trying different things to find what works best for you.

Good luck OP!

N x

Gloomendoom

thor wrote: »

Being a male, I don't really have much of an idea of the difference between a size 8 and a size 12 but are there any famous size 8 women who are unhealthy? Surely they are not too thin? Maybe size 2 or 4 perhaps but size 8?

To get the full picture you need to know how tall somebody is. Judging someone's figure by dress size alone is pretty much pointless.

I have seen some vertically challenged chubsters that can wear size 8 clothes easily.

HeadAboveWater

I'm 5'8", 10 stone, size 8, BMI 21. And I eat like a horse :rotfl: I walk to/from work every day, zumba once a week, and 15-20 mins of running once a week. Would love to have a nice toned stomach but it has other plans of it's own, so I just make do.