I've Been Exercising For 16 Days & Have Very Little Weight Loss

I've Been Exercising for 16 Days & Have Very Little Weight Loss

May 26, 2011 | By Beverlee Brick

Weight loss can be a long and frustrating process; often a cycle of success and failure that too frequently ends with giving up in disgust. If you've been exercising faithfully for two weeks, you should be seeing some degree of progress. If not, it's time to adjust your weight loss plan. Just how to adjust it will depend on what factors are slowing your results in the first place.

Weight Loss Basics

You lose weight when you burn enough calories to create a caloric deficit - forcing your body to access energy stored as fat.Exercise increases the number of calories you burn in three different ways: it burns more calories during your workout, makes greater demands on your usual metabolism as you recover from the exertion and, ultimately, increases how many calories your body burns in all activities.

Intensity

Exercise will only burn enough calories for weight loss if you exercise intensely. A workout that's too short or easy might raise your burn a little bit, but you need to seriously push yourself to burn the 3500 calories in just one pound of fat. Celebrity trainer Bill Phillips say you must sweat 20 to 30 minutes, at a minimum, if you want to see weight-loss results. Choice of exercise is also a factor. Cardiovascular workouts burn more calories and, thus, are more effective for weight loss than resistance exercises like weightlifting.

Eating Habits

If you exercise enough to create a caloric deficit, your body's first natural response will be to get hungrier. It will want to take in extra energy to make up for the imbalance. If you're focusing on exercise, but not on diet, there's a good chance you're unconsciously eating enough additional food to spoil your exercise weight-loss efforts. Try to eat only as much food as you did prior to beginning your workout regimen.

Medical Reasons

If you're sweating daily and eating light, but still not losing weight, it's possible that you have a medical condition that's preventing you from losing weight. Hypothyroidism, Prader-Willi Syndrome and Cushing's Syndrome are three common problems that manifest in this way. Check with your doctor if you feel this might be contributing. Even if he finds you have no medical problems, he may be able to suggest some other ideas for improving your weight-loss results.