Help. My Wife Can't Lose Weight!

[WannaBeBig]

I haven't posted here in a long while, but when I do I always get good tips.

Heres the problem. My wife had our child almost 18 months ago and she is still 50 lbs overweight.

She has been dedicated to cardio and weight lifting for the past four months and haven't lost any weight. She does one hour treadmill 5 times a week, lifts with me 3 times a week, and watches her diet.

I feel sorry for her because she works at it so hard but the scale aint moving and I don't know what else to tell her. It looks like she's doing everything right.

ANY ADVICE PLEASE?!

 

[skaman607]

get a body fat caliper and see what her bf% is, she might have gained weight but lost fat

 

[Thaibox]

skaman's right. Muscle weighs more than fat.

Also, if this continues, get her thyroid checked. If she has a hyperthyroid condition, it will be nearly impossible for her to lose weight unless she gets this under control first. Have her take her temperature when she wakes in the morning, after she works out, and in the evening. A clear abnormality during these times may signify a thyroid problem. A very frustrating thing if you don't medicate it.

 

[DrBones]

How common are hyperthyroids in younger men?
I'm 21, almost 22 and I'm roasting almost 24H a day...
I can lose the bulk of my fat.. but have a tendancy to have difficulty with the last 2-3 %

 

[bignate73]

for clarification its hypothyroid, an under active thyroid.

hyperthyroid would mean she cant keep weight on due to her metabolism.

to nit pick:
"muscle weighs more than fat"

does it?

1lb of muscle weighs more than 1lb of fat?

its the density thats different, the volume it takes up.

chances are if she isnt losing "weight" then she isnt losing bodyfat, regardless of whether shes putting on muscle or not. women dont live exclusively by the scale. if her clothes were fitting different, there would be no post on here about this, there would be no frustration. if a dress size, pants size or blouse size goes down, who cares about the scale. the fact is shes not dropping bodyfat..period.

mix up her nutrients, stick with low glycemic/cruciferous carbs, lean meats and make sure she has a good multivitamin to offset the vitamin/mineral deficiency due to reduced food intake. COUNT CALORIES. its not enough to watch what you eat, know exactly what you are eating. that way you can be sure.

 

[spatts]

Just like I said on the women's board....

POST UP THE DIET !!!

 

[gonelifting]

When ever I start working out (after a layoff or something) My appetite shoots way up. Maybe your wife is eating more because of all the new workouts. Has she been gauging her food intake?

 

[Fatty4You]

Hey hey, who's to say that she needs to lose weight?? Theres nothing wrong with a woman with a little extra somethin' somethin' to hold onto. Especially in the butt area. Nothing finer that a butt you can really grab onto! Oh man, i went with this girl one time who was thick, but tight, not flabby, and she had the sexiest legs i have ever seen [on someone who is not athletic].

As far as her losing weight with cardio, perhaps she is doing it too intensely. The areobic system using energy from breaking down carbs and fats, but once the aerobic threshold [or is that anerobic threshold?] is crossed - ie. the point at which cardio is too intense and there is not enough oxygen - the fat burning is stopped, and the body only gets its energy from the carb storage. So, maybe if she slowed it down to a lower intensity, she would actually lose more fat?? Not sure ....

And, not to by cynical, but ENERGY IN = ENERGY OUT. Its a pretty good rule. If you take in more than you put out, its gonna get stored! The rule is not complicated, but it can be hard to follow... especially around holliday time.

ANyway, good luck with all that.

And, just cause the wife has a little extra, dont forget to tell her how damn sexy she is, and how happy you are to be married to her.

-Fatty

 

[GinNJuice]

Like the other said.... Post her diet..... I bet the problem is there.

I laugh when people say they are "watching" what they eat. What does that mean? Are they watching the cheesecake while they put the fork into thier mouth?

 

[the_jarhead]

10 to 1 it’s her diet.
Common diet for women nothing for breakfast salad for lunch and a big dinner.
Guess what happens? THEY STAY FAT.
Not only does she have to watch what she eats but how she eats it. Have her start counting calories and make sure she spread them out over 4-5 meals a day. The larger meals should be in early part of the day late meals should be light.
From what you posted she has the right idea about working out but bodies are made in the kitchen not just the gym.

 

[Thaibox]

to nit pick:
"muscle weighs more than fat"

does it?

1lb of muscle weighs more than 1lb of fat?

its the density thats different, the volume it takes up.

chances are if she isnt losing "weight" then she isnt losing bodyfat, regardless of whether shes putting on muscle or not. women dont live exclusively by the scale. if her clothes were fitting different, there would be no post on here about this, there would be no frustration. if a dress size, pants size or blouse size goes down, who cares about the scale. the fact is shes not dropping bodyfat..period.

Yes, 1 lb of cotton weighs as much as 1 lb of gold also, what's your point? This is dumb. Why would you argue this? He did not say dress size, he only said weight.

 

[PolishHammer1977]

Wanna,

A womans body undergoes a tremendous change during a pregnancy and delivery. Weight loss is obviously a concern because of the huge amounts of water and extra weight they have to carry in order to support the growing fetus/child.

You have to be patient though. Baby steps. All women are different and their bodies react differently after delivery. It is almost like lifting weights. Each of us our completely different and our genentics determine what our true outcomes will be. I think it may be the same in this case.

Stay on course with her, support her, and most importantly compliment her. Think about it in terms of if you were her. I know it would be tough for me.

 

[bignate73]

Yes, 1 lb of cotton weighs as much as 1 lb of gold also, what's your point? This is dumb. Why would you argue this? He did not say dress size, he only said weight.

i would argue it because its a misleading statement that gets perpetuated. it makes people feel good about staying the same weight when they believe that they gained more muscle, when the possibility that they lost muscle and gained fat (due to overtraining and suppressed BMR) is very real.

unless she is training for something that requires her to "weigh" in, im assuming most people want to lose bodyfat.

as i said before, something obviously hasnt changed for the better otherwise weight wouldnt be a consideration. if clothes fit different AND weight stayed the same, there would be no question that bodyfat and LBM, went and came on, respectively, at the same rate.

just a little troubleshooting, thats all. i read into what people say, not take the words at face value. no big deal though.

 

[Scaggs]

It wouldn't be a bad idea to get a thyroid check. I have heard that before after giving birth. Thyroids get all out of wack. By now i think it should have returned to normal so... maybe you should check it. If its normal, then i'd say dig deep into her diet. Like said above, Count everything.

Scaggs