Hi there!

I'm still new to Alli, but I have an issue. I have been keeping track of my eating habits for MONTHS now, and I rarely go above my limit of ~1500 Calories.

In addition to monitoring what I eat, I also exercise AT LEAST 1 hour, if not 1.5 or 2 hours a day (this includes a long walk, and intermittent jogging, along with some aerobic exercises). I wear a heart rate monitor, and my average heart rate is definitely in the fat burning range and often in the higher range.

I'm not really all that 'overweight' (I weighed in at 142 pounds this morning, and I'm a 5'2.5" nineteen-year-old woman), but I have actually GAINED 15 pounds in the past two months (2 pounds in the past week or so) and I'm so hopelessly confused! What is going on? Why am I gaining weight, rather than losing weight?

Could someone please help me out?

Thank you!

Jessica

 Hi Jessica,

Good job on sticking to your caloric intake and with your exercise regime!

I'm not sure why you are gaining weight, but I can tell you that the scale is not the best measurement of weight loss since it can be impacted by many external factors.  Instead, a better judge of how much you are progressing would be to see if you've lost body fat.  Have you been taking measurments of your hips, thights, waist and arms on a weekly basis?  Are your clothes fitting looser/better? Do you feel more energized, and are you getting stronger/gaining more endurance?  If so, you are on the right track.

I do have a couple suggestions, however, to help jump start your program.  For one, I would incorporate weight training into your weekly regime (two days of full body workouts).  Try the exercises right on this site under "mystrengthtraininglog" - and do three sets oif each exercise with a weight that challenges you for 12-15 reps each set. 

Second, try to get your HR in the aerobic zone for part of your aerobic workout, (which is about 75 percent of your max) or do some days of cardio more high intensity but at a higher heart rate. You don't need to work out for 1.5 to 2 hours per day to get great results.  And, if you can shake things up a bit, try incorporating hills and some speed work into your walks.

The important thing is to stay motivated and keep up the great effort.  You may need to give yourself a while to start seeing some big results, but as long as you stay focused, you will.

Good Luck,

Paul 

Thank you very much for the prompt response!

I've actually made an appointment with my doctor, because I'm afraid that the weight gain is caused by polycystic ovary syndrome (I have a highly irregular period and have a history of cysts), in which case, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do, but I went out and bought some light weights to take with me on my walk/jogs.

Thanks for the pointers!

Jessica

 Hi pinkchux,

Glad to hear that you made that appointment with your doctor. When it seems that you're doing everything right and you've been very consistent, there can be other factors involved causing weight loss resistance.  Hormonal imbalance is one of them, along with adrenal fatigue, insulin resistance (pre-diabetes) and thyroid issues.  Make sure that you discuss all of these issues with your doc.  They can be tested through a simple blood or saliva test!  In the meantime, don't stop eating right and exercising!  It is only going to benefit you in the end!

 Just to follow up on what Paul suggested, weight training is a huge factor in beginning to maximize your fat-burning potential as muscle is metabolically more active than fat.  Meaning, muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle to fat ratio you have the more calories you'll burn all day long, even at rest! If you don't belong to a gym, the alli website provides helpful animated demos on the website. Go to "myactivity' and click on "strength training log" to view them.  Most, if not all, of these exercises can be performed right in the comfort of your own home with a few, inexpensive tools.  A FitBall (body ball), exercise bands and dumbbells are all that you need to get in a great full-body workout!  Try to get in 2-3 full-body workouts per week each lasting from 25-35 minutes.

Do your best and stay positive!

Your friend in fitness,

Kelli 

 Hey i been on it for 2 weeks now and i can see and feel a differant in me. So keep it up u will make it

Hi wguinn1,

Thanks for writing and for your words of support and encouragement.  I am happy for you that you're making progress and seeing the benefits of regular exercise and a healthy diet!

Best in health and fitness, 

Kelli