Why can’t I lose weight?
Why can’t I lose my tummy?
I eat right and I exercise, but I cannot lose weight
I’ve been exercising everyday.. why don’t I see results?
But I control my food …
I don’t eat rice at night
I’m on a diet.. and it’s not working.
Honestly people… I’ve grown sick and tired of those who say these things without looking at themselves in the mirror first. Don’t get me wrong.. there ARE those who genuinely don’t know.. so that’s okay – I’m not referring to you guys in this writeup.
This writeup goes out to those who do the things they do, cheat too often on their diets and yet fail to realise the obvious on why they can’t shed their bodyfat (SO obvious that I sometimes think they do it on purpose!!).
DM’s bottled up frustrations:
1. You walk to the changing room faster than you walk on the treadmill
2. You’re so glued to that damn book you’re reading while on the exercise bike not realising your grandmother could cycle faster than you.
3. You cardio for 10 mins and drink 3 huge mugs of 100 plus to replenish the 3 drops of sweat that rolled off your cheeks.
4. You walk around the gym sipping 100 plus THROUGHOUT your workout – what… are you on a marathon?
5. You regularly make a stop at the McDonald’s drive-thru near Fitness First Wisma Consplant after your RPM studio class.
6. You don’t have your breakfast.
7. Coffee is not breakfast.
8. You skip your meals.
9. You have CONVERSATIONS with your Personal Trainer DURING your cardio session.
10. You look forward to the front desk girls at the gym more than your workout (Actually.. the new girl at the front desk at FF Manulife is pretty cute.. anyone else thinks so?)
11. Please explain to me how on earth your zero-carb dinner could include a can of coke next to your plate? (by the way, I personally am not a big fan of zero carb diets)
12. You SLACK OFF on your diet just because you’re on thermogenic supplements (Lipo-6, Hydroxycut, Thermonex, etc)
13. Your 60-minute exercise routine at the gym consists of 30 mins on the abdominal bench, 10 minutes of rest at the juice bar, 10 minutes of cardio, and another 10 minutes to chat with your friends (ALSO OVERWEIGHT) at the stairway.
14. Your 90 minutes at the gym consists of 45 minutes of WAITING at the entrance of the studio for the class to start, and another 45 minutes participating in the actual class.
15. You take EVERY SINGLE THING that your Personal Trainer tells you as the gospel truth, and not take the initiative to do a little fact finding of your own.
16. Your Personal Trainer is fatter than you.
17. You give a pathetic excuse – “I’m so busy with my job and hobbies… there’s no time to exercise!”
18. You set unrealistic goals for yourself – like losing 10 kgs in one month. Why set yourself up for failure?
Sigh..
Of course, there are a handful of people who ARE genuinely unable to lose weight no matter how hard they try, and they may need to seek medical attention. But in my opinion, the majority of those who are overweight or are considered overweight – probably can do something about it.
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This post was written by...
Noel Chelliah, ACE-CPT, ACE-LWMC, has been recognized as one of the Top Transformation Experts in Malaysia. No stranger to being overweight himself, Noel has gone through a life-changing transformation himself, from fat, to fit. In 2010, Noel founded the DailyMuscle Body Transformation Camp, which today helps hundreds of individuals exercise and practice healthier habits. In his spare time, Noel serves the community with various programs that promote a healthier lifestyle, and enjoys playing with his dogs.
My name is Noel Chelliah, and I’m a Transformation Specialist and founder of the 
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Congratulations! Your blog has been chosen as one of the lucky five that got tagged by Ah Pek.
Thanks.
Uhmm.. so what do I do now?
he did this to my blog too..haha
You forgot one reason. Somewhere in there unconscious mind runs a program or belief that doesn’t “allow” them to lose weight. so everytime they start losing weight, something pulls them back. This is called secondary gain.
DM: i can honestly and proudly say that none of e above applies to me.. YET! argh. ahhahaa… im not tryg to lose weight, but i want to lose fats! yeah!
What about fat loss/muscle gain equilibrium…. some people don’t realise that either
” 18. You set unrealistic goals for yourself – like losing 10 kgs in one month. Why set yourself up for failure? ”
–> sounds familiar….lol…but it’s NOT me…one of the PT’s client…When I first started, I aimed for 10 – 11kg in 2 months – I might be a lil greedy! =P
Gaining muscle while losing weight and staying tone is a very difficult and almost unrealistic task. Many people will either have a bulk phase and then a tone phase, or vice versa. However, to have a synergy between the two is a possibility. It just requires a lot of discipline, as does most things pertaining to this article. If you can discipline yourself, nothing is impossible. I don’t think you necessarily need medical attention. Baby steps is key. Find out what you’re capable & comfortable with doing, and simply progress a little more, whether it’s 5 more minutes at the gym, or another day out of the week, or cutting carbonated drinks out of your diet. Every little bit helps. Much like weightlifters who add maybe 2.5-5 lbs more to their routine, they’re setting realistic and incremental goals. They don’t simply add another 30lbs and expect to do it.
DM, I haven’t heard from you in a while. Are you going to return my email?
Hey DM,
As previously mentioned, I’ve now been gymming for close to 2 years come this July. It’s been great fun and all but the best part has to be that I’ve managed to keep the 15kgs that I’ve lost since b4 joining the gym.
The challenge that I have now is the bit of ‘fat’ causing an overhanging belly.. As many people have told me that it’s the last to go and the most difficult to get rid off.. So patiently waiting for something to happen. There’s motivation enough to get rid off it but realised that it doesn’t happen overnight.
ps. I’ve got some thermogenic stuff on order at the moment, can I also use that in conjunction with stuff like Cellmass or should I leave it till I’ve finished the Lipo-6? YOur pointers would help put me in the right direction….
Thanks mate!
Hey, I didn’t know skipping meals contributes to da fat-shed failure …
And the front desk girl at the FF in manulife changes everyday
Greymound : On the contrary to what everyone believes that skipping meal is dieting, in fact its not, you need energy to burn away the fat. To keep your body running as a fat burner, you gotta gain muscles, they are the best fat burners. Just like your car, it burns gas for your driving pleasure ; your body needs fuel to burn fat as well, this comes in the way of controlled small meals around the clock (of course don’t go grabbing a small meal at 11pm).
Andreas: Maybe.. but still, with who does the problem lie?
fitchick: Of course.. this writeup wasnt for you. :P
Mojam: Yeah.. many people don’t realise the importance of muscle tissue and the role it plays in losing bodyfat. Muscles are good, male AND female.
The Dumb: 1 kg per week is the highest you should target for. That’s 4kgs a month. Anything more is most likely more muscle loss than you should be losing.
Boon Han: I’m on a cutting phase myself – currently restricting calories and increasing the amount of cardio I’m doing. I still take my creatine as I think it’s fine. But don’t expect the Cellmass to help you lose bodyfat.. but expect it to aid you in maintaining and increasing your strength levels, hardness, etc.
Greymound: Skipping a meal/starving is the biggest mistake you can ever make when you wish to shed bodyfat. You’re only causing your body to HOLD ON EVEN MORE ‘TIGHTLY’ to its bodyfat since it’s not getting a steady flow of food. Known as the starvation response:
By eating too few calories, your body THINKS it’s starving, and will enter a “starvation state” where it starts to lower your metabolism in order to ‘prepare’ for an upcoming period of little, or no food. This is a useful mechanism by your body to help face a food crisis.. but come on… look around you… do we look like we’re facing a food crisis? ;)
Jonz: Yeah.. if I may add, think of your body as a coal furnace train… you need coal for the fire to burn hotter and the train to go faster.
No coal, no hotter fire, no faster train.
No food, no energy, no efficient body to lose that bodyfat.
No coal, no hotter fire, no faster train.
No food, no energy, no efficient body to lose that bodyfat.
i like tt metaphor.
but how abt e ketosis reponse thg, DM? where Cambridge Diet (CD) is firmly for. taking minimal cals per meal, hav a 4-5 hr fastg n only sips of water thru-out e day. thereby causing (sometimes) nauseous-ness, frequent loo-going, minor headaches, and ketone breath in some ppl (least of concern) among others.
e CD helps one to lose water retention, i know tt tt’s true.
Try taking fat metaboliser pills and keeping to you diet…..surely you will be able to get rid of those stubborn fats
fitchick: I’ve never personally been on a Very-Low-Calorie diet like the cambridge diet but I can assure you that anything that requires you to drop your food level so low is only making you lose weight by starving yourself. You are only deceiving yourself when you consume yummy soups/etc that taste good (therefore you think you’re eating normally), but lack the calories your body needs. You WILL lose weight, thats for sure, but once you’re OFF the Cambridge Diet, or any other VLC diet for that matter… and you resume eating what you used to previously, your bodyweight will bounce right back, possibly even worse than what you were before, simple because you have successfully screwed up your metabolism by consuming too few calories.
As for the keto diets… well, I know 3 ppl who have been on it, yeah they lost weight then.. but now, looking at them again after some time.. they’re back to their same old selves.
Weightloss, and KEEPING THE BODYFAT off involves a change of lifestyle. There is no quick-fix. The only thing that needs to be fixed quickly.. is the mindset of the dieter.
Shaun: Not necessarily. Thermogenic supplements arent a solution, they are an aid. As long as someone has a crappy lifestyle and poor eating habits… their efforts to lose bodyfat will be in vain.
Hi,
I’ve reached my ideal weight within a month. Plus it has help me a lot in my constipation and migraine problem. I started to take Herbal life 3 months ago. Its so amazing how it has increase my quality of life. Curios? Ask me how…. I’m so happy that I want to share it with everyone.
Marilyn, correct me if I’m wrong, but the Herbalife diet plan is basically a Very Low Calorie Diet, which can lead to a lower metabolism and will require you to stay on it or eat very little amounts of food if you want to maintain your bodyweight. Also, chances of a rebound effect once you’ve stopped the diet plan is very high. To me, nothing beats good old exercise and careful eating of smaller meals spread throughout the day.
I’d like to hear more – do share!
The formula products personalize your daily protein intake.With the right amount of protein daily,hunger control happens naturally.Eating the right amount of protein daily helps you maintain leans boday mass (LBM)as you lose weight. The more LBM you have, the more your metablisme and the more rapidly you burn calories and stored fat.
I was scpetical about losing weight programme at first. At the same time, I was feeling very unhealthy with my constipation, migraine and feeling fautigue most of the time. But when I decided to consume Herbalife, I practice good eating diet too. Herbalife doesn’t helps you to have crash diet. It helps me to have a protein meal and other nutrients. In addition, I practice myself to have a healthy meal and drink a lot of liquid. In a way, the protein shakes subsidise my nutrients. After getting the ideal weight, I maintained for another 3 months by drinking one shake a day to avoid the yo yo effect. I do exercise and eat smaller meals but I took it as good protein supplement to increase my metablisme rate. It made from 100% soy protein which helps me to develop lean body mass. With the sufficient nutrients intake, it really helps me in my other health problem. I feel more energatic every morning.
Most people stop taking it and practising their old habits after reaching their ideal weight. Maintaining weight is all about consistency and balance diet. Herbalife is not a miracle solutions to lose weight but its an excellent aid for those who wants to get rid of stored fats. Losing weight requires discipline and moderation in everything. Then you will achieve the optimum weight and health stamina.
Hope my sharing will help you.
Another thing that helps are the foods that are labeled as “Negative Calorie Foods”. They don’t actually have negative calories, but you burn more calories digesting this food than you take in when eating it.
Chris: How many ‘negative calorie’ foods do you know of and have tried? I only know that Celery is one of them, and I’ve tried them.. but I hate the taste – I think celery tastes like an insect.
DM: celery = yuck. arrrrrrghhhh.. bleeeeeeeeehh.. it’s too green for me hehee.. ;)
Chris: ‘negative calorie foods’? interesting.. can name a few? (other than *gulp* Celery *gag* :)
I guess almost all veggies and fruits are negative calorie foods.
Negative calorie Veggies:-
- Asparagus, Cabbage, White onion, Spinach, Zucchini, Beets, Carrots, Cucumber, Radishes, Green Beans, Brocolli, Cauliflower, Lettuce, Garlic, Turnips
Negative calorie Fruits:-
- Apple, Lemon, Pineapple, Raspberries, Cantaloupe, Cranberries, Mango, Strawberries, Papaya, Grapefruit, Orange, Tangerins, Blackberries
Additional info….
Fat Burning Veggie:-
- Artichokes, Brussel Sprouts, Peppers, Eggplant, Greens, Okra, Chives, Butternut, Mushrooms, Parnips, Squash
Fat Burning Fruits:-
- Limes, Blueberry, Peaches, Apricots, Nectarines, Cherries, Grapes, Mango, Papaya, Pears, Watermelon
You can eat ALL the negative calorie veggies & fruits but limit the servings of fat burning fruits & veggies.
I noticed that most fat burning fruits are higher in sugar content. Maybe, that’s the reason why we should limit the consumption.
fitchick: Yeah.. celery tastes weird.. even if you dip it in peanut butter. I’m happy with apples. I consume up to 3 apples a day at the moment. That should certainly keep the doctors and the personal trainers away too. Ha ha.
The dumb: Can you really consider all those foods which are obviously high in fruit sugar as negative calories…? I guess this is a very grey-area topic which I will admit, I’m not very well versed with.
Losing is not hard but maintaining is the hardest
Wow I must be superwoman or something because I gained 40 pounds in total from pregnancy and I have 7 children. I haven’t been eating for a week now. I dont really have time. I havent been on the computer for quite a while because Im busy yet I still workout and spend 2 hours at the gym a day and I don’t feel tired during the day time ( i do have headaches but I’ve gotten used to them by now). Well I guess thats just me! Hmm i feel like superwoman !CHEESE! ( :
CookieMonster: That’s true – and that’s exactly why fitness should be a Lifestyle, and not just a temporary obsession.
Talia: 7 children? Wow! Anyway, I’m sure that over time, and with some effort and patience, you’ll be able to regain your previous fitness level.