PrintHave a question about your routine or anything fitness-related? Send it Raphael’s way at askraphael@ediets.com.
Raphael,
I’ve only lost 9 pounds after six days a week for three months at the gym. Food intake is targeted and measured to what it should be, with occasional cheating but certainly not enough to merit lack of weight loss. My daughter has been “supporting” me to the gym but hasn’t lost an ounce – maybe gained; she doesn’t cheat. Finally, she went to a homeopathic doctor that told her that her blood type O was the culprit.
Is there truth to that? I am also type O, 60 years old and 60 pounds overweight. Is there hope for me to lose? Before slowly gaining in my mid 40s, I was skinny! Help if you can. Thank you. — Maggie
Maggie,
I agree that after 12 weeks, your weight loss and all your effort in the gym is falling short. However, there is always a solution so be confident in that fact. Normally, one might lose water weight along with fat the first few weeks. But in reality, the human body can only lose up to approximately 2 pounds of fat per week without losing valuable muscle mass. I generally recommend that a person lose 1-2 pounds per week.
You didn’t mention what your workout is comprised of, but if you’re working out six days per week, I suspect the problem is related to your nutrition program; that’s assuming you’re performing at least 25 minutes of cardio per day at your target heart rate and strength training 2-3 days per week.
You mention food intake is targeted, but it sounds like you’re either consuming too many calories or not enough calories. In many cases, people start working out quite a lot but keep calories too low — this slows the rate of the metabolism. I’m also curious about your occasional cheating and how much the calories add up to each week.
You require a professional assessment of your situation. If you’re an eDiets member, I encourage you to contact one of our registered dietitians. We’ll take into account your height, weight, activity level and analyze your current diet. eDiets will then provide a solution. If this is not an option, then I recommend that you journal all of your meals for one week. Write down the foods, amounts and total calories. Then see what the amount averages every day. You may be surprised at the end result because journaling tends to pinpoint where we are going wrong.
After one week of journaling — and if everything still looks good to you — I recommend manipulating your food intake by decreasing calories by 150-200 (assuming it doesn’t fall lower than 1200 calories) for seven consecutive days. Do not cheat on your diet during those days. So if you’re currently taking in 1500 calories per day, then reduce to 1300-1350.
Again, it’s very important that it be for seven consecutive days in order to establish a baseline. If you see a loss, then you know you’re on the right track. If you do not see a loss, then it’s quite possible you may need to experiment by actually increasing food intake. I’m not a fan of this type of hit-or-miss approach, so again I encourage you to get a professional assessment.
As far as your and your daughter’s blood type being the issue related to not losing weight – nothing could be further from the truth. The erroneous information provided was based on the Blood Type Diet. I challenge anyone to go to a lab, get blood food allergy tests and three consecutive days of stool samples to check for total digestion and short and long-term food reaction, and then prove to me that the results show they can’t lose weight because of their blood type.
The body, food allergies, digestion and everything that goes into it are far more unique and genetic than a simple “you can’t lose weight due to your blood type” response. There are many things one can do such as reducing sugar, avoiding gluten, keeping meals and snacks small, eating every 3 hours — but to blame weight issues on blood type is not one of them. However, if someone really wants to know what foods to eat, then the food allergy tests make sense.
Best of luck to you. Again, please get that professional assessment of your nutrition program. It holds the answer you’re looking for. And as I mentioned at the start, there is always a solution so don’t give up or lose hope. You can and will lose weight with the proper assessment.
A drug-free competitive bodybuilder and winner of the prestigious WNBF (World Natural Bodybuilding Federation) Pro Card, Raphael Calzadilla is a veteran of the health-and-fitness industry. He specializes in a holistic approach to body transformation, nutrition programs and personal training. He earned his B.A. from Southern Connecticut State University and is certified as a personal trainer with The American Council on Exercise (ACE). In addition, he successfully completed the RTS1 (Resistance Training Specialist) program based on biomechanics.
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