Ok, what gives?

[NMMNG]

I joined a health club on the 5th. Between then and the 11th I:

Did a total of 8 miles on the treadmills
Did a total of 22 miles on the exercise bikes
Did the entire circuit of weights twice
Walked a mile in the park and did my usual two miles a night x4 days at my weekday job (my regular nightly rounds)

Yet I didn't lose a single pound. This is a drastic increase in physical activity for me, so I don't understand why I got no results.

[flvegan]

1. Well

First, how much weight do you think you have to lose?

Next, what was the level of intensity at which you exercised?

Lastly, did you eat more or less (or better) than you normally have before the 7 days you've worked out?

[NMMNG]

2. Answers

I'm hoping to lose 70-90lbs

On the treadmill I do 3-3.6mph; On the exercise bike I set it at resistance level 2 and make a mile in about 3 minutes. On the weights I did two sets of 12-15 reps for each of the 12 stations.

As to eating I ate the same, which is my vegetarian diet, albeit with a bit more snacking than I should be doing. I'm planning on cutting back a good deal beginning Sunday given the disappointing results over the past week.

[flvegan]

3. You're going to hate me.

First, let me repost what you said in the opening post:
Did a total of 8 miles on the treadmills
Did a total of 22 miles on the exercise bikes
Did the entire circuit of weights twice
Walked a mile in the park and did my usual two miles a night x4 days at my weekday job (my regular nightly rounds)

With the math, you did roughly 2 hours on the treadmill. You also did a little over an hour on the bike. I don't know exactly how that's broken up over that time span. It does equate to 1/2 hour per day of cardio over the 6 or 7 days. Your intensity level seems very good. Those are very good speeds.

What is your metabolism like? You say you want to lose 70-90 pounds. Does that put you in Kate Moss area, or is that a healthy goal?

Your snacking may be an issue, but you still should have lost something. Are you using the same scale each time, at roughly the same time of day?

If your body went immediately into "fight or flight" you may be what I call a hardloser, which is an endomorph to the 3rd power. That means you really need to shock your body into letting the weight go. You can do it, though. It's sort of like jump starting a car...

[Droopy]

4. She could be like me

I've been weighing myself daily since I started working out 3.5 weeks ago. I lost 6 pounds the first week. Then the following two days I put on 4 pounds while doing nothing different and I weigh myself at the same time every day. I've watched my weight fluctuate for the entire month, but it is steadily trending downward. As of this morning I was down 10 pounds total, but yesterday I was only down 7 total. I expect when I step on the scales tomorrow I'll probably have somehow put on two pounds.

[flvegan]

5. Many folks' bodies fluctuate a few to several pounds each day.

It's all in how you feel and how clothes fit. The OP won't notice clothes fitting better in a week, but there should have been a 1 or 2 pound loss, all things considered.

This is why I usually suggest tossing the scale. It lies.

[NMMNG]

6. I don't hate you

My metabolism is so-so. A 70lb weight loss would get me down to about 129, and 90lbs would get me down to about 109. I need to see what is appropriate for me once I get down to a more reasonable weight. I'm sensible enough to know that waiflike is unhealthy, particularly at my age (almost 37).

The weird thing about weighing in is I'm used to the adage of "weigh yourself in the morning" since you're typically lighter then. However since I work nights, and therefore do most of my eating in the evening and nighttime, I thought it would be better to weigh myself in the late afternoon/early evening when I first got up. I about fell over when it appeared I'd actually gained several pounds. Then I weighed myself again the next morning and was back at my normal weight. However traditionally I have weighed myself in the afternoons/evenings.

[MissMillie]

7. Don't weigh yourself every day.

My recommendation is to weigh yourself once a month.

There are other indicators you can use to judge whether or not exercise is working:

Do you have more energy?

Do you feel better?

Are your clothes beginning to fit you differently.

Has your appetite increased? (Believe it or not--that's a good sign. It can mean that you're changing your metabolism. Listen to your body, but choose lean protein, whole grains and fresh veggies.)

Don't let the scale be the be-all-and-end-all of measuring sticks for you.