7 weeks, no weight loss :(

knk121

Hi MFPers. I'm feeling a bit frustrated today. I've been making a change this summer, and sticking to it, and the scale doesn't seem to reflect it.

For the past 7 weeks, I've been going to the gym 5 times a week, and doing Couch to 5k. I've been eating around 1500 calories a day, and eating my exercise calories back. Today I finished Week 6 of Couch to 5k, and felt really good! It's the longest I've ever run in my life!

I've definitely been feeling better -- happier, more energetic, and I've certainly noticed that I have much better stamina for cardio exercise. And I am getting thinner -- I've lost an inch around my waist, according to my measurements. My most recent pictures do show a tiny improvement over my "before" pictures.

But the scale hates me and refuses to move. Not even a pound. I even weighed myself on the gym's scale today to see if maybe my own scale wasn't working, but it came out the same.

After 7 weeks of following a plan, I would have expected to see some change on the scale!

Am I doing something wrong? Your input would be appreciated. And I could always use new friends!

Cheers,
Kim

dacquinc

Hi!
It's a frustrating thing when you've hit a plateau! I'm currently there and tend to see it whenever I'm about to break another 10lb barrier. Hang in there b/c you're doing great! I would suggest you add more fiber to your diet. Also, are you well hydrated during and after your workouts? Sometimes I retain when I'm not well hydrated and that gives the appeareance of "no change". Also, your body is calling on muscles that you may not have been using much prior to running so...your muscle mass may be more but your fat may be less. AND THAT'S A WONDERFUL THING.
Stay strong and feel free to add me as a friend.

kbmnurse

Take your scale and chuck it. Look at all the positive things you can say. I NEVER weigh myself. I too feel better, stronger and happier. Who cares what the scale says.

Pulka_Dot

Take your scale and chuck it. Look at all the positive things you can say. I NEVER weigh myself. I too feel better, stronger and happier. Who cares what the scale says.

^Exactly. It sounds like you're doing great so ignore that stupid number.

MrsSenecal

Its not really a plateau, because you are obviously gaining more lean muscle since you are losing inches. Dont go by the scale if you are working out as heavily as you are. You are feeling better and getting healthier and thats all that counts.

epie2098

I've been there too. I've had months at a time where the scale has been within the same few pounds. Just keep doing what you're doing, as health is worth way more than the numbers on the scale. The fact that you've lost inches is also way more awesome than losing pounds, because it shows the composition of your body is changing, which is really what it's all about.

knk121

Thanks, y'all. I was resisting weighing myself for awhile because I didn't want to have the temptation of just starving myself to lose weight.

Maybe I should just dropkick my scale! It does have a body fat measurement function, which is one of the reasons I bought it, but I can't seem to get that part to work -- it always says "error" when I try to use it. Hopefully that's not because my body fat percentage is too high for it to measure. :-P

jlynneh91

Kim-
Congrats on your c25k progress. I started c25k in late February and was glad to just "finish" my first two races - a 6K (late April) and a 5K (last Saturday). Anyway, with all the added running (or jogging, I'm not super fast) 2-3x week I thought I'd be losing as well. But I wasn't at all keeping track of calories, just trying to make good choices and probably failing quite a bit.

So, I just joined MFP this week. And I'm wondering if I'll finally start seeing a change on the scale. I am fine with losing inches, and just did measurements earlier today (ugh). But the number on the scale does have a certain effect on the emotions, I understand!

Good luck!

PinkNinjaLaura

Thanks, y'all. I was resisting weighing myself for awhile because I didn't want to have the temptation of just starving myself to lose weight.

Maybe I should just dropkick my scale! It does have a body fat measurement function, which is one of the reasons I bought it, but I can't seem to get that part to work -- it always says "error" when I try to use it. Hopefully that's not because my body fat percentage is too high for it to measure. :-P

This may be a stupid question but do you have bare feet when you weigh yourself? If I jump on wearing socks the body fat function gives me an error. Plus I understand from most of those you have to be well hydrated in order for them to be more accurate, and who drinks a big glass of water before jumping on the scale?

tyler2go

Great topic! I just researched information last night. I also shared your feelings but realized dropping inches is far better. Don't become despondent...keep it up! Your body will catch-up. I do not go by weight at ALL. In order to maintain that this is a complete life-style change I utilize MFP to track my calories and exercise only. I am mindful of my weight but it is not my driving force. I use to allow the scale to beat me up. As I paid attention and began to focus on my body transformation I know loosing inches is more important to me. My endurance has increased tremedously, I am much stronger and feel great. To replace the scale as your achievement tool use a piece of clothing ( a favorite dress, pants, blouse that you want to fit into or better). You can use a belt watch your waist strink before your eyes. Remember muscle is more dense than fat so it takes up less room. As you continue to develop muscle and strenthen your muscles it will use much more water to heal itself. Good Luck! Your doing an awesome job!

knk121

Thanks, y'all. I was resisting weighing myself for awhile because I didn't want to have the temptation of just starving myself to lose weight.

Maybe I should just dropkick my scale! It does have a body fat measurement function, which is one of the reasons I bought it, but I can't seem to get that part to work -- it always says "error" when I try to use it. Hopefully that's not because my body fat percentage is too high for it to measure. :-P

This may be a stupid question but do you have bare feet when you weigh yourself? If I jump on wearing socks the body fat function gives me an error. Plus I understand from most of those you have to be well hydrated in order for them to be more accurate, and who drinks a big glass of water before jumping on the scale?

Ooh, this is interesting. I do weigh myself with bare feet, and I usually wet my feet if I'm trying to get a body fat reading. But I didn't know that you had to be well hydrated! Maybe I should be drinking more water . . .

Thanks!

knk121

Oh, and also, my boyfriend is dieting too. He has done nothing but switch to diet soda and he has lost 20 pounds.

Unfairness of the universe.

gracielynn1011

Don't rely on your scale for a body fat reading. They are horribly inaccurate. I can get a 10% difference in 10 minutes time. It also still shows me at 40% or higher, and I know that is way off based on how my body looks and my measurements.

As to your weight loss, it sounds like you are doing wonderful! I would be happy never losing another pound if I could lose a few more inches. That means you are losing fat instead of just weight. You will know you have reached a real plateau when you don't see progress of any kind for several weeks.

Edited to add: For body fat %, I use the fat2fitradio.com calculators. I do all three calculators, then average the results together. I do this every month and you will see a downward trend in your results.

knk121

Edited to add: For body fat %, I use the fat2fitradio.com calculators. I do all three calculators, then average the results together. I do this every month and you will see a downward trend in your results.

Thanks! I've never seen this before. Definitely going to try it.

sewingdiscontent

If I were you, I'd try only eating half of my exercise cals back, or none of them. I don't ever eat mine back ( if i exercise at all, lol) bc it defeats the main purpose of the exercise.

I am at a plateau as well. I am nearly at my goal (5lbs to go), and I haven't lost in almost two months now. I have decided to switch my macros to 40/30/30 and eat a paleo diet, while staying around 1200 calories. I can't possibly cut more calories, so I am choosing to cut carbs. Frankly though, it is giving me headaches and making me feel like I have the flu, but that is supposed to go away in a week or so. In theory, paleo ppl don't have to worry about calories, but I can't get comfortable with that, due to my own neurosis.

sweetchildomine

If you're losing inches then you are doing everything right my dear! Just keep doing what you're doing and stop worrying about the number on the scale!! I personally take progress pics and measure myself in order to figure out how I'm doing. The scale is a mean mean liar lol.

SteveStedge1

Its not really a plateau, because you are obviously gaining more lean muscle since you are losing inches. Dont go by the scale if you are working out as heavily as you are. You are feeling better and getting healthier and thats all that counts.

THIS! If you really want to measure your progress, buy yourself a decent bodyfat monitor.

I'm assuming most people don't want to lose POUNDS, they want to lose FAT! Look leaner, perform better, etc. A scale is only 1/2 the equation if that. Weight tells you nothing if you dont know how much % fat you are.

knk121

If I were you, I'd try only eating half of my exercise cals back, or none of them. I don't ever eat mine back ( if i exercise at all, lol) bc it defeats the main purpose of the exercise.

I am at a plateau as well. I am nearly at my goal (5lbs to go), and I haven't lost in almost two months now. I have decided to switch my macros to 40/30/30 and eat a paleo diet, while staying around 1200 calories. I can't possibly cut more calories, so I am choosing to cut carbs. Frankly though, it is giving me headaches and making me feel like I have the flu, but that is supposed to go away in a week or so. In theory, paleo ppl don't have to worry about calories, but I can't get comfortable with that, due to my own neurosis.

I'm a former anorexic, so I try really hard not to go below 1500 calories or I end up slowly moving down toward 0. I'm also finishing my dissertation right now, and not eating enough makes me brainless, so I can't afford to diet really drastically right now.

But I do wonder if I am eating back too many exercise calories, or if the machines in the gym/the numbers on MFP are overestimating how many calories I burn during exercise.

conniemaxwell5

Have you calculated your TDEE? You may not be getting enough calories for your activity level. I do a similar routine (also just finished week 6 of C25K - YAY!) and I eat 1700-1800 calories a day. I lose .5-1 pound a week.

TheEffort

Take your scale and chuck it. Look at all the positive things you can say. I NEVER weigh myself. I too feel better, stronger and happier. Who cares what the scale says.

This.

Look at the Non-Scale Victories (NSV); your body is making other positive changes despite the plateau in weight loss. Find comfort in that and hang in there.

LaurenAOK

If I were you, I'd try only eating half of my exercise cals back, or none of them. I don't ever eat mine back ( if i exercise at all, lol) bc it defeats the main purpose of the exercise.

I am at a plateau as well. I am nearly at my goal (5lbs to go), and I haven't lost in almost two months now. I have decided to switch my macros to 40/30/30 and eat a paleo diet, while staying around 1200 calories. I can't possibly cut more calories, so I am choosing to cut carbs. Frankly though, it is giving me headaches and making me feel like I have the flu, but that is supposed to go away in a week or so. In theory, paleo ppl don't have to worry about calories, but I can't get comfortable with that, due to my own neurosis.

I'm a former anorexic, so I try really hard not to go below 1500 calories or I end up slowly moving down toward 0. I'm also finishing my dissertation right now, and not eating enough makes me brainless, so I can't afford to diet really drastically right now.

But I do wonder if I am eating back too many exercise calories, or if the machines in the gym/the numbers on MFP are overestimating how many calories I burn during exercise.

Great response, I'm really glad you didn't take this advice. Eating back exercise calories does not "defeat the purpose of the exercise." MFP has you set on a calorie goal so that you will lose weight with NO EXERCISE at all - meaning if you do exercise, you're supposed to eat those calories back.

MFP does tend to overestimate calories burned for some people (I haven't found that it does for me, but I see people complain about that all the time). Maybe eat back 75% of your exercise calories, but I wouldn't go below that.

Anyway, the scale doesn't matter. Someone above me posted an excellent photo representation of that! If you're feeling better and you've lost an inch off your waist, who cares what the scale says? Seriously. You're obviously seeing progress, which means you're on the right track.

Good luck with everything

knk121

If you're losing inches then you are doing everything right my dear! Just keep doing what you're doing and stop worrying about the number on the scale!! I personally take progress pics and measure myself in order to figure out how I'm doing. The scale is a mean mean liar lol.

This. Is. Awesome.

lyzee88

excercise is good. but diet will lose you the most weight. instead of just calorie counting, try cutting out sugar. it s amazing what happens! i have lost almost forty lbs by cutting out sugar and wheat. eat lean meat and veggies. even limit fruits due to their sugars for the first week. you will see the lbs fall off.
good luck!

bonjour24

I'd forget about the scale. I'd even take the emphasis away from getting smaller. I focus on getting fitter and being happier, without the emphasis being on body fat. Especially given your history of ED. If you can feel happy and healthy without this being connected to your weight or size, then you're onto a winner. And I bet that everything else will fall into place.

unFATuated

But I do wonder if I am eating back too many exercise calories, or if the machines in the gym/the numbers on MFP are overestimating how many calories I burn during exercise.

Get yourself a heart rate monitor which has a chest strap and calorie counting function. Don't go by the machines in the gym or the MFP numbers. Neither of them have any clue how hard you are actually working.

BenKnowsFitness

After 77 pounds of weight loss I've been stuck for over a year. I've found that I can no longer move the scales with extra exercise. I can move them by lowering my food intake. So for a year I have been up 5, down 5, up 5 down 5.

knk121

Get yourself a heart rate monitor which has a chest strap and calorie counting function. Don't go by the machines in the gym or the MFP numbers. Neither of them have any clue how hard you are actually working.

Thanks! I've been wondering about whether I should do this. Do you have any suggestions for a good heart rate monitor that isn't super expensive?

BenKnowsFitness

Get yourself a heart rate monitor which has a chest strap and calorie counting function. Don't go by the machines in the gym or the MFP numbers. Neither of them have any clue how hard you are actually working.

Thanks! I've been wondering about whether I should do this. Do you have any suggestions for a good heart rate monitor that isn't super expensive?

I got a proform from walmart for under 50 bucks. One note though. I bought three of them, one never worked (returned), one kept running chest strap battery down too fast (kept it), another works perfect all the time. I got a more expensive proform from sports authority that has a pedometer. it was 99 bucks. works great but the walmart one was just as good.