Weight Loss Woes

missimperfect

Hello MFP! It's been a hot minute since I have spoken to ya'll. How are you?
I have maintained (give or take five pounds) this last year, never dropping below 328. However it looks like I have lost weight. I hear it from people often, but tonight I actually noticed it myself. My legs look thinner and I've totally lost some weight in my midsection and behind. However the scale does not reflect that. Is that normal?

MissusMoon

dawn_westbury wrote: »

If you're building muscle yes. It weighs more than fat.

No. A pound of muscle weighs a pound. A pound of fat weighs a pound. A pound of muscle takes up less visible space than a pound of fat because it is more dense.

missimperfect

dawn_westbury wrote: »

If you're building muscle yes. It weighs more than fat.

it would be possible I an building muscle. I'm a DSP, which is like a CNA. I have been for three years but the job is constantly keeping me on my feet and doing different physical things.

trigden1991

At 328 it will be extremely hard to notice small losses/recomposition so it is highly unlikely that this is the case.

dolliesdaughter

dawn_westbury wrote: »

If you're building muscle yes. It weighs more than fat.

It is not easy to build muscles, it take professional body builders months to build muscle. Check out body building forums, it not easy to sign up on MFP and work out 45-60 minutes per day. Any movement is good for health, but building muscle takes strict discipline, more than this site can offer FOR THE MOST PART.

Also muscle does not weigh more than fat.

zoeysasha37

Chances are that you are not building muscle from doing your job.

Let's put it like this- I'm a female who eats at a calorie surplus while lifting heavy and can barely build any noticeable muscle. It's extremely difficult and doesn't happen by accident.

alanlmarshall

It's most likely an inaccurate scale.

Need2Exerc1se

zoeysasha37 wrote: »

Chances are that you are not building muscle from doing your job.

Let's put it like this- I'm a female who eats at a calorie surplus while lifting heavy and can barely build any noticeable muscle. It's extremely difficult and doesn't happen by accident.

I don't believe this is true of everyone. Some people put on muscle more easily than others.

trigden1991

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

zoeysasha37 wrote: »

Chances are that you are not building muscle from doing your job.

Let's put it like this- I'm a female who eats at a calorie surplus while lifting heavy and can barely build any noticeable muscle. It's extremely difficult and doesn't happen by accident.

I don't believe this is true of everyone. Some people put on muscle more easily than others.

Women cannot build appreciable amounts of muscle quickly, that is a biological fact.

Need2Exerc1se

trigden1991 wrote: »

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

zoeysasha37 wrote: »

Chances are that you are not building muscle from doing your job.

Let's put it like this- I'm a female who eats at a calorie surplus while lifting heavy and can barely build any noticeable muscle. It's extremely difficult and doesn't happen by accident.

I don't believe this is true of everyone. Some people put on muscle more easily than others.

Women cannot build appreciable amounts of muscle quickly, that is a biological fact.

Perhaps. I have no idea what you mean by "appreciable amounts".

LivingtheLeanDream

At your current weight it would take losing 50+lbs to see noticeable difference imo

dolliesdaughter

From Bodybuilding.com, pretty respectable. How much muscle can you gain? http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/maki2.htm Remember, this is from people who are pretty serious about gaining muscle.

Gallowmere1984

Also keep in mind, at her weight, being on her feet all day is likely moving more dead weight than most heavy lifting women at the gym ever will. Now, that doesn't mean that I am validating the muscle thing, just that it's a consideration that is often overlooked. Throw on a couple hundred pounds of weighted vest and walk around for a few hours. Let me know how you feel.

trigden1991

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

trigden1991 wrote: »

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

zoeysasha37 wrote: »

Chances are that you are not building muscle from doing your job.

Let's put it like this- I'm a female who eats at a calorie surplus while lifting heavy and can barely build any noticeable muscle. It's extremely difficult and doesn't happen by accident.

I don't believe this is true of everyone. Some people put on muscle more easily than others.

Women cannot build appreciable amounts of muscle quickly, that is a biological fact.

Perhaps. I have no idea what you mean by "appreciable amounts".

Lyle McDonald (plus others) state that a male with 2 years of weight training experince could hope to gain 10-12lbs of muscle in a year if everything is optimal. A women in the same position could hope to gain half of that. That breaks down to less than 0.5lbs a month. Appreciable means "enough to be noticed" in case you didn't understand the word itself.

Gallowmere1984

trigden1991 wrote: »

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

trigden1991 wrote: »

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

zoeysasha37 wrote: »

Chances are that you are not building muscle from doing your job.

Let's put it like this- I'm a female who eats at a calorie surplus while lifting heavy and can barely build any noticeable muscle. It's extremely difficult and doesn't happen by accident.

I don't believe this is true of everyone. Some people put on muscle more easily than others.

Women cannot build appreciable amounts of muscle quickly, that is a biological fact.

Perhaps. I have no idea what you mean by "appreciable amounts".

Lyle McDonald (plus others) state that a male with 2 years of weight training experince could hope to gain 10-12lbs of muscle in a year if everything is optimal. A women in the same position could hope to gain half of that. That breaks down to less than 0.5lbs a month. Appreciable means "enough to be noticed" in case you didn't understand the word itself.

That's also for pretrained individuals. Noob gains are a thing, and if she was mostly sedentary before starting to lug around her current bodyweight, I could see some crazy development pretty early.

KimiAR

Averages are just that - averages. Some women can gain a LOT more muscle then some men. Genetically I build muscle well. It stinks! Though I doubt a body recomp in this particular situation unless the job described is relatively new? Last six months or so

tulips_and_tea

OP, if YOU notice a change, then great! Keep doing what you're doing. The scale is only ONE way of tracking and measuring. Start taking your body measurements with a cloth tape measure. You will see changes there, I'm sure.

1shedev

I'm a DSP also. I don't think a person can gain an appreciable amount of muscle from doing the job. For that I do strong lifts.