Frustrating weight!

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Samm471
Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay to cut a long story short my weight isn't really budging! I track and weigh everything I put in my mouth and do resistance training 3x a wee push/pull/ legs and 30 mins cardio after each session. I've been consistent the last three weeks with everything and I know I'm putting the work in at the gym. My weight is only going down by 2lbs and then back up again by 2lbs! I try to watch my sodium intake and drink 2litres of water a day. What gives? It's really frustrating me to the point where I am so close to giving up. My strength has gone up week by week in the gym and I train at a pretty hard intensity. Sometimes I feel slim other times I feel like a whale. I feel I have got slimmer around my stomach area but it's still very frustrating. I was serious and working hard about a year ago in the gym and was in such a great shape and I let it slip, I was out of the gym and only going once a week maybe twice for about a year on and off. So the last three weeks I have stuck to being back on track but it's very demotivating not seeing much change when your working your backside of to stay in lane! Does anyone have any idea what's going on with my body? 😩😩 sorry for the long post!
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Replies

  • Kdp2015
    Kdp2015 Posts: 519 Member
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    It might be worth tracking your measurements rather than relying on weight as a guide, still need to be patient though think of it as a healthier life rather than weighing X amount by a certain time.
  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Your body is fine, you might be retaining water from exercise. But your mindset is awful, you have to be patient. How long have you been at the same weight? If you're not losing weight, you have to tighten up your logging.

    I agree my mindset is pretty awful just now when it never used to be! I think because I was at a point last year where I was honestly in such a happy place, with my weight and shape of body and the gains I had made. I've been around the same weight for about 4/5 weeks. I do log everything and weigh everything that I eat and check the labels etc. I do feel slimmer like when I put tshirts on they fit up top back, chest and biceps area and are starting to hang more around my stomach area but that scale really does get to me



  • Kdp2015
    Kdp2015 Posts: 519 Member
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    Samm471 wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Your body is fine, you might be retaining water from exercise. But your mindset is awful, you have to be patient. How long have you been at the same weight? If you're not losing weight, you have to tighten up your logging.

    I agree my mindset is pretty awful just now when it never used to be! I think because I was at a point last year where I was honestly in such a happy place, with my weight and shape of body and the gains I had made. I've been around the same weight for about 4/5 weeks. I do log everything and weigh everything that I eat and check the labels etc. I do feel slimmer like when I put tshirts on they fit up top back, chest and biceps area and are starting to hang more around my stomach area but that scale really does get to me


    How much are you hoping to lose? It is a slow process towards goal
  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
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    Kdp2015 wrote: »
    Samm471 wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Your body is fine, you might be retaining water from exercise. But your mindset is awful, you have to be patient. How long have you been at the same weight? If you're not losing weight, you have to tighten up your logging.

    I agree my mindset is pretty awful just now when it never used to be! I think because I was at a point last year where I was honestly in such a happy place, with my weight and shape of body and the gains I had made. I've been around the same weight for about 4/5 weeks. I do log everything and weigh everything that I eat and check the labels etc. I do feel slimmer like when I put tshirts on they fit up top back, chest and biceps area and are starting to hang more around my stomach area but that scale really does get to me


    How much are you hoping to lose? It is a slow process towards goal


    Well I'm 5'2 and weigh 148lbs I'd like to get to 134lbs I'd feel comfortable at that weight. I'd love to be able to get lean enough to do a bulk one day and gain more muscle mass
  • JacobNicolaus
    JacobNicolaus Posts: 34 Member
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    Have you tried measuring your body fat % instead of pure weight? Your training regime suggests to me you'd be gaining moderate muscle in the process. If you gain muscle mass, your pure weight measurements will be misleading.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
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    Are you looking for your body to be a certain shape and look a certain way? I suspect this is what you really want - and if you get to that point, what does the number on the scale mean?

    Or are you looking for a scale number? Why would you be "comfortable" at a number instead of a look (and hopefully increased functionality due to being fit)?
  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
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    JacobNicolaus wrote: »
    Have you tried measuring your body fat % instead of pure weight? Your training regime suggests to me you'd be gaining moderate muscle in the process. If you gain muscle mass, your pure weight measurements will be misleading.

    I haven't in a long long time I used to get my mate to do it who is a personal trainer. I always thought you could only increase muscle mass and lose weight at the same time if you were a newbie. I've been out of lifting seriously for a year so I'm not sure if that would happen again for me ?

  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
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    Silentpadna wrote: »
    Are you looking for your body to be a certain shape and look a certain way? I suspect this is what you really want - and if you get to that point, what does the number on the scale mean?

    Or are you looking for a scale number? Why would you be "comfortable" at a number instead of a look (and hopefully increased functionality due to being fit)?


    I agree 100 percent with you there I do want to look a certain way rather than have a number on the scale. I was just meaning when I was that weight previously I felt and looked really good.

  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited August 2018
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    Samm471 wrote: »
    Silentpadna wrote: »
    Are you looking for your body to be a certain shape and look a certain way? I suspect this is what you really want - and if you get to that point, what does the number on the scale mean?

    Or are you looking for a scale number? Why would you be "comfortable" at a number instead of a look (and hopefully increased functionality due to being fit)?


    I agree 100 percent with you there I do want to look a certain way rather than have a number on the scale. I was just meaning when I was that weight previously I felt and looked really good.

    My point was that the scale is not your friend when you are looking for "shape". It is your friend in the early stages when your primary focus is simply losing fat, but it seems to me that you are in the phase of trying to get fit, being in training with hard intensity and strength gains. (I'm sure someone will pipe in with the popular pic of the young lady that started at 145, dropped to 122 and gained back to 140 and looked a ton better - not sure where to find that).

    [Edit - it shows up in page 2 of this thread: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10688140/abdominal-fat-but-i-m-classed-as-underweight#latest]

    Not to mention that 3 weeks is a very short time.

  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
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    Silentpadna wrote: »
    Samm471 wrote: »
    Silentpadna wrote: »
    Are you looking for your body to be a certain shape and look a certain way? I suspect this is what you really want - and if you get to that point, what does the number on the scale mean?

    Or are you looking for a scale number? Why would you be "comfortable" at a number instead of a look (and hopefully increased functionality due to being fit)?


    I agree 100 percent with you there I do want to look a certain way rather than have a number on the scale. I was just meaning when I was that weight previously I felt and looked really good.

    My point was that the scale is not your friend when you are looking for "shape". It is your friend in the early stages when your primary focus is simply losing fat, but it seems to me that you are in the phase of trying to get fit, being in training with hard intensity and strength gains. (I'm sure someone will pipe in with the popular pic of the young lady that started at 145, dropped to 122 and gained back to 140 and looked a ton better - not sure where to find that).

    [Edit - it shows up in page 2 of this thread: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10688140/abdominal-fat-but-i-m-classed-as-underweight#latest]

    Not to mention that 3 weeks is a very short time.


    I do want to lose fat I think because previously I had lost weight and got some decent muscle around my body and now I feel more like a flump! I will have a look at the thread with the girl. It's just so frustrating when I'm like yay I feel really lean I have worked my back side off at the gym added extra weight to most exercises and then step on the scale and it's like 'oh hey yeah you haven't lost any weight unfortunately but better luck next time 😩'
  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
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    Tedebearduff wrote: »
    Samm471 wrote: »
    Okay to cut a long story short my weight isn't really budging! I track and weigh everything I put in my mouth and do resistance training 3x a wee push/pull/ legs and 30 mins cardio after each session. I've been consistent the last three weeks with everything and I know I'm putting the work in at the gym. My weight is only going down by 2lbs and then back up again by 2lbs! I try to watch my sodium intake and drink 2litres of water a day. What gives? It's really frustrating me to the point where I am so close to giving up. My strength has gone up week by week in the gym and I train at a pretty hard intensity. Sometimes I feel slim other times I feel like a whale. I feel I have got slimmer around my stomach area but it's still very frustrating. I was serious and working hard about a year ago in the gym and was in such a great shape and I let it slip, I was out of the gym and only going once a week maybe twice for about a year on and off. So the last three weeks I have stuck to being back on track but it's very demotivating not seeing much change when your working your backside of to stay in lane! Does anyone have any idea what's going on with my body? 😩😩 sorry for the long post!

    It's a marathon not a sprint, during my weight loss I would go a month at times without losing weight, however when I broke it down over 15 months, 64 weeks, 173lbs lost, works out to 2.7lbs a week... but again sometimes there would be 4-5 weeks without losing a single lb...

    Also if you're not sweating every time you're at the gym, you aren't working out hard enough. I saw this because I've had ppl tell me how hard they train, then workout with them and it's like the biggest fluff workout in the world and they have no idea how to push themselves. I'd train more if I where you, you have a goal put in more work if you want more results.

    Oh believe me I do sweat in the gym lol I defo know how to train at the right intensity I include plenty of drop sets and super sets etc and working to failure on last sets etc. I always thought 3 days a week was enough as when I was with my trainer I was doing 3x a week push/pull/legs also I think because of other commitments it's the most I can go a week just now

  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
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    Silentpadna wrote: »
    Tedebearduff wrote: »
    Samm471 wrote: »
    Okay to cut a long story short my weight isn't really budging! I track and weigh everything I put in my mouth and do resistance training 3x a wee push/pull/ legs and 30 mins cardio after each session. I've been consistent the last three weeks with everything and I know I'm putting the work in at the gym. My weight is only going down by 2lbs and then back up again by 2lbs! I try to watch my sodium intake and drink 2litres of water a day. What gives? It's really frustrating me to the point where I am so close to giving up. My strength has gone up week by week in the gym and I train at a pretty hard intensity. Sometimes I feel slim other times I feel like a whale. I feel I have got slimmer around my stomach area but it's still very frustrating. I was serious and working hard about a year ago in the gym and was in such a great shape and I let it slip, I was out of the gym and only going once a week maybe twice for about a year on and off. So the last three weeks I have stuck to being back on track but it's very demotivating not seeing much change when your working your backside of to stay in lane! Does anyone have any idea what's going on with my body? 😩😩 sorry for the long post!

    It's a marathon not a sprint, during my weight loss I would go a month at times without losing weight, however when I broke it down over 15 months, 64 weeks, 173lbs lost, works out to 2.7lbs a week... but again sometimes there would be 4-5 weeks without losing a single lb...

    Also if you're not sweating every time you're at the gym, you aren't working out hard enough. I saw this because I've had ppl tell me how hard they train, then workout with them and it's like the biggest fluff workout in the world and they have no idea how to push themselves. I'd train more if I where you, you have a goal put in more work if you want more results.

    Your first paragraph - great.

    Second paragraph.....well it depends on what you are trying to accomplish. I would disagree whole-heartedly that how much you sweat even matters. You can push yourself very hard with heavy weights and the degree of sweat is not a dependent variable. If you are attempting to lose weight, you do not need to "work out" at all. You can walk. That was all the cardio I used, and I didn't need that. But I also ran some (because I like to run), and sweated doing that. I've trained with heavy weight and sweated sometimes, and not others. Weight came off either way because of the calorie deficit. Shape is changing due to heavy weight - muscle stress/recovery/adaptation. When I do cardio, the purpose is so that I am better at running around - not for weight loss. On the heavy lifting side, it is not true that more work = more results. Better work = better results.


    I agree with you there yes it's not about how much you sweat but more about your form and how you execute your workout and again things like progression overload etc come into play especially for lifting weights

  • Millicent3015
    Millicent3015 Posts: 374 Member
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    Samm471 wrote: »
    Silentpadna wrote: »
    Samm471 wrote: »
    Silentpadna wrote: »
    Are you looking for your body to be a certain shape and look a certain way? I suspect this is what you really want - and if you get to that point, what does the number on the scale mean?

    Or are you looking for a scale number? Why would you be "comfortable" at a number instead of a look (and hopefully increased functionality due to being fit)?


    I agree 100 percent with you there I do want to look a certain way rather than have a number on the scale. I was just meaning when I was that weight previously I felt and looked really good.

    My point was that the scale is not your friend when you are looking for "shape". It is your friend in the early stages when your primary focus is simply losing fat, but it seems to me that you are in the phase of trying to get fit, being in training with hard intensity and strength gains. (I'm sure someone will pipe in with the popular pic of the young lady that started at 145, dropped to 122 and gained back to 140 and looked a ton better - not sure where to find that).

    [Edit - it shows up in page 2 of this thread: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10688140/abdominal-fat-but-i-m-classed-as-underweight#latest]

    Not to mention that 3 weeks is a very short time.


    I do want to lose fat I think because previously I had lost weight and got some decent muscle around my body and now I feel more like a flump! I will have a look at the thread with the girl. It's just so frustrating when I'm like yay I feel really lean I have worked my back side off at the gym added extra weight to most exercises and then step on the scale and it's like 'oh hey yeah you haven't lost any weight unfortunately but better luck next time 😩'

    It almost sounds like you're relying on the scales to tell what you should look like instead of trusting your own eyes and feelings. You feel really lean, your clothes are fitting better, your body is changing gradually into the shape you want. Scales aren't the be all and end all. They won't tell you where you're losing inches and they won't differentiate between what's fat and what's muscle. Examine your body with your own hands once in a while, if you don't do that already. The scales can't tell you everything. It's a machine, not an oracle.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
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    Tedebearduff wrote: »
    Samm471 wrote: »
    Silentpadna wrote: »
    Tedebearduff wrote: »
    Samm471 wrote: »
    Okay to cut a long story short my weight isn't really budging! I track and weigh everything I put in my mouth and do resistance training 3x a wee push/pull/ legs and 30 mins cardio after each session. I've been consistent the last three weeks with everything and I know I'm putting the work in at the gym. My weight is only going down by 2lbs and then back up again by 2lbs! I try to watch my sodium intake and drink 2litres of water a day. What gives? It's really frustrating me to the point where I am so close to giving up. My strength has gone up week by week in the gym and I train at a pretty hard intensity. Sometimes I feel slim other times I feel like a whale. I feel I have got slimmer around my stomach area but it's still very frustrating. I was serious and working hard about a year ago in the gym and was in such a great shape and I let it slip, I was out of the gym and only going once a week maybe twice for about a year on and off. So the last three weeks I have stuck to being back on track but it's very demotivating not seeing much change when your working your backside of to stay in lane! Does anyone have any idea what's going on with my body? 😩😩 sorry for the long post!

    It's a marathon not a sprint, during my weight loss I would go a month at times without losing weight, however when I broke it down over 15 months, 64 weeks, 173lbs lost, works out to 2.7lbs a week... but again sometimes there would be 4-5 weeks without losing a single lb...

    Also if you're not sweating every time you're at the gym, you aren't working out hard enough. I saw this because I've had ppl tell me how hard they train, then workout with them and it's like the biggest fluff workout in the world and they have no idea how to push themselves. I'd train more if I where you, you have a goal put in more work if you want more results.

    Your first paragraph - great.

    Second paragraph.....well it depends on what you are trying to accomplish. I would disagree whole-heartedly that how much you sweat even matters. You can push yourself very hard with heavy weights and the degree of sweat is not a dependent variable. If you are attempting to lose weight, you do not need to "work out" at all. You can walk. That was all the cardio I used, and I didn't need that. But I also ran some (because I like to run), and sweated doing that. I've trained with heavy weight and sweated sometimes, and not others. Weight came off either way because of the calorie deficit. Shape is changing due to heavy weight - muscle stress/recovery/adaptation. When I do cardio, the purpose is so that I am better at running around - not for weight loss. On the heavy lifting side, it is not true that more work = more results. Better work = better results.


    I agree with you there yes it's not about how much you sweat but more about your form and how you execute your workout and again things like progression overload etc come into play especially for lifting weights

    He's referencing more of a Powerlifting program where you take 5 min breaks, my response to that would be watch Eddie Hall workout and let me know if you don't always see him sweating after a little bit. You can still lift "heavy" and be sweating, you just don't have a good mind to muscle connection IMO if you're not sweating while on a PL program or heavy lifting one, you're just moving weights, going through the motions you aren't working the muslces correctly cause if you where you'd be sweating.

    Now that's just me and my opinion.

    Also to your other comment above this one OP, you can go more then 3 days a week, find the time, you can do it brother. Do Legs/Push/Pull/Off/Legs, and start over the next week.

    I'm not saying I don't sweat, or that you should or should not sweat. I'm saying it's not the relevant variable. Why? Because we all perspire differently for a number reasons (and other variables). My physique is absolutely changing, even at 55, simply by doing a power lifting program. I do my training alongside another guy who is doing more hypertrophy-type stuff. He works very hard - I spot him on many lifts. He rarely sweats, but I know where his effort level is. I sweat a fair amount. I sweat a lot more when I do lots of reps without a lot of rest between sets (which I'm now doing in an intermediate program after the main compound lifts). For me, and this is for me..., there has been no comparison between the two and that the higher weights have made the biggest difference ... for me.

    A split program, as you reference, is not that much different because in order for it to work, it still relies on the stress/recovery/adaptation cycle and not working the same muscles before recovery is complete. Whether strength/hypertrophy/both is your goal, that's always the cycle that works. Intensity is what matters.

    But, volume and sweat works to - they are not mutually exclusive. I'm a fan of both. And at this point, I use both.

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