Am I doing something wrong?

So I’ve been walking a lot since July and I’ve lost hip inches from 54 inches to 40 inches. I didn’t weight myself this entire time until one week ago. I was 208.6. I did the math, counted all calories and worked out (strength and 5 miles a day walking). I figured after a week I should be down to at least 206.6, but I’m still 208.6. Have I done something wrong? What could cause this? Salt? I’m only two weeks into starting Couch to 5K as well as a strength training routine. Could this have caused it?

Replies

  • tarisa01
    tarisa01 Posts: 26 Member
    I’m wondering if stepping on the scale was a bad idea, and I should have just kept to my measurements haha.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    What was your starting weight?
  • Chelle8070
    Chelle8070 Posts: 165 Member
    Maybe you're holding a lot of water, maybe you're dehydrated, maybe you weighed yourself at different times of the day, maybe you gained muscle?

    I have a love/hate relationship with the scale. I love it when it's lower and hate it when it's higher LOL

    My weight seems to jump around by 3 or so pounds at any given time. I try not to sweat it too much at this point. YOU LOST 14 INCHES! That's amazing!!!!!!!! I'd pay more attention to that. My gym monitors body fat % too. I like the measurements more so than the weight itself.

    Good luck! It sounds like you're doing great things for yourself!
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    Since you don't have an accurate starting weight, trying to calculate backwards to where you "should" be today is kind of pointless. Don't let this set you back or get you down! You've lost an amazing amount of inches - you should be proud!

    You can keep track of your weight from here on out, but the scale is just ONE tool to use to track your progress. Keep tracking your measurements and take pics, too.
  • tarisa01
    tarisa01 Posts: 26 Member
    Thank you everyone. Very kind words and very motivating!
  • senor_jeff
    senor_jeff Posts: 47 Member
    If you've just started Couch to 5k and a strength training routine, give your body at least 3-4 weeks to catch up with the changes. When you start a new exercise routine, it's very common to see a stall or even a slight bump on the scale because our bodies flood sore muscles with more fluid to help cushion and repair them. This extra water weight shows up on the scale, masking any fat loss that's still happening in the background. You should start to see a downward trend over time, but the scales are going to be all kinds of wonky in the first couple of weeks of a routine change.

    I agree with this 100%. If I do something that stresses my body (in your case doing couch to 5k) then tissues become inflamed for a while and retain water. Give it time.
  • This content has been removed.
  • mcshire
    mcshire Posts: 2 Member
    I agree with a couple of posts here insofar as how difficult it is to know where you should be without a starting weight. BUT SILVER LINING!! now that you’ve weighed yourself, if you wanted to you could use mfp and iifym (google it :smile: ) to calculate your current tdee, bmr, and macros for your goals. And hey....keep kicking butt, pal! :)