8 weeks in at gym & no weight loss...
andreascarff
Posts: 62 Member
I know the saying "slow and steady wins the race", but what am I doing wrong?
I do 30 minutes cardio 3 days a week with doing 40 minutes of strength. the other two days (i only work out 5 days a week), I do 60 minutes cardio. I have been doing this for 7 full weeks, today is just my start to 8 weeks, and I stepped on the scale and it says no weight lost.....
I track my food and never eat back my workout cals, and I have taken sugar out of my lifestyle. I only do startchy carbs in the morning and the rest of the day have it protien, fat and produce with dairy. I'm eating between 1200-1400 cals, even though it tells me 1700. Am I doing anything wrong?
I do 30 minutes cardio 3 days a week with doing 40 minutes of strength. the other two days (i only work out 5 days a week), I do 60 minutes cardio. I have been doing this for 7 full weeks, today is just my start to 8 weeks, and I stepped on the scale and it says no weight lost.....
I track my food and never eat back my workout cals, and I have taken sugar out of my lifestyle. I only do startchy carbs in the morning and the rest of the day have it protien, fat and produce with dairy. I'm eating between 1200-1400 cals, even though it tells me 1700. Am I doing anything wrong?
1
Replies
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Everything you've listed is pretty arbitrary in terms of weight loss. The only thing that matters is how many calories you're eating. Where that comes from and when you eat them does not matter. How do you know you're eating 1200 to 1400 calories? Are you using a food scale?16
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Teabythesea_ wrote: »Everything you've listed is pretty arbitrary in terms of weight loss. The only thing that matters is how many calories you're eating. Where that comes from and when you eat them does not matter. How do you know you're eating 1200 to 1400 calories? Are you using a food scale?
Yes we have an "older" type of scale, not digital, which was my husbands grandmothers lmao.0 -
The tips in this chart might help you.
16 -
I’m in the same boat. My guess is we’re offsetting fat loss with some muscle gain. I also know I retain a ton of water/swelling from working out.
If I stop working out, allowing the inflammation/swelling to be reduced I do show some loss on the scale. So I know where it is from.
On a side note, I showed a gain of 2.5 lbs within a day. My only hunch is water retention due to salty foods, I was working outside and probably over consumed the salt. I typically eat little to no salt at home due to water weight.
I think we are both doing things correctly. In my past I would lose weight in large blocks on the scale. I’m running 2-7 miles at a time and allow rest and recovery between. I know it will happen eventually. But I’m inpatient and I want it now:)18 -
Irish_Walker wrote: »This tips in this chart might help you.
Just called my doctor, lets see what we can rule out!!4 -
Idratherberunning2017 wrote: »I’m in the same boat. My guess is we’re offsetting fat loss with some muscle gain. I also know I retain a ton of water/swelling from working out.
If I stop working out, allowing the inflammation/swelling to be reduced I do show some loss on the scale. So I know where it is from.
On a side note, I showed a gain of 2.5 lbs within a day. My only hunch is water retention due to salty foods, I was working outside and probably over consumed the salt. I typically eat little to no salt at home due to water weight.
I think we are both doing things correctly. In my past I would lose weight in large blocks on the scale. I’m running 2-7 miles at a time and allow rest and recovery between. I know it will happen eventually. But I’m inpatient and I want it now:)
Lol I'm inpatient as well. I'll see what my doctor says and go from there. I can definitely see maybe being the muscle gain and fat loss having something ro do with it. Especially ith me being 36 it won't be an easy road, definitely slower.14 -
Definitely worth a call to the doctor. Have you taken measurements or are your clothes looser? I notice I lose inches before I lose pounds on the scale.7
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Do your clothes feel the same? Are you taking your measurements (bust, waist, hips, biceps, thighs) and progress pictures? The scales don't always tell the full story.3
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Im no expert, but what works for me is calorie counting. I dont work out as much as you do but Im losing. I think the main focus for me is in the kitchen, not the gym. Im not saying don't work out, but pay more attention to the calories and make sure the portions are correct. Best of luck to you!!12
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When you weigh yourself, be sure to do so first thing in the morning prior to eating, etc. That will be your true weight. Honestly, we should ditch the scale, but we have to be able to track our weight. It's more so about how you fit your clothes etc. I'm sure you've lost inches. Keep fighting the good fight.0
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andreascarff wrote: »Teabythesea_ wrote: »Everything you've listed is pretty arbitrary in terms of weight loss. The only thing that matters is how many calories you're eating. Where that comes from and when you eat them does not matter. How do you know you're eating 1200 to 1400 calories? Are you using a food scale?
Yes we have an "older" type of scale, not digital, which was my husbands grandmothers lmao.
There are two likely options for why you're not seeing the scale go down:
1) You are retaining water due to your exercise routine. This is a normal part of the muscle repair process and can mask fat loss on the scale, especially if you don't have a lot to lose. After two months, though, I'd expect that to subside.
2) You're eating more calories than you think you are. If your scale is hard to read accurately (i.e., down to the gram), then get a digital food scale. They're cheap. In addition, if you aren't weighing ALL your food--even the produce, the oil, etc.--then make sure you weigh everything.
You are not gaining large amounts of muscle if you are in a calorie deficit.
It's possible but unlikely that you have a medical condition that is causing you to not lose weight at the expected pace. Options 1 and 2 are MUCH more common.14 -
2) You're eating more calories than you think you are. If your scale is hard to read accurately (i.e., down to the gram), then get a digital food scale. They're cheap. In addition, if you aren't weighing ALL your food--even the produce, the oil, etc.--then make sure you weigh everything.
You are not gaining large amounts of muscle if you are in a calorie deficit.
^^ Spot on.
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If you're willing to open your diary, folks can give some feedback on your logging.6
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No one has asked the most obvious questions... how much do you weigh and how much are you trying to lose?
Also, there may have been a loss in those 7 weeks and you just happened to weigh in on a “retaining water for whatever reason/bodies are weird” day. Don’t give up!10 -
andreascarff wrote: »Idratherberunning2017 wrote: »I’m in the same boat. My guess is we’re offsetting fat loss with some muscle gain. I also know I retain a ton of water/swelling from working out.
If I stop working out, allowing the inflammation/swelling to be reduced I do show some loss on the scale. So I know where it is from.
On a side note, I showed a gain of 2.5 lbs within a day. My only hunch is water retention due to salty foods, I was working outside and probably over consumed the salt. I typically eat little to no salt at home due to water weight.
I think we are both doing things correctly. In my past I would lose weight in large blocks on the scale. I’m running 2-7 miles at a time and allow rest and recovery between. I know it will happen eventually. But I’m inpatient and I want it now:)
Lol I'm inpatient as well. I'll see what my doctor says and go from there. I can definitely see maybe being the muscle gain and fat loss having something ro do with it. Especially ith me being 36 it won't be an easy road, definitely slower.
Muscle gain is an extremely slow process, and I can assure you that you have not gained enough of it to offset fat loss. Before spending time and money at the doctor, which is usually unnecessary, there are things you can do like invest in a digital scale and open your diary so others can check your entries. Also, I highly recommend daily weighing, especially if you have little to lose because small losses can be masked by water weight leaving you to believe you haven't lost anything for weeks at a time. This is what I've found works for me, others would disagree with its usefulness.7 -
stephaniezinone wrote: »No one has asked the most obvious questions... how much do you weigh and how much are you trying to lose?
Also, there may have been a loss in those 7 weeks and you just happened to weigh in on a “retaining water for whatever reason/bodies are weird” day. Don’t give up!
Right now I weigh 236 pounds. My doctor wants me to lose 100 pounds.bgeorgie13 wrote: »Do your clothes feel the same? Are you taking your measurements (bust, waist, hips, biceps, thighs) and progress pictures? The scales don't always tell the full story.
Yes been taking measurements every 4 week I have it set to, but I try to take daily pictures at the gym. My clothes fit a bit loosely but I guess for this amount of time I've been at it, it's better than nothing.
As for my diary, I don't mind sharing it, but some days I do not have marked off, basically I eat the same thing all time. I will get it up as soon as I can for sure for you guys!1 -
stephaniezinone wrote: »No one has asked the most obvious questions... how much do you weigh and how much are you trying to lose?
No one asked the "obvious" questions because they're not relevant to the base level discussion; as long as someone is eating at a caloric deficit, they will lose weight regardless of current weight or goal. OP believes she's eating 1200-1400 calories AND working out 5 days a week - if both these were true, only if she was extremely underweight would this result in no weight loss. Goal would still be irrelevant as this is pure science.
OP;
Tracking errors are common mistakes. In this case there are the usual suspects, mostly due to lack of weighing;
Counting based on quantity (2 slices), size (medium banana), and volume (tsp, tbs, etc).
Fortunately this is easily correctable; pick up a cheap scale that measures in grams and you'll be on your way to success. Good luck!9 -
Looking at your diary, you have a lot of things that aren't weighed. Very few things are logged using weights. Don't use measuring cups or spoons; use your food scale for ALL your food.
Weigh that peanut butter. Seriously. Peanut butter is the one that makes everyone cry the first time they weigh it.
Weigh the fruit, the protein powder, the cereal, the cheese, literally *everything*.17 -
Justin_7272 wrote: »stephaniezinone wrote: »No one has asked the most obvious questions... how much do you weigh and how much are you trying to lose?
No one asked the "obvious" questions because they're not relevant to the base level discussion; as long as someone is eating at a caloric deficit, they will lose weight regardless of current weight or goal. OP believes she's eating 1200-1400 calories AND working out 5 days a week - if both these were true, only if she was extremely underweight would this result in no weight loss. Goal would still be irrelevant as this is pure science.
OP;
Tracking errors are common mistakes. In this case there are the usual suspects, mostly due to lack of weighing;
Counting based on quantity (2 slices), size (medium banana), and volume (tsp, tbs, etc).
Fortunately this is easily correctable; pick up a cheap scale that measures in grams and you'll be on your way to success. Good luck!
And the advice depends on if the bolded is true or not. You can’t assume this stuff.8 -
stephaniezinone wrote: »Justin_7272 wrote: »stephaniezinone wrote: »No one has asked the most obvious questions... how much do you weigh and how much are you trying to lose?
No one asked the "obvious" questions because they're not relevant to the base level discussion; as long as someone is eating at a caloric deficit, they will lose weight regardless of current weight or goal. OP believes she's eating 1200-1400 calories AND working out 5 days a week - if both these were true, only if she was extremely underweight would this result in no weight loss. Goal would still be irrelevant as this is pure science.
OP;
Tracking errors are common mistakes. In this case there are the usual suspects, mostly due to lack of weighing;
Counting based on quantity (2 slices), size (medium banana), and volume (tsp, tbs, etc).
Fortunately this is easily correctable; pick up a cheap scale that measures in grams and you'll be on your way to success. Good luck!
And the advice depends on if the bolded is true or not. You can’t assume this stuff.
But what you actually asked was how much the OP weighs and how much they have to lose. Neither of these has anything to do with whether their logging is accurate.2 -
stephaniezinone wrote: »Justin_7272 wrote: »stephaniezinone wrote: »No one has asked the most obvious questions... how much do you weigh and how much are you trying to lose?
No one asked the "obvious" questions because they're not relevant to the base level discussion; as long as someone is eating at a caloric deficit, they will lose weight regardless of current weight or goal. OP believes she's eating 1200-1400 calories AND working out 5 days a week - if both these were true, only if she was extremely underweight would this result in no weight loss. Goal would still be irrelevant as this is pure science.
OP;
Tracking errors are common mistakes. In this case there are the usual suspects, mostly due to lack of weighing;
Counting based on quantity (2 slices), size (medium banana), and volume (tsp, tbs, etc).
Fortunately this is easily correctable; pick up a cheap scale that measures in grams and you'll be on your way to success. Good luck!
And the advice depends on if the bolded is true or not. You can’t assume this stuff.
But what you actually asked was how much the OP weighs and how much they have to lose. Neither of these has anything to do with whether their logging is accurate.
Her original post asked if she was doing anyhthing wrong... she hadn’t lost weight in 7 weeks. Until I asked how much she weighed and how much she wanted to lose, no one knew if she needed to lose weight at all. So asking if she was weighing and measuring her food and logging accurately was premature in my opinion. Now we know she’s 236 lbs and now I agree with most of the advice given.
All I was saying is you can’t assume everyone who says they aren’t losing weight need to.
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This is one reason why i HATE the scale. I feel like it is not a good indication of health (to an extent, obviously 300 pounds is not going to be healthy under an circumstance), or your progress. I am a big believer in measurements, and simply how you look in that mirror. Take progress pics!!!! You could weigh the same, but look COMPLETELY different... you're just not noticing it2
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andreascarff wrote: »Teabythesea_ wrote: »Everything you've listed is pretty arbitrary in terms of weight loss. The only thing that matters is how many calories you're eating. Where that comes from and when you eat them does not matter. How do you know you're eating 1200 to 1400 calories? Are you using a food scale?
Yes we have an "older" type of scale, not digital, which was my husbands grandmothers lmao.
THIS is likely the issue. An older scale is not going to be accurate. Get a digital scale, weight EVERYTHING, give it another 8 weeks and then see.
Also, your metabolism doesn't just up and leave in your 30s. What usually happens is people's lives become more sedentary, they have less time to go to the gym, they start to lose muscle because of less working out, they can afford to eat and drink more and all of this contributes to weight gain.15 -
stephaniezinone wrote: »Justin_7272 wrote: »stephaniezinone wrote: »No one has asked the most obvious questions... how much do you weigh and how much are you trying to lose?
No one asked the "obvious" questions because they're not relevant to the base level discussion; as long as someone is eating at a caloric deficit, they will lose weight regardless of current weight or goal. OP believes she's eating 1200-1400 calories AND working out 5 days a week - if both these were true, only if she was extremely underweight would this result in no weight loss. Goal would still be irrelevant as this is pure science.
OP;
Tracking errors are common mistakes. In this case there are the usual suspects, mostly due to lack of weighing;
Counting based on quantity (2 slices), size (medium banana), and volume (tsp, tbs, etc).
Fortunately this is easily correctable; pick up a cheap scale that measures in grams and you'll be on your way to success. Good luck!
And the advice depends on if the bolded is true or not. You can’t assume this stuff.
SMH
I assumed the OP is not a 4'7" 50 y/o 100 lb sedentary female AND EVEN THEN if she was eating 1200 calories and working out she'd STILL likely be losing weight (TDEE ~1,100 absent exercise). Based on her picture I hope my "assumptions" are in line.
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Justin_7272 wrote: »stephaniezinone wrote: »Justin_7272 wrote: »stephaniezinone wrote: »No one has asked the most obvious questions... how much do you weigh and how much are you trying to lose?
No one asked the "obvious" questions because they're not relevant to the base level discussion; as long as someone is eating at a caloric deficit, they will lose weight regardless of current weight or goal. OP believes she's eating 1200-1400 calories AND working out 5 days a week - if both these were true, only if she was extremely underweight would this result in no weight loss. Goal would still be irrelevant as this is pure science.
OP;
Tracking errors are common mistakes. In this case there are the usual suspects, mostly due to lack of weighing;
Counting based on quantity (2 slices), size (medium banana), and volume (tsp, tbs, etc).
Fortunately this is easily correctable; pick up a cheap scale that measures in grams and you'll be on your way to success. Good luck!
And the advice depends on if the bolded is true or not. You can’t assume this stuff.
SMH
I assumed the OP is not a 4'7" 50 y/o 100 lb sedentary female AND EVEN THEN if she was eating 1200 calories and working out she'd STILL likely be losing weight (TDEE ~1,100 absent exercise). Based on her picture I hope my "assumptions" are in line.
Man, I agree with the advice you gave a “spot on” now that we have more information. Aren’t you glad you have more information? Oof.4 -
Looking at your diary, you have a lot of things that aren't weighed. Very few things are logged using weights. Don't use measuring cups or spoons; use your food scale for ALL your food.
Weigh that peanut butter. Seriously. Peanut butter is the one that makes everyone cry the first time they weigh it.
Weigh the fruit, the protein powder, the cereal, the cheese, literally *everything*.
I ate 1000 calories in PB nearly nightly.7 -
totally agree with @apullum you must weight EVERYTHING. No cups, teaspoons, etc.
A digital scale these days you can pick up from the supermarket or KMart or any cheap store for like $10. No need to get the fancy ones.
You'd be better off getting a new scale and weighing everything and making sure you are choosing entries in the database that are relatively accurate, such as with fruit/veg choose the USDA entries.
Also, when you scan a barcode on bread for example and it tells you x calories per slice and each slice is x grams - when you actually weigh the slice - it will RARELY be the whatever grams the packet tells you. So you need to also weigh all your scanned barcode stuff too.
PS - sorry but it's not muscle.4 -
I am so extremely thankful for everyone's advice. Extremely thankful!! I will look into a digital scale, and I will make sure to measure everything properly. Sorry if I started anything, just needed advice. Thank you so much again.10
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Based on the info you've provided throughout the thread, it seems like there's a chance you might be taking in more calories than you realize. This article really helped me when I was trying to really understand how much I was eating: http://physiqonomics.com/eating-too-much/ It's blunt but really genuinely helpful (and, honestly, amusing).0
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andreascarff wrote: »I am so extremely thankful for everyone's advice. Extremely thankful!! I will look into a digital scale, and I will make sure to measure everything properly. Sorry if I started anything, just needed advice. Thank you so much again.
No worries, you didn't start anything.
Fortunately logging is by far the most frequent culprit in cases like this, and, by far, one of the easiest to fix. Let us know how you're coming along.5
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