What am I doing WRONG?

Labrum3

I joined the gym awhile back and was losing about 2 lbs a week. Well the kids got out of school for the summer three months to be exact. During those three months I did not hit the gym because I don't have babysitter for them but I did stay pretty true to my eating. I did not lose weight but gained about 2 lbs which is fine I understand no gym didn't help. well now they have restarted school I have restarted the gym. I am now on my third week of gym 5 days a week. I alternate between 30 min cardio plus strength Mon, Wed, and Friday and then the in between days are just 45 min cardio Tue, Thursday. I eat 1200 calories a day and very healthy a lot of green smoothies, fruits, veggies, lean protein at dinner, and of coarse salads. I eat back calories I lose during cardio. My goal is 1200 calories a day I burn 300 eat back 300 the day ends with 1500 calories. I drink nothing but water. On Friday and sometimes Saturdays I will drink a few beers. I am on week three and I have not seen any weight loss what am I doing wrong I don't understand what more I could be doing. It does look like muscle forming in my arms and I do see my love handles subsiding a bit but I don't see a weight difference on the scale. I am starting to get a bit discouraged because the way I workout and the way I eat you would think for sure there is no way I could not be losing at least a pound a week. Please help, thanks.....

Chrystal

TavistockToad

so you're losing fat (more arm definition, smaller love handles) which means you look smaller and your clothes probably fit better, but you are more bothered about a number on a machine that means nothing and noone else can see anyway?

TX_RattleSnake

I am on week three

Give it time

bcattoes

so you're losing fat (more arm definition, smaller love handles) which means you look smaller and your clothes probably fit better, but you are more bothered about a number on a machine that means nothing and noone else can see anyway?

This ^^ Get off the scale and start measuring progress with a tape measure. Smaller but not lighter is a good thing because it means you are losing fat and not muscle.

Jenelle64

Try not to get hung up on what the scale shows. I had the same issue when I started to workout about 5 weeks ago, my weight didn't drop and I even gained a few pounds at first, but my measurements showed progress. It wasn't until this last week that the scale showed a loss from my first weigh in.

Your not doing anything wrong! You are seeing progress with the 'love handles subsiding' and that's what really matters, not the number on the scale.

TINAHUNTER1969

Your not doing anything wrong, as long as you are eating healthy and exercising you are getting fitter and instead of a number on the scales YOU can see a difference in the mirror - is this not more important??

Also have you taken your measurements because I bet there are losses there!

Don't let the scales demotivate you - you are doing everything right :flowerforyou:

3foldchord

It's common to lose more/quicker in the beginning, I think.
Be patient. Trust the method.

mrandisg

I agree with everyone here - you are not doing anything wrong! Don't let the number on the scale discourage you. You're doing great!

faithdanyell

Keep doing what you are doing and put value on your health not a number fro a scale. I would suggest using a heart rate monitor so when you are doing cardio you are in weight loss zone.. Be patient...you are getting a better shape...don't buy into the media BS of being a size 0.......

LokiOfAsgard

Give it time.
Make sure you drink plenty of water
Measure, more than weigh.
And possibly look into eating more.

I know your aim is 2 lbs a week, but after a while, if you're eating too little (like 1,200, even though you're eating back you're calories, your body still thinks it's only getting 1,200)
I don't know your stats, but I think it's very unlikely that that's enough.
It's much better to aim for one lb a week, than it is to aim for two. It's easier to keep up, and easier to keep off.

RGv2

so you're losing fat (more arm definition, smaller love handles) which means you look smaller and your clothes probably fit better, but you are more bothered about a number on a machine that means nothing and noone else can see anyway?

This ^^ Get off the scale and start measuring progress with a tape measure. Smaller but not lighter is a good thing because it means you are losing fat and not muscle.

Yep, this.

That and since you've been out of the gym 3 months, the body will retain water (can be quite a bit) for muscle repair after starting/re-starting/adjusting a workout routine it is not used to.

rnprincess

You are not doing anything wrong. But here are a few tips:
1. Take a full body picture of yourself
2. Take your measurements
3. See how your clothes fit

Don't be a slave to the scale, do you feel better? Can you do more? Do you have more energy? Do you look better? If you can answer yes to these four questions just keep it going and you will ultimately see the results you want on the scale.

jknightoz

Ditto to everything that has been said. There comes a time in evreyone's journey where the scale stops reflecting a measurment of health. Get your body fat measured (most gyms offer this service free of charge). Keep track of all the other measurements (neck, waist, hip, thigh). Some tips; change up your routine. I know you said you do different stuff every day, but if, for example, every time you work out arms you do 3 sets of 10 reps of curls with 15 pound dumbells, your body gets used to it. You need to keep it changing. Change your intensity in the middle of routines. Don't just run for 45 min on a treadmill at 1% incline. Use one of the programs that changes the incline up and down throughout the routine. You need to work in a high intensity component in everything you do. That keeps your body guessing and keeps your metabolism up.

sharleengc

Most people lose quicker when they start. Even after taking some time off, it's not necessarily starting over and can be more difficult. I lost a big chunk of mine, took some time off just to give myself a break and worked on maintaining. Now, I started for that last 20 and it's going so SLOW. I go to the gym about 3-4 days a week and walk 4 days a week. I eat back my exercise calories and I've been fighting to lose the same few lbs for a month (it bounces around). I know I'm losing other places and gaining muscles but it can be annoying to not see the scale move. Just keep going and focus on how you look and feel. That is half the battle.

Also, whenever I have my goal set at 2lbs a week. I NEVER lose that. I tend to lose in shifts 2-4lbs in a week then nothing for a few weeks and repeat. I'm a lot less frustrated since I figured that out

bcattoes

I know your aim is 2 lbs a week, but after a while, if you're eating too little (like 1,200, even though you're eating back you're calories, your body still thinks it's only getting 1,200)

This makes no sense. If you consume 1500 calories your body does not "think" you are consuming 1200. The only part of our bodies that think is our brain.

LokiOfAsgard

I know your aim is 2 lbs a week, but after a while, if you're eating too little (like 1,200, even though you're eating back you're calories, your body still thinks it's only getting 1,200)

This makes no sense. If you consume 1500 calories your body does not "think" you are consuming 1200. The only part of our bodies that think is our brain.

If you eat 1500 calories, burn off 300, all your body has left to use is 1,200. That's used for breathing, blinking, heart pumping and all the little things that we don't control.
So I guess it's odd wording, but that's how I see it worded a lot.

Your brain will think your body does not have enough. Does that make sense? And if your brain doesn't think it has enough to do it's job, it'll slow down unnecessary things. That's why if you're eating too little, you often feel tired. You could also get headaches and irritable and many other side effects.
Your whole body reacts, so that's why I say 'your body thinks'

WeetingUK

What is your sodium intake? Lots of sodium-based foods, regardless of caloric value will absorb water weight.

action_figure

The "few beers" could be making you retain some water, depending on how many a few is and how often it happens. Other than that, I'd just listen to what everyone else said. You aren't huge to start out with so you probably won't see a dramatic drop like some of us did who were larger to start with.

elainecroft

Weight loss is not linear. Sometimes it takes a while with no results and then you will see a loss. It sounds like you are doing the right stuff so stick with it.

jacksonpt

What is your sodium intake? Lots of sodium-based foods, regardless of caloric value will absorb water weight.

In a vacuum, this is true. But...

People worry way too much about sodium, and blame it far too often for "lack of results". If your diet is reasonably consistent, then so will be your sodium intake, and so will be the amount of water you retain (at least as a result of sodium), in which case sodium will have zero impact on progress.

If your diet is all over the place, then sodium can cause greater day-to-day weight fluctuations. But even so, success/progress should not be measured in such short time-frames. People need should worry more about where they are today vs a month or 6 months ago, not now compared to an hour or a day ago.

jacksonpt

so you're losing fat (more arm definition, smaller love handles) which means you look smaller and your clothes probably fit better, but you are more bothered about a number on a machine that means nothing and noone else can see anyway?

this

I am on week three

Give it time

and this, too.

sarahmoo12

get the tape measure out instead! Better to see inches go down than numbers. Good job on arms and less love handles !

cwolfman13

1) water rtention can mask fat loss on the scale in the short run. particularly when you start a new fitness regimen or ramp up your intensity, your muscles retain a lot of water for repair...this can be as much as 5Lbs and I've seen more. So, if you're losing say 1 Lb per week for three weeks...that's 3 Lbs fat loss...but you're holding onto 5Lbs of water...well, your loss isn't going to show up on the scale.

2) Losing 2 Lbs plus per week is attainable for significantly overweight individuals...you don't look to be substantiall overweight. If I am reading your ticker correctly (just took a quick look) it looks like you only have about 25 Lbs or so to lose. A 2 Lb per week loss goal is too aggressive for that little; your body simply does not have the fat stores to shed at that rate. The less fat stores you have, the slower you go. I'd suggest setting to 1 Lb per week goal and eating a bit more since it's going to go slow either way.

3) put your focus on things other than some arbitrary number on the scale. focus on your nutrition...focus on your fitness...focus on being a better you today than you were yesterday...and be more awesome tomorrow than you were today, etc. When you focus on the results, you rarely see the change; when you focus on the change, you always see the results.

4) Make sure you are weighing yourself at the same time of day and under the same conditions. You are going to get completely different numbers at 6 AM vs 6 PM, etc. Also remember that things like clothing and towels will impact the number on the scale. I know that is probably stating the obvious...but really, there are threads that pop up here like, "hey...I took a shower and I weigh five pounds more....wtf?"....and it turns out their hair was wet and they were wearing a damp towel.

5) If you are just eyeballing your servings and portions, it is likely that you are underestimating consumption. I don't know how many people I've encountered that, for example, log a chicken breast as 4 oz and 120 calories (or whatever it is, I can't remember)...but when they start using a scale they realize that the average chicken breast is closer to 8 oz...so essentially they were under the assumption that they were eating about 1/2 of what they were actually eating. It is particularly important to weigh calorie dense items like nuts as a little can go a long way and a little handfull of nuts going unaccounted for can easily wipe out a calorie deficit.

Edit: Also a fellow Burquenos here...actually Corrales but close enough.

jenny3008

I don't see a weight difference on the scale. I am starting to get a bit discouraged because the way I workout and the way I eat you would think for sure there is no way I could not be losing at least a pound a week. Please help, thanks.....

I feel your pain I'm the same and was getting really discouraged at the lack of actual weight loss then my PT gave me a fitness log. We record every session I do, what reps, what weight, what incline and speed on the treadmill. You name it if we do it in a session we record it. Also we do a circuit which is the same regularly and time it. For example we have what I call the 20's circuit....I'm very imaginative.

It consists of 20 x each of the following with two flights of stairs in between ( approx. 20 steps each)
shoulder press
chest press
hamstring curls
leg extensions
squats
press ups
crunches
floor to ceiling ( a squat with a kettle bell lifting it to ceiling)
lateral raises
bicep curls

This is completed twice

I have gone from completing this in 41 minutes and thinking I may just have a heart attack to 36minutes. Don't get me wrong it kills every time but its a big encouragement for me for that time to come down and for me to notice how quickly I can breath again afterwards.

Maybe having a log you can look through and see your progress will help you to stay motivated when the scales don't play the way you want them to. I get such a massive sense of personal achievement from each of my sessions where I can do what my PT asks of me.

bcattoes

I know your aim is 2 lbs a week, but after a while, if you're eating too little (like 1,200, even though you're eating back you're calories, your body still thinks it's only getting 1,200)

This makes no sense. If you consume 1500 calories your body does not "think" you are consuming 1200. The only part of our bodies that think is our brain.

If you eat 1500 calories, burn off 300, all your body has left to use is 1,200. That's used for breathing, blinking, heart pumping and all the little things that we don't control.
So I guess it's odd wording, but that's how I see it worded a lot.

Your brain will think your body does not have enough. Does that make sense? And if your brain doesn't think it has enough to do it's job, it'll slow down unnecessary things. That's why if you're eating too little, you often feel tired. You could also get headaches and irritable and many other side effects.
Your whole body reacts, so that's why I say 'your body thinks'

You would also expect muscle and weight loss when eating too little. The OP doesn't seem to be experiencing either. It's highly unlikely that in 3 weeks her metabolism has slowed to the point that 1500 is not below TDEE.

LokiOfAsgard

I know your aim is 2 lbs a week, but after a while, if you're eating too little (like 1,200, even though you're eating back you're calories, your body still thinks it's only getting 1,200)

This makes no sense. If you consume 1500 calories your body does not "think" you are consuming 1200. The only part of our bodies that think is our brain.

If you eat 1500 calories, burn off 300, all your body has left to use is 1,200. That's used for breathing, blinking, heart pumping and all the little things that we don't control.
So I guess it's odd wording, but that's how I see it worded a lot.

Your brain will think your body does not have enough. Does that make sense? And if your brain doesn't think it has enough to do it's job, it'll slow down unnecessary things. That's why if you're eating too little, you often feel tired. You could also get headaches and irritable and many other side effects.
Your whole body reacts, so that's why I say 'your body thinks'

You would also expect muscle and weight loss when eating too little. The OP doesn't seem to be experiencing either. It's highly unlikely that in 3 weeks her metabolism has slowed to the point that 1500 is not below TDEE.

I'm not saying it's the reason for the stall in just three weeks, but it can cause problems if the OP continues to eat little for too long.
I was just giving a heads up.