No Weight Loss...

Mekatluvr
Mekatluvr Posts: 34 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello!

I'm hoping you guys can help me with a dilemma I'm facing. I have a feeling this is quiet normal, but I guess what I'm looking for by posting on this forum is reassurance and help! lol

Since February of this year I have lost 80lbs. No weird diets, no surgery, no weird drugs, just a lot of hard work and dedication. It feels great to be able to accomplish this goal. I still have more to lose, and this is where I'm having issues. Since I hit the 80lb mark, I haven't been able to lose more weight. The scale has been bouncing up a few pounds, and then drop a couple of pounds. For example, last week it showed I gained 5 pounds, but this morning it showed I lost 3 pounds. I have been implementing more strength training and recently started running. Despite the fact that the scale hasn't dropped, I have noticed more energy, my body firming, and clothes are fitting me loose. Is this one those moments where I have to remember that muscle weighs more than fat? lol

Thanks for reading and for the advice you can provide to me to help me start dropping pounds again. I have 70 more to go!

Replies

  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
    Wow you are doing so well. Don't worry about the 5lbs gain/loss. You're not gaining fat - that's just the weight of water and glycogen emptying from or refilling your muscles - so they're ready for the next challenge.

    Just keep going with what you're doing! If you're still not losing in 2 weeks time come back and people can take a closer look at why.

    ALSO remember you will need to start saving up for those new clothes. :wink: :bigsmile:
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    It's more a matter of water weight fluctuations than muscle gain. It's practically impossible to gain muscle on a calorie deficit, especially for women. What's likely happening, since you've recently introduced two more intense types of exercise, is that your muscles are retaining water and glycogen. This is part of the natural healing process - basically if you're sore, you're going to see a stall or slight uptake in weight. As your body becomes used to the new routine, most of the excess will be released. Just remember that if you increase your intensity again (higher weight, longer run, etc), you'll likely see these fluctuations occur again.

    What you may want to do now is start taking body measurements and progress pictures. The scale will not always be the best measure of success, especially as you get closer to goal. My weight has basically stayed the same for the last year but I've gone down a pant size and people are always commenting about how I "look" like I'm still losing.

    And patience...no one really talks about that being a big part of weight loss but it is. Sometimes the body just doesn't respond the way we think it should but with continued hard work and patience, you will see success. Congrats on your progress so far!
  • Ivey05131980
    Ivey05131980 Posts: 1,118 Member
    It probably IS the muscle, but you can do like me and switch things up for a week, do less cals, more water, less carbs and see what happens...good things are happening to me. ;)
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    As others have mentioned its water weight and it fluctuates especially if you just started strength training.. that is normal.
    Depending on how long you been bouncing you can either change or keep going.. so if it hasn't been 6 weeks of the same thing I would hold off on any changes.. if it has been it might be time to adjust your numbers if you haven't done that since you lost 80lbs.. You didn't mention what your eating so I have no idea, but if it has been 1 calorie number the whole journey you probably need to adjust since you are smaller and require less now.
  • Mekatluvr
    Mekatluvr Posts: 34 Member
    Thanks guys! This really helps!

    I have been going through a lot of stress - I work full-time and I'm taking 5 classes this semester, so the stress factor is definitely there. I have been flaky on my eating, I won't lie about that, but I am back on track. I think the one significant change that has happen on my diet is me drinking more protein shakes. I've been doing that a lot in the morning, because it's easier and convenient. I don't know if that has anything to do with it.

    I also have noticed that since I started running, I'm alwalys hungry!!

Categories