Weight fluctuating but not changing

Aaron_K123

Hey All-

So I have been dieting and exercising 6 day /week (alternating weight lifting and aerobic cardio) for about 6 weeks now. I started at 188 pounds and am aiming to get down to about 155 in terms of fat loss (if I weight 160 with 5 more pounds of muscle all the better, the real goal is 12% bodyfat). I've measured my weight and I'm measuring body fat by tape measurer and calipers (although currently around 26% bodyfat I don't think calipers are very accurate). I have only been using MFP to track for a couple of days, previously I was just using an excel spreadsheet so although my diary is open to public view it isn't very populated right now. I will say however I have been strict with my diet and have not lapsed at all. What you see in those few days logged is what I have eaten for the last 5-6 weeks.

What is confusing me is although my weight has fluctuated between 186 and 189 pounds it has not changed on average at all. My abdomen circumference has dropped about an inch and a half and I have strength gains in my lifting so I am making progress so I'm not displeased by this, just confused. I aim for 1500 net a day to lose 1.5 pound a week as a 6' tall man and most days I hit that or am a bit under depending on my workouts. If I was to believe what MFP was telling me I should have lost 9 pounds by now.

I recognize that over the short term there is a lot of fluctuation due to water retention in muscles associated with glycogen and sodium intake but I doubt I've put on much muscle over that period of time especially with my caloric restriction being where it is.

Anyways, I'm not displeased by my progress...my bodyfat % is what matters to me and I think that has dropped 2-3% based on tape-measure and caliper....I'm just confused as to how I am magically maintaining my mass with such a large-ish ~700 calorie a day deficit.