Confused

egreene718

So I have been working out and eating much better and in a month i only lost 3lbs? Its fustrating. The only guess I have is that Im gaining muscle because my clothes are feeling really loose and I dropped a pants size. someone pls give me some insight/advice.

maybe also because I dont eat every 2-3hrs. I work in retail and sometimes have to wait 5hrs to eat lunch. So do you think its probably that im not getting enough calories in?

taso42_DELETED

Your ticker says you only have 18 lbs to lose. You lost 3 lbs in 4 weeks, which is .75 lbs per week. You're losing at a good pace. Plus, your pants are looser and you dropped a pants size. What exactly is frustrating you? Would you prefer that the scale said you lost 10 lbs but your pants fit the same as before?

NoAdditives

You won't gain muscle if you're eating at a calorie deficit.

Without being able to see your food diary I really can't make any suggestions, but 3 pounds isn't bad.

Lightjulesloves2run

Don't get stuck on the numbers. U are losing inches! Great! Also I see that you don't have that much to lose...the closer you are to ur goal, the harder it is to pull big numbers. So embrace those 3 lbs that are gone forever and keep pushing through! You can do it..you are doing it!

Maureen333

3 lbs is great! let's see what happen's next week? Like that other person said that's almost a pound a week...that's healthy weight loss

aa1440

It's not healthy to lose a lot of weight in a short period of time.

Stick with it and just let the weight fall off.

Lleldiranne

THat's just under a pound a week, which is not bad at all. It took time to put the weight on, it takes time to take it off. There will be months when you loose 5 lbs or more, and others where it might just be 2. Just keep going, you'll like the results at the end (and being able to maintain will be easier if you don't loose too fast)

skylar1907

You won't gain muscle if you're eating at a calorie deficit.

Without being able to see your food diary I really can't make any suggestions, but 3 pounds isn't bad.

Really? I haven't heard that before... I thought you could gain muscle and lose fat at the same time... and to lose fat you must have a calorie deficit? I certainly feel like I've gained muscle though I've been at a calorie deficit (built in my MFP) every day for almost 6 weeks now...

auntiebabs

When I started on 1 lb/ wk turned out I would lose 3lbs/month because I didn't lose during TOM.
But slow and consistent has gotten me very close to my goal.

egreene718

You won't gain muscle if you're eating at a calorie deficit.

Without being able to see your food diary I really can't make any suggestions, but 3 pounds isn't bad.

Really? I haven't heard that before... I thought you could gain muscle and lose fat at the same time... and to lose fat you must have a calorie deficit? I certainly feel like I've gained muscle though I've been at a calorie deficit (built in my MFP) every day for almost 6 weeks now...

I thought you could gain muscle at the same time too.

taso42_DELETED

Here is my understanding: If you eat around your maintenance calories daily and strength train, you can build muscle and lower body fat simultaneously, but the scale won't move. If you eat at a deficit, you will lose weight, but you won't build new muscle. You will actually lose it - unless you also do strength training; in which case you will at maintain your current muscle. I also commonly hear that there is some sort of "beginner's effect", where if you're brand spanking new to eating right and working out, then you actually can get a little bit of muscle at the beginning, even while in deficit.

That said, there are always exception. Some people have awesome genetics and seemingly have the ability to put on muscle even while in a calorie deficit.