Scale Not Budging

khdavis03

Ok so I'm on week 4 of my diet and the first week I lost 3 lbs then the scale went back up to 1 lb over of the weight I started out at! Since then I havent lost anything........what gives? Should I be eating less calories-I'm at 1591 now. I quit drinking diet sodas, occasionally I'll have a crystal light or a tea. Any ideas? I work out about 3 times a week....maybe increase that? I'm desperate to loose weight and I'm getting very discouraged.

Thanks in advance! :smooched:

alicia0416

Don't get discouraged.... I have been workin out for 2 months now and BARELY see any results on the scale... but in my waist size there is a difference..... I went from a size 10 to a size 7/8.... and My body has changed..... I can see in the before pics and after pics.... Don't pay too much attention to the scales.... I know it is easier said than done though.. lol... I am always on my scales!!!! therefore always down lol...

lauralind5

I lost 2/2/2/1 and have been stuck there for almost 3 weeks. However just in last week alone, I lost over 4 inches ! take your measurements and measurement once a week. Im still scale obsessed but my clothes are falling off...

loadsandloads

I'm doing more calories and doing my treadmill 6 days a week. I've lost 15 lbs since May 6th. I'm 54 and have struggeled my whole life. Even though scale isn't moving as fast as I would like I'm starting to "closet shop" I love closet shopping - so cheap.

DyanCB

I agree, don' get discouraged. There just may be more you need to learn to form different habits.

This is mostly about what you put in your mouth not just exercise. Since your diary is locked we can't tell how you are eating. Also, your profile is closed so we don't know your height and goals - so, again, it's hard to say what you could do differently.

Until you can get back to us with this info maybe think about these questions:
- What kind of exercise are you doing and how long? We do know you work out thee times per week
- Are you incorporating any type of strength training, what type of cardio? Is your cardio simply one level for a period of time or are you doing high intensity interval training or whatever else?
- For food are you eating "clean"? You gave up diet soda - great! Have you added fresh fruits and vegetables? Do you eat mostly process foods?

Do research on MFP regarding nutrition, there is a wealth of info here.

Good luck learning and getting fit.

khdavis03

Thanks everyone, I do think I've lost some inches in my stomach area so far but I'm use to seeing pounds lost. I've been walking and bike riding for exercise. I opened up my food diary for people to look at to see what I might be doing wrong (I'm terrible about logging on the weekends)........which might therein lie the major problem. I may have just answered my own question!

jemachharo

For me, it makes a big difference what I eat, not just how much. Several people on here will argue with me - for many just reducing calories and moving more lets them lose weight. For ME - I found I needed to cut out most starches (not necessarily carbs) like white bread, white potatoes, rice. I tend to focus on lean protein, tons of fruits and veggies. if I have starches they are whole grains or sweet potatoes.

For a work out - I go to the gym 3-4 times a week. Start off on an exercise bike and then do about 45 minutes of strength training.

It's working for me. Hope this helps.

Jean

nickmast78

I would suggest reading about weight loss and the science behind it. Sure the "smaller portions, 7 meals, exercise" works, but there is much more behind it. You WILL plateau at a a few points along the way depending on how much weight you want to lose. The reason for this is that your body gets used to the way you eat and the way you exercise.

Change up your eating (even if it means eating more, add more carbs and less protein or reversed if your already doing that)
Change up your work out routine (don't do the same cardio machine every single time, change up your pace, heartrate)

Keep with eating clean and push through that plateau!

Everyone can and will achieve their goals if they keep on pushing. When the scale pushes back, you push harder!

MinnieInMaine

- if you weren't exercising before you started, the loss/gain could be from water retention in your muscles. Once your body gets used to regular activity again, this fluid will be released. But keep it in mind if you happen to change up your workout - anything different that causes a little muscle soreness will also cause water retention. Think of it like when you twist your ankle and it swells - same thing happens when our muscles are sore, it's just not as obvious.

- I'd recommend adding sodium to your tracker. I took a quick look and a lot of foods you log seem like they might be high in sodium. Again, water retention.

- could it be that time of the month? Many women either plateau or even gain up to 5 pounds!

One thing that helps all three of these is to up your water intake. A general rule is to drink half your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 180, that's 90 ounces or about 11 cups. Your pee color can be a good guide too - if it's really yellow and has an odor, you need to drink more. If it's very pale yellow, you're doing well. Try not to get to the point of it being clear...that's a bit too much.

And yeah, if you're not being consistent on the weekends, only you can fix that. Before I was able to access the site on my phone, I would write everyting down and then catch up on Mondays. I know that "x # of days logged" is important to some folks but I don't really care so much about that...the more important thing is to log everything as completely and honestly as you can. Forget to log a few things here and there and you may be cheating yourself big time.

Good luck!