Help! The scale is not moving!

wyomingmama

I have lost 5 pounds in the month of July! But its been a few pounds and then nothing for 2 weeks!

I have lost inches....
2 off my hips
1.25 off my waist
1.5 under my bust.

does anyone know approx how much fat loss= one inch lost?

I want to know if I am losing pounds but gaining muscles.... cause I am frustrated with the scale!

If I lose 5 more pounds I get my first "carrot", which is a pedicure!

How can I see the scale move again???

Please help!

wyomingmama

Advice Please!

j_wilson2012

Fat weighs less than muscle. Usually, if you are doing heavy workouts, you will gain muscles simultaneously. If you are losing inches, that means DIRECTLY that you are losing fat. Keep at it....you will soon see the scale move.

j_wilson2012

Also, the best and most accurate time to weigh in is in the morning, before breakfast, and after bathroom use. check then consistently. Also, weigh yourself through out the day. Not as an official weight in, but youd be surprised at how much your body gains and loses weight throughout the day.

wyomingmama

Fat weighs less than muscle. Usually, if you are doing heavy workouts, you will gain muscles simultaneously. If you are losing inches, that means DIRECTLY that you are losing fat. Keep at it....you will soon see the scale move.

Thanks!
I am so bummed at the lack of progress! The scale is getting to my head! I almost feel like quitting somedays!

I will keep at it and hope for a breakthrough!

diannethegeek

You haven't been logging your food lately, but when you were it looks like you were consistently eating less than 1200 calories. Is that still accurate?

I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but every plateau I've broken has been caused by eating too little. You might need to up your calories.

wyomingmama

I am almost boarderline gaining wt! I eat 1500 cals and am nursing a baby so you would think I could see it slide off!

Ugg! This is really hard. B4 the baby wt came right off!

wyomingmama

You haven't been logging your food lately, but when you were it looks like you were consistently eating less than 1200 calories. Is that still accurate?

I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but every plateau I've broken has been caused by eating too little. You might need to up your calories.

sortof right.

I really want to lose 2 pounds per week and the only way to eat -7000 per wk is to go under 1200 (for me)!

But then I went back to 1500!
I'm all over the place now.

I havn't wanted to track my cals bc I am very disappointed with my progress!

OneFitDude16

Try anaerobic activities (weightlifting). A lot of women may think they'll gain a ton of muscle, but actually most women can only gain 1/2 pound of muscle every 2 weeks. You won't bulk up but you will shred fat and get a hard body. Hope this helps.

BeautyCrys

5 pounds is a great loss in 1 month!!!!

LisaWilson2012

Always do your weights before any cardio workout. The weights will burn any carbs stored in your muscle so when you eventually do the cardio your body will have no choice but to burn fat. However, to achieve this successfully, your heart rate must be 60% to 70% of your max heart rate (220 less your age is your max).

Stick at it. The scales will follow with the result your want.

Lisa xx

Eleisabelle

You're nursing and only eating 1500 calories? How often do you nurse? Your own body may require that much calorie intake to function, and you're giving some of it away to your baby. That can throw your body into some major confusion.

You may be eating too little, which can temporarily cause your body to hold on to the fat (to keep stores for your baby) and lose muscle instead. Are you working out?

See if you can find out what your TDEE is while nursing. Also know your BMR. Try to avoid eating below BMR, as that can upset your body's balance. Eat between BMR and TDEE to lose weight, and make sure you're keeping enough to adequately feed the baby.

ETA: When you up your calories, you will gain weight temporarily as your body adjusts. But don't let that get to you. Eat healthy and well, and it will eventually work out!

wyomingmama

Try anaerobic activities (weightlifting). A lot of women may think they'll gain a ton of muscle, but actually most women can only gain 1/2 pound of muscle every 2 weeks. You won't bulk up but you will shred fat and get a hard body. Hope this helps.

I do lite weightlifting dvd for women! 2x per week! 3.5 lbs for 20 mins. It burns my arms and full body with squats, abs pushups etc.

Is that enough to gain 1'2 a pound???

DontStopB_Leakin

I am almost boarderline gaining wt! I eat 1500 cals and am nursing a baby so you would think I could see it slide off!

Ugg! This is really hard. B4 the baby wt came right off!

You just answered your question yourself. You are NURSING!! You have to eat more when your nursing, just like when you were pregnant. If you don't consume enough, your metabolic rate will slow down, hindering weight loss. Stop listening to the scale and start listening to your body!! You have to eat plenty of healthy, nutritious food if you're going to keep your baby fed.

In short, ignore the scale. The measuring tape is your new best friend.

P.S. 5 lbs in a month is nothing to balk at. And losing that many inches? I wish I could do that! Start giving yourself "carrotts" over NSV, not how many pounds you lose.

kevin3344

I havn't wanted to track my cals bc I am very disappointed with my progress!

A consistent log is the first step to knowing where you need to improve, so let's start there.

Next, up your cals to something more than 1,200....you'll need at least that.

Third, what about exercise? Some strength/circuit training a few minutes a day would work wonders. Look at a Jillian Michael's DVD like 30 Day Shred and you'll see amazing results.

First things first though: increase your calories slightly and log each and every day.

brianyeager

Listen up, for the scale to move with little effort... Put wheels on it. I hope a smile was provided which may have helped you burn a few calories.

chunkydunk714

5 pounds is a great loss in 1 month!!!!

^^^ I agree!! Id LOVE to lose 5 pounds in one month Good job and try not to stress over it. The one thing I can say is keep doing what you're doing and dont give up...thats the worst thing you can do.

Good luck mama! xo

wyomingmama

You're nursing and only eating 1500 calories? How often do you nurse? Your own body may require that much calorie intake to function, and you're giving some of it away to your baby. That can throw your body into some major confusion.

You may be eating too little, which can temporarily cause your body to hold on to the fat (to keep stores for your baby) and lose muscle instead. Are you working out?

See if you can find out what your TDEE is while nursing. Also know your BMR. Try to avoid eating below BMR, as that can upset your body's balance. Eat between BMR and TDEE to lose weight, and make sure you're keeping enough to adequately feed the baby.

ETA: When you up your calories, you will gain weight temporarily as your body adjusts. But don't let that get to you. Eat healthy and well, and it will eventually work out!

How do I figure my TDEE???

What I did was use the MFP settings wich is 1200 and then at "nursing mother" to my food wich subtracts -300 cals!

So that is why I eat 1500!

diannethegeek

You haven't been logging your food lately, but when you were it looks like you were consistently eating less than 1200 calories. Is that still accurate?

I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but every plateau I've broken has been caused by eating too little. You might need to up your calories.

sortof right.

I really want to lose 2 pounds per week and the only way to eat -7000 per wk is to go under 1200 (for me)!

But then I went back to 1500!
I'm all over the place now.

I havn't wanted to track my cals bc I am very disappointed with my progress!

Honestly, two pounds is probably too extreme if your ticker is correct. I would suggest setting your goal closer to one pound a week and let MFP's system work. Log your food, log your exercise, log your breastfeeding, and eat the amount they suggest (including most of the calories you earn from exercise). Stick with it for several weeks so that your body will stop fluctuating so much. Then re-evaluate if it's not working, but you will have to be patient.

Linda_Darlene

Fat weighs less than muscle. Usually, if you are doing heavy workouts, you will gain muscles simultaneously. If you are losing inches, that means DIRECTLY that you are losing fat. Keep at it....you will soon see the scale move.

A pound of fat and a pound of muscle weigh both weigh a pound. But a pound of muscle takes up less space. :bigsmile:

wyomingmama

You haven't been logging your food lately, but when you were it looks like you were consistently eating less than 1200 calories. Is that still accurate?

I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but every plateau I've broken has been caused by eating too little. You might need to up your calories.

sortof right.

I really want to lose 2 pounds per week and the only way to eat -7000 per wk is to go under 1200 (for me)!

But then I went back to 1500!
I'm all over the place now.

I havn't wanted to track my cals bc I am very disappointed with my progress!

Honestly, two pounds is probably too extreme if your ticker is correct. I would suggest setting your goal closer to one pound a week and let MFP's system work. Log your food, log your exercise, log your breastfeeding, and eat the amount they suggest (including most of the calories you earn from exercise). Stick with it for several weeks so that your body will stop fluctuating so much. Then re-evaluate if it's not working, but you will have to be patient.

Really! 2 pounds a week is too much to hope for???

OK.

Should I eat back/wtlifting cals? Anyone?