Does this usually happen?

ar1ms · September 2012

Please help!

I am on my 5th week of diet and exercise. I eat around 1200 calories a day but i usually burn 600-800 calories just from exercise 6 days a week at the gym. I have been noticing that the scale keeps going down but i haven't noticed really any changes in my body. I still think i look the same. Why does this happen? Will i all of a sudden notice a difference in the way i look? Am i doing something wrong? Is 5 weeks not enough time for changes to appear? Any advice or thoughts are welcomed. Thank you!

Briko3 · September 2012

Please help!

I am on my 5th week of diet and exercise. I eat around 1200 calories a day but i usually burn 600-800 calories just from exercise 6 days a week at the gym. I have been noticing that the scale keeps going down but i haven't noticed really any changes in my body. I still think i look the same. Why does this happen? Will i all of a sudden notice a difference in the way i look? Am i doing something wrong? Is 5 weeks not enough time for changes to appear? Any advice or thoughts are welcomed. Thank you!

They say it will take 12 weeks to see a change in yourself. What I did was start a spreadsheet with my measurements. I realized that even though I didn't look different to myself, after a few weeks, I lost 5 inches around my belly. It's a good way to see the progress you're making.

IveLanded · September 2012

Five weeks is not enough time to notice, really. I didn't think I looked different for probably 3 or 4 months. If you start taking your measurements you might have more motivation.

DanaDark · September 2012

Additionally, when you keep looking, it is harder to notice any difference. That's why turtles seem to sprint away when you look away but seem to barely move while you watch them.

ar1ms · September 2012

but is it normal for the scale to continue going down? it actually goes up and down between 1 to 2 pounds every time i get on the scale but it usually drops.

SMJ1987 · September 2012

Also your deficit is very large so you are probably losing LBM as well as fat. If you were to lose the same amount of weight but JUST body fat, you would see a difference much sooner.

TheRealParisLove · September 2012

It'll hit you like a mack truck one day. I had my "Mack Truck" moment last Friday. Here is my post about suddenly noticing I had changed:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/747648-this-is-a-funhouse-mirror-right

DanaDark · September 2012

Most fluctuation in the scale is from water weight. But so long as is slowly goes down you're fine.

Looking at the changes is sometimes hard though. Imagine a huge granite rock. A sculptor chips a small piece off and you look... it looks the same pretty much. Now he chips again and again... still looks the same... leave for a while, come back, he's been going at the same pace but now you start to see the changes.

Coyla · September 2012

Are you eating back your exercise calories?

If not, you're creating a giant calorie deficit which is likely affecting WHAT you're losing. You want to lose mostly fat, not lean muscle.

Also consider that you may be psyching yourself out and simply not seeing the changes.

Briko3 · September 2012

but is it normal for the scale to continue going down? it actually goes up and down between 1 to 2 pounds every time i get on the scale but it usually drops.

Yep...I was 20 pounds down before I thought I looked "a little' different.

ar1ms · September 2012

Are you eating back your exercise calories?

If not, you're creating a giant calorie deficit which is likely affecting WHAT you're losing. You want to lose mostly fat, not lean muscle.

Also consider that you may be psyching yourself out and simply not seeing the changes.

No i don't eat the exercise calories back usually, if i do its only about 100 or 200 calories. And i may be psyching myself out since my sister and my close friends can see a change but i just don't at all.

PittShkr · September 2012

Five weeks is not enough time to notice, really. I didn't think I looked different for probably 3 or 4 months. If you start taking your measurements you might have more motivation.

WRONG! Different peoples bodies react differently!

LaurenAOK · September 2012

Are you eating back your exercise calories?

If not, you're creating a giant calorie deficit which is likely affecting WHAT you're losing. You want to lose mostly fat, not lean muscle.

Also consider that you may be psyching yourself out and simply not seeing the changes.

Exactly. Based on your post it sounds like you may only be netting 400-600 calories a day. That's wayyy too small and can cause you to lose muscle, not fat. So even though the scale goes down you still stay flabby. Please eat more!

Gremlinz · September 2012

I will agree that if you are constantly looking at yourself, you won't notice as much. I don't notice any massive change in myself, but my belt is now getting tightened three notches more than it used to!

escloflowneCHANGED · September 2012

Are you eating back your exercise calories?

If not, you're creating a giant calorie deficit which is likely affecting WHAT you're losing. You want to lose mostly fat, not lean muscle.

Also consider that you may be psyching yourself out and simply not seeing the changes.

No i don't eat the exercise calories back usually, if i do its only about 100 or 200 calories. And i may be psyching myself out since my sister and my close friends can see a change but i just don't at all.

There is the answer! Eat them back so you have 1200 net!

KyleB65 · September 2012

Unfortunately, I did not take measurements when I started my weight loss journey. At the time, the idea of losing weight was so ominous, I did not think that body measurements were important. Too bad! I wish I had kept track!

As for the time frame. My real weight loss efforts / lifestyle change started early in June 2011. It was August before I started noticing a change in my physical appearance. And, it was into the fall when family, friends and work colleagues started complimenting me on my change.

So, keep at it!!

thrld · September 2012

Losing weight is like digging your car out of a snowstorm. You can see your car is just covered in snow. But before you can clean it off, sometimes you first have to dig a path to it. Anybody who comes by looks and says "wow you've dug a lot" -- but all you notice is that your car is still covered.

If you haven't taken pictures yet or taken your measurements -- do so now. This is the best way to 'see' changes. You may have lost a lot of back fat, or from your torso -- but you might not see it, because you are focusing on what you consider your 'problem areas'.

So keep at it, and be patient -- you might just find yourself amazed sooner than you think.

feltlikesound · September 2012

I've lost 20 pounds, and I cannot tell even the slightest bit of difference in my body. Like many people said -- I see it every day, changing progressively and slowly, so it is simply too gradual to be surprised by it. Other people who see you less can often be a good measure of a noticeable difference, and NSVs like how clothing fits. I noticed yesterday that some of my workout pants are falling down, but I never noticed them getting loose. The human brain is a funny thing!

jonisteenhoek · September 2012

It took me an incredibly long time to see a difference in myself. I think we look at ourselves so frequently that we don't see the small changes that our friends and family are seeing. I still have a hard time seeing a difference when I look in the mirror, but when I look at pictures from two years ago and today, the change is amazing!! Good luck on your journey!