Does this usually happen?

ar1ms
ar1ms Posts: 98 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
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!

Replies

  • Briko3
    Briko3 Posts: 266 Member
    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
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
    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
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    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
    ar1ms Posts: 98 Member
    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
    SMJ1987 Posts: 368
    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
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    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
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    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
    Coyla Posts: 444 Member
    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
    Briko3 Posts: 266 Member
    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
    ar1ms Posts: 98 Member
    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
    PittShkr Posts: 1,000 Member
    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
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    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
    Gremlinz Posts: 3,259 Member
    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
    escloflowneCHANGED Posts: 3,038 Member
    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
    KyleB65 Posts: 1,196 Member
    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
    thrld Posts: 610 Member
    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
    feltlikesound Posts: 326 Member
    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
    jonisteenhoek Posts: 92 Member
    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!
  • jocybee83
    jocybee83 Posts: 155 Member
    Take measurements and pictures. It always helps me to compare pictures side by side.
  • MonicaMeeks
    MonicaMeeks Posts: 15 Member
    It takes a minute but, I noticed the difference in my jeans first. Others will notice the difference before you do,
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    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.

    Yes, that's what they do. Like a yoyo, but the lows get lower and the highs never get as high.
  • kimad
    kimad Posts: 3,010 Member
    I also think that it depends how much weight you have to lose.
    I started at 245 lbs and the first bit didn't really show at all. For me, my MAJOR changes showed between 50-75lbs lost.

    I would give it some more time. Pay attention to how your clothes are fitting too.

    Good luck
  • kimad
    kimad Posts: 3,010 Member
    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!

    This is me too. I go back and look at pictures alot. I also kept one outfit from the starting point I put on sometimes to remind myself.
  • jensenta3
    jensenta3 Posts: 179
    Give it at least 12 weeks to notice change. If the scale is moving or measurements are changing - you are definitely making progress!
  • gxdragon
    gxdragon Posts: 23 Member
    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.

    Weigh yourself around the same time every day. I weigh myself first thing in the morning since your weight will vary throughout the day. Also do your clothes fit any different? My pants were falling off, I started tightening my belt. Today I dug out an old pair of pants a size smaller.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    It varies person to person. I lost inches before I lost any weight.

    You say you are eating 1200 calories and burning 600-800. Does that mean you are eating 1200 net (1800-2000 total) calories or 1200 total (400-600 net). If it's 1200 total, you are likely losing muscle almost as fast as fat unless you have a lot of weight to lose.
  • ar1ms
    ar1ms Posts: 98 Member
    It varies person to person. I lost inches before I lost any weight.

    You say you are eating 1200 calories and burning 600-800. Does that mean you are eating 1200 net (1800-2000 total) calories or 1200 total (400-600 net). If it's 1200 total, you are likely losing muscle almost as fast as fat unless you have a lot of weight to lose.

    1200 total.... and i know that its not good but i feel like i eat so much already i feel huge if i eat more during the day :( i have like 20-30 pounds to lose.

    i was 185 when i started my diet and today the scale said 172
  • deniseblossoms
    deniseblossoms Posts: 373 Member
    I'm a bit scale obsessed so I try to only weigh myself once a week. There are so many factors that can make your weight fluctuate throughout the day/week and even month.

    Find something you were wearing a month ago and see how it looks now...find something that was kinda snug see if there's any improvement...And if you're really brave take some measurements, the tape measure doesn't lie.

    Just keep doing what your doing. Drink your water, make good choices and try to do a little better every day.

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