Feel thinner . look thinner - yet no weight loss in 2 wks

lifejoy
lifejoy Posts: 2
in Motivation and Support
I have 40 lbs to lose. Doing MFP and i am doing 1500 - 2000 cal /day, cardio and weights 5x week. I have not lost 1 lb in 2 weeks, but i feel thinner! people are telling me i look thinner! Water Weight?....about to give up...any thoughts:cry:
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Replies

  • neilvv
    neilvv Posts: 146 Member
    Broken scales? If you feel thinner and look thinner why give up? Keep up the good work great results are only around the corner for you.
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
    Get out that measuring tape and go by that rather than the scale!

    I have lost a total of 20 lbs but look significantly thinner. People are guesstimating around 50 lbs when I ask.
  • KatLifter
    KatLifter Posts: 1,314 Member
    Get out that measuring tape and go by that rather than the scale!

    I have lost a total of 20 lbs but look significantly thinner. People are guesstimating around 50 lbs when I ask.

    This. When I started lifting I dropped a size and less than a pound. Measure and don't give up.
  • tartsul
    tartsul Posts: 298 Member
    don't be discouraged if the number on the scale doesn't move, if you are feeling thinner and people are noticing, then you definitely are thinner! weight from muscle to replace weight from fat is good! keep up the hard work, and i am sure you will continue to see results! you got this!
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    Give up? Cause you don't get instant results?........Really :noway:
    Just in case you don't give up - the scale lies...Take your measurements and go by that and the fit of your clothes...
    I "gained 15 lbs" , but wear smaller pants than what I used to wear at 15lbs less....
    If I gave up exercising and eating healthy when I started gaining, where do you think I would have been by now...
  • mauswood
    mauswood Posts: 137 Member
    Don't give up! You're probably experiencing water fluctuations in your body, and you're building muscle. Keep with it! The scale will move, and you will firm up - just keep at it!
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    You're about to give up?? Why, what's that going to achieve? if you were happy with things as they were you wouldn't be here.

    Be patient. Don't expect miracles.

    Slow and steady wins the race.
  • dossas
    dossas Posts: 6
    If you just recently started lifting weights, then you are probably increasing lean body mass and losing fat...which is the ideal scenario. If that is the case, don't worry about it and ride it for as long as you can. Most people would love to be in the position of losing fat and gaining muscle. The scale really doesn't matter as much when you are changing the composition of your body.
  • Feisty_Red
    Feisty_Red Posts: 982 Member
    People go on for months...and months without results...doesnt mean they give up..its that they need to try something new...

    I hate the scale..I think we tend to set a magic number there and thats all we look at.

    Just go by measurements and clothing sizes.. It's far less stressful.. and the bottom line is how you look..and if you desire...how others say you look.. not that hey..I weigh...such and such
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    I have 40 lbs to lose. Doing MFP and i am doing 1500 - 2000 cal /day, cardio and weights 5x week. I have not lost 1 lb in 2 weeks, but i feel thinner! people are telling me i look thinner! Water Weight?....about to give up...any thoughts:cry:

    i'd get the nutrition under control. 1500-2000 calories is about a 25% deviation.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    If you just recently started lifting weights, then you are probably increasing lean body mass and losing fat...which is the ideal scenario. If that is the case, don't worry about it and ride it for as long as you can. Most people would love to be in the position of losing fat and gaining muscle. The scale really doesn't matter as much when you are changing the composition of your body.

    She has not built muscle in just 2 weeks.

    It's all water retention from the workouts, this will decrease eventually and you will see the loss your after. Make sure you drink lots of water.
  • marjoleina
    marjoleina Posts: 189 Member
    2 weeks is not a very long time, if you were not tracking your food and working out would your results be better or worse? I am on a 3 month plateau but I am sure that if I were to throw in the towel I would just gain. Keep going!
  • Hirgy03
    Hirgy03 Posts: 332 Member
    I just posted in a thread not too long ago that I had gone through something similar, and it goes rather cyclically. I tend to notice most of my phsical changes while not losing any weight on the scale at all, then will suddenly drop a significant amount, then plateau weight-wise again (and again, as before, during this time of no weight-loss, I'll notice the physical stuff changing rather quickly).

    In the end, I think that its muscle building up (which is heavier than fat), so you are kind of doing a "break even" kinda thing there. Hang with it. I know that I wasn't noticing much in the first couple of months, but now a few months after that initial few, I'm looking a lot better, am down a significant amount of weight, and am feeling great. You will be there soon......just STICK WITH IT
  • tjsoccermom
    tjsoccermom Posts: 500 Member
    DON'T GIVE UP!! Yes, I was yelling! I wish I hadn't given up the other 100 times I've tried to lose weight. Quit getting on the scale, use a tape measure and your clothes as a guide. No matter what, you know that you are getting healthier and that counts for a lot!! Just keep at it...good things are and will happen.
  • martinbeks
    martinbeks Posts: 255 Member
    I got really discouraged this week (and last month), because I was doing all weight lifting, and no cardio, and I didn't lose any weight until last week, and this week I gained a pound. HOWEVER, I did lose seven inches, and today one of my coworkers noticed, and told me she was proud of me.

    The scale only shows you the big picture. Yes, it's your weight, but it doesn't show what weight goes where. The weight of your muscles, organs, hair, and yes, even fat.

    If you're feeling thinner and looking thinner, you ARE thinner. The scale only tells partial truths. Check out a measuring tape, but keep up your good work!:bigsmile: :flowerforyou:
  • MommaKit79
    MommaKit79 Posts: 852
    MEASURE, MEASURE, MEASURE!!!

    I have only lost 15-20 lbs since August but, OMG, the measurements are so different! I look thinner after losing those 15-20 lbs then I did when i lost the first 26!!

    You are gaining Muscle Mass! Remember, a lb of msucle takes up less space then a lb of fat!!
  • RachelSRoach1
    RachelSRoach1 Posts: 435 Member
    Screw the scale! If you are FEELING a difference and noticing a difference.. just switch to measuring instead of weighing for a while and keep feeling great!!
  • msmithevv
    msmithevv Posts: 58 Member
    Don't give up on the weightloss - Give up on the scale!
  • VeronicaAM
    VeronicaAM Posts: 69
    Do not give up , commit , you are doing everything right and nothing bad can happen is you stay a little longer :) great news your feeling better , I am in the same boat have not see a change; but I know that I cannot go wrong by working out and eating well .
    Patience . they said it takes four weeks for you to notice, eight weeks for your friends to notice and twelve for the world to see you changing hang in there
  • Siege_Tank
    Siege_Tank Posts: 781 Member
    Take a gallon jug of water and weigh yourself with it, and then without it. Water weighs 8.3 pounds per gallon, and most people try and drink 8 glasses a day, almost 4 pounds worth of water. Weight loss can hide very well in the diferent "weights" of different levels of hydration
  • oohmercyme
    oohmercyme Posts: 279 Member
    My weight has remained 162 for the past 6 weeks but I've lost 10lbs of body fat and one dress size. Just because the scale doesn't move, doesn't mean things aren't happening!
  • kellensdad
    kellensdad Posts: 27 Member
    As stated earlier, don't go by the scale, right now. If you just began lifting weights you need to understand that your body is storing water due to muscle repair. When you've never lifted before and start lifting, you will notice some pain from your muscles, this is normal. When this is happening, your body is storing water to help repair the "damage" that you are doing to your muscles. It might seem that you are not dropping pounds the way you want, but you need to go by what you see in the mirror and the measuring tape rather than the scale. Your body will catch up to what you want, in time, but it takes time. Hang in there, you didn't put all this weight on in 2 weeks, don't expect to drop it in 2 weeks.
  • legnarevocrednu
    legnarevocrednu Posts: 467 Member
    You have probably hit a plateu, which is quite normal during a weight loss journey. Maybe try zig zagging your calories? Sounds like you are doing everything right...just do something to mix up your routine a bit. Whether with your calories or your workout. Your body may have just gotten comfortable with what you have been doing. Definitely don't give up! I was there...and will probably be there again. Consistency and persistence is key! Good luck!
    Edit: Like everyone else said, definitely measure during this time. Although the scale may not be budging, you can bet you have lost inches (which is more important, visually anyway).
  • sardesc
    sardesc Posts: 34 Member
    Stay away from the scale. I'm a little OCD so I kept track of my fat loss with a spreadsheet detailing my measurements every 2 weeks. Now I measure once a month. In a 4 month period I lost no weight, but 2 clothing sizes (I lift weights and do cardio). Drink lots of water and keep eating health and exercising. You have to be dedicated and consistent to see results and keep them!
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
    If you feel thinner and look thinner why give up? Keep up the good work great results are only around the corner for you.

    Exactly-don't give up just cause of what the scale says. Don't rely on that, start taking measurements and pictures instead.
  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
    You're probably losing inches, which is a good thing! Take measurements!
  • workaholic_nurse
    workaholic_nurse Posts: 727 Member
    MEASURE, MEASURE, MEASURE!!!

    I have only lost 15-20 lbs since August but, OMG, the measurements are so different! I look thinner after losing those 15-20 lbs then I did when i lost the first 26!!

    You are gaining Muscle Mass! Remember, a lb of msucle takes up less space then a lb of fat!!

    ^what she said^
  • gallingers06
    gallingers06 Posts: 43 Member
    Keep working out. I gained 1.5 lbs, just to find out that I had gone from 40% body fat mass to 36%. A 4% drop! This is happening to you, so your strengthening your body and losing fat. It took more than two weeks to gain, it will take more than two weeks to lose it. You can do this, just give yourself time! :wink:
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    I have 40 lbs to lose. Doing MFP and i am doing 1500 - 2000 cal /day, cardio and weights 5x week. I have not lost 1 lb in 2 weeks, but i feel thinner! people are telling me i look thinner! Water Weight?....about to give up...any thoughts:cry:

    Think about that for a minute. "TOPIC: Feel thinner . look thinner" How terrible? "I have not lost 1 lb in 2 weeks" Do you think that's a long period of time? Sounds like you're doing terrific!
  • jwilliams20
    jwilliams20 Posts: 1
    You are most likely gaining muscle which weighs more than fat. I know this because it is happening to me:wink:

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