frustrated, could use some motivation

kaseyAnne425

Ugh, I hate when the scale doesn't move.. seriously.. i'm hovering around the same number since I started up again and have no idea what I'm doing wrong.. Doing the same thing I did last time when I lost 10 pounds using MFP.. I'm currently at 186.. and I really just want to see 184 or close to it by Saturday (my weight in day).. i'm afraid to exercise because I'm afraid I'll put on a few pounds from muscle.. This is the most annoying attempt at losing weight I've ever encountered

dongor83

i feel your pain. i succesfully lost 22lbs from diet alone. so 6 weeks ago i started going to 3-5 classes a week boxercise/circuit training and since then i have only lost1lb. i have again changed my diet and cut out some carbs and change from white bread to brown bread, more veg and added in more fruit all to bring my calories up.

i did not do my inches but loads of people can see a big difference in my shage (i have noticed this also) but because i have been relying on the scales all this time i am finding it difficult to keep myself motivated to keep going.

i am however loving the classes and i intend to keep these up as my fitness levels have really improved. this probably doesnt help much but ive been reading on here and there is loads of people in the same boat as us.

surfinglily

Same is happening to me - I lost about 7lbs since starting 5:2 in january then scales just stopped moving 2 weeks ago. I decided to come off 5:2, maintain 1200 kcals per day, which is easy after 5:2, and go to the gym. I've been 6 times in 2 weeks and still the scales are static. I'm not weighing in again til I see a change so it's making me more determined to try harder . . . what else can I do??

surfinglily

i feel your pain. i succesfully lost 22lbs from diet alone. so 6 weeks ago i started going to 3-5 classes a week boxercise/circuit training and since then i have only lost1lb. i have again changed my diet and cut out some carbs and change from white bread to brown bread, more veg and added in more fruit all to bring my calories up.

i did not do my inches but loads of people can see a big difference in my shage (i have noticed this also) but because i have been relying on the scales all this time i am finding it difficult to keep myself motivated to keep going.

i am however loving the classes and i intend to keep these up as my fitness levels have really improved. this probably doesnt help much but ive been reading on here and there is loads of people in the same boat as us.

^
I
I
I'm glad we're not alone!!

prokomds

i'm afraid to exercise because I'm afraid I'll put on a few pounds from muscle..

I really wanted to address this

1) It's almost impossible to put on muscle when you're eating less than your TDEE. It's really REALLY hard to put on muscle as a woman even if you're eating tons of protein and over your TDEE. This is a false thing to worry about, sorry. Worst case scenario if you work out really hard, your body retains a bit of water to repair your muscles. This is temporary.

2) Maybe you should take some measurements and focus on that. Maybe you've lost inches even if the weight hasn't changed

3) If you exercise, you will burn fat. And you will be healthier / live longer / have more energy / sleep better / I could go on.

I don't want to offend, but you have to realize, gaining a bit of muscle and losing fat will change the shape of your body. The scale may reflect it, it might not, but wouldn't you be satisfied by wearing smaller clothes? If you could go down a clothing size but not see a single change on the scale, what's the problem?

Dieting without exercise causes you to lose both fat and muscle at the same time, so you aren't really doing a great job of improving your body fat percentage. You may get lighter, but you'll still look flabby at any weight. Some people call it "skinny fat" around here - that's why you see girls veering into unhealthily low weights because they still think they have fat on them (and they do, but they also have zero muscle). This just makes me go ARGGHGHWOIEKLDFJLKJASFPOAIHF

Anyway! Being stuck sucks, but I find the best advice is usually just patience (also the most frustrating advice!). And exercise wouldn't hurt

JesterMFP

As difficult as it can be, try to focus less on the number on the scale. I know you just want to see it go downwards, but to be afraid to exercise for fear of the effect it might have on the scale is not a good sign. I presume it's fat that you're trying to lose? And that you know that a gain from exercise would not be a gain of fat? I know logic can go out the window when you are desperate to see movement on the scale, but try to get some perspective back and remember why you want to lose weight in the first place. On your profile, it says you want to be healthy. Exercise will contribute to that. It says you want to fit into cuter clothes. Exercise will contribute to that.

You might gain a little water weight as your muscles repair themselves, but that will go away. You will not gain a couple of pounds in muscle; it is very difficult to gain serious muscle mass, especially if you are at a calorie deficit. Occasionally it can happen when people are obese, and strength training, and new to strength training, but it still would not be very much. Even for women who are eating an excess of calories and working really, really hard with strength training to purposely gain muscle - it is a very slow process. This is not something you need to worry about.

(What is something to think about is that by eating at a deficit over time, you risk losing muscle mass. This can be minimised by not eating too little, by doing some resistance exercise, and by getting plenty of protein.)

What works is having a moderate calorie deficit through diet and/or exercise, and sticking with it consistently over time. I don't know how long it's been since you started up again, but if it's been several weeks and you haven't seen any loss in weight or size (are you measuring?) then it might be worth looking at your calorie intake and adjusting if necessary. You may do better by increasing your calories a bit since you are currently (according to another post) eating below your BMR. In general though, just keep at it. Accept that some weeks you may not see a loss, but know that it will happen, if you keep at it.

dongor83

well i am back to say stick at it!!!!!! after only losing 1lb in 6 weeks i weighed today and i have lost 4lbs in one week!!! now i know that is a lot in one week but i have not changed much atall in what i was eating etc
i guess my body is reacting to the excercise and i am now seeing the benefit!

keep at it ladies it will work if you put in the effort.
x

BobSassafrass

Take measurements! Even if you aren't losing weight you may be losing inches.