Help! The scale is not moving!

wyomingmama
wyomingmama Posts: 71 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
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!
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Replies

  • wyomingmama
    wyomingmama Posts: 71 Member
    Advice Please! :cry:
  • j_wilson2012
    j_wilson2012 Posts: 293
    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
    j_wilson2012 Posts: 293
    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
    wyomingmama Posts: 71 Member
    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
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    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
    wyomingmama Posts: 71 Member
    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
    wyomingmama Posts: 71 Member
    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
    OneFitDude16 Posts: 169
    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
    BeautyCrys Posts: 209 Member
    5 pounds is a great loss in 1 month!!!!
  • LisaWilson2012
    LisaWilson2012 Posts: 118 Member
    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
    Eleisabelle Posts: 365
    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
    wyomingmama Posts: 71 Member
    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
    DontStopB_Leakin Posts: 3,863 Member
    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
    kevin3344 Posts: 702 Member
    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
    brianyeager Posts: 44
    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. :wink:
  • chunkydunk714
    chunkydunk714 Posts: 784 Member
    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
    wyomingmama Posts: 71 Member
    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
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    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
    Linda_Darlene Posts: 453 Member
    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
    wyomingmama Posts: 71 Member
    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?
  • wyomingmama
    wyomingmama Posts: 71 Member
    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. :wink:

    Hahahah!
    I right now throwing it out the window would give me great joy! *snicker*
  • Eleisabelle
    Eleisabelle Posts: 365
    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!

    Here's a TDEE calculator. Be honest about the energy you expend each day. A nursing mother should expect to need an extra 300-500 calories per day, and perhaps more, depending on how often and how much you're nursing (in other words, if you're normally sedentary, up your answer to at least "light exercise" to account for nursing).

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    Good luck!
  • wyomingmama
    wyomingmama Posts: 71 Member
    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!

    Here's a TDEE calculator. Be honest about the energy you expend each day. A nursing mother should expect to need an extra 300-500 calories per day, and perhaps more, depending on how often and how much you're nursing (in other words, if you're normally sedentary, up your answer to at least "light exercise" to account for nursing).

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    Good luck!

    my TDEE is 1950 (for light exercise for nursing)
    my bmr is 1418 but then I need to add 300 for nursing right?
    so my BMR is 1718?

    So I should eat at least 1718???
  • wyomingmama
    wyomingmama Posts: 71 Member
    my TDEE is 1950 (for light exercise for nursing)
    my bmr is 1418 but then I need to add 300 for nursing right?
    so my BMR is 1718?

    So I should eat at least 1718???

    Help me with this last question!
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    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???

    That is not weight lifting...and you are eating at a severe deficit, so no way can you build 1.2lbs of muscle... Eat more and lift heavy...
  • jazzyscoob
    jazzyscoob Posts: 1 Member
    Some people do not lose any weight when nursing. I was one of the unlucky few. I worked out and ate right when nursing my son. Did not lose a pound. Once I stopped nursing the weight started to melt off. Keep exercising and stick to measurements the scale will catch up at some point. :)
  • kaervaak
    kaervaak Posts: 274 Member
    Eat at least your BMR every day plus extra for breast feeding. I'd probably start at around 1800-2000 calories per day and see how your body reacts to that. If, after a month of eating at that level you have maintained your weight or gained, then consider decreasing your calories.
  • kristinL16
    kristinL16 Posts: 401 Member
    How old is your baby? If your baby is still exclusively nursing you probably need closer to 500 extra calories, not just 300. When I was figuring out my daily calorie goal I used a number of methods/information. I found sites that said nursing mothers should eat at least 1700-1800 calories. My BMR is about 1200 (I am short and over 35) and am usually sedentary on days I work. When I calculate my TDEE, take 20% off that and then add 500 for breastfeeding I end up close to 1750, which is where I set my goal. I typically lose .5 lb per week. I would like it to be more, but I'm hoping that now that my son is eating more solids (he is 9 months) that my body will let go of weight faster. I will re-evaluate my calorie goal in the next month or so depending on how things go. May need to adjust it down as my body doesn't need to produce as much milk. Also, many people will tell you that a .5-1lb per week loss is all to shoot for when nursing, since you don't want to stress your body too much. The closer you are to goal the harder it is to pull off those higher numbers, too.

    That being said, some weeks we lose, some weeks we don't. A 5lb loss is in one month is good!
  • Eleisabelle
    Eleisabelle Posts: 365
    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!

    Here's a TDEE calculator. Be honest about the energy you expend each day. A nursing mother should expect to need an extra 300-500 calories per day, and perhaps more, depending on how often and how much you're nursing (in other words, if you're normally sedentary, up your answer to at least "light exercise" to account for nursing).

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    Good luck!

    my TDEE is 1950 (for light exercise for nursing)
    my bmr is 1418 but then I need to add 300 for nursing right?
    so my BMR is 1718?

    So I should eat at least 1718???

    I would say start with that, yes. Remember, you will likely put on some weight in the first two weeks as your body adjusts. You'll have to let yourself do it longer than that. Then reassess in a month or two.

    Losing weight takes time if you want to do it right. Make it a habit, a new way of looking at eating and exercising. And don't worry about what you're doing weight wise. You're doing fine. If you want to try to increase your weight lifting, look into a good body weight routine. Pushups, squats, lunges... and if you want to add weight to it, keep your milk jugs and fill them with sand or kitty litter for cheap weights that are heavier than 5 pounds. But don't stress it. Just keep moving every day if you can, and that will help, too.

    Have fun with it. You'll be fine. Just be patient with your body.
  • LMiller81
    LMiller81 Posts: 92 Member
    So... based on all that has been said... up your calories and... set those NSV 'carrots'... go get that pedicure, girl. 5 lbs and that many inches (and all the math you just did) deserves a pedi~!

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