Well THAT was discouraging!

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EmmaOnTrack
EmmaOnTrack Posts: 425 Member
in Motivation and Support
Was all amped up to weigh myself at the gym this morning and track the progress of my second week of good eating and lots of working out...and I haven't lost an OUNCE!

Sure, I'm starting to feel fitter and stronger (not to mention incredibly virtuous for staying at or below my calorie allowance for 2 weeks straight)...but why isn't it being reflected on the scales yet?!

Yours in quiet exasperation,

Emma.
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Replies

  • Iron_Lotus
    Iron_Lotus Posts: 2,295 Member
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    For starters you are going to have to open your log
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
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    Was all amped up to weigh myself at the gym this morning and track the progress of my second week of good eating and lots of working out...and I haven't lost an OUNCE!

    Sure, I'm starting to feel fitter and stronger (not to mention incredibly virtuous for staying at or below my calorie allowance for 2 weeks straight)...but why isn't it being reflected on the scales yet?!

    Yours in quiet exasperation,

    Emma.

    Are you sure this wasn't ENcouraging?
  • EmmaOnTrack
    EmmaOnTrack Posts: 425 Member
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    Done. Go on, let me have it. :tongue:
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
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    Two weeks? You need to be a bit more patient. Focus on your health and strength. The rest will follow.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,676 Member
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    Good job! You are healthier and are on a good track!
  • EmmaOnTrack
    EmmaOnTrack Posts: 425 Member
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    Was all amped up to weigh myself at the gym this morning and track the progress of my second week of good eating and lots of working out...and I haven't lost an OUNCE!

    Sure, I'm starting to feel fitter and stronger (not to mention incredibly virtuous for staying at or below my calorie allowance for 2 weeks straight)...but why isn't it being reflected on the scales yet?!

    Yours in quiet exasperation,

    Emma.

    Are you sure this wasn't ENcouraging?

    Well yes, intellectually of course I can understand the benefits of what I'm doing, but it would be nice to be rewarded with a decreasing number...particularly at the beginning of my journey. Would just be a motivation boost.
  • rhinesb
    rhinesb Posts: 204 Member
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    Let's see when I started I stayed the same for 2 weeks, then gained two pounds the next two weeks, then lost 4 lbs in the next two weeks for an over all only being down two pounds in 6 weeks. Seriously depressing if it wasn't for the fact that I was also measuring and measuring showed me that I'd actually gotten smaller by quite a bit during those 6 weeks.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Was all amped up to weigh myself at the gym this morning and track the progress of my second week of good eating and lots of working out...and I haven't lost an OUNCE!

    Sure, I'm starting to feel fitter and stronger (not to mention incredibly virtuous for staying at or below my calorie allowance for 2 weeks straight)...but why isn't it being reflected on the scales yet?!

    Yours in quiet exasperation,

    Emma.

    Are you sure this wasn't ENcouraging?
    This. And it's 2 weeks. Give it time. I appreciate the slower approach. You tend to lose less water weight and more fat, hurray. With that said, exercise causes glycogen to go around the body repairing muscles. There's a lot of water in glycogen, and it weighs stuff. It's helping you look better. That's what I'd blame it on. You'll see this temporary weight fluctuations because of this. Trust me, it's a good thing. You'll be looking a lot better then the alternative of not going to the gym.
  • dunnodunno
    dunnodunno Posts: 2,290 Member
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    Do you weigh out your food? I bought a food scale & now weigh out everything I eat including stuff that says you can have so many chips, so many cookies, etc.
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    As someone mentioned above using a food scale also using a HRM monitor when working out and also start tracking your sodium intake....just suggestions
  • jljshoe1979
    jljshoe1979 Posts: 325 Member
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    When I first start a new workout, I always gain weight. Then one day, it just starts dropping. Every person's body is different, so don't give up. When this first happened to me, I was just as upset as you. Some people posted saying that I might be retaining water. I didn't know it at the time, but when we work out, we are making little tears in our muscles. Then after our workouts, our body repairs itself (that's how we build muscle, which is a good thing). Part of the repair process is that our bodies surround the muscle tissue cells with water to help. This extra fluid retention comes across to us as a weight gain on the scale, but soon enough our bodies adjust to the work we are doing and water goes away resulting in a weight loss.

    After getting that explained to me, I quit relying on the scale value so much (even though I do weigh everyday - I'm looking for overall trends like gaining weight everyday for a week), and got a tape measure and took all over body measurements. Since you just started a few weeks ago, I would encourage you to get a tape measure and do that. Another thing I wish I had done at the beginning was get a body fat % measurement (BF), as I have heard that was a good indicator to watch too (for when the scale seems "stuck" or going up).
  • EmmaOnTrack
    EmmaOnTrack Posts: 425 Member
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    Do you weigh out your food? I bought a food scale & now weigh out everything I eat including stuff that says you can have so many chips, so many cookies, etc.

    Hi. Yes, I have a food scale. I don't have a HRM but have read enough threads here to know that MFP over estimates calories burnt working out so don't eat my calories back just in case,

    I'm never hungry and try to stick mainly to whole foods. It's definitely something I can sustain but my confidence was knocked a little today is all.
  • EmmaOnTrack
    EmmaOnTrack Posts: 425 Member
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    Let's see when I started I stayed the same for 2 weeks, then gained two pounds the next two weeks, then lost 4 lbs in the next two weeks for an over all only being down two pounds in 6 weeks. Seriously depressing if it wasn't for the fact that I was also measuring and measuring showed me that I'd actually gotten smaller by quite a bit during those 6 weeks.

    Thank you for this, just what I needed.

    I'm measuring too and my lovely partner said only yesterday I'm looking like its working so I know I don't really have anything to ***** about...just knew this was a safe forum to express my (possibly unwarranted) disappointment and hear from others who have had similar experiences.
  • lsuz
    lsuz Posts: 74
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    That's good to know. I totally get this thread. You work the program and do it for all the right reasons and make great choices and the stars align and daisies pop up in your path and you step on the scale and it spits up no loss or better yet -- a gain! I know life is not always fair, but geeze. LOL.

    So, great thread. And if anyone would like to add me as a friend, please do, I find such strength and encouragement from seeing how it all works from real people and real experiences -- all different but still educational and inspiring.
  • EmmaOnTrack
    EmmaOnTrack Posts: 425 Member
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    When I first start a new workout, I always gain weight. Then one day, it just starts dropping. Every person's body is different, so don't give up. When this first happened to me, I was just as upset as you. Some people posted saying that I might be retaining water. I didn't know it at the time, but when we work out, we are making little tears in our muscles. Then after our workouts, our body repairs itself (that's how we build muscle, which is a good thing). Part of the repair process is that our bodies surround the muscle tissue cells with water to help. This extra fluid retention comes across to us as a weight gain on the scale, but soon enough our bodies adjust to the work we are doing and water goes away resulting in a weight loss.

    After getting that explained to me, I quit relying on the scale value so much (even though I do weigh everyday - I'm looking for overall trends like gaining weight everyday for a week), and got a tape measure and took all over body measurements. Since you just started a few weeks ago, I would encourage you to get a tape measure and do that. Another thing I wish I had done at the beginning was get a body fat % measurement (BF), as I have heard that was a good indicator to watch too (for when the scale seems "stuck" or going up).

    Thanks heaps...very helpful!
  • StaticNomad
    StaticNomad Posts: 37
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    Building muscle can add weight... burning fat loses weight. Between the two, sometimes it's hard to see a loss happening. So - try measuring your chest, thighs, upper arms, hips, waist, and neck. Then go back in 2-4 weeks and measure again. This is a great way to see change happening, even if weight isn't really showing anything.
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
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    Building muscle can add weight... burning fat loses weight. Between the two, sometimes it's hard to see a loss happening. So - try measuring your chest, thighs, upper arms, hips, waist, and neck. Then go back in 2-4 weeks and measure again. This is a great way to see change happening, even if weight isn't really showing anything.

    She hasn't built muscle if she is eating at a deficit, but it's always good to try to see a bright side.
  • mahanaibu
    mahanaibu Posts: 505 Member
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    Relative to many MFPers, you are pretty close to your goal weight. It's going to go slower for you. You're on the right track; give it time. As others noted, when you first start working out, you get some water retention from the sore muscles; that goes away and suddenly you'll see a drop.

    If there's any suggestion I would make on what you're doing, it would be to reduce the refined grains--muffins, rolls and the like--and use the calories to amp up your protein.
  • estatitra
    estatitra Posts: 80 Member
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    Usually I notice that I have gotten smaller and after few days I lose weight. I don't know why. Don't get discouraged. You might be gaining some muscles, retaining some water etc. Thanks heaven we women go through so many hormonal stages that it's hard to know when we are retaining and when we are dehydrated.
  • crazybookworm
    crazybookworm Posts: 779 Member
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    Why go right for the negative? Stay positive, girl! Yes, it may be a tad frustrating that you didn't lose, but there was no gain either. Don't get so hung up on the scale. You will create a vicious monster! :P

    Give yourself a very big pat on the back for all the amazing hard work you've been putting into making yourself healthy. Patience is key, and you WILL get there!

    Keep up the wicked hard work! I know we will be reading about your success story soon enough!

    Stay positive! :flowerforyou:

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