The scale says I'm losing weight.. but I feel "big"

Celebi03
Celebi03 Posts: 310 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've lost about 27 pounds on MFP. I do admit, I see changes and I went from a size 14 to a size 12. I used to weight 195 and now I weigh 167, but I feel so fat. My stomach is literally getting bigger than it was before. I don't track what I eat anymore.. That might be the problem. It's been a month since I've tracked my food. I don't feel like I've lost much weight at all. My arms still look huge.. and my thighs too. any suggestions would be great. I don't exercise btw. I've tried exercising and eating a deficit but the scale doesn't budge when I exercise. I don't know why honestly. Maybe I need to get used to exercising? This is kind of frustrating.. :embarassed:

Replies

  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    Go back to tracking what you're eating. But also be sure you're taking measurements. Our minds play tricks on us - you've gone down on the scale and in size so you've definitely lost weight. But I know what you mean - I still feel like I'm 180 pounds when I know I'm not.
  • Celebi03
    Celebi03 Posts: 310 Member
    .
  • Celebi03
    Celebi03 Posts: 310 Member
    Go back to tracking what you're eating. But also be sure you're taking measurements. Our minds play tricks on us - you've gone down on the scale and in size so you've definitely lost weight. But I know what you mean - I still feel like I'm 180 pounds when I know I'm not.

    Thanks. I am taking measurements. Still the same ones from a month ago. Thanks for your advice:flowerforyou:
  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
    You just admitted that you don't work out and you haven't tracked your food in over a month...go back to doing both. You were probably losing body fat when you were working out (however, retaining water for muscle repair) and now that you have stopped working out the weight that you have lost could be the water that your muscles don't need anymore.

    Don't let it frustrate you. Give it 4 weeks and see what happens.
  • Lisamay380
    Lisamay380 Posts: 17 Member
    Definitely track your food and exercise! When I stopped doing that, and just "estimated" that I was eating the right amount, that's when I gained weight back. Even now, when I track food & exercise every day, I sometime feel that I'm eating way to much or way under, until I look at what I'm actually eating. Our minds can play tricks on us - don't leave it to guessing...we must track in MFP. You can do it! You've already lost weight - keep it up!:wink:


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  • Soccermavrick
    Soccermavrick Posts: 405 Member
    I know my mind plays tricks on me too. The reality is it does not happen over night, and if you blink you might miss it. It is called track your foods, track your exercise, track you weight and measurements and over time things will develop. It does not sound like you were so huge that you are going to need surgery, and you made some progress, just sounds like you hit a plateau and cut back. Change will not happen automatically, it takes effort, and some changes will take a month or two to notice.
  • TheGymGypsy
    TheGymGypsy Posts: 1,023 Member
    You're probably feeling bloated.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    :huh: Sorry for being so blunt, but "the scale doesn't budge when I exercise" is one of the worst excuses I've ever heard for someone not exercising. It's common knowledge that exercise is a part of health and fitness.
  • linsey0689
    linsey0689 Posts: 753 Member
    Okay your current weight is about my goal so I can't really relate to you too much. But I do have the same feeling as you do. My stomach almost looks worse. But strength training is key I think. Because you are very big try adding in exercise and upping your calories.
  • Celebi03
    Celebi03 Posts: 310 Member
    :huh: Sorry for being so blunt, but "the scale doesn't budge when I exercise" is one of the worst excuses I've ever heard for someone not exercising. It's common knowledge that exercise is a part of health and fitness.

    No. I understand where you're getting at. But I've tried exercising. I started out with some Tae Bo for about a month, and realized that I wasn't losing weight. I stopped exercising and I lost 8 pounds the following month. I do like to exercise. Zumba is my favorite. :blushing:
  • TribeHokie
    TribeHokie Posts: 711 Member
    Exercise. Strength train. Be conscious of what you're eating. You know this.

    A few years ago I went from 180 to 150. I still felt like a fat girl at 150 because I still had my tummy roll and my butt and my thunder thighs. I get what you're saying. Now I try on a pair of pants that I could easily wear when I was 180 and am like "what skinny b*tch did I steal these clothes from?"
  • Celebi03
    Celebi03 Posts: 310 Member
    Okay your current weight is about my goal so I can't really relate to you too much. But I do have the same feeling as you do. My stomach almost looks worse. But strength training is key I think. Because you are very big try adding in exercise and upping your calories.

    I've been thinking about lifting. I've seen such great success stories.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    No. I understand where you're getting at. But I've tried exercising. I started out with some Tae Bo for about a month, and realized that I wasn't losing weight. I stopped exercising and I lost 8 pounds the following month. I do like to exercise. Zumba is my favorite. :blushing:

    I think someone already mentioned it, but when you first start exercising, your body often holds on to water weight to aid muscle repair. If you lost 8 lbs quickly & easily after you stopped exercising....a lot of that was probably the water. I would highly suggest you start exercising again.
  • Celebi03
    Celebi03 Posts: 310 Member
    No. I understand where you're getting at. But I've tried exercising. I started out with some Tae Bo for about a month, and realized that I wasn't losing weight. I stopped exercising and I lost 8 pounds the following month. I do like to exercise. Zumba is my favorite. :blushing:

    I think someone already mentioned it, but when you first start exercising, your body often holds on to water weight to aid muscle repair. If you lost 8 lbs quickly & easily after you stopped exercising....a lot of that was probably the water. I would highly suggest you start exercising again.

    Thanks. I'll try exercising again.:wink:
  • toothpastechica
    toothpastechica Posts: 250 Member
    Just a thought on a comment you made about feeling like your tummy seems even worse....well....take it from someone who stores ALL their weight in their tummy....you might be feeling that way because as you lose weight/inchs in other areas, if you are someone who naturally stores fat in their midsection, its usually the last to go.....the lighter I am on the scale, the more I get frusterated by not being able to lose the tummy weight, I have tried lots of cardio, tried weights, tried "ab excercises"...for me, its just the last to go no matter what I do, so the thinner other parts get the bigger it seems to me. That isn't a reason to give up, just a fact of life. It might look worse (to you), but if your overall weight/size is going down, then it will shrink too...just more slowly.

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