Scale not budging! Am I not doing enough?

My weight loss journey has been on and off but it is on for good now. I restarted last Monday and I've already lost 8 pounds!! Woohoo! I lost that weight walking home from work (3 miles, 45 minutes) in the sweltering 90+ degree heat! I eat 1200-1300 calories everyday and I still use the walking home as my exercise but the weather has calmed down to a 80ish degree weather. I don't sweat as much doing it since it's not as hot but I do feel the burn! However my scale has been stuck at 231.6 and its really frustrating. Am I not doing enough? I guess I have to hike it up! Let me know!

Replies

  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
    Are you drinking plenty and plenty of water???

    Eating lots of fruit, veggies, protein etc???

    1200-1300 isn't really that much..... How tall are you? Work out your BMR & TDEE, A lot of people of here eat more, then the scale goes down.....Try that for a couple of weeks by an extra 100/200
  • samanthasky
    samanthasky Posts: 114 Member
    I'm 5'4'' and yes I drink half of my weight in ounces! And I think I get enough protein! Maybe I can link my food diary so you can let me know!
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Your diary is closed. It would be helpful to open it.

    The 8 lbs you lost right away was most likely water weight (not to be a Debbie downer), but that usually happens when you start working out after time off.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    You probably (ok, definitely) did not lose 8lbs of fat last week...a lot of that was water weight. Don't worry about whether or not you're sweating a lot, that just results in loss of water. I'm just saying this because you shouldn't expect to lose that much weight each week. I wouldn't judge your loss by only one week. Give it some more time.
  • samanthasky
    samanthasky Posts: 114 Member
    Yeah I figured it was water weight.. but still http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/samanthasky I feel like I eat enough! I think I should just hike up the work out to something difficult now! I'm going to start Jillian Michael's Body Revolution next week as well!
  • samanthasky
    samanthasky Posts: 114 Member
    I've lost 25 pounds on MFP I can definitely do it again!
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
    te problem is the 1200- 1 300 calories u nee d more than that
  • samanthasky
    samanthasky Posts: 114 Member
    But I kind of feel like I'm okay with the calories I'm eating? I've always had a small stomach but now I'm learning to stop eating when I feel full.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    By looking at your diary, are you logging any exercise?

    If not, you need to and eat some of those cals back.
  • samanthasky
    samanthasky Posts: 114 Member
    Yes I'm logging exercise
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Has it been a full day, or just a few hours of not budging?
  • Do not go by the scales as muscle weighs much more than fat. I lost over 20" a couple of years ago and never lost one pound on the scales...but my body looked great! I had turned all those fat pounds into lean muscle. You should take body measurements and depend more on that than the scale
  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
    You have days where you are not logging any food, so you're either not eating anything all day ... or you're eating whatever, just not logging it.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    But I kind of feel like I'm okay with the calories I'm eating? I've always had a small stomach but now I'm learning to stop eating when I feel full.

    Feeling full or not isn't a good indication of whether or not you are getting enough nutrition.
  • eazy_
    eazy_ Posts: 516 Member
    Has it been a full day, or just a few hours of not budging?

    JCGiypi.gif
  • Lili0817
    Lili0817 Posts: 109 Member
    I think you need to increase your workouts. Do something that really get's your heart rate going. Like, sprints, jump rope. And if you start working out, then you need to eat more.
  • QuilterInVA
    QuilterInVA Posts: 672 Member
    How could a pound of muscle weigh more than a pound of fat. A pound of anything is 16 ounces. Muscle takes up less volume than fat so that's why your body looks smaller. But a pound is till a pound.
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    It might also be a good idea to adjust your expectations and only weigh yourself once a week.
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
    But I kind of feel like I'm okay with the calories I'm eating? I've always had a small stomach but now I'm learning to stop eating when I feel full.

    Asks for help on weight loss.

    Argues with the most sensible suggestion.

    Seems legit.


    (You need to eat more. Find your TDEE and eat 20% less than that.)
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
    you said you just started last Monday and already lost 8 pounds... how is the scale not budging. a good weight loss is between 1-2 pounds per week... be happy with your loss, its a lot for such a short time...
  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
    In the real world a pound is a pound is a pound. On MFP a pound of muscle miraculously weighs more than a pound of fat. When I weigh a pound of beans at home and a pound of chicken feathers, they are both 1 pound.

    Now... when I upload that data to MFP, the chicken feathers weigh much much more.
  • wamydia
    wamydia Posts: 259 Member
    If I'm reading your post right, it looks like you just started losing weight again about a week ago and lost 8lbs right away. So I'm assuming the problem is that the scale got to the 8lb mark and then just stopped?

    This is completely 100% typical. What often happens in the first week or so of weight loss is that you cut down your carbs and sugar and your body sheds a ton of water weight. When I first started losing, I lost 11 lbs in the first week and a half. After that initial loss, your body will often need a little break to adjust to the changes in how you are taking in and using calories. Which results in the total scale stoppage and sometimes even a small gain (which also happened to me and I also panicked that I was doing something wrong). Keep exercising and eating on your plan and your body will soon start to lose weight from burning fat. When that happens, weight loss will resume but it will be at a much slower pace. You don't want to lose more than 2lbs a week from here on out as that means you are most likely burning muscle for energy instead of fat.
  • wamydia
    wamydia Posts: 259 Member
    How could a pound of muscle weigh more than a pound of fat. A pound of anything is 16 ounces. Muscle takes up less volume than fat so that's why your body looks smaller. But a pound is till a pound.

    Amen.
  • twinsmom03
    twinsmom03 Posts: 90 Member
    IMO I say keep doing the exercise your doing...but increase your protein and reduce your carbs! 8 pounds the 1st week is great...also drink as much H2O as you can.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Do not go by the scales as muscle weighs much more than fat. I lost over 20" a couple of years ago and never lost one pound on the scales...but my body looked great! I had turned all those fat pounds into lean muscle. You should take body measurements and depend more on that than the scale

    She's been working out a week. There's no chance in H-E-double hockey sticks that she put on any muscle mass...at all. Gaining muscle mass is extremely hard to do. You lost 20 inches and the scale never moved? At what weight, cuz that sounds really fishy and I'm sure there are professional body builders across the land that would love your secret.
  • samanthasky
    samanthasky Posts: 114 Member
    You have days where you are not logging any food, so you're either not eating anything all day ... or you're eating whatever, just not logging it.

    Even though I don't log days I eat about the same things every day! I plan out my week meals so if its a meal for one day of the week it's probably the same for the rest!
  • samanthasky
    samanthasky Posts: 114 Member
    Do not go by the scales as muscle weighs much more than fat. I lost over 20" a couple of years ago and never lost one pound on the scales...but my body looked great! I had turned all those fat pounds into lean muscle. You should take body measurements and depend more on that than the scale

    She's been working out a week. There's no chance in H-E-double hockey sticks that she put on any muscle mass...at all. Gaining muscle mass is extremely hard to do. You lost 20 inches and the scale never moved? At what weight, cuz that sounds really fishy and I'm sure there are professional body builders across the land that would love your secret.

    I definitely did NOT put on muscle mass! lol. I've hiked up my workout to walking the 45 minutes and an extra 45 minutes of another exercise! I'll weigh myself next Thursday!
  • samanthasky
    samanthasky Posts: 114 Member
    Has it been a full day, or just a few hours of not budging?

    It was two days of not budging. I guess I just get obsessed with the scale. It's motivating and discouraging at the same time.
  • samanthasky
    samanthasky Posts: 114 Member
    If I'm reading your post right, it looks like you just started losing weight again about a week ago and lost 8lbs right away. So I'm assuming the problem is that the scale got to the 8lb mark and then just stopped?

    This is completely 100% typical. What often happens in the first week or so of weight loss is that you cut down your carbs and sugar and your body sheds a ton of water weight. When I first started losing, I lost 11 lbs in the first week and a half. After that initial loss, your body will often need a little break to adjust to the changes in how you are taking in and using calories. Which results in the total scale stoppage and sometimes even a small gain (which also happened to me and I also panicked that I was doing something wrong). Keep exercising and eating on your plan and your body will soon start to lose weight from burning fat. When that happens, weight loss will resume but it will be at a much slower pace. You don't want to lose more than 2lbs a week from here on out as that means you are most likely burning muscle for energy instead of fat.

    Thank you for explaining this to me! I'm exercising more and I will try to eat more calories! Yes, I know I dont want to lost more than 2 pounds a week. But thank you!
  • montoyarenee
    montoyarenee Posts: 15 Member
    One pound of muscle weighs the same as in round of fast. The fistprt commenter who mentioned this, bphowever, says muscle weight more than fat (not that it's a 1:1 ratio). They probably meant muscle is more DENSE than fat. Meaning that if you look at the same volume (physical size) of muscle versus fat, the muscle will weigh more even if it takes up the same amount of space. This is why lean athletes will weigh more than a person of that same physical size with no muscle. HTH