cut down, exercised regularly but still not lost a thing
missashleigh92
Posts: 37 Member
So over the last month and a half i have cut down my food intake and hit the gym 3/4 times a week. I do 20 - 40 minutes of cardio and do weights everytime. I may not be eating completely clean but i have sure as hell not been eating as much as i once did. i stood on the scales the other day expecting even just a very slight change but no; not a single pound was lost. It has drained me and lost me a lot of motivation. Today i had planned on going to the gym after work but feel like 'what is the point?' I know there are many posts like this but i just need a kick up the backside and given some motivation to keep at it; i know it takes time and patience.
The good thing though is that ive seen slight improvements in my arms, im getting a little more definition there now and have increased the weights ive used since i started the gym and my endurance for cario is better too. It's just that im not seeing the results i'd hoped for.
Suggestions? Why i might not have lost; how to keep up the motivation and look foward?
any help is appreciated.
Thanks
The good thing though is that ive seen slight improvements in my arms, im getting a little more definition there now and have increased the weights ive used since i started the gym and my endurance for cario is better too. It's just that im not seeing the results i'd hoped for.
Suggestions? Why i might not have lost; how to keep up the motivation and look foward?
any help is appreciated.
Thanks
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Replies
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I'm having the exact same feeling today, and came here looking for the same kind of "hang in there" motivation. I'm 3 weeks in and lost 4 lbs right away, but haven't seen any change since. I'm really frustrated this morning, which made my morning workout a bit torturous. All I have to offer is the sense that you're not alone, but quitting is not an option.0
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Silly question but how much did you cut down?
May sound nosy but open diary would help out with ideas for people to help with.
It is a struggle when you don't see much happening with the scales and all. Been there, done that. Don't give up...just keep at it is the best advice I can give with what little I know.0 -
Is your workout routine new, or increased duration, intensity than it was before you had this not loss? If so most likely it is water retention in your muscle from said routine.
If not then you may be eating more than you think, to be sure weigh solid foods and measure liquids. If you are eating exercise cals back, these may be over estimated, may only want to eat 75% of them back instead, just in case that is the case.0 -
So over the last month and a half i have cut down my food intake and hit the gym 3/4 times a week. I do 20 - 40 minutes of cardio and do weights everytime. I may not be eating completely clean but i have sure as hell not been eating as much as i once did. i stood on the scales the other day expecting even just a very slight change but no; not a single pound was lost. It has drained me and lost me a lot of motivation. Today i had planned on going to the gym after work but feel like 'what is the point?' I know there are many posts like this but i just need a kick up the backside and given some motivation to keep at it; i know it takes time and patience.
The good thing though is that ive seen slight improvements in my arms, im getting a little more definition there now and have increased the weights ive used since i started the gym and my endurance for cario is better too. It's just that im not seeing the results i'd hoped for.
Suggestions? Why i might not have lost; how to keep up the motivation and look foward?
any help is appreciated.
Thanks
What do you mean by cut back? Do you weigh everything? I even measure out my liquids in ounces..
I bought a scale and started weighing my food. I pack my lunch in baggies and write the grams on the outside of the baggie in sharpie. This way I know exactly what I am eating. I also take into account that MFP overestimates my workout calories so I only eat 50% of them back 75% if I'm super hungry (hangry). I STOPPED weighing myself every day and I only do it about twice a month now. As women we retain water and fluctuate by water weight so weighing every day can kill your motivation sometimes. Make sure you are eating enough to fuel your workouts (ie. eating back exercise calories). I also look at the nutrition tab on my phone app, and keep track of my weekly net calories so if I need to go over or I'm more hungry one day, I can adjust later. Don't sweat it, it's a marathon not a sprint! You can do it, you just have to stay focused! Good Luck...feel free to add me if you like. 0 -
Forget your scale! Use a measuring tape (I hope that is the right word in english ^^). I only lost 2.5kg but I lost 15cm (something around 5 inches I think). And don't forget to eat enough. :-)
People keep telling me that the real weight loss begins 4 to 6 weeks after the start of training. Keep going!0 -
I know that my experience over 6 month (and losing 40 lbs) was that I would loose, then hold steady/fluctuate a little for about 3 weeks then the scale would drop. As I got closer to goal those weeks of holding steady would stretch out a little more. I wasn't doing anything different in those weeks - just continued to log, exercise, etc - but the scale wouldn't budget and then it would for a few days in a row. Hang in there - if you are keeping the calorie defecit it will work.0
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You are underestimating your intake...if you aren't using a food scale and measuring cups/spoons and meticulously logging then I guarantee you are eating more than you think you are. If you haven't lost anything then you are eating a maintenance level of calories. This is math and requires precision, not guestimation.
If in fact you are weighing and measuring and meticulously logging then you should go see your doctor as to why your metabolism would apparently be falling under statistical norms for someone of your same stats.0 -
Try out some of the clothes in your closet that didn't fit you before, you'll be surprised! Sometimes, it takes a while for the body to let go of the water it has retained to replace the fat - almost like a false pregnancy! LOL! Hang in there and you'll see a whoosh, I'm sure. TOM does weird things to wgt too! Fortunately or unfortunately, I don't have that excuse anymore! Best of luck.0
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Don't get disheartened, you are making a positive change and it is reaping rewards already (increased cardio endurance, yaay!) My top tip is to start taking other measurements (hips, waist, etc) as another point of reference; sometimes the weight on the scale doesn't change, but your physical measurements have. Went through a similar period of sticking at the same weight myself (best part of a month!) but was still losing inches which kept me going.0
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To help you get in the losing mode it is beneficial to have an open diary. This allows us to review what you and how you work out. Then we can get specific about what to do.
The nutshell is you must have a calorie deficit to lose weight. A deficit of 4,500 calories is required to lose one pound a week. If you set your goals in MyFitnessPal (MFP) it will guide you in how much to eat. But you must faithfully record what and how much you eat; and how and how long you exercise. If you omit or lie in your journal the only person you hurting is you.
As for needing to hear "You can do it!, or Did you coinsider?" I will be sending you a Friend request.0 -
So many reasons to explore. Is your intake accurate? Is there a deficit? Are you actually burning more than you take in? Are you weighing or measuring your food? You would be surprised to hear just how many people are actually undereating. There is such a thing as too little. Food is fuel. As you burn calories and boost your metabolism you actually end up needing more fuel, not less. Are you eating enough. Cutting calories is good but I think if you are also increasing exercise then you need to look at your diet again.
The lack of loss could also be when you stepped on your scale. Is it in the morning, first thing or at the end of a day? You can fluctuate several pounds in a day. I actually typically go up a pound or two after vigorous exercise so I dont weigh after a workout, ever. Are you drinking enough water?
How much muscle do you have on your body? How close to your goal weight are you? The closer you are the harder you are because you have less body fat to lose. It also becomes more important to not sacrifice lean muscle mass by eating too little. Are you eating enough protein to support you in your weight training?
Each thing is a factor to be considered.0 -
There could be a lot of reasons, but keep moving forward, and you will see positive results of some kind eventually.0
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Try to remember that even if the scale isn't going down, internally your body is getting healthier with every workout.0
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Hi,
You sound like you’re working really hard and I understand how demotivating no signs of progress can be. Your lack of apparent loss could be coming from a few places. But before we enter the realm of why, promise the people of MFP that if you are to ask for our help that you won’t give up!
The most likely cause of your frustration is Internal body fat being transformed into muscle. Cardio will assist you with weight loss while weights will give you definition and build muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat therefore you could be substantially healthier and still be the same weight. Although weight is a good indicator of health not all weight is equal and in your case I believe you’re the victim of concentrating on the number alone.
You said you’re happier with the way your arms look, proof that you’re building muscle, to get that muscle definition (which weighs more) you'll have had to loose fat!
Your body is making you more beautiful on the inside, I don't think you need it on the outside
Keep doing what you doing, your arms will get stronger your endurance will get longer and your fat % will get smaller. There are scales available which measure body fat. If you want to focus on a number this should be the one to concentrate on!
*As a woman your weight will fluctuate with your period (remember to take this into account)
Feel free to add me as a friend if you want some more help but in the meantime, it took me 30 mins to write this message so you owe me a favour. I think one gym session should just about cover it! GO! 0 -
I too got on the scale this morning and was a little upset with the number, and I will admitt that I am guilty of focusing on the number on the scale. You work out, you log, keep your food diary and when you(I) step on that scale and don't see what i was hoping for, I get very frustrated. But I must say the 35 pounds that I lost almost 3 years ago, I am mantaining pretty good. I know better than to weigh myself every day, and as others have already stated a measuring tape is the way to go. In my bootcamp class they measure us at the beginning fo the 6 weeks and do body fat measurements and measure again at the end of the 6 weeks, we never once stepped on the scale. So with that being said keep doing what your doing and try not to focus on the number on the scale. (I'm telling this to myself as well) it's good to know i'm not in this by myself and others do feel the same way I do from time to time. 0
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I had the exact same problem last week. I worked my *kitten* off the prior week and actually gained. I pissed me off. I wrote in here and a lot of helpful people gave me suggestions. They had a peek at my diary and said my sodium was up and I was probably retaining water. Sure enough, this week I was down as expected. I was really frustrated but kept with it and it is working. Listen to the people on here, they know what they are talking about.....0
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Hi Sasha. Yea, this losing weight thing isn't easy sometimes. I've been doing it a while and still get frustrated. Back when I weighed 280lbs. losing it wasn't as hard. Getting used to restricting calories and exercising was harder but the weight seemed to come of easier or rather more consistently. Now that I'm nearer to my goal I hit plateaus all too often. It seems the more I restrict intake and increase exercise the less happens at the scale. From what you said about your body changing your probably replacing the lost fat with muscle which is a good thing. The bottom line is if the number of calories in is less that the number of calories out you will lose weight. It's a law of physics. If you burn calories that aren't replaced your reserve of calories is reduced. Now sometimes the accurate tracking of that in/out ratio can be a challenge. Just guessing at the number of calories consumed can be misleading. If the food in the database says 125 grams in a portion and you select 1.0 portions because you don't know the actual weight of the potion your eating, and the actual weight is 150 grams your eating 20% more than your documenting. So you should have recorded 1.2 portions. Then there is not counting condiments, like ketchup or cream and/or sugar in coffee etc. The second part of the equation, calories out, is a lot harder. every body's reaction or amount of caloric burn to specific exercise or even non exercise is different. But if your accurately controlling your intake and staying active you'll lose weight.0
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I'm in the same boat. This is week 7 for me, exercising 5 days a week, and trying to eat better (definitely not eating more than I was before). I've lost no weight and only 1/4 inch overall. I just added weights into my routine (doing T25) last week and I am hoping that will kickstart some change. It is definitely getting harder to talk myself into doing exercising each day, especially when I see other people talking about the pounds and inches they have lost on the same program after a week.0
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thanks everyone, so much encouraging advice! I was guestimating a lot of food if i'm honest. My first step is to start measuring everything and making sure my log is accurate for food. i noticed when i measured my new potatoes yesterday that i had been far underestimating how much they weighed when cut up.0
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Measure....I had a friend that lost 12 pounds but lost a total of 14 inches between her breast, hips and thighs...0
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Ugh, NO. MUSCLE DOES NOT TURN INTO FAT. You also do not build muscle on a calorie deficit. Period. End of story.Hi,
You sound like you’re working really hard and I understand how demotivating no signs of progress can be. Your lack of apparent loss could be coming from a few places. But before we enter the realm of why, promise the people of MFP that if you are to ask for our help that you won’t give up!
The most likely cause of your frustration is Internal body fat being transformed into muscle. Cardio will assist you with weight loss while weights will give you definition and build muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat therefore you could be substantially healthier and still be the same weight. Although weight is a good indicator of health not all weight is equal and in your case I believe you’re the victim of concentrating on the number alone.
You said you’re happier with the way your arms look, proof that you’re building muscle, to get that muscle definition (which weighs more) you'll have had to loose fat!
Your body is making you more beautiful on the inside, I don't think you need it on the outside
Keep doing what you doing, your arms will get stronger your endurance will get longer and your fat % will get smaller. There are scales available which measure body fat. If you want to focus on a number this should be the one to concentrate on!
*As a woman your weight will fluctuate with your period (remember to take this into account)
Feel free to add me as a friend if you want some more help but in the meantime, it took me 30 mins to write this message so you owe me a favour. I think one gym session should just about cover it! GO!
Lack of weight loss will happen for two main reasons. Water retention, or underestimating calories. That's it. If neither of those are the case, then there is a serious medical condition going on that a doctor needs to diagnose.0 -
3500 calories for a pound of fat, not 4500.To help you get in the losing mode it is beneficial to have an open diary. This allows us to review what you and how you work out. Then we can get specific about what to do.
The nutshell is you must have a calorie deficit to lose weight. A deficit of 4,500 calories is required to lose one pound a week. If you set your goals in MyFitnessPal (MFP) it will guide you in how much to eat. But you must faithfully record what and how much you eat; and how and how long you exercise. If you omit or lie in your journal the only person you hurting is you.
As for needing to hear "You can do it!, or Did you coinsider?" I will be sending you a Friend request.0 -
i noticed when i measured my new potatoes yesterday that i had been far underestimating how much they weighed when cut up.
there you go
Two things for your future journey:
1. If you don't lose, you are eating too much. Hearing this every time SUCKS. But trust me, you get used to it!
2. Exercise does not cause weight loss. It has tons of other fantastic effects, but when you stall in your loss, exercise is not going to be the reason*
*assuming that you are not netting negative numbers and crazy stuff like that.0
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