I'm not losing weight!

Would you be comfortable opening your diary for us to take a look?

How long have you been at this so far?

Usually it's one of two causes. Either you've recently started exercising and are holding onto some extra fluid in your muscles to help with the repair process. Or you may be underestimating the number of calories you're eating.

It's not uncommon to see a stall or even a slight gain on the scale when we start a new exercise routine because our bodies flood sore muscles with water to help cushion and repair them, masking any fat loss that's happening. This should disappear as your body gets used to the routine.

As for underestimating calories, are you using a food scale, measuring cups, or eyeballing your portion sizes? A lot of us have found that we're pretty bad at guesstimating our portion sizes and measuring cups or prepackaged foods can still have significant differences from the actual weight of the foods. Plus there are some entries in the food database that are just plain wrong. These little inconsistencies really add up over time.

Another thing I'll say before I end this novella is that if you're just looking to reshape your body you might want to look into some body recomposition instead of dieting further. A good resistance routine (strength training) and eating closer to your TDEE could make changes to the way your body looks without lowering the number on the scale much. It's a slow process but if your goal is just a flatter stomach it may be worth it for you.