slimming down but not showing on scale

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kawa_j93
kawa_j93 Posts: 22
in Health and Weight Loss
Its been about a month since I started back in the gym again. Im eating well and clean, lots of water, and exercising about 6 days a week. I do 30-60 minutes of cardio and then an hour and a half for weights. Im seeing my body slim down again and my strength has increased, yet my scale is stuck at the same weight I started with. Could it just be water weight or just the fact that im replacing fat with muscle.

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  • logg1e
    logg1e Posts: 1,208 Member
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    (Lurking because I'm in a similar position)
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    Water weight. It's very difficult to gain muscle while on a deficit, and pretty much impossible on as big of a deficit as you seem to be running.

    Also you are not eating enough, which could be messing with your hormone levels which will make you retain even more water. Hit your calorie goals. And 2.5 hours of working out 6 days a week is a little over kill. I'd recommend something like lifting 3 days a week, cardio 3 days a week.
  • kawa_j93
    kawa_j93 Posts: 22
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    I know my calorie intake is low, several have told me. But like I always say, im not goingyyo force myself to eat when im not hungry. Ive always eaten small meals.
  • kawa_j93
    kawa_j93 Posts: 22
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    Also I really try to be conscious about how much my sodium intake is. I started at 160 then lost 3lbs within a week and a half and now im back to 160
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    I know my calorie intake is low, several have told me. But like I always say, im not goingyyo force myself to eat when im not hungry. Ive always eaten small meals.
    Way too low - people are telling you this because it's true. Just because you've always eaten small meals doesn't mean you still should, especially when you're putting in 2+ hours at the gym (which I also agree is overkill, especially if you're going to eat so little). Food is fuel, and you're asking your body to go extra miles with zero in the tank.

    As for muscle - if anything you are losing it, or you will, along with any fat that might come off. Can't under-eat like that and expect to grow muscle.

    Bottom line - progress happens with the proper amount of calories for your current stats and activity level. My Fitness Pal gives you a daily goal (which has you at a deficit so you'll lose even eating all the cals) - something you're supposed to strive for and achieve, not fall well short of. And you are supposed to eat back exercise cals, at least a good portion of them, to keep the deficit the same.
  • alexisnvisser
    alexisnvisser Posts: 3 Member
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    First of all, it is possible to "lose fat and gain muscle" in the same stretch of time. I know because I've done it. This is likely what is happening to you if you are noticing inch loss but no scale loss yet. If you are retaining lots of water, you wouldn't feel like you are slimming down.

    I know you don't want to eat when you aren't hungry, but I coach people on this all the time. Your body NEEDS fuel or it will go into "starvation" mode and be relatively reluctant to give up its stores. This is more complex then calories in vs calories out when hormones become involved. Choose healthy snacks: lots of protein, fruits, vegetables, and healthy FATS. Yes, I said eat fats. Once your metabolism gets cranked up and your body realizes that you WILL in fact feed it frequently, it starts shedding fat. Then your body WILL be hungry enough to actually want those healthy meals/healthy snacks throughout the day.

    As far as exercise, my advice would be to follow what they train in boot camp. This system is tried and true. Don't be put off because of the simplicity. 30-45 minutes a day. Train 6 days a week alternating cardio with strength. And for strength, do a wide variety of bodyweight or calisthenics rather than lifting iron. (This was SUPER hard for me, because I LOVE lifting. But hey, I can do that again once I get to tech school.)
  • embrace_the_darkside
    embrace_the_darkside Posts: 60
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    Stop looking at your weight as a measure of success. It really can do more harm than good. Its likely that your body composition has changed (more muscle from working out, less fat from eating well) and, as such, you've added leaner mass (which explains why you feel slimmer).

    The best thing to do is track body fat % rather than weight.
  • kawa_j93
    kawa_j93 Posts: 22
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    Stop looking at your weight as a measure of success. It really can do more harm than good. Its likely that your body composition has changed (more muscle from working out, less fat from eating well) and, as such, you've added leaner mass (which explains why you feel slimmer).

    The best thing to do is track body fat % rather than weight.

    Unfortunately I have to look at weight because the air force doesnt go off body fat %. You have your height and there is a max weight assigned to it. Plus to sign you must be at least 5lbs uder the max
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    You are 20 years old you should be eating way more then that!! Agree with everyone else, more then likely you are are losing a lot of muscle eating that low. Slow and steady is the way to go. Food is fuel.
  • luvmydawgs
    luvmydawgs Posts: 182 Member
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    If you just need to lose weight then stop all strength training, because muscle weighs more than fat, and just run. You won't have any muscle tone but you will lose weight.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    If you just need to lose weight then stop all strength training, because muscle weighs more than fat, and just run. You won't have any muscle tone but you will lose weight.

    Wrong!!! 1 pound of muscle is 1 pound of fat. Muscle takes up less space then fat does, they are equal in weight.
  • MintBerryCrunch21
    MintBerryCrunch21 Posts: 24
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    You should weigh yourself first thing in the morning, after going to toilet if possible. For me It gives you an accurate showing on the scale.
  • kawa_j93
    kawa_j93 Posts: 22
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    You are 20 years old you should be eating way more then that!! Agree with everyone else, more then likely you are are losing a lot of muscle eating that low. Slow and steady is the way to go. Food is fuel.

    If ive been going up in my weights for my lifting wouldn't that mean im still gaining muscle.
    ?

    I dont feel hungry and I have plenty of energy throughout the day.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    Seriously - those of you saying it's possibly muscle, have you looked at her diary? One does not build muscle while eating 650-1100 calories a day!

    I can't imagine how you're managing to get through 2.5 hours of workouts on such a low amount of fuel. If it's only been a month, it's probably just a matter of time before you start to hit the wall and burn out.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    If ive been going up in my weights for my lifting wouldn't that mean im still gaining muscle.
    You can gain some strength without building muscle.

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