Scale isn't moving like it should be

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KLeigh4
KLeigh4 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am SO frustrated! Since January I have been working out 5-6 days a week, sometimes twice a day. I workout with a personal trainer 3 of those days, doing strength training/HIIT/cardio/resistance band, etc. I then do some group classes like Zumba or Kickboxing. I always try to walk my dogs at least 30 minutes a day and sometimes I also ride my bike.

I dilligently log in MFP and try to avoid processed carbs.

2 weeks ago, I hurt my back while training and couldn't work out for the week. I actually lost 3 lbs that week.

Now, a week and a half later and full swing into workouts again and I stall out. Last week was no loss at all.

I also must insert that I suffer with hypothyroidism and about 2 months ago was switched from Synthroid to Armour. The doctor said my body is "leveling out."

What gives? Why, when I kill myself in the gym, does my body stall out?? I even give myself extra calories on hard workout days - I normally average 1500, but on workout days I sometimes go up to 1700-1800 if it is a double workout or very intense.

I can't wrap my head around eating ALL of the MFP calories given (the "exercise calories" that it says you have earned for the day) as that would be an extreme amount, in my opinion.

Water intake is always good - 15 cups or more per day.

I do measure and have lost inches (5 inches on my waist since Jan) but the scale is very discouraging. I have cut weighing myself down to two times a week as it gets my down so badly.

Any wisdom is greatly appreciated - and if you friend me, you can see my diary.

Oh and the other kicker is that 3 years ago I lost about 80 lbs by working out at Curves 3-4 times a week and just watching what I ate, but not super dilligent. It would just shed off soooo easily. My workouts are 10 times harder and the scale is such a battle.

Have a great day! Thank you! And thanks for listening/weight in on my rant. =)

Replies

  • cwoyto123
    cwoyto123 Posts: 308
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    Eat less.
  • BarbieAS
    BarbieAS Posts: 1,414 Member
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    How long have you actually been "stalled"? Is it just the week and a half? If so, then that's far too short of a time to gauge how your loss is going.
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
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    Eat less.

    Hey man, this is a common sense free zone.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
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    Hang in there and don't overtrain or injure yourself. For me, it's not uncommon for the scale not to move for 3 diligent weeks, then 3 pounds comes off in 2-3 days. It's just water obfuscating a steady loss. Nothing wrong with being fully hydrated, though! Google "whooshes" and be patient. You're doing great.
  • lissdawn
    lissdawn Posts: 70 Member
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    Kleigh4, I know how frustrating it can be. This is my first time doing straight up calorie counting, but I've tried countless things in the past and always reach this weird plateau even when I'm completely following program.

    I can tell you from my own personal experience as someone who is also on thyroid medication due to hypothyroidism and Hashimotos, that any tiny change in dosage can throw your entire system into shutdown mode...so I can only imagine what changing medications completely can do. I would say that your body is just rejecting all reason right now because you've already played around with what it got used to. The thyroid hormone is like the engine oil for your whole machine. If it's not right, nothing will go smoothly until it gets back on track.

    It isn't permanent, but it can be long enough to be very discouraging when you know you are doing every single thing right. My advice is to come to terms with the fact that even though the weight loss isn't coming at the speed you want or should be if you had a regularly functioning thyroid, you are putting good into your body and getting healthier in so many other ways. You are five less inches then you were before. You are fueling your body with good healthy food. Each cell that regenerates is being fueled by those healthy tidbits over unhealthy tidbits, and that will make you healthier, stronger and more efficient overall. You are building strength and giving health to your lungs, your heart, your liver, your kidneys...all the things that keep you going. Look at it as getting healthy from the inside out, rather than outside in. Either way, the other follows suit soon enough.

    It's a process, but you can stick it through. Eventually your thyroid will give in, and you'll get the results again.
  • lghorton
    lghorton Posts: 7
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    http://www.weighttraining.com/blog/working-out-more-than-45-minutes-stop-it

    My daughter was doing circuit training every morning at 5 a.m. then doing more on her own later in the day. Additionally, she also walked her dog for another 30 minutes of exercise every evening. She wasn't losing at the rate the others in the class were and her trainer told her it was because she was working out too much. Hard to believe, but when she stopped her extra workouts and ate the calories the trainer told her to eat she actually started losing weight. Good luck and don't give up.
  • KLeigh4
    KLeigh4 Posts: 6 Member
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    I will stall for 3 weeks at a time, then get a small drop, and then stall out again.
  • KLeigh4
    KLeigh4 Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks for all the words of wisdom. I needed a rant more than anything and the support was great. My wedding is in October and I am full speed ahead, I won't stop.
  • hearthwood
    hearthwood Posts: 794 Member
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    We are all required to eat 1200 calories a day otherwise, our bodies go into starvation mode making it difficult to lose weight, but there is nothing wrong with burning a few hundred after it's in your digestive track,

    So if you're going by MFP stating you can eat another 300 calories, because that's what you burned, and you eat those additional 300 calories you're not going to peel off the weight as fast as you would had you not eaten it.

    Remember a pound is 3500 calories. So if you stayed within your calorie goal every day, and burned 500 calories a day, you would lose a pound a week.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,248 Member
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    First... ignore the person spamming about buying their product. They are just trying to separate you from your money. Their product won't help any. They have already been reported for advertisement/spam which is against the rules of the board.

    Second, if you just switched medications that can cause changes to your calorie needs. Especially with a thyroid issue. You may need to adjust your calorie intake up or down (depending on the problem) until you find the right amount. Thyroid issues can cause slower weight loss.

    Third, you really have to give it a bit more time to know if this past week was a fluke or a real "stall". Weight loss is not linear in any way, shape, or form. I know it sucks not to see the scale move, but it does happen.
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
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    I hate to say it but since you lost 3lb in the week you couldn't exercise maybe you are hammering your body so badly it doesn't want to let go of weight. How hard do you work out in the gym? Do you sweat and sweat or are you one of those gals who gets on the elliptical at resistance 1 for an hour and calls it a day? Not judging but I don't think we really have enough info to make a good call here.
  • kandeelopez
    kandeelopez Posts: 61 Member
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    Remember that fitness is a *lifelong* process, not a destination. Go more by your inches lost and how your clothes fit than just the scale, because you're probably gaining muscle and losing fat (losing 5 inches tells me that's the case). My weight hasn't changed in about a month also, but my body looks better and my clothes are looser. I only weight and measure once a month! My goal is to make exercise and sport (soccer for now) just a part of my daily and weekly routine.
  • RoeD731
    RoeD731 Posts: 2
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    I am no expert but when you work out you gain muscle. You may be having a hard time loosing because of the thyroid meds being changed. I have hypo and all sorts of extra problems with weight loss because of it. I used to be able to loose weight very easily. Since becoming hypo it's been a definite challenge. I have no idea how old you are but peri-menopausal and menopausal stage of life also complicates weight loss. I try to stay away from carbs but easier said than done! Not trying to give you any advice, just some things to consider! Good luck! :smile:
  • KLeigh4
    KLeigh4 Posts: 6 Member
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    I hate to say it but since you lost 3lb in the week you couldn't exercise maybe you are hammering your body so badly it doesn't want to let go of weight. How hard do you work out in the gym? Do you sweat and sweat or are you one of those gals who gets on the elliptical at resistance 1 for an hour and calls it a day? Not judging but I don't think we really have enough info to make a good call here.

    I workout with a personal trainer three times a week (2 - 1 hour sessions and 1 - 30 minute session) - very intense training. Pouring sweat. Circuit training/HIIT/ and some strength/TRX mixed in.

    A group class is 60 minutes and I do sweat a lot in those as well - those are mostly cardio. I then throw in walking the dogs at a brisk pace for 30 min at least or try to ride my bicycle as well. Definitely not the treadmill/resistance girl who goes for an hour to socialize more than workout. lol
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
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    Working out damages tissues. This requires water to help repair.

    Stop working out and the tissue won't be continually damaged. This results in less water needed, so, weight loss!

    Starting to work out again resumes the damage, thus the need for more water, so any fat loss is masked on the scale by added water weight.

    So for you, you stopped working out, lost water weight and some fat. You resumed working out, so lost fat and gained water weight. This masks the number on the scale and makes it look like a stall.
  • sklarbodds
    sklarbodds Posts: 608 Member
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    Two of the best threads to read:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1276219-i-went-from-morbidly-obese-to-6-pack-abs-ask-me-anything

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1296011-calorie-counting-101

    Enjoy!
  • glowgirl14
    glowgirl14 Posts: 200 Member
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    First of all...I have to say this - you're not gaining muscle. It is almost impossible to gain muscle while eating at a deficit. If you're working the muscles, then as you lose fat around them, they stick out more and you see definition. You can be stronger, and more toned, but actual muscle mass will not increase unless you are bulking (Eating OVER your calorie goal). We work out and eat lots of protein so that we keep muscle LOSS to a minimum as we lose the fat. :)

    Anyway...I agree with the others. You can overwork your body. If you lost more during the week you were sick, try cutting back on your workouts.

    Do you use a heart rate monitor while you workout? Maybe that would help you feel more comfortable eating back some of your exercise calories. Most people here would agree that you shouldn't eat back ALL of your exercise calories if you're logging into MFP. My HRM and fitbit are 2-3x less than MFP's suggestion. I think the general rule of thumb is to eat back half of what MFP gives you. :)
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
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    I hate to say it but since you lost 3lb in the week you couldn't exercise maybe you are hammering your body so badly it doesn't want to let go of weight. How hard do you work out in the gym? Do you sweat and sweat or are you one of those gals who gets on the elliptical at resistance 1 for an hour and calls it a day? Not judging but I don't think we really have enough info to make a good call here.

    I workout with a personal trainer three times a week (2 - 1 hour sessions and 1 - 30 minute session) - very intense training. Pouring sweat. Circuit training/HIIT/ and some strength/TRX mixed in.

    A group class is 60 minutes and I do sweat a lot in those as well - those are mostly cardio. I then throw in walking the dogs at a brisk pace for 30 min at least or try to ride my bicycle as well. Definitely not the treadmill/resistance girl who goes for an hour to socialize more than workout. lol

    Aye that does sound like a lot of exercise. Perhaps too much for you at the moment. Everyone has a different threshold when it comes to working out. However it sounds like the great majority of your exercise is rather high intensity. My advise is try cutting back on some of the intense stuff and increase your low impact exercise. Getting in the habit of walking more might actually be better for your weight loss than any amount of high intensity training. Especially if you habitually spend a lot of your non workout time sedentary. Taking up long walks could be your magic bullet.

    From my own limited knowledge. High intensity exercise improves the thickness and strength of your heart muscle. Improving how much energy you can put out over a short period. Whereas long duration low intensity exercise widens the ventricles and expands the heart chambers allowing your heart to pump more blood in a single beat. Improving your stamina and allowing your heart to pump more blood while working less. If you truly want to be healthy it's important to get both. And honestly from a weight loss perspective I think low intensity exercise is more important.
  • herbaliz
    herbaliz Posts: 6
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    Good Afternoon!

    I would love to help you lose the weight. I am a weight loss coach and I use the product Herbalife. It is really easy to use. 2 meal replacement protein shakes a day, 1 meal, and healthy snacks in between. I help you every step of the way. You don't need to exercise but of coarse it will speed up your weight loss process. If your interested email me at: lizthuer (the sign at) hotmail.com

    Thanks for your time,

    Liz

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