The truth about the scale not budging

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Workout4Health
Workout4Health Posts: 447 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know the common consensus. That if the scale is not budging, then you're not keeping track of something that you are eating or you're not burning as much as you think. But let me ask you this. We've even seen it on here numerous times. Where people work their buts off, count their calories, and the math doesn't add up, even if they are sure about what they have recorded. There must be times when that does happen, and I'm thinking for some people it happens more than others. And if this is true, what exactly is going on? And does that mean that perhaps calories in vs calories out isn't a hundred percent true? I'm just saying, let's be a little open minded. Are all calories really equal and do our metabolisms vary significantly?

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  • michikade
    michikade Posts: 313 Member
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    It is 100% normal for a person who is trying to lose weight to plateau. Plateaus generally mean something needs to be reevaluated - either your body isn't burning as many calories in your workouts because you've become conditioned to the workout you're doing, or you need to double check the amount of calories you're consuming and possibly readjust your goal. It doesn't mean anything is wrong with what they're doing, they just need to shake things up a bit.

    Now, as we discussed in your other thread: the math always adds up. If you're trying to lose weight, it boils down to burning more calories than you consume - there is no further discussion to be had about that. Even if you only burn 50 calories more each day than you consume, you will end up losing a little more than 5 lbs in a year - and the opposite is true too.

    If the math isn't adding up for you, then one of the variables is incorrect. The simplest variables are, of course, the amount of calories you consume and the amount of calories you burn. The third variable is your personal maintenance amount, and if you feel that the deficit you should have based on your caloric burn and consumption is not giving you the results you are expecting, then your maintenance amount is incorrect and that needs to be reevaluated. You have to be 100% honest about your activity levels when you are getting set up in MFP or if you use one of the TDEE calculators, otherwise you will get a falsely inflated (or deflated) maintenance amount.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    First, losing weight takes time. It's totally normal for it to take some time for your body to reflect exercise and dietary changes.

    However...every online tool that estimates BMR is based on general population averages, so you would need to be tested in a doctor's office or laboratory setting to be 100% sure what your body burns on a daily basis. Similarly, tools that measure calorie burns, like HRMs, aren't 100% accurate. It's not that CICO is wrong -- it's incredibly difficult to get an accurate picture of calories out. Because most people's bodies behave in a predictable way, population averages are accurate for most people. They are not accurate for everyone. If you are reasonably sure you are measuring calories in correctly, you are probably not accurately calculating calories out.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    It depends on what length of time you define as plateau. The first many weeks of counting calories, I would lose a few pounds then maintain for 2-3 weeks before losing a few more. I didn't slash calories or increase my workouts, I just waited it out. So I agree if someone hasn't been "plateaued" for long, they're not necessarily doing anything wrong. If we're talking much longer than that, I'd have to say that something is askew and needs to be adjusted.
  • michikade
    michikade Posts: 313 Member
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    But I spend 3 hours doing cardio. I don't have any more time to do more. I'm training hard too. If metabolism is slow then that means that if you ate less, you'd go very hungry. So that could be a deeper problem.

    3 hours doing what kind of cardio?

    -- 3 hours of walking 2 miles an hour is way, way different than 3 hours of swimming laps, which is way, way different than sweating buckets on an elliptical, etc. Intensity level is important too.

    What are you consuming?

    -- how do you measure your food? Do you use a food scale? I remember from the last thread that you said you had a turkey sandwich and only told us how many calories were in each slice of bread - that's not a complete indication of the whole sandwich that you ate because there was no information as to what was on those slices of bread. A turkey sandwich could be 300 calories, but it could also be 1000 calories --- it all depends on what is on it.

    What is your current weight and goal weight?

    -- if you're fairly close to goal, the number drops a little slower.

    It would be way easier to help you if your diary was open and you provided complete responses to the questions asked. :)
  • andymcclure
    andymcclure Posts: 40 Member
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    Another factor is the old burning fat vs. gaining muscle debate. Depending on your body type, activity level, etc., you can easily be getting in better shape without actually losing any weight.

    If you're really doing 3 hours of cardio a day, then your body is probably changing a lot. Try checking some measurements other than weight (waist, arms, thighs, hips, etc., especially your problem spots). You may see a lot of change without seeing the scale move.
  • jim180155
    jim180155 Posts: 769 Member
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    A calorie is a unit of measure for energy. A calorie is a calorie, just as a pound is a pound. If you eat a calorie, whether it's broccoli or a Twinkie, it's going to get burned up if your body needs it, or stored as fat if not.

    That's not to say all calories are equal. Broccoli also contains many micro nutrients your body needs to function. A Twinkie has little that your body can use other than the calories themselves.
  • michikade
    michikade Posts: 313 Member
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    How could the turkey sandwich be 1000 calories... I eat a few slices of turkey and my bread has only 60 calories and 4 g of fiber in each slice. There is no way.

    I didn't say that your sandwich was 1000 calories, is said a turkey sandwich could be 1000 calories. With no indication as to what goes on a sandwich, there's no way one could guess how much it would be for sure. Like, if you have a couple slices of bread, some turkey, mayonnaise, avocado, bacon, maybe some olive oil and vinegar, other various vegetables, cheese, etc -- that's a pretty high calorie sandwich right there. Heh. (and it'd probably be delicious ;P)
    So my routine goes like something like this, I switch it up.

    Day 1 35 mile bike ride (mountain bike outside)
    Day 2 30 minute hike outside, 45 minute stairstepper at 155 bpm, 30 minutes weights, 45 minute eliptical, 60 minutes Amp Machine
    Day 3 10 mile walk
    Day 4 30 min weights Weights, 60 min stairstepper, 60 minute eliptical, 45 min bike
    Day 5 90 minute walk outside, 120 minute swim (100 laps)
    Day 6 30 minute weights, 45 minute stairstepper at 155 bpm, 30 minutes weights, 45 minute eliptical, 60 minutes Amp Machine
    Day 7 30 minute light walk beach

    You seem to have a nice variety of exercise that you do, which is good - it's a great way to stay well rounded. Since you said that you've had noticeable changes in your body, that means that you are having some successful body recomposition (losing fat and gaining muscle) so even if you haven't specifically lost poundage doesn't mean you haven't gotten significantly healthier.
    My stomach is much flatter, but nobody says anything and it hurts me

    I'm sorry that you haven't had people notice or say anything about your body composition changing. But the thing that matters the most of all is you overall health and well being, so the fact that you've lost inches around your waist (as indicated by your noticing that it's flatter) is a great thing for your overall health.

    You still didn't indicate height or starting weight or goal weight. I'm wondering if perhaps you don't have all that much actual overall weight to lose and you just need body recomposition.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    How could the turkey sandwich be 1000 calories... I eat a few slices of turkey and my bread has only 60 calories and 4 g of fiber in each slice. There is no way.

    So my routine goes like something like this, I switch it up.

    Day 1 35 mile bike ride (mountain bike outside)
    Day 2 30 minute hike outside, 45 minute stairstepper at 155 bpm, 30 minutes weights, 45 minute eliptical, 60 minutes Amp Machine
    Day 3 10 mile walk
    Day 4 30 min weights Weights, 60 min stairstepper, 60 minute eliptical, 45 min bike
    Day 5 90 minute walk outside, 120 minute swim (100 laps)
    Day 6 30 minute weights, 45 minute stairstepper at 155 bpm, 30 minutes weights, 45 minute eliptical, 60 minutes Amp Machine
    Day 7 30 minute light walk beach

    My stomach is much flatter, but nobody says anything and it hurts me
    You do this every week? How long have you been doing this?

    Why not use MFP the way it was intended -- log your food, eat back 50-75% of your exercise calories -- for two months and then assess your results? Open your diary and let people see all the pieces of the puzzle. It seems like you're hearing hoofbeats and looking for zebras, but you haven't ruled out horses yet.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    I agree that this sounds like a body recomposition issue, especially if your BF% are accurate.

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