No weight loss but clothes fitting looser..need input

ceembeee · March 2015

Hi! So after a pretty steady 10 lb weight loss, I have been stalled at 144 (I'm 5'5 female) for the past month. The only thing I have changed is that 3 weeks ago I started strength training and added that to my exercise routine which is now 6 days a week 45-60 mins cardio and 20-45 mins strength training. I do arms, legs, butt, abs, etc. While I was extremely frustrated with my weight loss plateau, I figured my eyes must be playing tricks on me because my body appears to be getting slimmer but the scale won't budge. So I tried on a pair of shorts - last month I tried on the same pair and had a small muffin top, this morning they fit perfectly. I thought that muscles took a really long time to build, so I didn't think there was any way I could already be replacing fat with muscle (hence the scale not budging). Is it possible that this is what is happening already and that is why the scale isn't moving? I don't want to just chalk the lack of weight loss up to more muscle if that is not really likely since it hasn't been very long - so I need to know if I am not losing weight because I really am already putting on muscle and burning off fat OR if I need to reevaluate my diet. (I eat my allotted 1220 cals plus maybe 200 of what I burned, which is almost always around 400-600) In the past, I could get down to 135 before my weight loss stalled, because that is a very comfortable weight for me, so I am hesitant to write this off as muscle gain when I am 9 lbs heavier than my goal weight. However, I am not stuck on getting to a specific number - I want to be healthy and toned. I have a medium build, that is naturally a bit muscular already if that helps. I am just confused because the last time these shorts fit me, I was maybe in the high 130's, so I'm surprised they fit me now at 144. Any input helps, sorry for the novel!!

Milotic2015 · March 2015

As Far as i have Read Your not in a plateau yet. You may not be seeing the scale move down but you are losing Inches everywhere. If you know your measurements before you started the new strength training then Take a tape measure and measure yourself, If It's smaller than what it was 3 weeks prior than you know your losing weight yet just in inches rather than pounds. The more closer you get to your weight goal the harder it becomes to lose the last few pounds, Just keep doing what your doing.

ceembeee · March 2015

Thank you so much for the reply - I did not tape measure myself before but I will measure myself today and then again in a few weeks! As long as I am losing inches, I don't care if the scale isn't moving!

lcooper327 · March 2015

I think you need to retrain your focus from needing to get to a number on the scale. If you have never worked out and are just starting to strength train, your body is changing in other ways besides weight. Look at yourself. Do you like what you see? With less than 10 lbs to go I suggest focusing on you you look and feel rather than the number.

moto450 · March 2015

Track measurements. I also strongly suggest measuring body fat with calipers. Those two things are better than weight for measuring progress

4legsRbetterthan2 · March 2015

A few thoughts:
-changing your routine (adding strength trainning) will cause a change in your weight as your muscles adapt to the new task (they retain water as part of the repair process so this is probably what you are seeing) and it may just be masking loss you have made
-you are correct in thinking you most likely are not gaining muscle mass, you can't really gain muscle mass without being in a surplus (there is some debate about a little bit of fat loss and muscle gain at the same time for newbies but it wouldn't be any huge results)

I am just confused because the last time these shorts fit me, I was maybe in the high 130's, so I'm surprised they fit me now at 144.

Not sure when "the last time these shorts fit me" is, but maybe you just have a little different body composition than you did at that time. Muscle is more dense than fat, so if you have a little more muscle and a little less fat you can be the same size but still weigh more. Maybe you are using a different scale now that when you fit in those shorts previously, so the numbers then and now are not as comparable as you think. These (and many many more reasons) are why weight can be a tricky tricky thing.... and probably not the only thing we base out goals around.

Despite whatever reason causing the number of the scale to be stuck, it sounds like you are still seeing some desired changes, so keep up the good work.

ceembeee · March 2015

Thank you all for the replies!! I really appreciate it and feel better about everything. I just need to keep working out and strength training and eating well. I will focus on my body measurements instead of the scale!

evileen99 · March 2015

Loosing inches is better than seeing a specific number on the scale. Everyone can see how you look; no one can see the number on the scale. Go back a couple of days; you'll see posts from people complaining that they've lost pounds but not inches. Which camp would you rather be in?

Check out this woman: On the left, at her goal weight. On the right, after a heavy lifting program. Which body do you like better? The 123 goal weight body, or the 14 pound heavier weight-training body? Would you have guessed she's really heavier on the right?

ceembeee · March 2015

So true, thank you!!!! That is just what I needed to see and hear. I am doing all the right things for my body and that more important than the scale any ways. And I would much rather weigh more but be toned and slim, you are right about that! I got all of this advice from you all and started feeling much better, so I decided I would only weigh myself to make sure I am maintaining a good weight this morning and voila! That pesky pound I couldn't lose for 6 weeks had come off and then some! I was down to 142.4 this morning. It's like a miracle!

No weight loss but clothes fitting looser..need input

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