Ate right, ran 3 times a week, lost...

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cherryburton
cherryburton Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
...nothing.

Well, half a pound, but meh.

There's I may have lost some cms of waist and hips, but I might also be measuring in a slightly different place to last week.

Seriously, how does this work? I've gone from sitting on my *kitten* all week eating rubbish, to eating really healthily (and within the calorie goal level) and excercising but virtually no weight loss. Am feeling a bit disillusioned. I'm going to carry on as I am as am training for a 5k run but just expected to see a bit more change after making such changes.

Anyone else had this happen? Anyone know *why* it happens?
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Replies

  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
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    ...nothing.

    Well, half a pound, but meh.

    There's I may have lost some cms of waist and hips, but I might also be measuring in a slightly different place to last week.

    Seriously, how does this work? I've gone from sitting on my *kitten* all week eating rubbish, to eating really healthily (and within the calorie goal level) and excercising but virtually no weight loss. Am feeling a bit disillusioned. I'm going to carry on as I am as am training for a 5k run but just expected to see a bit more change after making such changes.

    Anyone else had this happen? Anyone know *why* it happens?

    how does it work? it works with patience, time, consistency and dedication.
  • cherryburton
    cherryburton Posts: 18 Member
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    I've never been very patient. :smile:

    Seriously though, if you make a big change, would you not expect that to be reflecting in the results?
  • NaturalCon
    NaturalCon Posts: 13 Member
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    If you're exercising a lot more than you used to, chances are you're building muscle - muscle weighs more than fat so you can be losing cm but seeing no change in your actual weight.

    Stick with it!
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
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    If you're eating a deficit you won't be gaining muscle but if you have gone from zero exercise to running 3 times then there is a very good chance that your muscles are holding on to fluids to repair and refuel the next run/workout. if you keep up with this level then chances are you will see a loss in the next week or so, keep an eye on your sodium levels so you're not holding on to unneeded fluids Patience really is a virtue in this case.

    and measure yourself in front of a mirror so that you have visual help in where you are measuring... straight across the chest (easy, built in guides there)underbust, right under the girls, the line your bra takes give a good indication of reduction in any back fat, waist, note how far above belly button you are measuring, hips, measure at the point where you are the widest in your reflection, looking down can be deceiving.

    Good luck and well done
  • heather1945
    heather1945 Posts: 117 Member
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    I think you must lower your expectations....How long did it take you to put on the weight your going to loose? A week? A month? Perhaps not.....just keep on how you're going and you will win.....
  • korgscrew
    korgscrew Posts: 99 Member
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    If you're exercising a lot more than you used to, chances are you're building muscle - muscle weighs more than fat so you can be losing cm but seeing no change in your actual weight.

    Stick with it!

    Muscle doesnt weigh more than fat..

    A pound of muscle weighs a pound, a pound of fat weighs a pound.

    Apart from that, sopt on
  • cherryburton
    cherryburton Posts: 18 Member
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    Thanks for the replies. I've been going to the gym three times a week until a month ago when I started a new job, which has meant suddenly sitting down all day and I've not had the time to get organised to eat right. And in that time I've put on 5lbs (that was over Easter as well and have been eating chocolate and crisps and not giving a hoot.)

    Ideally I want the 5lbs gone in a month as well, if not sooner. But will try to exercise this patience thing you speak of. :wink:
  • NaturalCon
    NaturalCon Posts: 13 Member
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    A pound of muscle weighs a pound, a pound of fat weighs a pound.

    Sorry! Yes, bad wording on my part there, thanks korgscrew!

    But if I got the rest right, a pound of fat will have more volume than a pound of muscle, so you will be losing cm but seeing no change on the scales.

    At least, that's what I've always thought. Catcrazy might be right though - I'm no expert.
  • emmajane_2288
    emmajane_2288 Posts: 132 Member
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    If you're exercising a lot more than you used to, chances are you're building muscle - muscle weighs more than fat so you can be losing cm but seeing no change in your actual weight.

    Stick with it!

    I wish people werent so dilusional about what this means. Yes muscle weighs more than fat, but it has been scientifically proven that even if a woman was to lift heavy weights every day for a month, they would never gain more than 1lb in muscle!
  • korgscrew
    korgscrew Posts: 99 Member
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    No worries!

    Its the old pound of feathers or pound of lead debate :laugh:
  • TheGoktor
    TheGoktor Posts: 1,138 Member
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    If you're exercising a lot more than you used to, chances are you're building muscle - muscle weighs more than fat so you can be losing cm but seeing no change in your actual weight.

    Stick with it!

    I wish people werent so dilusional about what this means. Yes muscle weighs more than fat, but it has been scientifically proven that even if a woman was to lift heavy weights every day for a month, they would never gain more than 1lb in muscle!

    No....muscle weighs more than fat *by volume*! (Sorry, I'm a pedant too!) Which is why as was said earlier, a pound of fat takes up more space than a pound of muscle, ergo, two people of the same height and weight can look quite different to each other, depending on the amount of body fat they have.

    Also, the body will not build up enough muscle to make a difference on the scales in just a week. It takes a good month (IIRC) for that to happen, during which time it will have lost fat too, so it's highly unlikely that seeing a rise of a pound (for example) is attributable to building muscle mass. If diet and exercise regimes have been strictly adhered to, it's likely to be water retention, particularly if it's a new exercise regime because muscles will hang onto water in order to repair themselves. At least, this is how I understand it!

    I find that scales are a bit like the Pirates' Code - just guidelines! Our bodies fluctuate so much, that really I don't think that scales are much use if you want an accurate gauge of how well you're doing. Instead, measure, see how your clothes feel, and how you feel, physically. In my case, my scales haven't budged for two weeks, yet I know my diet is spot on, as is my exercise (I do c25k three days a week and walk or do pilates, or both, on non-run days). My clothes are getting looser, I can see that some of my 'rolls' have disappeared, and I feel much healthier, so who cares what the scales say (says the person with the huge ticker in her signature!!)?!

    Just keep on doing things right, learn to understand your body, and be patient with it, and you *will* get there! :smile:
  • morganadk2_deleted
    morganadk2_deleted Posts: 1,696 Member
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    Are you eating to enough?

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficit


    This is just a part of it! please read the link above


    Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
    With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
    With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
    With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week)
    and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle tone, and reducing fat. This means is EXTRA important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode)


    Also this might be helpful http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/00trayn/view/how-to-bust-a-3-month-plateau-87677



    Good luck on your journey
  • cherryburton
    cherryburton Posts: 18 Member
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    morganadk2 - thanks for those links! It's interesting actually, because there were a couple of days where I ate under my calorie allowance and that combined with three half hour runs probably left my body wondering what's hit it!

    Anyway, am feeling slightly better about it as have lost just over a pound since yesterday, and I've got my gym gear on ready to go in my lunch hour.

    And that's it, no more weighing for a week!
  • unsuspectingfish
    unsuspectingfish Posts: 1,176 Member
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    I had the same problem, but then, a week later, the scale has started dropping again. I've also decided to only weigh in once a week, now because of this. Your patience WILL be rewarded, as long as you stick with it.
  • jessiecrow
    jessiecrow Posts: 7
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    i know everyone says it, and trust me i didnt believe them either .. but you wont notice massive changes immediately. i did my healthy kick for a few weeks and barely lost anything and i wondered why i bothered. then a week later i lost 6 pounds. i think your body goes into shock or something when you start working out from doing nothing.

    give it a couple of weeks, if you havent lost a fair amount of pounds by then and you sure you're really pushing yourself, maybe you should visit a doctor.
  • Tangerine302
    Tangerine302 Posts: 1,509 Member
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    In general, how long does it take for someone to start losing? I suppose it depends on how much you need to lose. Say for someone that wants to lose 5 pounds. Exercising and eating so much better, staying in within calories, eating back exercise calories, etc. A few months? A month? Just wondering. :) I know I'm eating much better, cut out sweets big time, and exercising. Just wondered what the average was?
  • Improvised
    Improvised Posts: 925 Member
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    When you weigh yourself next week, make it's the same time of day. It should make it more accurate.
  • erinhale
    erinhale Posts: 137 Member
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    Your body adapts to running very quickly. I tell my personal training clients to run because they enjoy it, don't run to lose weight. Try cardio class, tabata, inverval training, areobics, weight training, exct.....

    MOre importantly are you wearing a HRM with calorie counter to figure out calories burned? Are you replaceing ALL of your caloires? If not, then there is your anweser. Invest in a heart rate monitor with caloire calculator and replace you rcalories burned with wholesome nutrtious food.

    My blog explains alot of what y ou are asking.

    Are you mad that your scale isn't budging? Are you making these mistakes??

    1. Not spiking your caloric intake: Dropping calories really low works if you don't abuse the technique. The biggest mistake most women make is staying in a negative caloric state for too long without any caloric spike. You see, you have to spike your calories every once in a while. You must replace what you burn during a workout. If you are exercising on a daily basis then the caloric intake must match the amount of calories burned.

    2. Soothing emotional pain with pleasure food: Food is very powerful. In fact, sugar can have drug-like effects on your brain. Unfortunately, pairing pleasure foods with emotional pain can lead you to some serious weight gain. Instead, have some distracting activities you can do when you feel those negative emotional states taking their grip. Substitute pleasure food with healthy snacks.

    3. Weighing yourself every day: I've seen it time and again, a client of mine will weigh herself every single day and suffer from the resulting emotional roller coaster ride. Your body weight changes from day to day for a wide variety of reasons. Check your weight only once every couple of weeks. The BMI is what we need to monitor on a every other weekly basis.

    4. Staying away from all comfort food: Doing this will eventually lead you to binge, not a good thing! So make sure you have your comfort food, but eat it on strategic days. You want to eat it on the days when you need to spike caloric intake, like after a workout. Try to avoid eating snack food past 7pm. The body does not have time to burn the calories and sugars off before bed. This can cause insomnia or worse, fat cells!

    5. Not moving around enough: Simply moving around burns a lot of calories. And the best part is that it doesn't stress your system. Even better, low grade physical activity burns a higher percentage of fat calories while preserving muscle mass. Simple walks with the kids, dog, or friend. Try to be in constant motion, this means a constant burn in calories! Try wearing a pedometer for a day, then take the amount of steps you made in day and add 50 more steps the next day! See how high you can get the pedometer to go!
  • greeneyed84
    greeneyed84 Posts: 427 Member
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    If you're eating a deficit you won't be gaining muscle but if you have gone from zero exercise to running 3 times then there is a very good chance that your muscles are holding on to fluids to repair and refuel the next run/workout. if you keep up with this level then chances are you will see a loss in the next week or so, keep an eye on your sodium levels so you're not holding on to unneeded fluids Patience really is a virtue in this case.

    and measure yourself in front of a mirror so that you have visual help in where you are measuring... straight across the chest (easy, built in guides there)underbust, right under the girls, the line your bra takes give a good indication of reduction in any back fat, waist, note how far above belly button you are measuring, hips, measure at the point where you are the widest in your reflection, looking down can be deceiving.

    Good luck and well done


    Really? So, just out of curiosity, how do you explain so many people on here, including me, building muscles while on a deficit?
    I wish some people on here would stop making false statements and claiming they know what they're talking about.

    It takes time, muscles do not build over night but i work out 5-7 days a week and i have build muscles while on a 500 calorie deficit.


    OP: It really takes time, just keep doing what you're doing, your body will thank you. Also ,the scale is not the best tool, try using a tape measurer every couple of weeks. You will see a loss there if not on the scale.
  • anulle2009
    anulle2009 Posts: 580 Member
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    ...nothing.

    Well, half a pound, but meh.

    There's I may have lost some cms of waist and hips, but I might also be measuring in a slightly different place to last week.

    Seriously, how does this work? I've gone from sitting on my *kitten* all week eating rubbish, to eating really healthily (and within the calorie goal level) and excercising but virtually no weight loss. Am feeling a bit disillusioned. I'm going to carry on as I am as am training for a 5k run but just expected to see a bit more change after making such changes.

    Anyone else had this happen? Anyone know *why* it happens?

    how does it work? it works with patience, time, consistency and dedication.

    It takes time and dedication. It has only been a week, and it might be best if you dont look at it the way you are. Take it a day at a time.. From a lot of what i have read and heard, you dont see real decent results for 3 months. So keep busting your *kitten*! and you will start to see a difference. A week is nothing!

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