The scale won't move.

I've been dieting for about 12 days now and I've lost 3 pounds but the number on the scale 165 doesn't want to change! I've been doing everything I can possibly do. I've elimiated junk food, soda, fast food and I've been eating healthy things and watching my portions. I am a female and my height is 5'4. Is anyone else having the same problem? Or does anyone have suggestions? I really wish I could be 150 by March but I don't know if it's possible. Please help me out.
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Replies

  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
    3 pounds in less than 2 weeks is great progress! Congratulations!
  • AmyOutOfControl
    AmyOutOfControl Posts: 1,425 Member
    You are doing better than me. I've only lost 2.5 pounds over the past month. At least my weight is now going down instead of up. :)
  • cathingstars
    cathingstars Posts: 15 Member
    But why wont the scale move ? Its been the same for 4 days :(
  • mweckler
    mweckler Posts: 623 Member
    It could have been water weight you lost and now that it is gone the real weight loss is going to take a little more time. Do you work out at all? That could help speed up the weight loss, also are you accurately tracking all your calories you take in?
  • DrifterBear
    DrifterBear Posts: 265 Member
    You probably should only weigh once a week. Make sure it's at the same time of day and be consistent to what you wear and eat/drink before. I do first thing in the morning. That aside, how much are you eating and exercising? What kind of workout are you doing?
  • Clobern80
    Clobern80 Posts: 714 Member
    Please stop weighing yourself daily. Your body can fluctuate many pounds on a daily basis. Water weight, sodium intake, food in your belly/bowels, etc. All of these things can change how much you "weigh".

    You need to pick a day and time to weigh every week. For me, it is after I wake up on Saturday morning and use the restroom. Then I weigh. That is the ONLY time I weigh. Then I don't obsess over the fluctuations.

    You say you are watching your portions, but are you completely, accurately counting the calories? Are you weighing (grams or oz) solids and using cups/spoons for liquids? Are you putting everything in your diary so you know exactly what you are eating or are you sometimes nibbling on things you don't bother tracking? All of these things will change how many calories you actually eat. You can't make a casserole, put in the recipe and guess what 1/4th of it is. You need to measure, measure, measure and weigh, weigh, weigh your food.
  • cathingstars
    cathingstars Posts: 15 Member
    You are doing better than me. I've only lost 2.5 pounds over the past month. At least my weight is now going down instead of up. :)

    Congratulations! What was the reason for the slow weight loss? I have an event coming up and I wish I could be 150 by then so I need the weight to come off quickly
    mweckler wrote: »
    It could have been water weight you lost and now that it is gone the real weight loss is going to take a little more time. Do you work out at all? That could help speed up the weight loss, also are you accurately tracking all your calories you take in?

    I don't work out much. I sometimes dance but I do keep track of calories. I eat around 1000 calories a day. I try to keep it around that range because anything more I notice weight gain.
  • dramaqueen45
    dramaqueen45 Posts: 1,009 Member
    Okay slow down- I would suggest weighing once a week, if that. You have lost 3 pounds in less than 2 weeks which is wonderful. I have had a loss of about 2 pounds in the last two months (I'm almost to goal). The less you have to lose, the slower you need to and will lose it. Losing slowly is much more sustainable. I would suggest just being patient and making small changes- don't fret about indulging sometimes- just try to fit every calorie into your goal for the day by eating less of what you love or exercising a bit more. Remember it's not a race. If you want to keep it off- it has a to be a lifestyle change which means a way to eat that you know you will have to keep up forever.
  • cathingstars
    cathingstars Posts: 15 Member
    clobern80 wrote: »
    Please stop weighing yourself daily. Your body can fluctuate many pounds on a daily basis. Water weight, sodium intake, food in your belly/bowels, etc. All of these things can change how much you "weigh".

    You need to pick a day and time to weigh every week. For me, it is after I wake up on Saturday morning and use the restroom. Then I weigh. That is the ONLY time I weigh. Then I don't obsess over the fluctuations.

    You say you are watching your portions, but are you completely, accurately counting the calories? Are you weighing (grams or oz) solids and using cups/spoons for liquids? Are you putting everything in your diary so you know exactly what you are eating or are you sometimes nibbling on things you don't bother tracking? All of these things will change how many calories you actually eat. You can't make a casserole, put in the recipe and guess what 1/4th of it is. You need to measure, measure, measure and weigh, weigh, weigh your food.

    I do track everything that I eat and I try to keep my calories to just 1000 per day. I drink green tea but I cannot lie that I don't work out. I usually just dance for maybe 20 mins if i have the time.
  • 3bambi3
    3bambi3 Posts: 1,650 Member
    clobern80 wrote: »
    Please stop weighing yourself daily. Your body can fluctuate many pounds on a daily basis. Water weight, sodium intake, food in your belly/bowels, etc. All of these things can change how much you "weigh".

    You need to pick a day and time to weigh every week. For me, it is after I wake up on Saturday morning and use the restroom. Then I weigh. That is the ONLY time I weigh. Then I don't obsess over the fluctuations.

    You say you are watching your portions, but are you completely, accurately counting the calories? Are you weighing (grams or oz) solids and using cups/spoons for liquids? Are you putting everything in your diary so you know exactly what you are eating or are you sometimes nibbling on things you don't bother tracking? All of these things will change how many calories you actually eat. You can't make a casserole, put in the recipe and guess what 1/4th of it is. You need to measure, measure, measure and weigh, weigh, weigh your food.

    I do track everything that I eat and I try to keep my calories to just 1000 per day. I drink green tea but I cannot lie that I don't work out. I usually just dance for maybe 20 mins if i have the time.

    Why are you only eating 1000 calories a day?
  • Clobern80
    Clobern80 Posts: 714 Member
    edited January 2016
    clobern80 wrote: »
    Please stop weighing yourself daily. Your body can fluctuate many pounds on a daily basis. Water weight, sodium intake, food in your belly/bowels, etc. All of these things can change how much you "weigh".

    You need to pick a day and time to weigh every week. For me, it is after I wake up on Saturday morning and use the restroom. Then I weigh. That is the ONLY time I weigh. Then I don't obsess over the fluctuations.

    You say you are watching your portions, but are you completely, accurately counting the calories? Are you weighing (grams or oz) solids and using cups/spoons for liquids? Are you putting everything in your diary so you know exactly what you are eating or are you sometimes nibbling on things you don't bother tracking? All of these things will change how many calories you actually eat. You can't make a casserole, put in the recipe and guess what 1/4th of it is. You need to measure, measure, measure and weigh, weigh, weigh your food.

    I do track everything that I eat and I try to keep my calories to just 1000 per day. I drink green tea but I cannot lie that I don't work out. I usually just dance for maybe 20 mins if i have the time.

    Weight loss is like 80% nutrition, 20% activity. You don't HAVE to exercise to lose weight but you do have to eat at a caloric deficit. If you are doing it accurately, then you just need to temper your expectations and weigh weekly. If - after a few weeks - you are losing nothing, you may need to cut back another 200 calories (this is if you were eating at a normal caloric intake, not 1,000 calories).

    However, if you are only eating 1,000 calories as it is, you are already at what is considered the low end of "safe" for most women according to the National Institute of Health. You may actually need to increase that. If I were you, I would just utilize MFP as intended and eat the calories it tells me to eat.

    The main thing now is to not weigh daily and not obsess. It's a long, bumpy trail. Not a race :)
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,324 Member
    I'm honestly not clear on your post. You say you lost 3 pounds in 12 days, but the scale is not moving . . . how can that be? Either the scale has gone down 3 pounds, so it is moving, or it has not. 3 pounds in 12 days is a great loss, I just don't understand how you could measure it if your scale has not moved.

    As to losing. You have a calorie goal for each day set by this site when you entered your goals. Eat that number of calories measuring your food carefully (kitchen scale for all solids and things with gram measures, and measuring cups and spoons for liquids) and you will lose weight. It has nothing to do with eating healthy, it has to do with eating at a moderate calorie deficit.
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
    clobern80 wrote: »
    clobern80 wrote: »
    Please stop weighing yourself daily. Your body can fluctuate many pounds on a daily basis. Water weight, sodium intake, food in your belly/bowels, etc. All of these things can change how much you "weigh".

    You need to pick a day and time to weigh every week. For me, it is after I wake up on Saturday morning and use the restroom. Then I weigh. That is the ONLY time I weigh. Then I don't obsess over the fluctuations.

    You say you are watching your portions, but are you completely, accurately counting the calories? Are you weighing (grams or oz) solids and using cups/spoons for liquids? Are you putting everything in your diary so you know exactly what you are eating or are you sometimes nibbling on things you don't bother tracking? All of these things will change how many calories you actually eat. You can't make a casserole, put in the recipe and guess what 1/4th of it is. You need to measure, measure, measure and weigh, weigh, weigh your food.

    I do track everything that I eat and I try to keep my calories to just 1000 per day. I drink green tea but I cannot lie that I don't work out. I usually just dance for maybe 20 mins if i have the time.

    Weight loss is like 80% 100% nutrition, 20% activity. You don't HAVE to exercise to lose weight but you do have to eat at a caloric deficit. If you are doing it accurately, then you just need to temper your expectations and weigh weekly. If - after a few weeks - you are losing nothing, you may need to cut back another 200 calories (this is if you were eating at a normal caloric intake, not 1,000 calories).

    However, if you are only eating 1,000 calories as it is, you are already at what is considered the low end of "safe" for most women according to the National Institute of Health. You may actually need to increase that. If I were you, I would just utilize MFP as intended and eat the calories it tells me to eat.

    The main thing now is to not weigh daily and not obsess. It's a long, bumpy trail. Not a race :)

    Just a small edit. Extra activity allows you eat more, but it's not necessary at all.
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    You keep saying that you watch your portions but you don't say how.
  • cathingstars
    cathingstars Posts: 15 Member
    3bambi3 wrote: »
    clobern80 wrote: »
    Please stop weighing yourself daily. Your body can fluctuate many pounds on a daily basis. Water weight, sodium intake, food in your belly/bowels, etc. All of these things can change how much you "weigh".

    You need to pick a day and time to weigh every week. For me, it is after I wake up on Saturday morning and use the restroom. Then I weigh. That is the ONLY time I weigh. Then I don't obsess over the fluctuations.

    You say you are watching your portions, but are you completely, accurately counting the calories? Are you weighing (grams or oz) solids and using cups/spoons for liquids? Are you putting everything in your diary so you know exactly what you are eating or are you sometimes nibbling on things you don't bother tracking? All of these things will change how many calories you actually eat. You can't make a casserole, put in the recipe and guess what 1/4th of it is. You need to measure, measure, measure and weigh, weigh, weigh your food.

    I do track everything that I eat and I try to keep my calories to just 1000 per day. I drink green tea but I cannot lie that I don't work out. I usually just dance for maybe 20 mins if i have the time.

    Why are you only eating 1000 calories a day?
    I only eat 1000 because I don't exercise due to my heavy school load and other obligations so I just try to minimize my calorie intake
  • cathingstars
    cathingstars Posts: 15 Member
    I'm honestly not clear on your post. You say you lost 3 pounds in 12 days, but the scale is not moving . . . how can that be? Either the scale has gone down 3 pounds, so it is moving, or it has not. 3 pounds in 12 days is a great loss, I just don't understand how you could measure it if your scale has not moved.

    As to losing. You have a calorie goal for each day set by this site when you entered your goals. Eat that number of calories measuring your food carefully (kitchen scale for all solids and things with gram measures, and measuring cups and spoons for liquids) and you will lose weight. It has nothing to do with eating healthy, it has to do with eating at a moderate calorie deficit.

    I think the first 3 lbs were water weight and that isn't fat loss so I am just annoyed by how hard I have been working and I don't see the scale move past the water weight that I've lost.
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
    3bambi3 wrote: »
    clobern80 wrote: »
    Please stop weighing yourself daily. Your body can fluctuate many pounds on a daily basis. Water weight, sodium intake, food in your belly/bowels, etc. All of these things can change how much you "weigh".

    You need to pick a day and time to weigh every week. For me, it is after I wake up on Saturday morning and use the restroom. Then I weigh. That is the ONLY time I weigh. Then I don't obsess over the fluctuations.

    You say you are watching your portions, but are you completely, accurately counting the calories? Are you weighing (grams or oz) solids and using cups/spoons for liquids? Are you putting everything in your diary so you know exactly what you are eating or are you sometimes nibbling on things you don't bother tracking? All of these things will change how many calories you actually eat. You can't make a casserole, put in the recipe and guess what 1/4th of it is. You need to measure, measure, measure and weigh, weigh, weigh your food.

    I do track everything that I eat and I try to keep my calories to just 1000 per day. I drink green tea but I cannot lie that I don't work out. I usually just dance for maybe 20 mins if i have the time.

    Why are you only eating 1000 calories a day?
    I only eat 1000 because I don't exercise due to my heavy school load and other obligations so I just try to minimize my calorie intake

    You shouldn't eat less than 1200 a day, even when trying to cut calories, and most people's lower limit should be even higher. It's very difficult for most people to get enough nutrition from less than 1200 calories. Short women who are older (sorry - no disrespect intended) may need to drop down to 1200 to lose, but with your age and height, that's way too little for you.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    But why wont the scale move ? Its been the same for 4 days :(

    It's just how it is. Weight loss is not like a woodchipper where you shove the input (caloric deficit) in one end and immediately get the output (weight loss equal to caloric deficit) out the other side. It varies from week to week and day to day.
  • cathingstars
    cathingstars Posts: 15 Member
    jkal1979 wrote: »
    You keep saying that you watch your portions but you don't say how.

    I eat protein such as 3 oz chicken breast or salmon or lean beef. I minimize my carb intake. Of I have toast at breakfast I won't eat any carb at lunch and at dinner I would have maybe 3 tablespoons of steamed rice or pasta. I have veggies at dinner and snack on fruit or just one granola bar a day that is mostly made with nuts.
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    3bambi3 wrote: »
    clobern80 wrote: »
    Please stop weighing yourself daily. Your body can fluctuate many pounds on a daily basis. Water weight, sodium intake, food in your belly/bowels, etc. All of these things can change how much you "weigh".

    You need to pick a day and time to weigh every week. For me, it is after I wake up on Saturday morning and use the restroom. Then I weigh. That is the ONLY time I weigh. Then I don't obsess over the fluctuations.

    You say you are watching your portions, but are you completely, accurately counting the calories? Are you weighing (grams or oz) solids and using cups/spoons for liquids? Are you putting everything in your diary so you know exactly what you are eating or are you sometimes nibbling on things you don't bother tracking? All of these things will change how many calories you actually eat. You can't make a casserole, put in the recipe and guess what 1/4th of it is. You need to measure, measure, measure and weigh, weigh, weigh your food.

    I do track everything that I eat and I try to keep my calories to just 1000 per day. I drink green tea but I cannot lie that I don't work out. I usually just dance for maybe 20 mins if i have the time.

    Why are you only eating 1000 calories a day?
    I only eat 1000 because I don't exercise due to my heavy school load and other obligations so I just try to minimize my calorie intake

    Your calorie goal already has a deficit built into it so you would still lose on 1200 even without exercise. There is no reason for you to go lower than that.

    I suggest being a little more patient and read the helpful posts announcements on here and the Getting Started forum.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    These two posts might be an interesting read: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10196160/scale-stress-syndrome/p1

    But really, it sounds like there might be issues that go deeper than just the scale not moving for 4 days.
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    jkal1979 wrote: »
    You keep saying that you watch your portions but you don't say how.

    I eat protein such as 3 oz chicken breast or salmon or lean beef. I minimize my carb intake. Of I have toast at breakfast I won't eat any carb at lunch and at dinner I would have maybe 3 tablespoons of steamed rice or pasta. I have veggies at dinner and snack on fruit or just one granola bar a day that is mostly made with nuts.

    Ok but how do you know it's 3 oz? Are you using a food scale to verify that?
  • cathingstars
    cathingstars Posts: 15 Member
    These two posts might be an interesting read: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10196160/scale-stress-syndrome/p1

    But really, it sounds like there might be issues that go deeper than just the scale not moving for 4 days.

    What do you mean by issues that go deeper than the scale not moving?
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    jkal1979 wrote: »
    You keep saying that you watch your portions but you don't say how.

    I eat protein such as 3 oz chicken breast or salmon or lean beef. I minimize my carb intake. Of I have toast at breakfast I won't eat any carb at lunch and at dinner I would have maybe 3 tablespoons of steamed rice or pasta. I have veggies at dinner and snack on fruit or just one granola bar a day that is mostly made with nuts.

    How are you measuring your portions? Food scale? Measuring cups and spoons? Eyeballing any portions? There's a big difference between the three.

    I like how this video demonstrates it:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

  • cathingstars
    cathingstars Posts: 15 Member
    jkal1979 wrote: »
    jkal1979 wrote: »
    You keep saying that you watch your portions but you don't say how.

    I eat protein such as 3 oz chicken breast or salmon or lean beef. I minimize my carb intake. Of I have toast at breakfast I won't eat any carb at lunch and at dinner I would have maybe 3 tablespoons of steamed rice or pasta. I have veggies at dinner and snack on fruit or just one granola bar a day that is mostly made with nuts.

    Ok but how do you know it's 3 oz? Are you using a food scale to verify that?

    Yes I do
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    These two posts might be an interesting read: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10196160/scale-stress-syndrome/p1

    But really, it sounds like there might be issues that go deeper than just the scale not moving for 4 days.

    What do you mean by issues that go deeper than the scale not moving?

    You are purposefully eating below what is good for your health and worried about the scale not moving for 4 days. You are either trying to do too much too fast or you have emotional issues surrounding weight loss that are affecting how you go about this (or a combination of both). It's very common to want the weight to come off as fast as possible, but our bodies just aren't capable of that. And putting this much stress on one weigh in when you're going to have tons of ups and downs in the process is going to give you all kinds of problems throughout this journey.
  • cathingstars
    cathingstars Posts: 15 Member
    These two posts might be an interesting read: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10196160/scale-stress-syndrome/p1

    But really, it sounds like there might be issues that go deeper than just the scale not moving for 4 days.

    What do you mean by issues that go deeper than the scale not moving?

    You are purposefully eating below what is good for your health and worried about the scale not moving for 4 days. You are either trying to do too much too fast or you have emotional issues surrounding weight loss that are affecting how you go about this (or a combination of both). It's very common to want the weight to come off as fast as possible, but our bodies just aren't capable of that. And putting this much stress on one weigh in when you're going to have tons of ups and downs in the process is going to give you all kinds of problems throughout this journey.

    I do get frustrated with myself when I don't see the scale moving because I have been doing everything I am supposed to do and I want to lose the weight by March but it's so slow. I don't know what to do anymore really. I am going to keep doing what I am doing now and I will try to not weigh myself everyday became its really never wrecking.
  • spickard34
    spickard34 Posts: 303 Member
    You need to remember however long it took to put the weight on it takes for it to come off. You have to be diligent and want to ensure you are eating enough calories to fuel your everyday life and 1000 is not going to do it I am 154 5'6 and my BMR is 1430 I never eat below that, that is the cals you need just to live. Make sure you are weighing and measuring everything accurately. There are cals in fruit and veg so don't under guess on those. Fruit has a lot of calories too. My biggest fast loss was from 186 to 172 it took 3 months on weight watchers so there are no quick fixes. If you don't make it a lifestyle change and do lose it, it will all just come back on. I know this from highschool taking diet pills lost a ton fast but it came back when I stopped and doubled!
  • cathingstars
    cathingstars Posts: 15 Member
    spickard34 wrote: »
    You need to remember however long it took to put the weight on it takes for it to come off. You have to be diligent and want to ensure you are eating enough calories to fuel your everyday life and 1000 is not going to do it I am 154 5'6 and my BMR is 1430 I never eat below that, that is the cals you need just to live. Make sure you are weighing and measuring everything accurately. There are cals in fruit and veg so don't under guess on those. Fruit has a lot of calories too. My biggest fast loss was from 186 to 172 it took 3 months on weight watchers so there are no quick fixes. If you don't make it a lifestyle change and do lose it, it will all just come back on. I know this from highschool taking diet pills lost a ton fast but it came back when I stopped and doubled!
    Thanks for the advice. I am trying my best really. Do you workout? Cause I don't and thats why I minimize my calories
  • Kitty_Nikki
    Kitty_Nikki Posts: 44 Member
    4 days without a loss is not a big deal when you look at the big picture. I like this reddit post that explains it with graphs of his loss over 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and a year. I think it would benefit you to read it.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/2vp7su/daily_weight_tracking_what_100_lbs_of_weight_loss/