NOT LOSING WEIGHT
sej1990
Posts: 96 Member
I mean i just started a couple weeks ago and i have barely lost any weight at all, if anything gain weight. I do well with what i have, and we can't afford more food at this moment, but i do usually eat within my calorie limit and i work out. I sometimes thinks its because i gain muscle super quick but even if that was so its still frustrating because i don't know how much fat i have lost and my BMI is still the same!!! Ugh i hate being a muscular girl i feel like women hulk!
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Replies
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1. If it's been less than 3 weeks or so, don't sweat it! Normal fluctuations happen and unfortunately sometimes we stall for a week or two even when we're doing everything right. Give your body some time to catch up with the changes you're making.
2. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.
3. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.
4. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.
5. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.
6. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.
7. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.
8. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs.
9. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.6 -
You haven't gained muscle. You are either eating more than you think, or burning less than you think.8
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You said "a couple weeks" - many, many people go 3-4 weeks without any kind of weight loss, and then lose it all in one big whoosh. If you hit the week 5 mark and still haven't lost any, it doesn't have to do with muscles - in that case, it's probably that you either overestimate how many calories you burn (very easy to do if you count weight lifting as a calorie burn) or underestimate how many calories you eat (I'm pretty sure literally everyone does this when they start out).1
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Details please? Starting weight/date and current weight? Height? How many calories per day do you eat?
You say you hardly lost any weight and you said you gained. Which is it? If you lay out some details, we can probably help give you some peace of mind and/or suggestions.1 -
StaciMarie1974 wrote: »Details please? Starting weight/date and current weight? Height? How many calories per day do you eat?
You say you hardly lost any weight and you said you gained. Which is it? If you lay out some details, we can probably help give you some peace of mind and/or suggestions.
I have only lost 3 pounds in 2 weeks and i have a 1500 calorie limit and work out 3 to 4 times a week0 -
trigden1991 wrote: »You haven't gained muscle. You are either eating more than you think, or burning less than you think.
I gain muscle quick, i know when i gain muscle and thats my body type i always have been muscular it doesnt take much to gain it for me. I know my body.0 -
StaciMarie1974 wrote: »Details please? Starting weight/date and current weight? Height? How many calories per day do you eat?
You say you hardly lost any weight and you said you gained. Which is it? If you lay out some details, we can probably help give you some peace of mind and/or suggestions.
I have only lost 3 pounds in 2 weeks and i have a 1500 calorie limit and work out 3 to 4 times a week
1.5lbs a week is a very respectable weight loss. You don't say how much you are aiming to lose, but unless you are very overweight, 2lbs a week is the MAX you can reasonably expect to lose.
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StaciMarie1974 wrote: »Details please? Starting weight/date and current weight? Height? How many calories per day do you eat?
You say you hardly lost any weight and you said you gained. Which is it? If you lay out some details, we can probably help give you some peace of mind and/or suggestions.
I have only lost 3 pounds in 2 weeks and i have a 1500 calorie limit and work out 3 to 4 times a week
3 pounds in 2 weeks is a really great rate of loss. Congrats!0 -
trigden1991 wrote: »You haven't gained muscle. You are either eating more than you think, or burning less than you think.
I gain muscle quick, i know when i gain muscle and thats my body type i always have been muscular it doesnt take much to gain it for me. I know my body.
That's fantastic, you are an anomaly. But how do you know? How were you measured? For women, it is freakin' hard to put on muscle.7 -
If you're gaining muscle, you should be losing inches somewhere. So dump the scale and break out the measuring tape. That's all that matters anyhow.2
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StaciMarie1974 wrote: »Details please? Starting weight/date and current weight? Height? How many calories per day do you eat?
You say you hardly lost any weight and you said you gained. Which is it? If you lay out some details, we can probably help give you some peace of mind and/or suggestions.
I have only lost 3 pounds in 2 weeks and i have a 1500 calorie limit and work out 3 to 4 times a week
You are losing 1.5 pounds per week! You really shouldn't lose any faster than that.2 -
Just keep logging, as accurately as possible, and keep going. Having accurate data to refer to is the best thing you can do, because you can see what works and what doesn't and adjust from there as needed. Three pounds in two weeks is actually quite good. We all want to see results, but it's a slow process.1
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You may have unrealistic expectations. 3 pounds in 2 weeks is awesome. Depending on timing of TOM and other things that lead to water weight it takes some women 3-4 weeks to see ANY drop on the scale.
The goal should be to lose weight gradually over time. Meaning you weigh less now than you weighed last month. Comparing in monthly intervals helps offset the TOM effect, which WILL make you retain water at some point during the month.
Consistently eat at a deficit, be accurate and honest about your food logging, and you will lose weight over time. 2-8 pounds a month is a reasonable expectation. Where you fall on that spectrum depends on how much weight you have to lose. The closer you are to goal weight, the less energy your body uses on a daily basis and thus you're limited in how much of a deficit you can manage on a day to day basis.2 -
trigden1991 wrote: »You haven't gained muscle. You are either eating more than you think, or burning less than you think.
I gain muscle quick, i know when i gain muscle and thats my body type i always have been muscular it doesnt take much to gain it for me. I know my body.
You cannot gain muscle in a deficit. It is physically/biologically impossible.5 -
I don't know what you do for a living, but if you truly have the ability to gain muscle that quickly, especially at a deficit, you need to make money off of it instead of hating being a muscular girl. You have to understand that you'd be a statistical anomaly and people would be willing to pay top dollar to witness your rate of muscle gains. You could be making six figures easily without doing much besides gaining that muscle. Do you have any pictures of this?3
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queenliz99 wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »You haven't gained muscle. You are either eating more than you think, or burning less than you think.
I gain muscle quick, i know when i gain muscle and thats my body type i always have been muscular it doesnt take much to gain it for me. I know my body.
That's fantastic, you are an anomaly. But how do you know? How were you measured? For women, it is freakin' hard to put on muscle.
Not me i cant stand it0 -
trigden1991 wrote: »You haven't gained muscle. You are either eating more than you think, or burning less than you think.
No one just builds muscle super quick... If that was the case I would be supah bulkay!!!
But you can gain a very min amount of muscle gain in a deficit, but all the criteria has to be spot on! Is not likely, but it is possible.. This muscle gain tapers off pretty quickly.
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queenliz99 wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »You haven't gained muscle. You are either eating more than you think, or burning less than you think.
I gain muscle quick, i know when i gain muscle and thats my body type i always have been muscular it doesnt take much to gain it for me. I know my body.
That's fantastic, you are an anomaly. But how do you know? How were you measured? For women, it is freakin' hard to put on muscle.
Not me i cant stand it
Then as others have said, you should find a reporter to write a story about you, enter fitness competitions, and make some money off of it, because you are a miracle of science.
Regardless, you should be expecting to lose @ 1 lb per week, so you are doing fine. You need to have more realistic expectations. Congrats on your success so far, and best of luck.1 -
queenliz99 wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »You haven't gained muscle. You are either eating more than you think, or burning less than you think.
I gain muscle quick, i know when i gain muscle and thats my body type i always have been muscular it doesnt take much to gain it for me. I know my body.
That's fantastic, you are an anomaly. But how do you know? How were you measured? For women, it is freakin' hard to put on muscle.
Not me i cant stand it
You ignored her questions....how do you know? How were you measured?1 -
queenliz99 wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »You haven't gained muscle. You are either eating more than you think, or burning less than you think.
I gain muscle quick, i know when i gain muscle and thats my body type i always have been muscular it doesnt take much to gain it for me. I know my body.
That's fantastic, you are an anomaly. But how do you know? How were you measured? For women, it is freakin' hard to put on muscle.
Not me i cant stand it
Do you think maybe as you lose the fat covering them your muscles are becoming more noticeable, and that's why you think they're bigger? As others have already said, it's very unlikely you're actually gaining muscle.1 -
Maxematics wrote: »I don't know what you do for a living, but if you truly have the ability to gain muscle that quickly, especially at a deficit, you need to make money off of it instead of hating being a muscular girl. You have to understand that you'd be a statistical anomaly and people would be willing to pay top dollar to witness your rate of muscle gains. You could be making six figures easily without doing much besides gaining that muscle. Do you have any pictures of this?
Thats y i avoid arm weights as much as possible, although i have to sometimes cause im trying to get rid of the bat wings lol. But i work out with cardio and my legs are already huge.
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trigden1991 wrote: »You haven't gained muscle. You are either eating more than you think, or burning less than you think.
No one just builds muscle super quick... If that was the case I would be supah bulkay!!!
But you can gain a very min amount of muscle gain in a deficit, but all the criteria has to be spot on! Is not likely, but it is possible.. This muscle gain tapers off pretty quickly.
"Naturally", I agree with you. With the help of certain supplements people do! Women struggle to gain muscle in a caloric surplus, so in a deficit it is nigh on impossible.1 -
Maxematics wrote: »I don't know what you do for a living, but if you truly have the ability to gain muscle that quickly, especially at a deficit, you need to make money off of it instead of hating being a muscular girl. You have to understand that you'd be a statistical anomaly and people would be willing to pay top dollar to witness your rate of muscle gains. You could be making six figures easily without doing much besides gaining that muscle. Do you have any pictures of this?
Thats y i avoid arm weights as much as possible, although i have to sometimes cause im trying to get rid of the bat wings lol. But i work out with cardio and my legs are already huge.
Cardio is not gonna build big legs. Will get a pump in your legs from exercising, yes, but you need to workout those legs with some heavy freaking weights to build them. And unless you focus on protein intake, this is completely impossible.
Cardio is not a muscle building platform while eating a deficit. You diet structure/exrcice does not support muscle building.1 -
trigden1991 wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »You haven't gained muscle. You are either eating more than you think, or burning less than you think.
No one just builds muscle super quick... If that was the case I would be supah bulkay!!!
But you can gain a very min amount of muscle gain in a deficit, but all the criteria has to be spot on! Is not likely, but it is possible.. This muscle gain tapers off pretty quickly.
"Naturally", I agree with you. With the help of certain supplements people do! Women struggle to gain muscle in a caloric surplus, so in a deficit it is nigh on impossible.
I am sorry but you need to recheck your facts your delivering to the forum. In MFP forums alone you will find some threads that support this.
In OP's case she does not have a muscle building program or diet structure? NO so this is not working for her like that, the other I mentioned if all is spot on is possible.. did I say the world was gaining a lot of muscle in deficit? not what I am saying here.0 -
How much muscle have you gained in the two weeks? I'm just thinking that if you gained say, 2lbs of muscle and lost 3lbs, then that means you lost 5lbs of fat in those two weeks! Wow, that is anomalous.
Are you aware that when you workout, water enters into the muscle for repair? This process is what leads to the muscles appearing bigger. They aren't actually bigger, they are in a state of repair. I love the post workout pump. My triceps pop! It's awesome.0 -
queenliz99 wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »You haven't gained muscle. You are either eating more than you think, or burning less than you think.
I gain muscle quick, i know when i gain muscle and thats my body type i always have been muscular it doesnt take much to gain it for me. I know my body.
That's fantastic, you are an anomaly. But how do you know? How were you measured? For women, it is freakin' hard to put on muscle.
I have a large frame and remember thinking I put on muscle quickly when I was in my 20s. I always think my biceps are getting bigger but because I measure them see that this is not the case. In fact, I've actually lost an inch since June of last year. I've been weight lifting fairly consistently since last October.Not me i cant stand it
Our eyes play tricks on us, and so measurements are important.
Re your bat wings - I had some loose skin under my arms that went away after a few weeks of lifting. YMMV.Maxematics wrote: »I don't know what you do for a living, but if you truly have the ability to gain muscle that quickly, especially at a deficit, you need to make money off of it instead of hating being a muscular girl. You have to understand that you'd be a statistical anomaly and people would be willing to pay top dollar to witness your rate of muscle gains. You could be making six figures easily without doing much besides gaining that muscle. Do you have any pictures of this?
Thats y i avoid arm weights as much as possible, although i have to sometimes cause im trying to get rid of the bat wings lol. But i work out with cardio and my legs are already huge.
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Just taking a peak at your diary. You need to weigh your food. If you are gaining you are probably consuming more calories than you think. Cups and spoons are typically wrong for calorie estimations. Also try to avoid prepackaged and fast foods which are high in sodium.0
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Your weight loss expectations are wildly unrealistic if you think losing 3lbs in 2 weeks is "not losing weight".
You need to chill out and get real. Having such an unrealistic and unhealthy view on how fast you should be losing weight is not helping you.2 -
It's likely that what you perceive as muscle gain is actually inflammation, where you retain water. You will feel puffy and your clothes may be tighter. That's normal and it goes away after a few days. But it's not muscle gain.
You can't possibly gain muscle in just a few days. It just doesn't happen that way.2
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