Feeling discourage

jmtaylor13 · October 2017

Hello, want to know if I am losing inches how long does it take to show on the scale? I found out in August that I need surgery and my doctor wants my BMI to be at 32 in order to do the surgery. In September I started working out 5 times a week, started counting my calories and this month(Oct.) I got a Fitbit. My problem, I don’t see it on the scale and although I feel it in my clothes and friends and co-workers are telling me that I look smaller I need to see it on the scale because the pounds on the scale is what the doctor will see and pounds control what my BMI will show.
Any advice or suggestions?

mbmaharaj · October 2017

I think you need to measure yourself with a measuring tape and keep track of the inches lost. You may not be losing weight because you are gaining muscle but you definitely "are" losing fat since you are noticing it in your clothes etc. Hope that helps

maryannprt · October 2017

Did you ask the doctor? If you aren't losing pounds but you are confident you are losing inches, find someone who can use calipers or hydrostatic weighing to determine your % of fat. BMI is horse puckey, anyway.

rocketass99 · October 2017

Its important to remember a couple of things
1. Muscle weighs more then fat, but takes less room in your body. Thus your clothes fit better.
2. BMI is one of the worst ways to determine body fat. Finding someone to caliper you.
At the very least, take your measurements. You can record it on the check in section of the program. Also big help, take pictures. wear the samething every time you retake pictures. I update my measurements once every 30-60 days. You will see the changes. Don't let the number on the scale be the only thing to show you how you are doing. Its just one of many tools you can use.

malibu927 · October 2017

rocketass99 wrote: »

Its important to remember a couple of things
1. Muscle weighs more then fat, but takes less room in your body. Thus your clothes fit better.
2. BMI is one of the worst ways to determine body fat. Finding someone to caliper you.
At the very least, take your measurements. You can record it on the check in section of the program. Also big help, take pictures. wear the samething every time you retake pictures. I update my measurements once every 30-60 days. You will see the changes. Don't let the number on the scale be the only thing to show you how you are doing. Its just one of many tools you can use.

1. We don’t even know if the OP is doing anything that would equate to gaining muscle
2. BMI is important for doctors to know how much anesthesia to give someone, some medications, etc.

kommodevaran · October 2017

You can expect to lose up to 1% of your bodyweight per week if you are in an optimal calorie deficit. But your bodyweight also fluctuates from day to day, often by MORE than you can expect to lose in a week. So you need to be patient, and keep logging diligently, and let this process take its time.

tinkerbellang83 · October 2017

Let's just clear up a couple of the replies you received so far:

If you are eating in a deficit you are not gaining enough muscle to not see fat loss on the scale especially as a female.
BMI for most people is not "horse puckey" - for some extreme cases like athletes, bodybuilders or extremely tall/short people it may not apply as well, but for most normal folk off the street it gives a fairly decent healthy weight range. Your doctor has likely recommended BMI 32 because when you start getting higher BMI than that you are at a higher risk of stroke which needs to be taken into consideration for surgery/anaesthetics.

You may not be seeing movement on the scale for a number of reasons:

Normal day-to-day water fluctuations (if you are not weighing daily, you may have just weighed on a day when you are retaining more water which may be masking your weight loss), you could try daily weighing with a trend weight app such as Libra or Happy Scale)
Carb/Sodium intake can cause water retention
New or more intense exercise can cause water retention
Hormones/Medication can cause water retention - Ovulation, Period, Menopause, Peri-Menopause, certain drugs
You could be eating more than you think, are you estimating portion sizes or are you weighing your food, it's very easy to underestimate your food intake.
You could be burning less than you think, your Fitbit may be overestimating your calorie burns, if you're eating back exercise calories, consider dropping down to 50% and monitoring your weight loss over a period of about 4 weeks.

What are your current stats? Age, height, weight and what is your current calorie intake?

maryannprt · October 2017

tinkerbellang83 wrote: »

Let's just clear up a couple of the replies you received so far:
BMI for most people is not "horse puckey" - for some extreme cases like athletes, bodybuilders or extremely tall/short people it may not apply as well, but for most normal folk off the street it gives a fairly decent healthy weight range. Your doctor has likely recommended BMI 32 because when you start getting higher BMI than that you are at a higher risk of stroke which needs to be taken into consideration for surgery/anaesthetics.

BMI based on height/weight is a rough estimate, at best, and if this person isn't losing weight, but feels he/she is losing inches, and becoming more fit, they should talk to their doctor about another measurement, such as calipers (slightly better if used by someone who is experienced) or hydrostatic weighing, which is the gold standard for body composition, if the doctor is totally hung up on body comp, or even a cardiac stress test. I'm not saying being too fat isn't a risk for surgery, because it is. I'm saying , BMI based on height/weight is maybe not the best way to assess that risk. In fact, I'll say it's horse puckey.

leggup · October 2017

want to know if I am losing inches Get a tape measure and you can find out! I suggest waist, hips, bust, relaxed thigh, relaxed bicep. Record them every 2 weeks in a diary or on myfitnesspal (MFP has the ability to add things to the check in page.

how long does it take to show on the scale? Most people lose water weight when they first cut calories. Sometimes this means 2-3 lbs in the first week. For me, I often lose 2 lbs in the first 3 days.

In September I started working out 5 times a week, started counting my calories and this month(Oct.) If you have been counting calories for 6-8 weeks and are not seeing a single pound drop, your calorie counting needs to be tightened up.
1. Are you using a food scale?
2. Are you logging all sauces, liquids, etc?
3. Are you eating back 100% of your exercise calories?

TavistockToad · October 2017

mbmaharaj wrote: »

I think you need to measure yourself with a measuring tape and keep track of the inches lost. You may not be losing weight because you are gaining muscle but you definitely "are" losing fat since you are noticing it in your clothes etc. Hope that helps

nope.....

Feeling discourage

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