scale isn't moving, but I'm looking more toned

kated930 · August 2011

So, the past few weeks I've been really good about my daily cardio (recently I have tried to run more for distance). I have been doing strength training, and went up in my calories a little from where I was before in efforts to shed a few lbs and break through my "plateau"....

BUT the scale hasn't budged. Legit hasn't moved even a fraction of a lb, I have been at 117.4 for like 6 days straight. HOWEVER.... I am noticing some differences in my body, I'm feeling and looking more toned.

SO do you think that the scale isn't moving because I am loosing fat while gaining muscle? That's my conclusion that I've come up with! What do you guys think?

change_happens · August 2011

So, the past few weeks I've been really good about my daily cardio (recently I have tried to run more for distance). I have been doing strength training, and went up in my calories a little from where I was before in efforts to shed a few lbs and break through my "plateau"....

BUT the scale hasn't budged. Legit hasn't moved even a fraction of a lb, I have been at 117.4 for like 6 days straight. HOWEVER.... I am noticing some differences in my body, I'm feeling and looking more toned.

SO do you think that the scale isn't moving because I am loosing fat while gaining muscle? That's my conclusion that I've come up with! What do you guys think?

I am no expert, but I think that is the case.

mcheeks357 · August 2011

I know the feeling! But unfortunately my plateau is lasting for weeks

Let me know when you find out the answer lol!

tramaine81 · August 2011

Sometimes a person's body maintains a weight that it feels comfortable at. Especially because you are very active, the last thing your body thinks it needs to do is get rid of any fat being stored around. Ways to get around the plateau without lowering calories is to finish eating earlier (before 6pm) and to break up your meals into mini meals.

In addition, when you strength train you body will hold to weight. Pilates and yoga type exercise lengthen without adding too much mass. I had to stop strength training so often when I hit my last plateau. I went from everyday to like, 2x a week.

GOOD LUCK!!!

WifeMomDVM · August 2011

Possibly, though it takes a LONG time to build even a little bit of muscle and you have to eat lots of protein and lift HEAVY weights to do that.

More than likely, your body is at it's set point that it wants to be. Of course there will be some fluctuations with water, weight of your food, and hormone swings, etc...

Not sure how tall you are or what your goal is?

Are you trying to get more lean, or lose lbs on the scale? Sometimes getting more lean means the scale will go up (again lots of hard work over a long period of time).

Also, what's your definition of a plateau? It gets harder to shed lbs the closer you are to your goal. I'm only losing about 0.5 lb a month now, but it's still a loss.

Hang in there - keep practicing healthy habits and your body will have no choice but to settle into the healthiest you that it can be. :flowerforyou:

efarester · August 2011

Here is an article that you might find interesting too - especially if you just started your strength training. Hope it helps!

http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=why_the_scale_goes_up_when_you_start_a_new_workout_plan

Erika

porksiopao · August 2011

Sometimes the results in the mirror or the measuring tape can be better than the scale results. If you see a difference as you said, then you still did great! Like you, I got stuck at my current weight for a couple weeks now but my fitness level has improved and I can see overall body and muscle appearance. I'd say that your body composition is changing but retaining the same weight. Have you measured your bodyfat % changes? That'll be a great indicator of your progress, which you may not immediately see on the scale. Good luck!

namrettik · August 2011

I've been hovering around 140 for about two months now.

I am slowly getting more "toned," as it were, through heavy lifting. I definitely feel muscles that didn't exist before. Hand-me-down pants from my roommate need belts now, even though they didn't when I was at the same weight back when I got them.

Really, that's all that matters. Once I started heavy lifting, I knew I couldn't rely on the scale too much anymore. It's all about inches at this point. As far as I know, inches are what people actually want to lose, not pounds.

kated930 · August 2011

Possibly, though it takes a LONG time to build even a little bit of muscle and you have to eat lots of protein and lift HEAVY weights to do that.

More than likely, your body is at it's set point that it wants to be. Of course there will be some fluctuations with water, weight of your food, and hormone swings, etc...

Not sure how tall you are or what your goal is?

Are you trying to get more lean, or lose lbs on the scale? Sometimes getting more lean means the scale will go up (again lots of hard work over a long period of time).

Also, what's your definition of a plateau? It gets harder to shed lbs the closer you are to your goal. I'm only losing about 0.5 lb a month now, but it's still a loss.

Hang in there - keep practicing healthy habits and your body will have no choice but to settle into the healthiest you that it can be. :flowerforyou:

well my plateau has lasted about a month or so.. my goal is somewhere between 110-115 since that is the ideal weight for someone 5' 3'' like myself. I would like to hit those numbers on the scale, but I'm more concerned with how I look and feel, I'd like to be ripped and if I look super toned and I'm still at 117 lbs, than thats okay with me.

I've been doing strength training for a couple of months, but i would skip days here and there. Now I am giving it everything I got and using the heavier weights.

kated930 · August 2011

Sometimes the results in the mirror or the measuring tape can be better than the scale results. If you see a difference as you said, then you still did great! Like you, I got stuck at my current weight for a couple weeks now but my fitness level has improved and I can see overall body and muscle appearance. I'd say that your body composition is changing but retaining the same weight. Have you measured your bodyfat % changes? That'll be a great indicator of your progress, which you may not immediately see on the scale. Good luck!

Would I measure my body fat % with a tape measurer?

SandyEdge · August 2011

I am also in a plateau at the moment - my weight has been the same for the past 2-3 weeks.
However - this is normal in most peoples weight loss journey - and i dont mind it as i am noticing so many other Non Scale Victories (NSV's) such as body shape changes, added endurance, new self confidence, strength, enjoyment of exercise etc....

BTW - As recommended - i only weigh myself once a week.
It sounds like you are on the scales every day.

Maybe give the scales a break. ?

kdiamond · August 2011

Took a quick glimpse at your diary, I would say you are not eating enough to sustain workouts that burn 600+ calories.

Also I would definitely not weigh yourself more than once a week as the others suggested.

Make sure you're eating your calories girl!

alanaosu · August 2011

Eat you calories (as the lady above said) and maybe cut back on the cardio. Try a cardio based strength training activity like those found on bodyrock.tv They really help you to mix things up and confuse your body into dropping the last few pounds thus giving you that 'ripped' look. Jillian Michaels book 'Making the Cut' is also very good and worth a read. I'm the same height as you and stuck at 133. It sucks!!!

scale isn't moving, but I'm looking more toned

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