Scale not moving

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hollyntuttle95
hollyntuttle95 Posts: 42 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all!

At the beginning of the year I started a 1200 calorie plan and walking daily and have lost 24 pounds. Recently I started going to the gym 4 to 5 days a week and then still followed a 1200 calorie plan or 1200 net calories on the days I'm in the gym.

However, the scale hasn't moved in weeks. I've been told I've hit a plateau or that it's because I'm gaining muscle, but because I still have over 50 pounds to lose I don't feel like that is possible.

I measure and count every calorie I eat so I know I'm being accurate. Should I not be eating back my exercise calories? Should I increase my daily amount of calories? I have no idea what to do at this point so any advice would be greatly appreciated. 😊

Replies

  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
    edited June 2018
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    Looking at your diary, I would highly recommend getting a food scale. Measuring food can cause a person to be off by a couple hundred calories or more some days.
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1

    ETA: this is usually the problem and should at least be the first thing you tighten up on.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    edited June 2018
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    Get a food scale. Check out this thread.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale


    ETA: Great minds think alike, @kami3006! :laugh:
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
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    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Get a food scale. Check out this thread.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale


    ETA: Great minds think alike, @kami3006! :laugh:

    Indeed! That is the thread that keeps on giving. Thanks for creating it!
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,171 Member
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    Did your weight loss stall about the same time you started going to the gym? You could be retaining water as your body adapts to the new activity. My guesses would be that water retention or "portion creep" with increased hunger from the workouts--especially if you aren't weighing your food. It's almost certainly not muscle gains. If you're on a 1200 calorie diet, you don't have the calorie surplus to add muscle. Plus even under the most optimal, perfect, ideal circumstances, women aren't generally able to build more than about half a pound of muscle a month.
  • JenHuedy
    JenHuedy Posts: 611 Member
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    In addition to weighing, I would take a look at how you calculate the exercise calories you are eating back. Most calorie burn estimates are overinflated, or include BMR calories, which are already calculated into your daily burn. Even heart rate monitors are pretty bad at anything but stready state cardio. Try eating back half to 3/4 of exercise calories for a couple weeks and see how that goes.
  • MelmothWanders
    MelmothWanders Posts: 47 Member
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    What COGypsy said. If you just started exercising, you're retaining extra water to aid with muscle repair. Plus, at a significant calorie deficit, your body is also retaining extra water because of the deficit. If you were to rest for a week and eat a few days of high calorie (but low sodium) meals, you'd likely see a few pounds drop off in water.

    This thread is great as well:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/42187078

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