Results in the mirror but not on the scale

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HakunaMatata137
HakunaMatata137 Posts: 63 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ugh, I'm feeling really unmotivated and confused.

As of the past few weeks, I haven't been on top of my diet. Not terrible, but not great and not under my calorie deficit goal. But at the same time, I've been working out harder than ever. Not because I want to "work off" my bad food choices, but because it's become a habit that I genuinely enjoy.

And despite eating kind of crappy, I've noticed my body changing for the better since increasing my workouts. I see a flatter stomach and hella leg definition. BUT, the number on my scale has gone up.... what is that all about? How come I'm seeing results in the mirror, but not on the scale? Does it have to do with my weird balance of not-so-great eating and working out a ton?

Replies

  • arobey11
    arobey11 Posts: 87 Member
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    How long have you been seeing the number go up, and how much has it gone up? Scale weight fluctuates naturally and if you're eating differently than you had been and working out harder, you could be seeing more fluctuations due to retained water. Sometimes the scale doesn't jive with what we see in the mirror, and it could be helpful if you also take measurements to compare over time.
  • Sunshine_And_Sand
    Sunshine_And_Sand Posts: 1,320 Member
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    Honestly, I wouldn't worry about the number on the scale as much as the results you are seeing in the mirror.
    I know being at a healthy weight is important and health benefits of losing weight are important, but isn't looking better what most of us are really wanting anyway?
    There are several factors that could cause water retention that would make the scale not show as favorably as it should.
    Keep at it and maybe try a weight trend app to log daily weights so that you can see the overall downward trend, if the scale number really bothers you. Happy Scale is a good one.
  • siobhanaoife
    siobhanaoife Posts: 150 Member
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    That's way better than the other way around :)

    My scale number is improving while the image in the mirror? Uhhh... Not so much!
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
    edited October 2018
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    Being over your deficit doesn't necessarily mean you're over maintenance so you can still be losing. Plus, as already stated, water retention from exercise will bump the scale up as well. Not to mention monthly cycle's impact. If you're not already, take pictures and measurements too. They helped me a lot when I was wondering what was going on. And lastly, always expect fluctuations up and down regardless of how on point your diet and exercise are. It's just the way it goes.
  • kuranda10
    kuranda10 Posts: 593 Member
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    wmweeza wrote: »
    Muscle weighs more then fat, so if you are shrinking but not seeing the scale budge that's why. Just keep plugging away!

    Well no. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat, but the muscle does take up less volume.
  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,361 Member
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    Does it really matter what you weigh if you like what you see in the mirror? This is what happens when we get caught up in scale weight rather than body fat percentage...we get disappointed, think we are failures, and it is far from the truth.
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,388 Member
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    HakunaMatata137 wrote: »
    Ugh, I'm feeling really unmotivated and confused.

    As of the past few weeks, I haven't been on top of my diet. Not terrible, but not great and not under my calorie deficit goal. But at the same time, I've been working out harder than ever. Not because I want to "work off" my bad food choices, but because it's become a habit that I genuinely enjoy.

    And despite eating kind of crappy, I've noticed my body changing for the better since increasing my workouts. I see a flatter stomach and hella leg definition. BUT, the number on my scale has gone up.... what is that all about? How come I'm seeing results in the mirror, but not on the scale? Does it have to do with my weird balance of not-so-great eating and working out a ton?

    Then spend more time looking in the mirror than you do standing on a scale. ;)

    It's not uncommon to have fluctuations in weight, and especially (and often larger fluctuations) for women. There are a number of trending apps and devices that show you overall weight trends and those can be helpful for many.

    And as mentioned above, working out can often lead to greater water retention, and/or greater fluctuations. It's not uncommon for my weight to change 6-7 pounds over the course of a day.

    But if in fact your weight is creeping up, but you see physical changes you like, you have to make a decision to either eat less and bring weight down at the same time, or be happy that you like the way you look more. When working out some people find that certain exercises make them hungry enough to overeat. Other exercises not so much.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    If you have not been doing than great about calories you eat lately, it is inevitable that weight loss will slow or even you might start gaining back. At the same time, going more at the gym means you will look better. The question is, are you happy and healthy where you are now? If yes, you might not need to cut more? But at the same time, if you start ignoring what you eat, you can easily end up being a very athletic woman who has also gained everything back (and not in muscle). Outrunning a bad diet is very hard. Maybe eat at maintenance for a while, exercise more and see how happy you are with the result?
  • wmweeza
    wmweeza Posts: 319 Member
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    kuranda10 wrote: »
    wmweeza wrote: »
    Muscle weighs more then fat, so if you are shrinking but not seeing the scale budge that's why. Just keep plugging away!

    Well no. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat, but the muscle does take up less volume.

    Sorry, I should have answered more carefully...that's what I meant. Oops!

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