Frustrated!!!

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thomurefamily
thomurefamily Posts: 11
in Fitness and Exercise
Part of me knows what y'all are going to say but...

36 days ago I took measurements and I took measurements again today. In the last 36 days I have lost 19 inches total off of my body which I know is great! However I have only lost 2 lbs in those last 36 days. I am getting frustrated at the lack of movement on the scale. Not that I am going to quit or anything I am just getting frustrated seeing the same number week after week. What am I doing wrong? I am keeping my calories around 1200 and eating back calories when necessary. I drink between 9-12 glasses of water a day and I exercise 4-5 times a week. What can I do to actually drop the weight? After I stop losing inches will the weight start coming off? Help me I am frustrated!!!

Replies

  • kawenas
    kawenas Posts: 13 Member
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    I don't think you are doing anything wrong. I had the same issue when I first started. All through the month of July, the scale BARELY moved. I frustrated, just as you are now. August hit and the scale and has been on the downward trend. My advice is to just keep up doing what you are doing and eventually your body will adjust and you will see the scale go down. Hope this helps!
  • NyxDominique
    NyxDominique Posts: 271 Member
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    I am the exact opposite. I would love to trade with you. I have lost 12 pds off the scale but only 4 inches on my waist. So depressing so I know how you feel.

    Are you doing cardio normally cardio is what will shred the pds, and toning/strength is what normally helps with inches?
  • keithpeters101
    keithpeters101 Posts: 5 Member
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    What kind of exercise are you doing? If you are adding muscle mass, it is denser than fat, so you can be losing fat, but the overall weight does not seem ad dramatic as it otherwise would. If you're losing inches and keeping to your calories, just hang in there. High aerobic exercise like running will burn calories without usually adding a lot of muscle mass. In fact, it tends to burn muscle as well, which is why body builders don't run. If you are doing weights, do more reps of lighter weights to burn more fat aerobically, without bulking up.
  • LisaLove240786
    LisaLove240786 Posts: 22 Member
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    I am also the opposite i have lost a total of 20lbs and only budged half a dress size which is very frustrating as all my current clothes are too baggy (i can get away with some) and i cant fit into the size below as theyre too tight ARGH!! I would love to have lost all that (well not all, but most) of my waist to im not in the middle! I would love to know your secret?!
  • Fight2bFiT
    Fight2bFiT Posts: 48 Member
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    I've so been there! how many cals are you intakng a day and how many are you burning? inches are great, but we like to see that scale move so i understand your frustration!!!
  • thomurefamily
    thomurefamily Posts: 11
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    What kind of exercise are you doing? If you are adding muscle mass, it is denser than fat, so you can be losing fat, but the overall weight does not seem ad dramatic as it otherwise would. If you're losing inches and keeping to your calories, just hang in there. High aerobic exercise like running will burn calories without usually adding a lot of muscle mass. In fact, it tends to burn muscle as well, which is why body builders don't run. If you are doing weights, do more reps of lighter weights to burn more fat aerobically, without bulking up.

    I alternate running and sculpting... I usually average 3-4 runs @ 30 mins plus a week and about 25 minutes of weight training every other day. I have been doing Julian Michaels 30DS on my non-running days. I average 12-15 miles a week when I run!
  • thomurefamily
    thomurefamily Posts: 11
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    I've so been there! how many cals are you intakng a day and how many are you burning? inches are great, but we like to see that scale move so i understand your frustration!!!

    I take in about 1200 calories a day. One the days I run I burn about 500-600 calories and on those days I will eat back some of the calories up to about 1700 calories. On the days I shred I do not bother eating back the calories because I only burn around 200 on those days. So I just eat up to the 1200 and then stop!
  • angelheaven23
    angelheaven23 Posts: 6 Member
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    I understand your pain and for that reason I have not weighed myself since Aug 1st, when I started MFP. I was going to wait a month and weigh myself but now I want to try to hold out longer because although I have been working out 5 days a week and eating healthy, I am afraid that the numbers on the scale may discourage me. I have also lost inches but I think my bootcamp, kickboxing, spinning, and all the other things I have been doing are adding muscle. Just keep motivated and don't think so much about the numbers on the scale.......I am dying to weigh myself but I don't want to be disappointed so I am trying so hard to avoid it, I even put my scale in the closet.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    Looking at your profile - you're a teacher, which is a pretty active job, lots of time up on your feet. Plus you have young children. You do, I suspect, lead a fairly active life. With that in mind, I suspect the problem is that 1200 cals is a little low for an active lifestyle plus exercise (even allowing for you eating back cals on your workout days)? Might it be worth upping your cals on your rest days a bit, to see if that makes a difference?
  • lucyobrien
    lucyobrien Posts: 10
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    That's the same reason I have wanted to weigh myself, I don't want to be discouraged! I've been doing so great with 2 hours of cardio + some strength training (1 muscle group each time I work out). My calories have been at or below my target but the scale has barely moved! I just want to change my jeans! So frusrating! Do you think it could be my Heartrate Zone?
  • dragonflydi
    dragonflydi Posts: 665 Member
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    I alternate running and sculpting... I usually average 3-4 runs @ 30 mins plus a week and about 25 minutes of weight training every other day. I have been doing Julian Michaels 30DS on my non-running days. I average 12-15 miles a week when I run!
    [/quote]

    I did this before as well and when I started doing strength training and cardio together, I saw MUCH better results. I went from strength training for 60 min and the next day cardio for 60 min (repeat) to doing 30-45 strength training followed immediately by 30-45 of cardio and the results were 1000% better. Something to consider :) Good luck!
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
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    Muscle Does Not Weigh More Than Fat it just takes up less room (five pounds of anything is still five pounds), and it is Much Nicer to Look at :wink:

    A woman weighing 150 pounds with 19% fat will look much smaller (and be much healthier) than a woman at 150 pounds with 35% fat. They weigh the same, yet the composition is different. Because muscle is more dense than fat the person with less fat and more muscle will look smaller and thats what it is all about being smaller.

    We love to see the scales going down but you know what? I am going to stop being so obsessed with my body weight and start paying more attention to my body composition. The scales will come down I am sure as we progress.

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