Scale wont budge.
gburgos3000
Posts: 14 Member
So i’ve been in a caloric deficit for a while. I have taken some breaks here and there (longest was 3 weeks) and have tried refeeds but the scale wont budge as of late and I don’t want to go into a bigger deficit as im afraid i won’t get sufficient nutrients in.
I lift weights 5-6 days a week, do LISS (Low Intensity Cardio) around 3 times per week and 1 HIIT training session if I have time. I generally eat pretty healthy but I do have 1 or 2 days where I often splurge at the end of the day due to my extreme hunger from restricting for so long. Im a 4’9 20 year old female weighing 107.2 lbs.
Any advice? I was thinking the reason the scale hasn’t been budging is because ive been building muscle (which apparently weighs more than fat) but I feel as if my fat is still there and just not budging. I just want to lean out and lose 5 more lbs without killing my muscles.
I lift weights 5-6 days a week, do LISS (Low Intensity Cardio) around 3 times per week and 1 HIIT training session if I have time. I generally eat pretty healthy but I do have 1 or 2 days where I often splurge at the end of the day due to my extreme hunger from restricting for so long. Im a 4’9 20 year old female weighing 107.2 lbs.
Any advice? I was thinking the reason the scale hasn’t been budging is because ive been building muscle (which apparently weighs more than fat) but I feel as if my fat is still there and just not budging. I just want to lean out and lose 5 more lbs without killing my muscles.
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If you are genuinely in a calorie deficit you will lose weight. Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat - a lb weighs a lb, no matter what it is comprised of. Are you logging accurately, and using a food scale? You are already at a low, healthy weight, so weight loss would be very slow for you, and your logging would need to be very tight - like weighing every single thing that goes in your mouth.10
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lemongirlbc wrote: »If you are genuinely in a calorie deficit you will lose weight. Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat - a lb weighs a lb, no matter what it is comprised of. Are you logging accurately, and using a food scale? You are already at a low, healthy weight, so weight loss would be very slow for you, and your logging would need to be very tight - like weighing every single thing that goes in your mouth.
Yes ive been weighing food accurately and counting every calorie but it just get frustrating since my weight loss has slowed down soooo much I feel as if im working too hard and the results aren’t pleasing.1 -
gburgos3000 wrote: »lemongirlbc wrote: »If you are genuinely in a calorie deficit you will lose weight. Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat - a lb weighs a lb, no matter what it is comprised of. Are you logging accurately, and using a food scale? You are already at a low, healthy weight, so weight loss would be very slow for you, and your logging would need to be very tight - like weighing every single thing that goes in your mouth.
Yes ive been weighing food accurately and counting every calorie but it just get frustrating since my weight loss has slowed down soooo much I feel as if im working too hard and the results aren’t pleasing.
How slow are we talking about? When you don't have much to lose, weight loss will be very slow.6 -
gburgos3000 wrote: »lemongirlbc wrote: »If you are genuinely in a calorie deficit you will lose weight. Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat - a lb weighs a lb, no matter what it is comprised of. Are you logging accurately, and using a food scale? You are already at a low, healthy weight, so weight loss would be very slow for you, and your logging would need to be very tight - like weighing every single thing that goes in your mouth.
Yes ive been weighing food accurately and counting every calorie but it just get frustrating since my weight loss has slowed down soooo much I feel as if im working too hard and the results aren’t pleasing.
You are already quite lean, and because of your height you have very little wiggle room anyway. You should be expecting to lose barely 0.5lbs per week, which could easily hide behind water weight fluctuations on the scale for weeks at a time.
You are at a point where using the scale to measure your success is madness. The fine details you are trying to tweak will take months to accomplish, you simply aren't going to see noticable changes every week. People who are already on the lean side of the healthy weight range for their height work for months and years for improvement.
What exactly is your goal? Just to see a lower number for some reason? Or is there something specific you're trying to accomplish?12 -
You are at a point where using the scale to measure your success is madness. The fine details you are trying to tweak will take months to accomplish, you simply aren't going to see noticable changes every week. People who are already on the lean side of the healthy weight range for their height work for months and years for improvement.
What exactly is your goal? Just to see a lower number for some reason? Or is there something specific you're trying to accomplish?
QFT. And in fact I would go further and question whether your actual goals are best accomplished by losing weight. Or whether further restriction in an attempt to lose more weight is actually working against you to accomplish them.
What was your starting point and what time frame are we talking about?3 -
Forget the scale base I how you feel in your body1
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It's good girl, u r doing everything right. Just relax and ditch the scale and keep working hard with what u r doing!!
You don't need a scale, just a mirror, scales will drive u insane, throw it out !!😉💪🏃♀️0 -
@kimny72 im looking to lose a bit of fat on my belly and love handles area while maintaining the muscle ive already built this past half year. It’s extremely stubborn though because despite im at a lean weight im still short so i feel as if i still look a bit on the fluffy side and i need to lose more weight but its been extremely tough.1
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@PAV8888 Started at 124 and it’s been more than a year. Im at 107 now. I dropped down to 102 but gained weight since I started lifting weights.1
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It’s taken me 3 weeks to lose one pound @janejellyroll3
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The "weight" you gained could well be associated with your lifting. If you stop for a week (which would be a bad idea) you would see the scale move. But it was not/is not/;/will not need because of a change in fat reserves.
You're pretty light given the numbers. Of course I'm assuming your height has something to do with it.
Start thinking of this as extended practice for maintenance and try to find a smaller easier deficit as opposed to increasing the push is what I would do.
But I'm not a keener for a big push to perfection when I have very good already in my pocket to protect.2 -
It so hard to answer as it depends on your body frame. If you are slim and you are doing weights then you will not lose weight... You can gain it as you will be slim with muscle which means you weigh more than slim with fat...
Try ditching the weights for 2 weeks and do cardio HIIT and bodyweight only if you are focused on scales.
I've lost 3 pounds in 3 months going 5 days a week since I changed from cardio to weights... Depressing on the scale howveer my arms are so much more defined now and look better....
Tape measure is all you need, ditch the scales.0 -
gburgos3000 wrote: »@kimny72 im looking to lose a bit of fat on my belly and love handles area while maintaining the muscle ive already built this past half year. It’s extremely stubborn though because despite im at a lean weight im still short so i feel as if i still look a bit on the fluffy side and i need to lose more weight but its been extremely tough.
Forget about the scale! You can still lose fat but stay the same weight.1 -
gburgos3000 wrote: »It’s taken me 3 weeks to lose one pound @janejellyroll
That’s totally normal. So the scale is budging, you’re just being impatient. Please be more patient. With such a small amount to lose, fluctuations can easily mask fatloss. I would wait a full 6 weeks before panicking.9 -
gazpainter wrote: »It so hard to answer as it depends on your body frame. If you are slim and you are doing weights then you will not lose weight... You can gain it as you will be slim with muscle which means you weigh more than slim with fat...
Try ditching the weights for 2 weeks and do cardio HIIT and bodyweight only if you are focused on scales.
I've lost 3 pounds in 3 months going 5 days a week since I changed from cardio to weights... Depressing on the scale howveer my arms are so much more defined now and look better....
Tape measure is all you need, ditch the scales.
Don't ditch the weights if you want to keep the muscle you've built. Be very meticulous with your logging. You are still losing, just slowly. This is a slow recomp.7 -
gburgos3000 wrote: »It’s taken me 3 weeks to lose one pound @janejellyroll
So the scale is budging and a pound when you are petite is more significant.
An open diary helps diagnose problems - or you could just be patient and carry on as you are now.4 -
gburgos3000 wrote: »It’s taken me 3 weeks to lose one pound @janejellyroll
You are already at a healthy weight and to drop more from here is going to be slow as others have said. It is a matter of realistic expectations and a healthy sustainable approach.6 -
you're small like me - it takes me ages to lose any weight - half a pound a week is quite good going! If you are also lifting heavy weights you are probably gaining a little muscle too (although is a slow process if you are not eating much - which i presume you aren't)?3
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gburgos3000 wrote: »It’s taken me 3 weeks to lose one pound @janejellyroll
That's a good rate of loss for your current stats.2
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