4 weeks of excercise and no results

when it's my time of the month it's always an even five pounds. The rest could be anything... You could have possibly gained muscle also, I suggest taking your measurements. More accurate way to track progress! Don't get discouraged!!!!!

the time of the month adds some pounds, don't be discouraged, for me it can add close to 10 pounds. did you take measurements? are your clothes fitting better? how's your stamina? I lost 40 lbs and have been gaining and losing the same 5 pounds (or so) for the last 6 months, it's annoying BUT I feel great, sleep well, and can dance circles around my sister (who was always fit growing up).

TOM would likely be a factor. As well, lean mass is 70% water so if you're working out your muscles, you'll be refuelling them regularly which can increase the health of your muscle cells (which would account for some additional weight)

Note: This changeover is primarily predominant in beginners during the "Anatomical Adaptation" phase of exercise which is generally in the first couple of months so a gain on the scale is quite common.

A lifestyle/body change is never black and white...it's always many different shades of grey until you find what works for you in making the changes in the long run. Keep in mind that exercise is only 10% of the equation and How you eat is the other 90%.

Just as people don't get out of shape overnight, you don't get in shape the same. It sounds like you had some initial results right off the start, so keep it up and go by how your clothes are fitting rather than the number on the scale.

my best advice to you would be to use the scale sparingly, often times it is very discouraging for all the hard work you put in. i know this first hand. also weight loss is a long journey and it's great to get on the scale and see results like that but they can be deceiving especially if you lose a few pounds of water weight and not fat. just keep up the hard work and in time you will see your efforts. look at your body for signs of progress, take measurements around your trouble areas and keep up with that and how your clothes are fitting you....hope this helps!

You are building muscle and its your TOM, definitely think some of its water weight. When I started exercising I would hold onto 3-4 lbs while my muscles were repairing and then an additional 3-4 during my TOM. If you know you are eating right just give it a little more time and the weight will start coming off. It took me 8 weeks to lose 8 lbs when I started exercising but after that it came off much faster. Good luck!

sounds like you answered your own question, when you weighed right before your cycle, you were heavier. You put on weight shortly before and during the beginning of your period. Take it easy on cravings, drink water, and it'll be off after your TOM. Good luck!

Unless youve been overeating 3500 kcal a day theres no way youve gained the weight you think youve gained. Probably just water due to the period.

Beeing on a diet puts a lot of stress on you, something you should be aware of. Maybe you should not weigh in so often?

Yeah what they said. I ALWAYS gain about 5 pounds a few days before my period starts and then recover once things settle out, usually to find I have lost a pound or so more than what I weighed before. Don't be discouraged, just stay consistent with your diet and exercise and your body will respond.
And keep drinking the water... I have found that shortens the time of bloating/water retention by a day or two.

EDIT: I also note that my weight dramatically increases proportionately to amount of sodium I have ingested in the day or two prior.

Are you pushing yourself on the machine?

I notice many times that many people will just hop on the machine and set the resistance to 5 (on a scale of 1-25), and just leisurely blow through 20 minutes with little effort. If you are one of these people, you will not get any real benefit from the machine if you don't push yourself.

Start at a moderate pace, then increase the level of resistance by 2 increments every 2 minutes until you get to a point where you can barely operate the machine. Then slowly back off the levels of resistance, 2 decreases every 2 minutes. After that, do some intervals; set the machine at a moderate resistance, then go balls to the wall for 1 minute, then slow down a rest for another minute, repeat the cycle for 5-10 minutes.

Remember - you need to feel pain, you need to feel sore. Not to the point where you can't operate the day after, but you need to associate some soreness with progress.

Also - are you actively tracking your food/caloric intake? This means being honest also - too many times I see people who only track about half the calories they eat, giving themselves a false impression of their intake.

If the 178 was from the Curves scale and 186 from your home scale, that could be part of the difference. Different time of day can factor in there as well.....

Yes Taking pictures and measurements have helped me. I didn't feel or see much of a difference until I looked back on some older pictures.

You will see changes over time.

just joined so not sure how to make my information available, havent been the greatest of keeping the diary either, trying to do better but no guarantee. Yesterday, documented the entire day of my food. always use the same scales, not ussually on the internet , never comunicate with people i dont know before. just got the computer

That said - I can almost guarantee your issue is that you do not track intake. Tracking is really an all or nothing task - if you don't record what you're eating, you're most likely not conciously keeping good track of what you eat.

It's easy to say 'I've been eating healthy", but until you know the exact amount of calories you're putting in your body, there is no guarantee. People who track their intake and exercise, and do so accurately and faithfully, are almost always more successful at attaining their goals. Tracking only 2-3 days, or only partially throughout the day, does nothing but skew what you THINK you're doing. You need to KNOW for sure.

That said - you said you only have a computer - what kind of phone do you have? The MFP app is incredibly useful, so if you could get a smartphone, it will do wonders in your ability to easily track your true intake.