Scale Not Budging?

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whirschi
whirschi Posts: 13
in Health and Weight Loss
So I've been working out and restricting myself to 1,200 calories a day and the scale has not budged. I feel better and I feel like I've lost some weight, but the scale isn't showing it. What gives? I've been on this diet and exercise routine for about a week and a half now.

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  • mardec28
    mardec28 Posts: 12 Member
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    I've lost only 1.5-2 lbs in 5 weeks & I've been dieting and working out HARD! Everyone keeps saying to give it time, that you develop muscle, retain water, and that I'm not eating enough!! etc etc etc - but I know it's hard to stay motivated when you are not seeing that needle move!
  • tmiqueen
    tmiqueen Posts: 254 Member
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    Without looking at your food diary, I'm not sure how much I can help.

    Make sure you're eating back your exercise calories.

    Make sure the food you're eating is nutritious, not processed/sugary foods.

    Don't go UNDER calories or your body will go into starvation mode and every food you eat will be converted to fat to store for the next time you starve yourself.
  • sweetheatha
    sweetheatha Posts: 10
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    A week and a half is not enough time....it can sometimes take weeks or more to SEE a difference. Keep doing what you are doing and it will happen!! Also, start measuring yourself, don't rely on what the scale says :)
  • Sh1tsRainbows
    Sh1tsRainbows Posts: 1,227 Member
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    what do you do for exercise??
  • roseycheeked
    roseycheeked Posts: 1 Member
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    It can take a while for your body to catch up with you especially if you have made a significant change recently (like going from never working out to working out every day). Two things to keep in mind - Muscle weighs more than fat but takes up less space - so your weight may not change right away but your body will figure it out and catch up soon.

    The other things is you have to eat all your exercise calories. If you burn 400 calories in a work out and still only eat 1200 calories that day, you might be in starvation mode - which means your body will store fat. You need those calories to heal your body from the workout and to grow the muscle you are developing. In addition to your 1200, always eat your exercise calories.

    I recently dropped 8 pounds in a really short period of time after working out hard for 3 months and seeing no progress. Sometimes it doesn't happen in the ideal one-pound-a-week way, but if you stick with it you will get there. :smile:
  • channa007
    channa007 Posts: 419 Member
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    Forget scale weight for now... too soon. How are measurements going? Down a size in jeans? Also are you drinking enough water?
  • whirschi
    whirschi Posts: 13
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    Oh wow. Such great advice from all of you. Thank you SO much. I definitely feel thinner. I have always been a decent size/weight and growing up had the metabolism of a God. It's just recently i've put on about 10 - 15 lbs. I was never very athletic and I spend a lot of time at my computer. My body is definitely probably a little confused as to why I'm suddenly working out, changing my eating habits, and drinking a lot more water.

    So far to lose weight i'm walking. I'm not much of a runner. I love to cycle but the town I live in doesn't have very many bike paths. Walking has been my best option so far and I seem to enjoy it. I think I'm going to start mixing some weight training in as well.

    I never thought about actually measuring. I'm going to pick up a tape measure on the way home! :D

    Overall, this encouragement from the MFP community has been amazing and it's so great to have a support system. I know it's what will help me reach my goals! So thank you again!

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