Stepped on the scale….

zfitgal
zfitgal Posts: 519 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Good morning, I have been trying to lose weight for quite some time now and I used to use the scale to measure my progress, but it started messing with my head. So I started using a tape measure to measure my progress which works for me. The last time I stepped on the scale was the end of March and I decided to step on it this morning and start measuring my progress through the scale again as well, and when I stepped on the scale this morning, I weighed the exact same that I weighed in March. I am so upset! Yes, my inches have gone down since March. My body composition has changed since March, but my goal is 130 and I’m getting Very upset. I am very active in a course of a day I get over 10,000 steps a day I train in the gym five times a week, very heavy and I do cardio four days a week for 45 minutes a session.. I don’t want to lower my calories more because I feel like I’m going to starve. I don’t know what to do at this point. Looking for any sort of advice.

Replies

  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,248 Member
    Inches going down is a positive. When you weighed recently it’s possible that that day it was after eating all day, holding water or full bladder. All those can contribute to a bad scale reading so always weigh first thing in the morning after peeing and not after a night of a high carb meal.

    If you still need to lose fat then you’ll need to get into a better calorie deficit. That will mean fewer weekly calories as it sounds like you’re plenty active.

    As you get closer to your goal weight things get more difficult hunger wise. You can also review your food choices.
  • lisakatz2
    lisakatz2 Posts: 572 Member
    Congratulations! You're doing a successful re-composition, which means you're losing bodyfat while staying the same weight. You're probably at maintenance calories, or slightly above.

    I would not lower your calories. If you try for a lower bodyweight at this point you risk losing muscle, plus if you're going to be starving it won't be sustainable.
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,869 Member
    edited June 18
    Did you need a second thread since this is being talked about there?

    Improved body comp, water retention, etc.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,986 Member
    Let me ask you this: do you want to become fitter and look better, or do you want a certain number on the scale?
  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,206 Member
    I agree with whoever just said whether success should be the number on the scale or visible / measurable fat loss (which you have achieved).
  • zfitgal
    zfitgal Posts: 519 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    Let me ask you this: do you want to become fitter and look better, or do you want a certain number on the scale?

    I believe both are important. The number on the scale has to eventually move in the downward direction. I do believe in the body recomposing itself but at the same time the fat needs to come off. When I say My measurements are going down i mean they’re slightly moving. My goal is 130 because that’s where I like myself…if I’m closer to 132-134 then great but that’s my
    Goal and I have a kid 18 pounds to get there.
  • zfitgal
    zfitgal Posts: 519 Member
    lisakatz2 wrote: »
    Congratulations! You're doing a successful re-composition, which means you're losing bodyfat while staying the same weight. You're probably at maintenance calories, or slightly above.

    I would not lower your calories. If you try for a lower bodyweight at this point you risk losing muscle, plus if you're going to be starving it won't be sustainable.

    My maintenance calories should never be 1600. For my weight they should be close to 1800-2000 daily.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,248 Member
    zfitgal wrote: »
    lisakatz2 wrote: »
    Congratulations! You're doing a successful re-composition, which means you're losing bodyfat while staying the same weight. You're probably at maintenance calories, or slightly above.

    I would not lower your calories. If you try for a lower bodyweight at this point you risk losing muscle, plus if you're going to be starving it won't be sustainable.

    My maintenance calories should never be 1600. For my weight they should be close to 1800-2000 daily.
    they may very well be closer to 1,800 in reality. Calorie counting is a very inaccurate way of deciphering true caloric intake.

  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,365 Member
    I'd say that if a specific number is your goal, then you're doing yourself a disservice with occasional weigh-ins. It's too easy for a water weight fluctuation from food, muscle soreness, hot weather, travel, injury, or any number of things to be clouding things by chance on the day you weigh. I would switch to daily weigh-ins, same time of day, same state of dress. Track the number on app that calculates the trend instead of the daily number, Happy Scale for iOS and Libra for Android are frequently recommended. If after 4-6 weeks or at least one full menstrual cycle you still haven't seen any change in the trend line, then more troubleshooting may be needed.
  • zfitgal
    zfitgal Posts: 519 Member
    COGypsy wrote: »
    I'd say that if a specific number is your goal, then you're doing yourself a disservice with occasional weigh-ins. It's too easy for a water weight fluctuation from food, muscle soreness, hot weather, travel, injury, or any number of things to be clouding things by chance on the day you weigh. I would switch to daily weigh-ins, same time of day, same state of dress. Track the number on app that calculates the trend instead of the daily number, Happy Scale for iOS and Libra for Android are frequently recommended. If after 4-6 weeks or at least one full menstrual cycle you still haven't seen any change in the trend line, then more troubleshooting may be needed.

    Totally agree! But I was 147 in march and I’m still that weight. That’s 12 weeks being around the same weight with same calories. That’s why I’m so frustrated. That is why I know something is wrong and not working for me.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,744 Member
    Exact same weight? Any fluctuations at all? Unless you didn't weigh at all between those times, which you may have said. Otherwise, could it be a scale malfunction?
  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,206 Member
    With your continued input, I would say perhaps you are over estimating calories burned through both daily activity and exercise. I am 5’6” and even around 145 lb, my maintenance was 1600 🤷🏻‍♀️ That’s just the way the math worked out in the end.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,617 Member
    zfitgal wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »
    Let me ask you this: do you want to become fitter and look better, or do you want a certain number on the scale?

    I believe both are important. The number on the scale has to eventually move in the downward direction. I do believe in the body recomposing itself but at the same time the fat needs to come off. When I say My measurements are going down i mean they’re slightly moving. My goal is 130 because that’s where I like myself…if I’m closer to 132-134 then great but that’s my
    Goal and I have a kid 18 pounds to get there.

    If the body recomposes - if we add muscle at the same scale weight, which may be what's happening if the scale is not moving but inches are dropping - then fat IS coming off. It's being used to fuel the muscle increases. We can't add muscle, stay at constant weight, and have the same amount of body fat. How would that even be possible?
    zfitgal wrote: »
    lisakatz2 wrote: »
    Congratulations! You're doing a successful re-composition, which means you're losing bodyfat while staying the same weight. You're probably at maintenance calories, or slightly above.

    I would not lower your calories. If you try for a lower bodyweight at this point you risk losing muscle, plus if you're going to be starving it won't be sustainable.

    My maintenance calories should never be 1600. For my weight they should be close to 1800-2000 daily.

    Based on what? If it's based on a calorie calculator online, or even a fitness tracker, those are just estimates based on statistical averages for similar people. It's rare for individuals to vary significantly, but it is possible in unusual cases to be noticeably higher or lower, and the reasons may not be obvious. I hate to say it, but multi-month results are likely to be telling a truer story.

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