scale didn't move, i'm bummed.

anyonebutmehaha
anyonebutmehaha Posts: 174
edited October 4 in Health and Weight Loss
i always thought that the first week of diet (omg the junk i was eating before) and exercise (i went from doing next to nothing to going to gym for at least an hour of cardio 5 out of 7 days) that you usually see a nice big drop on the scale...motivating you to continue, however my scale hasn't moved at all after day one. what gives?

someone tell me that happened to them but then they saw lovely changes in the following weeks. i get up each morning and hop on scale only to be disappointed..:frown:

is there something i can do to make the morning weigh in "a more pleasing experience"?

(i'm 48 yo and weigh 200 lbs....btw i have an air cast that i have to wear at all times -except sleeping or minimal steps around house. gained all this weight after serious injury 2 years ago and am now ready to get back to what i used to be like).

Replies

  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
    It's a numbers game. Make sure you have MFP set up correctly. Track what you eat, ensure you have a deficit and continue that pattern. Think long term benefits, and the weight will take care of itself. Self control and dedication will make all the difference.
  • deegarcia19
    deegarcia19 Posts: 98
    u just gotta stick with it..dont get too discouraged. Some weeks are better than others.
  • ohnogogo
    ohnogogo Posts: 110 Member
    Has it only been one day? If so you won't notice anything yet. I suggest the first week you just stay off the scale. Instead track your daily food intake, try and get some exercise each day and on the morning of day 8 weigh yourself - you should see a loss then. Weighing yourself everyday the first week will only drive you mad.

    Once you get into the swing of things, you may still find that daily weigh-ins are not that helpful either because even when dieting your weight is going to fluctuate a bit. Having one day a week that is your official weigh in day is really a good habit to get into. This way you truly know your progress for the past week in full.
  • anyonebutmehaha
    anyonebutmehaha Posts: 174
    It's a numbers game. Make sure you have MFP set up correctly. Track what you eat, ensure you have a deficit and continue that pattern. Think long term benefits, and the weight will take care of itself. Self control and dedication will make all the difference.

    sorry but what do you mean by "ensure you have a deficit"? most days i've earned so many extra calories from exercise that i end up a 100+ or so calories under what MFP is telling me to eat...is that what you mean by deficit? (and i use numbers from machines at gym when logging them in since MFP's exercise numbers are like 3 times higher...if i used theirs i would have to stay up all night eating, lolol).
  • hailzp
    hailzp Posts: 903 Member
    What I do is measure myself instead of weigh. I measure my boobs, chest (underneath boobs), waist, top of arms, hips, bum, thigh, and calf. do this once a week and log it on an excel sheet. I then weigh myself every two to three weeks and definitely not everyday because weight fluctuates constantly. I found that this helped me enormously in the first few months because I could literally track the cm/inches falling off. There was less of a focus on weight loss.

    The main thing is to keep it up and be wary of portions. Good Luck
  • psmd
    psmd Posts: 764 Member
    My scale shows the EXACT same weight every day for up to two weeks, then all of a sudden will drop a couple of pounds. And when it happens it's very exciting! But waiting for it and working for it in the meantime is hard! Don't worry if you're doing what you should be doing, it'll work! Good luck!
  • anyonebutmehaha
    anyonebutmehaha Posts: 174
    Has it only been one day? If so you won't notice anything yet. I suggest the first week you just stay off the scale. Instead track your daily food intake, try and get some exercise each day and on the morning of day 8 weigh yourself - you should see a loss then. Weighing yourself everyday the first week will only drive you mad.


    no, sorry i wasn't clear, it's been 8 days. just been trying my hardest and bummed not to see any progress yet. kwim?
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
    yes, a calorie deficit.

    What's your age, height / weight and how often are you working out each week?
  • HeavyEd
    HeavyEd Posts: 2 Member
    With your additional exercise, you may also be putting on some muscle while losing fat, or drinking more water than you used to. Try measuring neck, waist and hips to see if you're losing inches even if you're not losing that many pounds.

    Keep up the exercise and less eating and the pounds will come off.
  • 3tzmom
    3tzmom Posts: 6
    After my first week I was exactly the same, but the day after I was down 1.8. I'm trying not to weigh myself everyday. Also ,somtimes I see a big weight lost every ten days instead of seven.
  • jskaggs1971
    jskaggs1971 Posts: 371 Member
    Stick with it. These things take time, and even in the first week or so, you may not see changes on the scale. That doesn't mean your body isn't changing -- it's just your weight is stationary for a little bit.

    I'm a believer in not weighing yourself all the time. IMO, it's too nerve-wracking. Personally, I weigh myself once a week, just after I get up on Monday mornings. Weighing yourself at a consistent time of day will help you see the real trends, and not the daily fluctuations that happen to everybody.
  • raige123
    raige123 Posts: 352
    Bob Harper says you can eat your way out of the gym and it's true. If you are eating extra calories to cover what you burn in the gym, then what's the point in going? Eat your daily calories MFP recommends before exercise, and the exercise will create your deficit!
    It's a numbers game. Make sure you have MFP set up correctly. Track what you eat, ensure you have a deficit and continue that pattern. Think long term benefits, and the weight will take care of itself. Self control and dedication will make all the difference.

    sorry but what do you mean by "ensure you have a deficit"? most days i've earned so many extra calories from exercise that i end up a 100+ or so calories under what MFP is telling me to eat...is that what you mean by deficit? (and i use numbers from machines at gym when logging them in since MFP's exercise numbers are like 3 times higher...if i used theirs i would have to stay up all night eating, lolol).
  • curiositycat
    curiositycat Posts: 111 Member
    Also, if you're stressing your muscles with new exercise, you're actually developing microscopic little tears in them. Your muscles will then retain fluid in order to heal themselves, so that fluid is probably why your scale isn't moving downward (I gained four lbs. my first week of working out). You should be rid of that fluid within two weeks. Hang in there!
  • anyonebutmehaha
    anyonebutmehaha Posts: 174
    oh okay thanks, i'll try the measuring hailzp. :)

    and thanks psmd, i was hoping someone would say that. :)

    heavyEd~ that's why i'm doing mostly just cardio at gym cause i put on muscle way too easily (yeah great if i was a guy into body building, but i'm female and have to be very careful about that, just genetics. trust me been there/done that and the Mr. Olympian w/ boobs isn't the look i' want).

    sigh patience isn't my strong suit but geez ya can understand being a little bummed not to see the usual first week big loss that most get. is okay, i'm not quitting, i have goals and will get there.....someday.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,027 Member
    Bob Harper says you can eat your way out of the gym and it's true. If you are eating extra calories to cover what you burn in the gym, then what's the point in going? Eat your daily calories MFP recommends before exercise, and the exercise will create your deficit!
    MFP already has figured in your deficit WITHOUT exercise. If you exercise and don't at least supply half of it back, the deficit will be much larger than what was set. It may work for a little while, but I would bet you stall within a couple of weeks.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,027 Member
    Also, if you're stressing your muscles with new exercise, you're actually developing microscopic little tears in them. Your muscles will then retain fluid in order to heal themselves, so that fluid is probably why your scale isn't moving downward (I gained four lbs. my first week of working out). You should be rid of that fluid within two weeks. Hang in there!
    This is the right answer.
  • anyonebutmehaha
    anyonebutmehaha Posts: 174
    raige123...but that goes against everything i read here this past week....unless i'm totally misunderstanding? everyone keeps saying to eat your calories including the ones earned from exercising or your metabolism will tank and you won't lose weight...at least that's what i thought they were saying. now i'm confused.....
    Also, if you're stressing your muscles with new exercise, you're actually developing microscopic little tears in them. Your muscles will then retain fluid in order to heal themselves, so that fluid is probably why your scale isn't moving downward (I gained four lbs. my first week of working out). You should be rid of that fluid within two weeks. Hang in there!

    you rock! thank you, that makes perfect sense. *skips off happily to bed*
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,027 Member

    heavyEd~ that's why i'm doing mostly just cardio at gym cause i put on muscle way too easily (yeah great if i was a guy into body building, but i'm female and have to be very careful about that, just genetics. trust me been there/done that and the Mr. Olympian w/ boobs isn't the look i' want).

    It's practically impossible to put on muscle while in calorie deficit. You need to be in a surplus for that to happen.
  • jlgregory13
    jlgregory13 Posts: 83 Member
    My scale didn't budge until after the first week and a half. It was very discouraging, but i stuck w/ it. After I had been doing MFP for about 2 weeks or so I did finally see it move and i had lost 5 lbs. I was very happy! Just stay strong you will see results if you stick w/ it. Just be honest about what you eat and realistic about how much you want to lose a week.
  • _Ben
    _Ben Posts: 1,608 Member
    Dont get discouraged! For me, it was the third week I finally started losing. Its a pain, I know its hard, but you will start to lose weight, I promise!
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