4 months, hardly any weight loss...

dgl9
dgl9 Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi All,

So it has been about 4 months since I have begun my weight loss journey. I began at around 116 pounds. Within the past 4 months, I have taken to a healthier and more nutritious diet, limiting the amount of carbohydrates and sweets that I consume. I have also been quite active, walking to destinations as frequent as possible, partaking in zumba and spin classes, and weight lifting.

So far I have only lost 1 pound. I am 115 pounds right now and I am 5"3'. I have definitely noticed a change in the amount of body fat I have, but I don't seem to understand why I can't lose any more weight. My goal weight is 109 pounds.

Replies

  • sarafil
    sarafil Posts: 506 Member
    Losing body fat is pretty awesome; I would rather have that, then see the scale move. Why are you so focused on the scale? You are obviously doing something that works, and lowering your body fat is evidence of that.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    It's because you're already small
  • kgilber1
    kgilber1 Posts: 1
    It is harder to burn calories when your small. How many calories are you eating a day. To burn calories more efficiently you need to be eating regulary. I am also pretty short and found I burned more calories when I eat at or slightly above the minimum. Lifting small weights also helped me.
  • calcorn1
    calcorn1 Posts: 28
    also muscle weights more than fat. i had a similar issue back in the day...i was tiny and started up sports and gains 7bls... i freaked out... even tho my clothes fit the same.. then i learned, muscle is more than fat. you may just be readjusting your body's ratio fat to muscle. good on you!
  • strawberry626
    strawberry626 Posts: 71 Member
    muscle weighs more than fat...you are turning fat into muscle. hence the body fat decrease but not much weight loss. You are doing great. keep it up
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    You are at a size where, honestly, your body fat is far, far more important than your actual weight. Consider joining a gym that does BF% or something similar- its a much more healthy barometer of progress!
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    I'm sorry, you aren't packing on pounds of muscle at or exceeding the rate of fat loss.
    If you ate at a calorie -surplus- with lots of protein, and did heavy, compound weight lifting 3 times a week like a competition bodybuilder, you might have gained 1-2 lbs of muscle. Maybe. Most weight-lifting related weight gain is water.



    When you get closer to ideal Bf% the body tries even harder to hold onto it. You're lucky to keep the muscle you have if you are running a big deficit.
  • Eleisabelle
    Eleisabelle Posts: 365
    You might be small boned, but 109 is awfully low for a person who is 5'3". The recommended low weight for your height is 113 pounds. I would recommend checking with your doctor to see if 109 is really realistic for you. Otherwise, you might be pushing yourself farther than your body is willing to go, and that might be why it's harder to lose the weight. 115 might be exactly right for you.

    Again, I'm not saying that 109 isn't right for your specific body type--everyone is different. But it seems awfully low for your height, even for a small frame. Weight loss is not about the number on the scale, but a healthy body. Too little can be as dangerous to your health as too much.

    Good luck!
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    When you are really close to goal it is much harder to lose. It is sort of a math thing, if you think about it, the difference between maintaining (1410 cals per day) and losing (1200 cals) is very small-about 200 calories, which you could easily lose track of if you are not measuring and weighing everything you put in your mouth.
    Plus, even if you were, it would take 17 days of that deficit to lose one pound of fat. this is just averages, since it is approximately a 3500 calorie deficit to lose one pound.
    You are better to focus on just eating better, like you have been, and a mix of strength training and cardio.
    it's hard to manage expectation, sometimes, but when you are smaller to begin with, you can see why it takes a long time of consistent habits to see changes.
    Stick with it! we have a group of "not that heavy girls" if you want to join us, let me know, I can send the invite if you can't find us!
  • mab33
    mab33 Posts: 242 Member
    Check your body fat. I'm five feet flat and at 122 pounds I had 20% body fat. That means my minimum achievable goal (at 14% body fat) as a woman is 111 pounds. And that's crazy low fat. Your body type will determine what you can realistically achieve.

Categories