Not losing weight?!

Options
anmei2411
anmei2411 Posts: 45
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone,

I have to admit I am slowly starting to get very frustrated. I have not lost a pound for the past 7 or 8 days! On the contrary, I gained about 2lbs. This is so weird! I have been losing and gaining weight many times and usually when I wasn't naughty I lost weight rather qickly (2-4lbs per week).
However, I am possibly the least sporty person ever. Never exercised at all. Now that I live in a dorm where I have free gym access I work out 1h, 6 days a week (ca- 30min cardio, ca. 30min strenght). I heard somewhere that muscles weigh more than fat and that got me thinking that maybe I am starting to delevop muscles? I never had a tones body, even when I was really, really skinny my legs and my belly jiggled a bit.

Might that be the case? Please advise, cause this is driving me nuts!

Cheers!

Replies

  • anmei2411
    anmei2411 Posts: 45
    Options
    Oh, maybe should add where this is coming from ... I weighed in this morning and found out I've gained 2lbs. Hmpf!! :noway:
  • JamzPurse
    JamzPurse Posts: 66 Member
    Options
    Have you taken any measurements? Sometimes the measuring tape is a better indication of your hard work then the scale. Also make sure you are drinking enough water.
  • zafferFL
    zafferFL Posts: 402
    Options
    Oh, maybe should add where this is coming from ... I weighed in this morning and found out I've gained 2lbs. Hmpf!! :noway:

    How often do you weigh in?

    I would only do it once a week, at the same time of day.

    I can fluctuate 5-6 lbs throughout the day very easily.
  • anmei2411
    anmei2411 Posts: 45
    Options
    Have you taken any measurements? Sometimes the measuring tape is a better indication of your hard work then the scale. Also make sure you are drinking enough water.

    No I haven't ... to be honest I don't have anything I could measure myself with.
    But I am feeling better and I fot into my clothes better than I did 2 weeks ago. That is why I was wondering about the weight. Might it be muscles building up?
    Oh, maybe should add where this is coming from ... I weighed in this morning and found out I've gained 2lbs. Hmpf!! :noway:

    How often do you weigh in?

    I would only do it once a week, at the same time of day.

    I can fluctuate 5-6 lbs throughout the day very easily.

    I usually weigh myself every Saturday or Sunday morning, right after getting up.
  • HonkyTonks
    HonkyTonks Posts: 1,193 Member
    Options
    Be patient. Weight loss is not some linear thing, sometimes you will not lose weight, sometimes you will gain weight because of fluid fluctuations. I would not worry about the number on the scales and just think long term progress.

    If you continue to eat in a deficit, you will continue to lose fat.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Options
    Be patient. Weight loss is not some linear thing, sometimes you will not lose weight, sometimes you will gain weight because of fluid fluctuations. I would not worry about the number on the scales and just think long term progress.

    If you continue to eat in a deficit, you will continue to lose fat.

    I've been told i'm full of ****!
    =D

    But truth is my body fluctuates up to 5lbs a day.
  • EatClenTrenHard
    EatClenTrenHard Posts: 339 Member
    Options
    Be patient. Continue diet/excercise.


    Dont give up, because you might lose progress you already made and you will be guilty about quitting 1 year from now.

    Keep up great job.

    Weight loss is NOT linear. Some weird things happen throughout weight loss. Just make sure you eat well enough so you dont get sick of weight loss.
  • anmei2411
    anmei2411 Posts: 45
    Options
    True, I am not the most patient person .... it is just sooo frustrating. Usually, everytime I wanted to lose weight I did it and it happend really quickly because I just cut down my calories. Now that I am exercising (which is supposed to be good for my body) I am not losing weight anymore. I know that it is not only about the number on the scale (which is what my boyfriend keeps on telling me too) but I'd just like that number to decrease a tiny little bit...
  • anmei2411
    anmei2411 Posts: 45
    Options
    Be patient. Continue diet/excercise.


    Dont give up, because you might lose progress you already made and you will be guilty about quitting 1 year from now.

    Keep up great job.

    Weight loss is NOT linear. Some weird things happen throughout weight loss. Just make sure you eat well enough so you dont get sick of weight loss.

    Thanks lot :smile:

    I guess you are right - thanks for encouraging me!

    I am off to the gym now! :smile:
  • Cilenia
    Cilenia Posts: 208 Member
    Options
    know that your calorie intake is set at 1000. You might want to have it at least at 1200 to make sure you eat enough. Because if you dont your body might be holding on to the pounds to make sure it has enough nutrients.

    Besides that if you had a meal with high sodium it might just be water weight ;)

    And try to eat at least something within an hour of getting up to kickstart your metabolism :) So dont skip breakfasts, they are your most important meal of the day

    Keep up the good work, up your calories a bit and just stick with it. It might not go as fast as you want, but its not just loosing weight that you gain here, knowledge about your body and about food in general :)
  • anmei2411
    anmei2411 Posts: 45
    Options
    I know that your calorie intake is set at 1000. You might want to have it at least at 1200 to make sure you eat enough. Because if you dont your body might be holding on to the pounds to make sure it has enough nutrients.

    Besides that if you had a meal with high sodium it might just be water weight ;)

    And try to eat at least something within an hour of getting up to kickstart your metabolism :) So dont skip breakfasts, they are your most important meal of the day

    I will increase my calorie intake soon :) I've always lost weight like this, so that I have something to look forward to. As soon as I am less than 60kg I will allow myself 1200calories a day. I sort of need to do it like this because it is like a reward for being "good".

    Oh, and I usually do not skip breakfast - I just get up incredibly late. When I get uo at 12pm I normally have breakfast 1-2hours later.
  • Channing
    Channing Posts: 617 Member
    Options

    Weight loss is NOT linear. Some weird things happen throughout weight loss. Just make sure you eat well enough so you dont get sick of weight loss.

    THIS!!! So true, and we all could use that reminder once in a while! Thanks for posting!
  • cppeace
    cppeace Posts: 764 Member
    Options
    ugh exercise screws up weight loss on the scale but hang in there it will start going down again.
  • Cilenia
    Cilenia Posts: 208 Member
    Options
    2 more things i just remembered :)

    Water retention may come from eating a high sodium meal or your monthly cycle. Water retention also comes from glycogen that is stored in your body. At your peak during the day you have about 1 pound of Glycogen in your body. Glycogen holds onto about 3 times its weight in water. As you deplete your glycogen stores your weight will drop as less water will be stored in your muscles. As you replenish your glycogen in your body by eating your water weight will increase. This is a major reason why you are lighter in the morning than in the evening.

    Strength training causes microscopic tears in your muscle fibers. When these tears heal, the body rebuilds the muscles stronger than before. After a tough workout, blood rushes to the affected muscles to provide the nutrients that they need for recovery and to clear lactic acid and other cellular waste. The extra fluid causes muscles to become inflamed. This swelling is temporary and does not cause your body to retain water beyond its functional use.
  • rae_84
    rae_84 Posts: 40 Member
    Options
    Also it could just be the week before your period. Usually most women weight more purely because of water retention.
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
    Options
    How much weight do you have to lose? From your picture, I'd guess not much. The closer you are to your goal, the slower you should lose in order not to lose valuable muscles. And, no, if you are eating in a deficit you are not building new muscles. You are simply strengthening the muscles you already have. That's a good thing but it's not going to add pounds to the scale. However, yes, as someone else mentioned, the water your retain when you exercise is probably what you're seeing.

    As to your deficit. If you are really eating only 1000 calories per day and if you are doing all this exercise on top of it, you are seriously under eating. You will not lose weight faster doing this as you are simply lowering your metabolism so that it is burning less "hot" and slowing your weight loss. And this means you will gain back the weight much easier when you start eating more normal calorie levels. This is a bad thing. Please don't do it to yourself.

    Under the Tools tab is a calculator to figure your BMR (basal metabolic rate). This is the minimum you should be eating on days when you do not exercise. When you exercise, input what you've done to find out your calorie burn and then eat those calories.

    When I was young, I messed up my metabolism doing just what you're doing. It has taken a long time to repair it and I'm still working on it. I'm currently eating the minimum of 1400 calories per day PLUS my exercise calories and I'm 54, post-menopause, at a time in life when my metabolism is naturally going to function at a slower rate than someone your age. Believe me, doing it right by eating more calories will make a big difference in your life.
  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
    Options
    I know that your calorie intake is set at 1000. You might want to have it at least at 1200 to make sure you eat enough. Because if you dont your body might be holding on to the pounds to make sure it has enough nutrients.

    Besides that if you had a meal with high sodium it might just be water weight ;)

    And try to eat at least something within an hour of getting up to kickstart your metabolism :) So dont skip breakfasts, they are your most important meal of the day

    I will increase my calorie intake soon :) I've always lost weight like this, so that I have something to look forward to. As soon as I am less than 60kg I will allow myself 1200calories a day. I sort of need to do it like this because it is like a reward for being "good".

    Oh, and I usually do not skip breakfast - I just get up incredibly late. When I get uo at 12pm I normally have breakfast 1-2hours later.

    This sentence is very telling: "I've always lost weight like this". - this reveals that you lose weight very fast as you are extremely strict and then you go back to eating more and start gaining again. You need to find a less extreme way to lose weight so that you don't just repeat the gain again. This is coming from a yo-yo dieter. I am hoping this is the last time I ever need to lose weight except for very minor gains.

    muscle does not weigh more than fat it just takes up less space then fat tissue.
  • anmei2411
    anmei2411 Posts: 45
    Options
    Firstly - thank you all so much for the advice.
    How much weight do you have to lose? From your picture, I'd guess not much. The closer you are to your goal, the slower you should lose in order not to lose valuable muscles. And, no, if you are eating in a deficit you are not building new muscles. You are simply strengthening the muscles you already have. That's a good thing but it's not going to add pounds to the scale. However, yes, as someone else mentioned, the water your retain when you exercise is probably what you're seeing.

    As to your deficit. If you are really eating only 1000 calories per day and if you are doing all this exercise on top of it, you are seriously under eating. You will not lose weight faster doing this as you are simply lowering your metabolism so that it is burning less "hot" and slowing your weight loss. And this means you will gain back the weight much easier when you start eating more normal calorie levels. This is a bad thing. Please don't do it to yourself.

    Under the Tools tab is a calculator to figure your BMR (basal metabolic rate). This is the minimum you should be eating on days when you do not exercise. When you exercise, input what you've done to find out your calorie burn and then eat those calories.

    When I was young, I messed up my metabolism doing just what you're doing. It has taken a long time to repair it and I'm still working on it. I'm currently eating the minimum of 1400 calories per day PLUS my exercise calories and I'm 54, post-menopause, at a time in life when my metabolism is naturally going to function at a slower rate than someone your age. Believe me, doing it right by eating more calories will make a big difference in your life.

    I want to lose about 19lbs - maybe less, depending on how I feel/look/like myself.
    To be honest, I think my metabolism is pretty messed up already :( I have been struggeling with eating problems for about 6 years - starving, binging, purging and taking laxatives. It started to get better about 1-2 years ago so that I am not starving myself anymore but my body still reacts differently. For example, I gain weight when I eat more than 1700-1800 calories, which should not be the case.
    Usually, a step-by-step system works best for me which means I slowly increase the number of calories with every pound lost.
  • Urwin123
    Urwin123 Posts: 10
    Options
    With regard to previous post - if you can't get hold of a cloth tape measure then get some twine, cut it to the length of your measurements. Measure your waist, hips, thighs and then once a month use the same piece of string and tie a knot where the measurement decreases! You'll have a permanent record of your inch loss which keeps you motivated if the scale won't budge! It's a great visual and keeps you motivated. Good luck on your journey, it's about winning the war not losing the battle.
  • anmei2411
    anmei2411 Posts: 45
    Options
    I just got myself some measuring tape :) Thank you so much for the advice guys - I'll start measuring now!

Categories