Not had a weight loss in well over a month now :(

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I am stuck at 150lbs at the moment and am starting to get really down about it! For about the past 2 weeks I have started on the eating at LEAST my BMR and consuming my exercise calories, not the measly 1,200 call MFP gave me. I have lost overall 7.5 inches from my body from doing the 30DS every morning am also doing strength work with my body weight and hand weights up to 3 - 4 times a week and about twice a week do 20 - 45 mins of Zumba, the scales just are not shifting, Any ideas what I can do to get the scales moving down? I am 5ft 3 and my goal is to get to 120lbs BUT I am in no rush to get there just want some sort of gradual weight loss 1/2 a lb a week will do. Any constructive ideas welcome :)
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Replies

  • SuperSexyDork
    SuperSexyDork Posts: 1,669 Member
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    I've read that you need to give upping your caloric intake at least a month before you weigh in or at least before you consider your new results valid. If it's been 2 weeks already, why not stick with it another 2 weeks and see what happens?
  • Jenjaz1910
    Jenjaz1910 Posts: 447 Member
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    I am going to stick with keeping my calorie intake up, I have lost inches but quite disheartening without the weight loss (my scales only show full lbs and not 1/4 or 1/2 etc...) gonna try and stay off the scales until April 30th that gives me a good month and a bit to give upping calories a go) x
  • AmandaCaswell1982
    AmandaCaswell1982 Posts: 170 Member
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    The lower my weight goes, the smaller the deficit I neet- Around 155 I needed to change my loss to 1/2 lb a week- seems to have worked for me! Good luck, I know how discouraging it is!
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
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    I am going to stick with keeping my calorie intake up, I have lost inches but quite disheartening without the weight loss (my scales only show full lbs and not 1/4 or 1/2 etc...) gonna try and stay off the scales until April 30th that gives me a good month and a bit to give upping calories a go) x

    Your inches have gone down, your fat % has gone down, you are doing great.

    Nobody sees the scale weight except you , but everyone sees the shrinking body.

    Keep it up, you'll get there.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    if your inches are going down then you're on the right track. your body is just doing what it's designed to do and using water as a placeholder in your fat cells in case you are able to start replacing what's been lost.



    eventually your body will get the hint and will release the water and your inch loss and weight loss with catch up.
  • jaqiswany
    jaqiswany Posts: 76
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    I am going to stick with keeping my calorie intake up, I have lost inches but quite disheartening without the weight loss (my scales only show full lbs and not 1/4 or 1/2 etc...) gonna try and stay off the scales until April 30th that gives me a good month and a bit to give upping calories a go) x

    Your inches have gone down, your fat % has gone down, you are doing great.

    Nobody sees the scale weight except you , but everyone sees the shrinking body.

    Keep it up, you'll get there.

    ive kept off the scales this week too, im also seeing a difference in my inches and have dropped a jeans size but a little on the scales wouldnt go a miss , even though theres only me sees that i feel it does give you a boost. Although maybe if I can just get my head around that the rest will fall into place.
  • amilani1
    amilani1 Posts: 5 Member
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    I am stuck at 150lbs at the moment and am starting to get really down about it! For about the past 2 weeks I have started on the eating at LEAST my BMR and consuming my exercise calories, not the measly 1,200 call MFP gave me. I have lost overall 7.5 inches from my body from doing the 30DS every morning am also doing strength work with my body weight and hand weights up to 3 - 4 times a week and about twice a week do 20 - 45 mins of Zumba, the scales just are not shifting, Any ideas what I can do to get the scales moving down? I am 5ft 3 and my goal is to get to 120lbs BUT I am in no rush to get there just want some sort of gradual weight loss 1/2 a lb a week will do. Any constructive ideas welcome :)

    you are going to hit walls. always. when simple caloric intake stops producing the results that you want, it means that your body has grown accustomed to the diet and is able to maintain homeostasis with what you give it. This means that in order for you to see a change, you will have to vary what you are doing some how.

    Try going into the custom function on your goals, and simply varying the percentages of your fat, carbohydrate, and protein intake. For example, for a week, try eating fewer of your calories from fat sources for one week, and see if you see a change on the scale.

    You will more than likely see a change by lowering the number of carbohydrates that you intake during the day. I in no way subscribe to atkins, but I have noticed that taking in fewer REFINED or PROCESSED carbohydrates (breads etc) has made the difference. Eating foods that are closer to their natural state, helped me to get past one of my walls.

    One thing I might tell you that could be encouraging is, don't get too fixated on scale weight. Try reading some info online about measurements, or body fat calipers. Weight is such a constantly fluctuating thing, that it can be very deceptive and often times discouraging. I have weighed myself in the moring before hydrating, and weighed myself in the middle of the day and sometimes seen as much as an 8 pound difference. I read on how to do skin fold measurements and body taping measurements and it has told me more than my scale ever has. There are lots of ways to do it, so I wont get into specifics here, but there is a wealth of information online.

    Don't give up! You have reached a place where you want to be. Slow weight loss from this point on is a sign of healthy progress! This is where many people get frustrated and regain weight, when progress stalls. it is good that you have identified it, now you just need to stay strong and make some changes until you see results. Stick with those changes until your body compensates and then change again. You have made some awesome progress so far, rely on that to keep you going.

    p.s.
    water is your best friend. it is the main thing your liver uses to metabolize fat. the more it has, the better it can do it's job.

    good luck! 8)
  • recoveringacademic
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    I've had a similar problem. I'm making sure I eat enough like you especially on days that I work out. I'm going to change up my work outs a bit and change my diet a bit.

    Overall, you will hit walls like this. Just remember that you are about 0% likely to meet your goals if you get discouraged and give up. Celebrate the successes you've had and keep working because there are more to come!
  • Jenjaz1910
    Jenjaz1910 Posts: 447 Member
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    The lower my weight goes, the smaller the deficit I neet- Around 155 I needed to change my loss to 1/2 lb a week- seems to have worked for me! Good luck, I know how discouraging it is!

    You have done really well getting where you are, I am hoping for just 1/2lb a week loss x
  • Jenjaz1910
    Jenjaz1910 Posts: 447 Member
    Options
    I am going to stick with keeping my calorie intake up, I have lost inches but quite disheartening without the weight loss (my scales only show full lbs and not 1/4 or 1/2 etc...) gonna try and stay off the scales until April 30th that gives me a good month and a bit to give upping calories a go) x

    Your inches have gone down, your fat % has gone down, you are doing great.

    Nobody sees the scale weight except you , but everyone sees the shrinking body.

    Keep it up, you'll get there.

    Thank you and very true! Even though I've lost inches and BF I can't see it tho?!?! My trousers still feel the same etc... Which I think isn't helping me! But you are right! nobody can see the scales only the body! i would love somebody to say "WOW you look great, how much weight have you lost" and for me to say "NONE" lol x
  • Jenjaz1910
    Jenjaz1910 Posts: 447 Member
    Options
    I am stuck at 150lbs at the moment and am starting to get really down about it! For about the past 2 weeks I have started on the eating at LEAST my BMR and consuming my exercise calories, not the measly 1,200 call MFP gave me. I have lost overall 7.5 inches from my body from doing the 30DS every morning am also doing strength work with my body weight and hand weights up to 3 - 4 times a week and about twice a week do 20 - 45 mins of Zumba, the scales just are not shifting, Any ideas what I can do to get the scales moving down? I am 5ft 3 and my goal is to get to 120lbs BUT I am in no rush to get there just want some sort of gradual weight loss 1/2 a lb a week will do. Any constructive ideas welcome :)

    you are going to hit walls. always. when simple caloric intake stops producing the results that you want, it means that your body has grown accustomed to the diet and is able to maintain homeostasis with what you give it. This means that in order for you to see a change, you will have to vary what you are doing some how.

    Try going into the custom function on your goals, and simply varying the percentages of your fat, carbohydrate, and protein intake. For example, for a week, try eating fewer of your calories from fat sources for one week, and see if you see a change on the scale.

    You will more than likely see a change by lowering the number of carbohydrates that you intake during the day. I in no way subscribe to atkins, but I have noticed that taking in fewer REFINED or PROCESSED carbohydrates (breads etc) has made the difference. Eating foods that are closer to their natural state, helped me to get past one of my walls.

    One thing I might tell you that could be encouraging is, don't get too fixated on scale weight. Try reading some info online about measurements, or body fat calipers. Weight is such a constantly fluctuating thing, that it can be very deceptive and often times discouraging. I have weighed myself in the moring before hydrating, and weighed myself in the middle of the day and sometimes seen as much as an 8 pound difference. I read on how to do skin fold measurements and body taping measurements and it has told me more than my scale ever has. There are lots of ways to do it, so I wont get into specifics here, but there is a wealth of information online.

    Don't give up! You have reached a place where you want to be. Slow weight loss from this point on is a sign of healthy progress! This is where many people get frustrated and regain weight, when progress stalls. it is good that you have identified it, now you just need to stay strong and make some changes until you see results. Stick with those changes until your body compensates and then change again. You have made some awesome progress so far, rely on that to keep you going.

    p.s.
    water is your best friend. it is the main thing your liver uses to metabolize fat. the more it has, the better it can do it's job.

    good luck! 8)

    Thank you :) I got down to 141lbs last November but that was the stress diet and hardly eating along with practically NO exercise, then when I started eating properly I gained it all back. I've been 150lbs for well over a month now, and I am going to stick at the higher calorie intake as I don't feel lethargic anymore, like I did when I was eating under 1,200, I am also drinking my 8 glasses of water a day, which I had totally stopped doing! (NAUGHTY) so it could be my muscles holding onto the water to help repair them (I have heard that somewhere, so I could be worng there?!?!)
  • Jenjaz1910
    Jenjaz1910 Posts: 447 Member
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    I've had a similar problem. I'm making sure I eat enough like you especially on days that I work out. I'm going to change up my work outs a bit and change my diet a bit.

    Overall, you will hit walls like this. Just remember that you are about 0% likely to meet your goals if you get discouraged and give up. Celebrate the successes you've had and keep working because there are more to come!

    Very true x
  • brickhouse76
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    Bump
  • arock1000
    arock1000 Posts: 61 Member
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    bump
  • BamaBreezeNSaltAire
    BamaBreezeNSaltAire Posts: 966 Member
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    Bump!!!
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
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    Give it time. You are losing inches, so you know you are doing what you need to do. The weight will follow. Give it time.
  • JeBitchy23
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    hang in there jenjaz. thats exactly where i was at the first two weeks of 30ds. i lost only inches and no pounds. but there was definite change going on. pants looser around my waist and legs. i felt stronger. you are building muscle right now. so even if you dont lose pounds you are gaining muscle which is leaner than fat. dont get down. i had a few break down over the weekend about not losing any weight and today i am officially 2 pounds down from the start.
  • lorim77
    lorim77 Posts: 63 Member
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    if your inches are going down then you're on the right track. your body is just doing what it's designed to do and using water as a placeholder in your fat cells in case you are able to start replacing what's been lost.



    eventually your body will get the hint and will release the water and your inch loss and weight loss with catch up.
    Exactly! Don't get discouraged.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    First, the scale is not the master, your health should be. If your size was going down, you are probably turning fat into muscle. Don't waste that muscle away and risk your health by running a severe calorie deficit, you'll just end up in starvation mode, feeling tired all the time, and not losing weight.

    Second, plateaus (sometimes long plateaus) are perfectly normal. Focus on simply working through them - take a "maintenance break" and try to maintain your weight for a while, making sure you are getting enough calories to avoid starvation mode and exercise to maintain all that muscle you've built. When I lost from 280 down to 230 about a decade ago, it was a long and frustrating process (well over a year) - and I starved myself a few times in my rush to get there with disastrous results (both for my diet and my overall outlook on life). I also suffered through some 3- to 4- month plateaus before I learned about starvation mode - and I spent the better part of my year in that mode, and miserable.

    This time around, I'm trying to get down to 200. 24 to go, and I expect it'll be a long road. But I'm taking a vastly different approach - and that does NOT include being in a hurry.

    Finally, keep in mind that BMI is a guideline, not an absolute rule. Body fat content is a much better guide, but is still not perfect. If your blood pressure, cholestorol, and other bloodwork is all coming back healthy, then you might want to slow down the weight loss and concentrate on muscle gain for a while. Stay off the scale for a little while and spend the time exercising instead. Talk to your doctor about what your real "ideal" weight should be.

    And burn the fashion magazines - real people are beautiful. Airbrushed stick figures aren't.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
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    I am going to stick with keeping my calorie intake up, I have lost inches but quite disheartening without the weight loss (my scales only show full lbs and not 1/4 or 1/2 etc...) gonna try and stay off the scales until April 30th that gives me a good month and a bit to give upping calories a go) x

    Your inches have gone down, your fat % has gone down, you are doing great.

    Nobody sees the scale weight except you , but everyone sees the shrinking body.

    Keep it up, you'll get there.

    ^^^^^^ :heart: