Why won't the scale show weight loss

karilou76
karilou76 Posts: 6
in Motivation and Support
Hi, I have been working out so hard at the gym and eating my 1200 calorie diet! I'm 5" and 160lbs. So very over wieght for my height. I have loss about 10lbs and fit back into some clothes that haven't fit into for about 2 yrs, but being so over wieght I wish the scale would drop instead of my clothes size. Since I need to be around 120 lbs for my height. So frustrated sometimes. I know the inches are coming off, but way is the weight still there? Any takers on this one? :smile

Replies

  • riadastfu
    riadastfu Posts: 69
    Because muscle takes up less space in your body than fat, despite weighing the same.

    It's like comparing 10 lbs of cotton candy/candy floss against 10 lbs of sugar. They both weigh the same, but cotton candy is fluffier.

    I have NO idea why you'd rather be a flabby size 12 who weighs 120 instead of a toned size 8 who weighs 130 (a bit exaggerated, but the point stands).
  • leslisa
    leslisa Posts: 1,350 Member
    good point. I weigh in at 143.8 lbs and I'm a size 9, at only 5'1" tall and no saddlebags (nasty little buggers they be =). So take it a day at a time and maybe stop weighing in so often. Also, I do notice on days I'm not drinking my 64 oz of water I do seem to weigh more.
  • jstrong123
    jstrong123 Posts: 10
    First off, fantastic job on noticing a metric other than weight (your clothes fitting better), you just need to recognize the power of it. "Weight" unfortunately has so much power over us because it's so easy to quantify. But really it says nothing about what the weight is composed of. If you're losing inches but your weight is holding, just know that your probably temporarily holding on to some extra water, and/or going to the gym may have helped you add on some muscle.

    Another possibility is that you are simply not eating enough. 1,200 calories is not a whole lot especially if you are working out hard. If you don't eat enough to cover those needs, your body may eventually refuse to let go of even excess fat so easily. You might have a look at the following "caloric needs" calculator. Could be an eye opener http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm.

    Also make sure you're getting plenty of water. When you don't take in enough water, your body holds on to it to keep your chemistry in balance.

    Best of luck, keep at it, you'll reach your goals if you're consistent and DON'T STRESS so much! -J
  • jfaure23
    jfaure23 Posts: 114 Member
    Have you read any of the posts about increasing calories to lose weight? It could be that your body has plateaued at the 1200 calorie level and you may want to try increasing your cals a bit. Often it`s the change that gets the weight falling off again.

    For example, I was eating at 1250 cals and lost some weight initially (12lbs) then plateaued for several weeks. For the last few weeks I have been eating 1750 cals per day and am steadily losing 1 - 2 lbs per week.
  • cinsuccess
    cinsuccess Posts: 333 Member
    Hi... I actually posted today about my own little success in realizing the scale isn't everything. This morning I fit into a suit that I could only previously wear at my goal weight. Right now I'm about 30 pounds away from that number so it was quite a shock!

    Be proud of the progress you're making to be healthy and leaner. The scale will take care of itself as long as you don't get too obsessed because I know when I got too obsessed I was severely undereating which stalled my progress and made me feel weak and tired all the time. Stick to the plan... it does work!
  • Shayztar
    Shayztar Posts: 415 Member
    According to your informaion, your BMR (the base amount of calories you would need to eat to run your organs) is 1468. Add the calories you burn just getting out of bed and running your life and/or add your exercise, and you need a lot more calories to stay healthy. Most people use this site:

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/

    This will help you determine how many calories you need to eat in order to maintain weight. You should consider cutting down your calories by a percentage (most use 10% to 20%) and you will notice the weight coming off. It might not be drastic as you want, but as any good yo-yo dieter will tell you, drastic weight loss might mean a drastic gain afterwards.

    Consider that you are not losing weight after all of your hard work because your body doesn't trust the very low amount of calories you are feeding it. Most people would argue that you should not eat below your BMR. A good hospital woudl feed you your BMR if you were in a coma. Just something to think about.


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  • sdtjwp
    sdtjwp Posts: 27 Member
    Do you really find that the calorie intake at http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm works better than what MFP shows? It is almost 200 calories more than what they are giving me. hmm...I have been having a problem the past few weeks with losing weight too. I have been gaining little bits at a time...
  • kristinajaffe
    kristinajaffe Posts: 128 Member
    just muscle... don't worry if the inches are coming off that is the most important.. and you're getting healthier.. don't worry the weight will come off .. just try and be patient.. i know it's hard.. but it will be worth it.. :)
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
    Woot! Another North Dakota user. Hi from Fargo (no, not like the movie). :-)

    Make sure you are getting adequate protein. Can't see your diary so don't know where you are at. My Dr. recommends women at 20 grams 4 times a day.

    My scale didn't move for 7 weeks. If I wouldn't have paid so much for it I would have thrown in off the balcony. But I stuck to my 1200 and my exercise and I broke through and then lost 3 lbs this past week. It will happen just stay the course and don't get discouraged.

    Also, make sure you are getting in some strength training. Muscle burns more calories than fat does so it is good to have more.

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