Having trouble telling if I'm still losing or not
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Elizabeth_C34
Posts: 6,376 Member
I know this may sound strange, but since I started eating a little more (decreased my calorie deficit from 2 lbs per week lost to 1 lb per week lost), I'm having a really difficult time telling if I'm losing anything on the scale. My clothes are looser and my measurements are going down, which I'm happy about, but I just can't tell if there's any change on the scale or not.
I plateaued for about a month in the middle 180's (stuck bouncing between 184 and 188 for over a month), so I started eating more (went from 1200 to 1400-1600 calories per day), and dropped about 6 lbs in two weeks. Now I'm bouncing between 178 and 181. This past week, I've been bouncing between 178 and 180. I understand that fluctuations are normal, but I just can't tell if I'm going down or still stuck.
My diary is open, but please remember that I have to have a minimum of 2500mg sodium per day to keep my BP up (hypotensive) so I do tend to eat more salt than most of you will.
How do you tell when you drop weight if your deficit is smaller (1 lb or less per week loss)?
I plateaued for about a month in the middle 180's (stuck bouncing between 184 and 188 for over a month), so I started eating more (went from 1200 to 1400-1600 calories per day), and dropped about 6 lbs in two weeks. Now I'm bouncing between 178 and 181. This past week, I've been bouncing between 178 and 180. I understand that fluctuations are normal, but I just can't tell if I'm going down or still stuck.
My diary is open, but please remember that I have to have a minimum of 2500mg sodium per day to keep my BP up (hypotensive) so I do tend to eat more salt than most of you will.
How do you tell when you drop weight if your deficit is smaller (1 lb or less per week loss)?
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Replies
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I know what you mean. When I am aiming at 1/2 lb loss per week, how do I tell if the number I see is a fluctuation, or the 1/2 lb loss I am aiming for?0
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Unfortunately, only time will tell! How long since you increased your calories? I increased mine, only by 100, over a month ago and am having the same issue. The first two weeks, I lost really well, but since then it's been up and down. Now, I also have been overindulging too much lately so I'm not quite sure if that's the issue (rarely go over my calculated BMR, my calories are set about 150 under my BMR because I think my BMR is lower than the average) or I need to lower my calories again. When I had mine set to 2 lbs. a week (at 1200) MFP said I'd lose 1.7 per week and I was averaging 1 per week.0
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Unfortunately, only time will tell! How long since you increased your calories? I increased mine, only by 100, over a month ago and am having the same issue. The first two weeks, I lost really well, but since then it's been up and down. Now, I also have been overindulging too much lately so I'm not quite sure if that's the issue (rarely go over my calculated BMR, my calories are set about 150 under my BMR because I think my BMR is lower than the average) or I need to lower my calories again. When I had mine set to 2 lbs. a week (at 1200) MFP said I'd lose 1.7 per week and I was averaging 1 per week.
I've had my calories up for several weeks. Not sure how long. I'm guessing 3-4 weeks.0 -
Put me in the same basket. I have no idea if I am losing weight. It is weird to admit LOL. I am swollen from ovulation until TOM so I can't really trust my mesuring tape, the mirror or the scale. The only time I know I am doing more or less ok is when I weight myself one week after TOM and I see a lower number then the month before.
I say just keep going.0 -
Put me in the same basket. I have no idea if I am losing weight. It is weird to admit LOL. I am swollen from ovulation until TOM so I can't really trust my mesuring tape, the mirror or the scale. The only time I know I am doing more or less ok is when I weight myself one week after TOM and I see a lower number then the month before.
I say just keep going.
I do FEEL much better being able to eat more, but it's irritating not seeing the scale move like it used to. I'm trying to be patient.... really trying hard.0 -
Okay i read the post, not just the title :-O
Who cares what the scale says. If you reach your goal weight and don't like how you look, will you be happy cause you hit that special number?
What if you only reach half of your goal weight and look how you want to and just look great, will you be upset?
I think you're in the normal range now of body composition for the most part. I think in this phase it's different. The scale has little to no relevance, What matters is how you look.
BMI has me about 15 lbs overweight still. My body fat is 29%. So I'm definitely not in the "normal" range of values yet.
I won't be upset if I look great, but I do need to drop more fat to get into my healthy weight and body fat range so I'm still on a deficit. 29% body fat is not obese, but it's on the very top end of "average."0 -
Okay i read the post, not just the title :-O
Who cares what the scale says. If you reach your goal weight and don't like how you look, will you be happy cause you hit that special number?
What if you only reach half of your goal weight and look how you want to and just look great, will you be upset?
I think you're in the normal range now of body composition for the most part. I think in this phase it's different. The scale has little to no relevance, What matters is how you look.
BMI has me about 15 lbs overweight still. My body fat is 29%. So I'm definitely not in the "normal" range of values yet.
I won't be upset, but I do need to drop more fat so I'm still on a deficit.
What I am going to do in a month is retest my body fat in a month, not really focus on the weight. Weight is part of the equation for body fat %. I am actually up about 4lbs in 2-3 weeks. My workouts are also more intense and i do feel a bit denser, so I am not concerned about it.
I am just going to use this every month, it's a method to measure body fat that is used in the military. It uses a tape measure. Maybe you already know about all this crap. I know you're a mathy person, so you know it really matter if it's inaccurate or not. What matters is that the numbers go down. It's really just a ratio.
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/
That calculator has me at 38% body fat, but my DEXA scan has me at 29%, so I'm going with my scan. The military body fat calculators tend to way overestimate body fat percentage (at least in my and other people on my friend's list experience).0 -
Have you changed your settings for your goal? When your weight changes and your excersize changes you burn differently. As long as you are seeing measurment changes, you are doing great! Your probably starting to build more muscle and losing the stubborn hard to lose fat.... always the slowest to lose. At least from articles I have read. I never seem to get that close. I'm hoping that with everyones support, this time will be different. The first time I used this site.... I lost some weight, but did not use the community to help. Keep up the good work.0
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Okay i read the post, not just the title :-O
Who cares what the scale says. If you reach your goal weight and don't like how you look, will you be happy cause you hit that special number?
What if you only reach half of your goal weight and look how you want to and just look great, will you be upset?
I think you're in the normal range now of body composition for the most part. I think in this phase it's different. The scale has little to no relevance, What matters is how you look.
BMI has me about 15 lbs overweight still. My body fat is 29%. So I'm definitely not in the "normal" range of values yet.
I won't be upset, but I do need to drop more fat so I'm still on a deficit.
What I am going to do in a month is retest my body fat in a month, not really focus on the weight. Weight is part of the equation for body fat %. I am actually up about 4lbs in 2-3 weeks. My workouts are also more intense and i do feel a bit denser, so I am not concerned about it.
I am just going to use this every month, it's a method to measure body fat that is used in the military. It uses a tape measure. Maybe you already know about all this crap. I know you're a mathy person, so you know it really matter if it's inaccurate or not. What matters is that the numbers go down. It's really just a ratio.
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/
That calculator has me at 38% body fat, but my DEXA scan has me at 29%, so I'm going with my scan. The military body fat calculators tend to way overestimate body fat percentage (at least in my and other people on my friend's list experience).
Oh yes you're getting that scan, if you can do it every month that would be great. Yes I know things like the tape measure method have a great % of error. But it doesn't matter as long as the numbers keep on improving.
It's expensive, so I only do it every 6 months or so.
I just want to know if there are any tricks to figuring out if the scale is moving or not on a smaller deficit really. I'm fine with accepting the other changes as they come, but it's nice to know where the scale stands as well.0 -
Have you changed your settings for your goal? When your weight changes and your excersize changes you burn differently. As long as you are seeing measurment changes, you are doing great! Your probably starting to build more muscle and losing the stubborn hard to lose fat.... always the slowest to lose. At least from articles I have read. I never seem to get that close. I'm hoping that with everyones support, this time will be different. The first time I used this site.... I lost some weight, but did not use the community to help. Keep up the good work.
I changed my activity level as well since I'm now using public transit and more walking to commute now. I also changed my total calorie goal.
Unfortunately, it's not easy to gain muscle, and virtually impossible on a calorie deficit. I've actually lost quite a bit of muscle along the way, and I weight train 3x per week (heavy). This happens when you lose weight. Sadly, we lose fat and muscle, so the goal is just to minimize the muscle loss.0 -
When I look in the mirror, I still see the same person looking back as when I was 340 lbs. I try to take progress pictures (front, back and side) every couple weeks or so and look for differences. I have to wait a good couple months for pants size to go down. It is scary. After a year you would think you would get used to it, but you don't.
Imagine bulking. That's got to be even worse. Even under the most supremely perfect conditions, a person can only grow a pound of muscle a week at best and even that is only possible if you're a teenager with raging hormones or doing some 'supplementing'. A half lb per week would be more reasonable for someone bulking in their first year. Now that would be frustration.
Just be careful not to fall into the fast results trap and remind yourself that it's a lifestyle change. That's why I am so adamantly against the idea of waiting until you lose weight to lift heavy. At that point you're doing it for the results only, not making it a lifetime habit.
I'm still a good 50-60 lbs above my BMI, but I can squat and bench press more than I weigh, which is more than what a lot of people with a healthy BMI can say, so I'm not too concerned with BMI.
Just so you know, this is about the first serious post I've made all week. I better get back to trollin before I lose my edge.0 -
Goes back to the post Ninerbuff made about weight vs. physique. The scale is a nasty b sometimes, but your measurements and the fit of clothes are a fail proof method of knowing whether you're making progress or not. You FEEL better, your clothes fit better and you generally have more confidence, so what exactly is the problem?
That being said, maybe decrease your intake just a smidge, your increase your activity. You're good about lifting but maybe it's time to up it to 4-5 times per week with cardio 2-4 times a week.0 -
When I look in the mirror, I still see the same person looking back as when I was 340 lbs. I try to take progress pictures (front, back and side) every couple weeks or so and look for differences. I have to wait a good couple months for pants size to go down. It is scary. After a year you would think you would get used to it, but you don't.
Imagine bulking. That's got to be even worse. Even under the most supremely perfect conditions, a person can only grow a pound of muscle a week at best and even that is only possible if you're a teenager with raging hormones or doing some 'supplementing'. A half lb per week would be more reasonable for someone bulking in their first year. Now that would be frustration.
Just be careful not to fall into the fast results trap and remind yourself that it's a lifestyle change. That's why I am so adamantly against the idea of waiting until you lose weight to lift heavy. At that point you're doing it for the results only, not making it a lifetime habit.
I'm still a good 50-60 lbs above my BMI, but I can squat and bench press more than I weigh, which is more than what a lot of people with a healthy BMI can say, so I'm not too concerned with BMI.
These are all great points!
I appreciate it, and I agree, but it's been a big goal of mine to get into a smaller size jeans and pants than I've been. I've been a size 14 in the past (I'm a 12/14/16 depending on the brand and cut). I really want to get down to an 8. My real goal is to get down to about 150-155 with 18-20% body fat. It's just going much slower than before, and it's hard for me to stay motivated when it's like this.0 -
Just so you know, this is about the first serious post I've made all week. I better get back to trollin before I lose my edge.
I won't tell anyone... And congrats on your huge huge achievement!0 -
Goes back to the post Ninerbuff made about weight vs. physique. The scale is a nasty b sometimes, but your measurements and the fit of clothes are a fail proof method of knowing whether you're making progress or not. You FEEL better, your clothes fit better and you generally have more confidence, so what exactly is the problem?
That being said, maybe decrease your intake just a smidge, your increase your activity. You're good about lifting but maybe it's time to up it to 4-5 times per week with cardio 2-4 times a week.
I'm starting to wonder if I should've increased my calories or if it was too early to worry about losing more muscle.
I'm very active during the day. I commute to work via public transit and end up walking about 2-3 miles per day with my backpack or shoulder bag on me. High intensity cardio is not in the cards for me with my heart condition, so I have to go with more low intensity work. It's frustrating.0 -
Congratulations on your success!
Don't know if you're in this group, but they got a whole bunch of answers to eating, lifting, measurements, and scales!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less
Best wishes on your fitness journey!0 -
It's just going much slower than before, and it's hard for me to stay motivated when it's like this.
I understand slow, I lost 10 pounds in the last year. :sad: :sad: :sad:
Patience :grumble:0 -
You sound like a daily weigher.
Here's a website link someone posted in the EAT MORE TO WEIGH LESS group.
You can track your daily weight and comments and it will chart the trend for you.
blessings.
https://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/HackDiet0 -
You sound like a daily weigher.
Here's a website link someone posted in the EAT MORE TO WEIGH LESS group.
You can track your daily weight and comments and it will chart the trend for you.
blessings.
https://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/HackDiet
I've been weighing daily for the last two years. I'm fine with fluctuation, but my weekly weights have not changed much either.
Also, I can't see that website. It requires a login.0 -
I certainly hope I didn't discourage anyone from wanting to try and build muscle with my bulking analogy. That was not my intention. Remember that there are 52 weeks in a year, so that is potentially like 25 lbs of muscle. To put that into perspective, go to the grocery store and buy 25 lbs of lean ground beef. That's a lot of meat! Now take that meat and spread it all over yourself so you can see what you will look like with your new muscle. Post pictures too, because I want to see that.0
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