Very Frustrated!

Posts: 12,539
1/15/12 7:18 P

It's pretty common when starting/increasing a workout for your muscles to retain water. It takes 3 water molecules to bond to each glycogen molecule, and this helps deliver energy to your muscles more efficiently, and helps them cope better with the new demands you are making of them. This increase in your lean mass can lead to little change (or even an increase) in the scale, even as you are burning fat.

However, muscle and water are considerably denser than fat, and typically this shows up as inches lost, even if the scale is being unco-operative. The tape measure is often a much better means of tracking your progress than the scale. If you haven't been measuring yourself to date, have you noticed your clothes fitting better?

M@L

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1/15/12 11:54 A

CJ: Good post. I had to say it.

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1/15/12 11:31 A

Let's quickly run down the reasons why this might be:

Water weight gain: you're working out, your muscles need more water, hence you're still losing fat, but keeping on water to help repair and feed muscles that are more active.

Fat loss, but muscle retention: almost the same as above; you're losing fat (good!) and possibly keeping muscle (good!) if you do correct strength training. By keeping muscle (or building, in rare cases), your muscles, again, need more water. Hence, you're not losing anything on your scale.

Time: Our bodies need time to adjust and recognize that things are changing. As Nancy often says, exercise and nutrition need to also operate on the cellular level before changes start appearing outwardly; this can take 4-6 weeks.

Doing too much: It's possible you've cut back on calories and increased exercise too much. There's a balance of moderation here, and losing slowly (1 pound a week) is the best metric for which to shoot. That's roughly a 500 calorie deficit per day between your BMR + exercise and your calorie intake. Don't eat too little, and don't exercise too much.

Measurements: this goes with the first two; check your measurements and start using those monthly instead of the scale weekly or daily. The scale measures the effect of gravity on your body. That means that everything in and on your body - food, water, excrement, salt, clothes - count on the scale. Who cares about that? I care about what size I wear and how I look in the mirror. Those are better options for checking progress.

Plateau: I doubt you've been working out long enough to begin plateauing, so you can ignore this one. Usually it means you need to change a variable, but plateaus tend to happen after months of activity, not weeks.

Posts: 4,455
1/15/12 11:23 A

I'm in the same place. I have been working out since mid December and really watching what I eat for the last few weeks. I mix up my workouts so my body doesn't get used to anything. I know it will come off eventually, but Ii do hate when the scale doesn't move. Just keep working. One of these days that scale might budge several pounds at once.

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1/15/12 11:12 A

I understand... we all have days/weeks/months like that. Our bodies need time to adjust, and if you just keep doing all the right things, you will lose. Hang in there.

Posts: 147
1/15/12 11:01 A

It sounds like you're doing everything correctly, so it looks like you just need to be patient with yourself. Also, when you start a new exercise regimen, it's common for the body to retain water which could be part of the reason why the scale has not moved. It is also possible to lose fat and not lose weight, so I'd say keep doing what you're doing and the scale will eventually move.

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1/15/12 10:32 A

Sounds like you have hit that spot...keep going it will eventually get going again. Hang in there, don't give up!!!! I have done the same thing only I have gained a half a pound and I have been doing better and taking in less calories...go figure!!!!

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1/15/12 10:28 A

I have been exersising like crazy, burning the calories it says I should, changed my diet, drinking my water, lowered my calories considerably, and the scale has not moved in 3 weeks!