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  • I'm so sad that i'm almost in tears, it's been a week eating like 1400-1600 calories per day, I'm goingt to zumba every single day and I'havenīt even lost half pound T.T

    My mother told me that maybe I'm not losing weight maybe i'm losing size, is that possible?
  • Your Mom is right. Have you taken your measurements ? I see you have lost 20 pounds, you have proven that you can lose weight.
  • It may take a little longer for your body to produce results. It may take 10-14 days, or more. Don't give up!
  • This is absolutely possible! You could be shrinking without losing the pounds, as fat is lost and muscle is gained. Muscle weighs more than fat, but it's much more compact. I've been working out pretty hard for the last year, and have dropped several dress sizes. Everyone comments on my "new" appearance, but I've lost very little weight in the last year.

    The scale is not the best indicator of success!
  • Throw the scale out if it starts to drive you nuts or to tears, because trust me: Scales do not tell the whole story!

    A fist-full of fat, and a fist-full of muscle, don't weigh the same. What weighs more? The muscle does. Now for you, you are not only dieting.. you're also exercising (good for you!). But that means you aren't just losing fat, you're building muscle.

    The muscle you build has weight to it.. but takes up less space than the fat. Therefor you can actually lose sizes (fat) without seeing a change on the scale (because you built up muscle), especially in the beginning. In fact some people even gain weight -- but they aren't gaining fat, they're gaining muscle.

    Don't panic
  • Absolutely possible, and definitely probable.

    Are you taking your measurements? If I am on plan and only lose 1/2 pound in a given week, I for sure lose inches that week. I had a week not too long ago where I only lost 0.3 pound, but I lost 1/4 inch off of my upper belly, waist and thigh that week.

    I'm telling myself that's the skin shrinking.
  • Hi == Sounds like you're doing eating and exercise -- great!

    But I have to disagree that you're gaining muscle. First, it's only been a week. Women don't build muscle quickly, and to do so, you also need to eat right. Second, you aren't doing activities that will build a lot of muscle -- weightlifting would do that.

    I think it's more possible that you have lost FAT but are retaining WATER. Our muscles tend to drink up water when we exercise. Especially when we haven't exercised for a while...

    Just keep doing what you're doing and you should see some changes on the scale too, but try not to focus too much on it... we tend to give it more power than we should.

    Good luck!
  • For some reason I thought I saw "every week" in the OP.. if it's only been one week than I definitely agree with the water weight mention above.
  • bargoo: No I haven't done it I think my weight was all the important :/

    kidjng: Thanks for the support!!!

    Salley: I think I shouldn't have trust too much in the scale

    Adalyn: Thanks but I don't really want to builk up :s

    Riddy: I haven't take measurements but I'm going to start doing so.

    Heather: I drink like 3 lts of water per day and during exercise I tend to drank A LOT.

    I do zumba everyday and I'm thinking on start jogging in the mornings and do zumba on the afternoon, but I don't really want to builk up, also my father is the one that told me I look thinner but I don't know I look myself in the mirror and don't see any big change :/
    Is just kind of hard for me the first 20 lbs I don't really know how I lost them I just stop drinking soda and just water and now tha I'm really trying it seems that i can't :/
  • Fwiw, it is almost impossible for a woman to 'bulk up' while eating at a deficit and only doing cardio. You will absolutely NOT get bulky running, doing zumba, and eating 1600 calories a day. It doesn't work that way.
  • Even if you were lifting heavy you aren't going to "bulk up". It doesn't work that way for women in general. You want to build some muscle because muscle burns fat. It's impossible to build muscle on a caloric deficit, even for us guys. The key is to maintain as much lean mass as possible to ensure that the rate you burn fat through your lean mass remains as constant as possible. Your exercise should help to increase your metabolism which will help burn it off as well. I agree with Heather above. You are more likely retaining some water. As your body adapts and you continue to drink lots of it, you'll start losing some of the retention. Water is HEAVY, so once you start lowering the retention the weight will come off. Just stay the course, try not to be too concerned with the scale. Weight loss is a process, you just have to figure out what your process is and stick with it. Good luck!
  • Don't look at the scale! I agree your probably retaining water so increase your water if you can hang in there! The scale doesn't tell all. I have been at 191lbs for almost 3 weeks but I have officially lost inches! So keep doing what your doing and don't let the scale discourage you! Take your measurements and pictures as you progress these things help me so much more than the scale does!
  • A week is just not enough to resolve meaningful weight loss.

    Your body weight fluctuates for many reasons, many of which are out of your control. Fluid swings of 2-4 pounds in a day are not uncommon. You can retain fluid because of exercise, hydration, hormones, salt intake, even the weather. The food you eat and the water you drink also contributes to your body weight, while it sits inside you being digested. So your body weight can change by a pound or two just because of the bulk of undigested food that is or isn't sitting inside your intestines.

    Meanwhile, you might lose fat at a rate of 0.5 to 1.5 pounds a week.

    That means that a fluctuation in your total body weight - including fluid retention and food mass - can easily hide several weeks' worth of fat loss.

    You simply have to learn to take a longer view. It would be lovely if our body weight marched cooperatively downward by 1-2 pounds week after week. But the fact is that very, very few people experience weight loss this way. Instead, it occurs in fits and starts, because your actual body weight on any given day depends upon more factors than how many calories you ate and how much zumba you did.

    So, some weeks you will perceive no loss, or even a gain. Other weeks you will perceive nice losses. And on average, over time - a long enough time to be meaningful, months and not weeks - if you stick to your plan, you will see real losses begin to emerge.
  • I lose weight much slower with exercise, even though I get smaller in size, the scale barely budges. So I only weigh once or twice a month. I just get too frustrated to weigh in even once a week.
    Maybe try taking a scale break. Just focus on being healthy for a while and ignore what the scale says.
  • I would double (and triple) check your food. Are you weighing everything, not eyeballing it? Making sure to count the "oh, I'll just have a bite"s? Getting nutritious foods?

    When my losses stall, it is often because of a week or two of questionable planning. I'm not trying to be accusatory, just something else to consider