started working out and stopped losing weight...?
 

Hi everyone,

I'm not sure if there is really an answer to be found here or if I just need to be patient/encouraged. I have been steadily losing weight for a few months now without working out very often. I calorie-count and for the last month or so have been following the Belly Fat Cure with increasing success (medium-carb, high-fiber, low-sugar).

My question is that I really stepped up my workout frequency in the past five days (finally got the motivation!), working out (either weight training or cardio) every day. But I have not seen the scale move the way it used to! I know I am not eating more (like the sticky thread suggested) because of my calorie-counting - is there anything else that could cause this?

Stats on my last five five-day periods:
1 - worked out 0 times, averaged 1289 calories, lost 0.6 lbs
2 - worked out 2 times, averaged 1276 calories, lost 1 lb
3 - worked out 1 time, averaged 1199 calories, lost 2.2 lbs
4 - worked out 1 time, averaged 1277 calories, lost 1.6 lbs
5 (most recent) - worked out 5 times, averaged 1203 calories, lost 0.2 lbs

Should I expect to drop some weight soon? My weight sometimes does plateau for a few days before dropping. Or could I be building muscle mass already? I guess I should start taking body part measurements to track those as well to see if something other than my weight is changing.

Thanks for any feedback!

Increasing workout intensity usually results in temporary scale slowdown. If your muscles are sore, they are retaining water to help them repair. It should start leveling out soon. I don't think you need to worry about a few days with no loss...weight can fluctuate for a ton of reasons (including TOM...if you're on a regular pattern with yours, is it PMS time or TOM? That can affect the scale, too)

Don't worry about scale slowdowns unless they've been around for 3-4 weeks...otherwise it's likely normal fluctuation and nothing to concern yourself with.

This, and also we tend to grossly overestimate the calories burned in a workout, particularly if waht we're doing is tough for us but maybe not objectively long and strenuous.

I was losing weight at an average of 3.4 pounds per week, but when I started weight training, my weightloss nearly stopped. I've lost 2 pounds total in the past 2.5 weeks, even though I've been totally OP. I talked to one of my weight counselors and he told me to check my body comp, since I've likely gained muscle. It's disappointing that the scale doesn't move, but my clothes are continuing to fit better and I keep having to tighten my belt. That, I can live with :)

Ashley-- i dont see at all how 2 pounds in 2 weeks means weightloss has stalled :) thats great!

To he OP- 5 days isnt anywhere NEAR enough time/data to determine that exercise makes you stop losing! youre muscles are definitely retaining water at the moment, due to the SUDDEN start of exercise..... its amazing you havent GAINED scale weight..... plus there are so many other factors... remember, weightloss is not linear..... you wont lose the same amount every week, month after month. Whether or not you started exercise, you still may have not lost much this week for any number of reasons (sodium, TOM, a medication, just because...)
keep at it

Haha! I guess that does sound kind of funny. :^: I'm following a program that guarantees 2-5 pounds per week loss, but that doesn't figure in weight-training. So, 2 pounds in 2.5 weeks actually IS a slow down, and the counselors keep asking me, "Are you sure you haven't gone off plan?"
Don't get me wrong; I'm quite pleased with a pound a week!
Anyway, I love weight-training so much that I'm willing to accept (albeit, sometimes grudgingly) a slower loss, especially when I know I'm doing great stuff for my body with the exercise. I keep picturing a seriously sculpted back and arms. *Imagining* Yeah, I'm gonna look good :D

Ashley-- are you doing MRC?

You can't judge by one week.

is the calories listed the amount that you burned doing exercise? at that small of a weight, you would have to work either extremely intensely, or a really long time, or both. even at my 180 or so lbs i would have to run stairs for 1 hour to get that kind of cal. burn. just about the most intense cardio i can think of. plus, it's an extimate. we can't really know how much we are burning.

I would just give it some time, as a previous poster said-upping your routine can cause a temporary increase in water retention.
As a sidenote, the ACSM teaches that the best method for weightloss regarding cardio is a lower intensity, longer duration and higher frequency. Also that weight training is very important (but as you posted, you already weight train)
Just be patient :) As another poster had alluded to, you may not be losing lbs but youre surely losing fat and you probably gained some muscle.
Muscle is much more dense than fat and so a lb of muscle takes up less space than a lb of fat.
I would suggest getting your body fat % tested and track that as well as your weight :)

I am, yes. :) I liked the accountability and counseling provided at the center. I needed that one-on-one stuff to get my head in the game. I used to work for a surgeon who did gastric bypass and he always said, "I can fix the stomach, but I can't fix your head." (He meant that unless you get to the root of your weight, whether it's emotional, addiction-based, or lack of nutrition knowledge, you're likely not going to get and maintain the results you desire.) That really hit home, so I figured I'd work on my head while working on my body. :)

i did MRC to lose my weight

BE CAREFUL with exercise while on program......against their advice i continued to exercise very intensely (strength, running, weights, marathoning) and i severly MESSED MYSELF UP. BADLY

hormonally i am a wreck.... i have ZERO estrogen, lost my period while on MRC, 19 MONTHS AGO, and is never coming back.

Ok rant over, just be careful, if you notice your period acting wonky, take that as a sign to BACK OFF the exercise, while taking in so few calories and so few carbs a day.......

MariaMaria and katy trail: No, sorry, those values were my food calories for the day, not calories burned during exercise. I don't try to estimate what I burn while working out because I'm more focused on building muscle change my body composition.

Thanks everyone else for your input! I will just keep it up and see what happens with my weight and measurements.

Thank you sooooo much for the advice! I'll def keep an eye on things! I noticed the first month that things were weird, but I backed off on exercise (grr! I like to work out!) and things got better. I stay under the 200 min. per week, although I'm hoping that I'll still be pumped and excited about exercise when I'm actually able to go more.:^:

My advice...if your weight loss stalls for more than 2 weeks...don't change your exercise...up your calories to 1400 cals/day....Finding that "sweet spot" of just the right calories for your exercise level can take a little time and preserverence...don't be afraid to change it up until you find that "sweet spot".;)