Stayed the same weight for 9 weeks :(

C

CheifBear

0
......seriously 9 weeks! Everytime I get on the scales it says 10st 4 1/2.

I have lost almost 2 iches on my waist and my husband says that my body is looking terrific......but surely the scales should have moved...surely???

I go to the gym 4 times a week: 2 x 1.5 cardio and weights
1 x Spin class
1 x circuit class

I weighed less when I wasn't going to the gym as much....but I know it is impossible for women to build muscle to that extent so I just sigh when people say "Muscle weighs heavier than fat" and that is why the scales haven't shifted.

I eat very healthily in the week....possible sometimes not quite enough, but then at the weekend I will have the odd treat so it should pretty much balance out.

But my main question is,,,,how can you lose inches but no weight?

Thanks....this is really getting to me :(

Siobhan x
 
Do you have comparison pictures? It would help with analysing things.

I would go on how you look rather than what the scales say. You've probably built muscle and lost some fat.

Also have you been weighing yourself at similar times each time? You will weigh less in the morning compared to at night because it's less likely you'll have extra water/food weight in the mornings.
 
Yes I weigh myself every week on the same day at the same time.

As for the building muscle and losing fat....I don't know from everything I have heard and read the opinion seems to be that for a woman this is very hard to do!

So I am confused :(
 
Its simple: if you aren't losing weight, you're consuming too many calories...which in turn causes you either to not burn fat, or to put on muscle mass.

If you've only been lifting weights for 9 weeks, that's likely the reason. Eating plenty + lifting weights is causing you to gain muscle mass. In these early stages you can most definitely gain muscle and lose some fat (an even trade) so the scale doesn't move but you look better naked.

This is why weight alone is only minorly helpful. Knowing bodyfat percentage puts the weight into context.

I, for example, have been losing body fat slowly for the last 6 weeks, but my weight is still hovering at 196lbs. I'm not watching my calories too closely at the moment, and I'm definitely looking thicker in the arms and shoulders, and especially the upper legs.

You are probably just eating more than you think you are, but don't worry too much as the 9 week period is pretty much the end of your 'newbie gains' where you can burn fat and gain muscle. the muscle growth should slow down soon if it hasn't already.

post your exact daily diet, height, weight and age and we can see if you're eating properly.
 
I am 5ft 2.5, I weigh 10st 4 1/2 and I am 30 years old.

I started back at the gym after a 3 month break on the 11th of January, since then I have been going 3-4 times a week. I weighed 10 st 3 1/2 when I started and that was 10 weeks ago.

As I said I have lost 2 inches on my waist....but no weight movement.

Typically I eat the following:

Breakfast: 2 weetabix with skimmed milk or a slice of toast & marg or shreddies with skimmed milk.

Lunch: Vegetable Soup or seafood salad (prawns & muscles with salad) or chicken salad.

Tea: Jckt Potatoe with salad or chicken fired rice or weight watchers meal & veg

On a friday I have a chinese takeaway as a treat. And this weekend has been terrible as I have had pizza :eek:

I will have snacks like an apple or a digestive biscuit or some low calorie crisps.

I really appreciate your advice....this is driving me crazy to be honest.

Siobhan x
 
CheifBear said:
......seriously 9 weeks! Everytime I get on the scales it says 10st 4 1/2.

I have lost almost 2 iches on my waist and my husband says that my body is looking terrific......but surely the scales should have moved...surely???

I go to the gym 4 times a week: 2 x 1.5 cardio and weights
1 x Spin class
1 x circuit class

I weighed less when I wasn't going to the gym as much....but I know it is impossible for women to build muscle to that extent so I just sigh when people say "Muscle weighs heavier than fat" and that is why the scales haven't shifted.

I eat very healthily in the week....possible sometimes not quite enough, but then at the weekend I will have the odd treat so it should pretty much balance out.

But my main question is,,,,how can you lose inches but no weight?

Thanks....this is really getting to me :(

Siobhan x
Click to expand...

'but I know it is impossible for women to build muscle to that extent so I just sigh when people say "Muscle weighs heavier than fat" and that is why the scales haven't shifted.'

Look at the facts. Weight is staying the same + size is decreasing = fat being replaced with muscle. Women won't naturally build muscles like male bodybuilders do, but women do have the potential to grow a fair amount of muscle. Female dancers, for example, often have a lot of muscle on them. It's not an ugly or unattractive amount, it doesn't look freaky or weird in anyway (in fact, I think it's about the most attractive look a woman can have), but it's there, primarily in the legs. Guess what? You can pack 5kg of muscle onto your legs, and unless you were formerly so skinny that your knees are thicker than your thighs, most people probably won't even notice.

It actually sounds to me like you're so concerned with weight as oppose to shape/size that you're not willing to consider the possibility that the most logical explanation is what's happening. It is more likely than anything else that you have in fact gained muscle and lost weight. Muscle is probably developing in places you can't even see (in fact, if whoever runs the classes you attend and wrote your program has any shred of compitence, this is highly likely), like your middle traps, lats, rear delts, gluts and hamstrings.
 
Thanks for that explanation.

My husband keep saying that he can't believe how much my body has changed, particularly my legs....so something must be happening I suppose.

I may well be getting too hung up on what the scales say....that said I am still 3 1/2 lb above the top of my healthy BMI so I do need to get down a bit.

We shall see.

Siobhan x
 
CheifBear said:
Thanks for that explanation.

My husband keep saying that he can't believe how much my body has changed, particularly my legs....so something must be happening I suppose.

I may well be getting too hung up on what the scales say....that said I am still 3 1/2 lb above the top of my healthy BMI so I do need to get down a bit.

We shall see.

Siobhan x
Click to expand...

Again, BMI is another thing not to get hung up on. Especially considering you've likely built up more lean muscle mass.

BMI won't take into account body composition. According to BMI, for a male my height, I should be 154lbs in weight MAX, and if it goes over then i'm classed as "overweight"

However i'm not actually close to being an unhealthy weight, i'm not pure muscle, but I weight train, eat a (mostly) clean, high calorie, high protein diet and that throws BMI right out the window imo.

Think about how you look rather than what the scales or some innacurate index tells you.

Think about it logically, if somebody your height and weight was at 12% bodyfat, and another person your height and weight was at 24%, they'd look completely different, but they may both be classed as "overweight" by the BMI index.

If you feel you do want to burn off more fat, then by all means go for it, but don't obsess over the BMI.

Think more of your overall health, think how much better you look and feel now when compared with 9 weeks ago. Be proud of what you've achieved so far and now step it up a notch and push yourself harder and faster!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top