All this work, and I haven't lost a pound--what's UP?

I've been working out for an hour a day (15m pilates, 15m weights and 25-30 of cardio) 6 days/week and trying to keep my calories around 1500-1700 which is about 500-700 calories below what my burn meter + activity says I need. I drink between 3-4L of water a day, and I eat relatively healthy stuff. Here's the thing: I am definitely gaining muscle definition, but I have not lost a pound!!

I know that muscle is denser than fat and that I generally tend to gain definition fast, but I KNOW I can't be gaining SO MUCH muscle that it has offset whatever fat loss I've had--can it???

And no, I didn't take measurements when I started, so I can't go by that. I feel like I've maybe lost a few inches, but I really can't tell.

Do I need to cut calories? Increase workout time? It may sound stupid, but I'm getting a little demoralized by the scale.

I'd love some help/advice.

How often are you weighing yourself?  I find that if I weigh myself everyday I hate myself everyday.  I weigh in once a week on the same day at the same time. First thing in the morning works best for me since I haven't eaten anything and haven't really done anything either.

Also, whats your goal weight compared to your current weight and the same for your BMI?  Is it possible that you not as far off from your body's ideal weight as you thought?

If that doesn't show some progess don't beat yourself up too much, at least your gaining muscle and definition. Be proud!!

First thing to do is make sure you're being accurate with your calorie intake. Make sure everything is measured and definite.

Next, don't do 6 days of weights per week. Do 3 days with heavier weights and lower reps. Doing 6 days of low weight, high rep weights is just basically glorified cardio; you don't really get the benefits of weight lifting from it.

Now for what is probably the real issue: What you are eating. You didn't mention at all in your post what you are eating beside "relatively healthy stuff". So, I'm going to take a wild guess and assume you need to increase your protein intake and decrease your carb intake. If your carbs are above 50%, they're really sabotaging your progress. Ideally you want around 30% fat, 30% protein, and 40% carbs for a maximum balance of health and weight loss; of course that varies person to person. You can go very low carbs and weight loss happens faster, but it's not as healthy. I personally allow carbs in the morning, but cut them off at night, and end up around 20-30% carbs for most days; that's because I don't lose weight if I'm not aggressive with it.

Try to get your carbs from things like oatmeal, brown rice, fruits and veggies, whole grains, etc. Don't be afraid of fat either, although you want healthy fats like nuts or olive/fish oils and so on. Low fat products (especially dairy) tend to be high in carbs (and often sugar) to make up for taste. Eating fat does not mean storing fat. Eating simple carbs does mean storing fat, and making it easier to store fat in the future.

Now, you aren't gaining muscle, I can guarantee you that. A lot of people don't realize that you simply can not gain muscle if you are not eating a calorie surplus. You can gain strength (by improving the efficiency you use your muscles with) or definition (By decreasing bodyfat %, also some water weight can change definition), but you can not gain muscle on a reduced calorie diet. I'm not bringing this up just to make you feel bad, but it's best to have realistic expectations because you want realistic results.

You can try and change up your cardio exercise as well, since your body has probably gotten used to it.

But mainly, I'm guessing your problem is your diet. When I went from eating 1800 calories with a 60-70% carb diet to eating 1800 calories with a 40% carb and higher protein diet a long time ago, I instantly came off a plateau and lost 20 lbs in the following few months.

And lastly, I would ask how long of a period you're talking about. It's hard to know for sure whether you are failing to lose weight until 3 or 4 weeks out, since weight can fluctuate within a 5-10 pound range irrespective of body fat.

how long have you been working out for? Weight takes time to come off and maybe you just need a couple more days for the scale to show it.

Tip: measure yourself now so you're ready to compare in the next few weeks/month.

I too would recommend NOT weighing yourself daily (incase you are).  I aim for once a week, although I hit a 3 week plataue and found myself standing over the scale 3 days in a row recently...I cut it out though...it's not worth it.  3 days after not weighing myself, I weighed myself on my weekly weight log day (friday morning) and I was down 3 pounds.  Give it time. As long as you're eating right and exercising it will come off.

It's been 3-4 weeks. I do high weights/low reps, but I do different sets of muscles every day (ie, shoulders/back one day, legs/chest one day, etc.) I try to hit each muscle group 2x per week. I also don't do the same exercises for those muscle groups every time--I vary it up. I do different cardio almost every day: running, cycling, elliptical, kickboxing, etc.

The carbs I eat are oatmeal and whole wheat bread, generally speaking. Simple carbs come from fruit, and I don't even eat that past late afternoon. No carbs at night--except for what's in veggies. Protein is definitely my friend--eggs, plain yogurt, cheese, lean meat. 

Even if this weren't the case, weight loss is basically making sure intake is less than output, right? I mean, yes, WHAT you eat matters, but taking in fewer calories than one is expending SHOULD mean SOME weight loss, no?

Thanks for the advice about not weighing myself daily. Maybe that is the problem, though I can't imagine how pissed I'd be if I'm still the same weight after waiting a WEEK to weigh myself. Gah.

You sound like you are just as active as I am. I took it slow at the beginning with cal deficits, but the workouts were still 5xs a week.

Remember to journal ALL your food.  Overtime you'll know how to eyeball things and wont need to measure them, but for now I would recommend getting a food scale and cups to make sure your not underestimating foods.

3-4 weeks I guess is still a bit early and if you're retaining water or on your period that would explain things.

I work M-F and relax on the weekends, so in case I go a little over my maintenience sat and sun, I work my butt off m-thurs and weigh myself Friday mornings after visitig the "jon" and whatever it says, I take a breath and hope for the same number or lower the next week.  (seeing the same number 2 weeks in a row makes me happy bc I know I'm not gaining while relaxing).

I may have missed if someone mentioned this but you may want to consider your sodium intake.  Also if you weighed yourself at the wrong times, like right before your period, or the night after you drank some alcohol, or in the morning one day then in the evening the next, the number can be misleading.