where did my weight actually go?

hi all

i hv been exercising for 3 months by now

i lost 20 lbs thats what the scale says, but cannt notice the weight loss, and neither can anyone else. my clothes r also not very unfit.. where did 20 lbs vanish?

 (and yes my scale is working ok)

It can depend on a lot of things, I think. How much did you weight to start with? How tall are you? (I mean, a 20 pound weight loss on someone who is 5'8" is not gonna be the same as someone that's 5'1").

Have you been weight training when you work out? Weight training protects your muscle, keeps them there and might help them develop more (depending on how much you eat). Not weight training can lead to a weight loss that's muscle as well as fat, not just mostly fat. Muscle is more dense than fat - it weights more for the same 'space'. So if you lost weight that's mostly muscle, because you focus on cardio (that's an hypothesis, you didn't specify much other than that'd you'd been working out for three months, which can mean anything) alone or only do a little weight training, you may have lost a lot of muscle, which wouldn't show as much as a high-fat loss, since it takes up less space to start with.

It could be that your weight loss came from muscle loss.

Here are some questions for you. Did you have a big calorie deficit? Did you do a lot of cardio? Did you do much weight training?

and to add on to what Vman said, it could also be that the weight loss is in more discreet places that is not as noticable as say your as$, legs, abdominal...you may have lost it in your breasts, arms.....

How much do you weigh now and how much more do you want to lose?

Original Post by vyperman7:

It could be that your weight loss came from muscle loss.

Here are some questions for you. Did you have a big calorie deficit? Did you do a lot of cardio? Did you do much weight training?

 

 im doing calisthenics (moderate effort), a home wrokout cd by kathy kealer, started from 10 min took it to 20 then 40, which is what im doing now a days.

im 5, 2"i started out at 230 lbs and in 3 moths its 210 now..

and im logging in my cals daily.. 1500-1600 every day whereas i need 2200 or so calories. so no im not deficit, not a lot of cardio either and im not doing weight training.

Original Post by crystal_cherry:

1500-1600 every day whereas i need 2200 or so calories. so no im not deficit, not a lot of cardio either and im not doing weight training.

If you eat 1500-1600 and you burn 2200 (I assume that's what you mean by "need") then you are keeping a deficit of 600-700 calories.

Original Post by fitnessgirll:

and to add on to what Vman said, it could also be that the weight loss is in more discreet places that is not as noticable as say your as$, legs, abdominal...you may have lost it in your breasts, arms.....

How much do you weigh now and how much more do you want to lose?

didnt know how much were my legs.. but everything else is just the same.. breast, neck, ass .. did loose some 8 inches or so on upper abdomin whereas lower abdomin is just the same.

i donno whats happening

Original Post by amethystgirl:

Original Post by crystal_cherry:

1500-1600 every day whereas i need 2200 or so calories. so no im not deficit, not a lot of cardio either and im not doing weight training.

If you eat 1500-1600 and you burn 2200 (I assume that's what you mean by "need") then you are keeping a deficit of 600-700 calories.

 i am supposed to be 500 cals deficit everyday... right??? to loose?

Original Post by crystal_cherry:

Original Post by fitnessgirll:

and to add on to what Vman said, it could also be that the weight loss is in more discreet places that is not as noticable as say your as$, legs, abdominal...you may have lost it in your breasts, arms.....

How much do you weigh now and how much more do you want to lose?

didnt know how much were my legs.. but everything else is just the same.. breast, neck, ass .. did loose some 8 inches or so on upper abdomin whereas lower abdomin is just the same.

i donno whats happening

 Well, 8 inches is A LOT so I think you just figured out where the weight you lost went.

Original Post by crystal_cherry:

Original Post by amethystgirl:

Original Post by crystal_cherry:

1500-1600 every day whereas i need 2200 or so calories. so no im not deficit, not a lot of cardio either and im not doing weight training.

If you eat 1500-1600 and you burn 2200 (I assume that's what you mean by "need") then you are keeping a deficit of 600-700 calories.

 i am supposed to be 500 cals deficit everyday... right??? to loose?

Yep, so if you are burning 2200, you should eat 1700.

Original Post by emilie_f:

It can depend on a lot of things, I think. How much did you weight to start with? How tall are you? (I mean, a 20 pound weight loss on someone who is 5'8" is not gonna be the same as someone that's 5'1").

Have you been weight training when you work out? Weight training protects your muscle, keeps them there and might help them develop more (depending on how much you eat). Not weight training can lead to a weight loss that's muscle as well as fat, not just mostly fat. Muscle is more dense than fat - it weights more for the same 'space'. So if you lost weight that's mostly muscle, because you focus on cardio (that's an hypothesis, you didn't specify much other than that'd you'd been working out for three months, which can mean anything) alone or only do a little weight training, you may have lost a lot of muscle, which wouldn't show as much as a high-fat loss, since it takes up less space to start with.

 how can i loose muscle?... isnt  that suppose to happen when fat is not found in much larger amount?

though im not doing strength training... not enough cardio even... im just doing calisthenics for 40 mins... i do sweat and my heart beats faster.. so i assumed i am buring fat

may be i didnt take enough protein in my diet.. can that be the reason????

Original Post by fitnessgirll:

Original Post by crystal_cherry:

Original Post by fitnessgirll:

and to add on to what Vman said, it could also be that the weight loss is in more discreet places that is not as noticable as say your as$, legs, abdominal...you may have lost it in your breasts, arms.....

How much do you weigh now and how much more do you want to lose?

didnt know how much were my legs.. but everything else is just the same.. breast, neck, ass .. did loose some 8 inches or so on upper abdomin whereas lower abdomin is just the same.

i donno whats happening

 Well, 8 inches is A LOT so I think you just figured out where the weight you lost went.

 man o man

i thought spot reduction isnt possible...

im not doing chest exercises either...and i recently figured out my workout doesnt include lower abdominal exercises..

may be thats why...im still the same on those areas... but spot reduction isnt supposed to be a possibility... i shd hv been loosing all over

Spot reduction isn't possible in that you can't decide where the fat comes from - your body decides it for you. Sometimes it comes off evenly, and sometimes it comes all from one spot. Just like some people gain weight evenly, and others gain it all on their stomach, or butt, or face.

You can lose muscle if you aren't using it - it's "expensive" for the body to keep muscle around, and if you aren't challenging your muscles and you are eating less than you burn, your body can chose to burn muscle, instead of burnign fat.

no no no..you aren't spot reducing. You're body is losing fat..it doesn't just always happen where you want it to fall off right away. The point is, you cant pick where you want to lose fat..it decides that on it's own. You are losing fat though..so keep it up. You will start noticing it in more places. You are still classified as morbidly obese...and it may be too difficult to see where the fat is coming off but trust me, 20 pounds is awesome..keep it up!

hmmmmmmmmmm

now im worried..

how can i know if im loosing muscle or fat?

in calisthenics we hv to use our body weight.. to pick ourself up... so i hv read somewhere that it develops muscle as well as  loose fat

now how can i stop my muscles from getting all burned up.. i dont feel tired after exercising.. does that mean my muscles r ok?

Original Post by crystal_cherry:

hmmmmmmmmmm

now im worried..

how can i know if im loosing muscle or fat?

in calisthenics we hv to use our body weight.. to pick ourself up... so i hv read somewhere that it develops muscle as well as  loose fat

now how can i stop my muscles from getting all burned up.. i dont feel tired after exercising.. does that mean my muscles r ok?

 If you are exercising, you are probably losing more fat than anything else. Even though you are eating at a deficit, your body has a large percentage of fat stores...and I believe if you keep exercising, your muscle loss will be minimal. [Clalisthenics/body weight..of course, it can develop muscle!..]Right now, concentrate on getting stronger, not so much muscle mass gain..and losing weight/fat! Best of luck!

I went to a fitness boot camp and went from not working out at all to an hour of very grueling exercise each day.  I lost 11 lbs but to my dismay it was almost half muscle according to my BF % - even though I was working out every day.  The instructor told me it was probably my diet - i.e. not getting enough protein (I'm a vegetarian).  So since then I have tried to keep an eye on my protein and make sure to get enough each day.  Cottage cheese, beans, lentils, nuts, eggs, etc.

Original Post by crystal_cherry:

im 5, 2"i started out at 230 lbs and in 3 moths its 210 now..

This is not that complicated. You haven't lost enough weight to be visibly noticable.  You will most likely start seeing a difference as you approach a 30lb loss.

Fat is first lost from around the internal organs, such as the heart and lungs. That is why the upper ab is smaller and why you don't see it.

It is highly unlikely that you are losing muscle with the type of exercise that you are doing.

Girl, let me tell you -- I lost 99 pounds, and I look at myself and STILL barely see a difference. It could be your mindset. I still feel like this huge, fat, nasty girl who needs to jog, run, walk and lift more, more, more, and eat less, less, less! It's a self-defeating attitude, but it really could be that you don't see it because you have that mindset, too.

Just a thought.

If you lost 20 pounds in 3 months, you're doing something right.  Just keep doing it and you'll eventually see results.  Patience Grasshopper.

I'm with Rosieblue.  Twenty pounds in 3 months is great.  Be proud of yourself and know that you WILL start to notice in the not-too-distant future if you keep up the good work.  Also, like Airlily said, sometimes it is hard to notice the change since you are looking at yourself day-to-day.  Maybe if you have some pictures of before, you would notice the difference.