Zero pounds lost

I've been killing myself at the gym for the last three weeks. Have gone every day except Sunday, eaten 1200-1300 calories religiously every single day. I weighed in yesterday with my trainer, ZERO pounds lost. Yes, I lost some inches and percentage of body fat has adjusted, but NO pounds on the scale. I know the inches thing is good but I cannot get over the no pounds lost. Decided to chuck the gym today, take a break, and my husband is coming home with Applebees. Calling this a maintenance day, stress relieving day, whatever.

Anyone else have issues with the scale not moving when you're doing whatever you can possibly do to make it move?

I personally think it's more frustrating to see the scale moving and not the inches and body fat percentage. 

It could be worse...I go to the gym 4 x a week...never eat more than 1200 calories (most of the time under 1000 which might be the problem) and I'm gaining weight!  I have lost about 4 inches since i first measured on 1/7....haven't measured since 1/27 so I may have lost more...But it's still beyond frustrating to see the number on the scale go up......charlie9433 I bet you've traded some fat for muscle and that's why you're not showing a loss in lbs...be thankful you havent gained! 

You're both eating way too little... specially when you exercise regularly. You should be aiming to get at least 1300-1400 cals.

remember your body only wants to surivive, if its not fed enough, it will acutally cling to the calories and nuke your metabolism. hence you will gain weight or just not lose at all.

lunamagae, I'm slowly trying to add calories to my diet...believe me, my 1000 is a big improvement from the usualy 750 I was eating....My problem is getting my calories in early in the day...I go to the gym right from work and it's 8pm by the time i get home and that's really too late to be eating much....Seems like all I do all day at work is eat!  But so far for today I'm at 1159 after having my protein shake and banana when I got home from the gym ...I'll have my grapefruit as soon as I'm not quite so full....This site recommends 1450 to lose and I dont know how I'm gonna do that...

You could eat food that is more calorie dense but still healthy, like nuts, grains, even a piece of fruit like an apple can add almost 100 calories.

I'm new here but I can say, don't get discouraged. The way I try and look at it is, the days are going to pass right on by no matter what.........so I would rather look on down the road a bit and make these days count for something different in my life.

I have a goal to lose this weight by Sept. of this year. I weigh 184 now and want to be in the 130's by then. Will I make it? As long as I stay on track and look to the future, I will. I know from past experience that getting on the scale every day can zap your enthusiasm and allow you to become discouraged....and that's not good.

It took me (all of us?) years to put this weight on and it will take time to lose it. It's not as easy losing it as it was putting it on....nor as much fun. Just be patient with yourself and you'll make it.

Good luck! 

Going to the gym builds muscle, and muscle isnt weightless.

muscle weighs more than fat, so yes you're getting thinner, dont worry about what the scale says.

i have lost 40 pounds since september, i didnt start going to the gym since the begining of january. i noticed that since i started going to the gym the number from the scale is changing more slowly, but i notice my legs, arms, and belly area are still losing fat, just gaining muscle. its the fat im worried about, not the number on the scale.

well said

You don't look fat at all to me.. You look really healthy and fit!

remember, muscle weighs more than fat.  If you are working out and eating like you are suppose to, you are losing sizes but not lbs, is because fat is turning to muscle.

I used to work out religously [when i had a gf], and i was getting bigger and heavier but it was because of the muscle.  See if you can do how much body fat you have, i'm sure [if you did one before] it would be lower. 

More power to you guys/gals, i only wish i could go to the Gym, but since i have no one to go with, i rather do home exercises.

I would much rather lose inches.  You're dieting and exercising to look better and be healthier, right?  Well, no one sees the number from the scale hanging over your head as you go about your day!  They see how you fill out your jeans, the muscle definition in your arms!  Way more important, in my opinon.

I had been getting a little frustrated seeing no movement on the scale these past couple of weeks, but then yesterday, I put on a shirt and a jacket I wear often, both of which have always "bloused" at my hips because they weren't big enough to go over my butt.  Well, yesterday, they were suddenly hanging straight, with a bit of extra room!  I AM making progress.  And so are you.

Experiment with your menu.  I frequently take a few minutes to look at the nutritional value of foods that I like.  Sometimes, it's "oh my god, I had no idea there were that many calories," and other times it's, "oh good, I can snack on that all I want."  Don't deprive yourself, just make good choices.  Plan for a regular treat - I let myself go on Friday nights (a little too much so this week, but then I was motivated for a major workout the next day).

Thank you all so much for responding to my post, I appreciate the motivation and the suggestions! Surprisingly, after my relaxing Friday with no gym and a big burger and fries, weighed in today 3 pounds LESS. I know it doesn't change that fast but it was a boost to see the scale a little lower.

To those who said I wasn't eating enough, I honestly couldn't possibly eat any more. It's tough to get 1200-1300 calories in and I know this site focuses on eating more than that if you're exercising. I asked a trainer at the gym what she thought and she said I was eating the correct amount. I'm so torn! There are lots of folks here who say one thing and a personal trainer that says completely the opposite. ARGGH!!!!

I totally know how that can be discouraging!  But hey, it's not how much you weigh, but how you look!  And I once read that one pound of muscle burns 50 more calories each day than a pound of fat.  Don't worry, the pounds will start to disappear one of these days!  Good going with all the working out, though.  Stick with it!

From what I've read on the professional trainer/bodybuilding websites is that your body can get very efficient at burning calories when you are doing the same thing day after day.

Some things to try:

- I have found that I loose more weight when I eat less starches (simple carbs) such as potatoes, cereal, rice, pasta, bread, etc. I believe that simple carbs (i.e., sugar) put on more fat than fat. Have you looked at what you are eating and cut down the simple carbs to a minimum? Try it for a week or two and see if it helps.

- try varying your calorie intake 1200 one day, 1400, 1800 another, etc. so that your body doesn't get used to the same amount. Also, I have to agree with the others that say you are eating too little for how much you are exercising.

- Are you doing interval workouts at the gym? (HIIT) That can help shake up your metabolism. Spin classes are great at this. Weight lifting also helps.

- I've also read that a lot of plateau's are due to water retention. You need water to flush the fat out.

Good luck!

Carolyn

Oh yes, not getting enough sleep will also impact your weight loss.

Carolyn, thanks a lot, I know I need to be drinking more water, that's got to be a factor. Also, I try to do the HIIT's but lately I've been an elliptical freak so I just do that everyday on one certain program. I'll switch it up tomorrow and pick a different program that puts me at different intervals. I also totally agree with the carb thing, I used to follow Body for Life kind of, and I've gotten away from that recently so my carb intake has gone up. I'm a fruit addict so I eat way too much fruit and that ups my carbs and sugar even though its good for me, I seriously eat half my calories in fruit. Tomorrow is a new day, I'm going to shake up the week. I'll let you know how it goes. THanks again!

OH, and on the getting enough sleep thing, that's just not an option. I have an almost 2 year old who at the moment has to sleep in the same room with us due to lack of space and everytime he makes a move at night I'm up and my Rem cycle is toast. Hopefully our house will be finished soon and he can have his own room back!!!