Shouldn't I be losing weight if I am really watching what I eat and working out 4 to 5 days a week?

Question

I have been going to the gym and watching my calorie intake for a month now, and the scale is not budging!! Is there something wrong with me? Or does it just take a while for the weight to start coming off? Thanks to all who answer:)

Answer 1

working out burns fat and builds muscle, so while you may be losing fat, you are gaining muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat for the same mass. Are you losing inches is the question. If you are, then don't worry about the weight.

Answer 2

You are getting a lot of good answers here, a lot of people having good points. It's going to be hard to pick a best answer.

It does depend on what kind of work out you are doing,, some burn more calories than others, like the weight lifting vs the treadmill or bike. And it also depends on your metabolism, how fast you burn calories. I like the answer about seeing if you are losing inches even if not the weight yet, because toning up is helpful and does burn the fat while it builds muscle.. then you can better tell how much you really need to lose. I have plateau's. I might lose a few pounds at first but then stay the same for a week, and then lose some more. Our bodies adjust to how much we eat, and what we eat. If we go on a starvation diet, our metabolism actually slows down to conserve! I found that eating a lot of soups helped me a lot. I needed the liquid and I felt full. They say sometimes we are realy thirsty and not hungry and we are eating to get the moisture out of the food. Also, what kind of scale are you using? the scales that use a metal spring action expand and contract with temperature and can be slightly off one way or another.. a balance scale is best.

Answer 3

The nurse is absolutly correct as just watch the inches melt away...but make sure that you eating enough to counter some of your workouts. If your body is not getting enough nutrients or it is losing too much too quickly it will think that it needs to try and conserve and you will lose weight at a slower rate.

Balance your diet and eat foods from each of the pyramid categories, meats and a small amount of fats are as important as fruits and veggies, continue to work out, and take a tape measure with you to the scale :).

Answer 4

You may be putting on muscle weight while dropping the water / 'fat' weight -
You should be seeing a change in the way your clothes fit - if you have gone for 16-20 days out of 30 to the gym and really worked out in addition to watching your calorie intake. Are you eating more fruits, veggies and drinking tons of water in addition to cutting out most of the beef/red meat, fried/fast foods and "junk food" like sodas and ice cream?
To qualify - if you are swimming /doing pilates and eating big macs you probably can't make much of a difference - but if you are doing cardio and weights and eating a more "healthy" diet of vegs and fruits and predominantly fish and chicken you should be seeing results. {if cutting out junk food is hard - try watching "Supersize Me" - it will help you think of fast food as more "fast" than "food". I know it really turned me off McD's!}
If you are doing the latter w/out success - definitely do a consult with one of the gym trainers.

Don't forget "PORTION CONTROL" - each portion of food should be the approximate size of a deck of cards. And drink 8-10 glasses of water, or as many as you can to start and try to increase each day by one more... just don't *force* yourself. You want to stop 'pushing' before you are hating whatever good thing you are doing. Everything I am telling you is pretty much common sense - but it sometimes gets lost in all of the buzz of 'impatience'.
Hope this helps - and keep up the good work!

Answer 5

Hi
I think your body has gotten used to aset routine ,instead try this plan for sometime so here goes,
If you are serious about losing weight, the calories in the food you eat should be less than the energy you use. You will have to increase your metabolic rate now, and plan your diet carefully.
Formulate your own weight loss plan and you will lose weight faster. More details available at http://tinyurl.com/m7ckx

Good luck

Answer 6

It depends on what kind of excercises you are doing. If you are doing weight training, you might gain weight... Muscle weighs more than fat.

If you are going for weight loss, you should be doing some full body cardio like aerobics, pilates, or even something fun like a cycling class.
Good luck!

Answer 7

Depends on what you are doing at the gym....muscle weighs more than fat, so you may tone up and GAIN weight initially.....you have to have an exercise program geared toward losing weight to go with your new nutritional program...

Answer 8

Could be pre-Diabetes, which somehow won't let you lose weight. I just got on Glucophage, which the dr. told me would allow me to lose weight, and lost 18 lbs. this first month.

Answer 9

it depends on your metablism, if its fast then you lose it fast, just keep doing what you are doing and it will start coming off. Oh Drink lots of water because that will flush out you system.

Answer 10

yes