I think I'm losing weight, but why is the scale not changing?
I have been heavy for about 10 years, after having my daughter. Recently I've decided that I want to be more healthy, so I've been eating better and exercising, mostly by going on the elliptical machine at my parents' house and doing a 70-minue Zumba class once a week. I feel really good and it seems like I've lost weight-- my clothes are getting loose, my face looks thinner, and there's a significantly larger amount of room on my desk chair. However, when I get on the scale, the number isn't going down... in fact, it's gone up 2 or 3 lbs. I know muscle weighs more than fat, but I'm not doing anything that really builds muscle. And I am using a correctly-calibrated scale, the same one every time. What gives?
.2012-06-28T08:14:13Z
Favorite Answer
There's a difference in "losing weight" (which could come from anything...water weight, fat loss, muscle loss, etc) and "losing fat"...
You may be losing fat but gaining muscle (which takes up less space) so your clothing may be loose even if the number of the scales doesn't decline...
The exercises you are doing, are toning muscle and burning fat...unless you're carrying a lot of water weight, my best guess would be you're losing fat and adding muscle...
If your clothes are beginning to fit you differently, and even though you're not loosing it on the scale, it IS possible to loose inches, instead of weight. It is actually healthier to be loosing inches instead of pounds. Just because the scale says you're loosing weight, it could be muscle loss too. Something you don't want to loose. Keep up the good work. Keep doing whatever you're doing because it's obviously a healthy regimen.
This is very common, your getting in shape don't worry. Your body is holding extra fluids because your working out, keep going and the scale will eventually go the way you want, until then don't give it much credit, that you feel your doing well is more important then what the scale says!
i don't really know that musch about weight loss but what i do know is that muscle weighs the same as fat and that your scale is probably broken or if you don't have a digital one it may not be on zero. Also you may be gaining muscle under your fat so try to do more cardio than than anything else because cardio burns fat off of your whole body