Not Seeing Results...on the scale

Question
Hi!  I am a 28 year old female who is 5'5".  In July of 2008 I weighed in at 240 lbs.  I started a diet and exercise program and by March of 2009 I had weighed in at 167 lbs.  Then in April I quit working out and dieting...big mistake and now I weigh in at 198 lbs.  So, over the past two and a half weeks I have been counting every calorie (not more than 2,000 what Livestrong.com recommends to lose 1 lb per week) and have been hitting the gym very hard.  Weight lifting 2x's a week, 2 one hour aerobic step classes, and cardio 30 - 60 minutes with the weight lifting and one other day.  So I'm working out for at least and hour 5 times a week.  I have not lost 1 pound.  Not one.  I've gained one.  It's very frustrating.

You can view my food diary at Livestrong here: http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/diary/who/mackenziemorris/

I believe that the original 73 pound weight loss was not as healthy of a weight loss as it could have been.  I don't think I was consuming enough food and I think my body was eating away at my muscles.  I would lose an average of 2.5 lbs a week and I never plateaued.  I felt that I should have had a more muscular figure, but I still felt very flabby.  (I carry the bulk of my weight in my legs and arms.  Currently my waist is 36 inches.  I am shaped like an hour glass.)  I felt that before with the weight lifting I was doing at 167 I should have been more toned.  But then I quit and now here I am again and I want to do it right this time and I feel like I am, but this is very discouraging.

I took my measurements on Monday night and in 2 weeks I'll take them again and hopefully there will be some change.

I just don't understand why not even one pound has been shed.  Am I missing something?  I am drinking enough water and getting enough sleep.   What is the deal?  Thanks.

Answer
Dear MacKenzie,

I think you know the answer to all the questions you've asked, and you've answered them within your letter! You start off by saying you haven't seen results "on the scale" which implies you have seen some results elsewhere?  Do you have more energy? Feel better? Have your clothes fit better?

Here are some reflections I have about what's going on with you right now:

The scale may be reflecting water weight gain from your new well-hydrated self or from the increased amount retained in developing muscle.

One thing livestrong and other diet sites do is increase your calorie intake for each time you exercise: So while you start off with 2000 calories to eat, when you burn 400 by doing 45 minutes of cardio it says, "You have 400 more calories to eat!"... that doesn't help with the weight loss goal.

If 2000 calories isn't promoting weight loss you might try 1800 which is very reasonable.
Working out alone will not promote fast weight loss--you might lose one pound for every 7 hours you do aerobic exercise, so that's not likely to happen in one week for anyone.

You've done it before and you know you can do it again! Think about what worked last time and what didn't. If you didn't feel toned enough last time, maybe that's why you're concentrating on doing lots of exercise this time.

Cheers to you for stopping your weight gain short of 200 pounds and going ahead and taking action to get back down to the weight you know you'll be happier with!
If you are considering having your own personal diet coach to help I'd be happy to speak with you. You can view my website at http://www.mycoachlaurie.com to see my services and packages.

1. Prev:weight loss plaueau
2. Next:B Vitamins?