I started seriously working out six months ago and have heard repeatedly how thin I look. But I haven't lost a pound. I'd actually rather look good and weigh the same than the inverse (though, would be nice if both happened!)

That is a recomp and its a good thing. You’re burning fat and replacing it with muscle, which is denser so you are looking better and are losing inches. The weight is irrelevant. This gets harder to do the longer you work out and your body adapts and eventually you’ll have to choose between building muscle or losing fat. Enjoy it while you can!

Anonymous wrote:Congratulations, OP!

You've gotten to that awesome spot where the scale become dumb and irrelevant. I know it's scary now, but hopefully in time you'll see that it's liberating to disregard the number in lieu of how you feel.

But...but... I can’t plot how I feel on a graph! <— me laughing at myself

Congratulations, OP!

You've gotten to that awesome spot where the scale become dumb and irrelevant. I know it's scary now, but hopefully in time you'll see that it's liberating to disregard the number in lieu of how you feel.

Anonymous wrote:I am in this spot.

In the process of setting up an appointment for a full body fat analysis to see where I really sit because I don't believe the number coming out of my smart scale. I watch what I eat, count calories and look at the scale every day so I feel like I know what I am talking about. My theory is that clothes are fitting much better but the scale isn't moving and neither is the body fat percentage which makes no sense. If my fat % was down, I could definitely get past the weight number on the scale.

Have you been taking measurements? I find measurements to be a good tool for seeing progress when the scale isn’t moving.

I am in this spot.

In the process of setting up an appointment for a full body fat analysis to see where I really sit because I don't believe the number coming out of my smart scale. I watch what I eat, count calories and look at the scale every day so I feel like I know what I am talking about. My theory is that clothes are fitting much better but the scale isn't moving and neither is the body fat percentage which makes no sense. If my fat % was down, I could definitely get past the weight number on the scale.

If you feel and look better (which appears objectively to be the case since your clothes fit better), it doesn't matter what the scale says.

I find this happens sometimes. Then all of a sudden the number will drop 3-5 lbs in two days and never go up again. I don’t know why.
I remember this happening in reverse when I was pregnant too. I would notice that my clothes didn’t fit the same, but the number on the scale was the same. Then all of sudden, a week later, it would go up 5 lbs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're gaining muscle and losing fat. Why do you care so much about your weight?

I don’t, but I do want to fit into clothes from two kids ago which seems implausible while staying at 143. (I wore these clothes at 130, though my his are probably wider than they were then.)

fyi - i weigh the same as 2 kids ago, but my clothes don't fit the same way. things definitely shifted around. even if you lose weight your ribcage, waist and hips may be wider anyway.

Anonymous wrote:You're gaining muscle and losing fat. Why do you care so much about your weight?

I don’t, but I do want to fit into clothes from two kids ago which seems implausible while staying at 143. (I wore these clothes at 130, though my his are probably wider than they were then.)

Anonymous wrote:You're gaining muscle and losing fat. Why do you care so much about your weight?

This is totally possible but for this to be possible it means you are pretty much eating at maintenance calories. To lose weight/fat you need to be in a calorie deficit. If you are not losing weight then you are not in a calorie deficit.

Now to determine if you are really not losing weight vs just seeing normal scale fluctuations, I recommend weighing yourself daily and tracking the trend line over the course of a month I like to plot my weight in excel). To see if its trending up, down or flat. Adjust calories accordingly. Obviously you should also be tracking calories to get an idea of where you're at and where you need to go.

Anonymous wrote:You're gaining muscle and losing fat. Why do you care so much about your weight?

I'm the second poster, not the first. My number is objectively too high.

You're gaining muscle and losing fat. Why do you care so much about your weight?

I'm having the same issue though mine is from adding intense exercise and not eating more (really). Lost 2 lbs in 6 months.

What gives? I’m definitely fitting into clothes I didn’t used to fit into, my other clothes are looser on me, and yet the number on the scale hasn’t changed. And all I’ve changed is my diet, not the amount of exercise I’m doing...