I've consumed less calories than I've burned but not lost weight? Why not?

[gloco]

I've consumed less calories for the last two week than I've burned, I work out twice a week but I still havn't lost any weight.  Any ideas on why not?

[trainer · Accepted solution]

There are many variables that go into weight loss. It might be that you are gaining muscle rather than losing fat at the moment. If this is the case your clothes will start to feel loose. Take your measurements with a tape measure, esp. around your natural waist, each thigh, and around your biceps. Then wait a week and do it again. If you are gaining lean mass and firming up you will lose inches but, because muscle is more dense than fat, you might not lose actual scale weight. Another variable might be that your deficit isn't big enough to get your body jump started. Some people find that a 500 calorie deficit isn't enough and they need to have a 750 deficit. Or they find that lifting weights causes their body to hold onto water and gain a bit of water weight. All of this should work itself out and start going in the right direction once your body figures out what you are doing. I tell my clients not to worry about it for the first 6 weeks. That seems to give your body enough time to figure out you mean business.

[gloco]

Thanks for the response.  I'll try your suggestions and see if there are any changes by the end of April.

[sinettstrom]

Thanks for your response. I work for a weight loss company and often have to explain this concept to our members and you explained it so well.

[Heybales]

Sadly you are NOT gaining muscle 2 weeks in to starting to exercise, and neither will you ever gain muscle so fast as to hide the fact you could be losing fat. Especially not in a diet.

While it's true for volume that it takes less space than fat, you'd need probably 4-6 weeks of a progressive overload weight lifting routine and already maxed out your existing muscle to hope to gain 1 lb of actual muscle.

I doubt you've maxed out your existing muscle, and no comment if even lifting to do so. Cardio doesn't require more muscle, but more endurance, so that's not going to cause it.

But Lean Body Mass (LBM) is everything NOT fat mass, which includes muscle mass, and bones and water and blood, ect. There is no such thing as lean muscle mass, like a cut of beef.

Since you started exercising your LBM has gone up though for many reasons, without any of it being muscle.

Body is storing more glycogen to power you through your cardio workouts - that stores with water.

Your blood volume is increasing perhaps for warmer weather but certainly warmer workouts and to aid in cooling.

Your muscles retain water to aid in repair.

Those gains in water weight all have maxes though and they stop eventually, and then fat loss will start showing up on the scale and not just the tape measure.

Those reasons are also why you should only go off valid weigh-in days.

Morning after rest day eating normal sodium levels, not sore from last workout.

Any other weigh-in is just asking for normal fluctuations and a bunch of noise.

[ABanana]

Another factor is that you should be consuming all your recommended calories, make good nutritional choices, including taking foods from all the recommended food groups. My experience with weight loss is you don't lose if you are starving yourself.

[josephz2va · Accepted solution]

Lastly it also depends on if you had your food analyzed by a Dietitican or a Sports Nutritionist.

There's a difference between eating Calories and eating the Right Nutrients. Eating the Right Nutrients comes from clean eating or controlled eating. Bad Eating (Protein Bars, Energy Bars, PowerBar, Popcorn, etc.) may drop body fat, but you won't lose weight. In fact you will gain weight versus your goal of losing weight to the objective.

It's best to see a Dietician or a Sports Nutritionist to obtain recipes, foods you should buy and eat, and maintain a focused mindset towards losing weight.