Exercise stunting weight loss

[mummarichardson]

So I am constantly torn between doing exercise and dieting or just dieting. When I exercise I never lose any weight even combined with being super good and being religious with my 5:2. Even though I know that I am toning up I really struggle when I don't see the scales dropping. I am now at what I thought I wanted to be as my target weight 9:7 but I have this psychological block around seeing the scales go down and sometimes they go up! Why is it other people still exercise and lose weight and I can't? Any tips on how I can get past the emphasis on the scales as I really enjoy exercise but it's this pathetic cycle of losing weight starting to exercise and then panicking when I don't lose or gain a pound. Any tips or advice would be great!

[griffinsss]

If you can afford it, I'd go and see a personal trainer who can advise you on how to adapt your diet for exercise (and which exercises obviously...); a lot of people (myself included) tend to overeat after a workout and obviously with that added to the weight gained in muscle tone it won't help you get to your target.

Exercising is always the healthiest option.

[junebirthdaygirl]

I try to measure by a favourite pair of jeans rather than scales. While exercise doesn't make the scales drop it foes make a big difference to how my clothes fit especially jeans. Firmer butt!

[mummarichardson]

Thanks ladies I know logically but think I have been conditioned by being a member of weight loss clubs in the past to put such an emphasis on scales, wish their was a way to reprogram my brain. I am a massive lover of exercise for mental health but only this week I have done a truck load of exercise felt really good then got on the scales and gained a pound and feel shit.

Maybe I need to completely ditch them forever and just go by clothes and mirror?!

[BigChocFrenzy]

You may have a temporary gain of couple of lb due to water retention - repairing the muscles, so they become stronger.

OR genuine fat gain because you eat / drink more then the extra you burn:

1. You deliberately allow extra calories, using calculated calories burned by exercise.
   BUT gadgets often overestimate calories burned and also calculate gross cals instead of net, i.e. the cals you burn just being awake.
   
   If you want to allow extra cals, do so only by incorporating this in your daily average NFD - Calculate TDEE using one activity level below what you think (Mosely's advice)
   
   Also, never eat back exercise cals on FDs. You still only have 500 cals (600 for blokes)
   
   
2. Exercise increases appetite so you eat more, but not deliberately:
   
   It might be that you unconsciously increase portion size.
   Or that you add a "snack" - an energy drink / latte / protein bar / cereal bar / muffin etc - to keep you going until your next meal.
   
   You can eat more calories in 10 seconds than you can burn in an hour
   
   I suggest you mfp to check that you average around TDEE on NFDs

[Hellmouth]

Even though I know that I am toning up I really struggle when I don't see the scales dropping

Are you sure you're not just putting on muscle? Muscle weights more than fat so don't look at the scales, look at how your body is changing and how clothes are fitting.

[Notreallyhappy]

Muscle & fat weigh the same a pound is a pound if it chocolate or sprouts.
Muscle is more dense so it takes up less room. Hence you can be heavier but slimmer.

[BigChocFrenzy]

Muscle takes a while to build, especially for women. You wouldn't gain lb muscle in a week of heavy lifting, more like a month.
When women look more "toned" it mainly means they have burned fat to reveal already existing muscle

[TaylorP1234]

ditch the scales 9.7 stone of muscle or 8.7 stone of fat. U choose!