Get past the Number on the Scale!!

I do not own a scale and I'm so glad I don't. One of my co-workers weighs herself about 3 times a day. I think it has been months since I weighed myself. I also eat healthy, exercise. I go by how my clothes fit.

You have gained weight for 2 reasons...
1 - you've built muscle on top of existing fat. That's why you feel thicker. As you continue working out, the fat will shrink, and the muscle will become more prominent. You will not stay thicker.

2 - Muscle retains more water than fat. The more muscle you have, initially, and the more you build, the more water you will retain. Your body will adjut to this over time. In the meantime, the solution...is to drink more water. :)
And of course, make sure you don't overload the sodium in your diet.

All that said, you do need to cut calories a bit to lose as well. Eat higher protein, and high protein snacks every 2-3 hours to avoid the dizziness and palpitations.

And yes, throw out your scale, and go by how you feel and your clothes fit.
Great job so far. Hang in there and it will come further, I promise!

Throw out your scale and focus on how you feel, those legs may look slightly thicker, but they are soooo much stronger and can do so much more now!!!

Take it from me, a lifelong health nut who is now 43 and has changed up my health regime MANY times to adjust to getting older. I am the same SIZE I was in my 20's (maybe a couple inches bigger at waist from 28 jeans to 29-30s) after losing baby weight three times for three kids. I'm back into skinny jeans after a long battle with 20 pounds that I just couldn't shake last year I had somehow gained since the previous summer. I am slim and solid and in shape, but I AM quite a bit heavier than I used to be.

I'm very big boned, so even when I was super-slim-yoga-girl in my 20's without an ounce of fat anywhere, I was about 145lbs at 5'9". I have broad shoulders, wide hips-heavier than I look. NOW I weigh close to 160lbs, but agan, it's more muscle than I used to have. When I lose the muscle, I lose a few pounds, but I get a muffin top and double chin....

You need to keep AND ignore the scale. You need to keep it mostly for maintenance when you are your fittest. As in, when your BELLY is flat, and you're firm and in shape. Who cares about slightly wider thighs? Men love curves! BUT, that said, you may be working a little too hard and building more muscle than necessary and that could be because of your diet. I just conquered this phenomenon recently with a big diet switch. Now I'm slimmer and don't need to bulk up so much or work so hard to maintain.

I strictly follow the "Fit For Life" program from the book by Diamond published in the 80's. But even following it loosely is GREAT. Yes, you want to get rid of dairy, but not just for the sake of getting rid of it. You can eat it a LITTLE but it is a metabolism and thyroid masher, so eat it sparingly, same with meat. The most important thing is to shoot for 75-80% raw vegetables and fruit per day and 20% healthy carbs and a tiny bit of junk (dairy, meat) combined at about 5%. Your protein should be from nuts and beans and avocados and hummus.....your calcium from leafy greens, seeds, herbs, the vegetarian calcium lists are all online. Big salads at least twice a day do the trick for calcium and protein if you put the right stuff in them.

Once I cut all the "healthy dairy" from my "low calorie diet" (what I was doing before when I couldn't lose the 20lbs) and focused more on eating good fresh things, the weight fell off, my energy increased, and my work-outs got easier, and I didn't have to work out as hard or use weights as often (thus the slimmer legs). My skin is better, my hair is nicer etc etc.

Counting calories and eating dairy are bad. Especially eating dairy WITH carbs combined, like on crackers or bread....you should eat it only with vegetables, like a little cheese on a salad if you must.. Your body is battling itself too much when you eat lots of dairy or mix it with carbs. You don't have to count calories when everything (or at least most of what) you eat is energizing, fresh and good. I eat tons of avocados and olive oil and other natural fats that I probably wouldn't eat if I had to tally calories, but your brain, skin, and fat fighting systems need those natural vegetable fats to keep you thin (irony!).

I only use the scale when I know I've been slacking (eating more salty carbs and less veggies) and my belly starts to bulge, and then sure enough, it confirms a 5 pound weight gain so I get back on track. Without a scale I managed to gain 20 pounds and not notice which is what brought on this huge change for me.

But as for watching the scale constantly and worrying about the number: No. You only care about how your clothes fit, how in shape you are, and how you feel. No one knows "what number" you weigh. As you get older you do need more muscle to stay slim, and that does weigh more.

Don't forget sleep and water! Also, when I started eating only fruit (unlimited amount) for breakfast, my energy level boosted and my daily sodium and calories were naturally less...this helped a lot. I was downing dairy (organic non fat plain yogurt) and salt and carbs (multigrain cereal) for breakfast and thinking it was "healthy" even though I was fat and exhausted even with tons of exercise....

You can tell by how your clothes fit. I weigh 165 now and at 5'7 that sounds "fat" but I am actually a size 8 and don't look fat at all. There is an interesting website that shoes pictures of real women who are the same height and weight but look completely different. I think you should work out only every other day and just walk in between. What does "a lot" of dairy mean? Like cheese? Or milk? Milk was designed to fatten up a calf so I would lay off that and eat lots of veggies. Plus, go the doctor and get an eval to make sure you are healthy (thyroid issues, ect).

I don't even own a scale. Haven't for at least 20 years now. I just go by how things fit. If my jeans feel a little tight, I eat less for a few days, and then my jeans fit again.

I will say that when I suddenly gained weight unexpectedly and it just wouldn't go away (accompanied by many other unpleasant symptoms), it turned out I had developed a hypothyroid condition. So, if you're unable to lose weight even though you're hardly eating anything and exercising, it may be time for a trip to the doctor just to rule out any undiagnosed health conditions.

You need to remember that muscle weighs more than fat.

I agree Throw our you scale !! I lost 25 pounds N i looked soo thin in the face i looked dead=( not what i was going for.
So i packed my food with protien and stated lifting weights. I gained 10 pound back and my cloth are still too big.I
I found a way fat/muscle was describe in an articale
Image 1 pound of marshmellow and one pound of Rocks
You can imaging thAT difference in your outfit
am 5'4 n 153lb as for my BMI it says am overweight
but am not i dont look it
so relax. Weight doesnt really mater once your body fat% goes down

JM,
I understand. I have felt very frustrated in the past, as out of all my friends, I am the only one that really exercises and yet they are all much thinner. It feels good to know I am strong, but still!
Anyway, a few things I have learned..
Not only may you gain weight with exercise due to muscle gain, but also due to stress on your body
The only way I can lose weight at all is through dietary changes. Exercise is great for keeping my heart healthy, increasing flexibility and giving me energy so I keep at it, but do not expect weight changes from it.

I work out about the same amount as you and would never lose weight at 1600 calories per day. I would suggest getting a FitBit, a heart rate monitor (Polar FT is a great one) or even trying weight watchers or a calorie counting app with your phone or computer. Not what your weight is, but you probably need to be aiming to consume around 1200 calories per day to lose weight. A heart rate monitor that shows calories burned will open your eyes. I was very surprised at how little I burn and realized I could either work out several hours a day hardcore...or make a few small dietary changes.

Also, drink water like crazy. I have a goal sheet where I mark off my 20 oz bottles of water each day, right now I am aiming to get through 5 and it is kindof hard to do at first! But it will keep you full and full of energy. I make a meal plan at the beginning of the day and log all my calories. I have been at it for 2 weeks and have lost 7 lbs. I have not been hungry at all because I drink so much water and make sure I have protein with each meal.

It does take some planning. I would take to a doctor since you have had dizziness and other issues. Mainly I have taken away sugar, bread and I eat "clean" non-processed food, lots of veggies, some fruit, a little plain yogurt, some eggs, flax seed, chia seeds, almond and peanut butter, meat, fish and poultry.

My numbers got so out of control thatI had weight loss surgery back in October. So I know exactly what my number is and track it way too often. A friend of mine had it a month after I did and he hasn't weighed himself once. He goes by how his clothes fit and his energy level.

So for you I think you should toss it out the window (or at least have your husband hide it from you) and go by how you feel.

I did that, too.i always gain wt when I exercise before I loose it. I also lose it very slowly but I am not as good a dieter as you are. I am trying to think long term. I only lost 10 lbs in a yr, exercising 3 times a week, at least. But that is minus the regular 5 lbs a yr I usually gain, so that's 15, right??

Why could it be as easy to take it off as it was to put on? Lol

I have thinned down in my thighs and behind, finally but it takes much more than 2 mths. When I brought out the shorts this yr, my son, bless his teenage heart, said, Mom, your legs look, NORMAL!! Thanks, Hun, really.

The body is like a bank account. The more calories you put into your body, the bigger it will get.

To me, 1600+ calories, will gain weight on a lady. If you really want to loose weight you are going to have to cut the calories or increase the exercise or both.

I was fascinated by the story when a reporter asked Michael Phelps what he ate. I was floored when he replied that he ate about 12,000 calories a day when he was training. 12,000 calories a day. I can't even imagine that much food. Its more than I eat in a week. But then Phelps went on to explain what his training regime was. He swam 6 to 8 miles a day. And that wasn't the pace I used. That was at world record pace.

If you remember his body, and what girl doesn't? He was extremely physically fit. So, IF you want to looe weight, follow the example of someone that is successful. When I began my diet, I looked around for skinny people and what they ate. I happened to have been assigned to sit beside my boss' boss at a banquet. We just happened to have ordered the same thing. When I finished my meal, my plate was clean and almost shiny. I happened to look at her plate and it looked like she hadn't eaten a thing. Then I realized, that's how she kept so skinny.

I moved from one house to another the first 6 weeks of the year. We were under a tight deadline. I moved banana box after banana box of our household goods for 12 to 14 hours a day. I loaded them in my truck and moved the to out new home and unloaded them. Some of them I carried dup the stirs to the master bedroom on the second floor. I didn't have time to eat. I usually made myself a sandwich and had half of it when I made it. The other half I ate when I brought in the second pickup load to our new home. Sometimes I fell into bed exhausted after working (moving) all day. I didn't even try for dinner. That was a lot of exercise and very little food. In 6 weeks I lost 12% of my total body weight. (I know because I joined a weight loss contest just before I started the move and the winner was determined by % body weight loss. I won first place.)

Good luck to you and yours.

First, get rid of the scale. Or at least commit to limit your weigh-ins to once every 2 weeks. The mind is a very strong influence over ourselves. Second, try to change up your routine. A friend of mine lot 83 pounds in about 13 months doing exactly as you are. She weighed herself every other day and it really messed with her head. She got rid of the scale at home and only weighed herself at her aunt's house when she visited the first of every month to take her for her medication. She noticed that her pants seems tighter in her thighs but the waist was okay after about 2 or 3 months. She talked to a personal trainer who suggested changing things up or adding interval training. She felt better after a month. She just has about 25 pounds to go. She evercises every other day, with light weight training in between. She changes 1 day every week.