Hi,

I've been trying to lose some weight for a little over a half a month and I haven't shed a pound. I've always been in decent shape (can easily run 5 miles) and have lifted my whole life.

I'm 6'5" 245 lbs and have started watching what I eat (intake around 1800 cal a day) doing HIIT cardio every other day (w/work out) and running on my days off for 45 min to an hour.

My pants are fitting looser, I'm noticing my stomach muscles a bit but not a lick of weight has come off... how is this possible given my cal intake of < 2000 / day and expendatures of > 3500 / day.

Am I doing something wrong or am I just expecting too much from 2 -3 weeks of hard work.

1.) What kind of scale are you using?

2.) Have you determined BF% from www.mybodycomp.com ?

3.) How often do you eat?

The best way to see progress is you take measurements before a new way of life...if your pants are fitting looser, you are losing fat and inches...but the scale isn't telling you you've lost lbs.

1 - using a gym scale with sliding weights... though come to think of it they just bought a new one... maybe there is a discrepancy between the old and new one

2 - BF - I did it at the beginning it was 15.5% haven't done since

3 - I eat pretty regularly... no real meals just snack throughout the day.

You're probably losing body fat. The fact that your pants feel a little more loose is a good sign. You could be retaining water though, hence the mind games the scale plays on you. Make sure you stay hydrated throughout the day. I would run another bodyfat check as well. Also, 2-3 weeks may not be enough to show a significant difference. Fat seems to come off at gradual, but small spurts. You'll stay the same weight for a week, then all of a sudden, you lose 1 ~ 2 lbs overnight! If you look at John's progress logs, you'll see the same pattern. I had a similar problem to yours. But I did notice that that my waist seemed to be getting smaller, so that's a good indication. Be patient, and keep working hard. I guarantee you'll seem improvements in a few mork weeks!

Pants-o-meter is a far better measuring device of fat loss then a scale

I read on forum.lowcarber.org some interesting info about fat loss and weight.

Apparently, when your body burns up a "pocket" of fat it temporarily replaces this with water. Your body does this because its "reserving" this space hoping that it will be able to replace the fat. Your body can be quite annoying in this respect but it is the way it tries to maintain homeostasis. Since water weighs more than fat, you can actually GAIN weight during the process of losing fat(temporarily).

I have had periods where I was busting my ass and my weight stayed the same for 2 weeks - I even went up a pound. Then all of a sudden, I get up one morning and urinate a bit more than usual, and I've lost 3 lbs!

Just be patient.

Pants-o-meter is a far better measuring device of fat loss then a scale

This man speaks the truth. Muscle weighs more than fat by volume, so if you've been packing on muscle while losing fat it's entirely possible to stay at essentially the same weight while actually getting slimmer. I, for example, have dropped about 3% body fat over the past month while my weight has only dropped about three pounds.

Buy a pair of pants that are one size too small, then try them on once a week until they fit.

I wouldn't focus on the scale so much. You're obviously makin' some improvement due to the fact your britches are a little loose. The mirror and BF measurements are going to be the most reliable way to measure progress.

Hi,

I've been trying to lose some weight for a little over a half a month and I haven't shed a pound. I've always been in decent shape (can easily run 5 miles) and have lifted my whole life.

I'm 6'5" 245 lbs and have started watching what I eat (intake around 1800 cal a day) doing HIIT cardio every other day (w/work out) and running on my days off for 45 min to an hour.

My pants are fitting looser, I'm noticing my stomach muscles a bit but not a lick of weight has come off... how is this possible given my cal intake of < 2000 / day and expendatures of > 3500 / day.

Am I doing something wrong or am I just expecting too much from 2 -3 weeks of hard work.

give me a breakdown of your meals each day. include what exercises you do (cardio/weights and how long, etc) and body stats

Vortex, I actually laughed out loud at your post. Since I stopped drinking pop and changed over to just water (and a lot more I might add) I've been having frequent trips to the restroom.

In all seriousness, though, I'm glad you put that information down. I rely on my scale and some other measurements to gauge my loss and now I know that one day, I might actually get up and be surprised at what has changed. Thanks!

Pants-o-meter is a far better measuring device of fat loss then a scale

LOL,
"Introducing the New Improved PANTS-O-METER! The most advanced fat measuring device the industry has ever seen!
You get one FREE with every pair of pants you buy!"

As already posted above, I totally agree, nothing like your pants falling down in public places to illustrate succesful fat-loss, LOL!
Seriously, one of my favourite parts of my fat-loss was needing to buy a belt for an old pair of jeans because they'd gotten too loose!

Greeno :)