P90x and slow results for women

yeremeyeva

I have a question for women who did P90X. Did you see good results?
I did the program half way and did not lose any weight. I stuck to the workouts and nutrition without missing a day.
Because I did not see very much progress I did some more reseach. It said that if you are a woman, you should not do P90X
unless you are 5-10 lb from your goal weight. Is that true?
I also did not see any energy increase as the program promised.
Did anyone else experience similar problems and then overcame them?
Would appreciate any feedback. I have done other types of exercises since I did p90x and they worked out great for me.
But I would love to give p90x another try if I would get different results.

jessmoore_84

I did a little P90X last year, but didn't get too far. I lost 4 lbs in the very first week, but I was also following the P90X nutrition plan.
You may not be seeing a difference on the scale because muscle weighs more than fat. You may want to take measurements instead, because the scale may not show much change if any.

jessmoore_84

bump

ArroganceInStep

It's difficult to judge a program like that because it's hard to gauge progress. Was the program challenging for you? Were you sore afterwards? Did the exercises get easier as you did them more? You said you stuck with the diet, how many calories on average were you taking in daily? What's your TDEE?

patriciarayliah

wow ur the first person that has said this" p90x is the best body transformation for 90% of the motivators group on facebook
join us - if u haven't already! we will motivate u and show the real results of p90x

Maybe u was taking in too many calories and not burning off more thanwhat u ate???

HeidiMightyRawr

I did P90X for around 6 weeks last year. I had good results with it I think. I wouldn't say there's an energy increase, but fitness, strength etc there was. It's hard to tell exactly though as I was going to the gym as well - gym 2-3x a week, and p90x on some of the other days so I didn't follow exactly.
I also had already reached my goal.

tangal88

I have lost 60 pounds doing P90x. (not one round, but a few, classic and doubles) I think its a great program for men or women. Its my favorite personally, and I always see the most dramatic changes from it. But doing the full 90 days is key. Often you may not see big changes at first. But you will see them, if you stick with, push hard. eat right.

If you go by scale weight only, you can be very discouraged at first, because that is a very poor progress indicator. And you may not see dramatic loss right away. You will lose, but it may take longer to see the results.

You should take inch measurements from a multiple of body areas, every 30 days. I often don't lose in one are, but may lose in another. I often loss inches, and not scale weight - so my size is changing, my body composition is changing - THATS what I want. I am at my goal size now, but actually 10 15 lbs heavier then I was last time at this size, because of increased muscle. And I look much better.

Losing wight gives you a smaller size, when dressed, but no necessarily a tighter leaner more fit, unjiggly look. So you may fit smaller clothing, but body composition has not changed. You will still have a less attractive muscle to fat ratio, or may still be flabby and jiggly, in areas you do not want to be.

Lifting weights give the smaller size AND the tight look. So you look good dressed and nakid. (heavy weights, low reps)

I may not see scale weight change over 30 days, or may even see a slight increase, this can all be perfectly normal. But if you are not growing "larger" based on inch measurements, you are fine. Eventually the scale changes also catch up.

When lifting weights you retain some fluid to help your heal and repair - this is normal and good. But can also throw scale weight off. Scale does not know if it is measuring water, fat, bone or muscle.

Chalene Johnson explains it very well here

http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=why_the_scale_goes_up_when_you_start_a_new_workout_plan

By Chalene Johnson

Probably the most common question I get when I release a new exercise program is, "Help! I'm gaining weight! Am I doing something wrong?" This is a common phenomenon with any new exercise program, such as Turbo Kick, Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Hustle, or others! It's especially common (and temporary) with intense strength training programs like ChaLEAN Extreme or Tony Horton's P90X.

The motivation to start a new exercise program is almost always to lose weight. However, what most personal trainers know--and most at-home exercisers do not--is that a new exercise program often can cause an immediate (and temporary) increase on the scale. (Notice I didn't say weight gain! I'll explain.) This common increase in the scale is also the reason why perhaps millions of people start and then quickly quit their resolution to get fit.

The temporary weight gain explained:
When someone starts a new exercise program, they often experience muscle soreness. The more intense and "unfamiliar" the program, the more intense the muscle soreness. This soreness is most prevalent 24 to 48 hours after each workout. In the first few weeks of a new program, soreness is the body trying to "protect and defend" the effected or targeted tissue. Exercise physiologists refer to this as delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS.

This type of soreness is thought to be caused by tissue breakdown or microscopic tears in muscle tissue. When this happens, the body protects the tissue. The muscle becomes inflamed and slightly swollen due to fluid retention. This temporary retention of fluid can result in a 3- to 4-pound weight gain within a few weeks of a new program. Keep in mind that muscle soreness is not necessarily a reflection of how hard you worked. In fact, some people feel no signs of muscle soreness, yet will experience the muscle protection mechanisms of water retention and slight swelling.

Most people are motivated enough to put up with this temporary muscle soreness. Yet, many, especially those who really need immediate weight loss to keep them motivated, become discouraged and quit!

When I worked with a group of 70 test participants during the development stages of ChaLEAN Extreme, this happened. Who was the most upset and discouraged? You guessed it... the women! I'm happy to report absolutely for every single woman (and man) in our group, the weight increase was temporary and never lasted more than two weeks before they started to see a major drop in the scale. However, these people had the advantage of working with someone who was able to explain to them why this was happening and assure them the weight would come off if they stuck to the nutrition plan and stayed true to the program.

If you follow a multi-phase exercise plan, such as ChaLEAN Extreme, keep in mind that when you start each phase, your body will be "in shock" again. Don't be surprised or discouraged if you experience a temporary gain on the scale the first week of each phase.

My own personal example of this is running 10Ks. I don't do it very often, maybe once or twice a year. Even though I run on a regular basis, when you run a race, you push much harder. It's natural for me to be insanely sore the next day. It�s also very common for me to see the scale jump 4 pounds the next day from forcing fluids post race and the resulting DOMS. Even though I know the cause of it, it's still a bummer. We're all human and hard work should mean results. Hard work equals results, but our bodies are amazing machines and they know how to protect us from hurting ourselves. Soreness forces you to give those muscles a break. Ultimately you will lose the weight and you will change your metabolism in the process.

The key is understanding that this is a normal and temporary and stick with the program!

When to be concerned:
If you experience a significant weight gain (exceeding 5 pounds) that does not begin to decrease rapidly after the second week, guess what it is? I'll give you one hint... you put it in your mouth and chew it. You know it! Your food (or calorie-laden beverages). News flash, friends� exercise doesn't make you gain weight. Consuming more food than you burn makes you gain weight!

So if after two weeks you are not losing weight and have gained weight that's not coming off, it's time to take a close and honest look at your food intake. Start using SparkPeople's Nutrition Tracker regularly, and be honest.

Moral of the story:
Be patient young grass hopper. You'll be lean and mean in no time!

Also for me - I do not use the P90x eating plan, but I do make sure I get enough protein , carbs and calories, If I go to low on any of those - I stop losing fat. A good protein range is .8-1 gram of protein per lean pound of body mass. Less then that and you may hamper muscle repair, growth, and fat loss, as well as strength imp[improvements. If you try to do P90X sticking to a 1200 calorie plan, you will find you stall out, with little improvement generally.

But also do not go to high in calories. MFP works well if you do eat your exercise calories back, (at least some) or use the loos .5-1 lb a week setting. And adjust your numbers as needed, reevaluating every 3-4 weeks.

AND really do push yourself every time, lift heavy with low reps - you will have better improvements - and it IS very important to write down reps, sets, weight ranges - or you cannot see if you are improving. Its also much easier to slack off a bit, when you are not looking at you previous weeks numbers - to push yourself to, or past.

tangal88

This is a post I made befrore - and gives some good examples of women not losing much weight, or even gaing weight when lifting weights - yet looking smaller, and wearing smaller clothing.



Heres some pictures that may help you.
My results have been similar, I am 10-15 pounds heavier then my "rough goal weight" but am already AT my goal clothing size, and physically I am about 1-2 times smaller clothing wise, then last time I was at my goal weight (when I had less muscle) - So I look tighter leaner and smaller, then before at my "small" weight.
So to everyone else I look like I am already at my goal weight. But I am heavier, which is fine Ignore the scale.
Less weight - yep you look good dressed and may fit the smaller clothing size - but, add more muscle and a bit more scale weight - you also fit the smaller clothing size, look good dressed AND look good nakkid.

5 lbs heavier in after pic, but tighter and leaner


Not same girl, but cute example


Same weight, after was when she started lifting heavy


Different girls but both size 4


Same girl, before and after lifting heavy weights, she lost 5 lbs


Stacy, read her story here: She is 14 lbs heavier in after
http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/


10 lbs heavier in after


10 lbs heavier in after


Different girl, but both size 2

littleline9

I lost over 20 pounds on p90x. I was sixteen and went from 139 lbs to 118 in one summer, and from a size 8 to a size 2. I didn't follow the nutrition plan, just did the workouts everyday and counted calories- it was a few years ago, but I was probably eating 1500 or so.

The thing is, though, that I have a really small frame an while 139 isn't overweight for a 5'3 person as far as numbers go, it was all fat and prior to p90x I *never* worked out. So I was starting from scratch, hence I lost a dramatic amount of fat while building muscle. If you started with less fat, you're probably still losing a lot of it but replacing more with muscle. P90X's work-outs are awesome; they work your entire body and burn tons of calories while building strength and endurance. So you'll see results, but like a lot of people have said, they might not be reflected as dramatically on the scale as they are on your body. But hey, that's what really counts, right?

lifechange12

Wow good advice!

LastMinuteMama

Love the before and after photos...a good reminder that it isn't always about the number on the scale.

wapan

tangal88 - Love the pics. Thank you so much for those examples!

willidewbaby

As other people are saying, my wife did a full cycle with me and she lost about 10 lbs, but totally transformed her body. She can do ten pull ups and will do as many push ups as any guy can. She also got faster and stronger in all the sports we play. She can hang with the guys in ice hockey and softball.

It did take the full 90 day cycle to really see the results.

tangal88

also, for those who have not seen this one



And another - only 5 pounds difference in each picture

sandy_taylor13

I've done a few rounds of P90X in the past and had great results, but I also added a lot of cardio on my own to the program. I'm almost done with another round, but I added Insanity as my morning work out and P90X at night, so basically it's a doubles work out every day. I've lost 17 pounds and almost 6 sizes. I dont think I would have gotten as good of results without doing the cardio too. It's what everyone says, you get out of it what you put into it. So dont just kinda do it. Also, what you eat is also the key. "Cheese burger bad, fries bad, coca cola, oops I said it....Drink your water people!" --sorry just one of my favorite quotes from Tony Horton. Any way, just stick with it and dont worry so much about the scale. To me it's how you look at feel. GOOD LUCK!!

adamb83

I have a question for women who did P90X. Did you see good results?
I did the program half way and did not lose any weight. I stuck to the workouts and nutrition without missing a day.
Because I did not see very much progress I did some more reseach. It said that if you are a woman, you should not do P90X
unless you are 5-10 lb from your goal weight. Is that true?
I also did not see any energy increase as the program promised.
Did anyone else experience similar problems and then overcame them?
Would appreciate any feedback. I have done other types of exercises since I did p90x and they worked out great for me.
But I would love to give p90x another try if I would get different results.

Yeah - p90x is much more about getting fit and strong than it is about weight loss (although those two things do go hand-in-hand sometimes). It's important to follow the nutrition plan if you are hoping to lose a lot of weight, in addition to building muscle/toning. Most people, it seems, don't see a ton of weight loss after one round unless they are severely overweight. P90X is a great program for strengthening the entire body, sculpting, etc. - but you really have to stick with it and mind your nutrition as well (which you said you were doing, so that shouldn't be an issue).

I would say give it another go - and do the entire 90 days. Make sure you're not just watching your weight, though - take photos of your body and take all your measurements. Then compare when you're done. There will definitely be a big difference (if you're spot on with the program + nutrition for the entire 90 days).

Hyoderrn

I am 32 yrs old. I am 5'4" and 188lbs. My husband and I do p90x and I love it! I am definitely losing inches and slowly pounds...my thing with it is that everyone says it burns mega calories, but it doesn't for me. I have a fitbit that tells me I am burning 200-400 calories. Is the fitbit an inaccurate for calories burned? I used to go somewhat by MFP calories but I know those are too high so I would go with less but still feel like fitbit calories are low. Today was Core Synergistics and my fitbit said 263 for my burn but I was really sweating and could "feel the burn" Any input would be appreciated! Thank you!

WickedGarden

Thank You tangal for your post!

I am in my 8th week of P90x, I have lost 5 lbs and the scale hasn't budged since I started (I did have a little medical issue during my 6th week, and had to stop for a week-nothing to do with working out)

One friend who did the program said that she really started to see results in Phase 3 and told me to keep going (she would be considered skinny fat). Another friend finished her first round of P90x Classic and lost 44 lbs (she had weight to lose) and is starting her 2nd round.

Personally I have noticed that I am stronger, and have more energy. I lost 12 inches so far and went down 3 sizes in jeans, almost to the next size down. I can feel my abs thru my 'belly pooch'...I can't wait for the fat to melt away and see my new body!

tangal88

keep in mind, often the numbers ppl use on calories are the book guide, or online calculators (which are always way to high for me).

Which uses 500-600 per DVD as an average over the entire program, male and female, fit or fat.

Many also "guess", or use very inaccurate Heart Rate Monitors. I had a Timex, that always said I burned 200 calories more an hour - then my more accurate polar. So it said I was burning 600 cal an hour.

The real question is will you personally burn 500 cals every DVD - nope, probably not.

Some people will, but not necessarily every DVD, all 90 days. And no everyone.

I average about 300 cal per DVD, I an 47, in very good shape, I do advanced moves on all routines, add in extra weights when doing all cardio including plyo, and kempo, also punch a bodybag for kempo I am a 5'2" women. I lift heavy weights, low reps (my dumbells go from 15-50 and I use all of them)

I will burn less then a man - who will generally always burn more. They are bigger, have more muscle mass, different metabolism
A taller person will burn more, then a shorter person
A fatter person vs a fit person will burn differently - one because they move more weight, and may get winded faster. A fit person is in better shape, so moving less mass, but should be able to do the DVD all the way through, less rest, and also lifting more heavily with better form.

Some DVDs will burn less, Cardio X, Stretch X, Kemp, Yoga. Some burn more, especially without rest breaks, such as plyo, and certain of the lifting DVDs, if you go heavy, fast paced, limited to no breaks.

But if you rest more, you burn less calories.

At the end of the day, don't worry about other numbers, just yours. Push yourself, do the best you can every time.

Hyoderrn

keep in mind, often the numbers ppl use on calories are the book guide, or online calculators (which are always way to high for me).

Which uses 500-600 per DVD as an average over the entire program, male and female, fit or fat.

Many also "guess", or use very inaccurate Heart Rate Monitors. I had a Timex, that always said I burned 200 calories more an hour - then my more accurate polar. So it said I was burning 600 cal an hour.

The real question is will you personally burn 500 cals every DVD - nope, probably not.

Some people will, but not necessarily every DVD, all 90 days. And no everyone.

I average about 300 cal per DVD, I an 47, in very good shape, I do advanced moves on all routines, add in extra weights when doing all cardio including plyo, and kempo, also punch a bodybag for kempo I am a 5'2" women. I lift heavy weights, low reps (my dumbells go from 15-50 and I use all of them)

I will burn less then a man - who will generally always burn more. They are bigger, have more muscle mass, different metabolism
A taller person will burn more, then a shorter person
A fatter person vs a fit person will burn differently - one because they move more weight, and may get winded faster. A fit person is in better shape, so moving less mass, but should be able to do the DVD all the way through, less rest, and also lifting more heavily with better form.

Some DVDs will burn less, Cardio X, Stretch X, Kemp, Yoga. Some burn more, especially without rest breaks, such as plyo, and certain of the lifting DVDs, if you go heavy, fast paced, limited to no breaks.

But if you rest more, you burn less calories.

At the end of the day, don't worry about other numbers, just yours. Push yourself, do the best you can every time.

Thank you! I have been pushing myself more every time and I feel great when I am done. All of your info is very helpful :flowerforyou:

tangal88

no problem feel free to email me if you have questions, I have done P90X complete 7 times now, and P90X2 once complete.

Will be glad to help in anyway I am able.

I am not a coach, don't sell or profit from the program or supplements.