Insanity: I've lost weight but no measurements changes.

LauraGogh
LauraGogh Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone!

I am currently on my second month of Insanity... I have to say that from not exercising AT ALL to insanity I see lots of changes, I feel much happier and full of energy! but... to be honest I started the program to loose weight because it was affecting my back and feet; At the end of the first round of Insanity I could see my face changing, lost around 4 pounds and also body fat (around 2% less), but I felt really disappointed during my fit test because I saw NO measurements changes, in fact either they remained the same or I have gained more inches!

I would like to know if its normal or if i'm doing something wrong?

Thanks in advance for your help! :wink:

Replies

  • KateK8LoseW8
    KateK8LoseW8 Posts: 824 Member
    If you have lost weight, you are doing something right. Measurements can be tricky, because it's hard to measure in the exact same spot every time. Also, my measurements can be way off if I'm bloated. I wouldn't worry about it.
  • LauraGogh
    LauraGogh Posts: 6 Member
    Thank you for your answer! , I guess I will have to dig deeper!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    How are you measuring body fat? Also, are you following the meal plan? And do you weigh and measure your food. There are many reason why body fat can't change (aka muscle loss, water retention, in accurate measuring, etc..).
  • LauraGogh
    LauraGogh Posts: 6 Member
    Im measuring my body fat with a caliper I bought on Amazon and checking the chart that was given with the caliper to figure out my body fat % ... I cant weight and measure my food because most of the time I have to eat outside of home.... do you think Im doing something wrong?
  • matt090385
    matt090385 Posts: 7 Member
    Hi Laura,

    Congratulations on getting to month 2 of insanity, You must be working pretty hard because quite frankly there is no such thing as an easy insanity workout. Your lack of loss could be coming from so many places.

    1. Internal body fat is being transformed to muscle. Your profile doesn't indicate your weight only your goal. Its possible if your a little over weight that you tidying up the inside before your body gets to work on the exterior. Something that would validate this is a pair of scales that measure body fat percentage. (ask friends if they have a pair and have a sneaky, cheeky occasional weigh in)

    2. As Kate suggested measurements can fluctuate and are rather hard to measure on your own. What measurements are you taking?

    3. Your Period will most certainly affect your middle measurement at the applicable times, Take this into account.

    4. Its possible that more calories are going in than out. You say that you have to eat outside the home a lot. Does this mean you spend alot of time eating fast food / restaurant?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    Im measuring my body fat with a caliper I bought on Amazon and checking the chart that was given with the caliper to figure out my body fat % ... I cant weight and measure my food because most of the time I have to eat outside of home.... do you think Im doing something wrong?

    Well you are losing weight, so even if you are under calculating calories, it's not enough to affect your goals. Ideally, you want to measure foods to be very accurate. But generally, you can only lose about 1-2% body fat per month. So I believe you are on target. I wouldn't stress it too much as water retention can cause some bloating which is why you aren't seeing much in terms of clothes changing. And considering you have almost no weight left to lose, I wouldn't expect to see drastic results.

    I would suggest going by pictures.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    Hi Laura,

    Congratulations on getting to month 2 of insanity, You must be working pretty hard because quite frankly there is no such thing as an easy insanity workout. Your lack of loss could be coming from so many places.

    1. Internal body fat is being transformed to muscle. Your profile doesn't indicate your weight only your goal. Its possible if your a little over weight that you tidying up the inside before your body gets to work on the exterior. Something that would validate this is a pair of scales that measure body fat percentage. (ask friends if they have a pair and have a sneaky, cheeky occasional weigh in)

    2. As Kate suggested measurements can fluctuate and are rather hard to measure on your own. What measurements are you taking?

    3. Your Period will most certainly affect your middle measurement at the applicable times, Take this into account.

    4. Its possible that more calories are going in than out. You say that you have to eat outside the home a lot. Does this mean you spend alot of time eating fast food / restaurant?
    I am confused by your # 1. Are you suggesting that fat turns into muscle? If so, no it doesn't. Also, the OP is not going to gain any new muscle during this program. First, she is not in a calorie surplus. Second, women struggle to gain any kind of lean body mass, even during a surplus and third, it's a cardio program. In order to gain new mass, you need a surplus and progressive weight training program that maximizes hypertrophy.
  • matt090385
    matt090385 Posts: 7 Member
    I am confused by your # 1. Are you suggesting that fat turns into muscle?

    Sorry transform is the wrong word. There is no magic transformation from one to the other.
    First, she is not in a calorie surplus.

    Unsubstantiated claim, however I would be inclined to agree. after discounting #1
    Third, it's a cardio program.
    Apologies completely agree.

    Thanks for pulling me up on my inaccuracies, Hopefully some clarification on #4 will help :-)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    I am confused by your # 1. Are you suggesting that fat turns into muscle?

    Sorry transform is the wrong word. There is no magic transformation from one to the other.
    First, she is not in a calorie surplus.

    Unsubstantiated claim, however I would be inclined to agree. after discounting #1
    Third, it's a cardio program.
    Apologies completely agree.

    Thanks for pulling me up on my inaccuracies, Hopefully some clarification on #4 will help :-)

    Thanks for responding back... #4 is very accurate. In fact, most people commonly under report calories in and over report calories out, which is why many people plateau.

    :drinker:
  • LauraGogh
    LauraGogh Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks for your answer Matt! ... yes I am a bit overweight, around 8 pounds ... I am measuring everything: chest, biceps, waist, hips, thighs, calfs, I noticed that I lost some centimeters of my thighs during the first fit test but mostly everything increased a bit during my 3rd fit test.

    As for food, yes, I try to take some healthy food whenever I am not at home but most of the time is imposible so I the end if found myself eating some pasta with pesto or a quick bagel from whatever restaurant I can find...

    It's the first time I am committed to do some exercise and sometimes when I can't see any change I feel really helpless.
  • LauraGogh
    LauraGogh Posts: 6 Member
    Im measuring my body fat with a caliper I bought on Amazon and checking the chart that was given with the caliper to figure out my body fat % ... I cant weight and measure my food because most of the time I have to eat outside of home.... do you think Im doing something wrong?

    Well you are losing weight, so even if you are under calculating calories, it's not enough to affect your goals. Ideally, you want to measure foods to be very accurate. But generally, you can only lose about 1-2% body fat per month. So I believe you are on target. I wouldn't stress it too much as water retention can cause some bloating which is why you aren't seeing much in terms of clothes changing. And considering you have almost no weight left to lose, I wouldn't expect to see drastic results.

    I would suggest going by pictures.

    Thank you for your answers, It is the 3rd time someone mentioned water retention so I will take this on account, also I do have noticed that every time I am under a lot of stress (as I am now) my face gets swollen and I look like a chipmunk!

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