Awesome, I've lost 0 lbs lost in 3 weeks

YassSpartan · February 2011

Awesome? You might think. Yes, I said it right, I'm happy I haven't lost a pound during my first 3 weeks of P90X. Now why am I so happy? Because my goal have never been to lose weight, just to lose body fat AND to gain muscle mass. It seems that the amount of protein I've been eating along with the rest of my diet have been paying off by replacing muscle for fat.

Sunday next week I need to take my second set of photos, and I already notice by looking at myself in the mirror how my body is changing. It is really hard to replace 1lb of fat with 1lb of muscle because of the density of both. The image below shows what I mean.

This, of course, proves that you can't really pay too much attention to the scale when working out, because if your goal is to lose weight, but you're also gaining muscle mass, the scale won't tell you that and you'll be disappointed.

Therefore, even though my story is not over yet, so far it has been a total success

lutzsher · February 2011

Awsome attitude. You will get to your goal that way for sure!

sandram82 · February 2011

Woohoo.. good job!! Thanks for the reminder!

marianna0056 · February 2011

That was just the encouragement I needed. I am not seeing the scale move either. But I am feeling better and have more energy now. I know muscle weighs more than fat, so I will try to remember that next time I get really discouraged. Some of my "friends" are losing weight at a faster rate than me, and it seems almost like a competition to see who can do it faster. I know that slow and steady wins the race. Thanks for posting this!! Keep up the good work!

RunHardBeStrong · February 2011

Thanks I needed this reminder today! I can totally feel and see the difference but when the scale doesn't budge it is irritating at times!

TabbyJustice · February 2011

That is great encouragement. And I love the visual picture as well, really shows the size difference. Congrats on your 0 pounds!

YassSpartan · February 2011

Thank you everyone for the replies

and I'm glad it serves as a reminder that scales can't tell the difference between fat and muscle.

A friend from MFP said in another topic I posted here, we don't buy our clothes based on our weight, but on our size, and that's totally true. If I weight 250lbs because of muscle mass, compared to someone who weights the same because of body fat, that doesn't mean I'll be overweight, and most definitely my sizes will be different from someone with excess of body fat. Take photos with the same pose every 30 days or so, compare the before and after, and you'll know if you are getting real results.

time2runnn · February 2011

You make such good points! Thank you very much for the reminder!!

kfarnham9 · February 2011

That's how I feel! I am on day 10 of Insanity and have only lost 2 lbs. But I don't care one bit because my body is getting toned and thinner.

) Keep it up!

MindyF68 · February 2011

Thank you I really needed to hear that today. It has been a month and the scale hasn't moved for me but my clothes have gotten looser. What you say makes alot of sense. I was getting very depressed. So again thank you for the information.

nikolh · February 2011

This has been an awesome post. I really believe in the 30-day photos. My friend and I were doing it weekly on our weekly weigh ins and we decided 30 days was a better, less discouraging time-frame. We can absolutely see the changes going on with our bodies. Consequently, the scale is still dropping because our routines have been cardio based, but this post is something to keep in mind when the alleged "plateau" starts. The scale may not move at all (or it may not move fast enough), but the fat will shrink! Thanks for the reminder.

benitocereno · February 2011

This is really the way to think about the process!

I haven't lost 'weight' in over a week now, but I've moved down a notch on my belt! I also had a coworker pay me a very nice compliment, she was the first person besides my wife to notice all my changes since she doesn't see me often

. Feels good!

YassSpartan · February 2011

I'm glad all of you relate to this too. Keep up the good work, sooner or later it shows off. Don't expect results at the same rate than other people, take in consideration that metabolism works different based on age, health, physical activities, food, etc... but whether it works slow or fast, if you keep working out and eating healthy and properly, you'll get to where you want to be.

blondie76 · February 2011

I love the visual picture!!!
oh by the way congrats!!

AshliKrasz · February 2011

Nice work! I have never been concerned with how much I weigh. In fact at my thinnest I wasn't skinny but I was toned and that is my goal again. I want my clothes to fit better.