Getting discouraged

Don't get discouraged! I recommend getting a measuring tape and taking your measurements so you can see how the inches are melting away, even though the scale hasn't changed. Don't forget that your are building muscles doing all that exercising, and muscle will add weight to you. So it's possible that you're losing fat, but gaining muscle, which would explain the lack of change on the scale. Give it time, eventually the scale will move too!

Good luck

Hello,

I have been on fitnesspal for about one month now and I really like the tools that it offers. I am having a problem though. My husband and I are doing the Insanity workout everyday except for our off days which is Sunday. I have been eatting right, thanks for fitnesspal but I am not losing any weight. I can tell that my waist is shrinking because I am switching the holes but the scale seems to tell me that I am not losing anything. Actually a lot of times it seems as though I am gaining weight.

I really am getting discouraged and seeming like it's a waste of time but it seems as though I am seeing improvements due to my belt changes. Does anyone else have the same problem?

I go thru that alot but please don't get too discouraged by that number on the scale. If you can see that you are getting smaller either by tape measure or just in your clothes, that is what you really need to focus on! I know I love seeing the numbers on the scale go down but unfortunately they don't move alot. Especially when I am working out really hard.
Hang in there!!!

Barb

Muscle takes up less space than fat, but weighs the same.

Have you measured? What's your calorie intake?

Are you eating up to your goal or close? If so, maybe you have overestimated your daily activity level and your goal may be too high. If not, you may not have enough fuel to get a good burn going. Are you pushing yourself in your workouts or coasting? If you're coasting, MFP may be overestimating your burn. If you're really pushing, then you could be undereating. MFP has to use a lot of generalizations and averages that aren't a perfect fit for everyone. Make some adjustments and see if your results change.

Actually I had the same problem when I started taking care of myself more and my girlfriend had the same. In our case it was only because we started gaining muscle and storing more water because we finally drank enough.
But after a while that problem solved itself as more muscle burnt mor calories.

And, what is even more important, why are you getting discouraged? You are getting slim, so why do you care so much what the scale says??? Maybe it is better just to see the positive effects on your body... It about you feeling better, getting healthier and getting in shape, not about what the scale says.

From what I understand Insanity is all cardio. You aren't gaining muscle. Calorie restriction and intense cardio exercise can actually cause more muscle loss than fat loss - it will not build muscle - you need strength/resistance training for that (weight lifting). And it takes time to build muscle (not to mention it's hard for women to build muscle).

it could be you aren't eating enough to fuel the intense workouts. Article below from the Hussmanfitness.org link at the bottom.

"Want to change your physique? Start by realizing that whatever shape you're in right now is your body's way of adapting to the lifestyle you're living. It's your body's attempt to survive. So the strategy is simple. We're going to give your body a very specific “environment” – a particular mix of activities, nutrition, and recovery – and your body is going to adapt by becoming leaner, stronger, and healthier.

Every change you throw at your body triggers a response. The problem with many diet and exercise programs is that they can accidentally encourage your body to defend fat, shed muscle, increase appetite and even lower its metabolism. The key to fast results is to know exactly which actions will cause your body to adapt by becoming fitter.

Maybe you've tried before to get in shape. But for some reason, you didn't get the results you wanted. If you're like I used to be, you've repeated that cycle year after year to no avail. Maybe you've failed so many times that you think of yourself as a “special case.” You've started to believe your entire metabolism consists of a little turtle on a treadmill. You wonder whether you've got the fat gene. You're convinced that no matter how hard you diet, your cells can still be seen eating Twinkies when viewed under a microscope.

Look. You're not a special case. Even if you had the fat gene (common among Pima Indians but rare otherwise), you'd only be burning 50-60 calories a day less than anybody else. Even if you've been diagnosed with a metabolic difficulty such as diabetes or hypothyroidism, you can still be successful with proper medical support. Most probably, other approaches failed you either because they were missing important pieces, focused on the wrong things, or produced results so slowly that you just gave up. What you need most is good information. You're in the right place.
The law of unintended consequences

Your body is an amazing feedback system aimed at balance and survival. Humans are at the top of the food chain because they are able to adapt to their environment. Every action produces a reaction. Every change in its environment triggers a survival response. It's important to keep that in mind when you plan your fitness program. If you treat your body as an enemy to be conquered, you'll produce unintended results.

For example, if you severely cut off the supply of food to your body, it will defend itself by slowing down its metabolism to survive starvation. The body will shed muscle mass the same way that you would throw cargo from a plane that was low on fuel, and it will reduce its thyroid activity to conserve energy. The body will also actually defend its fat stores. In anorexia, muscle loss can be so profound that fat as a percentage of body weight actually rises. Extreme carbohydrate restriction also causes muscle loss, dehydration, and slower metabolism, which is why even successful Atkins dieters can have a significant rebound in weight after they stop the diet (don't worry – the advice on this site will prevent that from happening).

As another example, if you put your body under stress through overexertion and lack of sleep, it will respond by slowing down, reducing muscle growth, and increasing your appetite for junk food, carbohydrates and fat. If you feed your body excessive amounts of sugar and quickly digested carbohydrates, and it will shut off its ability to burn fat until those sugars are taken out of the bloodstream.

This website will show you how to work with your body to quickly produce the changes you want. In order to do that, you need to take actions that push your body to adapt – to build strength, burn fat, and increase fitness. You need a training program, not an exercise routine. You need a nutrition plan, not a diet. You need a challenge, not a few good habits you usually try to follow except when you don't.
Setting the right goal

John Dewey once said that a problem well-stated is half-solved. If you want to reach your goal, you have to define it correctly. See, a lot of people say “I want to lose weight.” Well, if losing weight is your goal, go on a no-carb diet. You'll lose a lot of weight – some of it will be fat, a lot of it will be water, and a dangerous amount will be muscle tissue. You'll lose weight quickly, but you'll slow your metabolism and gain fat more quickly once you go off the diet. Trust me on this. I've been there, done that.

The problem is that you've set the wrong goal. If you want to look better, have more energy and enjoy better health, the goal is not simply to “lose weight.” The goal is to improve your fitness level and body composition. That means losing fat, improving your aerobic capacity, training your strength and defending your muscle tissue. You can't do that with a no-carb diet. You will do it using the approach you'll learn on this website. Trust me on this one too. I know what it's like to feel fat, tired and helplessly out of shape. The whole point of this site is to help others avoid that, by sharing lessons that I had to learn the hard way."

http://www.hussmanfitness.org/html/TPAdaptation.html (this site has a lot of good info)


When first starting an intense workout routine your body will try and protect itself from the stress of exercise. Give it some more time:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/128737-temporary-weight-gain-explained?hl=weight+gain+after+weight+lifting#posts-1747282

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5579501_do-retain-water-after-exercise_.html

I am having the same problem and I am on medication that makes women gain weight, so I'm fighting a double struggle. It's very frustrating and discouraging. I have been scouring MFP threads and I think it could be LOTS of things...its just trying to narrow down what is going on and how to fix it. But that takes time, and of course to people who are working their butt off and not seeing results..time can be discouraging too. Know, that you're not alone!