*My husband and I started P90X on June 1, and we want to make this endeavor as successful as possible. I’m tracking my/our progress, by writing down how I feel after each workout and will post a weekly update. This may or may not be beneficial to you, but I think it will help us in the long run.*
P90X: Week Eight/Nine {Lean}
I thought I was doing really well with this workout. I feel better, stronger, and more fit; I can do ridiculously crazy pushups and I can see a difference in my reps. Unfortunately, the scale only slightly agrees with me, and my measurements beg to differ altogether. I took more pictures and my measurements today, roughly 60 days after we started, and I saw negative results. I’m getting bigger, and I don’t think I have to tell you how freaking frustrating that is for my self esteem. It’s one thing to feel good about yourself and another to realize it all could be an illusion.
On the plus side, I’m down 2.2 pounds. For those keeping track, that’s one pound a month. I know, it’s better than nothing and I know I’m doing this the right way, but seriously?
When we get to our next base I’m going to talk with a nutritionist and see if we can figure out what’s going on. Working out six days a week and watching my diet like a hawk shouldn’t have me seeing negative results. I only drink water (and occasionally unsweet tea or coffee, no soda or juice); I’m eating tons of veggies (steamed or grilled), lean protein, very little carbs and sugar, and we usually have one cheat dinner a week (I’m human and sometimes need pizza and/or tiramisu!). I’m also tracking everything I eat and how many calories I burn with each workout (with a heart-rate monitor).
With all that said: yes, I know the scale and a tape measure are just numbers. How I feel—and I do feel great—is much more important. I’m also absolutely and incredibly lucky and blessed for my husband, a man who loves me just as I am, but supports my desire for change.
Anyway. I didn’t feel like recapping this week like I usually do. Long story short: I’m going to keep this up, but some days it’s much harder than others. I know I didn’t put this weight on overnight and I’m in no way expecting it to come off that quickly, but taking a baby step forward and sliding back two steps week after week is frustrating. I know that I’m healthy and that I’m getting healthier with each day, so maybe I just need to come to terms with knowing that this may be my healthy weight and a weight my body is comfortable with.
Again, thank you for all of your comments, support, motivation, and virtual hugs (twitter friends, you know who you are!). This is absolutely not easy, but constantly hearing your encouragement helps tremendously! This is also not my way of saying that I’m giving up, just that I’m human and struggle with this daily. Here’s to tomorrow!
10 Comments
You are doing amazing work sticking with this program like you have! I am by no means a fitness expert or medical doctor, but I would go with your instinct to talk to one once you're settled in. I would think part of it is muscle you're building. I know how frustrating it can be though :/ Big hugs!
OMG, this sounds like me about 6 months ago when I started working with my trainer and doing weight watchers. After a few months I was bigger, but she assured me it was all muscle. I definitely think chatting with a nutritionist would be worth it; I'd be curious to hear what they have to say about your situation. You're doing awesome and keep up the good work!
Keep sticking with it! I did P90X and I did not lose a single pound, but man could I {and everyone else} tell a huge difference! It will pay off in the end, great job!!
I'm sure it's just you gaining more muscle. Have you thought about getting your thyroid checked just in case though? I hope all your working out starts giving you the results you want to see soon. I can only imagine how frustrating that is.
Oh man. I know how this feels. I too, seem to 'defy' sense and gain weight when there's no logical explanation. And it's so hard to keep it going without any results to push you. But I really bet you'll see those changes you want over the next 30 days…as others said, you've probably gained muscle but your fat is hanging on for dear life. When it can't hang on anymore…which I've heard takes 6-8 weeks before it starts to melt off…you'll start to see the difference. Good luck!
It sounds like you are doing all the right things, so I was going to suggest what another commenter said: I bet you are really gaining a lot of muscle and that is why your measurements are going up. I think it's a great idea to talk to someone though to see what you can tweak. Keep up the great work, you are really inspiring to a lot of us! 🙂
Your dedication through this has been a huge inspiration! Regardless of the scale or tape measurements – you have decided to make your health a priority and that is so wonderful.
Sounds like you are doing everything right. I agree with some of the other comments, maybe a thyroid check is in order. You might want to try different workouts as well. I was doing gym classes (two hours a night of either Zumba, Kickboxing or yoga) but yet I gained about 9 pounds over 2-3 months. It was extremely frustrating to see that on the scale. I switched up to only running and have now lost a lot of weight. Running seems to be the only thing that works for me. Now that I am more comfortable with the number on the scale I am okay with doing some weights to tone up.
I understand! I went to Weight Watcher and in 6 weeks I lost a total of 2.6 pounds!! I lost a lot the first week then had a 5.2 gain the 4th week. So frustrating!!! I went to the Dr and asked him about it and he checked my thyroid…all was well. His advice – keep doing what your doing and it will catch up with you. He was right…after 4 months I am seeing results at the scale…slow but results. I have over 100 pounds to loose and I thought it would come off quicker. Its hard to focus on the journey rather than the end result but keep it up! We are becoming more healthy with each passing day.
You are doing amazing work sticking with this program like you have! I am by no means a fitness expert or medical doctor, but I would go with your instinct to talk to one once you're settled in. I would think part of it is muscle you're building. I know how frustrating it can be though :/ Big hugs!
OMG, this sounds like me about 6 months ago when I started working with my trainer and doing weight watchers. After a few months I was bigger, but she assured me it was all muscle. I definitely think chatting with a nutritionist would be worth it; I'd be curious to hear what they have to say about your situation. You're doing awesome and keep up the good work!
Keep sticking with it! I did P90X and I did not lose a single pound, but man could I {and everyone else} tell a huge difference! It will pay off in the end, great job!!
I'm sure it's just you gaining more muscle. Have you thought about getting your thyroid checked just in case though? I hope all your working out starts giving you the results you want to see soon. I can only imagine how frustrating that is.
Oh man. I know how this feels. I too, seem to 'defy' sense and gain weight when there's no logical explanation. And it's so hard to keep it going without any results to push you. But I really bet you'll see those changes you want over the next 30 days…as others said, you've probably gained muscle but your fat is hanging on for dear life. When it can't hang on anymore…which I've heard takes 6-8 weeks before it starts to melt off…you'll start to see the difference. Good luck!
It sounds like you are doing all the right things, so I was going to suggest what another commenter said: I bet you are really gaining a lot of muscle and that is why your measurements are going up. I think it's a great idea to talk to someone though to see what you can tweak. Keep up the great work, you are really inspiring to a lot of us! 🙂
Your dedication through this has been a huge inspiration! Regardless of the scale or tape measurements – you have decided to make your health a priority and that is so wonderful.
Sounds like you are doing everything right. I agree with some of the other comments, maybe a thyroid check is in order. You might want to try different workouts as well. I was doing gym classes (two hours a night of either Zumba, Kickboxing or yoga) but yet I gained about 9 pounds over 2-3 months. It was extremely frustrating to see that on the scale. I switched up to only running and have now lost a lot of weight. Running seems to be the only thing that works for me. Now that I am more comfortable with the number on the scale I am okay with doing some weights to tone up.
I understand! I went to Weight Watcher and in 6 weeks I lost a total of 2.6 pounds!! I lost a lot the first week then had a 5.2 gain the 4th week. So frustrating!!! I went to the Dr and asked him about it and he checked my thyroid…all was well. His advice – keep doing what your doing and it will catch up with you. He was right…after 4 months I am seeing results at the scale…slow but results. I have over 100 pounds to loose and I thought it would come off quicker. Its hard to focus on the journey rather than the end result but keep it up! We are becoming more healthy with each passing day.
Jenny Goldsby
But you know what's cool? You could totally kick someone's butt now. You're getting STRONG, girl. 🙂