Don’t Quit. Success May Be Closer Than You Think
Read the quote to the left. One of the reasons we got our inbody body composition machine is for this very reason – people quit when they were SOOOO close to really succeeding. People don’t believe me until they see it in black and white. For instance, in 4 weeks, the inbody would show someone who’s starting a new program can gain 2-4lbs of muscle and lose 4-8lbs of fat. At the end of 4 weeks, someone can feel they worked SOOOOOO hard, only to lose 4lbs – yet they could have lost 8 POUNDS OF FAT, and gained 4 POUNDS OF MUSCLE.
As a result of not seeing the reward they expect, they may give up – because, honestly, is all that dieting and hard work in the gym really worth 4lbs? (I know I’d struggle with that) …BUT (big but), if they continued for another 4 weeks at the same pace, they would lose another 8lbs of fat, totaling 12lbs of fat lost, while keeping the 4lbs of muscle.
I only know this is reality because of our inbody machine, which shows muscles mass, fat mass, water weight and BMR (basal metabolic rate). This is not an ad for the inbody. I’m using this example, and the facts the inbody shows, only to prove my point – which is, you may not be seeing the progress (and how close you are to your goal), but that doesn’t mean it’s not just around the corner. 🙂
Inspire Someone:
Bonnie Pfiester
Owner of Lift Vero and motivational "pfitness, pfood and pfaith" blogger in Vero Beach, Florida.
8 Comments
Diane
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denisestacie65
Thanks for giving me some insight and advice, Bonnie 🙂
Yes…I did give up out of disgust with my body but am ready to try again,,,smarter and more determined to succeed! And my diet does need tweaking, so thank you for the above link.
You rock!
sparklegirl59
I am struggling with this also. I have been working out 5x week since Sept 9. The first 5 weeks was with a personal trainer 2x week–> lifting heavy. Supplementing that with various classes and DVDs, etc. the other days of the week. Now with the PT only 1x week, but still taking classes. I am eating right and journaling on MFP. (1200 calories/day). I have only lost 4 lbs., but have dropped 1 pants size I am so used to being in the WeightWatchers program, where the scale is everything, that I am having a hard time with this. The scale is not moving but the tape measure is. Lost a total of 7.25″ in October. But I want the scale to move…. and I don’t know what I am doing wrong. ACK!!
Bonnie Pfiester
Sounds like you are doing the right things…and it will continue to come off, eventually being reflected more where you want it. Read this to make sure you are on track with calories, etc 🙂 http://exercise.answers.com/weight-loss/can-you-afford-to-eat-that
denisestacie65
What I hate is when the scale doesn’t move at all AND my waist and thighs actually increase after a month of working out! I think I’m broken :/
Bonnie Pfiester
You can EASILY build muscle in your legs (increasing your inches) BEFORE you lose enough fat to trim up. We lose fat everywhere while we lose weight. We can build muscle in certain areas (and we will notice it most in the fullest part of the muscle, which we call the muscle belly). This area is where we take measurements (the largest part of the thigh, arms, etc). However, since we are losing fat everywhere, if we are dieting right, we are losing fat in the joint spaces, in between organs and all kinds of places that aren’t reflected in all the areas we measure. Don’t give up and DO check and recheck calories. If you are eating fewer calories than you are burning you WILL lose weight.
Read this article to see if you are on track with your eating: http://exercise.answers.com/weight-loss/can-you-afford-to-eat-that 🙂
Tracy
I swear you wrote this for me today! I have found a boot camp that is strengthening me like I could never have imagined possible, and I love it! And, my food is cleaner than ever, but my scale keeps inching up! It is SO frustrating! I took all my measurements again this morning and I’m seeing progress everywhere…except on the damn scale! I’ve been so used to the scale going down for the past three years and was afraid to weight train because I didn’t want to gain. I don’t want my fear of the scale to take my head out of the game, because I am LOVING my new gym!
Bonnie Pfiester
Read this and see if it helps 🙂 http://pfitblog.com/2013/04/12/why-losing-weight-gets-harder-as-you-get-thinner/