Should I be concerned? Need Suggestions

It has been nearly 4 weeks since I last saw a drop in my weight. I am 5 3, and I am currently counting / watching my calorie intake. Typically, I try to stay around 1600 calories.

Each week I work out 4-6 days each week. I try to do either 1 hour of P90X Plyo, or weights, 1 hour of Bob Harper (that guy is CRAZY), do the stairs (about 2200 stairs per session in 40 minutes) or I hit the treadmill for no less than 30 minutes . I certainly mix it up and I am certainly not slacking off.

My worry is this....my weight has not moved. It has been stale here at 136/138 lbs for almost a month!! I do see definition in my arms. My pant size has decreased from a size 10/12 down to a 8. I am happy with the progress but I had thought that weight should fluctuate up and down as you lose fat but then up when you gain muscle? Is it possible to sit almost completely still for an entire month?

Does anyone have any suggestions that may kick things up a notch? My trip to Mexico is about 3 months away. Thank you for any feedback/suggestions you may have.

I think your answer is in the highlighted part.

Yes, it is possible to be weight-stable for a month while losing body fat. It's not easy, and the loss of body fat might be offset on the scale by water or non-muscle lean mass, but you're apparently doing a successful recomposition.

If you're getting regular exercise - particularly anything that involves resistance training - the scale will be a crude tool at best for measuring your body fat.

Wow whats wrong with size 8!! Very well done

Thank you. I had thought I would be seeing the scale go up and down with all of the loss of fat, gain of muscle. I had heard that your body can only do one at a time. (perhaps false info)

I still have quite a bit of fat along my middle. That seems to be where the last 10lbs or remaining fat is sitting!

That's where mine is, too. I hate it. I just can't seem to get rid of it no matter what I try: carb free, cardio extreme, nothing seems to do the trick in that area. I'm starting to think it maybe, just maybe might be there for good. Maybe my "finishers medal" for carrying and birthing two beautiful babies. I don't know. I'm trying to come to terms with it, but not giving up in the meantime.

Sounds like you are making very good progress if you've dropped pant sizes like that in a month.

If you're working out that much (especially doing that much resistance training, which I include the stair climbing as resistance training as it builds muscle pretty fast) it's to be expected that you won't drop weight as fast but would be swapping fat for muscle.

The question is: are you happy with what you see in the mirror and in the closet (clothing size)? Do you have before/after photos (for yourself)? That's all that matters at the end of the day. Only if you aren't happy with that would I suggest you try to change what you are doing.

I've had those times too, and it is frustrating. The best thing I've found to do is to switch things up. I will cut my calories down a little for a week and if I see a loss I know I need to eat less or eat better. Or, I'll switch up my workout routine by adding something new or extra one or two days a week and that seems to help. You have p90X plyo, do you have the whole system? If so, maybe add in another one of those DVD's either in place of one of your current exercises or in addition to them. I know that switching things up just a bit really helps me. I hope you find something that works for you. Good luck!!

Measurements can be a much better monitoring tool for weight loss/muscle gain. Even though you don't have what the measurements would have been when you started, you can start measuring now for future.

There is the possibility that you're plateauing due to over-exercising or under eating, though from your diet calendar it doesn't look like it.

The only real concern I see in your diet is you're eating too little protein for the exercise you describe and too much fat (and a brief look through your calendar shows it's a lot of saturated/animal fats).

I'd recommend aiming for 20% fats (non animal fats), 35% protein, 45% carbs, though it's tough to get that much protein without resorting to suppliments.

Yes, mars2kids, I have the entire P90X series. Love them!

I try to mix things up with both my excercise and my diet. In the past I have found that if I get too hard on myself and regimented with my food intake, etc, I fall off the wagon. This is a lifestyle change.

My ultimate goal is to be feeling confident in a bathing suit at the end of August! Heading to Mexico! If I could get this last 10lbs of extra fat off of my in the next 3 months(from the looks of it, all on my tummy!) I would be thrilled!

Be aware, that with intense workouts like what you say you do, you probably should UP your calorie intake. Then again, what's wrong with the weight you're at already? I would think you'd need to lose much.

I'm around the same weight, and I think that is nice of you to say. I think we all have those problem areas we just want to get rid of. And as a woman, I think in our minds we always have that 10 lbs. that could go.

Ignore the scale and use a measuring tape! Sounds like you are losing inches. The number on the scale may not change but the shape of your body will and it will look fabulous! Keep it up!

mlfontaine, are you sure you should lose any more weight, you said your pant size went from a 12/14 to an 8. I am just saying my family thought I was supposed to weigh about 114 pounds ,I am 53 also, but when I went to a hospital for illness, they told me I was suppose to weigh 150-155 lbs. they said I had dense bones and muscles and was at the time told to gain 25 pounds. On the other hand your body could be adjusting and your weightloss will resume. Congratulations on your success and yes it is normal to go through what is happening. I know I sound wishy washy but it is so individual.

Here's a suggestion: Why not stick to P90X and do a full round of Classic, instead of just the cardio stuff you're doing? Cardio is great, but P90X is an all around fitness program that works because it includes ALL elements of fitness: Strength, Cardio, Stretch/Yoga. It's the cross training and mixing it up that makes it work.

Another thing a lot of people don't know: Tony Horton often says "Women have to work twice as hard, for twice as long, to get the same results as men." That's truth, because men have a lot more testosterone and can build muscle quicker, and thus we can burn off fat faster too.

My wife saw her biggest changes toward the end of our 2nd round of P90X when she was lifting heavy and pushing hard. That's another key element of P90X: push to your limits. Women often say "I don't want to get bulky," but you can't without very specific training for that and a LONG TIME doing it. P90X won't make you bulky.

You have the programs, you're eating the right amount for it to lose the weight (1600 calories should be about spot on for you), why not dive in and put it to work.

As you can tell I'm somewhat of a believer. I've done 10 full rounds of it, a round of P90X2, 2 of Insanity and 1 of Insanity: The Asylum. I believe in P90X the most because it's all things combined.

Your body is replacing fat with muscle. Muscle takes up less space. Subsequently, you take up less space but weigh the same. It's a good thing.

Technically speaking your body doesn't replace fat with muscle. They are 2 distinct type of tissues. You can burn off some of the fat that is filling those fat cells, or grow the fibers that make up the muscle cells, but one doesn't replace the other.

Also, in most cases, you aren't doing both at the same time, unless you have a LOT of weight to lose. Muscle Hypertrophy requires a caloric surplus, while fat loss requires a calorie deficit. Since you can't be in deficit and surplus at the same time, you're either gaining or losing.

What you are doing with P90X is strengthening those muscles, reshaping and toning them, and if you are just about on a neutral calorie basis, you can burn off a small amount of fat while gaining a small amount of muscle and be the same weight at the end. That is exactly what P90X was designed for, and why the Nutrition Guide says right off the bat that it doesn't create a calorie deficit. It wasn't made for weight loss, but it can be great for it, you just have to create the right calorie deficit to make that happen.