It's going to take time...

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I AM FRUSTRATED!
I worked out 4 times last week, only went over my calories once, yet I am still stuck at 167 (only 0.5lbs from my starting weight almost a month ago). How am I supposed to stay motivated if I don't see results?

I'm sure this is a question many people ask themselves as they go through this journey. Gaining weight and becoming a couch potato is easy. Losing weight and becoming fit...not so much. It takes work and when we work we want results. 0.5lbs in 3 weeks is just not a strong enough reinforcer.

So have I given up? Not yet.

While I am definitely discouraged, I keep telling myself that I am following the right prescription and I should see results soon. I am actually stepping up the routine. This week I plan on working out 6 times and I'm going to track my diet even closer. While I haven't lost weight, I have realized how much I enjoy being active and feeling strong.

I've also been lucky to find a friend to go through this with. She started her journey a few weeks before I did and despite the fact that she lives in Hawaii, while I live on the East Coast, we're connected through MyFitnessPal and provide each other with support. She's lost 6 pounds already and keeps telling me to hang in there, because it took her a while before she started shedding pounds. It's nice to hear encouragement and see where I could be in a few weeks.

I'm still frustrated that the scale hasn't budged, but I guess it makes sense. Muscle weighs more than fat or actually a pound of muscle takes up less volume than a pound of fat, so as you convert fat to muscle you may not be losing weight, but you are shaping up and hopefully losing volume. I tested this theory and while my weight has stayed steady I've actually lost 1/2 inch around my waist and 1/2 inch around my hips. Not bad!

I'm also aware that increasing muscle also means increasing my metabolism. Muscle burns more calories than fat. Basically, the more I workout the more effective my body will become at burning calories, which means more calories burned, less stored. So while the pounds may not be coming off just yet, hopefully the fat has been decreasing. It's also motivating to know that shaping up means that I'll be able to do more and doing more means burning more. I've definitely seen the results of that already. The ab exercises feel easier and as my running distance has increased, so has my speed. For example, on June 21 I ran 1.2 miles at a 12:35 min/mile pace and on July 21 I ran 2.0 miles at a 10:57 min/mile pace. Harder, better, faster, stronger! (I should add that song to my running playlist)

Small achievements, that's my new strategy. The scale may not be showing me what I want, but other things are. Losing inches, gaining strength, it's all part of the journey to fitness. Of course I also want to lose 20 pounds, but I think that is the difference between a diet and a lifestyle change: it's more than the pounds and it's going to take time.