Early Discouragement!!!

[RichLile11]

It may be a little early in the routine to tell but ive been working out/dieting for about 3 weeks now. At the start of the first week i didnt have all the right nutrition down but now I think i have a good pattern that works for me but may be hindering me in the end. Im 5'10" 265 lbs and my goal is to get to around 200. I know that cardio is a key component in losing the most weight and I dont do enough of it yet. I at least thought that with proper diet and weight training that I would be dropping some of the excess fat and at least seeing some results. Could it be that since muscle weighs more than fat and im new starting out at lifting that Im gaining lbs of muscle as fast as i lost the fat. Ive posted a round about sample of my diet on the diet thread for all to see and critique. Any advice or encouragement would be appreciated. Thanks

[Sonny]

You have a good goal but remember it took time to get to 265, it will take time to get to 200. I can not give great advice on losing weight but at first don't worry so much what the scale says. There is no magic number. You body is going through recomposition. The mirror test is good. You will see progress, this will keep you motivated. Some days you will be heavier, some days light, some days bloated some days not. Stick with the training and a few months down the road you will need new cloths. Best of luck man!

[CTDeuce]

I was once at 285 and 38%bf and i'm now at 213 with 23%bf. That took a year to get to...not 3 weeks. Take your time and enjoy life. The results will come, just don't cheat yourself out of them. Good luck.

[KinesitionChirossage]

What I always tell people is to give the middle finger to the scale. The scale ultimately has a greater propensity to cause depression than satisfaction. I pretty much become infuriated when I look at the scale, so I just don't do it. Your body will be going through some drastic changes for quite some time as long as you continue with this healthy lifestyle. The tell-tell sign(s) of your big "change" is going to be how clothes look and feel, as well as others' comments. Usually friendly people in your life will always be quick to comment if you have lost some weight. It's a pretty damn good feeling.

What I would do for fun (this is something I wish I would have done during my big weightloss) and for record keeping purposes, would be to take a picture, or two of yourself every single day of week. Every week in the month and every month during the year. That was you will have permanant visual confirmation of your changes.

If after a couple of months you feel that there has not been any positive changes in your appearance/feelings, then us guys around here could help your re-evaluate your diet, training, supplementation, etc. Also, a lack of changes could be beyond the scope of this post. It could then be related to your whoremoans. But, that is a whole nother game that is not necessary to really touch on.

Just keep on, keepin' on man! You'll get 'er done!

[bmoremade26]

discouragement will only set u back u keep getting up no matter what happens in life we all gain and lose weight just keep fighting i was 400 lbs and now i stay at a bodyfat of 7 to 12 percent all the time so it can be done it just depends how bad u want something

[RichLile11]

Thanks guys for the advice and I really like the spelling of "whoremoans". I already feel better since my diet has changed and I can see proof that my body is becoming more tone and my muscles have grown rapidly. I'll shy away from the scale as much as possible and keep my goals on track. Thanks:D

[IfNotI]

I'll agree with everyone and say that the scale most often never gives an accurate depiction. On top of that you may just be a slower loser, I personally will take 3 or 4 weeks before I notice a difference in the mirror and the scales even with good cardio and diet. When it does kick in however it comes off fast. I also find it helpful to stagger my calories, I have a tendency to adapt to low calorie cutting diets pretty quickly.

[ShiftyCapone]

I'll agree, the scale sucks... But it has its place.

But I think the mirror sucks too. I mean, honestly, how many times do you look at yourself in the mirror each day? At least twice while showering (before and after), in the gym and then any other random time. If you have a goal of losing a lot of weight, I think you generally look for what needs to change in your current reflection. And when seeing yourself in the mirror each and every day, you tend to overlook how much you've changed so far. You get too caught up in what you want to change from you're current appearance as opposed to what you have already changed. Thats kind of disheartening and can definitely make you stumble off the path of your goal.

So, as gay as it sounds, I think taking a couple pictures every month or two would help the most. You can put them side by side and see how much progress you've actually made. Thats the best feeling in the world right there...

[ZULND3R]

i agree with the others. the scale will only discourage you from continuing. its all about how you look and feel, not how much you actually weigh (scales don't take into account body fat %). If you were just to calculate my BMI based on my weight and height i would be very overweight. If you are lifting heavily and consistantly, you might be gaining some muscle weight, which is more dense than fat. Either way, it takes a long time to lose weight, don't expect results immediately