Hi all:

I started P90X about 6 weeks ago. I have been in good shape before so I am not completely new to the world of fitness. I started at 6’2’’ 219 lbs and 25% BF. After 6 weeks I am at 222 lbs and 22.5 BF. I guess I do not understand why I have not lost even some lbs. I am happy with the reduction in BF but even that is less than I expected.

Let me assure everyone that I have followed the program EXACTLY… no shortcuts at all. I am doing p90X classic and using the second level nutrition plan. I have not had even one cheat day with the diet and have even started adding in 1 – 2 days of extra cardio per week. I have been drinking the required amounts of water and hitting the workouts very hard. Has anyone else had less than expected results at this point in the program? Obviously I am going to stick with it but I guess I just want to know if this is normal at all.

Question as a newbie. Shouldn't at your weight, you be eating at a Level 3 and not a level 2? Maybe, because you are pushing your body so hard in the workouts and not fueling it enough your body is holding onto all the fuel it can get.

You said you have been in shape recently and know the world of fitness. How recently exactly? Did you do cardio or weight lifting? How much did you weigh when you were doing weightlifting?

The reason I ask is if you were a lot lighter and only did cardio, your muscles haven't yet adapted to your heavier bodyweight. So you still had your same muscles from when you were lighter and they plateau'd to that weight.

When you gained weight without gaining much more muscle, and then started P90X, your muscles had to kick it into overdrive and really bulk up. When you gain that much muscle, you will gain net weight. Since your bodyfat is going down and your net weight is going up, it means you are packin on the muscle still. As soon as your body gets to the point where it can routinely move your bodymass around without much problem and your only muscle increase comes on weightlifting days, your weight will start to drop rapidly.

Muscle burns more calories than fat does. So right now you are still increasing your muscle content so the weight doesn't change. However, since your muscles are larger now than when they started, they are burning more calories. So once you stop gaining a large amount of muscle every day? You will only be burning off large amounts of calories and you will most likely start seeing something like 3-4lbs a week. So hang in there.

Word to the wise, use the scale as a reminder, not a judgement of progression. Scales don't measure bodyfat/muscle ratios.

The scale is misleading, and if I were you I would not focus on what the scale says too much. The truth is, you have lost fat and gained muscle, which is a lot better looking on a person than just losing fat. You started off at 219 lbs and 25% BF which means you had 54.75 lbs of fat and a lean body mass of 164.25 lbs. Now you are 222 lbs with 22.5% BF so you have 49.95 lbs of fat and a lean body mass of 172.05 lbs. So you have lost nearly 5 lbs of pure fat and replaced that weight with a lot of muscle.

Measurements and pictures are way more beneficial when doing P90X because of all the muscle building and toning, especially if you start the program already relatively fit. For me I am finishing week 11 today and have only lost 2-3 lbs but I have gone from a size 6 pant to a size 2 and sometimes even a size 0, and that is way more motivating to me than some number on the scale! Have you been keeping track of your measurements and taking before/after pics because you will certainly see progress from those!