Hi friends! I started Zumba 3 weeks ago, I go 1 hr a day 5X a week, I'm 5'1 and 186 lbs. I don't look fat, I have a pretty flat belly, but I am very big boned and curvy. But although I sweat like craaaazy at zumba and my heart rate goes up tremendously I am not losing any weight, however I have lost 5 inches off my waist. So I'm confused as to why this is happening. Could it be that I actually am losing weight but at the same time building muscle and thats why i don't see a difference on the scale? TIA!
Thank you to everyone who replied!! I feel much better now that I know I'm not doing something wrong. :) I really LOVE Zumba! but I will admit it's been a little dissapointing when i step on the scale and there's no change, but now I think I'll just focus on measuring myself lol
Toned muscles take up less room than blubber. ;-))
When we exercise we are toning muscles and getting rid of flab or blubber. The tighter muscles hold us together better.
Ditch the scale. Throw it out the window (but don't hit any passersby). Your eye and clothes know best. Keep it up girl. (Well, in this case down.)
The scale or weight of a person is not indicative of their size or girth.
Losing inches but getting more toned, is better, than going by the number on your scale.
The reason is simply that muscle weighs more than fat. You're losing inches...fat...but you're also reshaping your body and building muscles elsewhere.
Stop worrying about what the scale says. Take pictures. Pay attention to how you feel when you look in the mirror and how your clothes fit. Those will be your best measurement devices.
Good for you! I don't even own a scale, I just go by how my clothes fit. If you have lost 5" off of your waist, you are definitely doing something right! (Note to self: sign up for Zumba...)
Way to go! I agree with what everybody else has said. You're gaining muscle, which weighs more than fat, so the results aren't showing up on the scale. But evidently they're showing up on your body! Don't obsess about the scale. It sounds as if you're getting healthier, and that needs to be your goal. You could measure your progress by what size clothing you need to buy rather than what the scale says.
That's exactly what you are doing!!! Keep up the good work!
Muscle is denser than fat though it does weigh the same. So as you convert fat into muscle the inches go but the weight remains. You will start losing weight once your body is done building muscle and just burns that fat. :)
Okay just so you know what I mean by weighs the same a pound of fat will take up say one cup, a pound of muscle will take up a half a cup, it is more dense. So on the other side of the equation a cup of muscle will weigh more than a cup of fat. :)
Yes, that is most likely why. Losing inches is way better than reading the scale. Congrats!!
Muscle weights more than fat - use the tape measure, not the scale. Measure your waist, hips, and thighs (areas prone to fat storage in women) and recheck these measurements once a week or once every two weeks. This will be the real truth.
As to someone saying they looked pear shaped from Zumba - it might be due to muscle growth in the legs? Honestly, if your legs are big because you have muscle, there is nothing wrong with that. You'll thank yourself for it when you have no trouble walking at the age of 80!!
I squat with 50 - 60lbs regularly (and going up in weight, woohoo!) and my thighs have not shrunk at all. but they've lost their jiggle! Now if only my butt will lose the jiggle...
Muscle weighs so much more than fat. Just have fun and enjoy feeling great. The scale tells you nothing when you are getting fit!
One quick warning, I've seen Zumba ladies develop a smaller waist and bust, but bigger hips and thighs over time. Especially the ones that don't cut calories. Something about it makes them pearshaped, so dont just measure your waist, measure hips and thighs too.
Now that you have the basic dances down, take it to the next level. If you concentrate on holding your stomach in while doing the dances, you will notice a huge differance. Your stomach will be sore after the workout which is a good thing! Really be mindful of isolating the stomach, hips, butt. Get your stance a little wider, causing you to be in a semi squat. It will really impact your results.
Way to go! Yes, you are losing fat and gaining muscle. Also, whenever I start working out after having been sedentary for a while, it usually takes me at least three weeks to see any actual weight loss. Keep up the good work!
Losing inches is as good as losing weight (if not better!) in my opinion because it means you are losing fat and gaining muscle which makes you leaner, healthier, and gives you a higher metabolism, etc. The number on the scale is not the only measurement of weightloss to go by!
For example, when I was in college I went to Diet Center one summer. I started at 171 and by the time I went back to school in August, I was a slim 135 pounds and wore a size 10. I was a hot M.! LOL Ten years after that, I got hooked on kickboxing. I loved it. I was always asking the instructor for tips on becoming leaner and healthier that I actually hired him to be my trainer. He introduced me to lifting free weights, running and rock climbing. I had muscles I never knew I had! My lowest weight I achieved doing all of that exercise was 145 but I was wearing sizes 4 and 6! I was ten pounds heavier than when I went to Diet Center but wearing 2 and 3 sizes smaller! It was because I had gained so much muscle and was a fat-burning machine!
If you need to drop pounds too, then stick to a sensible diet ( I followed Body for Life by Bill Phillips when I was doing so much exercise then.) of high protein, complex carbohydrates, fruits and veggies. Drink plenty of water and avoid sugar and processed foods completely. The weight will drop off pretty significantly if you keep at it. Good luck!
HTH,
A.
Everyone is right! Keep it up. This is why I dont own a scale. I know when I am losing weight (the fat kind) because I look and feel better, not because my scale tells me so. :)
