Everyday Systems: shovelglove: message 642 of 649

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--- In , "lilwolfe006" <lilwolfe006@y...> 
wrote:
> But, the last three weeks of my weight loss plan have slowed down 

to like minimal minimal losses. I am aware that muscle weighs more 
than fat, but takes up less room - and am okay with that, but I just 
keep telling myself that I can't be developing muscle that quickly.

....Hi Nay :) If Popeye had shovelglove I'm sure he'd use it to open 
cans of spinach! Agahaghahahhahgahh... (popeye laugh sounds LOL)
There is no doubt that your muscles are probably getting much denser 
and stronger with the amount of activity you describe. As for an 
exact amount of time it takes for muscles to "grow" (note we are born 

with a finite amount of muscle fibers in our bodies, so new ones 
don't crop up, just the old ones respond by enlarging...) I wish I 
could give you a great physiological response, and I encourage you to 
look into that further, as will I, but at this moment I don't have a 
good answer.
I assume much depends on the intensity of the exercise..
Don't get frustrated about the weight loss slowing down... Our bodies 
do tend to kick into "self preservation" mode when they sense quick 

and intense changes... Possibly you are holding some extra water 
weight too, but it's likely that your muscles are "leveling things 

off"...
I think the general rule of thumb I vaguely remember is that muscles 
are around 2 and a half times as heavy, as the same volume of fat...
So stick with your assumption that this is why you aren't 
dropping "pounds", rather replacing flab and adipose with toned 

muscles, and I suggest you just applaud yourself for doing such a 
great job, and start keeping track of measuring your waist and 
extremities, as a way to chart changes...
Plateaus do exist. They are frustrating, but with time and 
consistent diet and exercise, they eventually shift into loss again...
Keep up the great work and congrats on your new and improved muscles!
Peace and Love,
Deb