Slow, but steady, progress

I started a workout regimen about 3 months ago now.  I've hit some bumps along the way, like the time that I was sick for a week and so I was so drained I could not work out.  And I've had a few mornings where I've decided sleep meant just a little bit more to me than exercise.  But overall I've been getting in a lot more exercise each week than I used to and I'm doing push ups, dips, and sit ups pretty much every day.  I can definitely feel that my body is toning up, and that my arms are getting stronger because not only can I actually do push ups, I can do even more pushups than I used to.  I started only able to do about 5-10 modified (on the knees push ups) and now I can do 10 regular (from the toes) push ups (and over 20 modified)!  I can do twice as many sit ups as I used to as well.  However, despite these signs I'm getting more fit, the scale has been very slow to tell me that I've been making progress. 

For at least the first 1-2 months, I would get up in the morning and weigh myself just to see the scale flutter around the exact same number that I started at.  Sure, it was nice to see that I was not putting on pounds, but it would have been nice if I had started to see them dropping.  Some people tell me you gain weight, or are slow to lose weight, at first when you build muscle because muscle weighs more than fat.  While I do believe that is true I also believe that you will burn more calories down the line if you have more muscle.  So, if I am gaining muscle and strength that's a good thing.  And maybe my clothes are starting to fit just a little bit looser, but the losing weight thing is still a very slow game.  

The good news is that now, about 3 months after starting this routine, I am down about 4 pounds pretty consistently!!  So, while the scale rarely budged earlier, it is slowly ticking downward now. :)

The great thing is although the scale hadn't shown me much progress to boost my confidence, I've been feeling better about myself all along.  I think I noted this in my last post about this new effort of mine to get fit.  Just the fact that I know that I'm regularly exercising makes me feel good about myself.  That I know I'm doing something to make my body stronger and more fit is an invigorating feeling.  And while I'm probably shedding some fat, of course my mommy tummy area is the hardest place to trim down and it's probably going to be the last place that I'll lose anything (if it goes at all!).  

Anyway I've been keeping at it.  Even when things have been so busy as they have this past month (so much going on at work!!), my motivation is still going strong even if it's not been overly rewarded with pounds being shed.  I'll post more updates here when I have time, and hopefully by the next time I post, the scale will have started to go down a little more.