The Scale Isn't The Whole Picture
It is no secret that fat loss sucks.
It sucks a heinous amount. It's slow. You're hungry. You're tired. It looks so easy for others.
My brother tells me that he's lost 9 pounds in a week. I weighed in a pound down yesterday, and then got it back this morning.
So, while I sit here and groan at myself for my slow moving weight loss, I have to take inventory of what I am seeing since I dialed back my cardio.
1) I am nowhere near as hungry as I was a couple of weeks ago. I could easily eat 6 times a day. I hate eating 6 times a day. Since I've started my cardio "diet", I eat three meals, and I can snack a bit here and there...but I'm only hungry at meal times.
2) Way more energy. I have so much more in my day, and so much more to bring to my workouts. Even on full leg days, I don't feel like I'm about to collapse when I'm done. Not even on my HIIT day. I also enjoy the gym even more. Go figure.
3) I sleep better. I was starting to worry about the fact that falling asleep was becoming more and more difficult. In October, I figured it was due to stress (job loss, job search, etc). But even after settling into a new job that I adore, a few times a week, I would turn to medication to help me...and I didn't like that, at all. The last two weeks, I have fallen asleep within minutes, with no intervention. I call that a win, in itself.
4) My body is changing. Last weekend, I bought 2 new pairs of jeans, and even though they are stretchy, they are a size 8. It has been...a really freaking long time since I've worn a size 8 in pants. I have become the mildly embarrassed owner of a couple of pairs of booty shorts...and they don't look inappropriate on me. Well, I mean, at least, not more than they're supposed to. My plan is to use them as swimwear at the beach next summer. Oh, and my hair isn't falling out as much as it was, last month, either! Just call me, "Rapunzel".
5) I eat a lot of fruit and salad. And I love it. Did you know that watermelon is 140 calories PER POUND? PER POUND! I eat a lot of watermelon.
American Liz (the dear one who advised that maybe running 4 hour long sessions of 80%+ heart rate cardio might be fucking me up), mentioned hormonal stabilization...and I'm thrilled at the fact that bodies can correct the bullshit we impose on them so quickly. Thanks, cortisol.
It's only been 16 days, and so I am doing my best to not get hung up on the fact that my weight is holding pretty stable, drifting between 174 and 175 lbs. The plan is to keep at this for a month, before reviewing further to see if anything else could use a tweak. I'd love to see another 2 pound loss over the next couple of weeks, but I know it doesn't work that way.
Instead, I'll be consistent. I'll be patient. Hard work is rewarded, one way or another. Hell, if I can slip into my jeans a little easier each time, that's a victory, too.
So, feel free to leave comments below! What keeps you motivated and disciplined through this bullshit fat loss journey? How often do you weigh in? How frequently do you check body composition? Take measurements? What surprises have you found along the way?
Hail yourselves!
S
It sucks a heinous amount. It's slow. You're hungry. You're tired. It looks so easy for others.
My brother tells me that he's lost 9 pounds in a week. I weighed in a pound down yesterday, and then got it back this morning.
So, while I sit here and groan at myself for my slow moving weight loss, I have to take inventory of what I am seeing since I dialed back my cardio.
1) I am nowhere near as hungry as I was a couple of weeks ago. I could easily eat 6 times a day. I hate eating 6 times a day. Since I've started my cardio "diet", I eat three meals, and I can snack a bit here and there...but I'm only hungry at meal times.
2) Way more energy. I have so much more in my day, and so much more to bring to my workouts. Even on full leg days, I don't feel like I'm about to collapse when I'm done. Not even on my HIIT day. I also enjoy the gym even more. Go figure.
3) I sleep better. I was starting to worry about the fact that falling asleep was becoming more and more difficult. In October, I figured it was due to stress (job loss, job search, etc). But even after settling into a new job that I adore, a few times a week, I would turn to medication to help me...and I didn't like that, at all. The last two weeks, I have fallen asleep within minutes, with no intervention. I call that a win, in itself.
4) My body is changing. Last weekend, I bought 2 new pairs of jeans, and even though they are stretchy, they are a size 8. It has been...a really freaking long time since I've worn a size 8 in pants. I have become the mildly embarrassed owner of a couple of pairs of booty shorts...and they don't look inappropriate on me. Well, I mean, at least, not more than they're supposed to. My plan is to use them as swimwear at the beach next summer. Oh, and my hair isn't falling out as much as it was, last month, either! Just call me, "Rapunzel".
5) I eat a lot of fruit and salad. And I love it. Did you know that watermelon is 140 calories PER POUND? PER POUND! I eat a lot of watermelon.
American Liz (the dear one who advised that maybe running 4 hour long sessions of 80%+ heart rate cardio might be fucking me up), mentioned hormonal stabilization...and I'm thrilled at the fact that bodies can correct the bullshit we impose on them so quickly. Thanks, cortisol.
It's only been 16 days, and so I am doing my best to not get hung up on the fact that my weight is holding pretty stable, drifting between 174 and 175 lbs. The plan is to keep at this for a month, before reviewing further to see if anything else could use a tweak. I'd love to see another 2 pound loss over the next couple of weeks, but I know it doesn't work that way.
Instead, I'll be consistent. I'll be patient. Hard work is rewarded, one way or another. Hell, if I can slip into my jeans a little easier each time, that's a victory, too.
So, feel free to leave comments below! What keeps you motivated and disciplined through this bullshit fat loss journey? How often do you weigh in? How frequently do you check body composition? Take measurements? What surprises have you found along the way?
Hail yourselves!
S
Comments
Post a Comment