Friday, March 28, 2008

What Gives?

Don't have much time to write this morning before work, but I just got done with my Friday 6am Power Pump class, followed by my weigh-in, and I got the glorious news that I didn't lose a thing this week. I'm even up 0.2 lbs since last week. What the h-e-double hockey sticks?

Every day this week I've burned 200-600 calories more than I've eaten. I've ramped up my weight training again so my muscles are demanding fuel. I wake up hungry every morning. I feel like I'm burning everything that goes in. Yes, I splurged on Easter Dinner last Sunday, and definitely ate more than I expended that day. But not too unreasonably. And Saturday I think I had a few more calories from beer than what I burned for the day. Every other day for the last two weeks I've either come out even or had a negative calorie deficit. So why the heck did the scale not reflect that?

I have a few theories:
1. I didn't run before Power Pump this morning; thus I didn't take care of "business" like I usually do. So that could be a little weight that's usually not included in the Friday Weigh-Ins.
2. I seriously think my body has a lag-time that may be longer than others'/ longer than I want it to be. Back in the days when I was doing seasonal field work, it would seem to take 4-6 weeks of long field days every day before I'd start to notice physical changes such as weight loss and muscle gain. On the converse, once I quit working in the field and would be more sedentary for a while, doing data entry or working in hunting camp, etc., it would usually take again 4-6 weeks before the weight would start to creep back on (because, of course, I would continue eating like I did while doing field work... thus the 10+ lb seasonal fluctuations in weight).
3. Perhaps those 1-2 "cheat days" each week are too much?! Perhaps to kick off some weight loss I need to be uber-strict for a while? Ugh, that'd suck. But I really would like to shed about 5-10 lbs of the extra flab around my mid-section that seems to keep following me through life.

Short of liposuction, does anyone have some suggestions?!

Gotta run! (across the parking lot to a meeting)

3 comments:

Robyn said...

I say you're probably building muscle -- and muscle weighs more than fat. That's why weight is only one indicator of overall health. Ever thought about doing a body fat analysis and tracking those changes? It might provide a more comprehensive picture. In lieu of an analysis, think about how your clothes are fitting. Last year, I only lost ~8-9 pounds, but the look of my body changed significantly and I went down 4 sizes.

Keep the faith, my friend. Bottom line, you ARE getting healthier and that pays dividends that can't be measured on the scale.

Anonymous said...

Hi Carly, I'm with Robyn on this one. You just started swimming and biking regularly, right? You're building new muscles.

In general, though, I feel your frustration and share it too. Some advice for us both: keep a food diary. Even just a simple one. Having to write it down might make us think twice about eating/drinking it. Also, post inspiration on the fridge. No bikini models, perhaps, but quotes, photos -- anything to remind us of the goal and the journey.

I have found I can't have "cheat days." Not that I have to be perfect all the time, but I tend to start rationalizing about scheduling them, then combining half cheat days with other half cheat days ... pretty soon I feel like a cheater. I'm not a cheater, and neither are you.

Instead, I try (key word! not always successful) to plan meals and eat mindfully every day. If I decide to have the cookie dough, I do it, acknowledge it, get over it and move on. Every day is a new opportunity.

I enjoy reading your blog, and I admire your openness and efforts. You WILL get there.

Regards,

Claire in N.C.

p.s. for inspiration this week, check out Runner's World (either online or in print). They have several runners trying to lose weight with running, for various reasons. Blogs included.

mtcurls said...

Hey gals,
Thanks for your encouraging notes. I know I am building muscle. But it's frustrating that the muscle mass doesn't seem to really be replacing the flab mass. I'm still in the same clothes, still feel about the same size. I'm just having a hard time shedding some of the fat spots. Maybe I'm being too impatient-- I want instant results. Maybe I watch too much Biggest Loser. But it's frustrating to not look as badass as I feel.

You're right, Robyn, the non-weight-related benefits are innumerable, in terms of improving my health for the long-term, decreasing my risks for multiple diseases, improving my attitude and energy, etc. But, darn it, I want to lose the spare tire!!!