Weighing Me Down
I nearly choked Monday morning - when I got on the scale! I was 2 pounds HEAVIER than when I started this weight loss goal 2 weeks ago. SIGH....I could rationalize the heck out of this new number and convince myself and whoever else is listening that "Oh, I'm bloated" "It's that time of the month" "My clothes still fit, so it must be water retention" "It's not what you weigh, it's how your clothes fit." BINGO! Let me tell you, my clothes may still fit, but I don't look the same as I did 8 pounds ago! There is no rationalizing there!
As a fitness aside - weighing in every day may be a tool that keeps you on track. It definately helps me. There is controversy in the fitness industry on this subject. But, I am an advocate of getting on the scale every morning, buck naked (too much info!) before a morsel goes in my mouth. My personal and professional experience has been that weighing yourself regularly is mentally beneficial. There are some professionals out there that would scream, "run from that trainer. She knows not what she speaks!" Oh really? I wonder if THAT trainer has battled the bulge his or her entire life. Any trainer can learn the tricks of the trade through a textbook. It's first hand experience that has established my position.
So YES, weighing in every day can make you feel really crappy about yourself because a) You don't weigh any less than yesterday; or b) You weigh MORE than yesterday and that is not where you want to go. Well, to me, it's all about attitude. Was I p_ssed when I saw 3 more pounds? Absolutely. But who's fault is it? When you are honest with yourself, the answer is: It's your fault. Granted, I have told clients from time to time that it's not what you weigh, it's how your clothes fit. 'Tis true - if your clothes fit BETTER, then don't sweat the scale. But you will know if the scale is telling you to get serious or if it is telling you "you're good!"
So getting back to me (boRING!) I definately had an epiphany that morning. I had been following the "plan" fairly well but there was definate room for improvement. I also indulged all weekend so I had a cheat weekend instead of a cheat day! So I knew I needed to really be diligent for the rest of the 3rd week of the plan. I could have given up when I saw that hideous number! Instead, I became more determined to accomplish this goal. So for the next 3 days, I followed the plan to a T. Guess what the scale said this morning (Saturday), 5 days later? I was down 4 pounds from Monday! (And I had my cheat day on Friday this week!) I am actually down 2 pounds in 3 weeks. Is it an understatement to say this sure is a wiggly road getting from point A to point B?
The way I see it, 2 things happened here, 1) I followed the plan to the letter for the next 3 days which got my metabolism back on track and 2) the "cheat to lose" syndrome kicked in. This has happened to me several times over the years and it has left me scratching my head. Then I started sharing the phenomenon with clients and some said they have had the same experience! I found the scientific answer in The Cheat To Lose Diet by Joel Marion.
Studies are showing that the body needs a day of higher calories after several days of lower calories to coax the metabolism to release the fat in your cells. Essentially, a few days after a cheat, when the initial water bloat from the calorie surplus has faded, you will find that weight and body fat have measurably decreased. I won't bore you with the scientific details of why that happens (Read the book. It explains it very well) but it has been my experience both personally and professionally that this is true. Obviously, it won't happen if you give up and don't start following your plan again.
One last thing. I worked out this morning with the great ladies at Shoreline Focus on Fitness (Lori Marriott's bootcamp) and I was paired up with a woman named Margaret. We were commiserating about getting up so early to come to the bootcamp and she said, "I knew if I skipped it and slept in, I would be mad at myself all day." You know what? Margaret gets it. You need to make regular workouts a priority - so much so that you are driven to do things like get up earlier to get the job done. Do you know how fantastic it feels to workout early and not have to fight with yourself all day about setting aside the time? Or worse yet, be mad at yourself all day for not doing it at all?
BTW - isn't it great to have another reason to LOVE Cheat Day! See you next week.
As a fitness aside - weighing in every day may be a tool that keeps you on track. It definately helps me. There is controversy in the fitness industry on this subject. But, I am an advocate of getting on the scale every morning, buck naked (too much info!) before a morsel goes in my mouth. My personal and professional experience has been that weighing yourself regularly is mentally beneficial. There are some professionals out there that would scream, "run from that trainer. She knows not what she speaks!" Oh really? I wonder if THAT trainer has battled the bulge his or her entire life. Any trainer can learn the tricks of the trade through a textbook. It's first hand experience that has established my position.
So YES, weighing in every day can make you feel really crappy about yourself because a) You don't weigh any less than yesterday; or b) You weigh MORE than yesterday and that is not where you want to go. Well, to me, it's all about attitude. Was I p_ssed when I saw 3 more pounds? Absolutely. But who's fault is it? When you are honest with yourself, the answer is: It's your fault. Granted, I have told clients from time to time that it's not what you weigh, it's how your clothes fit. 'Tis true - if your clothes fit BETTER, then don't sweat the scale. But you will know if the scale is telling you to get serious or if it is telling you "you're good!"
So getting back to me (boRING!) I definately had an epiphany that morning. I had been following the "plan" fairly well but there was definate room for improvement. I also indulged all weekend so I had a cheat weekend instead of a cheat day! So I knew I needed to really be diligent for the rest of the 3rd week of the plan. I could have given up when I saw that hideous number! Instead, I became more determined to accomplish this goal. So for the next 3 days, I followed the plan to a T. Guess what the scale said this morning (Saturday), 5 days later? I was down 4 pounds from Monday! (And I had my cheat day on Friday this week!) I am actually down 2 pounds in 3 weeks. Is it an understatement to say this sure is a wiggly road getting from point A to point B?
The way I see it, 2 things happened here, 1) I followed the plan to the letter for the next 3 days which got my metabolism back on track and 2) the "cheat to lose" syndrome kicked in. This has happened to me several times over the years and it has left me scratching my head. Then I started sharing the phenomenon with clients and some said they have had the same experience! I found the scientific answer in The Cheat To Lose Diet by Joel Marion.
Studies are showing that the body needs a day of higher calories after several days of lower calories to coax the metabolism to release the fat in your cells. Essentially, a few days after a cheat, when the initial water bloat from the calorie surplus has faded, you will find that weight and body fat have measurably decreased. I won't bore you with the scientific details of why that happens (Read the book. It explains it very well) but it has been my experience both personally and professionally that this is true. Obviously, it won't happen if you give up and don't start following your plan again.
One last thing. I worked out this morning with the great ladies at Shoreline Focus on Fitness (Lori Marriott's bootcamp) and I was paired up with a woman named Margaret. We were commiserating about getting up so early to come to the bootcamp and she said, "I knew if I skipped it and slept in, I would be mad at myself all day." You know what? Margaret gets it. You need to make regular workouts a priority - so much so that you are driven to do things like get up earlier to get the job done. Do you know how fantastic it feels to workout early and not have to fight with yourself all day about setting aside the time? Or worse yet, be mad at yourself all day for not doing it at all?
BTW - isn't it great to have another reason to LOVE Cheat Day! See you next week.
posted by Joey at
9:49 AM
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