MS10: Week 1 Check In

Ho hum. This week's check in is proving that this week is just a continuation of my struggles as of late. For today's check in, I'm up 1.8 pounds which is exactly what I lost last week, putting me back to the exact weight I was at two weeks ago. Am I making bad choices and not knowing it? I feel like I've eaten exactly on target for the past two days but I've gained weight. I haven't been logging my food, so it's totally possible that calories, fat, and/or carbs are sneaking in under the radar. Sneaky buggers! For milestone 10, I going to go back to faithfully logging everything I eat.

The good news is that I've not faltered on my exercising. I've exercised when I didn't want to. When I didn't feel like it. At the butt-crack of dawn to fit it into my schedule. My stamina and endurance have improved. I'm using an 8 inch riser for the entire step aerobic session (45 minutes) and I've increased the speed, resistances, and incline on machines like a treadmill or my elliptical. Weight training wise, I've also shown improvements. I'm lifting heavier weights (up to 70 pounds on a chest press), and I can tell (probably no on else could) that I have more muscle definition in my arms and chest. In my arms it's more about being able to feel the muscle than see it. In the chest, I can actually see it. I'm sure it's there in other areas too (legs, abs) but it's just hidden beneath the fat. I need to drop more pounds in order to see it.

As my friend Joely has recently blogged, Every Day is Day One. Maybe if I live and act as if every day is day one of this journey, I'll regain some of the drive and motivation of the early days -- when I could drop 1.5-2 pounds on a regular basis. I'm definitely struggling and it's a huge mental challenge. I'm afraid that if I don't feel like I'm moving forward, I'll lose my motivation and willpower completely. I don't want that to happen so I'll try anything to help find and keep my drive.

Renee and I talked about this last week and she asked me to keep two things in mind. 1) as long as I continue to lift at the same level as I do now, I'll likely never hit the 'target range' for my height. Her exact words were "You'd be amazed and surprised at how much a strong person weighs". Muscle (lean tissue) weighs more than fat and 140 is just never going to be me. 140-145 would be the middle of the target range for my height. 2) the last 25 pounds are at least twice as difficult to lose as the first 25 pounds -- maybe 3 times harder. It will also take, maybe, twice a long. Which would mean that even 4-5 pounds over six weeks is still really good. If I couple the fact that I'll probably never hit the target range with where I am today, I'm definitely working on the last 25 pounds. Intellectually, I think I understand the difficulties I'm facing. My emotions just need to catch up.

Until later . . .

Think Smart. Eat Well. Move More.