This is my third week into a healthier me and I am incensed about the scale remaining stagnant.  I thought for sure since I stopped eating all my favorite junk foods and tossed out the soda; some of the weight would melt away.  I even started eating fish, more veggies and fruits.  All I drink is water and diet teas.  Yet, the scale has not changed one iota. The last time I attempted weight-loss  I was dropping the pounds.  My first week I think I dropped 8 pounds.  The second around 4 or 5.  In my fourth week, I was  at a 20 pound weight loss.  What is more crazy is while I did remove a lot of the unhealthy foods, I found “healthier junk food”.  For instance,  my favorites were veggies chips I found at Sprouts ,Weight Watchers English Toffee Crunch Ice Cream Bars, and Sun Chips Garden Salsa. I drank diet Mountain dew, Coke Zero, and Lipton Lemon-Lift Tea with Splenda.  In addition, while I did give-up fried foods, I still ate lean red meat and the occasional steak.  I am a meat and potatoes type of girl, so this life-style was still right up my alley.

But thinking back, I was exercising at an extreme pace.  I was going to the gym two times a day. Once in the morning and once in the afternoon. I rode my bike and I did dance aerobics at home.  I was also lifting weights three times a week.  This lasted for six months until I got sick.  I think I stayed sick so long because I pushed myself to the extreme. When I recovered, I didn’t really get back into the swing of things. Back then, I did change my life style but not my mind-set.  I didn’t realize it them but as they say hindsight is 20 20.

This time around, while I have built on the life style change, I have a mind-set change. I am starting to think in healthier terms.  I don’t even consider looking for healthier junk food.  True healthy foods are delicious if you give them a chance.  I have fallen back in love with fruits and veggies.  It is almost as if my taste-buds have changed because I never knew how good fruit and veggies could be.  This is not to say I still don’t have a sweet tooth. Far from it so yogurts, and sweet fruits fill the need. As far as my workout regime,  I have more rest days to allow my body to recover. I only go to the gym once a day for cardio and then twice a day on strength days.  I only go twice on strength days because I go to the gym with hubby to support him. He doesn’t work out as much as I do yet.

Comparing the two weight loss attempts, I feel healthier  now and I know I am stronger this time. The calories I am burning in a 65 minute cardio session is nothing like I have ever done before. At week 3, I am burning more calories in a shorter amount of time then what I did at 6 months last time  This is shocking to say the least, but I am listening to my body and getting into my rhythm.  I am enjoying doing my cardio so much (with my favorite tunes) it is almost as if I am dancing while working out.  Sure, I get people starting at me.  I image they may be staring because I am big, or they wonder how can a big girl  can go at that pace for 60 mins, or maybe that they think, damn she sure is singing and having a good time working out.  No, I am not singing out loud.  (At least I hope not).  I just ignore them and keeping on working out.

So the question is why do I still care about what the scale reads if I am progressing on the path to a healthier me and  I feeling better and stronger?  The answer; because I am a results person and I want to see results.  This is still my internal battle. Unfortunately I am still holding on to the belief that the scale is the most accurate and revealing measurement for weight loss.  Of course, I know I am wrong, but the heart wants what the heart wants.  I am trying to change this train of thought but change takes time and I am still a work in progress.

I do believe I have found the root cause of my failure to remove the pounds.  I am not eating enough, which is insane.  I have meditated on what I have been doing and reviewing my food logs and noticed; I just don’t eat enough to balance the calories I burn and it is hindering my weight-loss.  I am burning roughly over  3750 calories a week. This means I should be eating over 1900 calories, 200 carbs, 45 fat, and 60 a day.  I was only average approximately 1700 calories, low carbs, and high fat.  After my analysis,  I made the appropriate changes then low and behold, the scale finally changed.  Granted, it wasn’t a significant change, but I am ok with that. I just wanted to see progress on the scale.  No weight-loss just drives me crazy.

Reflecting on my weight-loss last time and how I did it, I guess I had one thing half right, eating.  I was eating enough to balance out my extreme work-out regimen.  I never considered the method successful because I didn’t give up all of my junk food, I just found alternatives.   In fairness,  I will note, this time although the weight is not melting away like butter, I do see changes in my body.  My mid-section is getting smaller and my caboose (as my husband call it) is getting shorter.  My clothes are fitting and some are too big. My energy has definitely increased. I think even my hair is healthier.  At least to me it seems to shine and be more curlier.

The start of my week four is coming up tomorrow and I am excited to be on the right path to a healthier me.  Now all I have to do is stop getting on that darn scale, trust the process and the improves in my health and body.  That of course is the end-game, not just weight-loss.

References

 Safeway.com   Link:  http://shop.safeway.com/

SparkPeople   Link: http://www.sparkpeople.com

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