Hi dudes! Bit of a mixed bag of late to be honest! I am stuck in a rut! Sooooo annoying. Been stuck at 155lbs for 4 weeks on the run now and those blasted scales are just refusing to move, even with all the workouts I’m doing and all the tracking and counting and planning! Guys, it is so frustrating!!!!!!! Gained a pound this week, so back up to 156lbs GRRRRRRRR!
Mr Trainer reckons I am not eating enough. This puzzles me as I am sticking to points. Mrs WW Guru thinks I am eating too much of the same things, which also puzzles me as surely the calories are the same so it should equal a loss. Sometimes it feel like there’s no bloody rhyme or reason to this weight loss malarkey! I thought it was supposed to be scientific!!!!
So I am feeling stuck. The thing I struggle with, is that I really have no idea in terms of calories what I take in and what I expend through exercise and whilst inactive. WW activity points are so hit and miss and (I think) inaccurate – and people totally overestimate them. I am forever hearing members say at the scales,things like ‘Well I’ve taken the stairs instead of the lift and walked the dog around the block twice’ and then when they’ve gained, the ‘reason’ is ‘well, I’ve probably built muscle this week with *all* my exercise’. Honestly, that level of self delusion makes me want to SCREAM!!!! Obviously, any level of exercise has to be gradual and built up slowly, particularly if there’s a lot of weight to lose and all that jazz BUT I think we kid ourselves quite often!!! It’s taken me MONTHS to build up bloody muscle!!!! It takes a LOT of exercise to earn activity points!
So, come on you whizz kids – HELP! How do I find out what I am burning calorie wise, to make sure I am eating enough?! Is there a magic formula?!
For example. If I run 4 miles in about 40 minutes, cycle for 20 minutes and row for 15 minutes and then do an hour’s Body Pump class and then an hour’s yoga, what’s the calorie burn?!
What should I be eating AFTER I work out to replenish stocks?? I spend so long in the gym that when I get in at 9pm I don’t WANT to eat a big massive meal!!
OH I AM STRESSING OUT! I seriously need that Jillian Michaels woman to come and live at my house and just advise me!!
PLEAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSE comment with your wise words dudes!!!
On a far more positive note, I had to get on the dreaded scales of doom at my PT session last Friday. Now, let me preface this by saying that I *think* I am full-on hormonal at the moment (sorry if this is TMI but er hello get used to it!! Lol) and thus feel like the side of a house. Suffice it to say that I was somewhat reluctant to stand on that stupid machine whilst it pinged electricity around my body to gauge all the fat and visceral fat and metabolic age and lean muscle and hydration and all that hoo haa………but BOY AM I GLAD I DID!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is with great shame that I must inform you that when I began training with my PT in March, the metabolic age of my poor body was…..dunh, dunh,dunnnnnnnnhhhhh…..FORTY BLOODY NINE!!!!!!!!!!!!! And in the obese category… I was then THIRTY YEARS OLD!!!!! OH. EMM. ACTUAL.GEE. I am EXTREMELY glad that he refrained from sharing this particular gem of information with me, as it would have most certainly tipped me over the edge!
I am now 31 years old (*sob*), and in 7 months I have lowered my metabolic, big fat pie age to….wait for it…..THIRTY THREE! Thirty freaking THREEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! In 7 months I have sweated, sit upped, ab curled, run, stepped, cross trained, lifted, pumped, cried, moaned, told my PT to shut up and then done it anyway, and hard-worked my way to knocking 16 whole years off my body’s age!!
Apparently, Metabolic age is a “number that comes from comparing your Basal Metabolic Rate with the Basal Metabolic Rate average of your chronological age group. Depending on how you compare, you are assigned a metabolic age number that can be lower or higher than your chronological age. A metabolic age younger than your chronological age generally means that you are fitter and in better health than the average, the lower the age the better in shape you are. An older metabolic age points towards being less healthy and fit than your peers and if it’s much older than your chronological age this should be considered a wake up call." (www.purelifestyle.co.uk)
Clearly there’s still a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng way to go but HOW GOOD IS THAT ! That’s the best indicator I’ve had YET that I am on the right track and finally I feel a little as if the spell that scale has cast upon me for so long has been broken. It’s kind of about more than just a number every Saturday morning!!! I need to know I am getting healthier. Chris the PT said I should try and view exercise not just about weight loss. Easy for him to say,, he’s not inside my head – the head that still translates images of super-skinny girls as ‘beautiful’ and ‘desired’. I’m reeeeeeeeeeeeealllly trying to change that but it’s kind of ingrained, y’know? Even with weight loss, I have a ‘sensible’ weight loss goal in my head that I publicly will share, but then I actually think in my head that I have a ‘real’ weight loss goal that is quite a bit different than that!!!
ARGHHHHHH I am a total Muppet!!! Get your head in the game Elizabeth! I realised this week that I am still so motivated by the aesthetics of weight loss – for all my jibber-jabbering about the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle! I WILL NOT BE RULED BY THAT SCALE OR BY A WARPED MENTAL IMAGE OF WHAT I *THINK* I SHOULD LOOK LIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, as I said, mixed bag – all sorts of insane emotions are spinning about – I almost miss my Depo Provera induced nullified emotional state!! HAHAHA (– not really!!)
Ok, so onto the planning for the week….
Tonight I work late, so will do my brand spanking new weights and core programme from my PT, as I won’t have time at 9pm to get to the gym for a class or a run. (memo to me GET A FLUORESCENT JACKET TO RUN IN AT NIGHT!) then Wednesday is all new running programme (intervals and something called ‘clocks’ which I have never heard of – keep ya posted) then Body Pump and Pilates. I am making warm quinoa salad tonight for dinner and having leftovers tomorrow for lunch, PLUS my grocer shop gets delivered this evening so Old Mother Hubbard I will be no longer! No major plans for the weekend – had a wonderful Saturday night with my friend Karen in Liverpool having elegant cocktails all night. So a quiet one this week. God, it’s only Tuesday and I am already thinking about the weekend! MADNESS!!!
Right – must dash – gotta go counsel some young people. Maybe I’ll CBT myself while I am at it!!!!
Love to you all xoxox
7 comments:
lol...haha I love your posts. Listen my friend...155 is bloody fantastic! BUT I do understand feeling frustrated. Maybe you should take it a bit easier with the working out for a bit. I mean...keep working out but not as much. You probably aren't taking in enough calories and God knows I don't know how to adjust eating with massive exercise. I see people at WW lose tons of weight just from walking...weird.
Anyhow...lol at the lazy buggers at your meetings who are proud of walking up stairs and WTG! on the new metabolic age! You're getting there.
PS. Maybe you should get a HRM? They help a lot to figure out calorie out-take.
OMG. Your description of how frustrated you are about the scale not budging even though you're eating healthy and exercising sounds exactly like what I was going through last year. I finally decided to get answers for real and I did. I went and got MY metabolic rate tested. I found out that resting, I burn 1300 calories when someone of my age and size (32, 5ft0in, 180lbs when I got it done) normally burns 1800 at least. Hmmmm. So, armed with that information and instruction to buy a heart rate monitor and change my cardio routine, I crunched my numbers to find out what I needed to do to make it work for me. Cardio needed to change to be lower intensity for longer duration (very important). Instead of crazy super psycho elliptical, I hang out around 145 HR for 45mins to an hour. IT WORKS! And, I maintain a 1,400 calorie diet. When I dip below that for more than one day, my body won't shed anything but if I manage to stay around it, the pounds are melting away. Of course, I do have to work twice as hard as others to get the same results but at least I'm able to get those results for all my hard work. Oh and also, it's good to have one day every week or two when you go a little higher in your calorie intake so your body doesn't go into maintenance mode. So my rule (rough rule) is 1,400 calories 6 days, then I'm allowed as much as 1,700 one day. I'm down 8.8 lbs in 6 weeks. ;)
Oh yay! I saw your comment about the Les Mills classes and I can't wait to compare! Now listen, I have major gym anxiety- am I gonna be the only out of shape fool in these classes? They sound so hardcore.
As for your problem with knowing how much food intake you need with all that working out, I'd say ask for a heart rate monitor for Christmas! Then you'll know closer how many calories you burn. You get 1 AP for every 100 calories you burn, so say with all that working out, you're burning 600 calories or so (just a random number), then maybe try eating half those APs. And don't worry about fitting them all in at 9pm. Maybe on days when you KNOW that will be your workout, have a bigger lunch.
I know it's not scientific, but I *do* think switching up WHAT you eat and getting out of the rut of eating the same things all the time does do something for your body in terms of weight loss. Good luck! I'll keep you posted on the Les Mills classes! :)
whew - the hardest part is figuring it all out when in the end, there really is no right or wrong way to do it. All that counts is that you keep pushing - because guess what? Whether or not the scale moves, for the rest of your life, your gonna keep working out and being conscious of what you eat. So settle in lady, it's a long road ahead of us.
Kerry - LMAO at your use of 'lazy buggers' PERFECT!!!! Am researching HRM as I type!! And I dont think I can quit exercising!! ADDICTED!!!! love ya dude xx
Salina - amazing words of wisdom! THANK YOU! Im gonna ask my trainer what he reckons!
Beautiful Bri - HEY GORG!!! Thanks for the comment - can't wait to Les Mills it up with ya!! I've switched up what i eat this week as suggested so we will see at the scales on sat *gulp*
and finally my beeyootiful jen, oh how i love u! you always hit the nail on the head - thanks for the 'suck it up' message!!!! xxx
Ya know, 155 is pretty darn impressive. Sounds like you are doing great. I can totally understand your frustration (been there, done that....still there). You may be interested in trying Weight Watcher's Wendie Plan. I'm currently maintaining and gaining 'cuz I'm just not following the program like I should, but I have successfully used the Wendie Plan in the past to skip over those horrible plateaus. Good luck to you, and AMAZING JOB on the exercise!
Hey Beautiful Fairy Princess - I was also thinking of asking for an HRM (not HRT!) for Christmas. I'll have to do the research but let Juan do the buying in Vancouver. x
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