Update from a Newbie

[CACovington]

I changed my diet and started an organized workout plan at the beginning of October. I am working on going full Paleo. I had been researching a lifestyle change for quite a while and when I started making changes I thought I might have difficulty quitting my bad eating habits but to my surprise I have found I am fine with it. It is like my brain doesn't even want the bad stuff. I guess the blood test results and knowing what all that crap is doing to my body has had a profound affect on me. I also came to the realization that much of the bad stuff I was eating was out of habit and not a need or even a want. For example I was buying fountain soft drinks almost daily and never drinking them. I was spending money on stuff that I didn't even use and realized I don't even like the taste of soft drinks. What was I doing. This made me think more deeply about other things I was doing and so changes have been made.

As I have gone through the last 3 weeks of changing my eating and adding Jillian Michaels 90-day challenge I have to fight myself daily from getting on the scale. I promised myself I was going to weigh monthly but I want to see results and I want to see them now! Problem is when I do get on the scale there is no change. What the heck is going on? I am being mostly good and working out; hard. Here is some happy news: even though I have not seen a change on the scale I did see a change this morning. I put on a pair of pants that I wore at the beginning of the month. They were a bit tight that day. Not today. In fact; I had on thermal leggings underneath and they were still not too tight!!! Amazing and a great thing to discover on my birthday.

I guess I need to relax and just let healthy habits do their thing.

[shoobie]

First and foremost, Happy Birthday!!!

From what i could get, you did not work out before did you? or maybe not as much? either way, you are gaining muscles. Muscles weigh more than fat, so even if you are losing fat, the scale will not tell you that. The best thing is to use a measuring tape. Take measurements of your hips, thighs, waist, hips, neck and so on... They will show you a more accurate result than a scale... well at least one you can "see" the changes... Also, your weight can vary about 5 pounds in a day... so don't over stress about it.. Just keep your healthy habits and make them second nature!

Good luck!

[CACovington]

Thanks Shoobie

I am going to keep on keepin on. I will reach my goal and then make new ones to meet.

[Hiraedd]

Happy (belated) birthday, CA, and welcome to the rebellion! Congrats on the looser pants -- I know it's frustrating to wait for results, but in some ways it is a blessing...fast results would mean no habits built to carry them through to make permanent changes in your life. This isn't about dropping weight quick, it's about doing it right and doing it permanently, and so you are totally on the right track. As for the eating, I have experienced something similar -- and although it has its frustrating moments (WHAT DO YOU MEAN I DON'T LIKE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES ANYMORE?!?!?!?) it has also been a very positive thing.

Everyone battles their weight in different ways; for some, weighing in everyday and tracking it on a program like the Hackers Diet to even out the fluctuations (it takes a 10 day average of your weight imputs) works. For others, pictures and measurements are a weekly or monthly progress charting. Whatever makes you LESS neurotic is definately the way to go, so see what works best for you. Just make sure you're charting some things as "progress" other than your weight, like how your clothes fit, your energy level, how healthy your diet is, how many minutes of exercise you can do at a particular intensity, how far/fast you can run, etc. Weight loss is not the be all and end all of a healthy lifestyle.

Give your body some time to catch up! It has taken me almost 3 months of really hard work to notice an appreciable difference in how my clothes fit...don't rush the process. In fact, to quote you "I guess I need to relax and just let healthy habits do their thing." <--- precisely

Good luck with your goals!

[CACovington]

Thanks Hiraedd, I really love the helpful motivation and positivity (is that a word?) of everyone I have encountered here. I have been part of different website groups and this is my fav so far. Now my new favorite things are Nerd fitness and Jillian Michaels and eating Paleo. I just feel so much healthier when I eat right and I feel stronger and more stable when I lift weights with Jillian. I am taking monthly pics and weights. I am going to check with the nurse at work on Thursday and have my body fat done and check that monthly also. You gotta have a plan right? Thanks to everyone for letting me be part of this group, you are all so awesome.

[Laureleye]

I too was amazed that after a couple of weeks, all of that junk just didn't look that good anymore. You are right, this is an amazingly positive group of people. Happy birthday and congratulations on looser pants. That's the result that really counts.