Adventures in weight loss...

I had gained 10 lbs in the last year, 5 of which came on pretty suddenly when I started having issues with my reproductive health.  I was tired all the time which didn't help at all.  I would get so tired I couldn't make it through 5 minutes on the Cybex machine.  It's not as if my body was responding to the weightlifting, anyway.  

Recently, however, things have begun to turn around.  I'm friends with a couple who like to be adventurous on occasion, and they invited me to hike with them at a local park.  I've always like to rockclimb, but I've never considered myself terribly fond of hiking.  Apparently, I love it...and so does my body.  We did our first hike on Aug 15th, and I've been trying to hike 2-3 times per week.  Since that first hike, I've lost 6.5 lbs!  Hiking for 1.5-2 hours 3 times per week and getting in my 10k steps per day has done more to help me get the weight off than any time I've spent in the gym.  

I'm not sure what to do about my energy levels.  They're still pretty low, but I'm trying to power through and not let up.  Maybe once the excess weight is off, my energy levels will rebound.  

My goal is to shed the extra 10 lbs and then start lifting to get my muscle definition back.

Maybe I'll take photos next time I'm out...

Skinny vs Strong

I read this blog post today, and it really made me think.  It's about body image and the desire to be strong vs the desire to be skinny.  It made me very sad to think that there were probably girls in my classes in high school and while I was teaching drama who felt the way Sophia did. No girl should ever have to feel that to be accepted, she needs to starve herself. The top priority should be health. If you are eating so little that you can't function properly, there is definitely a problem.  

I never really felt pressured to be skinny in high school. To be fair, I WAS skinny in high school. I was slender, but well muscled, because I was a dancer and a swimmer. I never felt remorse (and still don't feel it) over that cheeseburger or piece of cake. I've always had a healthy love of food.

My senior year, I weighed 79lbs, but it was a healthy 79lbs. Before you get indignant and scoff, you have to remember that I am tiny. I'm 4'10" tall, so 79lbs of muscle looked much better on me than 79lbs would on someone who is 5'3".

It's been only recently that I've begun to feel panic about my body. My muscle mass has decreased significantly, and I've gone soft everywhere. When I realized that I was almost 50lbs over what I was in high school, but that it was mostly fat, I was horrified. I still looked okay as long as I was fully clothed, but most of my muscle tone was buried under an increasingly thick layer of fluff and cellulite. And my blood pressure was sky high!

I didn't freak out. Okay, I freaked out a little, but I didn't go on a crazy binge diet. I've simply been eating cleaner and healthier while incorporating three strength training workouts into my schedule. If I have the time, I'll do a Zumba session on my off days.

Since January, I've dropped 20lbs and gained quite a bit of muscle tone in the process. I'm never going to be 79lbs again, and I'm fine with that. I like finally having boobs, frankly. But my body was getting away from me, and it was time to get it reigned in.  That being said, I still have some work to do.  I'm trying to think more in terms of inches than pounds at this point.  I'm building more muscle, so I may not drop any additional weight.  In fact, I may gain a little, and that's just fine.

The fitness roller coaster

I'm so good about being fit and healthy...for a few months at a time.  Then, a switch flips and I sabotage myself.  At the moment, I have several things working against me:

1.)  The scale I was using was out of balance.  WAY out of balance.  So, while I thought I had only gained 20lbs, I had really packed on 30lbs.  Oy.

I really just feel horrible physically right now.  It was fine when I was just 10lbs over my targeted weight.  I could deal with that.  I still felt good, and I was okay with how I looked.  At this point, I'm not okay anymore.  I don't like the way I feel, and I don't like the way I look...Except that I actually have boobs now.  That's always a plus.  But the boobs don't make everything magically better.  I still feel like crap, and I don't really like what I see when I look in the mirror anymore.

2.)  My blood pressure is getting high.  I can feel it every time I workout, creeping up, making my face red.  I've been reading up on it.  Apparently, a 30lb weight gain will do that to you.  I've lost 10 of those pesky 30lbs.  Now, I just need to lose the other 20lbs, and I will be golden.

Sodium intake, of course, also affects blood pressure, and I'm pretty sure I'm having way too much.  For the past three days, I've woken up with swollen feet and fingers.  I'm drinking enough water, but I'm retaining water like a sonofabitch.  It's not pleasant, and it has to stop.

Things have to change, and I have to make those changes now.  I really need to get myself in order.  I don't want to have a heart attack at thirty-one years old.      

3.)  I've been taking aerial for a little over two months now.  I love it, and I'm getting stronger every week.  I can feel it.  I'm just not where I want to be.  So, I'm going to have to kick it up.  The frustrating thing is that I am so sore after one full aerial class that I'm afraid to do anything the next day.  I'm going to look into active recovery and see if I can find a routine that works for me.  I want to maximize my strength building without over-exercising, which is just a glorified form of anorexia - one that is rampant today.

4.)  There is a Whataburger down the street from my house.  I love bacon cheeseburgers.  While they are not reactive for me, I really need to not have it more than once a week or once every two weeks.  It's so difficult.  It's just right there, beckoning to me.  "Libasaurus, come to me.  Partake of my bacon-y, cheesy goodness!"  Oy.

5.)  There is something in bloom right now that is making me puff up like...something that puffs up.  Saturday morning, my eyes were so swollen I could barely keep them open.  I'm also randomly breaking out into hives.  Yay!

6.)  I don't have anyone to hold me accountable for my own health.  My aerial instructor holds me accountable one day a week.  I feel like I'm letting her down if I miss a class, and I'm constantly driven to push myself because she believes in me that much.  I just need that the other six days of the week.  I really do need a fitness buddy.  Or a drill sergeant.  Or Nick Fury.

Argh!  I am so miserable!!!!!!!!

A pleasant surprise...

I am aiming for beginning The Plan next Monday, but I've already lost 10 of the 20 pounds I'd packed on.  I haven't even really changed any of my eating habits. I haven't eliminated any of the foods I usually eat; nor have I limited the amount of food I am taking in.  

So far I've done three things: I picked up the supplements to stimulate my thyroid, cut out soda and started drinking more water and BAM!  A week later, I'm 10 pounds lighter and a great deal less miserable.

Going into this, weight loss was not a huge concern for me.  I did want to get rid of the 20 pounds I had gained, but I just assumed getting my thyroid and hormones under control would result in losing that weight.  Eventually.  I had no idea it would happen this fast.  It makes me even more interested to see how my body is going to respond to The Plan.