Tuesday, March 22, 2011

See what had happened was...

...you know usually when somebody says those 5 words, they are either about to tell a lie, or make an excuse, lol.

Well, I'm not going to lie, but I am going to say something some might feel is an excuse, but I stand behind it.

I've decided to take a scale hiatus. I took the scale out of my house and put it in the trunk of my car.

I'm not taking a hiatus from losing weight or eating healthy/exercising, but I just am frustrated with the scale and have decided that I will not weigh-in until 4/11/2011. That's a 4-week break to get my mind right. For the last few weeks, it seems like I've been losing and gaining the same few pounds and the apprehension I felt coming up to Mondays was starting to weigh on me (no pun intended). I felt a sense of disappointment when I did what I was supposed to do and would get on the scale and didn't see what I wanted to see.

Losing weight is hard. Anyone who tells you it's not is a damn lie. There is an entire mental component when you have to lose a large amount of weight, especially when you first get started. For me, outside factors that affect my emotions also affect my weight loss. When I'm stress or sad, my motivation is lacking. When my motivation is lacking, any perceived failure is devastating and completely throws me off my game. I have to get my focus back. I have to rememeber why I'm doing this. I need to get back and make it interesting and make it "fun" (as fun as it can be) and not think about it like such a chore.

I still have a goal in mind, I will still track my food and remain accountable and I will still blog. :)

6 comments:

  1. I'm the same way, though, I have to stop looking at exercising as a chore. I was doing awesome for a month or 2 and then one day I just stopped... here it is like 3 weeks later and I'm having to slowly bring exercising back into my routine.

    I actually think your idea to not weigh is a great idea, so long as you stick to your weight loss. I thought about not weighing for 2-4 weeks myself, just to have to "wow!" factor when I weighed again, because I'm getting too used to seeing approx. a 2lb loss every week, and while that is great, I do wish it was more. (Hence the reason I -really- need to start exercising again).

    Anyway, keep it up and good luck to you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is tough. But I would encourage your to instead of tracking weight right now, track measurements. Weight can fluctuate for a variety of reasons! (you blinked wrong (lol), TOM, ate too much salt, water weight, etc) I was about to throw in the towel during the first 8 weeks of my weight loss based on my weight...until i took my measurements...and realized that I had lost a total of 10 inches!! - and how are your workouts going?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I feel you. I hear you. I don't want you to get discouraged. But for me, stepping away from the scale helped me put pounds back on. Is there a way to divorce yourself from what the actual reading is? I mean, to look at it as information rather than a judgment? (I am saying this, but am not sure I could do this my damn self.) If not...measure.

    And don't be afraid to change things up. If it's not working and you are, it's the plan- not you.

    xo
    13

    ReplyDelete
  4. Funny thing is: I haven't stepped on my scale either. I seem to be doing the same exact thing. I"ll get down a few pounds, then BAM, here they come creeping back up on me again. So I just focus on doing what I"ve been doing and sticking to that. I think monthly weigh ins are something I'm going to strive for, cuz weekly weigh in's can be a b*tch! Forreal! And you also have to realize (cuz I have to realize this myself all the time) most of the time, I'm losing water weight and then when I see a gain, it's cuz my fat is turning into muscle. So keep that in mind. you're body is almost doing like a recycle type method where it gets rid of the bad and brings in the good. As I always tell my Soldiers, STAY MOTIVATED!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I agree with the other comments. I think you should have some other quantifiable measure other than the scale. Tape measure is a great idea, but so is tracking your % body fat. Then you'll know when you're gaining muscle and when you're gaining fat (or losing muscle instead of fat). I haven't done this yet, but I want to. I think you're doing great. If you can, also go to the doctor to get all your numbers (BP, glucose, cholesterol (good & bad), triglycerides, etc) so that you can see how changing your habits is affecting you internally. If you don't lose a single pound, but lower your bad cholesterol and raise your good cholesterol, that's a victory! There's more to getting healthy than the scale. Keep tracking, keep exercising! I'm cheering for you!! *PJ pom poms* ;)

    ReplyDelete