The more I educate myself about weight loss and fitness – the more I learn that the numbers on the scale don’t mean a whole lot. Take a look at the picture that shows 5lbs of fat and 5 lbs of muscle (see below.) Do you see how much more space the fat takes up? So….imagine, you replace 5 lbs of fat with 5 lbs of muscle….you look leaner and your clothes fit better and you feel pretty darn good about yourself – until you step on the scale. If you’re like most women (myself included) you NEED that number to reflect all your hard work. Well, it won’t….so what are you going to do about it? The problem with focusing on the number on the scale is that it doesn’t account for all the other changes that are happening in your body. That’s why I’m trying not to obsess about the number on the scale (and it’s so HARD for me!) and focus more on my measurements and other things – such as how my clothes fit etc. That reminds me that I should really take some “before” photos (not guaranteed you’ll see them on this blog, though…..haha)

Anyway, if you’re like me (or at least how I used to be), and the numbers on the scale haven’t changed for a while (or – gasp- have even gone up!) you’ll panic and think you should cut your calories EVEN MORE and/or increase your exercise. The problem is…..if you want to keep that muscle (that tight, hard, metabolism-revving muscle…) you actually need to feed it! There is a whole school of thought that runs contrary to the mainstream diet industry that encourages men and women to stop cutting calories so drastically and focus, instead on building and feeding muscle. I stumbed upon this concept in the ebook “Burn the Fat – Feed the Muscle” by Tom Venuto. It’s a great read (very technical) for men AND women and it debunks a lot of myths perpetuated by the diet industry. I’ll probably touch on this in a separate blog at some point….

If you think about it…..if the diet programs you see touted in the media were really and truly the cure-all…..wouldn’t they put themselves out of business? Instead, they create elaborate points systems (yes, I’m talking about weight watchers!) that don’t necessarily translate easily to life AFTER you lose the weight. Other programs offer pre-packaged meals because they DON”T WANT you to know how to lose weight without them. So……after achieving your desired goal weight…..and you are left to your own devices…..the weight creeps back up on you and – ta-da! You have to go BACK to the program (and pay your dues or buy your meals) in order to lose the weight again! Don’t get me wrong, Weight Watchers (and others) are good programs and have really helped people to lose weight quickly (myself included)….but, at some point, we need to figure out how to do it on our own so we don’t gain the weight back when we stop the program…..

Stepping off my soap-box…….

I guess I’m just tired of relying on others for my weight loss and well-being. Even if it takes twice as long – I want to learn enough about my body that I work with it to achieve the desired result. For me (a chronic yo-yo dieter in the past) it really DOES need to be a lifestyle change. I don’t want to teach my daughters that food and weight is something you “battle.” Food is fuel for your life and lifestyle. Yes, some of it tastes sinful, decadent, and dare-I-say…….. “orgasmic” but….it should be enjoyed in moderation and with a certain level of “mindfulness” (to borrow from the Buddhist concept…..)

I’m sorry if this thought process is disjointed today….but I’m rushing to get this all down before the girls wake up from their naps…..I see that Keira is rousing so I’d better post my workout now and continue my diatribe another time….

Here is what I did today:

I felt great during today’s workout. I had 1/2 a Luna bar before and it seemed to help keep me energized.
Warmup: Treadmill run/walk, 9.5% incline, 10 mins.

Single-leg Romanian Deadlift: 3 sets of 10 reps. at 32 lbs. (I REALLY felt this today)

Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 8 reps at 32 lbs. (Will these ever get easier!!! I’m going to keep at it until I can do a FULL set of 10!!!!)

Lat pulldown, 1×10 @ 80, 2 X10 @ 110 lbs (this is on the Crossbow machine so it feels easier than a cable machine, I think….I can’t be THAT strong….)

Static Lunges, rear foot elevated: 3 X 10 @ 32 (These were challenging but much easier on my knees. I really felt it where I was supposed to feel it – as opposed to just in my knees)

Ball Crunch: 3 X 10 @ BW plus 20 lbs.

Duration: 50 minutes
Calories burned: 564 (including warmup) WOO HOO!