Hey guys, so I told you yesterday I would have a more food & fitness-y update for ya and here it is. So, if you didn't get the jist from my New Year, New You post I got into the whole New Years, starting over type of thing and when I need a reset, for me that means going back to Weight Watchers. I started counting points again on January 5th and started exercising again regularly. I was mixing in some swim, spin, running, and taking advantage of the free personal training sessions that came with the gym membership I signed up for in December.
I've been trying to prepare meals in advance and do a lot of cooking as well. One of the things that I brought back after Christmas break was a brand new crock pot that I got from "Santa" this year (thanks Santa!) I tried it out for the first time last week, trying a recipe from Emily Bites, who has awesome and delicious Weight Watchers friendly recipes up on her site. Her "Bubble Up Pizza" and "Bubble Up Enchiladas" are both to die for and this week I tried out the Thai Peanut Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken in my new crock pot. It was SO simple and SO delicious. At first I was shocked that the portion size seemed so small, but it's been keeping me full when I pair it with a bunch of veggies. You can barely see it in there, so this picture looks sort of pathetic, I will admit. But it's good! A few nights I have had 1.5 servings for dinner and it still works out okay. Broccoli slaw is a perfectly easy and delicious side to have with these.
I've been back to making myself protein smoothies, on an oatmeal kick with fruit, soup, fruit, tea, fat free hot cocoa, and of course, ample amounts of water..
I'm happy to say that since I have started eating healthier and exercising more, I have lost about 7-8 pounds. Which means I am (still) about 17 lbs above what was my lowest ever ever (which I think I weighed for about a day in March 2012, and about 10 lbs above where I was comfortable. However, I have been at this point before and I remember my clothes feeling different at the weight I am at right now. It's something that has really been bugging at me and weighing on my mind.
Why do my clothes feel so tight when I weighed the same a little over year ago and these clothes fit then? (I know my exact weight throughout history because I have it all logged in my Weight Watchers app.)
I have a few theories and I don't know if they are true are not. One of which is that all of my clothes shrunk. Another is that training and running 2 marathons last year changed my body in a weird way and that even though my weight is the same in numbers, my body is wider and bigger. I have no idea if that is possible or not, but the other day I did a little experiment.
I pulled up this picture from November, 10 2013 at the Stokadathon race:
I tracked my weight on the Weight Watchers app on November 9, 2014 and that number is 1 lb higher than what I weigh today. However, the other day when I wore the exact same running outfit for my run and took a picture, I feel like I look so much larger!
Okay different headband but otherwise, I even put on my little fanny pack thing to make this shiz as real to life as possible. I know I am crazy (remember when I told you that I have a tendency to overanalyze) but I have been looking at these pictures side by side and trying to figure out why I feel so much larger today when my weight is lower than in that photo.
I feel frustrated because because my body is different than it used to be, I feel like I have more weight to lose than 17 lbs to be at that same point. I spent the year avoiding the scale for reasons such as these because I didn't want the scale to be consumed by the numbers and I'm 2 weeks in and already there! I am glad that I weighed myself though because to be honest, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. And it is motivating to see the scale move. But I'm just thinking too much about the fact that I don't seem to be feeling the same way when I was at this weight before. Grrr. I guess I just keep moving and keep working hard and see what happens!
I know I go up and down in my motivation at times, but I am feeling really determined right now. I know it's hard and it's been SO hard. There is so much delicious-ness EVERYWHERE in Atlanta. So many restaurants I want to try. And so many social outings that involve food as well. I went to dinner at Taco Mac this week and luckily they had their menu and nutritional information online so I was able to look up the points of my meal and find something that worked - but that's not always an option.
The real test will be this coming week when I have my first business trip while on this latest kick of exercise and eating healthy. It's a trip not too far away so I am hoping that there won't be too many tempting treats and I won't have long flights and whatnot to distract me. But still, being out of a routine is always hard for me.
Anyways, I'm happy I am making progress and will be even happier when I hit a few more milestones and I am looking forward to the fitness routine I am getting into as well! It's been a while since I've been training regularly and I am enjoying it! Happy Friday to you all!
I've been trying to prepare meals in advance and do a lot of cooking as well. One of the things that I brought back after Christmas break was a brand new crock pot that I got from "Santa" this year (thanks Santa!) I tried it out for the first time last week, trying a recipe from Emily Bites, who has awesome and delicious Weight Watchers friendly recipes up on her site. Her "Bubble Up Pizza" and "Bubble Up Enchiladas" are both to die for and this week I tried out the Thai Peanut Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken in my new crock pot. It was SO simple and SO delicious. At first I was shocked that the portion size seemed so small, but it's been keeping me full when I pair it with a bunch of veggies. You can barely see it in there, so this picture looks sort of pathetic, I will admit. But it's good! A few nights I have had 1.5 servings for dinner and it still works out okay. Broccoli slaw is a perfectly easy and delicious side to have with these.
I've been back to making myself protein smoothies, on an oatmeal kick with fruit, soup, fruit, tea, fat free hot cocoa, and of course, ample amounts of water..
Why do my clothes feel so tight when I weighed the same a little over year ago and these clothes fit then? (I know my exact weight throughout history because I have it all logged in my Weight Watchers app.)
I have a few theories and I don't know if they are true are not. One of which is that all of my clothes shrunk. Another is that training and running 2 marathons last year changed my body in a weird way and that even though my weight is the same in numbers, my body is wider and bigger. I have no idea if that is possible or not, but the other day I did a little experiment.
I pulled up this picture from November, 10 2013 at the Stokadathon race:
I tracked my weight on the Weight Watchers app on November 9, 2014 and that number is 1 lb higher than what I weigh today. However, the other day when I wore the exact same running outfit for my run and took a picture, I feel like I look so much larger!
Okay different headband but otherwise, I even put on my little fanny pack thing to make this shiz as real to life as possible. I know I am crazy (remember when I told you that I have a tendency to overanalyze) but I have been looking at these pictures side by side and trying to figure out why I feel so much larger today when my weight is lower than in that photo.
I feel frustrated because because my body is different than it used to be, I feel like I have more weight to lose than 17 lbs to be at that same point. I spent the year avoiding the scale for reasons such as these because I didn't want the scale to be consumed by the numbers and I'm 2 weeks in and already there! I am glad that I weighed myself though because to be honest, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. And it is motivating to see the scale move. But I'm just thinking too much about the fact that I don't seem to be feeling the same way when I was at this weight before. Grrr. I guess I just keep moving and keep working hard and see what happens!
I know I go up and down in my motivation at times, but I am feeling really determined right now. I know it's hard and it's been SO hard. There is so much delicious-ness EVERYWHERE in Atlanta. So many restaurants I want to try. And so many social outings that involve food as well. I went to dinner at Taco Mac this week and luckily they had their menu and nutritional information online so I was able to look up the points of my meal and find something that worked - but that's not always an option.
The real test will be this coming week when I have my first business trip while on this latest kick of exercise and eating healthy. It's a trip not too far away so I am hoping that there won't be too many tempting treats and I won't have long flights and whatnot to distract me. But still, being out of a routine is always hard for me.
Anyways, I'm happy I am making progress and will be even happier when I hit a few more milestones and I am looking forward to the fitness routine I am getting into as well! It's been a while since I've been training regularly and I am enjoying it! Happy Friday to you all!
I 100% know the answer to this question! I DO! I DO!
ReplyDeleteRight now I weigh 184. (I am 5'5"). In 2010, I lost a lot of weight very quickly because I was depressed and was eating barely anything. (A turkey sandwich a day exhausted me). A 184, I was a size 10, almost into a size 8. My peak weight this last year was 207-208 and a size 16. I was VERY excited to get into the 180's because I knew I'd be able to bust out those skinny pants.
Mmmm, no.
Enter the "30 year old Puberty" phenomenon.
The year before I turned 30, my body started changing, but not so subtly that I didn't notice. My inner thighs trimmed up a little (no, I was not exercising), and I developed this weird, what I would call a "saddle" on my lower back. It just seemed wider and curvier. My face mysteriously thinned out even though I was gaining weight. It just seemed like everything was shifting away from my extremities and zooming into my midsection. (FRONT AND BACK.)
It was bizarre. I consulted a friend a couple of years older than me and her eyes widened in horror. "30YEAR OLD PUBERTY!" she cried.
Our conclusion has been hormonal fluctuations due to aging. Not that we are old, but we are not teenagers anymore, and our hormones, at a minimum, should be leavening off from the craziness of ten years ago. Another neat side note- my skin magically cleared up too.
Which brings me to today. I have lost 20+ pounds. By my records, I should be a size 10. I'm a size 14. And barely. I've gone down ONE size in a year of exercising, dieting, running, eating whole foods. I CALL HORSE POOP on this. However, it's a fact. My best idea is that my body is not losing weight the way it did 4 years ago.
I know you're younger than me, but I think it's possible the horror of 30 year old puberty could be brewing.
For the record though I will say, I see no visible difference between the two pictures you posted, other than I actually think your legs look trimmer in the second picture!
Hope this doesn't traumatize you further...