Wow...has it really been six months already?
Well, almost six months, according to the calendar. More like five-and-a-half months, but I'm doing this in four-week stretches, so that counts...right?
My measurements were surprising; I went down in everything except my belly- and that could be because I had some really awesome beef jerky this week. A friend makes it, and it was delicious. The belly bloat is probably due to salt content. I felt pretty good about my measurements, but I was flabbergasted when I stepped on the scale.
It registered a thirty-pound loss! Wait...that couldn't be right. This was a freight scale. It's always calibrated correctly for weight accuracy. But there was no way I'd lost thirty pounds in a month! I asked the shipping manager (after I got off the scale) to double-check. He grinned and moved a counterweight over, resetting the weight back to zero.
Not gonna lie- I was thoroughly disappointed when he moved that counterweight! But I stepped on the scale, knowing the numbers had to be pretty good.
I was 330 lbs. My weight stayed the same. Huh?!?
But my measurements were good. They were better than good in some places! How could this be? Okay, so this past month was a period of tweaks, and this past week was a real struggle to do my up and down days (my down days were more uppish than downish), but to stay the same? Weird.
Then I remembered something. I'd made a point to become more active at home since it was too cold outside to do walks. So I'd been standing, lifting, and being a lot more mobile than I'd been in previous months. So what do smaller measurements and no weight loss mean?
I gained muscle.
Let's take a look at the differences:
Original numbers: 4 weeks ago: Now: Difference:
Weight 363 lbs. 330 330 none
Biceps- 23" 20" 19-3/4" -1/4"
Chest- 61-1/2" 59-1/2" 58-3/4" -3/4"
Waist- 58" 56-1/4" 57-1/4" +1"
Hips- 69-1/2" 64-1/2" 62" -2-1/2"
Thigh- 32" 31-1/2" 31-1/4" -1/4"
Neck- 18" 17-3/4" 17-1/2" -1/4"
I lost a lot in my hips- no wonder my pants fit better!
Yes, the weight loss numbers are disappointing, but when the measurements show a loss, that tells me I'm still doing something right. That gives me hope and the motivation to keep moving forward.
I must remember this is just not a journey just in weight-loss- this is a journey to a better, healthier lifestyle. The fact that I've stuck to IFing for this long is saying something!
As for food choices, I'm still having issues with quantity- quality is always good (about 90% of what we eat is homemade), but those down days are really tough when you know those fantastic tasting leftovers are in the fridge.
And I need to ease up on my jerky consumption. I don't have salt issues, but I do bloat, and that's not good for me.
I'm trying to talk the jerky guy into making me some chicken jerky as well as beef. I cut it into small pieces when I get the munchies. It really helps to keep my mouth busy on my down days- like little pieces of chewy joy. Yum!
Ahem...but I still need to cut down on eating jerky...
Come spring, my plans are to take my exercise to the next level- yard work and maintaining the outside of the house. I don't want to go to a gym for my workouts. I'd rather put that energy into something that will benefit the family and home life. I really want to tackle the ivy beds in our front yard!
As for now, I'll be stepping up on inside decluttering, reorganizing, and cleaning. Spring cleaning isn't just for spring, and now that I have some extra energy, I might as well put that energy to work!
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