Today is Day 8 of my Insanity fitness experience. And, Mondays are WEIGH DAYS!! I was so excited when I got out of bed because I was sure that I’d probably lost at least four pounds. I was super excited and ready to see a lower number!!
I stepped on Simon at about 8:50 A.M. and was waiting in anticipation during the few seconds that it took to pop the number up on the display screen. 178.0. My heart sank! Seriously, I only lost .8 pounds since last Tuesday!! (Remember, I weighed again on Tuesday.) It didn't even seem like it even changed much!! Inwardly distraught and feeling like I had failed in some way, I pressed through the workout even though I didn’t want to.
This post is for those of you who have stepped on that scale after working out and find that it only shows a little less than it did the last time. I hope to keep you encouraged because this happens a lot. But, things change. Just keep at it.
After seeing a loss like that, the mind starts RACING!! You ask yourself all kinds of questions and blame yourself for eating even one fattening food. “What happened!? What could I have done better? Did I not sweat enough? Did I not eat the right foods? Did I not do it right? Why am I even doing this? Is this worth it? Why should I keep going if I can lose less than a pound eating the unhealthy foods? Does this program even work? Will I ever lose weight? Did I drink too much water and not lose because of water weight?” I know these are the types of questions that replay in our mind because that is exactly what I was doing this morning. I kept doubting the process even though I’ve seen it work before.
Those kinds of questions are what I call a mental attack. And, I connect it all on a spiritual level. My mind is being attacked with thoughts that make me want to give up. (These thoughts come straight from Satan.) These are the kinds of thoughts that are essential in warding off so that you continue your journey. This is exactly what I had to do this morning; I had to fight a mental battle. I was fighting throughout my workout and, I could have given up real easily (physically, I my muscles were hurting and I also felt like I wanted to puke. Still, I made myself finish.)
After my workout was over, I was starting to feel better. (Scientifically, working out produces endorphins and for those of you who have watched Legally Blonde, “endorphins make you happy” – Elle Woods) Plus, I was telling myself that the body goes through stages while working out for a long period of time. People working out to lose weight may not lose weigh every week because of the various plateaus that happen. One week, you may lose five pounds and the next, zero. (I’ve also watched all seasons of The Biggest Loser and this is a common occurrence, even if the contestants were sweating pools in the gym prior to the weigh in!!) This can be disheartening, but it’s a natural process. The only way to get out of it is to keep trekking along.
On a happy note, usually after a plateau week, you have a really good weight loss week. (On The Biggest Loser, one week someone lost one pound and the next week they lost ten! I wouldn’t strongly advise losing ten pounds in one week because it isn’t healthy, but you see my point.) One bad week doesn’t have to destroy the entire journey. And, besides, working out is a whole lot easier than getting your mind right. You can make your body do anything but if your mind isn’t in the right place, it’s a whole lot harder!!
Today, I spent a little time with my family at my mother’s house. They dropped me off at my house at about 5-ish so that I could get some sleep for my Audit Shift. I stepped on the scale (Simon) and he said that I weighed 177.6. What!? Just this morning, it said I weighed 178.0. I then went to sleep and woke up at about 9:30; the scale said 176.6 this time! What!! (I’m not exactly sure what I my weight is for today, but if I would have given up, I would have never seen that 176.6!) I’m also not sure what happened in the time from 8:50 to 9:30, but I lost another 1.4 pounds! See!! The body is kinda weird when it comes to working out and losing weight, but it’s worth it! Don’t give up, because it does pay off. I promise!
Signing Out,
It’s Possible!!
No comments:
Post a Comment