I got insanely frustrated while I was training for the half marathon because the pounds weren’t dropping like I had expected them too. Hell, I was averaging 30+ miles some weeks. Alright, I mean, in all honestly, I lost 15lbs in 10 weeks. Which is great, right? RIGHT? I know I’m being crazy. Whatever. Bare with me.
Something happens when you turn 30. It’s like your body says, “Look here, bitch. You had 30 years to handle this and instead you fucked around. So, now it stays. You’re welcome. Order the nachos, chubby bunny.” The pounds just don’t fly off. Instead, the VERY slowly creep down and as soon as you think you’ve had your “swoosh” the scale spikes and you shed a little tear.
When I was 28/29 and in my prime losing weight I was dropping 3lbs or so a week. At 31 I lose about 1.5lbs on a GREAT week. Which is still a healthy amount, but half of what I was expecting. No, I wasn’t expecting to lose 30lbs in 10 weeks, but I was hoping to see at least 22’ish.
THANKFULLY – and I mean, praise Jesus thankfully, I took before and after pictures (two weeks into training and day before the half).
Buh-bye back fat.
So, while I was beyond happy with those results, it also forced me to take a hard look at my sanity levels. The results were great, but the way I was feeling while training mentally, was not. (You know, since this board has basically started again.) I really don’t want to get back into the “weight loss” mentality, as much as I really want to focus on just how I feel. My overall health. Performing as a machine. It’s such a fine line to walk for me. I’ve always struggled finding the healthy/unhealthy balance in weight loss and physical/mental health.
I flipped through my WW tracker and realized I’d been consuming a ton of processed crap because I could have more of the fat free crap for less points than the real crap. Tons of artificial sweeteners. Soda was/is creeping back into my soda free (for nearly 2 years) lifestyle. Grabbing a 100 calorie snack pack of mini banana muffins instead of just grabbing a banana. Things like that.
This is 100% against my belief system in food, so I’m not sure why I’m doing it. My heart of hearts believes in eating REAL food: plain greek yogurt, sweetened with agave and fresh fruit, fresh fruits and veggies, healthy fats, etc.
I struggle with ease/convenience over what I know my body needs and responds well to. I need to get back to meal planning and prepping.
This is the Weight Watchers debacle I always find myself in though. I LOVE Weight Watchers, but I also obsess over points. I will lose track of what my body needs so I can focus solely on points instead. Because seriously – who wants to spend 9 points on an avocado even though I know it’s good for me?
So, I’ve been loosely tracking points since the half marathon. I’m trying to find my Real Food Roots again – albeit, some days are better than others.
Damn girl, that's a lot of fattitude 
Wow. Those are amazing results. The difference is incredible! I feel you on the processed, easy-to-grab foods. That’s always hard for me, too. Have you ever tried the Simply Filling method of WW? I keep thinking I should try it for just a week or so.
I want to try SF; however, everything (butter, sour cream, cheese, etc.) has to be Fat Free and then all that is CRAZY processed. I might end up doing my own version of SF. LOL. I used to eat super clean. Like, insanely clean, and felt my best then. I did WW in conjunction with it. I just gotta get back to that.
Here’s the deal. Those pictures don’t lie. You’ve been training. Your body has transformed dramatically. I’m not gonna lie, those pictures show some amazing progress. In fact, I bet you dollars to donuts you’ve put on a LOT of muscle. You’ve traded up. So, your scale loss is not speaking to you, but those pictures tell the real truth. You’re kicking ass. You look like you’ve lost more than 15 pounds. Way more. I’m inspired to do some ass kicking too. My knee is finally setting me free to play tennis, bike and hike again. I’m going to. These final 30 f*ckn pounds are about to get burned. Keep going. Keep tracking. Keep moving. We got this!
Ugh. I don’t eat fat free ANYTHING. I don’t think I’ve looked at that list as much as I should have. I’d definitely do a variation, too.
I’m equally inspired. Thanks for this!
Your pictures show such a change! Great progress! It can be hard to find that balance between healthy / satisfying, we all struggle with this issue I think!
It’s super comon for people to either gain or just maintain during Half training. I ran 3 halves last year and didn’t drop a single pound, I actually gained. When you’re running high mileage like you are, your body needs fuel to run on so you’re constantly hungry. Plus like a pervious poster said, you’re gaining muscle which is denser than fat so you might not see the scale moving in the direction you want, as fast as you want, but the pictures don’t lie. You look drasticly different than your pictures from January! You’re doing amazing work!
My first thought was “oh my god”. A good oh my god! You look incredible! And I’m so in awe of how much you run. I can barely run, I find it’s so hard for me. Your back looks AMAZING. I need to get rid of my back fat. Just wanted to say you’re an inspiration and you’re doing a phenomenal job.
The pictures clearly show a huge difference. Really, great.
As for WW – I am a diehard WW fan. I’ve lost a lot of weight. And, I love the meetings and weigh in for the accountability and just the focus on weight. But, truthfully, I record calories at MyFitnessPal and pay way more attention to that than I do WW points. If I average what I have at MFP I know I’ll be OK WW wise and so I just focus on that. That say, I don’t obsess over WW points.
I’ve had the pounds creep up on me for the last 2 years and as you say, there comes an age when moving a lot does not equal losing weight. I have had food problems for as long as I can think but I am now at a point where I eat what I want but I am mindful about it. I make sure (as you say) that it is not processed. I try to eliminate the fatty foods from the get go as much as I can but if I decide that I need butter or sour cream then I go for either the full fat or the half fat version. They also fill you more because they aren’t stretched with so much sugar. I think the most important thing is really to eat fresh, cook from scratch and avoid the convenience food (even from WW or whatever other slimline company). They just fill you up better and give more energy. You’re back on the right track. Just look at you. It is hard sometimes but if you bring yourself back to the “what feels good in my body” mindset every time you slip and you manage to forgive yourself for the slip, you’re on the right track. 🙂
I personally (because I do loads of Yoga) find breathing exercise amazingly good when I have a craving. Sounds funny or weird but they really calm the crazed mind.
Good Job Girl!!!!!!!!!