This past week, I unfortunately did not lose any weight (on the plus side, I also didn’t gain any!). After my disappointing weigh-in on Saturday, my trainer Bonne Marcus took my measurements, and that cheered me up — I am down another six inches from the last time she measured me five weeks ago! I lost one and a half inches from my chest, two inches from my waist and two and a half inches from my abs! I had a good week last week eating and exercise-wise, and it definitely bothered me that no pounds came off, but the inches are important, too.
Bonne points out, “The scale is a poor indicator of whether or not you are overweight. Your body composition is not simply determined by how much you weigh, but by how much of your body weight comes from fat. Appropriate amounts of both fat and lean tissue are necessary for optimal health.” A better way to measure yourself is to through a body fat test with a skin caliper. Using the tool, “a trainer will pinch certain sites on your body to get a measurement. It is not completely accurate, but it does give you a good picture.”
On Wednesday, I weighed myself again at home and I still had not lost anything. I’m started getting very frustrated. I’m doing everything I’m supposed to be doing, logging hours at the gym and keeping up with my diet. I spoke with Bonne and sent her my latest food diary with serving sizes, and she made some suggested changes. She recommended I try egg whites instead of whole eggs, cut out carrots and corn (they’re high in carbohydrates), eat more greens, and lock up my scale. She wants me only getting on the scale when I see her on Saturdays. I’m going to try this all out for the rest of the week and see how it goes. I’m not losing hope, I am just getting discouraged. I want this so bad, and it’s tough not seeing results when I’m trying so hard..
Bonne recommends keeping in mind that your weight can fluctuate throughout the day -- “And we are not talking about taking off your shoes when you weigh yourself. It’s normal for a person’s weight to change a few pounds from day to day. For one thing, what you’re eating can make a dramatic short-term difference. Foods that are high in sodium can cause water retention, which is often the culprit when a few unexpected pounds register on the scale.”.
“Often, weighing ourselves becomes a compulsion, a ‘weigh’ of seeing if we are worthy of reward. If you are serious about dieting don’t play mind games with yourself. Diet experts recommend weighing in no more than once a week. If you’re exercising regularly and keeping your diet in check, your weight shouldn’t fluctuate enough to cause you concern…. One of the worst things you can do is pin your success or failure on a numerical goal that may or may not be physically attainable.”
Scale disappointment aside, this was a great week! Here are my daily recaps:
Saturday, August 3 and Sunday, August 4
My training session with Bonne was tough (like always!). We did a lot of the same moves we did last week using the gliders, Bosu ball, and other equipment. We also focused a lot on our abs — I’m happy we did, because I definitely could use it. We did tons of crunches and side crunches on the Bosu ball, Russian twists, and more.
Later in the afternoon, we had my little brother’s high school graduation party at my mom’s house. I didn’t drink alcohol, but I ate a little more than I needed to.
Sunday, I spent the day running errands, food shopping, and relaxing. I also cooked dinner for tomorrow night — chicken and Chinese vegetable stir-fry.
Monday, August 5
This morning I had two hard-boiled eggs and a latte for breakfast. I switched it up by using unsweetened almond milk instead of skim, and it tasted just as good. I took some of the chicken stir-fry with me for lunch, and it was delicious! It consists of chicken breast, sugar snap peas, bamboo shoots, baby corn, and carrots. Since I’m cutting back on carbs, I didn’t eat it over rice like I typically would. But it was so good that I made it for dinner again tonight!
After work, I went to the gym and did a half hour of cardio on the elliptical and went straight to bed when I got home.
Tuesday, August 6
I woke up this morning and went back to the gym and did another 40 minutes of cardio. I had the same breakfast as I did yesterday and brought a veggie burger with sautéed squash and zucchini for lunch. Here are the veggie burgers I have been getting if I don’t make them myself -- they are delish! I find them in the organic frozen section at the supermarket and I throw them on my George Foreman grill for a few minutes, and they are ready to go!
After the gym, I threw together everything into the slow cooker to make split pea soup so that it’d be ready when Rene and I finished our workout routine from Bonne after work.
Wednesday, August 7
It felt so great to do the workout last night! It was easier to get through it all than it was last week. My favorite exercise from this routine is the lunge to your knee, which Bonne calls “tie your shoes.” You literally drop down to the floor so your one knee is almost touching the floor and pretend like your tying your shoes. Once you do 20 on each leg, you really feel the burn.
Thursday, August 8
Today is my mother’s 50th birthday! My mom is my best friend in the whole world. She is an amazing, strong, beautiful woman and is a huge inspiration to me. To top it off, she works out twice a day and is in unbelievable shape! Happy birthday, Mommy, I love you! Isn’t she beautiful?
For breakfast this morning, I had green tea and three egg whites. I had raw almonds as a mid-morning snack and a salad with fat-free honey mustard dressing for lunch.
For dinner tonight, my family and I went to Ciao Baby to celebrate my mom’s birthday. I completely overate, and it was pretty disgusting. It’s a family-style restaurant, so there was so much food. I’m not even going to tell you what I ate, but all I know is that I feel gross because I haven’t put food in my stomach like that in weeks! Bonne’s going to need to kick me back into shape on Saturday!
Friday, August 9
I’m still full from last night. I’m mad at myself for eating all of the bad food, but I didn’t overdo it and it was for a very special occasion. Today it’s back on track! So for breakfast I drank green tea and ate three egg whites, and for lunch, I am having a salad.
Dinner tonight will be tuna with a Dijon marinade, quinoa and cauliflower. Rene and I will most likely stay in tonight and relax. We have an early morning training session with Bonne, and I need to cook and prepare all day for the surprise party we are having for my mom tomorrow (shh!). Have a good weekend!
—Jennifer Crow
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