Okay… so I have not been a very good blogger! However I have been working out, eating well and doing some research. Initially my goal was simply to lose weight. So I changed to the high protein diet my doctor recommended, and began to work out… when I could fit it in to my hectic schedule. I had heard from a number of people that weight training burned more calories than cardio, and being the sometimes impatient type… I began doing the 20 minute circuit training workout at 24 Hour Fitness.
I received validation of the beginning of my transformation to better health and physical fitness a year or so ago when I was facilitating a Train the Trainer class for a group of scaffold builders. The class had gone to dinner one evening and during our conversation, one of the younger guys said to me "You know, women your age… usually have saggy arms and I noticed that you don't, in fact… you have biceps!" I was amazed! I don't know what I expected, but it was not that! Wow, to have unsolicited feedback like that told me that I was on the right track!
Since then I have continued to work out and to learn the science of not only losing weight, but building muscle (not my original goal). I have dealt with the frustration of watching the scale appear to stand still even though I was working my buns off (literally), I learned that my clothes are often a better measure of my progress than the scale. I have learned about lean body mass, of course that muscle weighs more than fat, and that during transformational change the scale can appear to be your enemy. I had to get over THAT number as my only measure. My lesson, keep your perspective; it's just one measure, not the only measure. I could be wrong, but I think that women tend to be more focused on the number on the scale than men. My current stats: weight 133 body fat 23.3%, compare that to my stats on my first blog posting!
As my chef (and significant other) Vey tells me all of the time "feed the muscle, starve the fat", and it does seem to work. I have eaten well (steak, fish, chicken, etc), lots of protein and I have lost most of the weight. However, being a 47 year old woman, the tummy seems to be the last hold out! I have learned that once your body adjusts to a low carb diet, it no longer craves the carbs. I had heard this before and did not really believe it, but it is true. I used to absolutely love bread, pasta, cereal and such; they were always the first thing I would think about when I wanted a snack, now I prefer nuts or a protein bar. Amazing and un-imaginable.
So now, I have dropped roughly eight to ten sizes, depending of course on where you shop and what brand you buy! In fact I had purchased a few new size 6 suits in January, but recently every time I put them on I took them off again because they looked awful, they were too big! So last week I took them to the consignment shop, hey it's a tough economy – and they were really nice suits! I guess it's almost time to go shopping again.
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