Monday, March 11, 2013

The weekly wrap-up ... move along, there's nothing to see here

Ten hours and 40 minutes of logged activity (not counting housework, I never count that).

Thirty-two miles of outdoor walking or working out on the elliptical – mostly walking.

An approximate calorie deficit for the week of 1800, and I didn't go over the limit once, not one day.

A gain of 1.5 pounds.

What the hell?

I understand that a gain at this point may be attributable to water retention in my very sore muscles. And they are, indeed, very sore. Twenty of those 32 miles happened Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If there were a figure of speech like "her eyes were bigger than her stomach" that correlated to walking, you could insert it here.

I am really loving walking outdoors, and the weekend weather was simply perfect. That eight-miler Friday afternoon whetted my appetite for more. My friend and I decided to walk 10K Saturday because it was so gorgeous and why not keep walking? And I talked my husband into another 10K yesterday. I tried urging him on to seven miles but he wasn't buying it.

This tiny creek meandered
beside us for most of our
trek. Truly, a babbling brook!
We walked a new route, one we'd driven previously to make sure it wasn't too strenuous. The road mostly goes beside a tiny creek that then flows into Indian Creek. There were a few gentle hills and a couple friendly dogs, but mostly it was just the two of us in some beautiful country.

Who put this hill here? I surely
didn't remember it coming down!
Sunday's walk was nine minutes longer than Saturday's of the same distance. My husband doesn't walk as fast as my friend does. And we did have to stop and play with puppies a couple of times. And there were hills, which slow me down. But I wasn't going for speed, I was just … going. It was 64 degrees and sunny, with a gentle breeze. Simply perfect.

So all that activity and a week of good eating and I gain weight. AND I'M NOT THROWING MYSELF OFF A BRIDGE! (One of the many, heh.) Because you know what? I tried on a pair of jeans I haven't worn in two years and, while I wouldn't want to wear them out of the bedroom, I can at least get them on and zipped, with considerable effort. When I tried them on in January, I couldn't even get them up past my hips. So something is working. And I can't stay this weight forever.

Right? RIGHT? RIGHT?????

3 comments:

Diandra said...

I'll gladly repeat what about everyone writes on the topic: Muscles are heavier than fat.

(Scientifically speaking one would probably say that their gravity is higher - or what word is used in this context? But you get what I mean...)

Congrats on all that activity, and also on wearing your pants!

(And that sounds wrong.)

Unknown said...

Congrats on the jeans victory. I had a bad weigh-in this week too, though I at least understand where it came from. I think you are right that the sore muscles are inflamed and holding water. You could try giving yourself an easy Sunday to see where you really are.

denise said...

It's always good to have a NSV (Non-Scale Victory) when the scale flips you the bird! You're right - something's working, even if the scale refuses to acknowledge it yet. Eventually, it will yield and get with the program.

I, on the other hand, weighed in at WW yesterday and showed a loss of 9 lbs in one week - I was in Biggest Loser territory with that one! How did I do that? Well, last week I gained 5 and the week before that 2, so I see it as really a net 2 lb loss. Plus, last week I was so disgusted with myself with how I had been eating and knowing I would see a gain that I left my shoes and jacket on for the first time ever, so part of that 5 lb gain and the 9 lb loss is about the weigh of my shoes and jacket. And, despite this "huge" loss, I have seen no discernible difference in how things fit!

This past week I worked the program the way it was meant to be done - tracked every bite, stayed within my given points, drank the water, etc. etc. And I was lucky enough to see the results at the scale. Another week I could do the same thing and lose nothing or even gain. Hard to say, but as we both know, if we eat right more often than not, we will EVENTUALLY see the results. It's these not so great results weeks like you just experienced that test our resolve. Sounds like you passed that test!

My exercise is nil except for PT right now - but at least I'm getting that. If you have sore muscles and think that is leading to water retention, I highly recommend a soaking bath with Epsom Salts - LOTS of Epsom Salts, not the 1/2 cup or cup they recommend on the bag. When I did my so-called "Extreme Training" several years ago, that made a big difference on my comfort level.

Hang in there! Don't let the numbers game get you down...

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