I haven't had to deal with that yet (can people even comment on this?) but I imagine it happens. Once I have an idea of who is reading this, (if anyone does) I am sure my approach will change. But for now, I am nervous because I don't know my audience.
Anyway, here is what is on my mind. There are three different phases to struggling with your weight as far as I can tell: ignoring it, working on fixing it, having it fixed. I've really never experienced phase 3. I'm almost halfway through my 100 pounds, and this is a strange spot to be in. I'm both proud of my progress and ashamed of my body at the same time. It's gross I had/have so much weight to lose, and yet I have a sense of accomplishment about how far I've come. It's the same for the people around me. Those who have known me for years are reluctant to comment on my weight loss until it is more pronounced, and I've always thought it is because they have seen me yo-yo so much. Every compliment is an implied insult, "You look great!" also means "You used to be soooooo fat!" This dichotomy is my reality until I either give up (like I've done so many times before) or I finally get to a place where I am content with my weight loss and then maintenance begins!
The psychology of this is what is interesting to me. I've got a bunch of goals now, whereas when I started I was just focused on the number on the scale. Now I've got daily and long term nutrition and fitness goals. More than my weight, I have goals about body fat percentage, VO^2 Max, different work out zones, times for my running. This is good and bad. On the one hand, when I am not achieving as fast as I'd like in one area, I can hopefully point to my successes in other areas to help me be patient. However, I worry that it is a house of cards, and that if I can't monitor all of this with the neurotic attention to detail I can only seem to muster in short bursts, then I am setting myself up for inevitable failure. Glass half full or empty I suppose.
I weigh myself everyday as soon as I get up in the morning, and then I keep track of that all over the place. I post it on my Fitbit, which updates it on Runkeeper and Myfitnesspal, and then I add it to my Life Spreadsheet (which is a whole other story, I'll blog about my spreadsheet once this blogging thing gets more serious - I hardly know you!). I thought I had a particularly awesome weekend as far as nutrition and fitness goes, so I expected to lose weight over the weekend. Here's how the numbers went: Friday - 244.5, Saturday - 244.0, Sunday - 245.7 (what???), today - 245.3.
Numbers can drive you crazy. This is why I'm shelling out the cash for so many metabolic tests and working with a Registered Dietitian. My most recent consult with her we went over my resting metabolic tests, and she said I'm a carb burner, when I should be a fat burner. Ultimately, from what I understand, I need to spend more time working out in lower heart rate zones so I burn more fat, and I need to limit carbs (which I always do) and increase my intake of healthy fats. So this week I have made healthy fats a priority. I've been making salads that have blue cheese, walnuts, and olive oil, and I have been adding olive oil into my protein shakes. I know the oil in the shakes sounds gross, but you can't taste it and it helps blend the powders, and it makes you more full. But I am so nervous whenever I change my plan, so naturally I look at those things first when the number on the scale doesn't make sense.
Patience. I ran 5 miles yesterday (I'm still shocked). I feel fitter than I've felt in a while. I need to start taking measurements so I can look at those when the scale doesn't cooperate, because I know I am still losing inches. I want to get all of this fat off of my body, but it is a process.
I am going to a 6pm Team Training tonight for the first time, because my wife is out of town for work until Friday. Gotta keep training for the Turkey Trot, and I need need need to keep the routine of going to the gym while she is gone.
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