Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Day 6: My Scale is Such a Jerk

I woke up this morning and weighed myself, only to discover that not only had I not lost anything, but I was actually up 2-tenths of a pound from yesterday. Now believe me when I say that I fully realize that 2-tenths of a pound means nothing. I know that. But I must admit that it was discouraging to see those numbers.

How is it possible that I am eating so well, exercising every day, and yet I actually gained a small amount? Am I eating too much? Too little? Is it water? Is it the fact that I demolished 10 prune plums in front of the TV last night leaving only this in my wake?

I'm trying to keep perspective about this whole scale thing and for the most part I am; it's just so easy to get hung up on those silly little numbers. *Sigh* Ah, but I digress.

Husband sweetly offered to buy me some new yoga clothes as a little gift for starting up hot yoga again. I am totally taking him up on this and I'm really excited to go shopping here on Friday. Not only is it one of my favourite stores, but they always seem to have just what I'm looking for in terms of workout clothing. I can't wait to show you all what I end up coming home with. And on SATURDAY (mark your calendars folks), I will be attending my first hot yoga class in 5 years! I am pretty darn stoked about it.

On another random note - this post is turning out to be all my random thoughts for the day - I am getting totally into oatmeal. No stranger to fellow food bloggers, oatmeal is the King of Breakfast and I'm starting to understand why. First of all, it's totally versatile and you can throw in practically anything. Second, it's cheap. Third, it's totally delicious and healthy. And fourth, it really keeps you full. Like, for HOURS! It sure keeps hunger at bay a lot better than my bowl of Special K was doing.

This is what I whipped up this morning.
Very simple, just threw in some apple pieces and stirred in lots and LOTS of cinnamon. It was great, low calorie, and oh so filling. I love looking at the photos and reading the descriptions of everyone's oatmeal breakfasts out there in the blogosphere. It gives me tons of ideas!

Tonight, after a good rest day yesterday, I'm going to attempt a run again. Wish me (or rather, wish my quads) good luck!

4 comments:

Sarah (OC2Seattle) said...

I know this scenario so well! All I can say is muscle weighs more than fat so if you've ben working out that could be what's going on. I find it really useful to track my measurements (chest, hips, waist, stomach, thighs) as well as to watch the scale. Sometimes the scale doesn't move but the inches decrease!

Mimi said...

Ok, let me tell you a few things that might be going on.

- It's not muscle. Sorry, but I HATE that excuse. It takes a long-as-hell time to put on muscle weight. I'm trying to grow some; trust me, it's far easier to lose fat than gain muscle.

- Sodium? Salt isn't that bad for you unless you have high blood presure, but it can make you hold onto a bit of water.

- Standing an inch to the right? Seriously, it happens.

- TMI, but you might have just had...er...a full intestinal track, if you get what I mean.

- Your body readjusting to your new lifestyle

- Bit of gas from the fruit

- Dust

- Ghosts

- Aliens

- Gremlins

The point is...ignore it. Don't weigh more than once a week. Your body is changing in ways you can't even imagine. It takes time.

Oatmeal is amazing. There are so many crazy oatmeal recipes. And don't forget savory oats!

Definitely EASE into running. It's tough on your body. Are your shoes ok? That makes a big difference. But at the same time, don't be afraid to push yourself--just know the difference between "Eeek, vigorous exercise" and "Injured Girl Walking!"

Nicole B said...

I can only second or even third it..... Don't weight yourself more than once a week if even that!!
You're doing so great!!! Much better than myself I might add!! ;)
And yay for discovering the awesomeness of oatmeal - it reall rocks!! :)
Good luck on your run - I need to plan one before the weekend as well!! And as you wrote to me - thank you sooo much for that btw!! - it's really sad we don't live near eachother...! :( Would be great to go for a run or just hung out.... Anyways... Have a good day!! Hug n.

JavaChick said...

I typed a comment earlier, but I don't think it got through and now I am too lazy to type it all again. Wah.

Go here and read this:
http://www.healthdiscovery.net/articles/scale_lies.htm

Nutshell - there are lots of reasons why the number on the scale can fluctuate from day to day. It's the overall trend that is important - and you need a few weeks to see that.

As for daily weigh-ins - works for some people, it can help keep you focused. But if you are going to do it, you need to be prepared for the fluctuations.

Bottom line: You're doing great. Keep it up.