I absolutely love the training that I do now…the Pilates moves that I can do, the weights that I can lift and pull and push, the cardio work that I can endure…40 minutes on the rowing machine today! :-) But sometimes, just sometimes, I get a bit frustrated.

Like today for example, when I stepped on the scales and saw that my weight had gone up…only by 1lb…but it was still in the wrong direction.

Now, I HAVE still lost 20st 2.5lbs…but to be reminded of that by the weigh-in lady, as I was stood on the scales trying to hold in the deluge of swear words springing to mind, was not helpful! She was quickly halted by my consultant who knows how to handle me! ;-)

Yes, I have made progress with my weight and so much more besides this. Yet I have a burning desire to keep shifting that weight and an increase in the numbers on the scale was not welcome!

I repeated yesterday’s mantra to myself – ’2 minutes versus 2 hours!’ – and smiled and chatted with everyone whilst signing them into the group. Of course I got asked how I had done…and I managed to keep a smile on my face whilst listening to the weight losses and gasps of shock from people who were adamant that they had no idea how they had managed it after the weekend/evening/week/birthday meal/blow-out that they had had! ;-) In fact, Pizza Lady lost 3lbs and her gasp was the biggest…when it came to her reasoning, it was suggested that she not share her eating delights of the week – which usually includes Chinese takeaways and Costa coffee lushness – as I was sitting closer than usual…and might have strangled her! ;-) In all truth – I was thrilled for her…I sincerely hope that she reaches target as I will continue to do my thing to reach my target!

I know that I am more than the numbers on the scale…and I also know that my training has an impact…as does the fact that I have lost practically half of my body weight and my poor old body could just be in a phase of taking stock. I am well aware that these things can sound like excuses. Yet you see what I eat and what I do…I have nothing to hide – I follow the plan, I move well, I deal with emotions…so these excuses are pretty bloody plausible!

Then there is the fact that I tried to be a superhero yesterday and completed that crazy 2 hour training session that has left me in muscle-agony. The professionals call it DOMS – delayed onset muscle soreness which occurs 24-48 hours after working out – I just call it fecking achey muscles. So achy that I cried out in pain when trying to sit on the loo this morning…my thigh muscles are on fire – along with my other screaming muscles.

Is it strange that I quite enjoy this pain though? For me, it represents progress! :-)

So the DOMS brings with it another issue…water retention.

When you push your muscles and workout hard, microscopic tears occur in the muscle fibres. Muscle recovery begins when you rest after a workout. The repaired muscles are thicker and tougher…which means bigger muscles – a leaner and meaner body! When you first start working out, this DOMS can be a nightmare…but you get over it. However, whilst experiencing that muscle pain, hormones are released – ADH and aldosterone – which cause the kidneys to retain water. After a few days balance is restored and water weight is eliminated.

So the achey fecking muscles are due to inflammation of torn muscle fibres…which is a bit scary…and another DOMS delight is this water retention. This is because the tiny tears in the muscle fibres kind of turn them into sponges. They absorb water and you see a weight gain on the scales. This is a temporary weight gain…it can be gone the following day.

Once you get used to your workout, the DOMS – and water retention – stops. However in order to keep shifting weight and getting leaner and fitter you need to constantly challenge your body – just as I did with my bloody stupid workout yesterday…which means that DOMS and water retention become part of life!

This is one of the reasons that I now try and avoid a workout on the day before weigh-in. In fact, I usually have Sunday and Monday as rest days…but this week was a bit unusual as my trainer is on a course this week and could only train me yesterday and I also took Mr WLBs session too; it wasn’t a ‘normal’ week for me.

So I am pinning this gain on the workout – as it was very much out of the ordinary…but such great fun – and so empowering to realise that I can do this type and length of workout now – that it was almost worth the 1lb gain! :-)

Oh – and another peril of training…today I went to sit on the seat of the rowing machine…and it slipped away from me. Which meant that I landed on the bar with a thud…thank goodness I am a lady or else I could add bruised manly bits to the sore muscles! :-)

Other than my weight gain, today has been good. I took Mr WLB to a ‘stop smoking’ appointment at the doctors and his first smoke-free day is going to be Friday. He is back there on Thursday for his appointment that I will join him in…and stamp my feet for his referral to a specialist! Then I headed to group, and then to the gym, and then I spent some time with my horses. I did more grooming and scratching, and fed them, and leant over my big lad in a way – my feet were still on the mounting block…but I draped my arms and upper body over his back. We had lots of cuddles…and then my Welsh lad tried to bully us – so I reminded him that I am the boss and sent him away from us all…which he was not impressed with and looked suitably chastised. Then it was time to head to the shops, then cook lunch – really late…4pm-late which was not good. And I am spending the evening talking low-acidity food diets with Mr WLB.

On the subject of diets, please – unless I ask for it – can you try and refrain from giving me food advice. On a Tuesday I have my full syn allowance – as a fattie I get extra…upto 25 syns. Other than on a Tuesday evening, I stick to my 15 syns or less. So please don’t tell me that I might get a better result if I reduce my syns…as I rarely use them all – and never go off-plan. As well as following the amazing Slimming World plan and my even more amazing consultant, I have nutrition diplomas, access to fantastic dieticians, a trainer who is very knowledgeable in terms of his food…and an overload of advice from lovely people that sometimes drives me crazy. I also keep track every now and again of my calorie-intake – which is specifically calculated for my height, weight, gender, and activity levels – so I have my food sorted.

Apologies – I just had to get that off my chest. Whilst I love writing this blog, occasionally I question whether putting my food pictures on here is sensible. I do it to be transparent and to keep a record for myself…but it does piss me off when people make negative comments about my food or give ‘helpful’ suggestions. I don’t write the blog to get suggestions about my food…I do it so that I spend my time writing and not binging…and these suggestions sometimes have a negative effect as they make me want to turn back to binging to keep my sanity! ;-) I often wonder whether the people commenting stuck to plan on Christmas Day, or over Easter, or on their birthday…I did and do…so I have my eating under control and covered thank you! By all means comment – but take this as a heads up…if you give me food advice that has not been asked for, I might bite – haha! :-)

Breakfast: Banana and boiled eggs.

20140527-174440.jpgLunch: Burgers and salad (2 x HEA, 2 x HEB, and 2 syns).

20140527-174553.jpgDinner: Jacket potato, cottage cheese, beans, and grilled veggies.

20140527-191939.jpgSnacks: Velvet Crunch (24 syns).

20140527-174655.jpgSo my Tuesdays are falling into a repetitive state…my usual brekkie, my Asda meatfree burgers for lunch, and a jacket potato with veggies and beans for dinner…and my Velvet Crunch – yes SIX FECKING BAGS TOTALLING 24 SYNS! :-)

Exercise: 40 minutes rowing, 10 minutes elliptical, 10 minutes treadmill.

Thank you for reading,

Weight Loss Bitch xxx

  

WeightLossBitch

On a health and fitness driven journey to lose over 32st / 448lbs / 203kgs – yes, it is a considerable amount – I am committed to losing my excess weight without the aid of weight loss surgery, diet pills, or quick fixes…as there aren’t any! Changing my eating habits and building up my fitness levels, along with addressing the ‘head issues’ will be crucial in order for me to achieve my goal. Living in England as a 31 year old super morbidly obese woman can be challenging to say the least. I have been shouted at in the street and verbally abused far too many times to mention; hence the name ‘Weight Loss Bitch’…the day I am just called a ‘bitch’ instead of a ‘fat bitch’ will be the day that I know I have cracked my weight loss! With many reasons to lose this weight I am documenting my journey for a number of reasons. Firstly, I would like to keep a record of the ups and downs, the highs and lows, and the challenges I face with such an enormous task to tackle. Secondly, I would also like to inspire and encourage other people who are in a similar situation and to show them that significant amounts of weight can be lost naturally…with a bit of motivation, hard work, dedication and will power. Thirdly, all of the blogging, Facebook-ing, Tweet-ing, Pinterest-ing and YouTube-ing keeps me occupied and keeps my fingers out of the fridge!

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