A "no-loss" week....

Well, it was bound to happen and it finally did. This week I had no loss at my weekly weigh in. Man, that SUCKED.

And I mean SUCKED big time.

As far as the bugg, I maintained my 850 deficit every day and THEN some.

So, how did this happen, I wonder? Well, here's my theory.....

First of all, this was my PMS time. Sorry, guys, but it's just a fact for us ladies. I tried to be careful, but I did eat an entire bag of microwave popcorn one evening. Now, granted...it was Lite, but still...a whole bag. That was not good. But, trust me....it was WAY better than some of the other choices I contemplated.

I also have been doing less cardio this week than in the past. I'm starting to get some loose flesh, so I focused on weight training more than I have previously. This may have caused some muscle to build up, and we all know, "muscle weighs more than fat".

Other than that, I don't really have any theories. Although, I will tell you that I think with those two combined it could be the answer. I think it's entirely possible for my body to hold on to some water weight or whatever before the cycle begins. I'm hoping that next week once I'm all over that issue the scale will show some big progress. I also think that the strength training and less cardio could have something to do with it. My arms are firmer, so I really think there's some muscles developing in there.

Now, before I get to what I'm going to do about the last week, let's first discuss how I felt after that weigh in.

I FELT LIKE CRAP. Big time...I was sad, mad, depressed, deflated. I felt like CRAP. I wanted to come home and eat a pint of Ben & Jerry's....or chocolate.....or cheese.....or anything else that I haven't been eating since I started trying to get Fit By Forty.

But here's the important part....I DIDN'T. Nope....not even one little bit. I didn't bury my feelings in food, which would have in turn made me feel even worse. I told my hubby how disappointed I was, I told a friend, I talked about it. But I did NOT GIVE UP. The interesting thing is, that was the first thing the hubby said..."Don't let this be a reason to give up now". So very true...in the past I would've done exactly that. But this is different. This is a change of mindset. This is the new way of thinking and doing. There is no giving up now, because giving up would mean giving up on my life. I just can't do that.

So, I think the first key thing here is that I didn't bury my feelings. I let 'em out. I bitched about it to my hubby and my friend. I told them how disappointed I was in not losing that week. I let it out...I talked and talked, and even talked to myself a bit.

Thursday is my weigh in day. Friday was supposed to be my Week 2 Day 3 of the Couch to 5K training. Did I skip that since I was feeling so blue and down? HELLS NO, people....I got back to that gym, got on that treadmill and did Day 3. It wasn't easy....in fact, it was pretty hard, but I DID IT. And that's really what it's all about....getting back on that horse when you fall off.

Now, what am I going to do about it?

Well, first of all I'm not going to beat myself up about it any more. I'm not going to obsessively weigh myself every time I walk in the gym to see how I'm doing. I will allow myself a weigh in on Tuesday to see where I'm at. Then Thursday is the official weigh in. Other than that, I WILL stay off of the scale.

I'm going to be really careful on tracking my food. I will make sure I weigh and measure the things I'm not sure about (meat, rice, pasta) and eat lots of fruits and veggies. I always drink lots of water, so I'm not worried there. I will make sure that I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at NORMAL times instead of it getting so late and I'm so hungry that I am ready to eat a horse!

I'm going to do more cardio....I'm not going to cut back the strength training, but add in more cardio. I was previously doing about 45 minutes per day, so I'm going back to that. Walking the dog for 30 minutes in the am helps. I'm also moving on to Week 3 of C2_5K next week, so there's more cardio planned in my week. Cardio....cardio....cardio. The good news is, it's warmer outside so I can get some 15-30 minute walks in here and there from home that I had difficulty with in the cold months.

And finally, and possibly most importantly, I'm going to trust the process. I have been having such great success since 1/15 that I can't let this stop me now. Who knows why the scale didn't budge this week, but it has been every other week....maybe my body just needed a little "stop-and-let-me-think-about-this" moment. Next week I'll be down....I'm thinking 2-5 pounds....I'm sure of it. I trust this process. I trust the calories in minus calories out equation. It's good solid math, and it works. I just have to trust the process....and that's exactly what I'm going to do.

So, in closing, just let me say, whatever the cause for your tough week is (whether it's a stress binge, vacation eating, that time of the month, lack of exercise, or just lack of motivation in general) the most important thing is DO NOT LET THAT WEEK DEFINE YOUR FAILURE. Let that week be a springboard for education, self awareness, and future success. That's really the point, isn't it? We cannot let one bad week set us back forever. Choose YOURSELF over failure. You're totally worth it! I know I am, so I am choosing ME....I'm not going to let last week define my failure, but instead last week's lack of loss is a springboard for a little re-evaluation of where I'm at and where I'm going. It's going to be a wild ride! I'm worth it....and SO ARE YOU!