Progress Report!

I am so behind on my updates lately! Between it being the end of the fiscal year at work and the semester starting, things have just been busy, busy, busy.  But I wanted to share the results of my doctor’s appointment last week and do a quick progress update since I initiated my new plan of action for diet and exercise.

Doctor’s Visit

For a bit of background, I have hormone issues along with deficiencies in many vitamins/minerals-my body just doesn't like to produce the hormones or absorb the vitamins/minerals effectively. As you can imagine, this wreaks havoc on my body—it affects my weight, moods, energy levels, sleep, headaches…I could go on for days.  I've been seeing a doctor for years that has helped me a lot up until about the past year. Since then, office visits have gotten frustrating. I wait for 45 minutes to spend 5 in his office and it’s like he’s never seen my chart before (I've been going there since 2011)—he has to dig back through my history to see what I’m on and why and for how long. Every time I go in there complaining of new problems or of a lack of resolution to problems, the answer has pretty much been “here, take this pill.”  They’re all vitamins/herbal supplements, but I went to him because I was tired of the “here, take this pill” approach of standard medicine. I want to correct the problem not the symptom.

Anyway.  I've been steadily gaining weight for the past six months of so, mostly in my stomach area (which is unusual for me).  While I take some responsibility for the fact that I was eating too much (see last post), there is still no reason for me to have put on 15 pounds.  So last week I went to see a different doctor.  I went over my history and told her what my current doctor has me on.  After I told her I was on progesterone, she got this baffled look on her face.   Apparently progesterone (which he just increased my dosage of about six months ago!) is the devil for weight gain (and for making it impossible to lose) and it also causes some of the issues I've been having.  LOVELY.  She advised that I stop taking that and start taking a mild estrogen supplement instead.  It may take three months for me to see any results; if I don’t see any after that point we’re going to make some other tweaks.

I’m really pissed at my old doctor. I really trusted him—he was so good at first.  I trusted that he was making the right decisions for my body and yet all he did was set me backwards.  But I’m also really glad that my new doctor didn't just tell me to eat my vegetables and go run a mile—she actually listened to what I had to say and we’re taking steps to (hopefully) put me on the right path.  So that’s that.

Progress Update

I've made good on my decision to track my macros again.  I've been tracking every day and am coming very close to my targets.  I don’t worry about hitting each item spot on—it stresses me out mentally. At the end of the week it all balances out anyway.  I've also been sticking to my goal of consistently getting into OAF (the new gym I rave about) 2-3 times per week as well as getting in at least one other workout per week; I’d like to increase that to two additional workouts per week.  I have to make the best of what my schedule allows.

The good news is I've been reaping the benefits of these changes! In one week I dropped 1.2 pounds and 1% body fat.  According to my handy dandy app, that body fat drop accounts for a 1 pound gain of lean muscle and a 2 pound fat loss. I’ll take it!!

I've had many NSV’s as well.  I went in a clasp on my favorite bra last week.  My jeans are fitting better.  Gym shorts that were not fitting a few weeks ago now fit with room to spare.  My workout capris are falling down during my workouts.  I can also see my shape changing—I see my hips getting smaller, my shoulders getting broader, and my waist getting more defined.  HOORAY!

Here’s what I call an “accidental progress photo.” Last week I decided I should start taking progress pictures, particularly of my back.  But when I compared last week’s photo (right) with one taken at the end of June, well—looks like I was already making progress!

That was rather long winded, wasn't it?  Hopefully Friday I’ll have another update after I do my weight and body fat measurements. I’m also wayyyyy overdue on a half marathon recap!

Have a great, fit, fabulous day folks.  Remember:

Wake up.

Work hard.

Kick ass.

Every. Single. Day.

Slump, Backslide, and Action Plan--When You're Down, Pick Yourself Up!

Wow, it’s been quite some time since I've posted.  Things have been a little crazy (I started night classes again three weeks ago) plus I've been in a bit of a slump.  My body has been fighting me, and hard.  Two steps forward, one step back. Heck, at this point it may even be one step forward, two back! I've regained some body fat, which I’m not happy about, and see noticeable changes in my body.  To say I’m not happy would be an understatement.

But—the only way to see change is to make it happen, right?  So, here’s my action plan:

#1: I re-calculated my macros today and discovered that I’m eating too much. I’m still eating like I’m working out 5-6 days per week/1.5-2 hours a day and I’m not. I can’t—my schedule doesn't permit it. (Please save the ‘you have to make time’ lines—Mon and Weds I leave the house at 530 am and don’t get home until 930 pm. You've gotta sleep sometime.)  SO I will track my food daily for a while until I readjust to how much I actually need to be eating.  This just goes to show that even if you’re eating good, whole foods you can still eat too much and gain fat.

#2: I’m going to ask my doctor to run some blood work for me this week to make sure everything is in line. I’m not trying to make excuses, but there is no reason for me to be having as many issues as I’m having—slight overfeeding or not.

#3: I have a meeting with my health coach next week. I emailed her today about my current issues; she’s going to talk me through some Ayurvedic and herbal remedies to help resolve some of the items in #2 and hopefully speed up this process.

#4: I’m going to sleep more. I read a quote the other day that really hit home for me. I’ll paraphrase since I can’t remember it exactly “Sleep debt is like credit card debt.  If you accumulate too much credit card debt, eventually you max out and hit your breaking point.  Your body is the same with sleep.  If you get too little for too long, you will feel the effects.”

#5:  I will love myself.  The numbers on the scale or on the body fat meter does not define me. I am still a strong, capable woman. My body can do some incredible things, and even if my weight isn't cooperating I’m still getting stronger.  I will win this battle, just as I win all other battles.

Barbell Training Session--I'm a Natural??

Last night I had another one-on-one barbell technique with my trainer; it went really well!! He seems to be really impressed with my progress.  He actually told me that I’m a fast learner and that I’m “a natural.”  That seems so surreal to me.   I've never been a natural at anything athletic.  I've been running for years, but even that has never been easy for me.  I've had to work and labor for step, each mile, and each race.  After I got home last night I was talking to my Aunt about her taper for her upcoming race and she’s all “Oh, I’m going to miss my long Sunday runs!”…and by long Sunday runs she means 20 miles or so.  I've just never been to that point.  In high school I sucked at sports—I was considered as un-athletic and uncoordinated as you can get.  But now…now here I am, being told I’m a natural at Olympic lifting.  Something that’s not common, and definitely not easy—I’m a natural at.  Yes, I have to work HARD—my form is by no means perfect and I can’t yet push a ton of weight.  But it feels so good to know that I’m actually good at this, and that I have the potential to really excel!  It’s incredibly nice to have a trainer that believes in his clients as much as mine does. He really wants everyone in his gym to succeed; and because of that, everyone is motivated to work that much harder. *I* am that much more motivated to work harder, to eat cleaner, and to push myself beyond anywhere I ever thought I could go.

I can’t wait to see what my future holds in terms of lifting and my personal fitness levels. I can’t wait to be able to deadlift or clean a stupid amount of weight. But wait I will. And while I’m waiting, I will put in the WORK to make my dreams come true! 

Trust the Process

Lately I’ve been struggling with frustration—I feel like I’m stuck, like I’m making no progress, like I’m actually going backwards in some areas instead of forwards.  I’ve been in the nutrition/fitness game long enough to know that results take time, but that doesn’t stop me from irrationally wanting them right now—and getting frustrated when I don’t get what I want.  We are a society of instant gratification, after all. 

Luckily, the universe seemed to know exactly what I needed. Both my inbox and Facebook feed have been flooded with posts about trusting the process, results taking time, etc. One trainer that I follow via email and Facebook (and hope to work with some day), Allison Moyer, sent out an email this morning stating that direction is more important than speed.  “Training + Nutrition + TIME = GOAL.”  Real results take real time—not one week, not two weeks, maybe not even six weeks. You can’t expect to get rid of weeks, months, or maybe even years of bad habits in a short period of time. You must stay focused, stay dedicated, and continue making baby steps towards your long term goals. As she put it, “Direction is more important than speed.”  So very true!

My trainer at Over-Achieve Fitness sent out an email this morning with the following quote: “If we just keep taking positive steps toward our goal (and refuse to be discouraged if these steps don’t produce immediate success), eventually the law of numbers will start working in our favor, and the outcome will be success." – Nick Murray” That was EXACTLY what I needed to read today. I cannot—I WILL NOT—let myself become discouraged.  No, I haven’t seen immediate success.   But that’s okay. I am making little bits of progress here and there—I’m starting to build some upper body strength/definition. My aerobic conditioning has improved.  I’m feeling more confident in my abilities.  Nothing huge or groundbreaking, but progress nonetheless. 

So, starting right now I will relax. I will quit analyzing my body.  I will work hard, train hard, and trust that I will get where I want to go.

Goals and Dreams: The Scarier the Better

Goals and dreams are an interesting thing.  They’re easy to set, hard to stick to, and even harder to attain.  I've set many, many goals in my life and I've achieved a lot of them—I've gotten a college education, landed a great job, lost a lot of weight and built a healthy body, just to name a few.  But in the scheme of things, none of these goals were particularly huge, or even really that hard to attain; a little bit of hard work reaped some great rewards.  And now here I sit with a goal in front of me that’s so huge it seems unattainable. It’s downright terrifying!  But you know what? I've also want it more than I've ever wanted anything else.  I want it so bad I can taste it. I’m willing to work harder than I ever have, to dig deep and push through, to sacrifice.  I want it so bad I can walk away from donuts at work (I freaking love donuts) and push through the millionth burpee my trainer is making us do on any given night.

I’m scared.  I’m scared of failing, but not trying is scarier than trying and failing. But I want it. I want it so bad I can taste it.  I’m hooked on the lifestyle and the idea; I’m hooked on the sweat and the hunger for the dream.  And that’s what it takes to succeed. You need to have hunger, you need to have dedication, and you need to have persistence. Look in the dictionary—dedication comes before persistence, which comes before success. You can’t have one without the other.

Dream big.  Work hard.  Visualize what you want and then go out and grab it.  No dream is too big, no goal is unattainable. As I've said before, small steps lead to huge victories.  Go get it!

Photo credit http://littlemisswife.com