Need Some Encouragement
I just got sick of myself, not exercising, and decided to start exercising again, and so I did. I have a little running trampoline, I can run, watch the news, watch the ships go by out in the Gulf, and, of course, I count.
Why am I counting? I heard about this program, 1000 Steps, that if you walk 10,000 steps a day, you should be on your way to fitness. I figure if I can knock out a good part of that on the trampoline, also getting my heart rate up, it should be all good – right? Wouldn’t you think so?
I’ve done fairly well. Counting helps me get through the exercise – I’m sort of accomplishment driven, and I need to have goals to achieve. I started out at 2200 and I am now up to 3200 – it’s not that hard, and one day I am hoping to be able to knock out 10,000 steps and then all my other steps all day are gravy.
Except for one thing. Since I’ve started, which was only a week ago, I have actually GAINED weight. It is SO discouraging. I am feeling better, I think I can already see positive changes in the mirror, I am feeling more fit. I love the feeling of burning calories I get when I have finished. I don’t believe I have changed my eating habits – so why would the scales move up???
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🙂 good for you! 10,000 steps is a great goal!
Muscle weighs more than fat, so its totally normal to gain while building muscle. I weigh more than I did 10 years ago, before I started working out – but I definitely look better!
You might also try drinking more water. The less water we drink, the more our bodies retain – as a kind of insurance policy. Maybe an extra glass three times a day?
I have this little device thing at home that you clip onto your trousers and it counts how many steps you take in a day… I forgot what make it is, I’ll find out when I get home and let you know 🙂
diamond said what i was going to say .. that muscle weighs more than fat .. so you will “gain” numbers on the scale but actually look leaner/toned.
Heart rate monitors are helpful too.
But then again, I stopped working out when I moved back here
wow .. id be depressed to!
but its only one week .. u atleast need 3 !! to start losing it ..
and remember if ur on any kind of program .. u need to monitor what u eat .. cut down on the things u think might have caused that gain ..
and the steps program i know ppl who lost LOTS of weight! by just taking walks round their bedrooms everyday and couting steps!! it DOES work! u just need some time 🙂
best of luck sweety.
When you work out you are replacing fat with muscle mass… and muscle weigh more than fat it displace! Since you are seeing +ve changes in the mirror… that means you are getting firmer which is good 🙂 And because of water retention, its ok for your weight to fluctuate (you may have gained water weight too!)
Also make sure you weigh yourself at the same time everyday… when you first get up in the morning before taking a shower to get accurate comparable results…
Thank you, Little Diamond . . . I think you may be right about drinking more water. I don’t believe you weigh more now than ten years ago! You look fantastic!
Sunshine – I kept thinking “pedophile” and knew that wasn’t right! I think it is pedometer! I should get one – maybe they have them at a pharmacy?
Chirp – I would feel so much better if I were toned AND weighed less!
Good ideas, No3ik, and thank you. I think I might have had a problem with soy sauce . . . I actually LIKE the 10,000 steps thing! I like the counting, and it goes fast.
Oh Ansam, good, some things I totally hadn’t thought about. Thank you!
dont worry that is normal u’ve probably gained muscles you might look like you lost weight that because you shrunk but the scale will tell u that you gained thats because muscles are heavier than fat so dont feel discouraged 😉
HAHA @ clipping a peadophile to your belt!
yeah as they said, muscle is denser than fat, so you feel and look leaner but weigh more. if i’m not mistaken, you actually build muscle before actually burning fat.
so what you eat is used to build muscle first, then the extra if theres anything, is sent to fat storage. its only when you go over a certain activity threshold do you begin to burn stored fat. which is why they say 20 minutes uses your current reserves, and more than 20 starts to burn fat.
but keep it up, the more muscle built the more fat you burn with said new muscles 😀 its like financial compounding 😛
Exercise?! What’s that?!?!? 😛
And I join the rest of the fat people of the world in mourning the loss of yet another potential great. Damned exercise!
According to my wonderful daughter, the nutritionist, you’re doing exactly what I should be doing – but ain’t! And everything everyone else has commented is absolutely true! Keep up the good work! It all pays off… or so I’m told! As for me, I’ll try to take up some of the slack in the soy sauce department for you… wouldn’t want to destabilize the industry with any sudden changes! 😀
Seriously people, stop looking at the scale, I doesn’t mean anything! Measure how fast your heart can lower its rate back to its relaxed rhythm instead.
I agree with what some are saying. don’t weigh yourself it can be depressing sometimes, especially if you’re working out coz muscles weigh more than fat, and by working out you are burning fat but also increasing your muscle mass. I say stop using the scale and go by how your clothes fit, if they fit better then you’re on the right path 🙂
keep it up and let us know how it goes!
I definitely feel encouraged. Definitely!
Your real indicator is not the scale, it is the tape measure and how your clothes fit. Stay off the scale because at this point it doesn’t mean anything and becomes discouraging. You go, Girlfriend, keep at it.
Like Momcat says, the scale right now only takes you down.
You are building up muscles. They are heavier than fat 😉
Keep it up, it feels great to do something, no?
😀
Lofter, I am thinking maybe Texas is like Kuwait, in that it is hot, too hot to exercise outside. I don’t like treadmills; it’s like riding a bike, I am not that balanced or something, or maybe I am not paying enough attention. Running on my little trampoline while I have the news on – I can do that.
3baid – Great advice; I’m not sure I can do that. I need the encouragement of the falling numbers, too!
Yousef – at some point, though, all that muscle should be burning fat, no?
Thanks, Momcat! Hmmmm. . . .new clothes . . . . Hmmmm 🙂
Thanks, Nicole! What I like the best is the feeling AFTER I exercise!
Hi! Reading your entry brought back my own memories about my attempt to lose weight in Kuwait. I personally think that the first couple of months are the most frustrating. As if the seemingly lack of results on the scale was not bad enough, I felt hungry all the time and I tried so hard not to eat more than what I normally do. Obviously that’s not good either.
I think getting into the “active” routine is very important and you definitely have a very good way of measuring your progress. Building muscles and having smaller and more frequent meals help. We need to increase our metabolic rate so that we would be burning more calories even if we are sitting down.
Good luck with your workout and keep it up! 🙂
Thank you, Fleetingm for your encouraging words and advice. When are you coming back?
You are most welcome 😉 I am back in Kuwait already 🙂