Jillian Michael’s Body Revolution Week 2

I realized this afternoon that I never came back and updated with my week 2 review of Jillian Michaels Body Revolution so I’m here to remedy that problem. Then I fully plan on eating dinner and passing out because DST has really messed with my body and my brain and I’m completely exhausted!

Week 2 was the same workout schedule as week 1, I just tried to do more reps or use heavier weight or do the more advanced versions of the exercises. I was feeling pretty good about myself because I was doing well with the workouts (with the exception of Saturday). I weighed again on Friday and, like week 1, there was no movement on the scale. However, I feel a lot stronger and I’ve noticed my endurance is better so I think I must be building muscle. I usually gain a bit before I lose when I’m lifting so I’m not scared. 🙂

I took a break on Sunday (scheduled rest day), then overslept on Monday and missed my workout. It really upset me because that was the start of week 3 and a new set of strength workouts. I fully intended to come home and get my workout in but it didn’t happen because I was so out of whack from the time change. Instead, I started Week 3 yesterday (on Tuesday) and I won’t have a rest day on Sunday. Problem solved!

Anyway, yesterday I started with workout 3 for week 3 and I was thinking I should be fine. Um, no. I thought I was going to die. The stamina I thought I’d gained was totally missing and at one point, I only did 2-3 reps of some of the exercises. It was a bummer 😦 BUT it goes to show how this is a progressive program and things only get more intense. Today was a little better but still rough. I’m curious to see how I do on Friday!

Another thing I’m struggling with right now is my food intake. I use myfitnesspal to log food and to set my intake goals. Recently, a friend suggested to me that I should increase my caloric intake to my BMR minus 20%. I’m considering it but because I work a desk-type job, I’m afraid I will be taking in too many calories. I’m doing more research and looking at my average burns (from my BodyMedia unit) before I make a decision. I’ll let you guys know what I decide!

 

Whole30 Complete!

I have completed the Whole30 for the second time! I’m excited and happy, moreso about my results than anything else.

This time around, I lost 13 pounds – 13 POUNDS! and a total of 12.5 inches over my whole body! I’m so proud and happy with these results. I also feel pretty good, especially considering that I have a bad upper respiratory infection right now. Oh well, can’t win them all!

My plan from here is to start the reintroduction schedule. I will start with dairy, then non-gluten grains, and then legumes. I know that gluten is included on the official Whole30 reintroduction schedule but I don’t plan on reintroducing gluten so I’m skipping it. The more time goes on, the more I realize that gluten is a major problem in my life, Celiac diagnosis or no.

Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying I’ll never have gluten again. In fact, I may have a slice of pizza tonight. But gluten (and other non-Paleo stuff) will be an occasional thing – I plan to stay 90% Paleo from here on out.

Anyway, that’s my post-Whole30 update. Now I’ve got to go get ready for work. I expect it to be a very crazy day. I’ll be back soon!

The Fruits of My Labor

Everyone measures success differently, particularly when it comes to weight loss. I have a friend that obsessively weighs every morning to see if she’s gained, lost, or maintained. Usually after her morning weigh-in we see something on facebook along the lines of “woot! lost a pound and a half last night!” or “OMG, gained 4 POUNDS, MY LIFE IS OVER!”

Yes, that is somewhat exaggerated but… not really. The problem here is that the scale is her end-all-be-all. Her day begins with her stepping on the scale and the outcome of that one moment determines whether it will be a good day or a bad day. That hunk of plastic and metal had complete contro over her and it’s not even a sentient being!

I admit, I used to weigh daily. It was less about obesessing and more about collecting data. Every day I would put my weight into an Excel spreadsheet and weekly I would make a graph and look at it to see what it showed. There were fluctuations (which is to be expected) and I noticed trends like the fact that I can gain up to 10 pounds of bloat before my period! Over time, I decided that while the data was interesting and helpful on a small level, the most important thing it had to show me was that the scale was not an accurate measure of fitness and health.

I still have a scale and I still weigh though I have limited my weigh ins to weekly at most. It’s tempting sometimes to get on the scale when I feel particularly light but even then, sometimes it’s not what you expect. I remember once after a very vigorous day – lifting, hard cardio, a run, and even a krav maga class – I decided to weigh thinking that I’d have dropped at least 2 pounds. I actually GAINED which was incredibly disappointing. I know now that I was likely bloated because my muscles were healing but still, what a shocker! So instead, I weigh on Friday mornings and that’s it.

Why Friday? I picked Friday because previously I weighed-in on Mondays and realized quickly that weekends were not my best “diet days.” I was more likely to muck up on the weekend and then my Monday weigh-ins were skewed. So I changed to Friday and found things to be much more even.

I also don’t place the same level of confidence on the scale as I used to. For example, I’ve gained a few pounds since my Whole30 ended, mostly because I’ve been sick and indulging in lots of non-Paleo comfort foods. I take full responsibility for that and I’m working to get back on track ASAP. But just because the scale says something, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true.

I am going to Hawaii at the end of October. It will be a bittersweet trip because it’s partly for vacation and partly so we can go spread my grandmother’s ashes at her favorite place on earth. Either way, I needed a few new things to wear – the most important being shorts. Aside from my workout shorts, the only three pairs I had were a little loose before the Whole30 and after… Well, they’re HUGE! I know, I know – pics or it didn’t happen:

See? I told you so. They were literally falling off me which wasn’t cool. Shortly before the hurricane, I ordered 2 new pairs from the Gap in a smaller size… I was scared. For me, shorts are the true test of weight loss. I have big thighs so if I haven’t “really lost weight” shorts won’t fit. I’ve bought a few new dresses and a pair of jeans since the weight drop but not shorts.

They were delayed but came yesterday and I was secretly terrified to try them on… But when I did, they fit PERFECT. I couldn’t have asked for better. My husband came in and I had tears in my eyes because I was so happy. Best NSV (non-scale victory) in a long time!

So how my shorts (and other clothes) fit is how I determine my weight loss success. How do you determine yours? Have you found the scale to be just as much a lying bitch as I did? Either way, keep on keeping on!

Next time on “Here We Go, Paleo!” – TBA