The results are in ....

I'm not sure how I feel about them. I'm disappointed 'cause I was secretly hoping to see major results. I mean, I've gone from an 18/20 to a 15 or XL in most stuff. I tried on clothes I haven't been able to get into for quite some time and they fit. Barely. I wouldn't want to wear them for long, at least not yet. But soon. There's one outfit in particular that I absolutely love. It's so pretty, so elegant. But still way too small. Part of it's the material stuff is made of too. I hadn't realized that my upper body had gotten SO big. Especially my back. Presumably 'cause I don't see it often. Not that I see my toes very often either, but that's a whole other thing.

Anyway, my Naturopath came over last night for a consult and a BIA (bioimpedence analysis). I was so disappointed 'cause my weight is the same as last year (I hadn't realized it's been almost exactly 1 year (June 26th) since my last BIA and so is my bodyfat and BMI. In fact all my readings were almost the same. So I struggled with that for a while last night. After he left, we had dinner and I had a shower. My instinct was to say "I've been bustin' my rear for the past 3 months and what do I have to show for it? Why bother? Of course that lasted about a minute. Then I realized that yes, I have dropped a full dress size and I've lost 7 inches in the past 3 months. What I guess I had forgotten was that I had actually gained a fair bit since I saw Karam the last time. It was a little before Mom died and my weight was getting way out of control. So in October I started with a personal trainer until the end of the year then I spent most of the winter sick (but I was still at work ... helping to keep the illness alive in my office) so I wasn't working out much. Then I had heart palpitations and got scared. Turns out it was too much caffeine but I took a good, hard, long look at my body, my health and my lifestyle and realized I had to get my act together or I was going to end up in serious trouble. As a good friend of mine said, the work I'm doing now is laying a foundation for how I'm going to get through the next 20 years or so.

So in reality, I know I've lost a lot of fat in the past 3 months, it's just not visible in my BIA since it's been so long since my last assessment. So I'm going to double check with Karam to see how much extra cardio I can add to my lifestyle without overdoing it, I'm going to make sure I'm eating lots of fruits and veggies and lean meats and healthy carbs. We're going to run another assessment in 4 weeks. 1 week after the deck party. I guess I'll have to behave somewhat that day. But I usually do when I'm hosting a big party. And I'll just adjust my activity level the week before and after to accommodate any excesses. I can't believe the party's only 3 weeks away. I just REALLY hope it's a good day, 'cause otherwise we're going to have to reschedule. Of course I forgot to add a rain date on the invite but oh well. We'll just keep good thoughts and hope it's sunny and hot that day. Mid-July. Normally is.

So I guess I'd just say to anyone who's trying to lose fat (notice I say fat, not weight ... muscle is much heavier than fat), just be patient and consistent and if you're not seeing a lot of results, track what you're eating and your activity level for a typical week or 2. You might be surprised to find that you're not eating as well as you thought. Or check with your doctor and/or naturopath to make sure your thyroid and adrenal glands are functioning well. And of course we women have the added challenge of horomonal issues. Regardless of what stage of life we're at.

One thing Karam said yesterday that really hit me ... concentrate on being healthy and the fat loss is an added bonus. I've been thinking the other way around. If I lose the fat, I'll get healthier.

But before you start any type of new workout schedule, check with your family doctor, get a blood panel done and get them to check your blood pressure and heart rate and give you the all clear ... especially if you have a fairly signficant amount of fat to lose. Of course I highly recommend a naturopath ... I'm fortunate to have one who'se also been a personal trainer so that's a lot of our focus. And proper supplementation. And detoxification. Gotta go get a detox kit today and get back on that.

It does make a difference. So wish me luck with my training and keeping a positive attitude. And thanks for your encouragement. It means a lot.

Have a fabulous weekend!