Weigh in Wednesday, week 5

It's me again!  Are you getting bored reading all my Weigh in Wednesdays?  I don't really expect people to read them, it's more for my own benefit of logging each week and seeing my progress.  But, I am thrilled to put these out 'there' for anyone who is on the journey with me.  We can help each other when we're down and cheer each other on when we're doing well.

This week I am down.  Not down in numbers, but I'm not doing well.  I'm discouraged. I could sit here and tell you all my woes and wonder why I'm not losing weight, or I could tell you what I HAVE done in the last 5 weeks.  I have walked over 10 miles!  I have ran almost 20 miles!  30 miles in 3 weeks is a big deal!  WAIT!  Didn't I just say it had been 5 weeks?  So why am I saying I ran/walked 30 miles in 3 weeks?

Well, when I was adding up all my time on the treadmill, I skipped the first 2 weeks because it's too hard to calculate how many miles I ran when I was only running for 60 seconds at a time.  I began adding during the 3rd week when I actually ran for 3 minutes or more at a time.

You don't have to be a math genius to figure out that it's the same as 10 miles a week.  10 miles a week!  Wow!  Break that down even more and I've gone 2 miles a day if I worked out 5 days a week.

Now, these are not easy miles. It's not like I have taken leisurely strolls around the neighborhood.  No, these are the kind of miles that you are drenched in sweat, your breathing is labored, your knees and hips hurt.  You spend your days stretching out your leg muscles because they are sore from running.  These are not easy miles.  Just a side note, did you know that your nose can sweat? 

So why have I GAINED a pound this week??  Maybe I'm building some muscles.  All that running/walking is surely doing something great for my legs. 

One friend suggested I start counting calories to which I replied, "I already am."  But, as I investigated deeper, I realized that even though I WAS counting them on myfitnesspal.com, I was probably still eating more than I should to lose weight.  One other website gave a formula for how many calories one should eat if they want to lose weight.  You take your weight, multiply it by 12 and that is how many calories you should eat if you want to MAINTAIN your current weight.  If you want to lose 1 pound a week, you take away 500 calories.  If you want to lose 2 pounds a week, drop 1000 calories.

Well, I did that, and according to that site, if I dropped 500 calories, I'd only be eating about 1100 calories a day.  I have myfitnesspal set at 1530 a day.  But, some warning lights went off in my head.  I don't think it's healthy to only eat 1100 calories a day.  It's a good thing I kept reading this article because it then said to never go under 1200.  So, I have now set myfitnesspal.com calorie goal at 1200.

But, if I exercise that day, I should ADD in some calories.  On a typical running day, I burn about 275 or more calories.  My body would more than likely go into starvation mode. Not to mention I would be tired, grumpy, and sluggish all day. 

I really want to get rid of this pregnancy weight once and for all.  But, I want to do it in a healthy way.  There is the common statement I hear often, "It takes 9 months to put on the weight, it will take 9 months to take it off."  Well, I don't count my nursing months into that equation, so really I am in my second month of working off the weight. 

No, I haven't seen a lot of results on the scale. Yes, I have been discouraged.  But, 5 weeks ago, I was  not able to run for 2 miles at a time.  Now I can.  5 weeks ago I was not doing anything to work up a sweat. Now I am working so hard everything sweats, including my nose!!  So, I'm not going to dwell on a pound gained. I'm going to focus on the good I've accomplished.  30 miles in 3 weeks!  WooHoo!

Do you have a miles per week goal?
Calories are those pesky little guys who go into your closet at night and sew all your clothes tighter.