When I became pregnant two years ago, I gained 30 lbs. Unfortunately, I was already slightly overweight at the time. Many people said that breast feeding would “magically” melt off the fat. But for me, I just ate more. To kick off the New Year, I joined a gym and became more conscience of the kinds of food I was putting in my mouth. At first, I was not loosing any weight, only inches. My clothes were looser because muscle is denser than fat, which means it weighs a little more but takes up less space. Another plus to building muscle is that current research shows muscle burns more calories than fat, even at rest.
Now that I have built muscle (by weightlifting, yoga, and cardio exercise) the scale is FINALLY starting to budge. But I will not lie, before the scale started going down, I was down on myself. “Why not just eat pie if I am working this hard and not loosing weight,” I caught myself thinking. These kinds of self defeating thoughts are why I am suggesting to use at least one other tool to measure your progress. Many gyms and doctors offices have BMI (Body Mass Indicator) analyzer machines that will show your progress. You can also ask someone to measure your waist, hips, thighs, chest, and arms using a tailors measuring tape. Or, just use a pair of jeans. As muscle builds, the jeans will become less tight.
Scales can be deceiving and hinder your efforts. As with most things in life, a positive attitude and patience will help you achieve your goals. It has been 7 months since I made a commitment to getting fit. I have lost minimal weight, but I refuse to give up. There is no “magical” pill to lasting weight loss. Weight loss takes time and I am just starting to reap the benefits of all my hard work. Why would I give up now?
Namaste.
