The Rise and Fall… Of the Scale

Remember back at the end of December when I declared my fitness goals for the year 2016?

Well, I was sincerely goal-getting up until the beginning of March. As my college roommate and I used to say when we needed a good dose of enabling, “what ha’ happened was” I made the classic mistake of dieting restrictively and then going on a major binge once I was done.

I was going strong – no alcohol, my job and my gym were both having “Look Good Naked” challenges, I was sticking to Whole30 rules.

My weight went from 152 at the beginning of the year to 139 by the end of February and into the beginning of March. I was feeling stronger at the gym. I was feeling confident in my bikini. I didn’t miss anything except for chocolate, peanut butter, and oatmeal.

Oh. And red wine.

So when the challenges were over at the beginning of March and I was feeling like I “looked good naked,” I decided it was time to treat yo’self in proper Parks and Recreation fashion (FINE LEATHER GOODS). Someone brought in donuts at work? Don’t mind if I do! Watching episode after episode of Friends? Popcorn and chocolate chips pair well together.

I never missed my workouts. I kept up with my runs for the most part. But improper fueling lead to feeling weak and fatigued during box jumps. My runs went from a good-for-me pace of 9:15 to over a 10-minute pace.

And the scale.

It crept at first.

Then it seemed to skyrocket.

Currently, as I type this, I feel upset because I stepped on my scale this morning and weighed in heavier than I’ve ever been – 158 pounds.

I knew I wasn’t going to like the number that I saw. And I know I’m not supposed to let that bother me. But it’s hard to see such a drastic change in digital numbers between your feet – the reality that your performance has decreased because your food consumption has increased.

I am a classic case of how dieting doesn’t work which is why the next move I make to improve my health is going to be a lifestyle upheaval.

Here’s my plan:

Starting today, I am going to do a real Whole30.

Once I complete this true Whole30 with the tentative goal of getting my weight and performance back under control, I will adapt the eating rules to allow me to live my life happily, in moderation, and healthily.

That means chocolate.

That means peanut butter. Oatmeal.

And, of course, red wine.

And that’s the Way of Fit.

Food Log, 6/8

Breakfast – Coconut Cacao Rx Bar, black coffee w/coconut oil (cuckoo for coconut, apparently)

Lunch – Spinach salad with tuna and grapes

Snacks – Turkey-wrapped apricots (post pending!), frozen blueberries with unsweetened almond milk poured over + tbsp of unsweetened shredded coconut, coffee w/unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Dinner – salsa-covered chicken coated in nutritional yeast (sounds awful but it’s not, I swear), olive oil and garlic collard greens

Dessert – almond and cranberry trail mix, hot tea