Fitness update!

A few months ago, I began what was to be my last ditch attempt (or first) to get some fitness routine going in my life. I enrolled for what is called 'bootcamp' its a mild version of circuit training. We worked out barefoot in a small but airy gym and under the eagle eye of a size zero 7% body fat trainer. I loved waking up and working out. the routine changed almost everyday and I was very happy. A few of my friends too joined in and then dropped out. I needed the company. I felt a little more confident when they were around. But surprisingly, even when they stopped coming, I kept at it. 

The first month was great, I lost considerable inches everywhere, I was feeling great and everyone said I was losing weight. I was happy. Then I overate. At every meal. And I was ravenous.... I hid under the umbrella that I walked the dog 5-6 times a day and that I was burning calories in the gym, and that was a licence to eat...didn't help that my mother was in residence and would cook and feed me all sorts of things. 

I actually began to put on weight and increase fat. I was depressed. I also developed a knee strain, ignored it a bit and went to the doctor when i could barely walk. The verdict of the doctor "no more jumping and knee impacting exercise, total rest till the knee healed, he couldn't find anything else that was wrong cos I didn't have the usual symptoms of knee injury and oh, i had to lose a lot of weight"

I was depressed and moping for 4 days exactly. I assume I was quite horrid to live with. But K does not do pity (that pisses me off... but that's another post).

So i spoke to my trainer and signed up for personal training. For the first month, we did nothing, just some less intense workouts and slow and steady was the word. I am impatient and hey, I had given this thing almost 5 months of my life. 

Everyone in my life had a mantra "the gym routine is not working - quit" the more i heard that or versions of it, the more adamant i became. I don't give up easy... no sir...

So, I set a deadline for me and the trainer, decided on a fitness goal, told him no matter what he made me do, i wont whine or complain. and started a tough diet. the diet is in direct contrast to what most people are used to eating. The first meal of the day is to be had 12-13 hrs after your last one.. which is ok... since i eat dinner at around 8, i can hold on till 10 a.m the next day, i do have coffee first thing in the morning tho.... lunch is moderate and dinner is the largest and heaviest meal of the day with a huge salad, protein element and a load of carbs. I freaked out when i saw the diet... just goes against the grain of regular meals. but I had nothing to lose... after a month of doing it, not very strictly tho, I have some success to show for it.

My metabolic rate has increased (which is what the diet does), fat has decreased, muscle mass has increased and I've had inch loss baby! yeah! all that hard work is finally paying off....

the thing is... when you build muscle and lose fat, weight actually increases....cos a pound of fat weighs less than a pound of muscle... so i know the weighing scale wont go down. 

however, it is the measuring tape and the other numbers that tell another picture. 

I had to have some clothes altered by an inch cos they were too loose. I wore a 7 yr old dress (why yes, I am a hoarder... how did you know?) and people are telling me that i look thinner... not the "oh my god what are you doing?" but "hey, you have really lost weight"

so, that's a good thing right? 

I'm going to be very strict and clean in my diet for the next 3 weeks. Because I cheated quite a bit this past month. Wish me luck

The thing is, I am happy I am doing this for myself... I used to pant like a dog to do 30 seconds of skipping, my endurance has increased so much now... I can skip, do push ups, squats and am super proud of the weights am lifting. So all is not measured on the weighing scales right? I thought so too....