Time To Be Regular

No, I'm not talking about eating more fibre, I'm talking about posting more regularly.

I dont post very often these days, but I read everyone else's blog's diligently on a daily basis. And I get a lot from them, so I've been thinking that maybe I should be returning the favour by sharing more regularly. I've really been enjoying KatieP's daily Calorie King/weight updates, and whilst I dont want to copycat, since I have got so much out of it, I thought I might do the same for a while, so at least Katiep is returned the favour!

So here's mine from yesterday

Weight - 64.0

You have used 1378 out of your net daily budget of 1350 calories and have -28 calories remaining. 47% of the calories are from fat, 17% from protein, 37% from carbs and 0% from alcohol.

As you can see, yesterday was a bad day nutritionally (check out my fat/protein ratios)

Here's the reason why:

I am on a weight loss challenge with some friends at work - I am a part of a team of 4. I lost 1.9kgs in the first week - mainly due to my conscious water loading on the weekend prior, and since then have struggled to lose anything. In reality, my weight has stagnated around 64.3 kgs for about the last 6 weeks (except for my weight gain spike in the middle of this when the challenge started). I have eaten relatively well on a consistent basis, and exercised (cardio and weights) as I should. But regardless of what happens (walking marathons etc) it will not budge. This week out of desperation - I tried to shake things up. On Wed, I hit myself with a double header of an exercise session - RPM (spin) followed by Combat. Over these two hours I kept my HR at and average of 85% - no result. The next day - I thought I try and eat a whole range of different foods - things my body's not used to - same weight next morning, despite throwing in an extra hour of walking late at night on the treadmill. Yesterday - I thought I'd take a leaf out of Katiep's book and try a paleo day. This was so hard that I ended up over my calorie allowance - I kept eating more because I was so hungry! And no change on the weight. Yesterday, I was due for a long run in the morning, but I got up feeling tired and achey, and just didn't want to go. A quick recount of my exercise days and I realised I hadn't had a rest day for 8 days. So I deferred my long run to the next day. And kinda let down the front on the nutrition side as well out of crankiness over my plateau. I ate chocolate, potato chips and my favourite icecream - a Giant Twin. Of course I only ate the chocolate and chips in small quantities (a 20g mini pack and a couple of small Easter eggs), hence I stayed close to my calorie allowance.

Anyway - despite the high fat and no exercise my weight this morning is on the brink of dropping below 64. Normally this sort of stubborn weight issue wouldn't bother me so much, but because of the weight challenge I feel like I'm letting the side down. I'm determined not to weigh in again at the gym until I have something to show for it!

Lastly - this ad in Oxygen is doing my head in.

Its an ad for hydroxycut - no big deal - but its the girls weight/size that is confusing me. She is the same height as me - and in her before photo - essentially the same weight. In the article they talk about her getting up to a whopping 65kgs and a size 16 (or words to that effect), suggesting that she is grossly overweight. My issue is that at the same height and weight, I am definitely not a size 16 - I wear between a 10 - 12 - and its only the chest that puts me into a size 12. What the **** - How can this be - do I just wear my clothes too tight? Am I grossly overweight and cant see it? I don't think I look as thin as she is at 45 kgs, but I also don't think I'm as big as she looks at 65. Aggh - I have so many body image issues, I'm not sure what's accurate any more. I know I'm not within a healthy weight range - but people ridicule me when I say I plan to lose more weight. Body fat measurements are all over the place - with skin fold calipers telling me I'm at 17 - 18% and my scales telling me I'm at 42% (I know my scales are wrong - the scales at the gym put me under 30%). So who knows? I also think I probably have a kg or two of excess skin around the middle which I think causes havoc with body fat calcs on the scales. Others tell me my weight is higher due to my muscle mass....

I know in the end it doesn't matter - I just have to make a decision for me, based on what I see in the mirror. And I know I am fit and healthy - with the blood pressure of a teenager, a resting heart rate in the low 40's. I really should just get over myself!