Skip to content

Week 73: Bad Results or New Chapter?

After telling you last week how strong my results were (e.g. new low weight, etc.) this week didn’t go as well. While ups and downs are incredibly frustrating they have been a fact of life throughout the journey. Setbacks are a normal part of a fitness journey but they are still disappointing and annoying.

Plus 6 Pounds!

I have talked before about how my body is more sensitive than ever to my daily diet. Sodium in particular has a major impact on me. If I exceed my daily sodium goals (about 1500 milligrams) I notice the impact on the scale. High sodium causes the body to retain water and water has weight associated with it. So consumption of too much sodium means that there is a measurable result in weight gain. This is just one cause, but a big one, of daily weight fluctuations.

On last Thursday I weighed in at my lowest point yet: 194 pounds, down 131 total and just 5 pounds away from my final goal. So I went into my long weekend at Indian Lake feeling pretty successful. Then I had a weekend of lots of exercise but also lots of food including lots of sodium and I didn’t have my scale with me.

On Tuesday morning I stepped on the scale and I was up 6 pounds from my prior weigh-in! That sucks! Even worse is that I didn’t see a full correction through the week. I had some losses and some gains but the average is still 4 pounds heavier than last week.

Here is my weight graph from the past 30 days… you can see the low point that I finally achieved followed by the big swing.

I am so close to my final weight loss goal and it is unbelievably frustrating to have a setback like this.

This May be a Turning Point

Maybe part of the reason this week’s setback was so frustrating is that it may be an indicator of something bigger going on. When you look at the graph of my overall journey the last few months are notable. My weight loss has nearly completely leveled off and has become very gradual now.

Here is the graph of my weight since I started… check out the flat tail over the past few months…

Yes I am continuing to lose weight and I am certainly not gaining weight – with the exception of temporary fluctuations brought on by day-to-day changes in diet. I am just not losing at the rate that I had gotten used to during the earlier part of my journey. But the real fact that I am going to need to accept is that this is normal.

This trailing off of weight loss is normal because I am nearing my low weight and the point where weight loss stops. My body fat percentage has gotten to a good point and there isn’t much more to lose. One pound of weight loss now is a significantly higher portion of my body weight than it was when I started.

Chasing Other Goals

In addition to weight loss slowing because there isn’t that much left to lose I am also doing things, positive things, that directly conflict with weight loss!

I am working on refining my nutrition to properly fuel my workouts which includes more carbs sometimes, high protein all the time and that may lead to sodium bombs. This also means that I am not creating a HUGE calorie deficit like I was earlier in my journey. My body needs more fuel to support being an athlete. (Did I just call myself an athlete? I sure did!)

I am weight training a lot more and lifting pretty heavy which leads to increased food needs and some inflammation here and there – something I learned from my trainer.

Plus I continue to run pretty often which can also lead to my body weight fluctuating. I am running in 2 races over the next 3 weeks!

The non-weight related goals are going pretty well! My goal to deadlift my body weight by the end of the year is definitely within reach – I am up to 85% so far. My pull-ups goal is a bit more of a stretch but I am seeing progress there. Plus I find it easier to do things that were super hard to do not that long ago like push-ups. My running speed is increasing – sometimes too much leading to more pain than I would like. Plus I am seeing visible results in my body like muscle definition.

So I am continuing to make great progress in my fitness journey and am very happy with what I have accomplished and continue to accomplish. It is just a mental transition for me not to be concerned about my weight. I spent 40 years unhappy with my weight. I spent a little over a year fixing that unhappiness and conditioned myself to see big weight loss every week.

I just need to reset my brain one more time which is nothing new for me. I have become a master at resetting and reinventing so I just need to flex that muscle now.

Last week’s stats (10/29-11/4):
Distance walked/run: 49.9 miles (+21.8 vs. LY)
Total calories burnt: 23,148 (-3,519 vs. LY)
Total calories consumed: 17,002 (+3,922 vs. LY)
Net calories this week: -6,146 (+7,441 vs. LY)
Weight change (week avg.): 3.5 pounds lost (+0.5 vs LY)

Published inMy Journey Updates

Disclaimer: The Operation Melt website and blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The information provided on this website is intended for general consumer understanding and entertainment only. The information provided is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. As health and nutrition research continuously evolves, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any information presented on this website.

Author WordPress Theme by Compete Themes