~* Ash *~
Panic-Mode: This is my first post at 9:00 am on a Sunday morning for good reason.... I've gained weight.
Kinda. Maybe.... Well, I'm not totally sure if I've gotten "bigger," but the scale says I've gained weight. So I need to write this post to reason out the thoughts in my head.
Up until now, I haven't been worried about my weight for my wedding. I'm not immune to weight gain. I actually gained the freshmen 15 twice (in college and grad school -- Georgia peach cobbler is irresistible. Michigan winters are long and cold; and mac and cheese is warm and gooey). However, both times I've gotten back on track, lost the pounds, and maintained it.
Therefore, I "know" what I weigh. At 5'4" with an average build and decent muscle tone, my body settles in between 128 - 132 pounds, depending on the time of the month (of course *sigh*). At any given day in the last three years, I'll hop on the scale and weigh between that range.
After the holidays, the numbers tip closer to 135. During the stress of finals, they can drop to as low as 125. Nonetheless, my body settles almost exactly at my healthy weight, according to the BMI charts. I could gain 15 lbs or lose almost 20 and be perfectly healthy.
On top of that, I haven't been concerned because at my stable weight, my wedding dress -- yes, I've been keeping y'all in the dark about the dress, and I promise I'll post something soon -- fits almost perfectly. It slips on, zips up all the way, and there's not a sign of the dreaded rolls of "back fat."
The only problem is that I can't fully exhale after 5 minutes. By my calculations, this means I need to lose about a 1/2" from my waist and/or 3-5 lbs to breathe comfortably on my wedding day.
"That's nothing!" everyone says when I tell them this. They're right. It is nothing, but there's a potential concern....
Being engaged is a lot like a big holiday. Since I've been engaged, we've had two parties (food and cake), went home to Maryland twice (fried, buttery, and/or sugary goodness at every turn), and it's summer (ice cream twice/week and random happy hours).
To balance all of this, summer does have health benefits also. I walk all the time (gotta love Ann Arbor) including doubling the length of Maggie's walks, eat fresh produce at almost every meal, spend time playing in the pool -- a workout in itself, and Lu and I have taken up swing dancing.
To summarize, my scale has stayed the same up until today. The day I tried on my wedding dress about a month ago, I weighed 130.5 lbs. As of Thursday, I weighed 132 -- a difference of just over a pound. However, it's in my normal range and that was the day after we came back from a visit to my parents' house?! Not bad at all.
After a few days of eating like normal, I was confident that my weight would just drop back down like it usually does. On top of that, Lu had signed us up for a spinning class, so I knew those few pounds would just melt away.
Friday, Lu and I went spinning -- hard but so much fun. Even my spin instructor laughed when I said I wanted to lose 3-5 lbs. for the wedding. She said, "Whew! 3 pounds is great. I was about to say that you don't have to lose weight at all. When a girl that's obviously in great shape comes in here talking about losing weight, I get worried!" [*blush*]
Then Saturday, we went to Bally's and did laps in the pool. Okay, Lu did laps. I'm still working on the breathing-while-swimming-without-inhaling-water thing. However, by the end, I could take a few breaths and swim half of the pool... before accidentally swallowing water and coughing. Then we came back to my place and walked Maggie over two miles to the carnival and back.
This morning, I woke up and thought I looked pretty darn good. My stomach was completely flat, and I even had the beginnings of muscle definition in my legs. (I love how my arms and back look, but keeping my legs tight is always a challenge.)
I knew that it was just the immediate change that you see after you shock your body back into a workout, but to fully play up my confidence, I weighed myself...
... and the scale said 135 lbs.
WHAT?!?!? That's my post-Thanksgiving/Christmas weight! Not my, "Yeah, I've been slacking a little bit on my diet but have been twice as active" weight.
I've only been doing cardio, so I can't use the "it's muscle" explanation.
To be fair, I did eat a cupcake at our Christianity Coffee and Dessert Hour on Friday night, Ms. K had us over for vegan cupcakes and wine last night, and I've been purposely eating more carbs and protein to fuel my increase in activity.
BUT I've had ice cream, cupcakes, and wine all summer without gaining anything!
Frustrated, I took inventory. [Panic level at 6.]
Step one: Get off the scale, and get back on. Maybe there was an error?.... Hmm, nope. [Panic level at 8.]
Step two: Be logical. It takes an extra 3500 calories to gain a pound. There's no way that I've eaten 7000 excess calories in three days. [Panic level at 6.]
Step three: Tell Lu, who reassured me that either it's just water or my body's just shocked from our sudden increase in activity level, especially since we're doing things that it's not used to doing. I've only done spinning a handful of times and never even considered doing laps in a pool before last week.
On top of that, when I was an athlete in high school, I always gained weight during the first few weeks of training. [Panic level at 5.]
Step four: Get out the smallest jeans I have in my closest -- which zipped up with room to spare. [Panic level at 3.]
Step five: Take my measurements. This is something I probably should have done before working out, but they're generally about the same. Wouldn't you know it? My thighs and waist were actually a bit smaller. [Panic level at 1.]
Step six: Write this post.... Originally, I thought this would calm me down completely. However, it's made me realize that I need to be that much more cautious about what I'm putting into my body and what I'm doing to keep on track.
I'm not going to become one of those crazed brides that drop 25 lbs. for their wedding only to gain 30 lbs. back the first year of marriage. However, I do need to be more thoughtful about and consistent with my healthy routine.
I've been eating ice cream and cupcakes all summer and didn't gain weight until I stepped back in the gym. This means that my body is "shocked" when I actually do something that's good for it! [Panic level back at 6.]
The scale is just a tool, but it can tell you a lot more than what you weigh.
hahahah this is funny Ashley. It probably still is muscle. You mentioned seeing more muscle definition in your leg which is probably from spinning which can probably explain the very small increase in weight. You're fine girl!
I agree with Ryen. Especially since your smallest jeans zipped with room to spare, and when you measured you were actually smaller. I call the scale the enemy, but only when it says I weigh more than I want too, lol. Shocking the body when doing what's good for it just let's me know that I have conditioned it to the wrong things for far too long. Keep being active and eating great. By October your body is going to be woe and I am praying I can keep up with you, lol.
Thanks, ladies! Even if it were "authentic" weight gain, which I'm hoping it's not, I've still got three months to get to my goal.... It's just always depressing when you see the scale moving the wrong way! lol
I agree with Oneida. If you are still bothered by it, try weighing yourself today or tomorrow, first thing in the morning (this is when you weigh the least). It's normal to have a little fluctuation in weight, especially when changing up the workout routine. :-)
I just randomly read this post...and you know what's funny? I am the same exact height as you AND weight (and same type of fluctuations throughout the year). I choose to only weigh myself when I'm feeling 'thin'...that way I never see a higher # than 130 =) As my mom says, everything in moderation. You will be a perfect bride at 130 (or maybe 125 due to wedding stress lol).
Thanks for the encouragement! (I love the "when to step on the scale" tips from both of you, lol.) As an update, I weighed 131 pounds yesterday.... The same way that I couldn't have "gained" 3 lbs. in two days, I couldn't have "lost" 4 lbs. in one. I'll just do what's healthy, and my body will figure out how to keep up.
hahaha as soon as I read the first line, I was just thinking, Ashley, please grab that measuring tape and CALM DOWN!!! And I'm glad I was reassured.
I agree, the scale is the enemy; the measuring tape should be your best friend. Fluctuations in weight only scratch the surface, it's better to simply figure out where you are gaining/losing it.
Oh, and a simple but consistent resistance training routine will do wonders for your body, and your metabolism...
I JUST walked in from Power Flex class, lol! Cardio is great, but it won't get you definition.