08 Weeks Afterwards

08 Weeks Afterwards (125 lbs  56 Kg)

125 lbs I’m going up in weight again; but my clothes fit better what a conundrum! I decided this is a good time to take a look at what I have been eating and how much I have been exercising to see what is happening to my body.

Food wise I can say that I have been eating clean for the most part. When I say eating clean I mean that I rarely consume processed foods, breads, instant foods, fast foods, creamy foods, candy, or sugar filled drinks. I consider that a big win because two years ago it seemed that is all I ate because it was easy and convenient. I found that I eat 1,200 calories or less in a day. I give myself some cheat days where I eat things like pizza and those days go up to 2,500 calories - after all I am only human.

Some good habits I’ve kept from the diet are eating less cheese, eating more vegetables, eating earlier in the day, not eating after 9pm, and consuming significantly less alcohol. Although with all the summertime gathering perhaps I should be more mindful about how much I take in. I am somewhat meal planning with some of the easy recipes that use the toaster oven and slow cooker to prepare foods and keep the kitchen clean. Which leads me to believe that perhaps I need to eat more fruits, vegetables, and drink more water to feel full longer.

Exercise wise I try to move a little each day. I have some adjustable dumbbells that can go as high as 20 lbs. So far I can do one of those 15 minute or 30 minute workouts with 7 lbs (I started at 0 lbs). I go to the gym approximately 3 times a week where I do the 5x5 lifting workout although I’m squatting 60 lbs and  30 lbs for overhead press(again started with 0 lbs, not even the bar). I like spinning for cardio and on sunny days taking my bicycle out for a ride.

And there is my answer. Muscle takes up less space than fat but weighs more. Kind of like a pound of feathers takes up more space than a pound of iron. So I look leaner (or so my friends say) but I weight more. So maybe 125 lbs is not a bad thing after all.