After my workout session Monday morning I told my trainer I think I have a thyroid disease. On Wednesday I asked, "If the scale doesn't move by Friday do you think I should make a doctor's appointment?" By Thursday I realized I was doing it again. It being obsessing over the scale and my weight loss progress -- it being exactly what I didn't want to happen this time around.
I'm a very all or nothing person, so when I embark on something like a 90-day transformation, it's essentially mighty morphin power ranger time in my mind. I have a specific outcome in my mind, I'm racing the clock to get there, and if I feel like I'm not on track to reach whatever goal I've set in the exact amount of time I've allotted myself to reach it, I feel defeated, I become obsessed, and then I'm over it.
I was very much on the borderline of repeating that ridiculous cycle this week when Jah threatened to pull out my own articles on me and then repeatedly reminded me of something I already know: Get off the scale.
As we began the third week of training, I was expecting to see at least a four-pound loss on the scale. I saw zero. I saw defeat. Nevermind the first week of training I was PMSing and eating everything in sight, nevermind the second week I was on my actual period and bloated, and nevermind by the third week of training I was still getting maybe one serving of greens per day and barely enough protein or water to aid my weight loss goals. The problem wasn't the training process; I was doing the most -- obsessing -- and yet not enough -- eating a properly balance diet -- at the same time.
On top of that I was discrediting the gains I was making. The first week of training I clocked a time of 5:53 doing a medicine ball slam-kettlebell swing pyramid drill. Week two that time was 4:40 and week three my time was 4:04. I'd forgotten about the stopwatch by the next time I stepped on the scale the next morning because I was paying attention to a number that doesn't mean much instead of one that's a better measure of my physical fitness and my progress.
Thankfully, by week's end I got my life and started focusing on the things I can control -- my diet -- rather than tripping over whatever number might pop up on the scale. As Jah reminded me, I also had to take into account that we're doing heavy lifting during our sessions to build the kind of muscle that changes your body composition and burns more fat, which is the ultimate goal. Cardio alone may accelerate changes on the scale but it doesn't increase physical fitness or muscle tone -- again, the real goals.
So, my aim this week is to stay out of my head (and off of the scale) so I can stay committed and enjoy the process and my progress like I'm supposed to.