"Don't Wait for the Weight"

Me at my current weight of 185

One morning I almost got discouraged when my weight had increased by five pounds from the previous day’s reading, but then I had to catch myself and remember how the scale can be a true set-up. Several factors contribute to the reasons why our weight on the scale may fluctuate from day-to-day and sometimes throughout the day.

From my research, I have found that our true weight is the weight that we see first thing in the morning when we wake up after we have used the bathroom. We must also keep in mind that different scales are calibrated differently thus giving us a different reading. Don't pay so much attention to the number. Pay attention to the gain and loss and try to stick with one scale. No matter what actual weight any scale may say, if you lose five pounds, you lose five pounds…just as five pounds of feathers weighs the same as five pounds of bricks.

At my highest weight (214) right after Grad School

I came to the conclusion that my weight had increased so rapidly due to two factors. One was that I had not used the bathroom yet as I always do when I wake up in the morning. The other factor was that, the day before, I had consumed far less water and far more sodium than usual, so I was suffering from water retention.

This is another reason why we should not rely solely on the scale as a measure of our progress, because often times the change that we see is a water weight loss or gain, not fat. I like to measure my progress by keeping track of my inches, gauging how my clothes feel, and measuring my body fat percentage. This helps me because I carry weight much differently than most.

When asked to guess my weight, many guess an average forty pounds lighter than what I actually weigh. When I reveal my actual weight to people, they usually don't believe me. When I was hovering around the forty pound lighter weight that they guessed me to be, I began to look too skinny and I had lost all of my womanly curves, thus I have come to the conclusion that the weight that I am right now is the ideal weight for me. I believe that I tend to weigh more because of the fact that muscle weighs more than fat. I have a lot of muscle, primarily in my legs.

I have made the conscious decision to enjoy and love my body as it is in the present. I will continue to work out, eat right, and strive to increase my quality of health and level of fitness, but I will not wait until I reach a certain goal weight to do everything that I want to do. I hear people saying that they want to wait until they shed the pounds to take pictures, put on a swim suit or perform in a show....I used to be the same way. While using things such as this for motivation to become healthier is great, I no longer believe in putting my life on hold. You can try to put life on hold if you want to, but life won’t wait for you. Take it from me, I speak from experience.

Lowest weight (146) 2.5 years after Grad School

I’ve had times where I felt too fat, then I lost sixty-five pounds and I felt too skinny (see photo in magazine ad to the right), missing my womanly curves and feeling like I was shaped like a little boy. Now, I look back at pictures and see how beautiful I was at every moment of my life, even when I was at my highest weight of two hundred fourteen pounds....the key is believing it. When you believe that you are beautiful, you exude a confidence that is magnetic.

With all of that said, I will not wait to do a professional photo shoot, I will not wait to wear a two piece swim suit, and I will not wait to do everything I aspire to do. I will not wait for the weight!

Weight may not be your issue, but I’m sure that there is something in your life, such as money or time, that you use as an excuse to stop you from enjoying and experiencing life to the fullest. This week I challenge you to stop waiting for that thing and take action.

P.S. Be sure to check out the video blog I posted on You Tube this morning about Day 1 of my 60 day fitness challenge!

You can learn more about my fitness journey in my book The Ups and Downs of Being Round (Click on the title to purchase the eBook for ONLY $0.99! It includes a lifestyle change guide that details my meal and fitness plans)