Well, it's been 35 days. I haven't missed a workout or screwed up a meal. And like I whined to Patrick the other day... I feel fat.
I feel like I was getting somewhere. I was feeling lithe and lean around the middle. Now I just feel lumpy and lethargic. I want a peice of toast with peanut butter. And not because I'm craving it... I'm still not craving food. I am craving the simplicity of that meal, though. The ease of preparing toast and peanut butter is so appealing to me right now. I just want a quick meal without thinking and weighing. I hope this passes.
Patrick's wise words to me were that it's not really possible to gain fat on this diet and that I should not stress. He also said that I needed all the food to create the new muscle, otherwise the muscle just takes from existing muscle to make more. This all makes sense to me. Yet, I just feel thick around the middle and the rolls of fat are coming back. At least I think they are. Maybe it is my mind playing tricks on me.
Anyway, I'm eager for new and harder exercises this week. (I will regret saying this, I bet.) And I'm wondering if my diet will change. I want to feel like I'm going to succeed at this but I'm 1/3 in and I thought after a promising start that I would see more differences by this point. Maybe this is just the visceral fat... whatever it is it feels like there's more of it and it's getting me down.
I wouldn't worry about it if I was you, it sounds like your doing great!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a mostly mental thing. Stick to the plan and see what happens! Trust us, we haven't fattened anybody up!
ReplyDeleteSarah R needs to chime in on this one. She experienced the same type of thing around the same time and it's definitely only temporary. Hopefully you'll get an apple/banana/egg white dinner soon. No weighing necessary!
ReplyDeleteHoly cow - YES! I feel like my whole PCP was spent cycling through these maddening periods of lean, then lumpy. The best piece of wisdom from Patrick (and others) was this: The body is not linear - it's cyclical.
ReplyDeleteI hated that feeling of, wow, I've been working so hard and keeping the diet, but I swear I was thinner a week ago! WTF? Then my mind would go to, maybe this diet is wrong for me, maybe they made a mistake with the grams, etc etc. Blah blah. The mind LOVES to come up with imaginary reasons for things!
All I can really say it, stick with the plan. It will all work out - I PROMISE. Know that your body is just doing what it needs to do right now to let go of fat and build muscle. Maybe that lumpy feeling is your body getting ready to let go of more fat deposits - I'm no expert, so that's a total wild guess. Whatever the reason, it's really mostly a mind-game. It's another way that the mind tries to sabotage all these new healthy habits you're adopting. So notice it for what it is, put your head down and just keep truckin'! You're doing great!
And, your pictures are stunning, Erin! I, for one, see no evidence of lumpiness - unless by "lumpy" you mean "muscular". :P
Yeah, thanks guys. Sarah, it's good to know that you've felt this way and I do believe that the body is cyclical so I will try to keep that in mind moving forward. I also trust that Patrick and Chen have done this with enough people that they really won't steer me wrong. Totally a mind game, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteChin up! You look fantastic. Your mind is just trying to trip up your body because it's upset at all the attention its getting.
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