Goal Shape instead of Goal Weight/It Takes Time

For those that have stuck to their weight loss program for a couple of months but feel like it's not going fast enough or wonder why the dang scale won't budge: it takes time. It's sooooo easy to look at all the success stories on here, ogle their before-and-after pictures and feel amazed/jealous/hatred/inspiration/empowered, but then we look at ourselves and think, "I'm never going to get there."

This is not a success story in the sense that I've hit my goal shape (I have a "goal weight" for MFP's tracker purposes, but I'm TOTALLY fine with weighing more than my "ideal" as long as I look good and have the shape that I want). I'm far from it. And with an upcoming surrogacy at the end of the month, I know that I won't hit my goal shape for QUITE a while, but that doesn't mean that I'm not going to work my butt off (literally) to get closer to my goal shape. And being in better shape is always good for an easier pregnancy and delivery.

Basic stats: 30yo, 5'4", starting weight was 171lbs. I have bad knees (assumed MCL tears in both knees in 8th grade; doc bungled the diagnosis, I didn't get proper treatment, moving on with my life). Took weight training in high school to avoid higher impact/twisting on my knees in the regular PhysEd classes.

I started StrongLifts 5x5 and a C25K program on January 30, 2014, doing the C25k on my SL rest days. I eat around a 400 cal deficit (based on my TDEE) using a food scale to track E-VER-Y-THING (I have one at home, one at the office, and I'm seriously thinking of getting a third to carry in my purse ). I've progressed slower than I wanted in all of my SL, but that's because I'm using weights at home (no spotter or cage) and I don't want to blow my knees out. My C25k is getting better each week, though I have a love/hate relationship with my foam roller because my hips are STUPID and protest about halfway through each C25k "run."

Anyhoo... even though I've been doing SL for 6 weeks, my weights are lighter than I think they should be, but I'm happy that I'm at least progressing. I don't have visible muscle definition yet (gotta lose the fat over the muscles first), but I'm getting stronger nonetheless. My latest successful lifts:

Squat: 95lbs (stalled at 100 yesterday)
Bench press: 70 lbs
Overhead press: 60lbs (third time I've stalled, so I'm moving down to 50 tomorrow)
Barbell Row: 70 lbs (stalled for a while until I figured out my form was TERRIBLE because the bar wasn't high enough off the ground. Fixed that with extra weights on the ground to lift it up)
Deadlift: 135lbs (stalled yesterday at 145lbs, but at least I'm able to lift what I weight 10 years ago)

The weights I'm lifting aren't fantastic. I am very careful with my squats; I want to push myself so I can do more, but I also like having knees that work. I'm okay with taking my time to increase my squat strength.

My C25k progress has been slow, but that's to be expected when you're out of shape, 30+ pounds overweight, and have damaged knees. But with the right running shoes, a great running partner (my 9yo) and a fun playlist, I'm getting there. I've gone from an average of 14:33 min/mile and a total of .56 miles (when you combine my intervals) to a 12:33 min/mile average and 1.52 miles from my intervals. Not bad for 6 weeks of "running."

Here's the thing: I'm not too crazy about either exercise - but that's mostly because I'd rather be sitting on my butt watching Netflix. Each day I have to force myself to lift/run because I don't love it yet. But I do love the after-ache when I'm done, knowing that I pushed myself to my limit (which, admittedly, is probably much lower than other peoples' limits at 6 weeks in - but I'm OK with that). I love the sense of accomplishment. I love that I'm "running" after years of avoiding it because of my knees.

But all that work, all that forcing myself to run even though my knees threaten to slip and my hips hold me back, all that grunting and swearing at the barbell - they're doing SOMETHING.

Since I started SL and C25k I've lost a whopping 3.4 pounds, about a half-pound a week. But the scale isn't my priority. I'm not looking for a certain weight, I'm looking for a better shape. I'm watching a different set of numbers.



(My body fat is from my scale, so I know it's probably bunk, but I'm tracking it anyway.)

And numbers are great, but still we seem to need visual confirmation that what we're doing is working.



TL;DR

Keep going! You are a work in progress and it takes time. It's so easy to gloss over the fact that all of the success stories on here took a year or two or three. We see their amazing transformations and we think, "I want THAT!" Or we see someone that didn't have a lot (or any) to lose and we want THOSE ABS. But then we get mad at ourselves when we don't get that quickly, we get discouraged knowing that we're not going to have that fit and muscular body by summer or fit into that dress in time for our friend's wedding.

It feels like the last six weeks were twice that long and I still have my moments when I think, "WHY AM I NOT THERE YET??" But change takes time. And those little changes start adding up to bigger changes. And when life throws something in the way of your goal (like my pregnancy), it's not a road closure, it's just a re-route.

Good luck to all of you out there. It's not always easy to have patience.

(edited for typos because it took me so long to type and get the photos that my eyes got blurry)