Heavy lifting NSV-- goodbye scale, you sneaky liar!

Best Forum Post I have read! I loved it! And you look awesome! And where in the Heee Haw Hell are ya with the tropical pic???:drinker:

Thank you so much for your kind words! That tropical pic was taken in the Phi Phi islands in Thailand. It was my "I have arrived!" shot. :P

Awesome work! Love the fun way you wrote out your story

Hey, might as well make it an interesting read for everyone, right? Its gotten to the point where the scale is my nemesis, so I thought it was time we broke up.

A very easy thing to do - I nearlly got caught myself this week - thought about not lifting at all and just running.

Although much heavier then you, and being male - I know my goal is to "Measure not Scale"

The weight means nothing to me, its the Fat....

It's amazing, isn't it, how you can get caught up in that silly little number? Whenever I start really obsessing about it (as nuts as this sounds) I think about my clothing sizes. I wear a size 6 pants and a size small shirt. I cannot possibly be fat if those are my sizes and I'm 5'7.

Lets say it together now... measure not scale. Measure not scale. Eventually it'll sink in!

Great story. Could you, or others, point me to resources to begin lifting? I've taken Body Pump classes, and I like it, but I wouldn't say that was heavy. What , exactly, does heavy mean? Do machines count?

I've been doing the Strong Lifts 5x5 program, and I love it. It's only 5 exercises, so easy to remember. Also, I like Strong Lifts because it doesn't use machines. I have weights, plates, a bench and barbell at home, so I'm ready to go whenever I want. Of course your local gym also likely has these things.

From what I understand, machines tend to focus on just one muscle, while free weights target a few at once. For example, as I'm doing a squat I'm not just using my thighs, I'm using my butt, and I'm using my core to stabilize, keep good form, etc. Using a few muscle groups at once means your work out is more efficient.

As to what is heavy-- I think that's relative. To me, the 65lb bench press I did earlier today was certainly heavy. To my boyfriend, that's a walk in the park. I think of heavy lifting as weights that I can't lift for endless reps in a row, and ones where I am increasing the amount of weight each week.

Hope that helps annathelu!

I needed this today. I am depressed that after working out hard, the scale hasnt changed other than going up 2 lbs in the last two weeks. BUT, my clothes are tighter as well. So that really hacked me off this morning. I needed your success story so I could see I havent done this long enough to see change.

Hang in there-- I know it can be SUPER frustrating sometimes, but changes are happening. You know what? My thighs are a half-inch larger than when I started the weight lifting so yes, my pants are a bit tighter. However! I now have these gorgeous lines of muscle starting to poke through, and my thighs are getting this new and previously undreamt of shape. I'd rather buy bigger pants and look like a goddess naked than have skinnier pants and look average.

I'm a big fan of "right now, right away, now now now!" so slow results can be hard to wait for. That said, with weight lifting you do get that instant gratification of "I lifted more than last week!". Are you lifting weights?

Cheer up-- you may not be seeing the results you want, but I guarantee if you're working hard, SOMETHING good is bound to be happening, whether you can see it now or not.

You look awesome and much more fit!!! I was this exact way no too long ago as well! I am bulky in general and while I run, I enjoy strength training a lot. I've upped my calories to 1800-2300 and started using the measuring tape more than my scale, though I do enjoy seeing my numbers lower EVER so slowly while I'm eating more and strength training. I just wish my thighs would thin down, but that's always the last place to lose for me. Maybe some day I'll get my dream body like yours

Funny how everyone has that one spot, eh? For me, it's my waist. I'm quite certain that if I had a 26 inch waist, my life would be flawless. Ha! Not exactly that dramatic, but that's my stubborn spot.

Maybe one day we'll BOTH get our dream bodies, but until then, I think we're doing pretty darn well already. I checked out your profile and you sound a bit like me! I like taking on fitness challenges (30 day yoga challenge, 5ks, back country hiking) and used to train Muay Thai as well!