18 days in and this is what I've learned

Stella3838 wrote: »

I've been reading A LOT of posts lately about "I've been really awesome with my eating and working out for 2 or 3 weeks, why am I not losing weight?!" that I thought I would post about what the last 18 days have done for me.

I started January 1st like many others. I've been cleaning up my eating and staying in my calorie target, weighing my foods, logging everything everyday (even the "bad" days), exercising 30 - 50 minutes each day, drinking lots of water, getting up from my desk at work to walk every hour, making sure I get plenty of sleep, I got an activity tracker to help me stay a little more organized (and I love it!).... all the things we're "supposed" to do. And have I lost weight?

Well, yes and no. Two pounds. But I'm awfully sure that was water weight and a lot of people see that initial bump. But two pounds is two pounds. Great! Awesome! It that all? Nope! Wait, there's more!!

In the past 18 days, I have gotten a lot stronger. I couldn't do pushups or sit ups to save my *kitten*, but now, I'm able to do variations of each and not feel like I'm killing myself. I can go longer with cardio and with more resistance. I'm not wheezing like my lung fell out like on Day 1. I've been able to increase the weight for my strength training. And what I feel really good about is doing weighted Russian Twists WHILE RAISING MY LEGS!! <--- (This is kinda hard just starting out.) But I have gotten so much stronger in a short period of time.

In the past 18 days, I've been sleeping better. Good solid sleep many nights at least 7.5 hours. And I'm rested when I wake up. Generally, I feel much better. Eating healthier and drinking water has greatly reduced that horrible bloat and things are "processing" as they should timely, if you catch my drift. Sure the water makes me head to the restroom more, but heck that's just more walking!! I'm in a better mood. Waking rested and getting a workout in before work helps me set the tone of the day. I don't crave the "junk" food like I did. Now, I'm more than willing to grab an apple when I'm hungry. The list goes on.

So have I lost weight, not really. Will I? Sticking on this path absolutely. And my clothes will fit better, I'll continue to get strong, I'll build a healthier heart and lungs, and I'll feel better about myself. It'll come. It took me several years to get where I was on January 1st and I know it'll take me the better part of this year getting back to the healthy life I want. So while my scale isn't reflecting the work I have been doing, I know of a dozen other things that have happened. Small wins. Small gains. And these will turn into large wins and large gains.

I wish the very best to everyone on this road right now. We will get there. Be patient. Keep working. Don't give up. And do something a little better each day.