The sunrise….the dawn of a new day, a chance to start anew. Every day is a chance to be better than the day before.
We’re over halfway through the year, and every so often I have to look back and remind myself the victories this year have been non-scale victories. The scales aren’t shifting, but the changes are happening everywhere else.
Weigh in with the Dietician
I caught up with my dietician again to check in on how things are going, and for my first body composition scan.
I knew the numbers wouldn’t be great. I’d looked at the scales the day before at home, and knew I had gained some weight. Not what I wanted. The reverse, in fact. Not much – only a kilo or two, but not a loss.
But instead of getting upset about it, I chose to focus on the dawn of a new day. A new opportunity.
We drew a line in the sand and took the measurements. It’s the type of scales that provide a detailed breakdown of total weight, muscle, water weight, and fat (the important one). The takeaways were:
- I’m on the upper level of muscle mass in the normal scale. Not exactly a surprise, every test I’ve had, including callipers, showed that I have more muscle. Lucky I was never fixated on being skinny – it’s not in my body composition. I just want to be fit and healthy.
- I have a high level of visceral fat. Too much. This is going to be our target measurement for the foreseeable future.
- Water levels are fine
- Body weight is overweight, obese actually. If you go by the ill-fated BMI scale (no, my dietician didn’t pull that out, I just looked).
I took my planner to show her what my week looked like when I meal plan, and we reviewed the choices. I was honest and talked about the days where I had engaged in some unhealthy behaviours, and we discussed some tactics.
- If I’m hungry try to aim for a protein-based snack – eggs, greek yoghurt, nuts etc.
- If I cannot get my mind off chocolate, indulge, but without losing control. Dark chocolate, or some protein balls for example.
I feel like the check-in really helped, and even though it brought great anxiety, reminding myself that I feel better every time I leave is helping me to push through and get to my appointment.
Marathon planning
I’ve now registered for my first-ever marathon in March, and booked my flights. This is really happening.
My running training plan gets underway in October, so for now it’s all foundational. I’m focusing on strength mixed with running. Last week I managed to get in some good strength sessions, and I’m not joking when I say I could already feel the difference. Certain movements just felt better, easier.
I’ve also tried to get a bit more physical activity happening with the family. We’ve gone for a hike up a small mountain to see how my son handled it (like a champion), and I want to start getting in some more. Right now there’s a little bit of resistance by the family. I suggested a walk on the weekend, and instead we ended up at the beach. I’m certainly not complaining though because it’s still amazing quality time with my family. The boys fished, I took my dog for a walk up the beach for a swim, then we sat down and enjoyed the view together.
Food
And yet again, I’m reminded that sitting down at the start of the week to just plan my meals, and get an idea of the week ahead, takes all of the stress away.
Even if I deviate away from the plan, just having something in mind makes it so. much. easier.
And it’s great to know that I’m on the right track as well. I mean, I’m feeling a lot less stressed in the kitchen. I’m cooking once or twice a week without panicking. My husband and I have found a balance between my meal planning and his need for spontaneity in the kitchen.
Slowly but surely, I know I’m making the right changes for long-lasting health. The scales don’t show it yet, but they will.
See you next week.