No Worries Mate

Today I would like to talk about what some might call "setbacks". I gained a pound last week at the Wednesday 7:15 weigh in. I was surprised to see that number come up on the scale to be sure. I had a good week with my points and really upped my walking, so I figured I'd be down at least a couple of pounds. But it was not to be. At first I was really bummed, but some gentle encouragement from my lovely wife Linda brought me around quickly.

Then of course the analytical side of me kicked in. What caused the scale to read the way it did ? And how can I resume my downward trend ? Losing weight is a complex equation with many many variables. Counting points on the flex plan is only a base, a starting point for many other factors that we as humans must consider on our journey for better health and weight loss.

So lets begin the analysis.

I (as well as others) have noticed a big decrease in the circumference of my buddah belly. In fact, I have been able to pull my L golf shirts out of the closet where before I was restricted to XL. So that in itself is a huge success. Yeah ! and as I previously mentioned, I am walking a great deal more. So why did the weight not drop?

My take on this is two-fold. By walking (I got over 10,000 steps on Tuesday) I am increasing the muscle mass of my legs and glutes (butt muscles). And since muscle tissue is denser it will add pounds. That is not a bad thing at all. The greater muscle mass a person has over-all the more calories a body will burn at rest. And added muscle mass means greater strength. All good.

Then my wife gave me the second reason. Happy Hour! Dang ! Yes I broke down Tuesday evening and located the MGDs. That in itself is bad enough, but added to that aspect is the fact that I failed to follow my own recommendation and consume enough water to avoid the water retention process (see Hydrate for Health post).

So badda-bing, there you have it ! A one-two punch that caused my "setback".

So this week I'm just a little upset with myself. However that only gives me motivation to stay the course even closer in the coming week. I cannot let my fellow WED 7:15ers down.

As we travel down the path to better health through improved nutrition, we ALL most likely will have trying weeks and suffer "setbacks". It is how we move forward that makes all the difference in the world. It would be way easy to just chuck it and say "This is not working, I'm heading off for a Big Mac!" Fortunately we have our built-in support structure, the WED 7:15ers to fall back on. Yes, gather strength and encouragement from our fellow Weight Watchers and move forward with resoluteness and courage.

And remember this is a journey not a destination.

Healthy eating to all.

Dave and Linda