setback

As far as the weight loss goes, this weekend I had a minor setback, and did not lose any weight.  In fact, at one point I had gained 2 lb.  This probably was due to salt and water retention, which usually happens when I start eating more than usual.  I did not eat insane amounts, actually I only ate enough not to be hungry, but the truth is that in order to lose weight, one has to be hungry, so the extra food that consisted of 5 oz of salmon, 100 g of pasta and one cup of lentil soup (in addition to my usual calories) have stalled my progress and made me put weight back on.

I had to reassess the situation:  why was this happening?  I think the main reason has to do with the fact that I am exhausted.  Losing weight is hard enough, but I also exercise daily, running about 5-7 km, doing pushups, sit-ups, planks, etc, or hiking up and down the hills for one hour.  Once a week I go to an exercise class as well.  The other thing is that I have to get Emma to come with me for the almost daily hiking, and that consists of hurrying to feed her (she takes forever still to feed) and then fighting with her to put her  in the car seat, fighting with her to let me put a hat on, and struggling to convince her that the Ergo carrier is a fine place to be in for one whole hour, which my active little girl does not always believe. There are many days in which I get there late and stressed out, and often think that I should just stop making plans with other people, because I am never on time, even if I start to get ready one and a half hours prior.

So, after realizing that this is the case, I am going to allow myself days off from exercise, and even from meeting other people and going out for walks.  I am going to let myself spend whole days just doing nothing other than the basic housework and caring for Emma.  I also need to spend more time sleeping.  And, finally, I need to cut back on the exercise, although this might sound counter intuitive when we are talking about weight loss.  The truth is that exercise is only 20% of the effort, 80% of weight loss is the diet, and if exercising too much makes me eat out of tiredness or frustration of not having time to just vegetate and relax, then the exercise is counterproductive to the final goal.  (The final goal is to fit into this red Chanel skirt that I bought while I was pregnant, measuring 100 cm in the hips and 75 cm in the waist - as far away as the moon really).

As soon as I made this decision, I have begun to relax.  I still ran 6 km last night, but I enjoyed doing it because I chose to, not because I had to.  I also took a long bath with essential oils (I chose lavander, frankincense, geranium and rose of Maroc) and in fact took out my collection of essential oils and expanded it by adding three more (lemon, cedarwood, and a blend called "appetite suppressant " that has rosemary, fennel and peppermint I think).  Lastly, I started using my cellulite cream again, not so much because I think it works, but rather because it makes me feel pampered.

So I am back on the right track, I was hungry yesterday and I am sure that I lost one pound of water.  Will check in on Thursday.  BTW, if you are doing the weight loss with me then on Thursday post your weight (yes, you G!).  This will keep you on the right path and encourage you not to stray, at least not on Wednesday night...