So we're into a new month, spring is arriving, the sunshine is occasionally here and all is good. Right?
No.
I haven't posted in a while I know, but today I'm thoroughly cheesed off.
Following last weeks panic post I was advised by a friend to not worry, between dehydration/rehydration and a sudden calorie influx it was normal to face what I did and that the weight would fall off rapidly. It definitely did, with last Wednesday seeing me at 18st 1.5lb, only a 2lb gain on the previous week. Given I'd had two drunken nights out and three lots of terrible food, 2lb wasn't all that bad.
Since last Wednesday I have been on it, big time. The healthy eating is 100% in force, I'm walking/biking everywhere I go, and I've been hitting the gym hard. I've been starting to feel back on form. So you can imagine my anticipation and excitement when I hit the scales today, right?
18st 7lbs. Yes, 18st 7lbs. 5.5lbs up on last week. "Don't worry!" someone shouts, "you've been doing weights at the gym, check your measurements instead!" they said.
I left the bit of paper at the office, but from memory it was 16.5" collar/neck, 45" chest, 44" stomach and 42" waist. So no loss anywhere, and in fact gaining size on the waistline.
Five and a half pounds gained, and half an inch to go with it. That's following a week of the tightest eating control I've done in ages, the healthiest I've ate since I was sick, and the most exercise I've done in nearly 2 months. And I've gained, in every area.
My mother is adament it's down to stress. My life has been chaotic since my sickness and I'll admit I've found it incredibly difficult to get back on top of things. I'm on the verge of a complete career change decision, having become completely disengaged/jaded towards my teaching. My sleep (remembering I have both Narcolepsy and Severe Sleep Apnoea, for those that haven't read my intro) has been horrific. Last weekend I managed only 5 hours sleep in 4 days, whilst remaining in a near-catatonic non-wakened state the rest of the time. Only the gym seemed to help get out of it. I'm seeing my sleep specialist again next week down in London, so that should help at least.
Someone, throw me a bone here. Tell me not to worry, man up, and get on with it. All I want right now is a beer and some chinese to round out the night. Instead I've got a fat pile of work to get ready for tomorrow, knowing I won't be finishing work until at least 10pm tomorrow night though. Bleh.
Ben-
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog. sorry to hear things aren't going that well right now. I wish I could offer some advice, but at the moment I think I'm struggling about as much as you are! Like you I'm struggling a little with my career; I'm at a point where I stopped doing what I love to do in order to manage others that get to do what I love to do. On top of that my company seems to be struggling and my wife is ready to move somehwere else in the country.
But enough of my problems, I can definitely say stress will have a significant impact on your weight. When I get depressed or stressed out, the weight stops coming off regardless of how well I eat and how much I exercise. It's unfortunate because you already feel run down when all of the sudden you get a surprise weight gain which only makes you feel worse and then you decide to walk for a while since you feel like you just fell off the wagon... "All I want right now is a beer and some chinese to round out the night"!
I would like to offer some encouragement and say something like "it has to get better", but unfortunately I've been struggling now for about 20 days and don't see an end in sight. I'll be getting on the scales in 2 days and I'm expecting to add a few more pounds. The only suggestion I can make is to try to hang on; sometimes it's ok to shift your view and just try to minimize the damage. That's where I'm at right now, just trying to hang on until for the next few weeks; gaining a few pounds is still better than throwing everything out the window and reaching rock bottom. Best of luck.