I checked the scales three times... (HJ)

Femina, you are not allowed to read this until you've been to the gym.

Seriously.

Go.

(And it had better be a good session, or I'll send you back!)


O.K. down to it - I am flummoxed.

Weight Loss this week: 1.2 kg
Total weight loss: 5.7 kg

I was expecting my usual 0.4kg. I would have been happy with my usual 0.4kg. I checked the scales three times to make certain that it was not my usual 0.4kg.

In fact, during the week I sat down to work out that with the number of weeks to my cousin's wedding (excluding a couple of weeks over Christmas), losing at a rate of 0.4kg a week, I could get to my next goal and buy a pretty dress to wear with weeks to spare. Now I'm almost half-way there. That's three week's worth of loss. In a week.

I'm so flummoxed that I'm not yet excited about the 1.2kg. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll get there, but just at the moment I'm wondering how on earth did that happen? I mean, for the first few weeks of eating well and doing some exercise it is not uncommon to lose larger amounts, but I'm in the groove now and was happy with my weekly 0.4kg.

Last week I was feeling great and slim and the numbers were 'normal'. This week I'm feeling good (but haven't noticed that I'm significantly more slim) and I've done really, really well. I just don't get it, and understanding things is very important to me.

When I was a teenager and in my early 20s I used to bounce back to my normal weight without trying. If I stopped eating bad foods (not trying to eat well or lose weight, just reduce the frequency of chocolates and deep fried stuff) and maybe did a little exercise, any weight I had put on would slide off without any particular effort. Big Christmas - no hassles, I'll be back to normal by January. College food caused me to put on a bit - don't worry, there are 12 weeks over Christmas that I'm on Mum-food and it'll be gone.

I hit my late 20s and this ability stopped. Without warning. And I've slowly been accumulating kilos ever since.

Probably two factors.
1. I used to ride my bike 5 km each way to school and back. Then at uni I had no car, it was walk/bus/bike. Then I started working and had a private motor vehicle to go wherever I needed to go.
2. We ate pretty well at home - as much as we wanted, but lots of vegies. Take away was very rare. Then I started college with chips twice a week. Then I was working and had my own wages to buy food for lunch or dinner and chocolate.

So what has changed?
1. I'm rowing for 30 mins most mornings, and I'm slowly upping the speed and intensity.
2. I'm on a limited diet eating lots of vegies and not having take away or desserts too often.

Should this be enough for me to be losing spectacular amounts? Particularly when I have friends who are struggling with Skinny Cow? I say 'No'. It is not fair.

What help can I offer to them?

...Approximately None. (Sorry, it just had to happen today - put it down to flummoxedness)

Although, I'm taking Mum to buy a little rowing machine next week. :)