Disclaimer: I am a little late posting this and wrote this almost 2 weeks ago! Will provide a new update this Friday with my new numbers as I’ve already hit the 30 lb weight loss mark!
What Worked Well
Consistency was my strong suit this month! Below are the top 5 habits I have been most consistent with:
- Whole Food Nutrition
- Workout 6 days/wk
- Track my food everyday
- No Starbucks or other sugary drinks
- Fast Food only 1 day/wk
Things to Improve
- Hydration – This area has been slacking a bit, so I need to remind myself to take a few sips of water every 30 mins.
- Mindset – While the majority of the time I maintain a positive mindset, I am also human and face negative moments from time to time. I will combat any negativity this month through active gratitude and daily meditation.
- Fitting in a good quality breakfast – I’m awesome about fitting my workouts in the morning when I’m not at CrossFit, but sometimes I get busy getting my kids ready for school and forget to make a high quality, nutritious breakfast for me. I will instead grab a Perfect Bar and head out the door, but this isn’t necessarily the most filling or nutritious start to my day. I will overcome it this month by prepping healthy breakfast ahead of time and getting up earlier so that I have more time to enjoy it!
Non-Scale Victories
- Completed all 4 workouts of the Crossfit Open!!!
- Bought my first pair of workout shorts in several years
- Reached 100 days of no Starbucks!
- Ordered salads on date night and a get together with a friend because it sounded good!!
- Fit in 27 workouts for the month of March!
- I fit in a medium bikini (and look fantastic!!)
- Wore a colorful, sexy dress on date night rather than the same monochrome ensemble I usually wear
- Constantly getting showered with compliments from my hubby about how great I look!!
- Inspiring other women around me to pursue their goals!
- I go for the ride when my family craves fast food, but order NOTHING! I instead go home and eat the meal I already prepped for myself!
Biometrics
Starting Weight: 186.5 lbs
Ending Weight: 175.9 lbs
Total Weight Lost: -10.6 lbs
Inches Lost: 3.05 inches
Bodyfat % Lost: 2.0%
Bodyfat Lost (lbs): 8.2 lbs
Skeletal Muscle Difference: -1.5 lbs
Total Lbs Lost this Year: 27.6 lbs
Lbs left to reach my goal: 40.9 lbs
Takeaways from this Month
My consistency this month was rewarded in a big way this month (both on and off the scale!!!) One thing that definitely perplexes me though is that I had a much larger drop in weight this month (in fact, my largest monthly drop to date) but my inches barely budged! Last month I lost 7.3 lbs and dropped 7.75 inches. This month I lost 10.6 lbs but only dropped about 3 inches! Strange, right?
Turns out that there can be many reasons why this happens. The key one being that I likely lost ‘visceral fat’ (the body fat that hangs out around your internal organs) as opposed to subcutaneous fat (‘visible’ fat that is a key in moving those measurements!)
But you know what? That’s actually a good thing. Visceral fat poses the highest risk to your health, and you want to get rid of it ASAP!
My body fat % was at 49.8% beginning of December 2020. That’s right…nearly half of my body composition was fat. After 3 months of really hard work, I am proud to say I am now down to 42.8% bodyfat (a 7% drop!!). My goal was to lost 1% bodyfat per month, and I love chipping away at this number! I am still a long way from hitting the fitness range for body fat % (21-24%), but at this rate, I’m on track to hit it by end of 2021 if I keep up the hard work!!
I also did lose some muscle. Initially I was freaking out about this, but my nutritionist assured me that this is completely normal – especially when you have big months where you drop a lot of weight! I am not going to obsess over this, but instead focus on continuing to reduce my bodyfat. The strength and muscle building will definitely come with time. But for now, burning fat is my top priority! As long as that number keeps continuing to move down, I am extremely happy!!!
During my appointment, we also talked about mentally preparing for the weight loss ‘plateau’. Several of you are probably already familiar with this concept, but basically it is when weight loss begins to taper off. I’ve had a few big months, and am close to 30 lbs lost this year!!! But as my body gets smaller, the body also naturally adjusts, metabolism can slow, and your body can become accustomed to your routine. Nobody knows when the plateau will hit, but it’s important to recognize that it is a normal part of the weight loss journey.
When that moment hits, I will continue to be consistent in my habits, and dial up the intensity of my workouts!
What about you? What is it that you would like to focus on for the month of April?
The plateau is my ultimate nemesis–it’s almost always when I start slipping back into old habits. I’m determined to embrace the plateau this time and push through! Another great post, sis!
Thank you so much, sis!!! <3 And absolutely! The plateau is completely normal, and actually means you are doing all the right things! Your body is fighting back a bit to try to keep the status quo. But as you continue to stack those healthy habits and push through, you will get to the other side of the plateau victorious! I am cheering you on, and look forward to seeing you come through the other side the healthiest, strongest version of yourself! 🙂