Down in More Ways Than One

After week 1 my impatient self decided I'd hop on the scales to see if by some miraculous miracle I had dropped any weight. Not so much. 

To my disbelief, I had actually gained 2lbs. GAINED 2lbs after 4 days of working out, 7 days of eating right...this can’t be correct. Automatic shot to the new and improved ego. 

Granted, I hadn’t worked out in years and hadn’t done any kind of strength training since high school, but who really wants to put in that kind of time an effort to gain weight? I could find many easier ways to do that with little to no effort involved; eat a big mac or 12, drink my weight in sun-drop, eat all of the kids leftover Christmas candy…the list is endless. Thank goodness there is a reason I gained the first week:

“When someone starts a new exercise program, they often experience muscle soreness. The more intense and "unfamiliar" the program, the more intense the muscle soreness. This soreness is most prevalent 24 to 48 hours after each workout. In the first few weeks of a new program, soreness is the body trying to "protect and defend" the effected or targeted tissue. Exercise physiologists refer to this as delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS.

This type of soreness is thought to be caused by tissue breakdown or microscopic tears in muscle tissue. When this happens, the body protects the tissue. The muscle becomes inflamed and slightly swollen due to fluid retention. This temporary retention of fluid can result in a 3- to 4-pound weight gain within a few weeks of a new program. Keep in mind that muscle soreness is not necessarily a reflection of how hard you worked. In fact, some people feel no signs of muscle soreness, yet will experience the muscle protection mechanisms of water retention and slight swelling.”

Makes sense. Improved ego returned.

When week 2 of my perilous journey came to an end, I was very hesitant to hop up on the scale. My impatient behind had learned a lesson the previous week - undoubtedly my impatients prevailed again and I hopped back on the scale.

Had I gained another 2lbs? Maybe dropped back down to my starting weight?

Heck no…I had dropped 4lbs! Woop woop!

I was all prepared to start my new binge diet of big macs and sun-drop had I gained again, but no such luck ;) Maybe next time? i kidd, i kidd.

So here is a photo of my 2 week transformation…

Baahahahahaha. if only it were that easy...

-Erica