It’s been almost a year since I made a weight gain confession. At the highest point, my weight crept up 11 pounds. I am happy to say that I am now within about 5 lbs of where I was last year. I’ll take it! Now, I’m not trying to be superficial here about a few pounds, but when you’ve been the same weight for three years and pounds appear out of nowhere, there could be reason for concern.

Let me share with you what I’ve learned:

1. There is nothing medically wrong with me. I went through a slew of tests, including thyroid function, which showed that I am just fine. Thank goodness. I couldn’t be more grateful.

2. I met with an on-site nutritionist that we have at work. She looked over some of my food journals and said “you’re doing everything right.” It is so reassuring hearing those words. I know I am doing everything I possibly can, but I needed to be told by a professional that I’m not seeing something no one else sees. She told me that if she put me in a room with 30 other people my age, I would have the toughest time losing weight. There is something about our genes and the way we’re built that you can’t always just nail down with a simple eat-this-many-calories-per-day-to-lose-weight equation. That doesn’t give me an excuse, it gives me a new reason to work extra hard.

3. I met with an on-site wellness coordinator that we also have at work. I told her what was going on and she suggested adding one extra day of workouts to my regimen. I hate that suggestion, to be blatantly honest (What???? I’m not doing enough already with three 60-minute workouts a week, biking to work and walking at lunch?), but I also know that it’s a must. To push through a plateau (or gain), I need to put in extra work. She also had a hunch that it could’ve been a birth control change last October that might’ve caused some of the weight gain. Well poo, but that won’t stop me either.

4. I was under a heaping load of stress last October. My husband was going to school full-time and with crazy schedules and sometimes having to help him, I was completely stressed out. Add to that the fact that he was unemployed, and it was a doozy of a few months. Happily, my husband has found a new job and is taking a break from school to pursue a new career. The stress has diminished tenfold since this same time last year. Yes, cortisol can really mess you up. But I am so thankful for the peace I’m feeling these days.

5. I started the Supreme 90 Day workout system (I’ll save the deets for another post) to kick through this final plateau and just to try a new fitness challenge. I’ve been used to going cardio-heavy, but this system is strength-driven, with cardio built into the circuits. Plus, it’s a program that gets me working out almost every day–but not to the point of overworking. Its designed to work different parts of the body on alternate days. In fact, it’s been told that it’s a comparable alternative to P90X. I’m noticing differences, but not so much in weight as in inches of fat disappearing. I’ve never measured myself like that before. It’s truly gratifying to see exactly how the work is paying off, instead of seeing the zero progress on the scale.

6. I’ve been really conscious about eating clean and I do notice that it makes me feel so much better. In fact, when I eat clean for a week and then try to eat French fries, I will inevitably get a stomachache. Such a strong motivator to put nutrients instead of crap into my body.
Well, there you have it, a personal look into what’s been going on with my weight and fitness goals these days. I think it’s best to be proactive about your health and take the steps necessary for change. It’s a lot of hardcore work, especially so for a body type like mine, but it’s best to be as informed as possible and rule out all possible hindrances. It’s also helpful to learn as much about yourself as possible. We all lose weight differently, and it’s good to know that so we can make educated changes based on our own bodies.

What have you learned about your body?