62 Days & a Splurge Meal

I treated myself last night to a wonderful splurge meal. We went to a Mexican restaurant and I had a cheesy chicken burrito. I tel you this because I think it is important to realize how a meal like this can affect what the scale says. I know there are a lot of people that get absolutely obsessed by what the scale says - to the point where it can make or break their day! I am not one of these people and I actually think it is beneficial to get on the scale almost every day (as long as you don't have the above mentioned mentality). By getting on the scale every day, you are able to notice trends that your body may go through - especially if you are a woman. Does you weight spike at the same time each month? If it does then we know that it isn't because "We are Getting Fat" it's our monthly cycle doing its thing. No need to freak out about that - it will correct itself in a week or so!

Back to my splurge meal. A high carb meal (especially if combined with higher fat content) is going to make our bodies retain water. Have you ever noticed the scale make a HUGE jump after one of these types of meals? You think to yourself - I can't believe I ate enough to gain "5" pounds!?!?! Guess what.....you didn't!!! One pound equals 3500 calories so in order to gain 5 pounds (of fat) you would have to consume 17,500 calories above and beyond your normal maintenance number of calories! If you can honestly tell yourself that there is no way that you consumed that many calories then there is no need to get upset. Your body is just retaining some extra water because of the higher carb content of your meal. Drink a lot of water and keep your carb intake a bit lower for a day or 2 and before you know it the scale will drop back down. And, GUESS WHAT?! A fair number of times, your weight will often drop lower than it was before the increase. Why??? Because your body gets a break from the lower calories days and tells itself: Yeah I'm not in starvation mode - I have plenty of calories to burn!!!! This is all assuming you get right back onto your sensible eating plans and you continue you exercise. You may also find that for the next couple of days you have absolutely ROCKIN' exercise sessions. Your body gets that burst of energy from the carbs and you just feel awesome!!

All that being said, I didn't get on the scale this morning - not because it would "ruin" my day! I'll be honest and tell you that I simply forgot. I like to get on the scale first thing in the am - right after I use the bathroom and before I get dressed (no eating or drinking). This will give you a true weight for the day. I had my morning drink and then realize that I forgot to get on the scale. No biggie..I'll just get on tomorrow. Don't let little things like this mess you up! Your days are never "perfect" and there will be challenges each and every day. If you allow these challenges to put you in a poor mindset then it is really going to mess you up! Remember: "You Are What You Think About Most!" When these are positive thoughts then you will view most things in a positive light. When they are negative well...guess how you are going to view life?

Onto today - I got up and did my X Stretch workout. I really needed this today. I was SO tight this morning that when I started I couldn't even get near my toes when I bent over. The back of my legs were screaming!! I was very tight but I didn't have any soreness from my runs this week (not including the hammy thing). I was afraid that I might experience some joint pain from all the increased mileage this week. Sometimes I get pretty sore in my hips and knees, especially after my long runs. I didn't have any of that this week! I'm hoping that this week will bring more positive outcomes from my running workouts (ie - no hammy pain during or after the runs) and that my P90X workouts keep progressing!

Tomorrow is the Big Day for my friends! I'm really looking forward to getting home after work and checking their progress in the race. Good luck you guys and enjoy the experience!!!