Seems like I brought home a little extra with me from Japan. Think #foodbaby.
We left home on March 9th dreaming of Ramen bowls and sushi. And trust me, Japan did not disappoint, we ate all the noodles and fell in love with the country along the way.
On the morning we left I recorded my weight for the last time at 129.5. I weigh myself daily, it’s part of my routine and it works for me. I knew it would be my last time on a scale for a while and that I would be using my own judgement to stay on track on holidays. I had planned for it and felt pretty confident about my ability. In Japan I stuck to my plan about 80-90% of the time. To be real honest, it got harder as time went on and I was further removed from my routine. For me, the connection between my performance in the gym and my nutrition is the real driver.
Good nutrition keeps me performing at a high level, which in turn gives me the incentive to continue to stay on track with my nutrition. It’s hard for me to separate the two, or to fully do one without the other. As evidence: my last two performances in the Open. ☺️
Fast forward to us getting home on March 27th after a long 9hr flight and many bowls of noodles. My first morning back I was tired and jet-lagged, and could make a long list of reasons why the timing wasn’t right and why it wouldn’t hurt to just not worry about weighing myself for a few more days. I was pretty much on two nights without sleep and my ankles were bigger than when I was 8 months pregnant, but I had nothing to lose and stepped onto the scale.
136.7.
Up 8.2!
Now what? Did I really put on 8 lbs?!
I already said my ankles were huge, I had not slept, and I knew a lot of that weight was fluid. Yet it shocked me. It would be easy to say f@* it and give up for a while.
But the thing is: I trust in the process. I know I don’t need to starve myself and eat 1200 calories a day or survive on kale juice alone. All I need to do is get back to being consistent on my numbers, drink lots of water, get some sleep and be kind to myself.
Morning #2 down to 133.9.
Morning #3 down to 131.2.
Morning #4 back up to 131.4.
Morning #5 131.7.
Morning #6 133.7
Morning #7 131.9
Morning #8 131.3
Morning #9 130.4
As you can see progress isn’t linear. Fluctuations are normal. For example, on day #5 I finally made my way back to the gym, had my first hard session and probably did wake up a little inflamed morning #6. You can’t read into every little up and down and start to panic. You really do need to look at how your weight is trending as well as learn to first decide how you feel before you step on the scale.
While the number on the scale is pretty much back to where I left it, I am not quite feeling like myself. My sleep and digestion are still a little off, and at the gym I also have to be patient with myself and ease my way back to where I was.
First sleep and good nutrition, then training and you will start to feel great in no time. I know the process is working, all it takes is me being consistent with it. Thankfully I am happy to be back home in my routine, my gym and my kitchen!
Annie ????