It's what it is...

I was trying to come up with a clever title for this particular post. Something that illustrates my frustration but also my optimism. But, my brain is hurting and my body is tired and well, it is what it is.

The scale has not budged. People tell me that "muscle weighs more than fat" and I believe that, it makes perfect sense, but I'm ready to see a difference in the number on the scale. Since that hasn't happened yet, I'm focusing on what HAS happened.

My endurance and strength has most assuredly increased. Just a week ago, when I did my first workout with Jillian, I could barely do 5 pushups. Yesterday, I did 15 in a row without stopping, in just a week! That is tripling my ability in a very short time. My arms feel smaller, my legs feel lighter and my tummy is shrinking. Wednesday night, I wore a pair of fairly snug pants to church. Usually, when I wear a pair of snug pants I can't wait to get home and get them off and the following thing happens; I unbutton and unzip and my belly pops out like opening a can of biscuits. But, to my happy surprise, my belly didn't spill out of my zipper this time. That made me happy.

The downside to maintaining my current weight is that my joints are still hurting. One of my major reasons for dropping pounds is so that my knees, hips, and ankles don't have to bear so much weight and, thus, they will not hurt so bad. I notice when I'm hauling feed or even a few bags of groceries that I immediately feel the difference in my poor knees. Ten pounds makes a huge difference... especially when climbing stairs. I also feel like I'm retaining water and am researching some different methods of shedding excess fluid. I did a Yoga class the other day that promised to help with this. Certain poses can, in theory, help your body to shed excess water.

I love the knowledge that putting stress on your body and challenging it's stability makes it stronger. What I do today will make me stronger tomorrow. I guess the weight loss will follow eventually. I'm ignoring the fact that I'm bumping 40 and that my age could have anything in the world to do with my ability to loose weight. In my mind, I'm healing myself. My body is responding to the therapy and that is what I'll focus on. Thanks to all my cheerleaders out there. I can use all the support I can get.