Why You Shouldn't Rely Only On The Scale

 

 

There is a 21lb difference in weight between the above two photos and it would be easy to think that the numbers were on the wrong photos.

The before photo was taken back in March 2010, when I had stupidly entered a figure competition with only 8 weeks to prepare. As you can see, I was in no way ready to even think about stepping on stage and within a week of entering, I had come to my senses and pulled out.

Looking back, I am so glad that I did as I was nowhere near even close to being stage ready. Yes, I was slim but there isn't any real shape on me. I'd dieted pretty aggressively and done a lot of cardio in order to shift around 50lbs but it left me skinny, still flabby and pretty shapeless.

Compare the before photo to the after - my mid section was bigger, I had no real curves and my butt was flat. I'm not putting myself down or belittling how I looked but this shape was not appropriate for a figure competition, where muscles and curves = murves and are what the judges are looking for.

Fast forward to 6 years later. Lots of heavy weight lifting, lots of dieting/growing cycles and whole lot of patience, consistency and hard work and maybe, just maybe, I could think about entering a competition at some point in the next year or so, if I worked my ass off for it.

Not that I have any aspirations to step on stage these days. Back then, I think I was seeking validation by entering a competition and I don't really feel like I need that now. Plus having a history with Binge Eating Disorder, any kind of super strict dieting is a trigger for me, and having been binge free for 5 years, it's not something I want to risk happening again.

But I digress. The whole point of this post was to say that the scale, though important when tracking progress, should not solely be relied on. If I didn't understand about body recomposition I would still be aiming for a goal weight of 138lb, because that's how light I used to be. Theses days, I track my weight and follow the downward trend but I have no "goal weight" in mind because I'm more interested in how I look in the mirror/photographs. After all, who can tell what the number on the scale reads just from looking at someone? The above photo is proof of why it would be impossible.

Below are a couple more photos for comparison purposes...

After photo shows a more defined waist and abdominal definition. Also 21lb heavier.

After photo shows a more defined waist, better developed glutes, back definition and more shapely legs. Also 21lb heavier.


Take home lesson - if you strength train with any regularity over a prolonged period of time, you may gain weight but your shape will change for the better!

Update

Daily weight: 159.8lb

Hello to my lovely blog friends, it's been a while since I updated!  Diet and training have been going really well and I've finally dropped back under 160lb and I'm 2lb away from my leanest last summer.

Today, before work, I went to see my friend Becky who runs BodyWorks Soft Tissue Therapy in Swansea to see if she could fix my back niggle.

After doing lots of reading online, I managed to rule out sciatica or any disc problems and managed to pinpoint it to the SI joint. It's the exact spot where I feel the pain with additional pain in the left glute.

When I saw Becky this morning, she took some notes from me, asked about my symptoms and when and how the pain started and on listening to me, agreed that it sounded like an issue with the SI joint. When she had me stand in front of her and perform certain movements, she confirmed that yes, it's definitely the SI joint and said it's no wonder I've been in pain.

The SI joint on the left (painful) side was moved out of place and stiff and unable to move as it should. This has caused the piriformis, located deep within the glute, to go into spasm, which was adding to the pain.

She did a lot of mobilisation, massage, dry needling and stretching and managed to get the SI joint moving again as it should. She also released  a lot of the tension from the left piriformis but has advised me to continue massaging and stretching it over the next few days as it's been in spasm for so long. I've also been given some exercises to do to prevent this from happening again.

The relief I feel is amazing and I can actually bend and move pain free! However, my left glute was pummelled and is extremely sore. Thankfully I am still able to train legs tomorrow - hooray!

I've been absolutely loving the warm weather we've been having here in Swansea. On non-gym evenings and at the weekend we've been out for long walks along the beach

But training in my gym in this heat is punishing - no air conditioning really zaps your strength when lifting!

I'm taking official progress pictures this weekend for my coach, but I'm so happy with the progress I've made in the last year :-) My shape has completely changed and I'm REALLY pleased that I'm finally starting to look athletic.

I'm not going to list all of my food and training for all the days I've not blogged but here is a little sample of some of the delicious things I've been eating <3

 

 

 

Holy yum!

Back in the gym tomorrow for my second leg day of the week. Not sure if I will leave squats out again just as a precaution after being poked and prodded today - I'll see how I'm feeling on the day I think.

I'll leave you with a couple of glute training videos from the last week or two :)

 

 

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