Learning My Body

As far as the diet itself goes, I had a weird week. I can honestly say I followed my diet and exercise regimen nearly perfectly. BUT, for some reason, not only did I not lose any weight, I gained 3 1/2 pounds!!! I was nearly devastated; it was sooo very discouraging, and I couldn't understand it. I mean, I know about normal body fluctuations and all that, but that knowledge doesn't help that sinking feeling in your stomach when you look at the scale with anticipation, just knowing you've lost weight cause you've been sooo good, only to find that you've actually put on weight. What kind of crap is that??!!
OK, I know I'm not supposed to weigh myself everyday; it's a controversial method, but it actually seems to work for me (for the most part). In a way, it's like by weighing every tomorrow, it's easier to hold myself accountable for what I'm eating every day (if that makes any sense). Analogy: I can't go to the ATM and withdraw however much money I want whenever I want; by checking my balance, I keep myself within budget. Well, my weight loss effort is the same way: by weighing every day, I keep myself aware of how what I'm doing or not doing is affecting my body. Until this diet, I've never owned a scale. Most fat people I know don't own one. You know why? Because if you looked at that number everyday, eventually you'd feel compelled to do something about it--if you give a crap at all about your health. So must of us don't ever have one, effectively sticking our heads in the sand like ostriches.
Anyway, today I finally dropped 3 of the 3 1/2pounds I gained since Monday. I went back over my daily weight log and discovered a pattern. On exactly the same days last month, I gained 4 pounds; on the 24 of January I started to drop it. I wonder if it's a cyclical thing. Women are known to retain water and gain weight during the week of their menstrual cycle. But, in my case, it looks like that actually happens about 10 days before (I guess that's why they call it PREmenstrual syndrome). I know this seems a little TMI, but I've got to express how RELIEVED this makes me. I was soo frustrated giving 100% in my workouts and struggling through personal problems to keep my diet going only to gain weight.

Moral: Keep track of everything!! Choosing2lose.com has a great Excel spreadsheet that allows you to track your weight loss: you enter your beginning stats and weigh-in weekly, and it tracks your total loss, average weekly loss, pounds to your goal and BMI.
Realizing this about my body will help me next month when I see the numbers on the scale going the wrong way. It also will help me set more realistic goals. I just hope I can still make my March 1st goal. 5 more days to go!!