A Mommy Story

First, I had that Shamrock Shake yesterday. The only one I was allowing myself for the entire year. And it tasted…eh.

Either the memory was too grand in my mind, or they’ve changed the recipe, but it really wasn’t all I was hoping for, and afterward left a rock-like feeling in my stomach. Good thing I only planned on having one this year!

Weight loss can be so unfair at times. I’m kicking butt, working out, counting calories, choosing whole, nutritious foods over junk, and yet my weight loss has been only inching downward ever so slowly. Since January I’ve lost about 8 pounds.

My husband, on the other hand, has been working out just as hard and watching his foods just as closely and in the same amount of time has lost nearly 20 pounds.

That’s just not fair.

Now, I’m in no way trying to say he is undeserving of his accomplishment, because he’s really done a lot of work to get to where he is and deserves all of the praise he can get. I just wish I could see such a dramatic improvement in the same amount of time.

He points out that he had more weight to lose, which is technically true. But I’ve been tracking my calories and workouts very closely, and according to the science of it all, I should have lost more weight by now.

I love science, but I have to admit: when it comes to weight loss, science can’t be trusted.

There just seems to be an unknown factor with our bodies to ensure that just when you think you’ve got it figured out, you find you were completely wrong and still know nothing. Calories in, calories out is only one factor. Metabolism, gender, hormones, the number of fat cells you have, the type of foods you eat, your body structure, the way your body has reacted to dieting in the past, the daily wind speed and phase of the moon – there are so many unknowns with weight loss that it’s impossible to predict what the scale might display each week.

(OK, the last two may not be factors in weight loss. But then again, scientists might someday find they are, and I’ll then proclaim you heard it here first.)

I’m trying hard to not let it get me down. The scale is still moving in a downward trend – slooooooowly – and I’m making an effort to focus on the bigger picture instead of the number itself. So what if it takes me longer than I planned to get to my goal weight, as long as I do get there, right?

Still…sometimes I wish it was faster.