I weighed myself yesterday evening and found that, despite my new diet regimen and workout routine, my weight was the same as when I started. 162 lbs. I was somewhat depressed, especially considering that I had weighed in at 160 a few times already.
The good news is that I can feel myself getting stronger. I've been sore every day since I began, so I know my body is working to build some new muscle. I can hold my back up a little straighter when I walk around and I don't feel like such a miserable, slouching, uncoordinated louse.
Ever since I injured my shoulder in the last high school hockey game that I played in (in 1999), I hadn't been able to really perform a strenuous upper body workout without worrying about my shoulder becoming dislocated. At least, not until recently. I received shoulder surgery about 2 years ago which fixed the torn muscles and tendons in my shoulder that had been getting damaged worse and worse for about 8 years. However, it wasn't until playing men's league hockey late last year that it finally felt like I had achieved full range of motion again. The lingering internal shoulder pain from the surgery had finally gone away completely as well. There were no longer sharp, shooting pains any time I tried manipulating something heavy.
I assume what's happening is that my body is building dormant, undeveloped muscle beneath my warm layer of fat and, hopefully, is converting some of that fat to muscle. The problem is that muscle weighs more than fat, so it's possible to both build muscle and lose fat while not losing weight.
At least I hope that's what's happening. Otherwise, I'm just stuck maintaining my equilibrium--which would be terrifying--but which would be nearly impossible considering the torture I am subjecting myself to.
I'm also making it through more and more of each hour long routine, so I hope that within the next few days I'll be completing the full workout.
Equilibrium--great for maintaining peace and harmony in oneself and in the universe, shitty for caloric expenditure vs. intake.
Anyway, I'm not overly concerned yet. If this was still happening at week three, I'd be fucking furious. This morning I hopped on the scale and it was back down 160 again. I'll feel real progress once that needle can't make it past the 160 lbs line and people start treating me with respect again. I'll just stop talking and thinking about weight until that happens and will focus more on the shrinking and tightening of my pectorals. Like a muslim rising from prayer, my nipples are slowly rising back up to face the world.
Genetically, we build muscle like motherfuckers. Whenever I'm somewhat out of shape, and I start working out hard again, I ALWAYS gain weight. This is incredibly frustrating in Brasilian Jiu Jitsu when I am trying to make a lower weight class, and the more I work out, the more muscle I put on. Also, that absolutely insane amount of protein you are ingesting is like an over the counter shot of steroids.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you are probably the first blogger user to ever tag a post "Muslim Nipples"
Remember Owsley from the Electric Kool Aid Acid Test? He was the dude who first mass-produced acid and is responsible for the spread of LSD for recreational use throughout the 60's.
ReplyDeleteHe lives in "the bush" of Australia now and adheres to a strictly carnivorous (0 carb)diet. He also believes all vegetables are toxic.
You can make your own judgments on the long term effects of regular acid use.
It's good to know someone's out there testing it out for the rest of us.