For me, the past two weeks of the Fatt-Off have been a bit challenging, to say the least.
While I had lost 5.2 lbs the first two weeks, I really wanted to see myself go further, push harder and come out stronger the next two. I already eat a fairly healthy selection of food to begin with. I drink only water, tea and coffee out of preference and generally do not indulge in anything fast food ever. So, I went to Jason at Competitive Fitness for help with my diet, with the intention of improving on what I already put into my mouth.
I learned a lot of things in talking with Jason. For example, I began shopping in only the outer perimeter of the grocery store and started to pay even more (I was already a label reader) attention to food labels, when they were present. I learned to stay away from any processed starches/sugars. No preservatives. Only whole foods. Starting in week three, I began eating on the Zone diet, which is a low-carb, high-fat, high-protein plan.
However, to my absolute horror, I began to gain weight. I was so scared of being on the wrong track, that I quickly contacted Jason to find out what I was doing wrong. We sat down again, evaluating my food choices, and altered the diet again; this time to include even less carbohydrates and even more fat (I was very nervous). Jason thought that the weight gain was unusual and that it could be due to a number of things, including: drinking more water than usual, eating too many carbs on a high-fat diet, possible food allergies.
So, I went home, measured and ate exactly to plan…and still…
I kept gaining weight!
By the third day of this diet plan, I was completely void of energy. I came home from work one night and passed out on the couch, instead of going to the gym. When I woke up, I decided that the Zone just wasn’t working out. Unfortunately, there were no carbohydrates in the house, with the exception of vegetables. So, David took me to the store to pick out some bread. When we got there, my hormones were so unbalanced that I began crying in the bread aisle! Needless to say, we hurried up and picked out some whole grain wheat bread and checked out.
By this point, I had put on about 2+ lbs and it was week four. I changed my diet back to what I had been eating in the beginning, keeping in mind the essential things that Jason had taught me about choosing foods. I also added about an hour or so of cardio onto my daily workout routine.
Today, as I prepare to weigh in, I can’t help but feel bittersweet. While I have gained the knowledge that not everyone succeeds on the same plan, I feel as though I’ve let myself down. I will be happy to see no change on the scale today from the last time I weighed in. It’s the most that I can hope for after vigorously working off the 2+ lbs I had gained. But, I really would have liked to pull a competitive number to keep up with all the amazing contestants in this competition.
I may not look like much a challenger this week, but now that I’ve found my own personal zone, you had better believe I’ll be finishing up strong. Cheers!
