getting ahead of myself

3 good days! wohoooo!!

I'm really pleased but doing my best not to get ahead of myself. This morning my muscles were hurting so much after my workout yesterday that I needed to steady myself just to sit down. Just a couple of good goes with the weights and my arms and butt muscles feel so tight it was almost a let down to look in the mirror and realise nothing had actually changed yet. Even the scales read the same.

I guess I'm doing this a little backwards compared to previous experiences. I'm used to the first week of healthy habits bringing great and immediate rewards. It's not unusual to drop 3kg that first week before settling down to a more manageable 1/2 - 1kg afterwards. In the past the eating change would come first followed later by exercise.

This time around I started at the gym and the food took a little while to catch up... and is still. I've been concentrating on weights, trying to build up a bit of strength before I can even consider trying some of the cardio exercises I used to enjoy. Fat loss is being counter-balanced with muscle gain.

I'm glad I know all this but it's still hard to fight the impulse to be disappointed. That first week drop is so psychologically important; it's the necessary boost to reassure you it's all going to be worth it. I'm just going to have to look for my boost in other ways. See the difference by means of a mere observation rather than a let down. After all, I'm not even half way through my first week but the way I feel today is definitely an improvement and worth keeping going.