4th Month - Frustrations Are Mounting

Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is repeatedly performing the same task while continually expecting a different result. That's how this past month went for me. My routine was as solid and as strict as ever, yet every time I would take a quick review of my progress, the same result would be staring back at me. My clothes remained tight, but my will was unbroken as I pressed on. I continued on through the days and weeks, waiting for the big drop that I was continually assured was coming. It refused to materialize.

Everyone that I spoke to seemed to think that either the scale was wrong, or the measurements were inaccurate. "You look fine!", was the oft heard phrase, though it was doing me no good considering I sure didn't feel that way. Sure I was getting a little stronger, but even my trainers were stumped at my lack of progress. They marveled at how I operated at such a high level of intensity, but were baffled at the lack of progress. I was doing everything correctly on paper, but it was time to find out exactly what was going on. I made an appointment to have my body composition tested. An official summary of exactly what was going on under the surface.

As I sat waiting for my appointment I noticed a chart on the wall of the office, explaining the rudiments of body composition. In short, it summarized how "being healthy" wasn't about "being skinny". If you were to go on a crash diet without any exercise, you're body would be harvesting your lean muscles for energy, thereby leaving all the unhealthy fat behind, slowly suffocating your organs. Conversely, via a balanced diet and daily exercise, the lean muscles would be able to thrive and your body would turn to the fat storage as a source of energy. It's a simple formula that just makes sense. As I've said before, that number on the scale can be quite deceptive, and this just further enforces that point. Fitness, lean muscle mass, and lowering my body fat % are the primary goals, with the overall weight following close behind. The test results were not the least bit surprising. My lean muscle wasn't increasing, and my body fat % wasn't decreasing. Something wasn't adding up, and I still have yet to put my finger on the source.

I've since completely revamped my food intake, adding more proteins and cutting the sugars even moreso. After this next month, I unfortunately will have to stop going to see my trainer(s) on a regular basis, for no other reason than it's just not affordable. Hopefully they'll be able to put together a plan that will allow me to continue my training away from their gym for the time being. The timing couldn't be worse, but I'm of the mindset that "some things happen for a reason". I'm hopeful that something drastic will happen with my progress in the coming month, which will allow me to shake this cloud of frustration. For all the effort I've been putting forth, I don't feel it's beyond reason to expect more positive results.

As the Springtime thaw begins, I hope these spinning wheels of mine can catch some dry pavement.