Hormones

I did my CLX Burn#1 workout on Wednesday night. Considering that I'd not worked out in the previous 3-4 weeks, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I managed to use all the same weights and even though I sweated buckets, I didn't feel like I'd over done it or anything. It actually felt really good.

On Thursday, I was really sore so I took a rest day. While that doesn't fit my plan...it does fit my life and this isn't just about following some predetermined training plan. It's also about making some real life changes. Anyway, today (Friday) I'll do CLX Burn #2. The weekend is a bit up in the air as I will be riding at least one day and possibly two. I also want to get in my strength training, so we'll see how it all fits together. Weather plays a factor too, of course.

So as far as my nutrition, it's not been all that great. The past couple of days, I've been working hard to get in my veggies, but I've also let some unhealthy choices sway me. I've had scones for breakfast two days this week and today I had a big cookie after lunch. These things are not the end of the world, but certainly eating something like that everyday will definitely derail my progress. I'm playing the mental game a little bit right now though, so I'm trying to keep a simple balance between the healthy foods and a few 'treats' until I get a few things taken care of.

What the hell am I talking about, you ask? Let me share a little history first....

I've always been heavy. I've always had to fight my weight a bit. And as I said previously, I've always been an athlete. The thing is...even when I was STILL an athlete and doing way more exercise than I'd ever done previously, I was gaining weight despite efforts to lose. This started about 5 years ago. Right about the same time I started biking which was also about the same time that I stopped lifting weights regularly AND about the same time I started having hormonal issues. My hormonal issues stemmed from a fibroid problem. I had a few sessions of Depo Provera shots (BAD idea) and then got an IUD (after the fibriods were removed). The Depo shot really messed me up, but I thought that the IUD was a good thing. Since then...things just haven't been adding up. How could I be doing WAY more activity than I'd ever done previously, but still steadily gain weight? I've now topped out at 15 lbs higher than I've EVER been before. I've also suffered from some severe lower back pain that I was attributing to my fibroids. It's still there (and getting worse) making me worry that the fibriods are back. Upon doing a little research, I've discovered that the synthetic hormone in the Depo shot is the same as whats in my IUD (albeit in smaller doses). I read that this hormone often causes back pain and all of a sudden, the pieces and timing start to fit. This hormone also causes weight gain in some people. Bingo...another light on. So yes, I need to lift weights again and yes, I need to watch what I eat and keep up with the biking....but I'm pretty convinced that because of his hormone, I'm fighting a losing battle in terms of weight loss.

Because I still have this IUD, I've got this mental road block that it doesn't matter how hard I try, I still won't be successful at weight loss (I already know that it is difficult for me without hormone interference). So..besides the obvious back pain problem, I need to get this IUD out to solve the mental problem I'm having too. Anyway, this is partly why I'm not getting too worked up over my nutrition right now. It's just too much for me to manage at the moment, so until I get my IUD out, I'm just going to try to make reasonable choices and focus my energy on getting the activity levels back up to where they need to be. I will make an appointment to get the IUD out, but because we moved across the country only a little over a year ago...I need to find a doctor first.