• Posted on:April 18th, 2008
• Comments:No Comment
• Category:Run Girl Run, Weighing In

When I stepped on the scale this morning, it read 140 lbs.

And I can’t believe I just told you that.

That might not seem like a lot for the average person, but I’m way shorter than the average person. The average American woman is reportedly a size 12 (or 14; it seems the number is always going up, up, up). I’m still able to wear clothing sizes in single digits, but I know myself. And I know that I’m overweight in what I would consider an unhealthy way. At just over five feet tall, this is just too much stress on my joints. As someone who likes to run long distances — albeit at slow paces — the extra stress on the knees and everywhere else is just killing me. So I’ve been trying, though I will admit rather casually, to drop the 15-20 lbs I’ve gained since moving to The Great North.

Hear that lightning strike? I think my membership in the club for Women Who Are Constantly Dodging Questions About Their Weight and Dress Size has been revoked.

When I think about what has changed in my life lately to cause this weight gain, it’s simple formula:

More food (and some of it not very healthy) + less exercise (especially weight training) = me taking up more space than I should be.

NEWSFLASH: This is usually the formula for weight gain FOR MOST PEOPLE. There are exceptions, but it’s not rocket science. It’s taken me many years to figure this out, but I think I’m getting there.

It also turns out that one can train for a marathon a year and have that only amount to peeling off the weight one has gained BACK in the off-season. To my credit, 140 is roughly (give or take a pound) where I was at marathon time last October. I’ve managed to maintain that number all winter and spring.

As for fitness maintenance? I feel more out of shape than ever. Hockey is the only activity that I engaged in all winter, and the only reason I presently have a modicum of endurance. It turns out that I am not all about running in the snow, amid giant snowbanks and blustery winds (it’s the wind that I really hate).

Oh, and the below freezing temperatures aren’t that fun, either.

But now that the snowbanks are starting to melt and the temperatures are staying in the 40s and 50s, I basically have no excuse for getting out and running. Also, me sitting here eating Girl Scout Cookies and reading blogs is no excuse.

Have I mentioned that diets and me just don’t get along? I like food way too much.

BY THE WAY
I’ve tried to keep a weight loss blog separate from my main blog (whatever that happened to be at the time), and it’s never really worked out. It’s hard for me to write on one blog regularly, let alone two. My all-time high? Upper-160s. Low? I followed WW (mostly) and exercised my butt off to a low and very nice weight of 118. Ups and downs of life have resulted in ups and downs in the weight department. I’m trying to find that happy balance. It’s definitely a journey, not a destination. [gong strike here]

I will try not to post too much about the roller coaster that is my Fat Ass Life, but I can’t make any promises.