Perspective...and other weighty issues

We've all heard the ol' "muscle weighs more than fat" argument.  Usually, it's coming out of the mouth of someone who is overweight, and for whatever reason, this simple concept is misinterpreted time and time again.

So before I get into the main subject of my post, I'd like to try to clear the air.

1 POUND of anything weighs the same and 1 POUND of anything else.  Seriously.  1 pound of muscle weighs a pound, and so does a pound of fat.  The difference is in VOLUME.  1 pound of muscle takes up less space than 1 pound of fat, because muscle is more dense.  Get it together people, it's not a difficult concept!

Phew!

The reason I felt compelled to address this common misconception is that in the last 24 hours, I've had two very different conversations about my weight; one with my Mother, and one with a coworker, both of whom have just returned from their respective vacations.

I dropped my parents off at the airport a month ago, and they arrived back in Canada yesterday.  Aside from their lovely, dark tans (where did I miss out on THAT gene?), it was clear that they'd had a great vacation due to their weight gain.  I poked at my Mom about it, and she made a bunch of excuses about how "healthily" they ate, and how much walking they did...but I wasn't buying it.  In an obvious attempt at misdirection, my Mom pointed out that I'd lost weight.  Not true!  My weight this morning is a measly 0.6 pounds HIGHER than it was the day they left.

A week ago, one of my coworkers left for vacation.  He too was sporting a nice, deep tan, and a few extra pounds.  He looked at me at lunch today and said "you've gained about 5 pounds since I left, haven't you?" While most people would have smacked him, I know that his wife is very into fitness, so I took it as a compliment without hesitation.

So my Mom thinks I've lost weight, and that's a compliment, and my coworker thinks I've gained weight, and THAT's a compliment... and I took both of them as positives.  It's funny how perspective can bend our truth, isn't it?

Whether it's 5 pounds of fat, or 5 pounds of muscle, remember to love what you can, when you can!

Mandy
xo

Labor Day - Get to work!

It's time for me to refocus.  For the next 30 days, I will be coming here to post everything that I eat, and all of my workouts, along with moods, cravings, measurements and pictures.  A little self-indulgent?  Maybe.  Isn't that fitting though, in the spirit of buffet mentality?

As of this morning, I weighed in at 133.4 pounds.  Granted, this number is a little bit inflated due to Sunday night being "cheat night", and our visit to the Mandarin restaurant.


Every morning, I start my day at 6:00am (since bringing home my new puppy!).  Once I've had the dog out and started her on her breakfast, I make myself a glass of lemon water - 1/4 of a large lemon squeezed into a glass, with a little bit of water - and my morning vitamins and supplements:

(Pills from left to right: Green Tea Extract, Raspberry Ketones, Women's One-A-Day multivitamin, Omega 3 Fish Oil, and CLA)  Since we're on the end of a long weekend, today started at 8am - what a welcome treat!

After the puppy (Eason, after fitness model, Jamie Eason) and I go for our morning walk, I hand her off to her Daddy, and get ready for my day.  We normally put her in her crate for the morning and I sit and eat my breakfast with her:

(Nature's Path Cereal with Unflavoured, unsweetened Almond Breeze almond milk)

 Since this is a holiday Monday, I didn't have to head to work, so my next meal came around 10:00, roughly two hours after my breakfast meal.  This meal usually consists of just plain 0% Liberte Greek Yogourt, but I decided to add some cinnamon, Xylitol and vanilla extract to mix it up a little...and it was DELICIOUS!

 I was feeling really hungry today, so lunch was at 11:30 - that dish has a 400mL capacity, and is filled with homemade Beef Stew from the other night.  Lots of veggies, red kidney beans and extra-lean roast in there, not to mention all of the crazy spices!

 1:00p.m.: Jamie Eason's Pumpkin Protein Bar...these are fantastic for the sweet cravings that I often suffer from!

At 2:00 we were on our way out the door to play some "baseball" with some of my boyfriend's friends...No time to prepare a meal for the road, so we grabbed these protein bars.  I especially like the Yogourt flavour, and the Double Fudge Chocolate...they sound much more sinful than they are when you look at the macros!

Dinner, let's call it around 8:00p.m.  Eat-Clean chicken fingers (recipe at http://www.eatcleandiet.com/food_and_recipes/clean_recipe/crispy_chicken_bites.aspx) and homemade butternut squash gnocchi with a balsamic reduction over the top.  While the texture of the gnocchi wasn't exactly as expected (likely due to the type of high-protein flour used), it was still delicious!  I need to get in the habit of using the small plates so that it looks like more food!

Around 9:00 I had a MacIntosh apple with peanut butter for a snack, and when my boyfriend went back for another helping of dinner, I had another two bites of chicken strips!




So here I am, another 30 day challenge for myself.  I'd like to see myself finally reach my goal of a wait of 125 pounds, but any progress will be welcome!

xo
Mandy