If you’ve been following along, you know I’ve been stymied by this gut fat I just can’t seem to lose. It’s not that I look bad — I look so much better than I used to — but a fitness quest is a fitness quest, and having excess fat around the waist does not fit with my vision.
Well, after a month-long plateau, I’ve lost yet another half-inch from around my waist.
While I am not counting calories, I believe calorie-restriction (“eat less”) is the tactic I am taking. I am not eating as much. I usually have a bit of breakfast, take in protein shakes (almond milk, whey protein, frozen fruit) during the day, then having a nice large salad at suppertime. I always add some protein to the salad, like a piece of fish, some shrimp, or maybe some ham or turkey.
Sometimes I’ll have lunch, if I’m hungry or if I have a meeting.
On top of the waist reduction, I am also weighed in under 170 for the first time in — well, honestly, I don’t recall when.
I am not a huge proponent of the scale as a measure of fitness. After all, excess body fat is bad, muscle is good, and muscle weighs more than fat, so it stands to reason that if you are gaining weight, and that weight is muscle, not fat, that’s a good thing. So weight is not the be-all-end-all, but it is a pretty good indicator for most of us non-Schwarzenegger types.
I have some concern that I am losing muscle. Even though I’ve been working out as hard as usual, if not harder, with my resistance routines, I have not been doing the aerobics pieces. I’m skipping those, because I am trying to gauge their effect on my arthritic left knee. So far, so good — my knee feels much better these days without all the bouncing around — but I must be losing some leg muscle, right? I dunno.
Anyway, I’m not going hungry, and I feel great. I’ve been doing more yoga, my back is in good shape, I can wall squat for a good three minutes without problem, so my legs seem to be as strong as ever.
I hope to lose yet another inch or so around the waist. Let’s see if I hit another plateau.