Snack Girl Disappears

I can totally relate. I usually live and die by the scale, but this time I've decided that the number isn't as important as to how I feel and whether my clothes are starting to become loose.

Thanks for your blog!

Rita Hernandez

I still have to get my wood cut for the winter. Your post reminds me of how behind I am this year!

But I'm doing great on the weightloss side of the equation. But I had (and still have) a lot more than a 10 pound muffin top to deal with. As of this morning I've lost 49 pounds since you first issued your challenge. I'd like to lose about another 50 or so to get down to a healthy BMI. I expect the next 50 to be much harder than the first 80 have been. But I will keep on it!

Vladdie

I weigh-in daily...however, I know how things fluctuate so I don't put all my faith in those numbers.

3 cords of wood??? Wow! That's a lot of stacking.

Dev

Lisa, that's great! Good job. Who cares about the numbers on the scale? If you have dropped a size by doing what your body naturally wants to do - build lean muscle - then that's awesome. It's the best kind of "weight loss". You'll burn more calories relaxing after a hard day of wood stacking with all that lean muscle, which is a wonderful bonus. Keep it up!

I've shifted my habits to be more primal (think marksdailyapple.com). I already eat clean, but now I'm piling on the veggies, meat, and I'm not worried about fats, because the fats I'm eating are from nuts, avocados, and some animal fat (but a reasonable amount). I feel great. Like you, the scale hasn't budged, but between this eating style and my continued Jillian workouts and other strength-building exercises, I see definition in places I've never seen it, and I'm fitting into pants that I haven't worn since I was nearly 10 lbs lighter. So I'm saying I'm building muscle - woohoo!

Alta

I can totally relate. My scale is up but my clothes fit fine. Still want the scale to say 20 pounds less.

Lori

Way to go Lisa! That's awesome....gotta get me a woodburning stove I guess. Yes, you are correct, you are gaining lean muscle....and muscle weighs more than fat. You've proved that with your reduction in clothes size!! BE PROUD!! You even sound spunkier in today's post! Best to you and get your shovel ready for those winters!! No plows....LOL

Karen

Ah Lisa, but you of all people should know that muscle weighs more than fat! You've built more muscle (which burns more fat the more it's used). A couple more cords of wood and I wouldn't want to run into you in a dark alley! (but it'd be great to run into you, Matt and the kids again in our old shared dimly lighted alley in SF).

Mark

I totally know what you mean - when I start training for a race I typically put on five pounds the first few weeks. I get frustrated but try to think positive that it's most likely muscle. Then all of the sudden I start dropping some weight once I'm into my routine - don't be surprised if you see the scale fall a bit! Not that it matters - you're living the healthy lifestyle and that's what's important!

Becca

Congrats! When the scale does not budge, but the inches decrease, it means you are actually losing FAT! More muscle means higher metabolism, too. Success of a weight loss plan should be determined by inches or how the clothes fit, not by the scale.

Jan Hurley

That's awesome Lisa! Stacking/cutting wood is a better workout than anything they've come up with in a gym. What are you going to do when it's all stacked? Unstack it and do it again?!? :-)

Rachel

Congratulations on dropping the shirt and pant size! The same thing sort of happened to me, although dropping from size 12 to 10-ish and going from L to M shirt size (for some brands) was mainly changing my eating habits. I used to eat a ton, and eat only like two meals a day (especially huge meal at night). Once i stopped doing that and got on a more reasonable eating habit, I was able to drop 15 pounds without realizing. That Freshman 15 we gain back in college that stays for all 4 years, so much easier to loose once you're OUT of college!

I've been on a plateau since then, however, so I think next thing for me is to exercise more. 30 min a day at the gym on the easy exercise bike (with my trusty Nintendo DS games!) helped immensely with making myself feel like bloated and round. I haven't weighed myself though so I don't know if I'm loosing again, or if it's all just psychological. But whatever! as long as I feel damned good, yeah? :D

also if you've been stacking wood and gaining muscles, muscles burns calories even at resting state! So more than just burning off the calories while you're doing your Jillian workout, or when you're stacking wood. Even when you're just sitting around or doing other stuff, your brand spankin new muscles are chewing off the fat. I'll bet that's why you've lost those clothing sizes without realizing. :D

CONGRATS!

Shannon

I love reading everyones comments! Inspiring to me! I've been putting on weight like crazy, but all of a sudden it's starting to come off. I'm going through menopause and I have a thyroid problem, which I guess just makes menopause harder, dang! But anyway all of a sudden I'm not so starving all the time and by watching what I eat more closely I've lost about 20 pounds. I've still been working out like crazy and running so I'm hoping when a little more weight comes off I'll be able to pick up my running speed. I've been so slow it's practically a fast walk sometimes!

It's all good and as long as this hunger thing stays under control, I can get back to where I want to be weight wise!

Carol

Congrats Lisa! Wow, that is a lot of wood! I'm from California, I'm not familiar with "cords of wood" but from that picture... Holy cow!!! Sounds like your husband is really supportive too, that's great. I was going through pictures the other night and I saw some of myself last year at the pumpkin patch... Oh man! I really did look preggo:-( No wonder I kept getting asked. Thanks for being so inspirational.

stephv

I lost 30 pounds and plateaued (and yes I have a muffin top...) but I'm realizing that part of the plateau is probably muscle as I upped my exercise. I'm still working on that last 7 pounds or so and find you inspiring.

Sue

I am doing great... Started January 11th, 2010, at 245 lbs (lifetime max of 265 last year), and down to 154 pounds as on Monday Morning. Happy to say I have 256 days of abstinence from compulsive overeating. OvereatersAnonymous is a free international 12-step group... Http://www.OA.org

Anonymous_OA

"I am feeling good and this feeling translates into other parts of my life." THAT is what really counts. Keep at it!

Sagan

Congrats!!! I too have loss inches and feel great. I recently changed to a Plant Based meat-free, dairy-free lifestyle because I became allergic to chicken (which was the only meat I've eaten in over 20 years)! I had hit a wall and couldn't lose anything for months...now it's falling off and I feel great. I switch between Jillian's Shred and Billy Blanks Jr's Cardioke!! Fun, fun, fun!!!

Tywana

I'm sure you did go down a size by cutting wood. You're using your core muscles. If you seek a quicker turn around for weight loss or not even weight loss as much as fitting into those jeans, that's you've been wanting to wear for years, you must do at least 5 days of cardio for 1 hour incorporated with 3/30min muscle sessions per week. Also, you must mix up your cardio. Do your video two days, run/one day and bike 2 days. It's important to incorporate muscle confusion. Good luck!!

Pamela Drouin

Awesome Lisa

You are so right when you say forget the scale. It is all about how YOU FEEL. I have been getting many of my clients to put a sticky note over their scale to read the number they desire to weigh. In the end it is not the number on the scale that counts, it is always HOW YOU FEEL!

Great job and keep it going
Your Friend In Health
Adam

Adam Hart

That is so so so great, if you keep at it we will no longer be able to share clothes...do you think stacking shoes would do the trick? Miss you...

Viola

I think that's awesome - you're for sure loosing inches and gaining muscle! The scale can be your worst enemy !

Connie

My teenage daughters aren't by any means girls who need to lose weight- if you stacked all 4 of them up, they'd probably not weigh more than a bag of bird seed- but they go through bouts of high physical exercise, when training for various sporting events, etc- and each of them complain they don't lose weight on scales- even though they are markedly fit. I was told by our doctor that muscle mass weighs significantly more than flab and the best indicator is how your clothes fit. If you are dropping sizes or clothes aren't snug anymore you are doing it right. Congrats to you!! All that healthy eating and hard work are paying off.

On my part, if I don't exercise outdoors, I'm doomed. I can't seem to focus indoors on anything and lose motivation- so I go outside and run, walk or even head to the park and use the jungle-gym to do pullups when no one is around. But I think you hit on a REALLY important note- if exercise isn't part of your routine, like making coffee in the morning or walking the dog, it's easy to forget about or shove off to later - and "later" doesn't often happen- especially for moms who get busy with kids. Thanks for reminding me to keep exercise part of my routine!!!

Leanne C.

Thanks for posting about your progress. I am especially encouraged to hear that you have more energy and are more efficient when you exercise. That has been my biggest enabler is to think that by not exercising and doing other things, I was being more efficient. But knowing what you're experiencing is going to make that last obstacle go away. I'm going to try your wake up and put on exercise clothes technique and try to get that mentality going. Thank you.

Emily