May 13 2012

Are You Going to Gain the Weight Back?

Am I going to gain the weight back?

I think everyone who has ever lost any weight asks themselves this question with fear and trepidation. It is a scary question once you have lost a good amount of body fat.

What now? Am I going to gain it right back?

Are You Going to Gain the Weight Back?

Are You Going to Gain the Weight Back?

Easy to Gain, Hard to Lose

The fact is, as we all know, it takes a lot longer to lose body fat and inches than it does to gain.

Yes, I could easily gain it back. Am I going to? No. Not all of it.

Over the course of 8 weeks I was able to lose almost an inch from my true waist, 2 inches from my belly button, 3 inches from my hips and almost an inch from each thigh.

Those are wonderful results and I’m so excited!

Here’s the kicker. I took measurements this morning and in just 2 weeks I was able to gain half of an inch back throughout almost each measurement of my whole body.

Keep in mind I have been working out just as hard as ever.

The difference is that I purposefully allowed myself to be more relaxed with my diet over the past week. I still ate very clean, meaning no processed foods.

Even though I ate very healthy, I ate a little more.

I ate more carbohydrates. Mostly complex carbs like sweet potatoes, not a lot of fast acting carbs, but I did have little tastes. I had a little homemade bread, coconut ice cream, fruit, potatoes, tomatoes, some condiments like BBQ sauce; a few little tastes of food like that.

I ate a little more fat, in the form of peanut butter, cashews, a couple of extra egg yolks, coconut oil, a little more red meat and some fatty fish (salmon).

I ate clean, but that was enough to allow my body to gain back about half of an inch throughout each measurement, even though I was working out just as hard as ever, I was sleeping well and I was hydrating properly.

I was still eating 6 small meals a day. I was still doing 2 sessions of cardio a day and exercising hard.

Importance of Diet

Do you see how important diet is? Eating healthy foods isn’t enough. It’s important to find what kinds of foods work the best with your particular body for your particular goal.

It’s also important to find out the amounts that work well for you; what percentage of protein, fats and carbohydrates. Break it down even further and explore the quantity at each meal that works best for you. I prefer to use a scale and measure in ounces, but you could also measure in cups.

That being said, it’s also important to know when to replenish your body by adding in a little bit of extra food. The human body isn’t designed to be in a state of deficient constantly. Knowing how to live in balance within your body is important.

It’s equally important to have the control to enjoy just a little bit of additional food, instead of swinging on a pendulum from one extreme to another. After not having fruit and peanut butter for almost 3 months, those were the 2 items I really needed to watch myself with.

We all have foods that have a bit of control over us. Peanut butter is definitely one of mine. Fruit is too. I will tell you, it felt empowering to see that I did have the control to have just a little without going overboard.

Taking measurements is what personally helped me the most. If I didn’t know I had gained back half an inch, I may have found a way to justify to myself why I should keep eating more nuts, more fruit, and so on.

Team BPM, here’s what I want you to take away from this… don’t stick your head in the sand and be blissfully ignorant! Track your progress, in each direction.

If you get down below the “essential fat” body fat percentage range, or down below the low point of the BMI (Body Mass Index) for your height, it’s probably time to add back in some additional healthy foods to allow your body to be replenished and rejuvenated.

Once your body has had some time to replenish, you can always go back to conditioning and losing body fat once again.

Keep taking measurements and progress pics even when you are adding food back in. I want to motivate you to be intentional with your approach to your body and your lifestyle changes. Be deliberate, conscious, calculated and purposeful.

Cori Ann’s Current Measurements

I’m including my measurements from over the past 10 weeks. You can also check out my “Guide to Taking Measurements” to learn how to take your own measurements at home, or to see my previous measurements from January.

If you’re curious about getting your body fat tested, but don’t have a qualified trainer, I totally recommend “Bod Pod Body Fat Testing.” Check out the post to learn about the procedure and to find a place near you where you can have it done.

Measurement	March 7	May 1	Today, May 13
True Waist	26	25.25 (-0.75)	25.5 (+0.25)
Belly Button	28	26 (-2.0)	26.5 (+0.5)
Hips	36.5	33.5 (-3.0)	34 (+0.5)
Hipe Bone (Iliac Crest)	32	30.5 (-1.5)	31 (+0.5)
Chest/Lats	35.5	33 (-2.5)	33.5 (+0.5)
Bicep/Tricep	10.5	10 (-0.5)	10
Thigh	19.5	18.75 (-0.75)	18.75
Calf	13	13	13

Cori Ann’s Current Body Fat Percentage

I didn’t have my body fat tested this week, as I’m allowing my body to rest, recover, rejuvenate and replenish. It’s important to remember sometimes that’s the goal. Because that’s the goal this week, the body fat percentage isn’t important.

I’m sure it went up slightly. It needed to. That was the objective this week.

After this week, I am back to my strict prepping diet. I plan to have it measured again after one full week of being back on my preparation diet.

I did take my weight, which went up 1.5 lbs. That’s a perfect amount to have gone up in the time frame after my competition.

Measurement	March 7	May 1	Today, May 13
Body Fat Percentage	15.7	9.8	Not taken yet
Method	Manual	Manual	n/a
Category	Athlete	Essential Fat	n/a
Weight	124	117.5	119
Fat Weight	19.5	11.5 (LOST 8 LBS)	unknown
Lean Weight	104.5	106 (GAINED 1.5 LBS)	unknown

My Next Step

My own personal goal is to continue to build my upper body out laterally and to build my lower body forward and backwards, while keeping my hips narrow.

My body tends to want to build out wide in the lower body. I am going to use my training to deliberately change that. You can’t spot reduce fat from any one area, but you can sculpt and reshape your body with muscle.

I will go into a little more about my training program to reshape my body in an upcoming posts and workouts.

The main focus is going to be on:

• Maintaining my condition while I compete in the upcoming months
• Increasing the musculature in my back and shoulders
• Increasing the musculature in my hamstrings and glutes
• Increasing the musculature in my quads
• Keeping my hips narrow through a diet that works well for me and by no longer doing an abundance of side motions for the lower body

I have a history of being both overweight and underweight. The place that I personally feel it shows is the backs of my thighs. This is the spot that most of us feel it shows, right women? I don’t want huge changes, but I am striving for some small changes to my glutes and thighs.

You can see where I’m in the picture below, then check out a retouched picture below that to see where I would like to be.

Impossible? Maybe, but wouldn’t it be cool if I was able to do it? Wouldn’t it give you hope that it can be done with lifestyle changes, not extreme measures like surgery? Wouldn’t it be cool to see that getting older doesn’t mean you have to succumb to the idea that your ideal body is in the past?

With a few strokes, I can photoshop a picture, but I also believe that I can “photoshop” my life with kick a$$ workouts and a consistent diet. I have seen huge changes in my body in the past 10 weeks. I’m sure I can continue to see amazing changes. I’m hoping you continue with me on my journey and become motivated to make your own changes.

 Where I’m at Currently

 Where I Want To Be

*This is the only photograph within this entire site that has been retouched. I’m all about authenticity. I retouched this photo only to give myself, and you, a visual of what my goal is over this next year. 

Real Results for Real People

This is real life. I’m a real working mom. I am a normal person, just like you.

I struggle with balancing my marriage, kids, work and health. I struggle with finding the time to exercise. I struggle with certain foods that seem to have a bit of power over me.

Don’t be afraid to struggle. It’s how you get stronger.

I simply have made a decision to change and I’m sticking with it each and every day.

Make the decision with me. Start here with BPM.tv. Workout with me at home. Explore your diet. Find the motivation you need to make your fitness goals a reality.

Did you try this post? Tell me in the comments!

Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments. Don’t be shy! Your comments may help to inspire another. Your questions may help someone else who has the exact same question, but is too shy to ask. I love hearing from you!

By Cori Ann Lentz • Life & Love • 2 • Tags: bikini, Competition, figure, Fitness Model, Measurements, Nutrition