Have You Gained Weight? The Test

How The Test Came To Be...

About a month before the marathon I realized I was gaining some weight, and no it wasn't just muscle. I was consuming more carbs and probably overcompensating after runs while not being very active otherwise.. definitely a recipe for weight gain. However, I wasn't going to start cutting calories before the big day so I figured once the marathon was over I'd get back on track with food/calories/activity outside scheduled runs. Well.... I haven't :/ I've been working out moderately (and actually had an awesome interval work out yesterday that I should write about) but the eating... the eating has been not so good. If you can't tell look at that piece of pizza form the Best Way to Reheat Pizza post. Stuffed pizza! That's basically two pieces of pizza in one. But anyway, the eating has been off track and I need to get back on track and there will be more posts about that later but this post is about... 

How to be 100% honest with yourself that you've gained weight...

Now you may weigh yourself daily like I do but there are a million things that can affect that. Like yesterday morning I stepped on the scale and then just before my shower I did it again and was 2 pounds lighter. Not only had I splurged on 3-7 Snickerdoodles nor did I do anything remotely active yesterday... I have only had one cup of water. So no, I didn't lose weight in 6 hours, I was just dehydrated.

I've also posted a bunch about the importance of before and after pictures.... You can find those posts here: Motivating yourself again and again, Before and After (1st Challenge), Before and After (2nd Challenge) But I haven't been doing anything lately that warranted a before or after pic so I didn't have any recents and I already knew I wasn't doing as good as I had been in my old after pictures so I didn't feel the need to compare. 

As mentioned I had just showered so it was time to put some pants on. Even though I'm still job hunting/sitting on the couch I figured it was time for real, non-pajama pants. Lucky me all my clothes are clean since I have lots of time for laundry. Put on the first pair of jeans... a little tighter than usual and not coming up quite as high on my hips/waist as I'd like. So I give that little pull and squat maneuver and they rip. They ripped! That soft, worn patch where my legs rub (which is 100% ok by me. I'm not going for the thigh gap and have read that in some people it's physically impossible to get based on their build without being severely malnourished) had enough tension and just tore. 

So on to the next pair of washed jeans... which actually already had a rip in them already (yes that same spot where my thighs rub) but it was from camping and trying to climb into a truck that about 5 feet off the ground and these jeans were pretty old, so I don't feel bad about that. These jeans usually are loose after 30 minutes of wearing them and are my favorite so despite the tear I wanted to wear them around the house. So on they go, tighter again than usual but that tear had some lower butt/upper thigh sticking out of it, not cute at all. I wasn't going to wait for that 30 minutes for them to loosen up while my back side bulged out of the tear. 

Onto a third pair of pants that I know will fit. I got the message and my wake up call. So that is...

The Test

1. Wash all your jeans 
2. Dry them on high or medium in the dryer
3. Try putting them on. Especially the ones that you know how they typically fit you straight out of the dryer.
4. Take note. If they still fit ok and you don't have to do too many squat and pull manuevers then you're probably doing ok. Slide right on? You may have lost weight. Tear some while doing the pull and squat or are way too tight/unflattering now? Well maybe it's time for some changes.

So there you have it, an easy way to have an honest discussion with yourself about your weight without pictures, the scale, or measurements. I know a lot of people who judge their weight loss or gain based on how their clothes fit but if all your jeans loosen up after one wear and you rarely wash them (because seriously jeans rarely get washed)  you may be fooling yourself. If you go through these steps you might have that same realization I had. I had been slacking and I didn't feel good about it. 

So What Now?

I'm probably about where I was in the very first before picture, nothing outside of my normal 10 pound fluctuations but it is time to get motivated. I need to get back on track. I will get back on track. For me it's not about being skinny. I want to be fit, I want my clothes to fit (maybe a size or two down), and I want to feel healthy and good about my body inside and out. So what now? I'm taking my own advice and getting motivated. So I will start here: Motivating yourself again and again. Then I will update the blog with the next journey and process. 

For anyone new to the blog... This is not a blog of someone who has it down yet. I am still struggling with living a healthy life and I don't think I will ever be someone who loves working out or is the poster child of healthy living. But I'm doing my best and my blog was started to share that journey and to have a positive outlet for my thoughts and feelings regarding my struggles and successes. 

*Also please note that this is meant to be light hearted and judging weight by how your clothes fit isn't some new crazy test that I invited, I know that :)