I love you son. I truly do. I have loved you from the very first moment that I knew you existed and I will love you every single second of my life.....Please remember that as I tell you that I may never forgive you for what you did to my body. *sigh* I love you, but there are some things that just stay with you, and this one is forever. :P
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Hello Readers! It is that wonderful, magical time of year where the clouds roll in, the temperature drops, and all you want to do it curl up in a giant sweater and drink hot chocolate. So, that has been my agenda on my days off from work. Curl up with the monster, put something good on the TV, and stay warm and comfy all day. This would all be fine and dandy if my husband wasn't lapping me again and again and again on our weight loss goals! Not only did I want to work off all of my baby weight (luckily, with having a premature kiddo, I only gained 20lbs) but I wanted to tighten up what was left when all the weight was gone. Cardio was very important for me as I had been on bed rest for around two and half months. Post pregnancy I couldn't even walk out to the mailbox and back without getting winded! It was strange for me, coming from a very active and healthy background, to feel fat, exhausted, and hopeless. Devastating is a good word for it.
So, after sulking for a few months (I'd like to slide in a little thanks to my husband for never pushing me or commenting on my poor body condition), I pulled myself up by my bootstraps, made a diet plan with my husband, and started my new, healthy lifestyle. It wasn't a drastic lifestyle change as Sean and I have always tried to lean toward the healthier side when it comes to our meal planning. We basically started buying the "lite" or "fat free" versions of foods and drinks we already had around the house. We started eating smaller, more frequent meals, and working out regularly. No 5Ks here, just simple sit ups, lunges, and some light cardio. I found a great site that showed me some simple, everyday work outs that I could do that included my Monster and made working out SO much easier. Liam loved it, and I was loosing weight! I struggled with the diet change for a while. My poor co-workers got sick of hearing "I'm HUNGRY!!!!" and "Gah! I feel like I'm STARVING!!". Eventually my body got use to the change in eating patterns and the work-outs became a lovely habit and I started loosing weight and feeling fantastic! I went from 164 (my heaviest) to 143! 21lbs! Holy Guacamole! I was so stinking proud of myself! I had more energy at work, I was able to go go go all day with Liam (he was starting to crawl at this time), and my husband was chasing me around the house like a silly high schooler! Life was wonderful!
Then things started slipping...for me. I would miss a chance to snack at work, or I'd come home too late for dinner and my Monster Work Out Time. In ONE WEEK I gained back 7lbs! INSANITY! I was livid, confused, embarrassed, and just done done done! What made this all 100 times worse was that I was sleeping next to my husband every night who had had the same rough week that I had and he was STILL LOOSING WEIGHT! COME ON NOW!!! NOT FAIR!!!
Back to sulking. For several months.
After being crabby and indignant for a couple of months (again, a shout out to my amazing husband for his patience and understanding) I started to wonder about the science behind it. It just wasn't adding up in my head. Sean had missed the same amount of work out time, he'd eaten the same "not so much in line with the diet" meals that I had, and he was just as stressed. We were living the same lives and our bodies were doing two totally different things. What the heck was going on here?
Insert my brilliant husband and his random knowledge: "The average adult woman has to work out for an hour a day, just to maintain her current weight and body condition." You hear that right ladies?? Just to MAINTAIN! Not even improve, just maintain! How is this possible??
Insert my days and days and days of research which led me to this little gem: On average, women's total energy expenditure, which is the number of calories burned for metabolic needs, including breathing, blood circulation, digestion and physical activity, is around 5 to 10 percent lower than men's.
In other words, when a woman is just sitting and doing nothing next to a man who is doing the same, her body is burning 5-10% less calories than his! *facepalm* Whhhhhhhhhhhhhy?
Scientists believe this is partly due to body composition. Ready for the science? Here ya go: Body Composition, that is the amount of muscle, bone and fat that make up the body, are quite different between men and women. Men, in general, have more muscle mass, heavier bones and less body fat than women. For example, a typical man in his twenties who weighs 154 pounds, has 69 pounds of muscle, 23 pounds of bone and 23 pounds of fat. A typical women of the same age who weighs 125 pounds, has 45 pounds of muscle, 15 pounds of bone, and 34 pounds of fat. The recommended percentage of body fat for a woman is between 20 to 30 percent which is thought to be higher for childbearing, while the recommended range for a man is between 12 to 20 percent. Because of these differences in muscle mass, men burn more calories than women at rest.
Another theory has to do with actual body shape, including where the fat is stored and how the fat is metabolized in that area. Here's some more science speak for ya: Some people carry more of their body fat in and around the abdominal area. This type of fat deposition is called android, or apple body type and is most characteristic among males. The body type most common among females is the gynoid, or pear body type. This body type is characterized by fat stores in the hip and thigh region. The scientific explanations for the dramatic difference in body fat distribution between men and women are largely unknown, although differences in hormones, hormone receptors, and enzyme concentrations play a contributing role.
The article goes on the explain that with the gynoid body type the fat is not metabolized as well by the surrounding systems. *le sigh*
After wrapping up my research and
Ladies, we have had to work a little harder than men for just about everything else (voting, working, pay, insurance, medical care, respect in the work place, etc., etc.) so we shouldn't be shocked or disheartened by this news. Just stack it on top of everything else we have to bust our rumps to be great at and move on! Run an extra 20 minutes, stretch just a little bit longer, and eat just one more salad and you'll be right there with him!
Cheers to my ladies who are making it work and working it out! Now that I understand my body a little better it has made my lifestyle changes that much more important and working a little bit harder that much easier! In the end, I'm doing it for my future and the future of my family. Totally worth it, am I right?
Having pictures like this one up while I'm working out does tend to help as well! <3
Do you have a work out regimen? Do you have any tips that might help other women out? Have you struggled with weight loss? Let me hear your stories and tips!
Happy Friday Everyone!
