That’s right. I just said that.

I went on vacation two weeks ago.  I was gone for six days.  During that time I gained seven pounds.

Yep! Seven pounds!  This is not uncommon for me.  When I go on vacation I eat whatever I want and however much of it I want to eat.  I might take half of the bun off a burger but I’ll rarely remove the entire thing…when I’m on vacation.  I’ll eat donuts and ice cream and french fries and all of the things I still love to eat but choose not to make part of my regular, daily, non-vacation, way of eating.  I go on vacation knowing that I will return with a higher number on the scale and I don’t care because over the last couple of years I’ve learned that it’s not the end of the world, the weight gain doesn’t last and more importantly– the scale lies! Here is a prime example…

For the last four months or so my weight has held steady at 169lbs.  That’s six pounds up from my lowest weight of 163 and four pounds up from my doctor’s goal weight of 165lbs.

When I got home from vacation last Wednesday this is what the scale said…

See? Up seven pounds. I fully expected this and was not shocked in the least or concerned at all knowing that most of that was water weight from eating a shit ton of carbs which cause me, and ANYONE for that matter (including you) to retain water…it’s science. To have gained 7lbs of ACTUAL fat I would have had to consume in excess of 24,500 calories in six days or an extra 4,083 calories per day AND sat on my ass all day doing NOTHING- again, science. Neither of which happened.

Proof of that is in this picture taken yesterday, after being home for 7 days and returning to my normal eating habits…

According to this I lost almost 9lbs in seven days. So if the scale was an accurate depiction of my “success” AKA fat loss, according to these images I BURNED (had a caloric deficit) of 29,400 calories over the last seven days or an average of 4,200 each day. I guarantee you that did NOT happen!

I have been battling an injury for the past few weeks and because of this I only worked out ONE day during those last 7 days so to think that I actually burned THAT many calories in seven days is absurd.  This is why I say, the scale lies and is not a true measure of success.

To take that one step further, I got on the scale today just for shits and giggles and this is what it said…

I lost two pounds over night, apparently.  I shouldn’t say “apparently” like I didn’t ACTUALLY lose 2lbs but WHAT did I lose? Chances are it was mostly just more water but you know what?  That means that I’m down 3-4bls from my “holding steady” weight of 169lbs– this is where the problem lies.

The last few months I have been kicking ass at being awesome in the gym.  I have been getting stronger and stronger.  PRing my lifts, improving my stamina–going longer, faster and harder in my workouts– finally being able to do things like climb a rope, touch my toes to a bar while hanging from it, kill some burpees and even do a few handstand push ups. Even though I was UP six pounds from my lowest of weight of 163lbs (as of 8 months ago, November 2013) at 169lbs my body was smaller.  So much smaller that I even had to buy new jeans!

Today the scale shows a loss…something I would have celebrated in the past but today I’m not.  I’m super annoyed because it is very apparent that while I’ve lost the water weight that I accrued while on vacation along with what MIGHT have been a pound or so of actual fat, I’ve also lost is muscle mass.  This does not make me happy.  I can feel a difference in my workouts these last couple of days. I don’t feel as strong as I did two weeks ago and it’s very frustrating.

I know it won’t last forever but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck right now. It TOTALLY sucks!

My solace?

Knowing that I am working on recovery! And knowing that when I am back to full range of motion in my shoulder, elbow and wrist that I WILL be able to improve my strength and stamina again.  I just have to be patient.  Until then, I’m doing what I can– working on lower body exercises, cardio stuff and core strength.  I try not to wonder if I could have retained more muscle had I not gone on vacation and not traded too many carbs for muscle-sustaining protein, but I can’t go back and change that.  So here I am drinking my Gladiator Powder Protein to supplement a little and back to my normal, everyday low-carb diet and hoping that the loss in weight will help me improve even more once I’m able to get a full body workout in again.  Surely weighing a little less will make it easier to do things like pull ups and rope climbs, right?! 🙂

Anyway, if you haven’t heard me say this before…the SCALE does not tell the whole story.  A lower number doesn’t necessarily equal fat loss and should never be your only measure of success.  Focus on fitness and what can DO, who you can BE and how you are living LIFE!

Peace out.