Start of week 6 is here, and it being a Sunday, you all know what that means!! Noooo, not a late day brunch!

It's weigh in day!

Man, what a week! Should I repeat that for the rest of you? WHAT A WEEK!?!?!?!

It flew by, was very busy, and still I feel like I didn't get enough done. And what is with the stupid weather??? Sunny and nearly 80, then low 50s and non stop rain. Blech!!! Still, I digress.

So as I was whining about last week...I know, was supposed to not have any whining in here...my lover was due in town any day, so I was stressing about my routine and not wanting to get into a disruptive schedule. I also was having issues with my scale, and I was upset because not having a job makes it a bitch to spend money on myself. Mentally, I feel guilty doing so when I am not bringing in any money. Well, needless to say, both issues are worked out.

First, I found ways to include my old man in the discussion of my dieting. He frequently maintains a very svelte look, and exercises on his Total Body Gym a lot. Forget the fact he is very active on his job anyhow. I didn't exercise in front of him though, and I took off for my heavy walk before he could volunteer to go along. He did offer some advice on my actual diet and frequency of eating, and from what he can tell, I am doing it right. Which brings up the second issue. The scale..... Now, don't get me wrong, I know scales are NOT the best way to judge how well you are doing, especially when it comes to building muscle. Scales won't do you a damn bit of good. I still find it a comfort on some levels though when it comes to keeping track of my poundage because I do need to hit 165 lbs eventually, but I want to weigh that with a good deal of supporting muscle. And it just so happens that I came a cross a scale for 2 bucks at the flea market this past weekend. My significant other verified it was weighing correctly.

Then I got home with the scale and gave myself the weigh in. I was very nervous about this since I had no idea where I was at last week since my other one was obviously lying to me in order to not hurt my feelings. This is where a bit of Scooby Doo detective work comes in to play. Since I don't know for sure where I started at in this whole process, I had to really think back as to what I normally weighed wearing certain size clothing. Normally, even as soon as 4 months ago, I know I weighed 205lbs due to the weigh in at the doctor's office during an exam. My size 16 pants I currently have now, fit comfortably. Go back 6 weeks from today, those same pants were at the point of muffin topping my waist, which means a bad fit. So I was pushing into size 18s at that point. If my logic is correct, I weighed more than 205lbs at that point. How much more? I couldn't say, but I would guess an additional 5-7lbs to be at that point. I have a taller frame, so I put can put on more weight than some before my pants are too tight.

Therefore, I started this process Between 210-212lbs. I know my hips came in right at 48", my arms were 10", my thighs were 20.5", and my waist was a whopping 43". I forgot to put these stats in the beginning, but I have a notepad diary on here of my measurements week to week. My right arm and leg were 1/2" less than my left side, but to be easier, I just kept them even. As of the beginning of this week, my stats are as follows: Hips, 45", my arms are 9", my thighs 17", my waist is at 38.5". My size 16 pants fit PERFECTLY again, albeit a little loose in the abdomen and seat. Most of my t-shirts now fit nicely and not snuggly. As you will see in the pics below, I am wearing the same white tank top as the week before, and yes, it has been washed and dried, so being cotton, it usually fits tight right after. Not now. I have some slack. VERY happy about this.

Anyway, my weight on the new scale was 193lbs tonight. I do feel some of this is muscle gain, and I don't see it as a set back since I have NO idea what my actual weight was when I started thanks to that earlier scale I had.

I did double up my bands this week. I was getting to where I could do 25 reps without a lot of effort, so I added on some tension. I was lucky to finish 12. So, seems I have the right strength. I will be upping my cardio this week since my garden is done. The garden project really kept me at a high rate of intensity for an hour at a time. It was a nice change from biking and hill marching. I hope the weather straightens up so I can hit more trails this week.

Anyway, here I am this week!