Well, ladies…let’s talk about ‘em. The mood swings. The hot flashes. The ridiculous cravings. The hormones. DUN DUN DUUUN!
I’ve been on this fitness journey for a while and it’s been a struggle. In the past, it’s been hard to narrow done what could possibly be the disruptor because my consistency was a problem. It’s hard to say the workouts weren’t working if I kept missing days. It’s hard to say the food is the problem if I kept overshooting my calories by the thousands on some days. Without a steady baseline to measure against, I could only point the finger back at myself for not sticking to the plan.
Fast forward a couple of months, add in two coaches and (most importantly) consistency - STILL NOTHING! I mean, I shouldn’t say “nothing” because I know I am getting stronger. I’m up to 150-pound barbell back squats so something is definitely happening. But one thing that is not…the numbers on the scale aren’t going down. I know, I know...don’t trust the scale numbers but for it to be the exact same after months of sacrifice…the math ain’t mathing.
In my case, my hormones are so out of balance that they think they are helping but playing the wrong kind of defense. I’m holding on to fat or easily gaining cause these fools are confused. I finally had a chance to sit with my doc and she confirmed my issue. Until I can get my hormones balanced, I will be spinning my wheels or moving at a tortoise pace to lose even 5 pounds. THE AGONY!
I fear so many women may have this same issue but give up before they even realize what’s going on. So here’s my process of elimination: consistently be in a caloric deficit to make sure it’s not a simple “clean up your diet” fix. Next, consistent exercise a few days a week and progress into longer & more difficult training. If these two things aren’t working, it’s time to get your blood work checked. I did my with EverlyWell - Women’s Health Test and took the results to my doc to review and confirm. This process of elimination was 6+ months in the making. Most people give up after a couple of weeks of not seeing the scale move. So ladies, please build a support system (hopefully myself and this blog will be one!), work through the process, and don’t give up! You and your health are worth it!!
Next up - I’ll be sharing what I’m doing to balance out my hormones.
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