Subtle Changes

People that know me will tell you that I've been trying to lead a healthier life style. Part of that I owe to the job change which makes it brain dead simple (and stupid not to) to use the on site gym. Part of if I owe to a friend challenging me to run a 4 man relay in a marathon. Another part of that is I have an excellent friend whose like minded and does a great job of making sure I get my ass in the gym even when I don't feel like it (it's mutual - I do the same for him).

People who also know me will tell you I complain about my bathroom scale A LOT! Its been stuck on a certain number now for almost three weeks. At first it was just pissing me off, then it became somewhat depressing. I mean seriously, I bust my ass in the gym and that damn scale simply refuses to show me any sort of love. People would ask me, "But how are your clothes fitting?" which to me always seemed like some sort of cop-out. Not to mention I hadn't really noticed any changes in that department either.

That was until just a couple of days ago. One morning I went to tighten my belt and realized, "Holy crap, I've gotta go one more tighter!?!". That was such a boost to my morale! Finally, a quantitative change I can see. That's not the only one either. I was at lunch (felt like I was starving) and had chosen a 12oz soup with a side salad. I'm barely have done with the soup and realize I'm full!?!? How can this be? Dinner that evening was the same thing. Clearly portion control is working.

Last week saw me filling my workout sheet for the first time. I hadn't actually calculated the percentage gains until just before writing this blog post. I realize that I'm just starting out and so gains like this can't be expected forever. But holy cow!! I'm up 20% (or better) in every muscle group! Another major boost to my morale!