The secret to remaining slim and fit looking is...

Hey all,

Well, I've been given the ok by my physio in regards to my climbing program! I also had a really good chat with her as I feel as though I have hit a plateau with my rehab and this is where things can go down hill, in terms of becoming lazy.
My pain is under control, swelling obviously increases with movement but as per the physio and other sport professionals, it's going to swell up and down every time I increase my movements or increase the amount I stand for, and it's going to be like this for approx 4-5 months. 
However, I can not let this hold me back, which is not really my concern. The frustration is that I want to move more, yet the swelling gets in the way and that is what makes me get angry. I voiced my concern with Maggie who was incredibly sympathetic, and sees that I have become quite strong, have worked well on strengthening my core, and so now it is time to use it to balance out the rest of the workout. I need to now work on endurance and work on strength exercises, mainly targeting the quads. 

She was quite impressed with my own program I have designed when it comes down to climbing and I think we both trust myself that I will NOT push the boundaries. I have worked too hard, and have finally got myself well disciplined to ruin this.

Here comes the gloating and the answer to the title: I have lost weight since the injury...15 pounds to be exact. But I am happy with this for many reasons as listed below. However, the reason I am blurting out this information is because of a few "run-ins" I have had at work when I've gone in to do some research work. I won't go into it too much but here is the jist:
"Oh Sarah you're back, and you look so thin! You aren't eating are you? You must be so hungry. Kevin must not be looking after you at all...you poor thing!"
Am actally I have a great appetite, and I feel better than pre surgery! In fact, I have so much energy I feel like I'm 16 again and I am very happy...oh and I look after Kevin, and I feed him well thank you very much!"


Yes, I have lost weight but I have realised that this was excess fat I had stored on me. And no I didn't reduce my carb intake or increase my cardio workouts as for the last 4 months I have not been able to do a full high impact cardio workout. I'm living fact that you do not have to complete hard core activities to have abs that stick out, especially the upper ones that are really hard to develop, to be able to cock out your biceps like Arnie does in the movies, and just because you are "sick and injured" does not mean you have to look it! 


People love sucess stories, but when it happens too close to home it scares them and their reaction is to put you down. Why? Because they want to be sympathetic with you; "oh, well you put on weight because you're not as active as you normally are...but don't worry, you will lose it once you're back to normal"
They don't want to see you looking even better than pre surgery because you're supposed to look tired, fatigued un-happy. Instead, you bounce into the unit even more perkier than usual (and guess who once got told off to be less happy because it made others uncomfortable...I told them to shove that notion up their ass...with a smile on my face), looking healthy, with your long, glossy, curly, flowing hair, all happy. Oh, can you see the pissed off faces? So what do girls do to each other when this happens? They become mean girls and say that you look "pale, and tired...you must be hungry, right?"

Um, fact number one that I am not looking sickly or too thin: My boyfriend thinks I look super, super, super hot. He is so proud of my little girl muscles, my strength, my determination and stubbornness to keep plodding on, and yet look good. And you know what, because of this, I feel proud of myself and confident. And for the first time in 28 years, I love walking around the house naked! Now if you are going to pop my confidence bubble then I don't want to know you because I am using this extra, new found strength to not get lazy with my rehab program, and to keep plodding on. 


So, here is Sarah's stuff:

1. It is much harder to lose excess fat gained weight from an injury/ilness post recovery than to put it back on. After your rehab period, whether it is 3 months or 9 months the last thing you want to do is start another program to loose that excess fat. You want to get life back on track, get back to your usual activities, and not worry about it. And you can see that I am saying "excess fat" not weight. Obesity is not just weight gain; its accumulation of excess body fat. My weight is made up of water, fat, muscle and structural content (bones, tendons). So right now I am ideal body weight for my height and ethnicity: before hand, I just had excess fat that was sitting there not being used. So, get rid of it!
2. I have my abdominal muscles back (especially the upper 2) and am so happy to have a strong core again. This is especially beneficial with bedside nursing (lots of pulling, pushing, lifting, turning, squats, etc...)
3. I know what fuel my body needs and doesn't to maintain adequte calories that gets used properly. No I am not calorie counting, I don't have time for that. But I haven't had a proper sweaty cardio workout for 4 months and the amount of food I normally eat for energy would be sitting there and turned into fat if I didn't reduce my portions. So yes, I am being careful with how much I eat but this is how you don't gain extra fat.
4. There is no miracle, no hard core workout to lose excess fat: remember, I may have lost weight, but I have gained toned muscle and I am barely 5'0, Asian ethnicity, and my weight is right in the middle of the normal range, and I have done this with barely completing a sweaty cardio workout in 4 months.
5. I have also removed excess body fat that I really didn't need. How do I know this? Well, despite having a bung knee I am more energetic, my skin is clearer (I ditched the foundation months ago), I sleep better at night (even pre surgery), I am more focused on goals of life...shall I go on more?
6. Eating fat does not make you fat, nor does eating carbohydrates. I still eat them, I love multi grains, I love fresh bread with butter. Plus we need fats. It's your body's response to excess carbs that makes you fat. We only have a limited capacity to store carbs, so the excess stuff gets converted into excess fat.  
7. I haven't increased my protein to carb ratio. Too much protein in a diet is bad for you: you will loose muscle mass and that is not good. My usual intake per meal: 40% carbs, 30% fats, 30% proteins. Balance and enjoy cooking your meals.
8. I didn't put myself on a diet. Kevin and I have always eaten healthy and well because nothing tastes better than fresh produce and meals you have made from scratch. I just reduced my portions and obviously, I was eating too much for what I needed before as I lost 15 pounds in 4 months with no hard core cardio, boot camp workout to back up the loss. My workouts have been low resistance weight and exercise band training, pilates, and stationary bike riding. Nothing flash or expensive. No hard core personal trainer making me sweat. Just me doing an hour and a half of some form of exercise 6 days a week, backed with reduced portions. Simple!

So there is my take on staying fit and healthy despite totally reducing your workouts due to injury. It's doable, you have the time to do it, so stick with it and you will be reap the rewards!