Last year we moved out of our downtown condo to the suburbs of the city so that the youngest child could attend a decent public school. With that move, I gave up my weekly boot camp workouts of Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday since the boot camp was too far to consistently make it at 5:30 AM.
In the 6 months that have passed, I have gained 7 lbs and am beginning to see a shocking change in my mid-section. While I expected a little weight gain because of the loss of the intense workouts, I didn't expect this much.
I'm still working out three times per week and focusing on low carb and gluten free foods. While I was in boot camp I managed to drop 20 lbs of fat and gain 7 lbs of lean tissue. Over the two years in boot camp, I went from a size 12-14 to a size 8. Now I am back to size 10 and wondering what is happening.
I was unprepared for the change that menopause is bringing about. I have never had a growing waist band unless I was pregnant. My extra weight always appeared in my hips and thighs. This expanding waistline is horrifying and I don't really know what to do differently. The women in my family have all entered menopause through surgical removal of the uterus. So there is no one to relate to now that it is happening to me slowly.
All I can do is to try the things that have worked for me in the past.
I entered the Induction Phase of Atkins again and have lost 1 lb in the past week.
I began a little running streak.
I usually walk/run 2-3 miles every time I work out. This streak has me focused on developing my ability to run without stopping. It's not a streak yet because it is only one day. The plan is to run 1/4 of a mile as part of my work out every day for the next 30 days. After that I'll spend 40 days running 1/2 mile. Slowly I will work up to a mile. If I can do it consistently without quitting I might try for the running streak to be listed on the registry. (Update, March 2015. I did develop a streak but I don't like running that much so 30 days was as long as I wanted to do it.)
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