Muscle vs Fat - And My Man Bitch

Am I fighting against myself? Trying to gain muscle and lose weight at the same time? Particularly around the stomach area?

Many people who weight lift would say I am. Even trainers I have used in the past have told me that you cannot focus on building up and reducing at the same time.

I have contemplated this for ages. maybe years, and I have finally come to the conclusion that it is a load of crap.

Yes...it is true that muscle weighs more than fat (but a pound of muscle does not weigh more than a pound of fat) and if you are trying to reduce while simultaneously trying to "build-up" you are going to lose weight slower, or maybe even gain a little healthy weight temporarily, but you can still lose.

The thing is...if I am not working out and I want to I can lose 4 pounds a week. I have done it before. Perhaps it is an "advantage" of being a male but I kind of think it is a disadvantage.

When you are capable of losing 4 pounds a week you don't learn anything. You can get away with eating crap and starving, or eating crappy for two weeks and then healthy for two weeks. The simple fact that you KNOW you can take it off seems to give you permission to eat and that does not result in learning.

Working out while I try to lose weight is a whole new experience. I know some ladies will say I am still lucky because I can lose 1 - 2 pounds a week if I am working out and eating properly and they are right...I am lucky. But it doesn't come for free. If I am building up I really have to watch my intake. Weight loss doesn't come as easy.

With the exercise, however, I am now losing weight at a healthy rate...and that is more important than simply "losing weight" in the long run.

Losing weight in the RIGHT places is the real challenge though. I just have to hope that working on toning certain areas, like the tummy, prove beneficial in the end.

I only really have one bitch about being a man and losing weight. To be honest it has bothered me in WW meetings before but I didn't want to blog about it then because it would specifically point a person out.

Now that sufficient time has past and no one has done it recently I am going to bitch a little. YES it is true men are lucky because on average we lose weight faster...but ladies, please don't dismiss our weight loss as "luck".

A few weeks ago I had a significant drop in weight and the feedback at the Weight Watchers meeting was "you are so lucky your a man".

Let me tell you, it burned me up inside for about 24 hours.

Although I know that that week I was not following the Weight Watcher's plan, prior to my weigh-in  I had cut out bread, pasta, rice and potatoes for the entire week and done a three day cleanse of fruit and vegetables only. It was a lot of work and a lot of discipline. Although I AM lucky, my loss was NOT luck it was hard work that was instantly dismissed as "being a man".

OK...I think I am sounding like someone on an anger venting spree right now...I'm not. I am actually in a really good mood. I just knew that one day I had to make this statement and it seemed to fit with today's blog.

I often don't know what I am going to blog about when I start typing, and today was one of those days.

Be healthy!

Alan