The YoYo Affect is Not all Bad

Ok in an ideal world I would drop weight one time and keep it off.  My waist would be a size 32” and my wardrobe wouldn’t be stacked with clothes to fit all sizes and shapes.  Oh what a wonderful dream and for this Fat Man, that is exactly what it is; a dream.  My weight has been on a string, since I was 12 yrs old; up and down, up and down, up and down.  Some stretches longer than others but still an up and down affair.  That is why I say:
" in the battle of the bulge with every victory there is a loss and with every loss there is a gain". 

Fluctuating scales can be maddening, depressing, frustrating and the reason to go on a binge, but hey it is not all bad.  The mere fact that I am aware that my weight is changing is constructive.  The truth that I am upset about the gain is helpful.  The actuality that I am frustrated means that I am actively working on controlling my weight.  The fact that seeing an increase stimulates me into action is also encouraging.  The danger is when nothing bothers me and I am not frustrated, upset, confused or aggravated enough to do anything about the extra load.  When I am too indifferent to care, my weight will fluctuate 10kg, 30kg, and even 50kg/ 20lb to 100lb!!!!!

How I deal with the yoyo affect has changed over the years.   It seems like just yesterday I was 40 yrs old and could go to the gym for a month of training and drop a quick 10kg. Sadly those days are gone; at 55 years of age I am happy to see a drop of 500gm to 1kg a week.  Far too often I train all week to see no change or a small increase at the scales.  These sluggish outcomes have caused me to change my approach and do more than simply burn calories. now I monitor my food choices and measure my physical results. 

Monitor: I have a friend who weighs in every day and believes this is the most precise way to track his weight.  I don’t agree and choose to weigh in one time per week and honestly  if I was not in the midst of tracking my mass I would probably not weigh in at all except when I needed to go shopping because my clothes were too lose or tight.  I prefer to use my body measurements as an assessment to my physical fitness.   I size in, one time per month using the tape measure in the following spots;

1.     Wrist

2.     Forearm

3.     Bicep

4.     Neck

5.     Upper Chest (under the arm pits)

6.     Chest (bust)

7.     Waist (lower rib)

8.     Abdomen (belly button)

9.     Upper hip (above pelvis)

10.   Lower hips, across the middle of butt)

11.   Inner thigh

12.   Middle thigh,

13.   Knee,

14.   Calf,

15.   Ankle

 With these 15 measurements I get an accurate accounting of my physical progress or regression.    

At the end of the day Yoyoing has given me the stimuli to make changes in my routine, educate myself about food and nutrition and design a better program to continue my evolution towards ideal health and fitness.

If you yoyo and it upsets you, give yourself a pat on the back; that means you care enough to be aware and you are on the road to change.

Go have some fun,

Geo