Sunday, May 25, 2008

Lifestyle change update

It's been four months now since I started my no-soda version of the No-S diet. Since the semester ended, I've started making a concerted effort to work out (now that my schedule accommodates an afternoon trip to the gym more easily), and I'm going to the gym three or four days a week now.

So what's the result? You'll remember that I saw immediate results in the shrinkage of my round "are you pregnant?" gut. But all my fat hasn't melted away with the removal of diet soda from my daily routine. In fact, after our Vegas vacation, I put on 5-10 pounds. My vigorous workouts have been chipping away at them, but I'm still above my normal weight.

What has happened is that my weight has been redistributed. Instead of being concentrated in my upper belly, right under my chest, it's moved down around my waist -- and much more than ever in my life, it's in my backside and thighs. All my clothes fit strangely now. I feel humpy and bulgy in them (to quote my favorite Max and Ruby locution).

Not to get too intimate with the issue of my body shape, but the result has been interesting for my chestal region. It's not as close to the fat anymore, and that makes it look ... different. Um, more uplifted. I'm finding it hard to get used to, frankly.

Metabolically, the changes are an improvement. Bottom-heavy fat has better implications for one's chances of getting adult-onset diabetes than belly fat. And I think that my regular low-half-focused cardio and abdominal exercises have helped redistribute where the muscle is under that fat, changing my shape some more.

The altered fit of my clothes frequently makes me feel bloated and uncomfortable. But I persist in thinking that if I continue these healthier eating patterns and more regular exercise, I'll whittle away at the fat and inches, no matter where they are accumulating these days. I'll check in with you at the end of the summer and let you know how I do.

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