Why Exercise Can Make You Gain Weight

So, I made it to the top of Emigration Canyon for the first time on Sunday, after having tried and failed on two previous attempts. (Woot woot!) and then we went to the Olive Garden. and then I ate a jelly filled donut. and then I ate a cream filled donut. ...Yeah. I went crazy because I "earned" it. Well, eating like that basically ruined the weight loss benefits of my ride. (Note, it was still good for my heart health to ride, but I overate and ate garbage to compensate for it.) I think this might explain why people who are "working out" and "exercising a lot" see little movement on the scale.

Or, you might think you're exercising when you're really not? ;)

Another reason could be that you're losing pounds of body fat, and replacing it with muscle. However, because people use this as a cop-out excuse, you should actually measure your body fat before you make that claim. I suggest getting a scale that does it for you.
 

Also, I reached my original weight goal (135). I want to lose more fat, but I do not want to lose more weight. I don't think that losing 10 more pounds is necessarily good for me, Instead, I am going to maintain this weight, and lose 14% more of my body fat (hopefully). I also want to add 20 more pounds of muscle to my body. I have decided to go on maintenance so that I can eat more, because it's very hard to add muscle mass when you're calorie restricting. (and I have a really hard time wasting 40% of my points on protein shakes).

I have signed up for "The Toughest Century in Utah." If I complete it, it will be my first full century (91.5 mi is the most I've done). The beginning of this ride is Emigration Canyon or "Little Mountain" as Jake calls it. Then there's going up and down "Big Mountain." and then you go for a few more miles, and then you turn around, and go BACK up and down "Big Mountain" and then back and up "Little Mountain" again. It's going to be hard. So we're going to practice.

Also, the Trax schedules just changed, so I'm going to have to leave work downtown a little earlier than I had been to make it to the halfway house in time. In that case, I might as well leave with enough time to ride my bike all the way. (It takes me about 35 minutes to ride my bike from one job to the other.) I'm going to try to see if I can do that. It'll mean I have to get up earlier in the morning to pack my clothes and lunch and get my bike set up, so it might take a toll on how I feel since I'm already pretty sleep-deprived some days. But let's be honest, I want bragging rights. Wouldn't it be awesome to be able to say that I've ridden my bike to work for the last 30 days, 60 days, etc. until it snows? Also, if I ride every day, I'll be getting my 30 minutes of cardio daily. :-) I wonder what affect that will have on my body?

Our family has also decided to do an "Abs Competition." We're going to do sit-ups every day until Christmas, and then at Christmas we'll compare. There really is no prize, except it keeps us accountable, and we all want to out-do each other, so the competition is also a motivator. Today is day 3. My bro-in-law says that the 1st week is the hardest. I'm excited to keep going though.

I wonder how fast I can build my muscle mass? I hope that I can continue to increase my exercising and fitness. One day at a time.