7 months down - an update

Another month on the books, and 14 straight weeks of working out without missing a workout, and the results are in.

This past week I lost an amazing 3.6 pounds, for a total of 49.6 pounds lost total.  That represents 15% of my starting body weight lost, and 29% of my total goal weight lost.  Even more fun, I have gone down another dress size, down to a size 22 from my starting point of a 26.

The changes are evident on my body as well.  This month I lost another inch on my bust, half an inch on my waist, an inch on my hips, 3/4 of an inch on my thighs and more than half an inch on my calves.  Overall, since starting, I have lost 19 3/4". That's a lot of inches

I am within kissing distance of losing 50 pounds, which is apparently the equivalent of a small bale of hay or a small bag of cement.  Go, me.

My resting heart rate continues to trend down as my fitness level improves, as shown in the chart below:

My blood pressure continues to be normal, too, so all this cardio (still 35 minutes on the elliptical x 6 days per week, plus incremental walks during the week) is paying dividends.

I am most pleased about the workouts.

I never would have thought, with my workout-aversion, that I would be able to go 7 months with regular workouts, and 14 weeks without missing a single workout.  I would also never have thought in a million years that I would be using the elliptical 6 times a week, and then would willingly add more exercise on top of that, in the form of incremental walks.  I only did one walk this week on my own, so I hope to do at least a couple of walks with the Nerd this weekend.

The only thing that is not a positive trend this week is my blood sugar.  I did not have a single normal value this week, and although the high values did not put me into the diabetic range, I was solidly pre-diabetic this week.  I think part of that is due to the number of calories I am eating, and the fact that I was seldom able to keep the carbs below 200g each day this week.

Speaking of eating, I tried to eat more than before, on purpose.  I was aiming for between 1800 - 2000 calories per day, which would cover my BMR plus much of my exercise.  Overall, it's generally easier for me to control my eating on the weekends when the Nerd is cooking, but this week he made a bunch of meals ahead of time that I could pack for lunches and dinners at the office.  And I could see the results: this week I was able to keep the daily calorie intake around 1800-1850, which is much more than I had previously been eating.  I am not going to say that my fantastic weight loss results this week are due to eating enough that my body does not go into starvation mode, but it is likely a contributing factor.

My short term goals are still in sight.  I would like to get down to a size 20, which only requires that I lose a couple of inches on my hips (my bust and waist measurements are already there).

I want to get my weight down to 270, which would give me a BMI of 40, which would put me into "Obese Class II" from the present "Obese Class III" (at least according to the Government of Canada).  (Obese Class I has a BMI of 30 - 35, below which is merely "Overweight".  I will be "Overweight" at 203 pounds, or thereabouts).

I would like to be able to walk 3 miles by the end of September.  In one sitting, not in individual walk-ettes like I have been doing. 

I would like to have 2 consecutive days with normal blood sugar values by the end of September.

I don't think any of these objectives are out of reach, given my present lifestyle and habits.  It is almost ingrained to drink water rather than pop now, and I walked to work and home from the office every day this week, a new first for me.  It's just easier and quicker to walk than to wait for the streetcar, which is always jam packed anyways.  Exercising on the elliptical is like second nature to me now, and the only question for me is when I will up the time again.  Walking is still not so comfortable for me, or at least not as comfortable as the elliptical, but it is easier every day that I do a longish walk.

So all in all, it was a positive month.   Here are some progress photos showing the difference between now and last year, before I began working out.  Please disregard the disastrous hair in the recent photo, but it is windy outside.