New Figures and a New Figure for August

It's a new month, and that means new measurements. 

The figures for August 1, 2012 show progress on all fronts. Overall, I have lost multiple inches on my bust, waist and hips, and more than an inch in my thigh.  I have lost more than 40 pounds since starting on this journey, and although I still have a long way to go, this progress is encouraging.

I am not really seeing any instant changes in my blood sugar after less than a week of being carb-aware.  Which is not unexpected, if you think about it.  I feel like I have been sooooo good for 3 whole days now - - why aren't I seeing results??  I agree, that's a completely unreasonable expectation.

If I read the sources correctly, one's blood sugar will decline with a 7% decrease in weight.  For me, now, that would mean I need to lose a further 21 pounds, to weigh around 272 pounds. Let's call it an even 270 pounds.  That, coincidentally, is my Goal #4 (Goal #1 was to lose 20 pounds, Goal #2 was to break 300 pounds, and Goal #3 is to lose 50 pounds).  So, Goal #4 is to reach 270 pounds, which is a BMI of 40.  That will likely take another 3 months or so of being soooooo good, so we'll see if I can maintain the iron discipline to keep on the program.

Other than the blood sugar levels which stubbornly refuse to budge from the 6.1-6.3 range, all else is well on the tracking front.  My blood pressure continues to be normal, overall, and my resting heart rate is averaging around 50 bpm now, compared to over 120 bpm before I began working out.

And how am I feeling?  I really like being able to button up my suit jacket - it makes me feel more professional and put together.  Walking to work or to home is not a struggle, and can occasionally even be enjoyable.  My back is generally feeling good, and although my knees are the knees of a 40 year old baseball catcher, that may (hopefully) get better over time.  I still have recurring issues with the groin pull I gave myself in 2000 when I moved to the Palatial Villa, but they are not as incapacitating as they once were. 

I am still generally able to eat the things I like, since my objective is to eat between 2000 - 2500 calories each day, provided the carbs are no greater than 200 per day.  Now that I am aware of the tradeoffs required with alcohol and all the fun starchy foods, I am able to make informed meal decisions that do not leave me feeling like I am not able to eat anything. 

So, baby steps continue.  My weekly weigh in is not officially until Friday morning, so we'll see whether I can maintain my 40 pounds of weight loss over the next couple of days.  It would be nice to keep going down, but it's such a delicate balance each day, between activity levels and calories in, to ensure that I am eating enough to keep my body from going into starvation mode, but not enough calories to put on weight.