Finally starting to see some progress...!

It was a good week, workout wise.  To avoid plateauing, I took up the intensity again this week, adding wrist/ankle weights (1 lb per arm/leg) to my elliptical routine, and adding some 140 bpm songs to my 130 bpm playlist to increase my stride rate and calories burned.  Otherwise, I left my free weight routine the same (8 exercises for 4 sets of 12 reps at 6 pounds), and left the time the same on the elliptical (55 minutes on weights days, and 60 minutes on non-weights days).

And it worked great!  I saw my calories burned increase from last week's numbers, and I felt fine after my workouts - - challenged, sure, but not completely blown.  I was really pleased with how I felt - - strong and energized.  I may have even experienced an endorphin, but I don't like to rush to judgment on these things - - I will wait and see if I can repeat the feeling. 

Adding intensity worked well in another direction, too - - I lost another 2.4 pounds this week, down to 230.2 pounds, which is an overall loss of 103.7 pounds.  People keep asking me how to lose 100 pounds, and I tell them they need to start off by having to lose 168 pounds, then it's easy. 

I love seeing my BMI at 34 - - well down from Obese Class II land, and well on my way to being merely overweight.  I have less than 30 pounds to go to hit that milestone, and I know if I keep consistently working my plan of trying to eat well every day and exercise every day, it will happen.  I am almost letting myself think of my end goal, as well - I only have 65 pounds left to lose, overall, to reach my final goal.  Every pound I lose chips away at that total.  It's only a matter of time.

For a while back last summer and fall I would take progress photos of me each week, from the front and side (and later, from the back as well).  I eventually stopped taking these photos because I just couldn't see a difference.  I know that I have lost a lot of weight and many, many inches, but I just couldn't see it on the photos.

Last week I decided that it being the end of the month and all, I might as well take another progress photo, and this time I was surprised to see that I have made progress.  Yay! 

 

Looking at these pictures, I am struck by a couple of things.  First, I can definitely see progress - - my butt is shrinking, as is my belly, my back fat, and, alas, my boobs.  The second thing I notice is that I look taller - - no photoshop trickery here - - I am carrying myself taller and more confidently in the second photos.  That is amazing to me, especially considering that in the first set of photos I had already lost 62 pounds, and I was feeling good about my progress, and proud to have accomplished so much to that point.  Little was I to know that it was merely the beginning.

I do wish that I would get some ankles out of this whole arduous process, rather than the cankles that I have.  I would especially love to get a better looking foot out of this, rather than something that is so eerily reminiscent of the Monty Python Flying Circus opening credits:

However, we have to focus on fighting the fights we can win, right?  Ankles will have to wait.  My clavicles are still playing hide and seek but they can't stay hidden forever, and it will be a huge win when those suckers come out of their protective fat cocoon. I can't wait.

I wish I had ankles...

Here is a picture of my feet in the sand of Myrtle Beach, taken in August of 2007.

On looking at photos from this trip, I think I am lighter now than I was then.  My face appears thinner, and the shorts I am wearing in the photos are at least 2 sizes too large now.  I have changed quite a bit.

What hasn't changed - - I still have no ankles.  Yes, I have to admit it, I have cankles.  It's a shameful secret that I hide by preferentially wearing pants to hide my little Lulu legs. 

I envy those women with ankles. I see women of size in my office and on the streets all the time with delicate feet and lovely, well defined ankles, and I am jealous.  Me, I have these spatulate, size 11 hooves that come at the end of my tree trunk legs without even a hint of an ankle.

I hope that I will eventually develop ankles as I continue to lose the weight.  I say "I hope so", because I have yet to stumble across exercises that allow me to spot train my ankles.  For some reason, the ankle does not appear to be a focus area for most people.  Perhaps it's because they, like most people, have ankles without needing to do anything special. 
 

Perhaps having cankles is genetic - - I saw an episode of Making the Team (the reality show about the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders) (don't judge - you knew I had a dark side...!), and one of those size 0 girls trying out for the team had cankles and it was enough to keep her from moving on to the next round.

I would love to wear more skirts and dresses, but I am sensitive about my utter lack of definition in the ankle area.  Cheekbones and clavicles I will eventually get.  I can only hope that ankles come along for the ride...!