I had a major breakthrough at the end of April finally breaking past my previous low weight of 185.4 to reach 184.9 pounds. It took months and months and months of work to undo the impact of poor eating habits over the period before I started work at my new job last year, and the holidays at the turn of this year.
My personal trainer, Mr. Fitness, was a major part of this turnaround. Another part - - a very big part, as it happens - - was my disciplined eating habits. Reducing snacking and keeping my calories within a reasonable range helped me drop the weight slowly but steadily. The workouts helped me improve my overall fitness and get me toned. Together the eating habits and my workouts combine to improve my fitness level every week.
At the end of April, right after hitting this milestone, I went home to Edmonton for a holiday. Healthy eating habits went out the window with numerous dinners out combined with unhealthy-ish food at the Patriarch's house. After I got back from Edmonton I had a few moderately good weeks, then it was back on a plane to New York and all the food and drink that one finds there. More eating out, and more street food. It turns out that I am very good at finding food in New York. Hey, a girl's gotta have a skill.
After this veritable smörgåsbord of eating and drinking I knew it would take a few weeks of highly disciplined eating and intense workouts to get me back into shouting distance of my previous low.
So that's what I did. I kicked the workouts up a notch and I stopped snacking at the office. After the usual 3 or 4 day withdrawal period this was no longer a major struggle and I found it relatively easy to stay on track with my eating plan. Now after a couple of "clean" eating weeks I have virtually no desire to snack and it is much easier for me to manage my food consumption every day.
I am now back down to 186 pounds and change, a mere whisper away from my previous low milestone of 184.9 pounds. I feel toned and strong and am noticing that my clothes are fitting better than before.
On the one hand it is easy to get despondent about putting myself through what is essentially a 2-month plateau. One week of really bad eating requires at least 6 weeks of good behaviour to undo - - yikes! That math really sucks.
On the other hand it is wonderful to know what works and to have the confidence to apply what works knowing that it will pay dividends sooner or later.
On the "sooner or later" front, one comparatively recent innovation is that I no longer set time limits on myself to lose "x" pounds/week or to reach my goal weight by a specific date. As long as I am making positive strides in controlling my eating or pushing my exercising or I see that I am losing something (no matter how little), I remain positive. I know that the way my body behaves it will lose a little, or none at all and then suddenly lose pound after pound in its own good time - - as long as I stick to my program. Although I would like to control when the weight comes off I am apparently not the boss of this and so have gradually learned how to accept the uncertainty (although admittedly with more zen-like calm some weeks than others).
All in all, then, it has been a good couple of weeks. I am sticking to my program and I continue to see progress. That makes me very happy.
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Saturday, 20 June 2015
Sunday, 1 March 2015
2 month progress with the personal trainer
As you know I let myself go completely off my program, food-wise, in December. Too many social events, too many stressful things happening at home and at work, and frankly too many excuses - - I simply gave myself permission to eat like the "old days". The "old days" being when I ate whatever I wanted and weighed more than 300 pounds as a result. Yeah, those days sucked.
That could not go on, and a happy confluence of receiving a small inheritance coinciding with my hearing about the husband of one of my coworkers at the pop factory being a personal trainer led me to begin working with Mr. Fitness at the end of December of last year.
I was expecting to see results. I knew that a trainer would both push me harder than I was used to pushing myself and that he would make me do things I had never done before (deadlifts, anyone?). The combination of these two things I was certain would yield results - - I was sure that I would be stronger and more toned as a result of working with Mr. Fitness.
But holy cow. There is a difference between intellectually understanding that I would see changes in my body and actually seeing those changes. Even with a couple of weeks of unbridled emotional eating at the beginning of January (around the restructuring in our office when I Ate All The M&Ms) I have seen positive results on all fronts.
Let's look at the easy things first. I have lost 13 pounds since I started working with the trainer (and 139.9 pounds overall), and that is net of the January M&M binge and last week's Oscar party with multiple pieces of nutella flower and cookies(!).
I know that this is well-trod ground for me because it is easily the third time I have lost this weight, but I am confident that working with Mr. Fitness I can keep the momentum going this time. I have no choice, frankly, as he takes no pity on me and pushes me more each week. Which is kind of the point, I suppose.
My measurements tell the same story:
Everything is toning up under the trainer's ministrations. Since I have begun working with Mr. Fitness I have lost an inch off my bust, 2 inches off my waist, and 2 inches off my hips. My legs and arms are also more toned.
All well and good - let's look at the photographic evidence, shall we?
These photos show only the period from when I started working with the trainer, to now, two months later. My core and arms and legs are much more toned than when I started working with the trainer, and although my arms are not bilaterally symmetrical (thanks to my carpal tunnel in my left hand), I am getting stronger every week. Overall I am much stronger than before I began working with the trainer, with better balance and coordination to boot.
If anyone is considering working with a personal trainer, I recommend it. If anyone in the GTA area is considering working with Mr. Fitness, I doubly recommend it. He is virtually a miracle worker.
It's not all up to the trainer, of course. I work out 6 days a week - - only one of those days with Mr. Fitness - - and I have been really working hard to control my snacking (other than on Oscar night, of course). It takes both of us to whip me into shape - - the trainer can't do it all by himself if I'm not motivated to change. But I have to tell you - - it feels so much easier working with the trainer, because now I have a structure to my work, and I see that there is a point to it all. And that point, kids, is sexy arms. ;-)
I'm not ready for bikini season yet, but tank tops may make an appearance. ;-)
That could not go on, and a happy confluence of receiving a small inheritance coinciding with my hearing about the husband of one of my coworkers at the pop factory being a personal trainer led me to begin working with Mr. Fitness at the end of December of last year.
I was expecting to see results. I knew that a trainer would both push me harder than I was used to pushing myself and that he would make me do things I had never done before (deadlifts, anyone?). The combination of these two things I was certain would yield results - - I was sure that I would be stronger and more toned as a result of working with Mr. Fitness.
But holy cow. There is a difference between intellectually understanding that I would see changes in my body and actually seeing those changes. Even with a couple of weeks of unbridled emotional eating at the beginning of January (around the restructuring in our office when I Ate All The M&Ms) I have seen positive results on all fronts.
Let's look at the easy things first. I have lost 13 pounds since I started working with the trainer (and 139.9 pounds overall), and that is net of the January M&M binge and last week's Oscar party with multiple pieces of nutella flower and cookies(!).
My measurements tell the same story:
Everything is toning up under the trainer's ministrations. Since I have begun working with Mr. Fitness I have lost an inch off my bust, 2 inches off my waist, and 2 inches off my hips. My legs and arms are also more toned.
All well and good - let's look at the photographic evidence, shall we?
These photos show only the period from when I started working with the trainer, to now, two months later. My core and arms and legs are much more toned than when I started working with the trainer, and although my arms are not bilaterally symmetrical (thanks to my carpal tunnel in my left hand), I am getting stronger every week. Overall I am much stronger than before I began working with the trainer, with better balance and coordination to boot.
If anyone is considering working with a personal trainer, I recommend it. If anyone in the GTA area is considering working with Mr. Fitness, I doubly recommend it. He is virtually a miracle worker.
It's not all up to the trainer, of course. I work out 6 days a week - - only one of those days with Mr. Fitness - - and I have been really working hard to control my snacking (other than on Oscar night, of course). It takes both of us to whip me into shape - - the trainer can't do it all by himself if I'm not motivated to change. But I have to tell you - - it feels so much easier working with the trainer, because now I have a structure to my work, and I see that there is a point to it all. And that point, kids, is sexy arms. ;-)
I'm not ready for bikini season yet, but tank tops may make an appearance. ;-)
Saturday, 8 November 2014
Broke 190 for the first time in a year
It has been a hard-fought past 12 months. I battled depression and crippling job stress and reverted to all my negative eating behaviours along the way. It was only when I got my new job that I was able to muster the determination to say: "It stops here. I can't change the past 12 months, but I can change the next 12".
And I did. I went back to first principles of what I know worked for me - - tracking my food and pushing my workouts. Along the way I got back in touch with this whole lifestyle change that I was supposed to be doing (rather than merely losing weight). That has been perhaps the most profound thing I have discovered in this journey - - it really is all about the lifestyle, stupid. There ain't no such thing as a quick fix, and negative habits will always generate negative consequences.
The results have been just what I had hoped - - and more, and less.
The weight is coming off again, and this morning after my workout I weighed in at 189.8 pounds, a number on the scale I have not seen for about a year. I have also noticed that as I continue along this path (and as I get older) the weight takes more work to lose. I used to see relatively consistent losses every month. Now I am seeing punctuated equilibrium: I stay relatively the same for a week or so, then have one week of surprisingly easy losses, then "girl time" adds 4 pounds of gratuitous bloating, then I spend 2 weeks trying to get back to where I was before nature's awesome majesty took my hormones on a ride. Over the past few months I have seen this pattern repeated over and over again, and I am slowly starting to change my mindset from disappointment if a given week is not lower on the scale to focusing on the longer window of a month. So although the individual days or weeks (depending on the week) may see frustratingly little weight loss, overall the months are still showing losses, and I am still moving in the right direction.
On an even more positive side, the Nerd and I are slowly starting to transition into more of a maintenance mode rather than a hard core weight loss mode. I say this not because we do not have weight to lose - - we do - - but because we are starting to make adjustments to make our lifestyle more sustainable in the long term.
For me that means a step change reduction in calories from an average of 1,600 - 1,800 calories per day to trying to keep under my 1,430 calories per day objective (!) without having to eat back all of my exercise calories. I usually come in somewhere between 1,400 and 1,600 calories a day, and even the difference of 200 calories (on average) per day has had profound results.
Staying under my calorie target organically has allowed me to do things like take additional rest days, or to use long walks as exercise rather than brutally exhausting elliptical workouts, while still losing weight. I have a more normal life, and that is kind of nice. As I age I also find it a bit tougher to maintain the intensity of the workout schedule that I used to - - after almost 3 years that kind of work takes its toll on a body. Mine, in particular.
All of this is in aid of changing me into a person who eats sensibly more often than I do not, and who works out to feel good rather than because she has to. Don't get me wrong, I still use workouts as a way to enable a good day of food when I know I am going out, but I am trying to focus more on the every day consumption levels as well. It certainly seems to be working for now.
It is more difficult in many ways than simply jumping on the elliptical, because I have to be so diligent about what is going into my mouth every day, all day. But in aggregate this approach seems to be working, and even the bake sale day of a thousand rice krispie squares and gingerbread men (omnomnom) did not set me back for long.
I know I am prone to wild mood swings about my weight loss journey, and I am always more optimistic when the weight is coming off easily as it has been this week rather than those weeks when I am doing exactly the same things and the scale is not moving at all, or worse, moves only upwards.
However I have noticed over the last few months as I have been starting to discover my body's new rhythms that I am more relaxed about the tough weeks because I am more confident that the good weeks will come. I am gradually becoming more disciplined in my routine, and I am able to be more zen about my progress as a result.
Not that I am zen, exactly, I am only zen-er than previously. But I will take it, just as I take this new (revisited) milestone of breaking into the 180s. I have worked hard for this, and I am feeling good.
And I did. I went back to first principles of what I know worked for me - - tracking my food and pushing my workouts. Along the way I got back in touch with this whole lifestyle change that I was supposed to be doing (rather than merely losing weight). That has been perhaps the most profound thing I have discovered in this journey - - it really is all about the lifestyle, stupid. There ain't no such thing as a quick fix, and negative habits will always generate negative consequences.
The results have been just what I had hoped - - and more, and less.
The weight is coming off again, and this morning after my workout I weighed in at 189.8 pounds, a number on the scale I have not seen for about a year. I have also noticed that as I continue along this path (and as I get older) the weight takes more work to lose. I used to see relatively consistent losses every month. Now I am seeing punctuated equilibrium: I stay relatively the same for a week or so, then have one week of surprisingly easy losses, then "girl time" adds 4 pounds of gratuitous bloating, then I spend 2 weeks trying to get back to where I was before nature's awesome majesty took my hormones on a ride. Over the past few months I have seen this pattern repeated over and over again, and I am slowly starting to change my mindset from disappointment if a given week is not lower on the scale to focusing on the longer window of a month. So although the individual days or weeks (depending on the week) may see frustratingly little weight loss, overall the months are still showing losses, and I am still moving in the right direction.
On an even more positive side, the Nerd and I are slowly starting to transition into more of a maintenance mode rather than a hard core weight loss mode. I say this not because we do not have weight to lose - - we do - - but because we are starting to make adjustments to make our lifestyle more sustainable in the long term.
For me that means a step change reduction in calories from an average of 1,600 - 1,800 calories per day to trying to keep under my 1,430 calories per day objective (!) without having to eat back all of my exercise calories. I usually come in somewhere between 1,400 and 1,600 calories a day, and even the difference of 200 calories (on average) per day has had profound results.
Staying under my calorie target organically has allowed me to do things like take additional rest days, or to use long walks as exercise rather than brutally exhausting elliptical workouts, while still losing weight. I have a more normal life, and that is kind of nice. As I age I also find it a bit tougher to maintain the intensity of the workout schedule that I used to - - after almost 3 years that kind of work takes its toll on a body. Mine, in particular.
All of this is in aid of changing me into a person who eats sensibly more often than I do not, and who works out to feel good rather than because she has to. Don't get me wrong, I still use workouts as a way to enable a good day of food when I know I am going out, but I am trying to focus more on the every day consumption levels as well. It certainly seems to be working for now.
It is more difficult in many ways than simply jumping on the elliptical, because I have to be so diligent about what is going into my mouth every day, all day. But in aggregate this approach seems to be working, and even the bake sale day of a thousand rice krispie squares and gingerbread men (omnomnom) did not set me back for long.
I know I am prone to wild mood swings about my weight loss journey, and I am always more optimistic when the weight is coming off easily as it has been this week rather than those weeks when I am doing exactly the same things and the scale is not moving at all, or worse, moves only upwards.
However I have noticed over the last few months as I have been starting to discover my body's new rhythms that I am more relaxed about the tough weeks because I am more confident that the good weeks will come. I am gradually becoming more disciplined in my routine, and I am able to be more zen about my progress as a result.
Not that I am zen, exactly, I am only zen-er than previously. But I will take it, just as I take this new (revisited) milestone of breaking into the 180s. I have worked hard for this, and I am feeling good.
Sunday, 12 October 2014
On Motivation and Discipline
I have been noodling over the question of motivation for some time now. I first began working out (most recently) more than two and a half years ago, and when I started I was, to put it mildly, extremely motivated to lose weight. Breaking a chair in front of your closest friends and their partners will do that.
A little more than a year ago, however, my motivation started to flag and my eating habits began to revert to their prior state. My unhappiness with my job led me to rationalize all sorts of destructive emotional eating, and although I was still working out 6 days a week, those workouts became less intense over time, and more pro forma. We all know that you can't outrun your fork, yes? And I was carrying a BIG fork.
Time passed and I got a wonderful new job and I finally stopped giving myself excuses for slacking. Somewhere in the spring of this year I stopped being merely motivated, and I started returning to being disciplined. It wasn't enough to simply check the boxes, I needed to actually push myself one way or another, every day. I had to push the workouts or push the eating habits to be healthier, or both, preferably daily, or at least much more often than not.
Discipline means getting up in the dark and the rain to go for a training walk because it's on the schedule. Discipline means getting up early to get in a full workout before a family dinner rather than sleeping in. Discipline means doing things you don't want to do because they're the right thing to do.
Here's the thing that blows my mind - - if you are disciplined, it doesn't matter if you're motivated or not - - you will still see the results. And the nice thing about being disciplined is that if you do happen to be motivated, it feels easier to be disciplined. But if you're disciplined it won't matter if the motivation is there or not, because you will kick your ass to the gym and watch what you eat regardless.
I am not perfect, god knows. I still struggle with emotional eating habits that I have built up over decades, so I know they're not going to break overnight or even over a year or two. I will have to fight to stay disciplined every day for the rest of my life, which is a somewhat depressing thought. And yet...that's not so depressing. I know that I can be disciplined a day at a time, which is all that it takes. Motivation was always a more slippery concept for me - - sometimes it was there, and sometimes it wasn't. In contrast, discipline is more of a habit that can be nurtured and strengthened over time. I know that for all my failings I am much more disciplined now than I was when I first started workout out, and some of those healthy habits - - working out 6 days a week, eating more vegetables - - are easier to do now that they are more ingrained.
Several of my MyFitnessPal friends have been struggling with motivation lately (as I was before I started my new job) and I have been giving a lot of thought to the distinction between motivation and discipline. I know there will be those who disagree with me, but I really do think that it's easier to be disciplined than it is to stay motivated, because you can take it one day at a time. For me, I really don't care how I get there if I see results as long as the way is healthy and sustainable. If being disciplined is the way I am going to hit my goals, then being disciplined is the way things will have to be.
This is all boldly stated by the woman who will be faced with 2 birthday cakes and a pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving dinner today, so we'll see how disciplined I really am!
A little more than a year ago, however, my motivation started to flag and my eating habits began to revert to their prior state. My unhappiness with my job led me to rationalize all sorts of destructive emotional eating, and although I was still working out 6 days a week, those workouts became less intense over time, and more pro forma. We all know that you can't outrun your fork, yes? And I was carrying a BIG fork.
Time passed and I got a wonderful new job and I finally stopped giving myself excuses for slacking. Somewhere in the spring of this year I stopped being merely motivated, and I started returning to being disciplined. It wasn't enough to simply check the boxes, I needed to actually push myself one way or another, every day. I had to push the workouts or push the eating habits to be healthier, or both, preferably daily, or at least much more often than not.
Discipline means getting up in the dark and the rain to go for a training walk because it's on the schedule. Discipline means getting up early to get in a full workout before a family dinner rather than sleeping in. Discipline means doing things you don't want to do because they're the right thing to do.
Here's the thing that blows my mind - - if you are disciplined, it doesn't matter if you're motivated or not - - you will still see the results. And the nice thing about being disciplined is that if you do happen to be motivated, it feels easier to be disciplined. But if you're disciplined it won't matter if the motivation is there or not, because you will kick your ass to the gym and watch what you eat regardless.
I am not perfect, god knows. I still struggle with emotional eating habits that I have built up over decades, so I know they're not going to break overnight or even over a year or two. I will have to fight to stay disciplined every day for the rest of my life, which is a somewhat depressing thought. And yet...that's not so depressing. I know that I can be disciplined a day at a time, which is all that it takes. Motivation was always a more slippery concept for me - - sometimes it was there, and sometimes it wasn't. In contrast, discipline is more of a habit that can be nurtured and strengthened over time. I know that for all my failings I am much more disciplined now than I was when I first started workout out, and some of those healthy habits - - working out 6 days a week, eating more vegetables - - are easier to do now that they are more ingrained.
Several of my MyFitnessPal friends have been struggling with motivation lately (as I was before I started my new job) and I have been giving a lot of thought to the distinction between motivation and discipline. I know there will be those who disagree with me, but I really do think that it's easier to be disciplined than it is to stay motivated, because you can take it one day at a time. For me, I really don't care how I get there if I see results as long as the way is healthy and sustainable. If being disciplined is the way I am going to hit my goals, then being disciplined is the way things will have to be.
This is all boldly stated by the woman who will be faced with 2 birthday cakes and a pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving dinner today, so we'll see how disciplined I really am!
Friday, 31 January 2014
A kick a** January is in the books
Whew!
This month was the first full month of working out and eating on plan since I recommitted myself just before Christmas, and I was really curious to see the results.
Well, the results are in, and they're fantastic.
I lost another 2 pounds this week, for a total of more than 10 pounds down for the month - - officially one of the larger monthly losses I have experienced in two years of working out. I am down 148.1 pounds overall, to 185.8 pounds. That's right - - mid-180s. This is the girl that thought she would be trapped in the 190s forever. Maybe it just felt like forever (it did, it really did).
You can definitely see where things fell off the rails in the chart above, but also where they got back on track. My cardio + weights program has really been working now that I have reduced my wanton snacking, thereby reducing my daily calories to around 1,600 - 1,800 (from 1,900 - 2,200 when I am in snacking mode).
I am frankly losing a bit more than I was expecting for someone 2 years into their workout program, but my current routine is pretty intense, and I am being moderately-to-very virtuous in the eating department, which is 80% of the battle. I'm not an angel every day (that would be impossible), but I am pretty good most days, which is really what the goal is here.
And no, I am not looking a gift weight loss in the mouth or trying to sabotage myself - - I have earned every damn pound of those 148 pounds in sweat equity, thank you very much.
As for my measurements, I think I am right about where my body is going to end up, around a size 12-14 (depending on the clothes) - - well down from the size 26 I started at. I have lost more than 5 and a half feet worth of inches since I started working out, which still just blows my mind.
I tested my cholesterol this morning and all my readings - HDL, LDL, triglycerides and cholesterol - - were normal. It's nice to see those numbers staying green. Likewise, my fasting blood sugar readings have been really great this month, with many readings under 5.0 mmol/L (in other words, solidly normal, rather than high normal). Wahoo!
After this month, I am sooooo close to reaching my next goal of being a middleweight - - less than a pound to go!
And only 17 pounds to go to a normal BMI - - that's just fantastic. Another 2 or 3 months and I may be there!
In the spirit of celebrating these great results, I got a haircut:
It's a little tough to see in this angle and crappy lighting, but the new cut brings out my cheekbones. We'll see what the matriarch thinks tomorrow at shopping - - I didn't mention a haircut the last time we met so she may be surprised.
For comparison, here's what I looked like last year at this time:
I was 53 pounds heavier in this photo, and I can definitely see it. I love visual reminders of how far I have come! I only wish that I had more "before" photos, but, alas, like many Class III Obese people, I shunned cameras. Bigfoot has more pictures than I do from my heaviest. Ah well. Them's the breaks.
We'll see what next month brings! I predict more sweat, but that's hardly a stretch...
This month was the first full month of working out and eating on plan since I recommitted myself just before Christmas, and I was really curious to see the results.
Well, the results are in, and they're fantastic.
I lost another 2 pounds this week, for a total of more than 10 pounds down for the month - - officially one of the larger monthly losses I have experienced in two years of working out. I am down 148.1 pounds overall, to 185.8 pounds. That's right - - mid-180s. This is the girl that thought she would be trapped in the 190s forever. Maybe it just felt like forever (it did, it really did).
I am frankly losing a bit more than I was expecting for someone 2 years into their workout program, but my current routine is pretty intense, and I am being moderately-to-very virtuous in the eating department, which is 80% of the battle. I'm not an angel every day (that would be impossible), but I am pretty good most days, which is really what the goal is here.
And no, I am not looking a gift weight loss in the mouth or trying to sabotage myself - - I have earned every damn pound of those 148 pounds in sweat equity, thank you very much.
I tested my cholesterol this morning and all my readings - HDL, LDL, triglycerides and cholesterol - - were normal. It's nice to see those numbers staying green. Likewise, my fasting blood sugar readings have been really great this month, with many readings under 5.0 mmol/L (in other words, solidly normal, rather than high normal). Wahoo!
After this month, I am sooooo close to reaching my next goal of being a middleweight - - less than a pound to go!
In the spirit of celebrating these great results, I got a haircut:
For comparison, here's what I looked like last year at this time:
We'll see what next month brings! I predict more sweat, but that's hardly a stretch...
Friday, 24 January 2014
Achievement unlocked - down to my lowest weight in years!
As you know, the fall of 2013 was a difficult one for me, and my snacking (and eating habits generally) took me completely off the rails. I had reached a low of 188.5 pounds back in September and then got complacent and thought I could eat anything I wanted. Surprise, surprise, this was not the case (as if I even thought this could be the case. But I got really complacent, which has much the same result). I ballooned up to 199 pounds (and at times even higher, I know, although I was down to 199 by the time I stepped on the scale again).
I finally put my foot down right before Christmas, and got back on the program of healthy eating in sensible portions, and stepped up my exercise routine by re-integrating weights and adding the treadmill for walking and a C25K program. Sure, it was a tough time to start a re-invigorated workout program, but I figured if I could stick with it over the holidays, everything that followed would be a piece of cake. Not that I planned on eating cake... or not much.
The results have been positive. I have started losing weight again, and lots of it. This week was no exception - - I lost 2.3 pounds, bringing me down to 188.1 pounds. That's right, lower than my previous lowest weight! (does a little dance) I am now back to breaking new trail in this weight loss adventure of mine, as it has been more than a decade since I was last at my current weight. I am no longer simply trying to re-lose weight that I already lost, I am losing weight that I have been carrying around for years. I am down 145.8 pounds overall, and that feels good. Really good, actually.
You can see my Q4 disaster in the above chart - - I went from a pretty nice linear downward slope to a pretty wicked 4 month plateau / slight increase. It is only with 5 weeks of consistent working out and eating well that I have resumed my regular weight loss, bringing me finally back to where I was when everything went off the rails - - and a bit lower, besides.
I still have a ways to go to hit my goal:
...but the trend is once again positive.
In terms of those pesky goals, I am getting very close to my next goal, 185 pounds (or middleweight) - - I might get there in 2 or 3 more weeks! And I am less than 20 pounds away from achieving one major goal, normal BMI. That may be reachable in around 3 months, if I'm lucky. I am going to have to think about how to celebrate that huge win - - celebrate in a way that does not involve consuming my body weight in cupcakes, that is.
I re-started C25K this week with proper running, and I have done the first two sessions bringing me up to 8 minutes of actual running time in 1 minute intervals. It is definitely more challenging to run without hanging onto the treadmill for dear life, but I am really pleased to have re-started the program the right way. My knees are in a constant state of twinge-iness, but not painful as such, so I don't think I need to change anything up right now. Tomorrow morning will be another C25K morning to wrap up week 1 (again) if all goes as planned.
Coming up next week is the 2-year anniversary of my working out and getting serious about my health and fitness. That would make it around 2 years ago now that I broke that chair. It's interesting what gets us started on these life-changing journeys. In my case, it was a cheap IKEA chair. But without that chair I would not have had the motivation to keep pushing myself at the beginning, when it was painful just to walk to the corner, and even staying on the recumbent bike for 5 minutes was agony.
But that's a recap for next week. For now, I am just trying to stay the course and keep focused on working my plan. I think I will switch up the weights to 4 sets of 10 reps next week, as the 3 sets of 15 reps are challenging, but a little too readily do-able. The rebooted C25K will continue, as will the endless hours on the elliptical (thank god for books on my iPad!).
I finally put my foot down right before Christmas, and got back on the program of healthy eating in sensible portions, and stepped up my exercise routine by re-integrating weights and adding the treadmill for walking and a C25K program. Sure, it was a tough time to start a re-invigorated workout program, but I figured if I could stick with it over the holidays, everything that followed would be a piece of cake. Not that I planned on eating cake... or not much.
The results have been positive. I have started losing weight again, and lots of it. This week was no exception - - I lost 2.3 pounds, bringing me down to 188.1 pounds. That's right, lower than my previous lowest weight! (does a little dance) I am now back to breaking new trail in this weight loss adventure of mine, as it has been more than a decade since I was last at my current weight. I am no longer simply trying to re-lose weight that I already lost, I am losing weight that I have been carrying around for years. I am down 145.8 pounds overall, and that feels good. Really good, actually.
You can see my Q4 disaster in the above chart - - I went from a pretty nice linear downward slope to a pretty wicked 4 month plateau / slight increase. It is only with 5 weeks of consistent working out and eating well that I have resumed my regular weight loss, bringing me finally back to where I was when everything went off the rails - - and a bit lower, besides.
I still have a ways to go to hit my goal:
...but the trend is once again positive.
I re-started C25K this week with proper running, and I have done the first two sessions bringing me up to 8 minutes of actual running time in 1 minute intervals. It is definitely more challenging to run without hanging onto the treadmill for dear life, but I am really pleased to have re-started the program the right way. My knees are in a constant state of twinge-iness, but not painful as such, so I don't think I need to change anything up right now. Tomorrow morning will be another C25K morning to wrap up week 1 (again) if all goes as planned.
Coming up next week is the 2-year anniversary of my working out and getting serious about my health and fitness. That would make it around 2 years ago now that I broke that chair. It's interesting what gets us started on these life-changing journeys. In my case, it was a cheap IKEA chair. But without that chair I would not have had the motivation to keep pushing myself at the beginning, when it was painful just to walk to the corner, and even staying on the recumbent bike for 5 minutes was agony.
But that's a recap for next week. For now, I am just trying to stay the course and keep focused on working my plan. I think I will switch up the weights to 4 sets of 10 reps next week, as the 3 sets of 15 reps are challenging, but a little too readily do-able. The rebooted C25K will continue, as will the endless hours on the elliptical (thank god for books on my iPad!).
Friday, 17 January 2014
Week 103 - 142.9 pounds down
The net of my little Q4 snackfest is that my goal timing has been pushed out from the end of January to the end of May. But that's OK, because I am back on track, eating well, and keeping up my exercise.
Speaking of which, C25K was a bit challenging this week because I had sore knees for the first time this week - - sore enough to make me take a time out on the running for 2 of the planned run days. This is making me reconsider the way I have been running. I know I can run like a normal person for short stretches of time, and it is easier in many ways to run normally than to run hanging onto the elliptical. I may try re-starting the C25K program from the beginning, but running normally from the outset, and see how that works.
With this week down, I am only 6 pounds away from hitting middleweight - - getting close now! And just over 22 pounds to go to normal BMI. I can't wait.
Friday, 3 January 2014
Chugging along - 139 pounds down... again
This week was a good week so far as sticking to my program went. I have finished week 2 - or should I say, I have survived week 2 - of my C25K program, and I did weights 3x this week focusing on my upper body. Gotta keep those sculpted arms, after all.
My eating was under control, too. Not a lot of snacking, and no "off the record" meals or treats. What I ate, I logged. The snacking was much better this week than before Christmas, and last night when I caught myself trying to rationalize a scoop of peanut butter before bed, I just went to bed instead of snacking. So far, so good, in other words.
My cholesterol and A1C numbers were solidly green when I tested them this month, too. I have had generally normal fasting blood sugar numbers for months now, but in December I was seeing a few slightly elevated numbers creep in there, likely due to the complete deviation from my normal workout routines and eating habits. Since I have been back on track, however, the blood sugar numbers have been solidly normal, and that is reflected in my normal A1C numbers. Whew!
And the result of all this hard work? I have achieved the impossible, and turned back time to the end of August. That's right, I weighed in at 194.9 pounds this morning, down 2.5 pounds from last week at this time. The last time I weighed this was at the end of August, before the wheels fell off. That's 4 entire lost months down the drain. In other words, instead of hitting my weight loss goal in January, I will be lucky to make it in May or June.
But you know what? That's OK. I am happy with the progress I have made so far, and I am very happy with the results of all my hard work. Am I disappointed that I have given up some of those hard-fought losses? Sure I am. Will I let that stop me from working my plan and trying to get back to where I was, and move on from there? No way. I have come too far. And let's be honest, 139 pounds lost is nothing to sneeze at. That's still a full person, and I am going to celebrate that victory for what it is.
With that spirit, here's a recent photo in the sparkle dress:
And here's a photo of the Nerd and I looking fabulous (taken New Year's Day 2014):
Lets compare to September 2003:
Or July 2007:
Yep, I would say that the Nerd and I are looking pretty fly this year. Even with giving back a little bit of ground in the weight loss department.
With this week's 2.5 pound loss (1.4 pounds down from New Year's Eve alone), I am less than 10 pounds away from being a Middleweight, and less than 30 pounds away from my goal weight. If I continue on my 1.5 pound a week average, I will now reach my target sometime around the end of May or early June. Just in time for summer bathing suit weather again! Bring it on!
My eating was under control, too. Not a lot of snacking, and no "off the record" meals or treats. What I ate, I logged. The snacking was much better this week than before Christmas, and last night when I caught myself trying to rationalize a scoop of peanut butter before bed, I just went to bed instead of snacking. So far, so good, in other words.
My cholesterol and A1C numbers were solidly green when I tested them this month, too. I have had generally normal fasting blood sugar numbers for months now, but in December I was seeing a few slightly elevated numbers creep in there, likely due to the complete deviation from my normal workout routines and eating habits. Since I have been back on track, however, the blood sugar numbers have been solidly normal, and that is reflected in my normal A1C numbers. Whew!
And the result of all this hard work? I have achieved the impossible, and turned back time to the end of August. That's right, I weighed in at 194.9 pounds this morning, down 2.5 pounds from last week at this time. The last time I weighed this was at the end of August, before the wheels fell off. That's 4 entire lost months down the drain. In other words, instead of hitting my weight loss goal in January, I will be lucky to make it in May or June.
But you know what? That's OK. I am happy with the progress I have made so far, and I am very happy with the results of all my hard work. Am I disappointed that I have given up some of those hard-fought losses? Sure I am. Will I let that stop me from working my plan and trying to get back to where I was, and move on from there? No way. I have come too far. And let's be honest, 139 pounds lost is nothing to sneeze at. That's still a full person, and I am going to celebrate that victory for what it is.
With that spirit, here's a recent photo in the sparkle dress:
And here's a photo of the Nerd and I looking fabulous (taken New Year's Day 2014):
Yep, I would say that the Nerd and I are looking pretty fly this year. Even with giving back a little bit of ground in the weight loss department.
Tuesday, 31 December 2013
What a Difference a Year Makes (with photos)
Today is New Year's Eve, which means that I have survived another full year of working out and eating well. In the past 12 months I have missed only 2 planned workouts, but added several incremental workouts, so on balance, I am probably ahead of the game, all things considered.
It's been a difficult Q4, so I am going to look back on all the wins that I have achieved this year.
First and most motivating, I have lost 51.5 pounds over the last year. Although this is less than I had hoped in the summer, considering how badly things fell off the rails in Q4, I will take this result, thank you very much. About a pound a week is nothing to sneeze at.
Let's look at the measurements, shall we?
I am down more than 2.5 feet in girthiness compared to last year at this time, and more than 5' in lost inches since I have started working out. That means a change from a size 26 when I started, down to a size 20 last year, and now down to a size 12.
In the past year I have really settled into my elliptical routine, but I have added more weights and, recently, a treadmill for running training. Today I had my 5th C25K session, and although I still don't think I am actually running, I am shuffling much faster than I ever would have thought.
I an creeping ever closer to my goals:
Still recouping past losses, but I finished the year strong. Let's hope I can keep these positive trends going.
It's been a difficult Q4, so I am going to look back on all the wins that I have achieved this year.
Let's look at the measurements, shall we?
In the past year I have really settled into my elliptical routine, but I have added more weights and, recently, a treadmill for running training. Today I had my 5th C25K session, and although I still don't think I am actually running, I am shuffling much faster than I ever would have thought.
I an creeping ever closer to my goals:
Saturday, 28 December 2013
In Shocking News...
... sticking to one's food and exercise plan = weight loss. Who knew?
I will admit that this is not the most mind-blowing of insights, especially after spending so long at this particular rodeo, but it is very gratifying to see positive results from my first disciplined week back from the wilds of Snackville.
This week I stuck to my guns, more or less, and kept the hitherto rampant snacking under control. I also upped my workouts back to their previous level to dial up the challenge. The result: 1.7 pounds down this week to 197.4 pounds.
Depressingly, I am still around 8.7 pounds higher than my previous low weight, but on the good side I am down from my recent high of 199.1 pounds. 1.7 pounds down is right on track for where I want to be after the week I have had, and to get this result during the Christmas week (or as I like to call it, Food-a-palooza), is a major triumph.
I have to stop thinking those "if only..." thoughts, and focus on the good results I am having now. The plan for this week will be to try and stay focused on my plan, and build on my loss of this week.
Onward and downward!
I will admit that this is not the most mind-blowing of insights, especially after spending so long at this particular rodeo, but it is very gratifying to see positive results from my first disciplined week back from the wilds of Snackville.
This week I stuck to my guns, more or less, and kept the hitherto rampant snacking under control. I also upped my workouts back to their previous level to dial up the challenge. The result: 1.7 pounds down this week to 197.4 pounds.
Depressingly, I am still around 8.7 pounds higher than my previous low weight, but on the good side I am down from my recent high of 199.1 pounds. 1.7 pounds down is right on track for where I want to be after the week I have had, and to get this result during the Christmas week (or as I like to call it, Food-a-palooza), is a major triumph.
I have to stop thinking those "if only..." thoughts, and focus on the good results I am having now. The plan for this week will be to try and stay focused on my plan, and build on my loss of this week.
Onward and downward!
Sunday, 22 December 2013
Ugh - backsliding over the holidays is no fun...
So there have been some changes in the Nerd-Sassy Advocate household this fall, not all of them for the better.
First, and most frustratingly, we both have been bad little backsliders this fall, and have taken every opportunity to snack, indulge, and ease off on the workouts. Between business trips (2 x 4 days of hotel food each), family visits out of town (2 x 3 days each), holiday parties (2), festive lunches, dinners, or cocktail parties (4), both the Nerd and I have put back on some of the weight that we collectively fought so hard to lose. In my case, it's around 15 or so pounds up from my lowest recorded weight, although the scale is so horrifyingly high that I can't bear to record my weight right now. Give me a day or so back on plan and I will record the new (higher) baseline, but for now, all I can say is "yikes!". And "f---, f---, f---, f---, f---, f---" (you will have to extrapolate the missing letters).
So it turns out that working out less than usual, eating much more than usual, and eating out much, much more than usual (with the associated sodium hit) has a negative impact on weight loss. No one could have predicted that. Oh, wait, EVERYONE could have predicted that. Sheesh. Right now I am not so much ashamed as chagrined at myself and my utter lack of discipline. Dogs have more discipline than I have had this Q4.
On the positive side, it will be relatively easy to stay in a maintenance zone once I actually reach my target, as I have been (up until last week when I blew my brains out with food) cycling around the same 5 pounds over and over. Maintenance defined. So that's encouraging.
Discouraging is the fact that I will need to lose those damn 15 pounds that I have lost and lost and lost again. But really, I have only myself and my unbridled eating to blame, so I have to own it, get back on track, and move on. At Christmas. Geez - - I don't make it easy for myself, do I?
In the spirit of kicking my own ass, and as a gift to myself for Christmas, I purchased a newish treadmill. While I cannot afford one of these things at $1,500+ new, I was able to pick up this AFG 3.1 AT treadmill at half price second-hand from a nice couple that is moving to Calgary.
This is a very solid treadmill, barely used (as so many treadmills are) and just what I need to begin my C25K program. And by solid, I mean "incredibly heavy". That thing is not going anywhere now that it is in the workout room - - it is too damn heavy to move.
As an aside, I have set myself a couple of fitness objectives for Q1 2014 including being able to do 25 standard pushups in a row (I can currently only do 3 sets of 12 modified pushups), and to be able to run 5K comfortably. The treadmill will help me deliver on the running goal, which is helpful because this weekend, coincidentally, Toronto had an ice storm and it's not fit outside for people to walk, let alone run.
Yesterday the Nerd and one of our lovely neighbours wrestled the treadmill into the workout room, and the Nerd assembled it for me last night. The treadmill is Very Large, and Very Heavy, as the Nerd discovered to the dismay of one of his toes (now slightly less broken than it was this time last week - oops!).
I did my first C25K program this morning, and the treadmill worked great. It will take a while for me to learn how to run like a normal person, but the C25K app I am using was very useful in giving me the required walk-run intervals. While I am not sure that you could call the shuffling thing I was doing "running", per se, it was faster than a walk, and eventually may settle into something resembling running. My goal is just to be able to keep up with a pack of people jogging 5 km, without stopping to walk or pray for death. It's a simple objective, and one I hope to achieve. Fortunately, after a year and a half of using the elliptical, my cardio is very strong. Unfortunately, it turns out that running on a treadmill is an entirely different kind of cardio, so it is still very challenging.
I completed stage 1 of the New Rules of Lifting for Women, and definitely saw strength improvements, but I stopped stage 2 prematurely - - it is heavily lunge and reverse lunge and modified lunge focused, and my knees were starting to fall apart under the demand. Since I need my knees to be in as good condition as possible in the spring, I made the executive decision to pull the plug on that program. I will continue with weight training as I enjoy it and think it is very helpful, but I am going to focus more on upper body for now. That will help me with my pushups, too, especially since I have feeble girl arms. A T-Rex is better at pushups than I am, which is a cry for help if ever I saw one.
So yesterday was not so good a day for discpline, what with me taking (yet another) unplanned rest day, and with the Nerd and I going out for craft hot dogs for dinner. Today, however, everything is back on track. I worked out in the morning for 75 minutes (between the treadmill and the elliptical), and we have eaten sensibly today, with no snacking.
Getting my snacking behaviour back under control will take a few days of sticking to my routine, but I know I can do it. Christmas Eve-Christmas Day will be challenging, but the Nerd and I are planning a variety of healthy food options as snacks at our family party on Tuesday, and I know I can stick to portions on Christmas Day with the various families. Getting up at 3am on Christmas Day to workout will be ... challenging ... but we can do it.
The plan works when we stick to it. We know it works, as we have both seen fantastic results. At home, both the Nerd and I are pretty disciplined. It's out of the house when we go bananas. That ends this week. Sadly, I expect it will take me at least until mid-February to get back down to where I once was, but that's the consequences of undisciplined eating. That'll teach me!
So, it is once more into the breach, with the objective of being back on plan during one of the more social weeks of the year. Wish us luck!
First, and most frustratingly, we both have been bad little backsliders this fall, and have taken every opportunity to snack, indulge, and ease off on the workouts. Between business trips (2 x 4 days of hotel food each), family visits out of town (2 x 3 days each), holiday parties (2), festive lunches, dinners, or cocktail parties (4), both the Nerd and I have put back on some of the weight that we collectively fought so hard to lose. In my case, it's around 15 or so pounds up from my lowest recorded weight, although the scale is so horrifyingly high that I can't bear to record my weight right now. Give me a day or so back on plan and I will record the new (higher) baseline, but for now, all I can say is "yikes!". And "f---, f---, f---, f---, f---, f---" (you will have to extrapolate the missing letters).
So it turns out that working out less than usual, eating much more than usual, and eating out much, much more than usual (with the associated sodium hit) has a negative impact on weight loss. No one could have predicted that. Oh, wait, EVERYONE could have predicted that. Sheesh. Right now I am not so much ashamed as chagrined at myself and my utter lack of discipline. Dogs have more discipline than I have had this Q4.
On the positive side, it will be relatively easy to stay in a maintenance zone once I actually reach my target, as I have been (up until last week when I blew my brains out with food) cycling around the same 5 pounds over and over. Maintenance defined. So that's encouraging.
Discouraging is the fact that I will need to lose those damn 15 pounds that I have lost and lost and lost again. But really, I have only myself and my unbridled eating to blame, so I have to own it, get back on track, and move on. At Christmas. Geez - - I don't make it easy for myself, do I?
This is a very solid treadmill, barely used (as so many treadmills are) and just what I need to begin my C25K program. And by solid, I mean "incredibly heavy". That thing is not going anywhere now that it is in the workout room - - it is too damn heavy to move.
As an aside, I have set myself a couple of fitness objectives for Q1 2014 including being able to do 25 standard pushups in a row (I can currently only do 3 sets of 12 modified pushups), and to be able to run 5K comfortably. The treadmill will help me deliver on the running goal, which is helpful because this weekend, coincidentally, Toronto had an ice storm and it's not fit outside for people to walk, let alone run.
I did my first C25K program this morning, and the treadmill worked great. It will take a while for me to learn how to run like a normal person, but the C25K app I am using was very useful in giving me the required walk-run intervals. While I am not sure that you could call the shuffling thing I was doing "running", per se, it was faster than a walk, and eventually may settle into something resembling running. My goal is just to be able to keep up with a pack of people jogging 5 km, without stopping to walk or pray for death. It's a simple objective, and one I hope to achieve. Fortunately, after a year and a half of using the elliptical, my cardio is very strong. Unfortunately, it turns out that running on a treadmill is an entirely different kind of cardio, so it is still very challenging.
So yesterday was not so good a day for discpline, what with me taking (yet another) unplanned rest day, and with the Nerd and I going out for craft hot dogs for dinner. Today, however, everything is back on track. I worked out in the morning for 75 minutes (between the treadmill and the elliptical), and we have eaten sensibly today, with no snacking.
Getting my snacking behaviour back under control will take a few days of sticking to my routine, but I know I can do it. Christmas Eve-Christmas Day will be challenging, but the Nerd and I are planning a variety of healthy food options as snacks at our family party on Tuesday, and I know I can stick to portions on Christmas Day with the various families. Getting up at 3am on Christmas Day to workout will be ... challenging ... but we can do it.
The plan works when we stick to it. We know it works, as we have both seen fantastic results. At home, both the Nerd and I are pretty disciplined. It's out of the house when we go bananas. That ends this week. Sadly, I expect it will take me at least until mid-February to get back down to where I once was, but that's the consequences of undisciplined eating. That'll teach me!
So, it is once more into the breach, with the objective of being back on plan during one of the more social weeks of the year. Wish us luck!
Saturday, 14 September 2013
What the hell happened this week??
No really, I am serious. What the hell is going on with my body that would have me lose 4.4 pounds in a single week, when my usual loss is one and a half pounds? I mean, I had just posted a blog post on the subject, for goshsake. I had resigned myself to being Miss Slow and Steady, and here I go turning into Ms. Aggressive Weight Loss all in a week. I am not going to complain too much, mind you, I just wish I could figure out my body and what makes it tick.
Nothing I have eaten has really changed from week to week - - I am trying to avoid snacks just like the week before and the week before that, but I can't say that I am eating anything very different from the usual things. A lot of Jamie Oliver meals, but that's nothing new.
Nor has my workout routine really changed. My new weight program is much more aggressive than my old routine, but I've been doing it for a couple of weeks now. Perhaps it takes that long for my body to figure out that something is happening to it? I just don't know.
What probably helps contribute to these results is that I am still very very consistent. I haven't missed a planned workout in well over a year, and I don't go off the reservation too often with the unbridled snacking. I continually try and increase my workouts and incorporate new things to keep challenging my body as I become fitter. Best of all, thanks to the Nerd, I eat very well - - lots of fruits and vegetables and balanced low sodium meals. Delicious meals, too. But since none of these things have really changed from week to week, I can't really tell you what is driving this sudden unexpected weight loss.
I lost 4.4 pounds this week - - ridiculous! I now weigh 188.7 pounds, down 145.2 pounds overall. That's more than 85% of my total weight loss goal. I am thrilled with this progress, of course, especially because it brings be 4.4 pounds closer to my goal.
The loss this week brings me within 3.7 pounds of my next goal. Even better, I am LESS THAN 20 POUNDS AWAY FROM A NORMAL BMI. Yes, I am shouting that last bit because it makes me very excited. Less than 24 pounds to goal, too - - how cool is that?
I have absolutely no illusions that this rate of loss will be sustainable. I just hope to maintain and consolidate this upcoming week. It may be shark week, in which case I will be extra-bloat-y and full of hormones and all.
Speaking of my program, with this sudden and dramatic weight loss I am now down to 1,360 permitted base calories per day on my program. <mumbles curses under breath> This virtually guarantees that I will stay on my workout plan, if only to burn enough calories so that I can eat a decent day's worth of calories. 1,600 - 1,800 calories a day seems to be working pretty well for me, so that's what I am shooting for right now. That requires a workout of some sort, so that keeps me honest with my exercise.
As for my workouts, in a fit of enthusiasm this morning I tried to take the tension on my elliptical machine up to level 9, from 8. I did about 20 minutes of that, fantasizing all the way that I would stop my workout early, and finally gave up and returned the tension back to 8. After that I felt like I was flying, it was so easy and so I finished my planned 75 minutes on the elliptical no problem. How easily my simple brain is tricked. So it may be a bit early to dial up the tension, but I can definitely take the weight routine up to 5 sets of 10 reps at 12 pounds, up from the current 5 sets of 8 reps. We'll work that into the plan effective my first workout of the week on Tuesday.
I have been taking my rest days on Sundays because at the core of the matter, I just really really like sleeping in and lazing around. When I take my rest day on Monday I still need to get up early to go to the office, so that's hardly restful. Taking the rest day on Sunday has been good from a napping point of view at the very least. I have done Sunday rest day for the last few weeks now and it has worked very well. I have made a point of not weighing myself on my rest day, and it has helped a ton. I don't feel like I am starting the week behind the 8 ball, and when I do weigh myself on Monday after my regular workout, my body is back in its rhythm and my weight is usually the same, or slightly lower than my Saturday weigh in.
It is increasingly challenging to eat within my allowable calories on Sunday, but sleeping in and rolling breakfast into brunch seems to help [grin].
My new test kits arrived from the States last week (they're not licensed by Health Canada as yet so I need to trans-ship them from my US drop box). Tomorrow I will test my A1C and my fasting cholesterol for the first time in months. I am hoping that the A1C number reflects all the improvements I have made to my fasting blood sugar numbers since I broke through the "consistently normal" barrier in May of this year. If the number is a good one I will share it with the Matriarch, and I am sure she will be relieved - - since virtually everyone else in my family has diabetes, she will be happy to see that my sugar numbers are normal. You and I know that they are only normal after 19 months of hard work to bring them out of the pre-diabetic range, but she doesn't need to know that.
On a final fun note, the Nerd admitted to checking me out in the parking lot this morning. I was walking back to the car with the Matriarch and we were likely yipping away as is our custom, and the Nerd saw us backlit in the entrance to the parkade. He thought to himself, "I see Maggie Q's mom, but who is that shapely woman walking with her", before he realized it was yours truly. Squee! That made my whole morning!
Onward and downward!
Saturday, 7 September 2013
140.8 pounds down - - slow and steady
I am very pleased with this result, as it shows how sticking to the workout and eating plan yields results. I snack, and gain weight. I don't snack, and I lose weight. Pretty simple feedback loop there. Even I could eventually figure that one out.
There's something frustratingly predictable about my weight loss these last couple of weeks. More often than not recently (in non snacking weeks, anyways), I lose around a pound and a half every week. I work out a lot and I eat well, so in the back of my mind I am always (greedily) hoping for a larger loss. I see other people lose 2, 3, 4 and even 5 pounds in a week, and I lust after those losses. I know that their fact situation is different - - some are much heavier than me, some are men, some are people who have undergone gastric bypass surgery, some are training much harder than me. I try not to compare myself to others, but I have to admit that I would love to see bigger losses sometimes, if only because it would get me to my goal, faster.
But slow and steady wins the race to weight loss and lifestyle change. 1.5ish pounds a week is a nice, sustainable loss. I know this because I have had comparatively few yo-yo swings in my weight loss over the past year and a half. Sure, they happen, but overall, my weight loss has been pretty linear.
I had a momentary flash of insight today. I usually lose 1.5 pounds a week because I have set my calorie objectives to achieve - - wait for it - - a 1.5 pound per week weight loss. In other words, eating the way I do to a calorie target of 1,390 (now) per day before exercise, I should lose 1.5 pounds in a given week. Just like I have been doing. So really, losing around a pound and a half each week is a feature of my lifestyle, not a bug. Many people would have figured that out much sooner than I did, but then, I was hired for my looks, not my smarts.
Here's a photo for your Saturday enjoyment:
Monday, 2 September 2013
Back on track Week 83: 139 pounds down (with pics)
Want to ride a roller coaster? Follow my poor snacking decisions this past month. With all the ups and downs on the scale I could barely keep up, and I finally had to hold an intervention for myself to kick myself in the ass and say "no more snacking!".
This is what 4 weeks of workouts and 2 weeks of unbridled snacking look like. The good news - - the really good news, in fact - - is that by snapping out of my destructive eating habits last week and taking control of my calories consumed, I have undone all the damage I caused by my excessive chocolate consumption, and even saw a bit of an overall loss to finish off the month.
The bad side is that I basically gave up almost a month's worth of progress, having to re-lose weight I had already lost. I can't tell you how many times I lost and regained those 2 pounds between 197 and 199 pounds. Too many times, at any rate. That's a little depressing.
You can see this reflected in my overall goal tracker. Where I was previously on track to hit my goal weight a little early, now I am right back on track for hitting it sometime in January. That's a little depressing, but not unexpected. I knew the last 30 pounds were going to be challenging, and eating my way through a candy store this month only increased the challenge. Because it wasn't challenging enough...
What good things did I learn this month? One good thing that I learned is that it is relatively easy to get back on track if the good habits in your life are fundamentally sound. I was still eating very healthy meals thanks to the Nerd's cooking, and I never missed a workout, so once I cut out the snacking, it only took a solid week to get back on track. I officially finished the month at 194.7 pounds, down 139.2 pounds overall, which is a tiny 1.7 pound loss in August (but a loss nonetheless, so I'll take it).
Even though the scale was not kind to me this month, I still managed to lose more than an inch off my body (which is the whole point of measuring). I suspect that I am nearing the end of my physical changes, so from now on in I am expecting to see my losses of inches to taper off somewhat. I will probably lose fractional inches off various pieces of me as the year winds down, but it is unlikely that I will see another 3" loss in any given month.
This puts me into a size 12 dress depending on the style. I got a new dress to celebrate, and have gotten a ton of compliments on it. Photos will follow once I take them.
So how am I progressing, shape-wise?
In a fun NSV I have had to order some new workout gear, because the Old Navy XL stuff I have been wearing since February is starting to get a little too baggy.
Let's compare to 6 months ago:
I am definitely seeing more definition in my stomach and arms, and my hips, stomach and bust are noticeably smaller compared to 6 months ago.
My official photo for the office website is also much better:
So progress all around, despite having a somewhat trying month. I learned that I cannot expect to lose weight if I indulge in unrestrained snacking, and although I still have to fight the food cravings every day, I know that this week will be easier than last week, with a week of healthy eating under my belt.
It's funny that when I start to eat a lot of chocolate, I just want to keep eating it. Whereas when I haven't had chocolate in a while, I no longer crave it. I know that learned scientists have done studies on this, but it's interesting to see it happening to me.
Even with a tough month I am marginally closer to my goals:
Less than 10 pounds to go to hit middleweight. I may not do it this month, but I know I can hit it. And I am now less than 30 pounds away from my overall target, and just over 25 pounds away from having a normal BMI for the first time in more than a decade.
The bad side is that I basically gave up almost a month's worth of progress, having to re-lose weight I had already lost. I can't tell you how many times I lost and regained those 2 pounds between 197 and 199 pounds. Too many times, at any rate. That's a little depressing.
You can see this reflected in my overall goal tracker. Where I was previously on track to hit my goal weight a little early, now I am right back on track for hitting it sometime in January. That's a little depressing, but not unexpected. I knew the last 30 pounds were going to be challenging, and eating my way through a candy store this month only increased the challenge. Because it wasn't challenging enough...
What good things did I learn this month? One good thing that I learned is that it is relatively easy to get back on track if the good habits in your life are fundamentally sound. I was still eating very healthy meals thanks to the Nerd's cooking, and I never missed a workout, so once I cut out the snacking, it only took a solid week to get back on track. I officially finished the month at 194.7 pounds, down 139.2 pounds overall, which is a tiny 1.7 pound loss in August (but a loss nonetheless, so I'll take it).
This puts me into a size 12 dress depending on the style. I got a new dress to celebrate, and have gotten a ton of compliments on it. Photos will follow once I take them.
So how am I progressing, shape-wise?
In a fun NSV I have had to order some new workout gear, because the Old Navy XL stuff I have been wearing since February is starting to get a little too baggy.
Let's compare to 6 months ago:
My official photo for the office website is also much better:
It's funny that when I start to eat a lot of chocolate, I just want to keep eating it. Whereas when I haven't had chocolate in a while, I no longer crave it. I know that learned scientists have done studies on this, but it's interesting to see it happening to me.
Even with a tough month I am marginally closer to my goals:
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