Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The Honeymoon's Over

OK, so I've been on this diet now for almost 2 months and as of today I've lost 26 lbs., but I'm starting to feel my motivation lessen. I'm not at the point where I'm thinking about giving up, but I find myself thinking about cheating alot. Just the other day I was heading to the hospital to visit my dad, and I was going to stop at Dunkin Donuts to get a coffee for him and Wendy's to get salads for my mom and I for lunch. I was feeling hungry, and I was seriously thinking about getting a jelly donut and french fries to eat on the way to the hospital. I was smart, though -- I had a Laughing Cow light cheese before I left the house so I didn't cheat. So I guess what I need to do now is find some ways to stay motivated. I found a couple podcasts on iTunes that may be helpful. One is called Inside Out Weight Loss and the other is the Nutrition Diva's Quick and Dirty Tips for Eating Well and Feeling Fabulous. I'm also planning to create a motivation journal/scrapbook that I can look through when I need to remember why I'm doing this.

Tune in next week for another measurement update, and don't forget to vote!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

A Step in the Right Direction

I weighed in today at 381 lbs., which puts my total weight loss at 24 lbs. Basically, this puts me back where I was 2 weeks ago. This is what I hate about setbacks: you work hard to lose the weight, then you slip and gain a bit back, and it usually takes longer to lose it again than it did to gain it. On the plus side, I was able to lose 5 lbs this week even with a splurge: Belgian chocolate and cupcakes on Saturday night.

Next week I'll be starting a water aerobics class that will last until the week before Christmas. The class is Mon-Wed-Fri, and I'll go to Curves on Tues-Thurs, so I'll be exercising at least 5 times a week for the next 2 months. This will not only help to jumpstart the weightloss for the next 2 months, it will help me stay on track for most of the holiday season and help me recover easier from splurges.

Only 2 more weeks until my next measurement update!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Slight Stumble

I know, I promised updates every Tuesday, and here it is Wednesday, and I'm a day late with my update. I was just too tired to get online last night, especially with the Red Sox getting trampled by the Rays in Game 4 of the ALCS. But that's beside the point. Anyway, I did get weighed yesterday, even though I didn't blog, and I weighed in at 385 lbs. I gained 4.5 lbs last week. Bummer! I know why it happened, though. I slipped back into some bad habits last week: I wasn't exercising, I wasn't drinking enough water, and even though I was eating right I was eating late at night because my sleep schedule was all fouled up. I also had a whoopie pie on Saturday. See, I love whoopie pies, and the local grocery store stocks Wicked Whoopies, which are the best whoopie pies in the world. I've been able to resist them so far, but this weekend the store actually had the maple whoopies, which 1. they don't usually have, and 2. are my favorite flavor. So I bought 5, which was all they had. I know that sounds bad, but I didn't eat them all, which is what I would've done before starting this diet (I would've strung the 5 whoopies out over 2 or 3 days, but still.) This time, I ate one, and I really enjoyed it, and then I froze the other 4. So next time I get a craving for a maple whoopie pie I can defrost one and have my little maple moment. So on one hand, I feel that I've progressed in the sense that I was able to have a little splurge without completely blowing my diet. On the other hand, I know that I didn't do as well this week as I could've. So my goals for this week are to drink more water, exercise more often, and get my sleep schedule under control so I'm not eating late at night anymore.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Triumphs of the Past Week

Triumph #1: I went out to lunch with my best friend this past week. We went to a local Japanese restaurant, and I had miso soup and a bento box with salmon, chicken, and plenty of vegetables. I did not have rice. I actually told the waitress not to even bring my rice (she looked at me like I had two heads.) I believe that the easiest way to avoid temptation is to remove it completely.

Triumph #2: After lunch, we went to the movies. I used to get popcorn smothered in butter, spicy curly fries, and a large blue raspberry slushie. Not very healthy. This time I had absolutely nothing. Of course, we had just eaten a nice, healthy lunch, so I wasn't hungry, and that certainly helped me to avoid giving in to the temptation of the concession stand.

Triumph #3: I've dropped a pant size!

Triumph #4: I lost another 5 lbs. this week, putting my current weight at 380.5 lbs. and my total weight loss so far at 24.5 lbs. That's 10% of what I want to lose. Only 220.5 lbs to go!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

First Month Results



So, it's been a month since I started my new, healthy lifestyle. Here's where I stand now:

9/2/2008 10/2/2008 Difference
Weight 405 385.5 19.5
Bust 60.5 60.5 0
Waist 60.5 60.5 0
Abdomen 64.5 62.75 1.75
Hips 64.5 64 0.5
Thigh 32.5 31.5 1
Upper Arm 18 17.5 0.5
BMI 61.6 58.6 3

I'm not yet seeing much of a difference, either when I look in the mirror or when I compare this picture with my start picture, but I am starting to feel a difference. It's getting easier to move around, and my clothes are fitting better, especially my pants. The best thing so far is the effect losing weight and exercising is having on my knees. Being so heavy for so long, and working many jobs that had me on my feet, has put a great deal of stress on my knees, and I started getting arthritic symptoms in my left knee a couple years ago. But over the past month, my knees have been feeling better and better and have regained some of their strength and flexibility. I can actually walk up the stairs like a normal person now!