Sunday, February 1, 2009

Resolution Update: 4 weeks

I've been working on my New Year's Resolution for 4 weeks now. Yesterday was my "official" weekly weigh-in, and I had my mom help me again with measurements. Also, following my sister's advice, I took another one of those nothing-but-my-bra-and-panties pictures. Here's the score:

I've lost a total of 10.2 pounds since I started. As expected, the rate of weight loss has slowed, and I've now been doing it long enough to get an idea of how I might expect the usual hormonal issues to affect my progress, at least when just looking at stepping on the scale.

Not all the measurements changed, but I can now wear some clothing items I haven't been able to wear in a while (at least in a fashion that I am not embarrassed for others to see me in them...). Also, there are some articles of clothing that are already set aside for Goodwill: they don't fit anymore because they are too big! And, comparing the original for-my-eyes-only photo with the new one, I can see definite improvement, improvement that isn't easy to gauge just looking in the mirror every day. So, I am seeing progress, and I am not discouraged.

And, planning ahead, I was able to allow myself to have 4 slices of a medium Papa John's "The Meats" pizza and 24 ounces of regular Pepsi on this Super Bowl Sunday, without eating more calories than I'm aiming for to continue losing weight. I just made different choices for my earlier meals: an apple for breakfast, and a bowl of cereal with a half cup of skim milk for lunch. And, I was even able to allow myself 2 Fudge Stripe cookies and another half cup of skim milk for a dessert.

So, I've been aiming for a 1000 calorie deficit each day (give or take), and I try to exercise every day. The only times I have trouble getting in the exercise are those days when I substitute teach: after I done with school, I go into the office job, so I miss going to the fitness center with my sisters, and since I work later on those days, to make up the hours, I'm not exercising when I go home. I haven't exercised every weekend day, but I'm trying. The point is, I am exercising regularly, and those days when I don't exercise, I take that into account when making decisions about what to eat. As I think I have mentioned before, looking at calorie counts on the labels doesn't mean much, unless you have some idea of your individual calorie needs...

I haven't gone shopping for any new clothes yet. I kind of get to go "shopping" in my own closet, and pick out some things people at the office have never seen me wear. I want to wait a little longer, and lose a little more weight. Plus, it might be nice to wait until the weather gets a little warmer (which won't be too long - I do live in Texas, after all). That way, I'll get more use out of any new clothes. No sense in buying new cold weather clothes I know I won't be able to wear come next fall and winter...

5 comments:

Storm'n Norm'n said...

Sounds like you're coming along just fine...10 pounds within two weeks is great!

Not sure if you like pets or not, but another great exericise is walking the dog...we take our pet over the the army base and use their walking track which is measured and marked in increments so we can increase our distance over time.
Keep up the good work!

Lisa in DC said...

Hey there - doing good!

I totally agree on your clothes plan. Having clothes as a goal is a wonderful motivator (speaking from previous and current experience!) especially when you get to the more subtle changes that the scale doesn't notice. :)

Miss Ladybug said...

The scale doesn't notice everything. And I also have to remind myself that I'm building muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. I had been debating whether or not to take another photo now. My sister said I should, and I'm glad I did - I can visibly see improvement that isn't reflected in the measurements. And, clothes are going to be the reward. I got a gift card for a plus-size store for Christmas, and I'll be able to shop there for a while yet, so I'm thinking I should get something new before the Milblog Conference...

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! That is so awesome.

Don't forget to check out the consignment shops and thrift shops when you start looking for those new clothes. No sense spending a fortune when you hopefully won't be wearing them long.

ABW said...

Great job!

I had a bite of a kit kat bar the other day at our Valentine's Day party and I chewed it and then had to spit it out. It wasn't as good as I remembered and wasn't worth it!

And the boxes of GS cookies that I have sitting here, have yet to be touched!