Yesterday marked thirty weeks since I began my weight loss journey. Two weeks ago, I surpassed another milestone. I weighed in at less than 190 pounds. As of yesterday morning's weigh-in, I am 188.4 pounds. I have lost a total of 41.6 pounds since I started. That means I've only lost 10.2 pounds in the last eleven weeks. There were two weeks in a row, weeks 21 & 22, when I actually gained weight. There were two weeks, from week 26 to week 27, where I didn't lose any weight at all. And other weeks, the weight loss has been hardly notable. It has been frustrating at times.
However, I have to remind myself that times like this to happen when trying to lose weight. These times I've either gained, or not lost, or not lost much, I can sometimes connect to not being as mindful of either my diet or my exercise. The week of Memorial Day (week 21) and the following week, I had several days each week where I didn't hit my calorie-cutting target. I also have to consider if I was completely honest with how I gauged my physical activity.
I also need to keep in mind that, now that I am in better physical condition, I'll need to put forth additional effort. The mile or two walk I had been doing on the treadmill probably doesn't burn as many calories as it used to. I'll need to walk a little farther, walking a little faster. I'll need to considering adding more sets of my anaerobic exercises (a variety of weights, as well as things like lunges & crunches).
I do have to be quite a bit more judicious when selecting what to eat. When I first began this back in January, so long as I was "moderately active" each day, and allowing for cutting 1000 calories from the number of calories I was burning in order to lose weight, I could allow myself about 1737 calories a day. As I have lost weight, my body does not require as many calories as it used to. Now, after yesterday's weigh-in, I'll be aiming for 1453 - nearly 300 calories fewer. That's about two cans of soda, or two Twinkies, or an Oscar Meyer beef frank on a bun, or a peanut butter sandwich.
I also need to consider trying to be a little more exact in calculating my calorie burn each day. What I have been doing up until now has been using my BMR to make a rough calculation of my calorie needs. Have I been sedentary, lightly active or moderately active? Only once, maybe twice, have I judged myself to be "very active". This rough calculation has been okay when cutting 1000 calories, but I'll soon need to cut back on cutting back, so I'll need to be a little more precise. I'll just need to find new tools to help me figure out how many calories I'm burning through walking X amount of miles in X amount of time, or by lifting the weights, or, as I hope to start doing once the weather cools down again, riding X amount of miles in X amount of time. I should check in with my sister about that...
I did order my dress on June 22nd. I need to double check when it is supposed to come in, but that should be in the next week or two. When I placed the order, I fit into a size 16, so I ordered a size 14. It probably won't fit yet when it comes in, and I doubt I'll be in a position to have it altered down to a size 10, and at the slowed rate of weight loss, it may not need to be altered at all. I can fit into some size 14 things - I have a few in my closet - but not every size 14 is the same...
I've also been able to take even more things out of my closet. I've had two large black trash bags full of clothes that no longer fit riding around in the trunk of my car for weeks. Every time I'd stopped by the Goodwill donation point, it was unmanned, until yesterday. Now, I can continue to work on yet another bag of clothes that are too big, since I once again have room in the trunk of my car to put it once it is full. Also, yesterday, I tried on some old clothes that had been too small. For now, they fit. These things are for fall and winter, so I won't be wearing them yet, but hopefully they will fit long enough that I don't have to do too much shopping over the next few months for things to wear as the weather begins to cool down.
Not sure when I'll post my next update. Guess that will largely depend on when I hit the next milestone...
6 comments:
Gotta say it again - way to go! :-)
when I was losing weight a number of years ago, and the loss slowed, I tried to remind myself that I hadn't put it on in ___ weeks, so I probably wasn't going to lose it by then either... and, as we all know, it goes on easier than comes off... you should be very proud -- 40+ pounds is a serious achievement -- with more to go... GOOD FOR YOU!!!
(ps don't forget to photograph & document your clothing donations for taxes!! you'd be surprised how much it can help -- especially with THIS white house LOL)
Good for you. Your slow and steady ways are the way to do it. The "lose 25 pounds in a month" plans are not viable over the long term, because in addition to losing weight, we need to change our eating habits.
My weight loss goals are more modest, and have lost 11 pounds in 12 weeks. I still like cabbage, and still need to walk more. Goal: lose 20-25 pounds.
If you see students from year to year- will they still recognize you?
Like it or not,those who weigh more have more difficulty getting hired, so your weight loss will also help you in that realm.
X~
That had crossed my mind, but at this point, I'm not even getting interviews, so they don't know what I look like. Districts aren't hiring as many teachers this year (bad economy causing districts to tighten their belts, and some teachers to not retire or relocate, I guess) which is making the market even tougher.
Anyway, I'm down another pound as of Saturday morning!
You are doing great! I know it's discouraging when your progress slows down, but in a way that's a good sign, too. It means your body is adapting as you lose.
You must be so proud of yourself. It's hard for me to believe you were ever over 200 lbs. You carry it well.
You are really going to knock 'em dead at the wedding!
Cass~
I was about 202-203 when we met at the Milblog Conference last time I stepped on the scale (yesterday morning?) for an unofficial weigh-in to make sure I was making progress from last Saturday, I weighed 184. That is one thing I think I do have to be thankful for: I don't think people would have guessed I weighed as much as I did...
I don't know who it is I'll be knocking dead... Don't have a clue as to who all is on the guest list, let alone who might be an "eligible bachelor" suitable for me. And, it's not looking good for me to have a date. That's not exactly the kind of invitation you extend to someone you've just started dating, and considering I don't even have the prospect of a first date...
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