Return Of The Scale

February Steps

Tracking your steps daily with your pedomter means you can’t lie to yourself about your physical activity.  When I first got the pedometer, I was getting around 4,00 steps.  Toward the end of the month, on a regular day, I started walking close to 7,000 steps a day.  However, my goal is still to walk 10,000 steps everyday, so it looks like I have some work in store for March.

Weekly Weight Loss Report - December 7, 2008

Well, I am almost to my 10lb goal. I decided to take pictures only at 10lb intervals, so that they would be more meaningful. My eating has improved significantly. I eat most of my meals at home and have been conscious of ingredients. My favorite pants are too big and do not fit any more, because they are falling off. I need to improve on exercise. Once my strongest area, this is now my weakest due to bronchitis and short days. No room for excuses though, I will make sure I find a way to exercise in the winter.

Weekly Weight Loss Report - November 17, 2008

I have maintained my 3lb weight loss from last week. That is something to be proud of, but I am not celebrating. I did eat a lot healthier and have not had a soda, but I am at the point where I usually say “oh well, I tried, it didn’t work, so now I should eat whatever I want.” In fact that’s what I did today. I went and got fast food for dinner. It wasn’t good either. The stuff I have been making at home is way better. Now I have a stomach ache and I feel gross.

I think part of the lack of weight loss is not being totally accountable for what I am eating. I have a calorie counting program, which I have not been using. It is a lot easier to lie to yourself saying you are eating healthy, it is a totally different thing to actually count calories. So, I guess it’s back to the grindstone - and strict calorie counting. I need to see more progress, so that I can keep on track. Actually, I am excited to make dinner tomorrow and I really feel like going for a walk.

Giving up on this isn’t really an option. I only have one body. It’s either stick to this and lose weight or quit, eat a lot more, gain weight and then be in the same place again only heavier. It’s not very hard to see which choice is better.

Weekly Weight Loss Report - November 11, 2008

Since last week, I have lost 3lbs (like this 3lbs of cheese). I am not too impressed by that number, but it is respectable. When I start focusing on weight loss, I get obsessed with numbers and how much I can lose by what date. I think that making weight loss goals is important, but I know myself, and it may end up hurting my long term goals (becoming a healthier person).

I am happy with any weight loss. This week’s was due to not eating as much, even if I wasn’t eating the world’s healthiest meal. Normally if I wasn’t eating something healthy, I would eat as much as possible because I was already cheating on my diet. I am lucky that I don’t have time to eat out for lunch because that is one less temtation, however sometimes I wouldn’t pack my lunch and I would go grab something unhealthy and eat it very quickly because I have about 20 minutes for lunch. So I have been taking salads for lunch and really enjoying them. I am also proud to say that I have not had a soda, still. I have been making better choices about eating, but this week, my goal for eating is to look up some healthy recipes for dinner and try something new that I would enjoy eating.

Exercise was not my strong point this week. The time change, a cold and cold weather really put a damper on my walks. I can’t let that be my excuse though. I know that if I am going to change my life I need to make time to get moving regardless of the situation. So this week, I am going to try to reinstate my walks, and if the weather is really bad I always have my dusty-unused-new-years-resolution recumbent bike, which obviously, I don’t like using. I would also like to incorporate some sort of strength training.

So I am not going to obsess over the number of pounds that I lose. I think this is important to track though because the scale doesn’t lie. If I don’t lose weight, it means that I need to adjust something in my life because at my current weight, I need to eat quite a few calories just to maintain. My goal by Thanksgiving is to lose enough weight to fit into my winter clothes which are hanging in my closet. This is manageable because that is not too far off.

Weekly Weight Loss Report - November 4, 2008

This weekly report is a little late but I am still reporting.

Negative

I still do not have my diet under control. I also ate a ton of candy with all the Halloween goodies around. I ate most of the first batch of trick-or-treaters candy, so I had to go get more. I have been cooking more at home, but I have not been conscious of portion sizes or ingredients. My goal this week is to start using my computer program again to keep track of calories so that I can be more aware of what I am eating. I didn’t exercise as much as I should have (I am not doing strength training or flexibility). I have not lost any weight so far except the weight that I put on the first week after starting this site. So I now weigh 241.5lbs.

Positive

THIS IS HUGE for me - I have not had a soda in over 2 weeks! Before this it was rare that I would go a day without drinking a soda - usually lots of soda. I have substituted it with iced tea without sweetener. It is actually much more refreshing and thirst quenching.

I did another 5k, this time with my dog. I walked and completed it in 58 minutes. I didn’t have the help or motivation from any friends or family this time, I just went by myself and it felt good to be independent. This one was harder than the last because part of it was uphill. I was sore the next day.

October 19, 2008 - My First Week

A Rocky Start

Well, the important thing to remember is that I am staying accountable by writing. This is my way of saying that I didn’t have the most successful week. In fact, I gained weight. So now my first picture will be at 245lbs. I ate out a lot this week, maybe every night, and I even ate fast food. I also had at least one soda a day. So I am going to make sure I plan out my meals this week. I also need to find something to replace drinking soda, maybe tea. Soda seems to be a trigger for me to eat other unhealthy things.

On the positive side, I did a lot of exercise. I went on a few walks with my dogs, I worked in the yard, went on a two mile hike (this was a requirement for work) and I did a 5K walk. I had been planning on doing the 5k for a few weeks and signed up weeks ago. If I hadn’t, I probably wouldn’t have gone or done the walks earlier in the week to get ready. One upsetting moment was when I picked up my XL t-shirt for the walk and it was too tight to wear. Maybe I will keep it even though I don’t like it, so I can show off when it fits.

So, I have increased exercise, but I still need to work on my eating habits. This week my goal will be to make dinner Monday through Friday and go on at least 3 walks with my dogs. I am also going to post my start pictures.