Monday, November 28, 2011

Week 23 Weigh-in: In which I finally reach my first big weight goal after almost 6 months (and other stuff happened)

Starting weight: 505.4 lbs
Week 23 Weight: 455.0 lbs
Week 23 Change: -1.8 lbs
Total Weight Loss: 50.4 lbs

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That's right: I lost almost 2 pounds on Thanksgiving Week, and reached my 10% / 50-lb goal.  That's Victory #1.

Victory #2: I finished the 10K at roughly 2 hours and 6 minutes--which for any half-serious competitor isn't great, but for me is about 15 minutes faster than my best time at that distance. That's the difference that the weight loss makes. And by Sunday, almost all the soreness was gone, so my recovery time is improving.

And now, it's back to work, and looking toward my next goal.  Here's what I'd like to do: I'd like to get through Christmas and hit New Years at least 10 pounds lighter than I am now. That's about 2 pounds a week, which is a faster clip than I've been going at lately, but is really what I should be losing on a regular basis anyway.  Besides, this is the hardest time of year for me, food-wise, since I'm a candy/baked-goods addict.

So that's the prize I'm looking at right now: less than 445 by January 2.

Who's with me? Wanna try to lose 10 pounds over the holidays? Let me know in the comments.

Waddle on, friends.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Week 22 Weigh-in

Starting weight: 505.4 lbs
Week 22 Weight: 456.8 lbs
Week 22 Change: +0.2 lbs
Total Weight Loss: 48.6 lbs

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So yeah. There's that.

And now, Thanksgiving Week is upon us. *shudder*

Just kidding. I'm not too worried. Different approach, different mindset this year. Good things.

I'm still signed up for the 10K in two days. That, I'm a little more worried about. But hey. I'll go slow, pay attention to my body, and get through.

I know there are some of you that are incredibly frustrated with me. Maybe even think I'm hopeless, that I don't want to change.  There's nothing that I can say that will change your opinion of me and what i'm doing, so i'm not going to bother. I just wanted to acknowledge that I know you're there. Thanks for hanging around anyway.

Happy Thanksgiving, kids. Make good choices. Win the (turkey) day. That's my goal, too.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Week 21 Weigh-in: Wait, what happened to Week 20?

Starting weight: 505.4 lbs
Week 21 Weight: 456.6 lbs
Week 21 Change: -1.0 lbs
Total Weight Loss: 48.8 lbs

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Little things can throw off the balance, and when the difference between success and failure is measured in ounces, these little things make a big difference.

Two days before the Week 20 weigh-in, I was showing about a half-pound loss.  Not good, but a loss. Figured I could maybe pull another half-pound before I had to weigh in.

Over the next two days, I ate pretty well, but my diet included some salty foods. Apparently A LOT of salty foods.

On the scale, I was UP 5.2 pounds.  And I could vouch for the fact that I didn't eat those extra calories in 2 days, so clearly the salt (I came to realize later) was a big deal.

But it was a blow. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't lose my composure on the scale.

And I started to skid. Made some dumb food choices. This is something I'm doing a little more lately, which worries me. I'll have a rough day, and slip on a meal or two afterward. I'll "forget" to point.  Emotional eating has always been an Achilles heel.  Frankly, this is why the last 10 pounds has taken me more than 2 months. I'll have a meal (or a day) where I don't follow the plan. I give up a little, and then come back.

So. Got back on track, ate extra potassium, drank water, all that.

On Saturday, was down 6.2 pounds, for an effective 1 pound loss over two weeks.  Again, disappointing. But at least it was in the right direction.

I'm 1.2 pounds away from my 50-lb/10% goal. It's about dadgum time, too.

That's all I've got to say for myself. Sorry for the radio silence. I figured I'd rather wait and have proof that the weight gain was truly chemistry-related, and not the result of binge eating. (Because that would have been what, an extra 18,000 calories? Daaaaaang.)

I'll hopefully have a celebratory post next week. Till then, waddle on.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Week 19 Weigh-in: Nothing much to report.

Starting weight: 505.4 lbs
Week 19 Weight: 457.6 lbs
Week 19 Change: -1.4 lbs
Total Weight Loss: 47.8 lbs

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Sorry for the late update. I really don't have that much to say about the weight loss. Glad it's still moving in the right direction. Wish it were moving faster.

But hey, here's something:

On Sunday afternoon, I walked/jogged the Monster Mash 5K for the third year in a row.  No costume, sadly. But I was just happy to be out there.  And without really training for it, being under-hydrated and sleep-deprived, I was still able to set a PR (personal record) of 59:42 for the distance.  It's a pathetic time, but it's my best, so I'll take it.  I even jogged for a minute or so in a couple of stretches during Miles 2 and 3. Never did that before either.

And that sub-60 time? Purely the difference in weight, which just blows me away. If I had properly trained, I might have been able to shave at least a few minutes off THAT time.  This is the first race I've done in about 11 months, and just losing 35-40 pounds between then and now made a huge difference.  I look forward to seeing how losing even more will help me going forward.

So. Positives all around. Trying to keep on the straight and narrow, diet-wise, which has been tricksy with Halloween. Basically, when I give in, I just have to count it all and make it work. Hopefully, my counts have been true and my body is able to cope with the sugar influx. 

Non-Scale Victory: Not buying any discounted Halloween candy.  Boom.

Have a good rest of your week, gang. Hopefully, the next post will be a milestone celebration.  If not, well, then it'll be the next one. I'm in it for the long haul, remember?