Weigh In #8

200.4

I will be below 200 as I enter the new year. It seems unbelievable to me that I have actually stuck to this goal. I now believe that I can do this. It is a slow and steady process. It's not all downhill at all, but it isn't as difficult as I imagined.

It has been a little over 4 months, one third of a year, and I've lost a little more than 20 pounds.

If that's my rate, I'll need more time to get to goal. That's fine. I'm taking this one day at a time.

Weigh In #7

202.8

Yippee. It's not a big loss, but it's a loss nonethess. These holiday gatherings are really full of temptations. I'm maintaining my loss from the summer and losing a little bit, so I have to pat myself on the back. I wish it were happening more quickly, but there's more chance that I won't regain if I maintain this level of vigilance.

I'm like a broken record about exercise. Maybe I'm going to go right now and get a locker. That's a first step.

Weigh In #6

205.7

That's up .4 since last week.

The good news is that my measurements are considerably lower than in July when I last took them.

Chest 42 Waist 36 Hips 43

I'm losing slowly, but I'm losing. At this rate I'll reach my goal by my next birthday. I'm trying to get under 200 by the end of the month, and I'm not sure I'll get there. I might be more likely to if I moved more. I'm going to do that, even if it's only the stairs and walking to the subway stop that's 1/4 mile away instead of 2 blocks. Every little bit helps, and I've been putting so much energy into the food that I've neglected the exercise. I know that's an important piece of this puzzle. I'm just having a block about it.

Weigh In--about to cross 200

205.3

It has been slow going over the past few weeks. I haven't posted updates even though I have been weighing in every week.

I'm still 5+ pounds away but 199 is in my sights. I can do this. I'm still on track losing 1 1/2 pounds a week to reach my goal before my next birthday with 3 weeks to spare. I need to start exercising, because that's the one piece that I have been avoiding. I've been focusing on the food and avoiding the binging/overeating that sets me back. So far so good.

People who haven't seen me in a while are starting to notice. I'm wearing a smaller size, even though I haven't bought many new clothes. I don't want to invest in more XLs so I'm waiting.

Weigh in #4

209.2

Baby!

I think my Wii may be underreporting slightly, but it's what I've been using. It's in the ballpark anyway, and I am over the moon about dropping into the aughts. 199 is only a little more than 10 pounds away.

I met with a nutritionist, so I'm looking at my eating behavior with someone, and so far it has been a big help. Today at the grocery store I had a moment. I really wanted the battered fish. I put it back and got the grilled fish. It's a small step, but I think it's important to make small choices like that all the time. I'm not feeling deprived, and I'm eating foods I like.

I was really dedicated about the gym in July and August. Not so much in September. I'll get to it. It feels like I need to work on one thing at a time. Food felt really crazy while I was in California. Now that I'm back into my regular routine, it's easier to make solid choices.

I've got my head in this game. Oh yeah.

2 Months

I am at 216.3.

Up side

I have been exercising regularly and I am wearing a smaller jean size. 18s are definitely too big. 16 is about right but I bought a pair of 14s that fit fine.

I feel pretty good. Most of the time I'm not falling off the wagon food wise.

Down side

The weight is not coming off as I'd like. I know it's a combination of food and exercise and I intend to meet with a dietician and a trainer before the week is out.

Weigh In #3

213.8

That's up 1.1 pounds

I do not understand. I ate under 1200 calories and exercised 4 out of the 7 days. Am I eating too little? Am I not exercising enough or hard enough? Was it my period?

I'm not going to get discouraged. I take comfort in seeing curves and shapes in my body that were not there two weeks ago. I feel and see change happening. It's just not registering on the scale.

Weigh In #2

212.7

That's down 6.2 pounds

Good first week. Consistent with the exercise. Consistent with the food. Maybe I'm undereating a little bit but nothing major. I need to keep an eye on that.

I've been reading Women, Food and God and it's really forcing me to think about the idea of dieting. I need to keep track of my food because I tend to either eat too little or too much. I'm paying attention to hunger. I have been skipping dinner for the most part. Sometimes I have a light snack. It doesn't feel like deprivation.

I'll have one more Wii weigh in before leaving for California. I'm really torn about whether to buy a scale to monitor progress or whether to just believe that I'm naturally gravitating to a healthier weight. I think I'm leaning towards no scale. It's 5 weeks but if I'm consistently exercising and logging food then I should be losing. I'm going to think about it some more; the weighing in feels a little compulsive and not healthy.

What did they say at the weight loss meeting, some people lose keeping a log and some people do not. I've lost while keeping a log and I've also not lost. More often than not if I stop logging it's because I'm eating compulsively and I don't want to write it down.

Good job so far.

Weigh Ins

I've been weighing every day and the number keeps going down. That makes sense, since I'm exercising and eating 1200-1500 calories per day. After tomorrow I'm going to scale back to two weekly weigh ins. Every day is too much, and once I stabilize it's a potential source of frustration.

This morning was 214.7. That's 4.2 pounds less from day 1, four days ago.

I'm thinking about next month. A scale will not be as handy. I am not traveling with my Wii balance board. Should I buy a scale so that I keep up the weekly weigh ins or just go through the month without stepping on the scale? I know I'll be losing, because I'll be keeping up the program.

Do I need the weigh-ins to keep me honest? Or can I substitute the tape measure for the weigh ins.?

Ramblings #1

Good start. Thanks to all the well wishers from FB who have been so encouraging.

I have several issues on my mind.

Food. What's the best way to do this? The 200 by 40 guy (Dave Moreno) replied to my question and said he followed WW points on a spreadsheet. I'm pretty happy with Lose It. He also recommended my FitnessPal which looks an awful lot like Lose It. The big question is whether I'm going to do Atkins or Scarsdale or some other 'diet' It seems like those work for a period of time but then you stop eating that way and revert to old eating habits.

Motivation. I need some things to look forward to...A massage at 210. A trainer at 200.

Exercise. I've been pretty consistent with the walking/swimming routine for the past week. I've done a walk/run of 1.5-2.7 mile distance. For the swimming, I'm actually doing the kickboard for much of the time in the pool. I added weight training and that also feels good.

Today was the first day that I saw myself without judgement. Sometimes I see myself as thinner than I actually am (there's a thin person inside me; I just know it). Sometimes I am full of self-loathing. While lifting weights I saw my body as it is now. It's large. I want it to be smaller. Stronger. Leaner.

Weigh In # 1

OK. It's official. I'm blogging the weight loss journey to keep myself accountable. I've had too many efforts that have been half-baked.

Weigh in today on Wii 218.9

Before picture

My waist in 39". I'm 44-39-45

I am starting here.