TODAY'S WORKOUT: Cathe Friedrich's Basic Step I haven't worked out all week because I've been sick with this stupid cold. Based on the amount of phlegm I coughed up while working out, I probably should have skipped it today, too. I pushed myself to work out even though I'm still not feeling great because today was weigh-in day. Last chance workout and all that. If I feel even mildly crappy tomorrow, I will skip working out again. I don't want to make myself even more sick than I already am. So, today was weigh-in day. According to our lying bastard of a scale, last week's weight loss: 4 lbs. Yeah, right. We know our scale is not very accurate to begin with and it gets even more innacurate when it's been exposed to moisture (on more than one occasion, I've "lost" three pounds just by taking a shower, according to that scale). Since I didn't get in to weigh myself until right after Mr Moo had taken his shower, I wasn't shocked to see a wonky reading. I was expecting to see a bit of a loss since I ate well all week and the bloat from my period finally went away, but 4 lbs? Come on, Mister Scale. Who are you trying to kid here? Unfortunately, we don't have another scale in the house for me to get a second opinion, so I've got to go with the reading it gave me. I'm sure my weight will be up at least a couple pounds tomorrow and, hopefully, I'll get a more accurate reading next Sunday. On a brighter note, even if I only really lost one pound this past week, it means I have now lost 40 lbs from my highest weight. Yay! I was stuck at 39 for a long while, so it feels great to finally have broken through this barrier. I've been asked about my actual weight and losses quite often and I've always hesitated to post specifics because, well, frankly, I was afraid. Afraid of being embarrassed by people knowing how badly I had let myself go and afraid of being ashamed if I wasn't able to meet my weight loss goals. Now that I've hit this milestone, I think it's high time I sucked it up and just posted my info. I'm really determined to lose the weight and keep it off this time, and what better way to hold myself accountable (finally) than to let the whole world see my progress. No more surreptitious quitting and hoping no one will notice. So, here it is: Height: 5' 2" Highest Weight: 167 (January 14, 2006) Current Weight: 124 Lowest Weight: 110 (February 15, 2002) Goal Weight: 110? 115? I'm short and small-framed, so 110 is not unreasonable. However, I'd rather be a bit more muscular than not, which would add some poundage. I guess I'll go with 110 for now and see about revising as I get closer to it. Pounds Lost: 43 It's been a long and tedious journey so far. Getting home from Christmas vacation last January (2006) and seeing 167 on the scale certainly was an eye-opener, but it still wasn't the ultimate catalyst. Yes, I groaned and wished I hadn't eaten quite so many Hershey Kisses while we were away, but I had kind of resigned myself to being fat and did my best to ignore it. It was seeing the photos of myself a few weeks later that really knocked me down. I was obese and needed to do something about it. Over the course of 2006, I half-assed dieted (mostly tried to stop eating so much pizza and other take-out) and even less than half-assed attempted to work out. I did manage to lose about 25 pounds by the time autumn rolled around, but then the holidays hit. And, boy, do they hit hard. I shot up several pounds within a few weeks. By the time January of this year rolled around, I could tell I was heading right back to where I had been. I knew if I didn't nip it in the bud and soon, I'd probably end up gaining back all of the weight I had lost and then some. And, no one wants that. Phase 2 of my current weight loss journey began in mid-February of this year. I started my food plan and got a lot more serious about working out on a regular basis. I began by going online and doing some homework. I started at the USDA's food pyramid website. I knew I wasn't eating nearly enough fruits or vegetables and virtually no whole grains at all. This had to change. I mapped out how many servings of everything I should be having daily/weekly and made a chart. I then started a list of foods along with their calories, fat and fiber (I also calculate the Weight Watchers points just for the frell of it) per USDA serving size using this website. I use this list to plan out my meals, making sure I eat an even distribution across the food groups each day. I don't always eat all of the servings recommended per day because I am restricting calories (moderately restricting, not starving myself like I've done in the past), but I do make sure I'm not eating too much from any one food group. I now eat a lot of what I call "naked food", a measured amount of a particular food cooked simply (lots o' grilling and steaming going on here) without anything else added (especially things like oil or butter) or without mixing things together, at least not until all of the individual components have been measured out precisely. For a lot of people, this would be much too bland of a diet, but it makes it extremely easy to monitor the exact serving size and amount of calories, and, since I'm a fussy eater anyway, it works well for me. Dieting this way takes work and sacrifice, and it's certainly not for everyone. However, if you're as anal retentive and compulsive as I am, it does work. It takes a lot of time to look up all the information in the beginning and there's a lot of measuring and weighing involved, but, after the first few weeks, it becomes much easier. I'm heading into my 16th full week of this and it's become second nature. I have my little scale, measuring cups and spoons out on a tray always ready to go. I keep my food list and weekly chart on the counter so I never have to search for it. I also try to cook larger quantities of things, like brown rice, then measure out and refrigerate single servings for the rest of the week, which is a big help. Like I said, not for everyone, but, if you're willing to give it a go, it does work. I'm living proof of that. |
