Measurements

I don't even know if I measure all of these right or if it's what the parts are actually called, but I know I do it the same every time. The first number is from October. The second number is from today.

Weight: 138, 124
Neck: 12.5, 12
Chest: 31, 30.5
Bicep: 10.5, 10.5
Waist: 28, 26.5
Hips: 37.5, 36
Abdomen: 38.5, 37.5
Thigh: 22.5, 21
Calf: 14, 13.5

Hey

I just wanted to say that I've been at 126 for 2 days now. Plus, it's TTOM, so maybe I'll have a drop in a few days. Funny how thrilled I am with 1-2 lbs lost per week. There was a time (before all this) where I wouldn't have even been satisfied with 5 lbs in a week. It really does add up over time. Think about it...6 months of 2 lbs per week is 52 lbs....12 months, 104 lbs. I know this isn't news, but it just demonstrates the importance of consistency. Eat somewhat clean for a year instead of 100% clean for 1 week. Just speaking for myself here, but...when I do 100% clean, there is always a crash and burn after about a week. I think it just depends on your personality though.

I have friends that thrive with an all or nothing attitude. That just doesn't seem to work for me. One thing that I've been doing is really watching my diet during the week. It's easy for me to stick to the routine. On weekends, I relax a little...not going all out, but enjoying a burger, potato salad, doritos, or whatever...still moderate portions though. I get back to it on Monday (breakfast bar, lean cuisine, snacks, regular dinner, lots of water). Then I start weighing myself again on Thursday. By this time, the water weight is pretty much gone, and I usually see a drop from the prior week...and it continues to drop until Saturday. Then I start it all over. The key is to not go super crazy over the weekend and gain 5 - 10 lbs. I still avoid Chinese and Mexican food if I can help it. While I love both of them, I just have a hard time getting back on track after indulging in them.

Another thing that's been working for me...when I feel like snacking out of boredom, I try to drink coffee or maybe even make myself a martini. While drinking alcohol might not seem to be the best solution, it's not too bad for me, because I almost always stop after 1 drink...way less calories than the chips and salsa or the cheese and crackers.

The bottom line is this is what has been working for me. It might not work for you. Over the past 2 years, I've changed up my strategy many times. It's helped keep me going through all this. Sometimes I'm more fitness focused. Right now, I'm almost purely diet focused, and I'm seeeing huge results. I haven't been at this weight since I was probably 19 or 20. Even then, I weighed more like 130 on average. I think I averaged between 125 in high school. Once I dropped to 118...for about a month or so when I was 20, which was my perfect weight in my opinion. I'd love to see it again. In fact, I just might do it.

Finally, last demf I weighed 137. Not only have I kept the weight off, but I've been able to take off another 10+ lbs. I fully expect to be 125 by next weekend...probably 123, which was my original ultimate goal for demf 2008.

Ok. I know this blog was ALL over the place, but I suddenly felt talkative. Have a great weekend.

Weekend Update

So, last week I saw 129, then the weekend hit. I was kind of eating poorly (pizza & just junk in general). On Saturday, I started to eat a coney dog that didn't even taste that good. This was after having a huge breakfast sandwich. I pretty much stopped after 2 bites to ask myself why I was doing this. I know that it wasn't out of hunger. It wasn't because it tasted good. It was just to satisfy some psychological need. Stupid. Luckily, I was able to stop eating then. The weekend eating got a little better after that. Just moderate.

During this week, I buckled down again, and I've seen 127 on the scale 2 days in a row now. I think I'll be fine with my eating this weekend. I'm feeling determined. I will bump up the calories a little probably, but that's ok.

I do think that I'll hit 125 by demf. 2 lbs in 2 weeks. I can do that.

Blog Blog Blog

Ok. So there's really not that much to report, so I thought I'd talk about my latest shopping experience. There's a new stand-alone JCP down the street from me, and JCP is a fan of the shawtie, so I'm super excited. I decided to pay them my first visit last Thursday, and I must say that it was a great success. Of course I wanted to test out their 6 Petites. My exciting news is that the 6P's pretty much fit. They actually looked better than the 8P's. Yay. I ended up buying 2 skirts, 2 tops, and 1 pair of pants. The Petite Mediums didn't look quite right, so I tried on Petite Smalls. Much better.

I haven't been that good with my eating, but I kinda think that I'm being hard on myself. This is good. It helps me stay on track. I'm not sure if I'll make 125 by demf, but I will honestly be happy if I'm still in the 120 range period. I haven't really been at this weight since before I got married almost 13 years ago.

It's progress.

Update

I know I haven't blogged much lately, but things are going well still. I actually thought that I'd probably gained a few pounds over the past week or so since my eating has not been very good. However, I was about to order pizza last night when I decided to weigh myself. I was shocked to see 129. I ended up not ordering pizza, and it was nice to see 129 again this morning.

This makes me happy and I still have hopes of seeing 125 by demf. 29 days left. I can so do this.

All is well...

I've been steadily losing the weight that I gained during my bad month, and I'm down in the low 130's again. This puts me right on track to the 123 that I wanted to be by demf, which happens to be just over 5 weeks away now...eeeeck.

Last night was assessment time for bootcamp. I lost 7 pounds from the last assessment about 4 weeks ago. Not bad, not bad. This next month is the one that counts though. As I've said before...the person that makes the most progress gets a free month of bootcamp. There are a lot of participants this time around, so I'm not sure if I'll have a shot. I can only do my best though.

I saw someone at the doctor's office tonight that I used to do TEAM Weight Loss with (about a year and a half ago). She didn't even recognize me at first, since I'm down about 50 pounds since she last saw me.

As far as the rest of my life goes, everything is quite nice right now.

Beautiful Day

Today was by far the nicest day we've had so far this year - in the mid 70's. It's exactly what I've needed - everything just seems right.

I had a lot of company this weekend, but I think I did quite well with my eating and drinking overall. My strategy right now is to stay low on the calories during the week, and bump it up over the weekend (in a controlled fashion). We'll see if this works.

I went to every session of bootcamp last week (and tonight), and I also ran on the treadmill Friday morning.

We get assessed on Monday, and we're doing something cool for the next month. The person that sees the most change by the next assessment gets a free month of bootcamp - this class is so not cheap, so that's an excellent reward. It's not just based on weight and body fat percentage. We also assess pushups, crunches, running, and overall cardiovascular health. I am going to try my best to win.

46 days until demf...