Friday, June 23, 2017

Feeling Good Friday-Milestone Edition

I'm going to jump right in and say officially hooray! I hit a mental milestone where the weight loss dipped, not much but dipped below a certain number that was agonizing me for years. Actually, I had ping ponged below this weight off an on for the last two weeks, but I'm using my Friday weigh in as the official tracking from week to week so the minor daily variables aren't factored in. I'm disappointed that it was only a .8 pound loss, yet even little movement is better. My total weight loss is now 12.6 pounds. I was lamenting with DD1 about how I am frustrated that the scale isn't responding more to my careful eating and increased walking. She's my cheerleader though, reminding me that plateaus will happen and then boosts in weight loss will occur. V reminded me on our walk the other night that building muscle will help spark my metabolism. I hope both are right. My over confidence in easily losing 20 pounds by July 28th has taken a turn to doubt. 7.4 pounds to go in four weeks seemed doable  three weeks ago, but averaging 1.85 pounds per week seems like a mountain right now. Still, let's crack on with other things that are helping me feel well.
  1. My mental disposition is still not terrific, but "faking it" last week sure helped me not slide further into wallowing. I just have a lot in my head space right now and the mental fatigue manifests into physical fatigue. Yet, I didn't hibernate this week and last weekend as I would have liked. DH and I went out, sort of, last Friday night. We went to the lake Sunday, I had my work trip, and V and I got our walk in after having had a week and 1/2 of cancellations. I'm meeting up with one of my birth friends for coffee today.
  2. I took actual pictures this week for a blog post. Granted, they were just with my phone at the hotel grounds where my work meetings were held, but being that taking more pictures for my blog is a goal for this space, I liked posting a few on Tuesday morning.  
  3. I walked my longest walk with V on Wednesday night so far, 3.64 miles total. Her tracker showed  we burned over 500 calories. 
  4. Unfortunately, I know I over did the walking, as by the time we were back, my left knee was sore and starting to throb. I had to spend the bulk of yesterday with a heating pad and elevation, but I'm happy to say today it is more normal. There's always a bit of pain, but I've just become accustomed to it. I still managed a short walk with pup last night and some toning exercises. 
  5. The slightly cooler weather prompted me to clean out the fridge with all the loose and odd vegetables and make a big crock pot of vegetable noodle soup. I used the whole wheat pasta, just two cups dried, with a huge vat of soup so the simple carb ratio is quite low per serving, but loaded with vegetables. Besides feeling like the soup was practically free since I used all odds and ends of veg that was about to go off, we'll get two meals+ out of it, leaving me time to devote to things other than cooking meals.
I think I need to spend some time today in my little notebooks, making some lists, scratching out a few plans for exercise and mindfulness. If you are trying to lose weight, please share any words of encouragement you are finding helpful. Is anyone else fighting  mental gray matter? Grab a cup of coffee and let's talk!



14 comments:

  1. congrats on the weight loss! Let me just say that . . . it's hard! I was doing great with the strength training,but a weekend away followed by an insane week at work means that I'm feeling really off track. Combined that with a week without kids & three nights of eating out, which is crazy unusual for us. My calories have been a disaster too. But, back on the horse!

    My only big learnings this time around. . . more strength training where possible, even at the expense of cardio. Also, I'm a HUGE popcorn lover. It's one of my downfalls, because I love it with plenty of butter. :-)

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    1. Eating out is a hard one. Everything has sneaky calories and is often so delicious that portion control is tough. The toning, strenght, and core stuff is what I also need. Walking and swimming are my aerobic activities as I can't run or do exercise that pounds on my knees, but no excuses for the other.

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  2. So great to hear you sounding more positive. And I love the lake photo. Keep 'em coming.

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    1. I'd like to take credit for that lake picture, but that was an old stock photo! I'll get my camera out soon again though.

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  3. There's an ad campaign funded by the National Lottery in the UK called "This Girl Can" It's a follow on from one a couple of years ago...it's women of all ages, shapes and sizes exercising. Motivational and inspirational. You'll find it on Youtube if you want to see the films. Well done. 12lb is an amazing amount of weight. Arilx

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    1. Yes, feeling motivated even when not the size we'd like to be, is important. I fully support the body positive at all shapes and sizes, but in healthy ways. I know my weight has devastating impact on my overall health and wellness because of my anemia and arthritis, so it is more than just wanting to look better.

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  4. Slow an steady loss is definitely better than fast loss gained back - you are now creating/changing habits for the future and that, my friend, doesn't come fast. If I have one tip it would be don't make July 28th your end date, make it a minigoal date. Greece was a minigoal date for me which kept me on track on holiday and when I got back I was within 3 pounds of my weight loss goal - I reaevaluated and want to lose even more so it is likely I won't see an end date until sometime in the fall now. As long as my loss is at least a pound a week I have victory.

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    1. July 28th is just a mini goal as that is the day we leave for my nieces wedding, and I had wanted to lose 20 pounds by then-before I bought a new dress. Ultimately, if I go back to my Jan 1, 2016 weight, My total goal was to drop 65 pounds to be at the weight that got me into the normal weight range for my height under the BMI calculator.With today, that still brings me to needing to lose 45.8 pounds. I am in this for the long haul, so I know there are eating habits I cannot go back to and need to make moving more through walking, swimming, and core/strength exercise a priority. Once I hit the 20 pound marker, I will be very happy with a pound a week, meaning next spring I'll hopefully be as healthy weight wise as I was 18 years ago, before being pregnant with DD2. I value all the online support I get from you all on this blog.

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  5. Losing weight is pretty easy for me to do, unfortunately I am an excellent finder of lost things!

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    1. that's funny. The losing part is hard for me, but I keep finding weight I never lost to begin with.

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  6. 12lbs is great Sam nearly a stone bloody marvellous I think. I'm doing yoga every day as it's more of a toning thing for me plus I want to feel strong and flexible. Used to practice yoga a lot then somehow just drifted away not sure why. Anyway I've found a lovely inspirational lady on IG and she's keeping me motivated. I'm also walking a lot so all good so far.Yoga also good for our mental health I find it centres me and quietens my mind etc. A little every day goes a long way Sam

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    1. I feel like I should find a yoga class first so I know the right positions and could be corrected. My son is very into yoga amd says the same as you've shared.

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  7. Your "feeling good" post makes me feel good too! .8 of a pound may not seem like much but when added with all those other little losses it is significant! And I just know that all of that walking has contributed as well. Keep going!!

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  8. So glad to hear that you are down at total of over 12 lbs! That's awesome! I completely understand the whole mental milestone/numbers game. I too have a couple of those knocking around in my head....Haha! Great job! You got this SAM! =)

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