Weigh in 4:9

This was a really interesting week.  The past few days have shown me just how much food can affect how I feel and just how fast that can happen.  Today I have a pretty blistering headache, and though I do not know what it is from I am reasonably sure what I ate recently had something to do with it.  I can say with some surety that I am not dehydrated, so at least there is that.  Even with my big cheat day Monday I still had excellent results.  I had an early job interview this morning, so I had to weigh in after eating breakfast, but it was a pretty light meal.  I weighed in at 392.6, which is a drop of 2.4 pounds.  Every week I seem to do just a bit better, and it is definitely the trajectory I want to be on.  The goal for next week is to get into the 380's.  I'd also love to start to see some reduction in clothing sizes.  I think I am close to going down a pants size, so that will be nice when it happens.  One of the benefits of having done this before is that I have an excellent selection of clothing in various sizes, so I won't have to do much shopping, and since I organized it a few months ago I know where all of it is.  It is the little things I guess.

I got some decent exercise this week between a couple walks and a dance call, but I can definitely do more in that area.  Something I have yet to do in all my years trying to be healthier is make exercise an everyday part of my routine.  I want it to be habitual.  I want to notice when I don't do it, and that is going to take practice and repetition.  There is nothing for it but to do it over and over until it is second nature.  That is a path I want to start now.

I feel I have set some good, solid goals this week, and they are things I really think I can accomplish before I head home to Texas for a little bit.  Here's to another good week.

Ch-Ch-Changes

All of us are getting older.  I am certainly not as far down my path as some, and I hope I have a really long time left, but sometimes I feel a difference.  Today I had an audition early and got pretty sweaty at the lengthy dance call.  I had the rest of the day off, so I decided to treat myself to lunch and a movie.  I got a burger for lunch and a treat at the movie and pretty much destroyed my budget for the day, but I was okay with that because I had not used any of my discretionary points for the week.  What I was not OK with was the way it made me feel.  I was a bit sodden down after lunch, but the treat destroyed me.  I got chocolate covered almonds as a decent choice (but it was still candy).  I thought I was doing ok but by the time they hit my system I could barely see straight.  I had the whole shebang: Headache, rushing pulse, and I felt antsy.  It is official: I cannot do sugar anymore.  When I was younger, as I am sure was true for most of you, I could put back just about anything.  Now I feel worse after eating too much sugar than after drinking a bit too much.  It is a little odd because candy and sweets have been such a big roadblock for me.  I guess this is just another little bit of incentive to be smart about it.

Weigh In 4:8

Another week, another set of solid results.  I was hoping for bigger numbers, but down is good.  I lost nearly 2 pounds this week and I am now down to 395 exactly.  That puts me more than 15 pounds down since starting Weight Watchers, and considering the up and down nature of my progress since then I feel good about that.  I am behind for my May goal, but it is a pretty ambitious one.  What I really need, and what I really WANT is a big week.  6-8 pounds.  One of those every once in a while does so much for my confidence and adds a great boost to my motivation.  One of the nicest things this morning was being able to cross another benchmark off of my fridge.  I should explain.  On my refrigerator I have a graduated countdown for every five pounds.  395 was the next to hit and I got it today, so I got to cross it off.  Next is 390, and I'd like to be there in the next two weeks, although next week is doable if I have a great week.  I haven't really been sacrificing a lot, so in terms of the balance I am striking I am in a pretty good place.  I also got out for 3 legit walks this week, so I am getting much closer to my exercise goals.  Yesterday I got stuck downtown for a few hours so I just walked around.  I started around Willis Tower, went to Millennium Park, walked around the park, got lunch outside, and walked to work.  All in all about 3.5 miles and at least an hours worth of walking.  Unfortunately I was in my dress shoes, so I ended up with some mean blisters, but I had a glorious afternoon, so it was worth it.

One positive from this week is that my cravings for and my ability to resist sweets have gotten better.  I want them far less frequently, and when I do, and I walk into 7-11 and stare at the ice cream cabinet, I am better able to say "No, I can't buy this because I will eat the whole pint right now".  Which would be 900 or so calories.  I also feel sugar in my system a lot more.  If I indulge in more than a modest amount I end up with a killer headache and some pretty bad dyspepsia too.  This is probably from dehydration (sugar is hydrophilic) but the lesson is to keep off the sweet stuff.

Ok, for the coming week I want to keep going on the goals I set last time.  I want to work in a little bit more strength training.  Some core work and a little bit more weights.  I did a little bit of arm work while I was bored, and I can feel it, but I need more consistency if I want lean muscle mass.

Check Up

I went back in today to see how my body has responded to the blood pressure medication and I am very happy to say I am at near normal levels now.  The remaining 10-20 points I need to drop are more properly attributable to my weight and continuing reducing sodium, so there is still progress to be made, but I am definitely on the right track.  Another perverse positive I took from it is that it wasn't all directly my fault.  It is now pretty clear that this is something I am pre-disposed to.  I don't know why, but that makes me feel better about it.  As a bonus he even set me up on some heartburn/reflux medication.  It is the same as the over the counter stuff, but a lot cheaper as prescription.  Who knew?

I have noticed more than once that the quality of my environment plays a large part in how I treat myself.  I made a few changes at home this week that should make it just a little bit nicer of a place to spend time and it really does perk me up.

I treated myself to a little pasta yesterday, but I didn't go overboard and stayed around my point goal for the day.  I still hope for 4 pounds this week and I feel I can do it.

Weigh In 4:7

Solid week.  I was able to let go a little bit this weekend and still have good results.  I would have preferred a slightly bigger number, but I wasn't really disappointed at any time this week (except I got a little tired of salads) so that seems like a solid balance.  I lost 2 pounds this week so I am down to 396.8.  I wanted to be at 390 by today, so I am a bit behind, but I had two pretty awful weeks to start the month, so I am reasonably sure I did the best I could the last 3 or so weeks.

This month my goal is to add back in some more physical activity.  The weather has finally gotten pleasant, at least for the time being, so I went out for a walk last night.  I am also going to start back up some light weight lifting.  Adding some lean muscle mass should help keep my metabolism up and help me burn through more calories even at rest.  I need to be a little bit careful how hard I push things because of my now diagnosed blood pressure issues, so I won't be going balls out anytime soon, but a little here or there 3 or 4 days a week at a minimum should be a good start and help build good habits.

For the past couple weeks a friend and I have been helping to keep each other honest and texting our daily food diary to each other.  I didn't ask her before I posted this, so I will just say thank you to her and that it has been really helpful to have some extra motivation to be smart about my intake, particularly late at night when I am at my weakest in terms of cravings.  It is a lot easier to stay out of the fridge once I have texted at the end of the day, and that has been a really positive step.  I am not really one for meetings or talking about what I eat and my health with strangers (in person) so the blog and a well placed friend are my best tools for staying accountable and making good progress.

So, goals for the month:
Get up to walking or getting some exercise 4 times a week.
Keep tracking every day.
Keep adding more fruit into my diet.  I seem to have great success on the days where I get at least 2 servings.  The fruit seems to stay with me longer and prevents me from getting too hungry.
Get down to 380.  Maybe overly abitious, but I've got 4 and a half weeks, so that's less than 4 pounds a week.  If I am smart and aggressive I can do that no problem.  I am due for some strong weeks.