Monday evening, I went to the university gym with some friends to play wallyball. I ran into my coworker's husband who I see on a fairly regular basis, though it had been a few weeks since the last time. We chatted for several minutes, then I rejoined my friends and had a fun-filled evening.
The next morning, I mentioned seeing her husband at the gym, and my coworker said he hadn't recognized me! He said my voice was familiar but my looks weren't. He said it took him a few moments to realize who I was. I couldn't believe it!
Do I really look that different?
Logically, I know I must - I've lost 134 lbs to-date - how could I look the same? I definitely feel different. I have more energy and feel lighter. And yet, when I look in the mirror, I don't think I look so different that someone who knows me fairly well (like my coworker's husband) wouldn't recognize me.
I mean, I'm glad that I look different...that's one of the goals I had hoped to achieve with the band. It's just funny to me that people tell me I look so different and I think I look the same. I guess my brain just needs time to catch up with my changing body. *grin*
Friday, November 20, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Slowing Down?
Sigh.
Since February I've been losing an average of 10 lbs a month. I feel good about that amount - not so much as to be unhealthy but enough to keep me motivated and excited about my progress. There have been some rough patches along the way where I stay the same for awhile, but never longer than two weeks, then the numbers plunge down and I still end up losing about 10 lbs for the month.
Something has changed.
I've lost just 5 lbs since the beginning of October - a month and a half ago! Don't get me wrong, I'm glad the numbers on the scales are still going down, but it makes me wonder what's going on. Have I hit a plateau that is supposedly natural? Or, have I strayed far enough from the path I'm supposed to be on that it's affecting my weight loss? Because I have strayed. Quite a bit sometimes.
I still exercise a lot, about 6 days a week. And that's just the "formal" exercise I do like walking or riding my bike. I'm a lot more active than I once was - not just sitting around watching tv or reading. I'm up and doing things. I recently played wallyball for the first time and loved it! I feel really good about my activity level, and my level of activity makes me feel really good. *smile*
Typical of me, it's food that's doing me in. I still eat really small portions - my mind can't wrap itself around anything larger - but it's WHAT I eat that is killing me. Definitely a lot more carbs than I should eat...and not good carbs like vegetables. I'm talking about bread, pasta, and sweets. I know what caused this gradual trend away from solid, lean protein, but I can't make any excuses. I know I have to get back on track, but have you ever noticed how much harder it is to go back to doing something good than it is to stay doing good things and never straying? *Oh the possible life analogies!!!*
So, I know part of the slowing down is my fault, but I wonder if it's possible that I've hit a natural plateau. I've lost over 130 lbs in less than a year - does the body need a bit of time to adjust to that? I've heard a lot of stories about the last pounds being harder to lose than the first. I had hoped that I wouldn't hit a serious plateau until 150 lbs lost - that would put me at weighing under 200 lbs. Oh well. My first plan of attack is to get back on track with my eating. If that doesn't kick start the weight loss again, I'll figure out what to do next.
On a happy note, even though I haven't lost much weight in the past 45 days, I'm losing inches from my body. No, I've never measured, so I don't know this exactly, but the new clothes I bought at the beginning of October are fitting more loosely than they did when I bought them. For example, my jeans are almost to the point where I can slide them down without unzipping them. A button-up shirt my mom gave me used to be kind of tight around my hips and stomach, now it hangs quite loosely. Woohoo!
I'm a silver lining kind of gal.
Since February I've been losing an average of 10 lbs a month. I feel good about that amount - not so much as to be unhealthy but enough to keep me motivated and excited about my progress. There have been some rough patches along the way where I stay the same for awhile, but never longer than two weeks, then the numbers plunge down and I still end up losing about 10 lbs for the month.
Something has changed.
I've lost just 5 lbs since the beginning of October - a month and a half ago! Don't get me wrong, I'm glad the numbers on the scales are still going down, but it makes me wonder what's going on. Have I hit a plateau that is supposedly natural? Or, have I strayed far enough from the path I'm supposed to be on that it's affecting my weight loss? Because I have strayed. Quite a bit sometimes.
I still exercise a lot, about 6 days a week. And that's just the "formal" exercise I do like walking or riding my bike. I'm a lot more active than I once was - not just sitting around watching tv or reading. I'm up and doing things. I recently played wallyball for the first time and loved it! I feel really good about my activity level, and my level of activity makes me feel really good. *smile*
Typical of me, it's food that's doing me in. I still eat really small portions - my mind can't wrap itself around anything larger - but it's WHAT I eat that is killing me. Definitely a lot more carbs than I should eat...and not good carbs like vegetables. I'm talking about bread, pasta, and sweets. I know what caused this gradual trend away from solid, lean protein, but I can't make any excuses. I know I have to get back on track, but have you ever noticed how much harder it is to go back to doing something good than it is to stay doing good things and never straying? *Oh the possible life analogies!!!*
So, I know part of the slowing down is my fault, but I wonder if it's possible that I've hit a natural plateau. I've lost over 130 lbs in less than a year - does the body need a bit of time to adjust to that? I've heard a lot of stories about the last pounds being harder to lose than the first. I had hoped that I wouldn't hit a serious plateau until 150 lbs lost - that would put me at weighing under 200 lbs. Oh well. My first plan of attack is to get back on track with my eating. If that doesn't kick start the weight loss again, I'll figure out what to do next.
On a happy note, even though I haven't lost much weight in the past 45 days, I'm losing inches from my body. No, I've never measured, so I don't know this exactly, but the new clothes I bought at the beginning of October are fitting more loosely than they did when I bought them. For example, my jeans are almost to the point where I can slide them down without unzipping them. A button-up shirt my mom gave me used to be kind of tight around my hips and stomach, now it hangs quite loosely. Woohoo!
I'm a silver lining kind of gal.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Virtual Route 12
To be honest, I'm amazed sometimes how long I've lasted at recording my exercise. This virtual journey has really helped. Now, if only I could come up with something that motivates me to journal my food intake. Oh well. Here's my latest progress:
And, because I didn't really accomplish anything "fun" this trip, here is a picture of the whole trip so far. You'll definitely have to click on the picture to do it justice.
Stats:
Start date of this leg: 10.01.09
# of days traveled: 24
# of stationary days: 7
Miles traveled: 100.4
Hours on the road: 18.5
Calories burned: 9,217
Total miles traveled: 1054.8
Miles 'til NYC: 1301.8
Thoughts:
I definitely struggled this month. I accomplished just one of my goals from last month - traveling over 100 miles. I didn't even come close to my other goals; only exercised 8 mornings, only 3 days of exercising more than once, and missed 7 days. I'm glad that there's room for improvement, it gives me something to shoot for for next month.
Seriously, exercising in the morning has to become a priority! My evenings are so busy and promise to become even busier now that the holiday season is upon us. Plus, I'm a Pampered Chef consultant now - putting on cooking shows contributed to three of the days I missed because I didn't exercise the morning of the show. In order to wake up early enough to ride my bike, I have GOT to start going to bed earlier. Isn't it amazing how easy it is to break good habits? I remember when my lights were off by 11pm and I was consistently waking up at 6:30 to walk. Sigh. Those were the days. *smile*
On a positive note, I've started to run. I've wanted to run for years! I loved the idea of my whole body working so efficiently and smoothly, the wind blowing my hair. I sometimes wondered if the idea was better than the actual running would be since it had been so very long since the last time I had run (think middle school). So far, running is as good as I always dreamed it could be.
Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not talking about lengthy runs. I just run a little bit each time I go for a walk. So far, I haven't figured out the distance I'm able to run before stopping. However, I've noticed that I'm able to run a lot longer than I could at the beginning of the month. My legs feel so good after running, it makes me excited to run again! I have three running goals for the future:
1. Run once around the track without stopping.
2. Run a mile without stopping (4x around the track).
3. Run a 5k (3.2 miles) without stopping
I don't know when I'll accomplish these goals, but I'll definitely let you know when I do. In the meantime, I'm loving having something new to do. If only winter wasn't coming. I'm not looking forward to exercising indoors. Oh well.
Next Month's Goals:
1. Only miss 4 days and travel 100+ miles. Totally do-able if I exert enough effort.
2. Have 7 "two-a-days". This one is kind of tricky, but I really do believe I can accomplish it.
3. Exercise 15 times in the morning. I lowered the number of times, but it's still pretty lofty considering my current situation. I'm trying to shoot for the stars. *smile*
And, because I didn't really accomplish anything "fun" this trip, here is a picture of the whole trip so far. You'll definitely have to click on the picture to do it justice.
Stats:
Start date of this leg: 10.01.09
# of days traveled: 24
# of stationary days: 7
Miles traveled: 100.4
Hours on the road: 18.5
Calories burned: 9,217
Total miles traveled: 1054.8
Miles 'til NYC: 1301.8
Thoughts:
I definitely struggled this month. I accomplished just one of my goals from last month - traveling over 100 miles. I didn't even come close to my other goals; only exercised 8 mornings, only 3 days of exercising more than once, and missed 7 days. I'm glad that there's room for improvement, it gives me something to shoot for for next month.
Seriously, exercising in the morning has to become a priority! My evenings are so busy and promise to become even busier now that the holiday season is upon us. Plus, I'm a Pampered Chef consultant now - putting on cooking shows contributed to three of the days I missed because I didn't exercise the morning of the show. In order to wake up early enough to ride my bike, I have GOT to start going to bed earlier. Isn't it amazing how easy it is to break good habits? I remember when my lights were off by 11pm and I was consistently waking up at 6:30 to walk. Sigh. Those were the days. *smile*
On a positive note, I've started to run. I've wanted to run for years! I loved the idea of my whole body working so efficiently and smoothly, the wind blowing my hair. I sometimes wondered if the idea was better than the actual running would be since it had been so very long since the last time I had run (think middle school). So far, running is as good as I always dreamed it could be.
Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not talking about lengthy runs. I just run a little bit each time I go for a walk. So far, I haven't figured out the distance I'm able to run before stopping. However, I've noticed that I'm able to run a lot longer than I could at the beginning of the month. My legs feel so good after running, it makes me excited to run again! I have three running goals for the future:
1. Run once around the track without stopping.
2. Run a mile without stopping (4x around the track).
3. Run a 5k (3.2 miles) without stopping
I don't know when I'll accomplish these goals, but I'll definitely let you know when I do. In the meantime, I'm loving having something new to do. If only winter wasn't coming. I'm not looking forward to exercising indoors. Oh well.
Next Month's Goals:
1. Only miss 4 days and travel 100+ miles. Totally do-able if I exert enough effort.
2. Have 7 "two-a-days". This one is kind of tricky, but I really do believe I can accomplish it.
3. Exercise 15 times in the morning. I lowered the number of times, but it's still pretty lofty considering my current situation. I'm trying to shoot for the stars. *smile*
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