A Day in the Life

I'm very excited - down another few pounds. I'm at 202 now.  27 pounds since I started, 12 of which were in January alone (since I started Weight Watchers).

So I thought I'd share what I've been eating and doing for exercise since it seems to be working.

Breakfast:
I either have 1 cup of steel cut oatmeal (with a bit of splenda for sweetness) or two servings of Trader Joes High Fiber Cereal.

For my first snack I bring fat-free greek yogurt, which I sometimes gussy up with pomegranate seeds.  I also bring bananas and clementines.

For lunch and dinner I usually have something like rice with 15 bean soup, chicken and wild rice soup (I figured out a light recipe), or something else like that.

For evening snacks I'll have a miniature bagel with cheese or peanut butter, air-popped popcorn with a drizzle of flax seed oil and salt, or a strawberry milkshake made with skim milk, frozen strawberries, splenda and vanilla extract.

That's it. It keeps me filled up and I haven't really struggled with my Points at all.

For exercise I've been walking the dog a lot - we do about 2 miles in the morning, 3-4 in the afternoon, and another 2 before bed. I figure that's helping to keep my metabolism going all day, plus it keeps the dog happy too.

So that's my secret.  It's boring but I dig it.  I've been loving the bean soup so much I made my own mix:

FYI, 15 1-pound bags of beans makes 15 pounds of mixed beans. Should last me a LONG time.

10 Pound Rewards

I really like the idea of celebrating my intermediate successes with non-food splurges that I wouldn't otherwise buy.

I'm going to start at 30 pounds, since that's the next 10-pound increment. I still need some ideas for a few milestones.

30 pounds - 3 pounds of 100% Kona Coffee.  I've had it once and it was to die for. I wouldn't normally spend that much but it'll be my reward.

40 pounds - Get my car detailed. I'm sure there will be a groupon or living social deal for this at some point

50 pounds - A new, really nice cutlery set. I've been using the same Target set since college and I want nice knives.

60 pounds - Get my hair highlighted. I have really thick hair so this is no small expense.

70 pounds - ???

80 pounds - A random trip somewhere awesome and beachy.  Hopefully this will be during the summer - this will be the milestone where I'll be in a healthy BMI and I want to wear a swimsuit!

90 pounds - ???

100 pounds - ??? I'm thinking shopping spree for new clothes but I'll probably be buying things as I lose weight.

I'm open to ideas here.

I'm still here!

Oof I just realized I hadn't updated this in, uh, 10 weeks. Whoops!

I feel off the wagon for most of December.  I was in the middle east for a couple weeks, and then visiting family.  I generally don't diet when I'm traveling, especially in the middle east where the food is so amazing.  Enjoying fresh kibbeh, falafel sandwiches, and shwarma is worth it to me.  That being said, I didn't go totally crazy.

Anyway, I got back in early January from all of my travels and was up to around 214 again. So I decided to go back on Weight Watchers, on which I've had some success in the past.  I started three weeks ago, and I just weighed in at 205.2 Woot!!  I'm very happy!  I've been exercising a lot and not eating the extra points I earn from exercise, which I think makes a difference.

I'm VERY pleased with my progress. And once the scale starts moving, it's a lot easier to stay on track.

I've plotted out my weight loss goals, and at 2 pounds a week I'd be in a healthy BMI by my birthday at the end of August.  At 2.5 pounds a week I'd be at goal.  I don't want to get too eager because I know my body gets a vote on this too, but it would be REALLY nice to not be obese for another summer. If I stay on track, I'll be in the "overweight" category by Memorial Day.  Yippee!

And I have to give a shout out to my faithful four-legged trainer.  She's been a big part of this. We're up to walking about 6-7 miles a day now - good for both of us!

Something Must Be Working

For the last three weeks, I've been pretty much off plan.  It started with a party, and eating carby things and remembering how much I like them. Then things like tomato soup. Next thing you know I was eating sandwiches.  It wasn't a terrible binge - I was eating reasonable portions, just not tracking calories or carbs or really giving a shit.  For example, I developed a strange affinity for Trader Joe's tamales and have been eating one for breakfast every day.

So imagine my surprise today to step on the scale and see that I'm down to 210 (bringing my total weight loss to 18.2 pounds).  Last time I weighed I was hovering around 216 and not budging. This is the first time in my life I've stepped on a scale and the number was LOWER than what I was expecting.  I'm shocked.

And it's not a fluke either. My jeans are starting to fall off. I figured it was because they were a stretchier fabric, but I can't deny that practically falling off sometimes.

So what happened?  How could I possible lose weight without sticking to my time-tested practice of obsessing, daily weighing, and calorie counting?

A few theories:

1) The dog. I've been walking the dog a LOT, about 5-6 miles a day, sometimes more on weekends.  I really enjoy our walks - it gives me time to relax and let my mind wander and enjoy the fresh air. When I got her I struggled to walk 2 miles with her. Now I find myself adding on more distance just because I feel like. Last night our quick jaunt around the block turned into an hour and a half walk, just 'cause I felt like it.  It's great for her too - she's a high energy dog and has some fear aggression issues that make the dog park not an option anymore. We do need to work on some leash manners but we're getting there.  The walking is good for both of us.  I may even have to start jogging!

2) Thyroid meds. My doctor made a small adjustment a few weeks ago, and I've been feeling better on this new dosage. Plus it's fewer pills so I'm not forgetting to take them as much.

3) Antidepressants. A few weeks ago my doctor started me on a low dose of Celexa in a pre-emptive strike against my annual bout with seasonal affective disorder. I've never been on antidepressants in my life and resisted it for a while, but I finally decided I don't want to suffer through January and February anymore.  I have noticed that I feel a little more relaxed in general. This may also be linked to the thyroid and the dog. Who knows.

Whatever it is, something is clearly working!  And I'm going to try to capitalize on this initial success by making some small (non-obsessive) adjustments to my diet here and there.

Also, I'm saying goodbye to the fattest fat jeans.

And I'll keep taking my four-legged friend exploring.  I'm glad to have a friend who loves hiking as much as I do!

Sabotage!

UGH.

I am not happy with myself right now.  I had a good low carb day yesterday and then today I fell off the wagon and into a kiddie pool of that boy scout caramel corn.

Now I could make some good excuses - that I forgot to pack a lunch, that caramel corn IS THE FUCKING DEVIL, but here's the reality - I fucked up.  And I suspect it's far less about packing a lunch than it is about my commitment wavering. That I lost 13 pounds and all of a sudden I decided I needed to eat half my body weight in popcorn.  Holy WTF!

Why do I do this shit???

Day of Debauchery

Had a bit of a disruption to my eating and dog-training over the weekend, as my sister was in town.  Deciding it was easier to just eat like a normal person rather than get interrogated by my sister, I decided that one day off plan would be ok.  I didn't go crazy, brunch at a nice restaurant where I ate a beignet and some potatoes, a sorbet mid-day, and Thai food for dinner.

The dog, for her part, learned she could get away with a lot more too. My sister let her sleep in the bed, and the dog quickly figured out she could ignore my commands and go snuggle with my sister. So now good cop is gone, and she's stuck with bad cop.  She knows - after one attempt to jump on the couch she was reminded of who's the boss around here.

So we're back to our best behavior today - me in eating right and exercising, and the dog in following the rules.

It's Columbus Day, which I just love as a Federal employee, so I've got the day off.  The dog and I have some long walks planned, and I have lots of cleaning to do.

I've also decided to hire a cleaning service after I get some stuff put away.  I feel better and more in control when my home is clean, but I despise cleaning.  To me it's worth the cost to have someone else do it.  Is it shameful for a young, single woman to have to hire people to clean her house? Perhaps. Do I care? Not really.

Say Hello To My Little Friend

So I haven't posted in a little while because there has been a BIG change in my life.  Here she is:

This is Amy, my new dog.  I adopted her from a rescue last week and we've been having a grand time.  I've been taking her on really long walks (5-6 miles a day) which is great for both of us.  It's a lot easier to get out there when I have such a charming buddy to exercise with.  I got her a harness to stop her puling, and we've been exploring some great new walking routes.  

I'm pretty sore from all the walking - schlepping around 80+ pounds of extra weight is definitely no easy thing.  But I'm going to keep at it for both of us. It also inspires me to keep working on losing, because I don't want to be so out of shape. I want Amy and I to have years of great outdoor adventures.

I look forward to our walks so much - at work I'm planning out that evening's adventure and she's so excited when I come home.  I've never had a dog before, but I just love her to death. She's a total sweetheart with lots of personality.

In other news, I'm down almost 13 pounds!! I weighed 215.6 this morning.  I was stuck around 222-223 for a few weeks and then all of a sudden, movement!  I've been sticking with low-carb this week and keeping an eye on calories.

So I'm very, very happy right now! This weekend is a long weekend (Columbus day is one of the best things about being a federal employee) and the weather is gorgeous so I'm hoping for lots of Amy time.