The Final Fifteen Pounds

When you lose weight, there a trickster like an evil Bugs Bunny that plays around with you. It wants to knock you off course just for laughs.  That's why you can't take the scale too seriously. It's a tool. But it can do some funny things.  Every morning after I step on my smart scale, I put the number on a spreadsheet to calculate my 3 day averages and my 7 day averages. I think those numbers are much more important than my weight on a particular day.  I've had days when my weight jumped up a pound and a half and I really didn't know why (but I usually figure it out). Other times, I have lost over 2 pounds overnight.  I lost over two pounds last night, so today is the first time since I was in high school to see 160 something on a scale. I'm celebrating with a Snoopy dance.  But I'm not taking it too seriously yet. I large drop is often followed with a bounce back up.  My best guess is that my body is doing something with water. I am experimenting with my...

Obsessed. I feel too obsessed. Too obsessed. I think the word obsessed already implies the word too in it! I am tracking data and I enjoy that part of this process. My smart scale tells my phone how much I weigh and a bunch of other stuff like BMI. I am the lowest weight I've been in my non-teen life right now, 178.5. And that's good. And I'm am grateful.  But I'm not down to my goal yet. In fact, I'm not exactly sure what my goal weight is. I'm not even sure if I need to know what that number is... My BMI is sitting at 25.5 and my smart phone colors that as orange to let me know that this number needs improving. To have what is considered a "normal" BMI should be under 25.  These are just numbers that are somewhat helpful.  But my belly still hangs over my belt. Not like it used to. But there it is. That's the measure I am looking to change. I want a flatish belly. Ish.  I want to look down and visually see my belt buckle. I remember being able to...

Got it delivered last Friday. And I love it. The Etekcity Digital Weight Scale is synced to my phone and keeps track of 13 different metrics. I'm not sure how accurate they all are; I assume that some of the data is approximate. There are 4 sensors on the surface of the scale. (By the way, I am an affiliate of Amazon, so I get a small cut if you click the image and make a purchase) The main metrics I am interested in are weight, body fat percentage, BMI, and BMR. I know some experts suggest not using a scale. And I understand why. It can be devastating when you have worked so hard and the numbers on it don't reflect that. But here's what helps me: It's just data. It's information. And I like having the information when I'm working hard to figure it out. So this morning, I stepped on the scale and my weight was at 189.8. That's a weight loss of about 28 pounds since January 17th, when I first started intermittent fasting. I am excited and g...

When you are trying to win at weight loss, there are good things that get in your way. The church potluck is one of those for me. I find myself at a potluck feast sometimes three times in a week. And by their very nature, church feasts are not designed to help the weight wary.  Last night was one of these. Long table filled with delights = I eat too many of them. And my scale goes orbital (exaggerating a little). I put too many white things and sweet things on my plate.  I need to go in with a plan.  Here's the plan for next time, probably Sunday: Decided ahead of time to fill half my plate with veggies.  Don't eat white things. Stop after one plate and refill on water or unsweetened tea. That ought to work. What would you do?

One thing I realize, as I try to lose this final fifteen pounds, is that I can get way too focused on the small stuff. It really is about progress, not perfection.  Yesterday I had a plan to go home from work and go on a bike ride with my 7 year old. And guess what, that's what we did.  We had a great time just cruising along for about 45 minutes. We pedaled and poked along. We got some exercise with the wind in our faces. Lots of wins there: fun, exercise, and time with my son. Gotta love it. Dinnertime and beyond: Do you have issues with dinner? I can be great all day long then, poof, all of my resolve blows away like so much mist. And it wasn't a big deal, I ate an extra 200 calories that I didn't need. But still, I would like to figure out how to get past it.  Here's my ideas to get past those mental cravings... Get busy with something.  Get a drink of water. Make a list of good things to do.  Play a game or have a conversation with someone. Ca...

I saw a quote on Twitter a couple of weeks ago. It went something like this: Start the change today that you would like to see 12 weeks from now. After a good start on the weight loss which I have been telling on this blog, I have had some difficult days. Spring break was hard. Easter weekend too.  I am nailed down at 188 right now. If I overindulge on a weekend say, I drift up. But I come right back down in a few days. That's what happened this weekend. But it happens the other way too. If I lose a few, get down to 185, 184, if I don't hold my mouth just right. The weight comes back to 188.  My goal is for 173 to be that number. I might drift up or down from 173, but unless I make a new goal, 173.  But today, my body is very comfortable at 188.  Maybe I'm having difficulty convincing myself that 173 is where I need to be.  It's all so mental.  And blogging about it everyday really feels embarrassing sometimes.  How to get focused o...

Are you mental?  I am. I had a good day at the "eating office" yesterday. I really did--a patting myself on the back kind of good day. Maybe that's where I messed up. I was okay until the sun went down.  It's like I had to stuff stuff in my mouth (it's supposed to say stuff stuff; go read it again). Sunset = my Mr. Hyde comes out. Mr. Mean (my inner friend who reminds me to eat for health and weight loss) needs encouragement. He needs affirmation. Negative thinking puts him off and he hides. I especially need him at night.  Mr. Mean, Mr. Mean where are you. Hey, I'm not even going to tell you what the scale read this morning. It's just information, right.  Okay, I'll tell. 190. It's just information.