Plateau Continues; Up 1 Pound

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I'm up a pound. This little plateau is putting up a big fight. Time to cut back on my carbs and shake free of this plateau's grip.

I’m up a pound. Time to cut back on my carbs and shake free of this plateau’s grip.

Well crap! This little weight loss plateau is putting up a big fight. After a week on Simple Start I’m up a pound. Time to really shake things up by cutting back on my carbs and changing my exercise routine.

Daily Carbs Target: 25g
My daily carb count bounced between 75-125g a day on Simple Start.  Time to drop my daily count to 20-25g.  The bulk of my weight loss came when I ate 20-25g of carbs daily. A week or two eating at this level should help me shake free of this plateau.

Putting My Knee To The Test
Besides cutting my daily carb count, it’s time to test my knee. Occasionally I have minor stiffness after a workout, but no pain. I think it’s time to try a little running.

It’s about 60 degrees out and the sidewalks and bike paths are clear — perfect for interval training. I’ve felt like my workouts were getting stale — weight training, spinning and yoga only get you so far before boredom sets in. Crossing my fingers in hopes my knee holds up.

Weekly Weigh-In: Down 3.4 Pounds

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Finally movement on the scale. I'm down 3.4 pounds this week.

Finally movement on the scale. I’m down 3.4 pounds this week.

February was a tough month for me as far as the scale goes, losing just 0.2 pounds. Thanks to some fine-tuning of my Paleo Challenge, I’m saying goodbye to the month on a high note — I lost 3.4 pounds this week.

My total weight loss is now 105.6 pounds, roughly 1/3 of my body weight! I hope this means my February plateau is over and I’m mentally in the sweet spot for continued weight loss.

One of my goals this year was to weigh 200 pounds by the end of April.  I’m 20.8 pounds closer to making that goal a reality. With 9 weeks left, I need to lose 19.4 pounds. That’s about 2 pounds a week.  Tough, but possible. I think it’s time to shake it up.

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Weekly Weigh-In: Am I Plateauing?

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Really!?! 222 pounds on 2/22? Numbers aside, I'm starting to worry about plateauing again.

Really!?! 222 pounds on 2/22? Numbers aside, I’m starting to worry about plateauing again.

The good news is I’m down 1.2 pounds this week. Of course, I was up by 1 pound last week. Basically for 3 weeks no real movement. Am I at the early stages of a plateau?

The husband thinks I’m retaining water. With my knee feeling better, I’m working out more. His theory — my muscles are shredded and retaining water. If true, I should see a big shift on the scale next week.

Another change this coming week — going to real spin classes. I’ve hit the spin room at my gym, but always on my own. I know I don’t get nearly the workout I do with the real class. Hopefully my knee holds up and I’ll finally get a hard workout.

That damn rabbit in me thinks I need to add in another workout in addition to the weights, walking and cycling. I’m itching to try Zumba. Thankfully the tortoise is still winning — I’ve had a few good days with my knee. I don’t want to rush it or I’ll screw up my progress or worse.

As for my diet, my trainer wants me to shake up my daily carb count. She’s worried my body is use to my current eating routine. So after eating about 50-75g of carbs for a few days, she wants me to drop to 20g for a day then spike it up to 200g the following day before going back to 50-70g. Can’t hurt to give it a shot.

How do you deal with a plateau?

Rack ’em Up — Finding The Perfect Bra Size

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brasI did some emergency shopping today. My sports bras no longer give me the support I need during workouts. Just too much damn bouncing around. And frankly, my other bras’ cups seem to stand away from my breasts. Clearly it was time to resize the girls. Despite the lack of movement on the scale the last couple of weeks, I got a nice boost (pun intended) from the lady fitting me for a new bra – I dropped 2 band sizes!

Time to try on some new bras. The lady helping me suggested I try on a couple of sizes to see which styles fit the best.  Also, there was a question on my cup size. I went up a cup size the last time I was measured. This time I was on the fence.

The lady with the measuring tape gave me some helpful tips on what to look for when trying on bras.

Band Issues

  • Band Position – The band should sit level or low on your back. If it rises, go with a smaller band size.
  • Battle of the Back Bulge – Look at your back. Is there any skin bulging around the band? The band needs to fit snugly around the lest-fleshy part of the rib cage to reduce tissue spilling over the back and sides.
  • Bra Straps – If they dig into the shoulder, then the band is too loose. Nearly all the support comes from the band (who knew?). So no more loosening my straps to the max. That should stop those blasted things from falling off my shoulder.

Cup Issues

  • Flesh Spilling Out Under The Armpits – The cup is too shallow and is pushing tissue to the sides.
  • Space Between Bra & Breastbone – Bras shouldn’t lift away from your body. If it does, then the cup isn’t large enough.
  • Spillage – Tissue flowing over the top of the bra means either the band is not snug and low on your back and/or the cup is too small.

The tips worked great and I found a few bras that fit just right. Turns out the lower band size worked best and I’m still the same cup size…for now.

Weekly Weigh-In: Up 1 Pound, But Refocused On Next Goal

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Weekly Weigh In feb 2014Despite fears that I’d over indulged, I ended the week 1 pound up. I finished the week strong by eating right, ridding myself of those sugar cravings and feeling better than I have in weeks.

For these last couple of weeks, I’ve felt out of sorts. Although I think the Paleo recipes I used possibly triggered some sugar cravings (more on that in an upcoming post), I don’t believe the diet made me sluggish. As I mentioned, except for eating “clean” foods, the diet is pretty much how I eat regularly.

Sure, I worked out (knee permitting), but I wasn’t as active at home. While I tried to focus on my next goal – losing 20+ pounds to finally weigh below 200, something just wasn’t clicking. The energy and excitement were missing.

I think it has to do with losing 100+ pounds. I’ve been so fixated on that number that it’s almost as if my brain decided it was time to take a vacation. By immediately switching gears and focusing on that next goal, I muted my celebration. My reward for crossing the century mark is a day spa trip in March. After two years on this journey, that spa will be a great way to recharge my batteries for the final push to reaching my goal.

Maybe I need to schedule my next reward ahead of such an important milestone, instead of a month after. Mental wellness is key in any weight loss journey.

The good news is I’m focused now and I won’t make the same mistake when I hit my next goal.

Fighting Sugar Cravings — Back To Basics

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Since the start of my Paleo Challenge, my sugar cravings have grown in epic proportions.

Since the start of my Paleo Challenge, my sugar cravings are back.  The sugar monster inside of me raged the last two weeks.

I’ll find out tomorrow, but I think my weigh-in will show a gain. For the last couple weeks I’ve wrestled with sugar cravings. As a result, some unhealthy foods appeared on my plate this week (a little too much wine and those blasted pancakes). It’s time to get back to basics and stop feeding that sugar monster.

What isn’t helping is the lack of exercise. I had a great workout on Wednesday with my trainer, but I tripped over a locker room bench and twisted my injured knee. I’ve iced it, but this morning it’s swollen and stiff. So no spin or yoga classes today and no muscle workout tomorrow. I need to baby it for the next few days.

Frustrated? You bet. Exercise keeps me focused on the prize and my eating in check.

While my knee is still on the mend, I think it’s a good time to get back to basics with my food. That’s how I started this little journey 100 pounds ago. It’s time to refocus and get back to eating 20g-25g of carbs a day for the next couple of weeks.

I’m still doing the Paleo challenge, but I’m going to simplify. I’m skipping the Paleo recipes this coming week. Instead I’ll eat veggies and a simple protein with each meal.  But I’m adding back in one very non-Paleo item. My protein shake.

My sugar cravings are still raging this week (hence the wine) and I think fruit is the trigger. Since starting Paleo, my fruit intake is way up and I’m craving the sweet stuff as a result.

I started cutting back on fruit last week, but all that did was release the kraken. On Wednesday morning I went cold turkey to get the sugar monster off my back once and for all. My cravings reached a fever pitch Thursday afternoon. This morning I feel fine, but banning fruit from my diet isn’t a solution.

Which gets me back to the protein shake. I always added ½ banana and ½ cup of a berry with my protein shake. The fruit improves the taste of the shake and feed my muscles after working out with weights.  When I blend the fruit with the shake, I have zero sugar cravings.

So my shake will be my one break from Paleo. And to me, that’s OK.

I’m trying to lose weight, not conduct a science experiment.

Weekly Weigh-In: No Gain, Moderate Pain

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My weight stayed the same this week. Well, at least I didn't go up!

My weight stayed the same this week. Well, at least I didn’t go up!

Nothing too exciting to report from my weigh-in on Saturday.  I didn’t lose or gain any weight. I’m still at 223 pounds. I did experience some mild knee pain early in the morning, but it disappeared once I started moving. I chalked it up to morning stiffness.

That changed once I hit the grocery store.  The knee pain came back with abandon. Why? My 2-inch heels on my feet.

Sigh…yes my knee is healing, but not enough where I can wear anything but sneakers.

This morning I did decide to try my first spin class in two weeks – the 30-minute beginners class. I could immediately tell the two-week break from spin was good.  Sprints and seated climbs were pain-free and I heard fewer popping sounds.  I wish I could say the same for standing climbs. I could stand for about a minute before the knee started hurting. So I kept my butt in the saddle most of the time, standing every 5 minutes to give my tush a 30 second break from the seat.

I made it through the class and felt so good I decided to go 20 minutes longer. I loved getting in some cardio. The walks are good, but this got my heart pumping. Hopefully I can do another session on the bike this week.

100 Random Thoughts On Dropping 100 Pounds

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I've lost a total of 102 pounds since March 2012. I've learned a lot of hard lessons as I change my lifestyle.

I’ve lost a total of 102 pounds since March 2012. I’ve learned a lot of hard lessons as I change my lifestyle.

I’m down 4 pounds this past week, bringing my total weight loss to 102 pounds!

Normally I post my weight info on the same day as weigh-ins, and I expected to do the same Saturday morning. But after stepping off that scale I immediately knew it wasn’t going to be like any other day.

You’d think I’d be jumping for joy once I reached that milestone. Losing 100 pounds is a big moment for sure, but celebrating was the farthest thing from my mind.

Yes, I crossed the century mark, but my journey is far from over. I started jotting down random thoughts and lessons I learned (some hard and some outright silly) and what I need to do to keep me on my path.

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My Contortionist Days In Public Bathrooms Are Over!

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I can finally use the smaller public bathroom stalls rather than the roomier handicapped ones.

I can finally use the smaller public bathroom stalls and not the roomier handicapped ones.

Last week, I noticed that I’ve lost enough weight where I can cross my legs.  Well, yesterday I had another small victory — I used a regular bathroom stall.

And by regular size, I mean the ones where the gap between the sweep of the door and the toilet is less than an inch.

That may seem a strange thing to celebrate, but for me it felt wonderful to walk into a small stall without having to purposely dislocate a shoulder, yogi-like, to fit.

In the past, a trip to the ladies room usually started with me staring at the open stall like a cow studying a Rubik’s Cube. Then came the laughable task of trying to slide around the wall without falling into the toilet. If I made it that far, I’d lean back like Neo, dodging bullets in The Matrix, to get the door closed. Then I’d repeat the process, in reverse, to get out.

For ages, I’d used the handicapped stalls, all the while secretly worrying I’d get reported by an actual handicapped person (to whomever one tattles to in those situations). Maybe they’d give me a ticket?  Maybe they’d put my picture on the door, frowning and sucking-in my stomach, with the caption, “Not Handicapped”.

My next challenge: flying coach without the threat of gangrene.

Weekly Weigh-In: So Close To Losing 100 Pounds

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I've lost 98 pounds to date...so close to crossing the century mark.

I’ve lost 98 pounds to date…so close to crossing the century mark.

After last week’s peanut butter debacle I buckled down, tracking and weighing everything I ate. With the peanut butter safely locked away in a cabinet, I lost 8 pounds this week. It’s the first time I’ve weighed less than 230 in decades!

I weighed in today at an even 227, for a total weight loss of 98 pounds.  I’m hoping this coming week I finally cross over the century mark!  Woohoo!!!

As for my other goal – weighing 200 pounds by the end of April – I’m back on track. I’ve lost a total of 10 pounds in January. That gives me 14 weeks to drop 27 pounds – about 2 pounds per week.

I’ve so got this!

I guess I should buy that swimsuit after all.