Weekly Weigh-In: Down 2.4 Pounds

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I'm at my lowest weight in more than 25 years. In the last 2-1/2 years, I've lost nearly 40% of my total body weight. I'm closing in fast on that 200 pound mark!

I’m at my lowest weight in more than 25 years. In the last 2-1/2 years, I’ve lost nearly 40% of my total body weight. I’m closing in fast on that 200 pound mark!

My march to Onederland (weighing under 200 lbs.) continues. Just 3 more pounds to go…Woo Hoo!!!

I expected my weight loss to slow down after last week’s big loss. With my 2.4 lbs. loss this week, I’m tipping the scales at 202.8 pounds. That’s the lowest I’ve weighed in more than 25 years. Hot damn! So far I’ve lost 122 lbs. since my little journey began — nearly 40% of my total weight gone.

Dealing With Exercise Guilt
I did a great job this week tracking my food and watching my carb count. I hated that couldn’t workout like I wanted to, but my knee is getting some much-needed rest. It’s feeling better and the swelling is almost gone. Hopefully after another week of light exercise, I can start easing my walks back into my workout routine. Read More

Weekly Weigh-In: Down 6.4 Pounds!

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I dropped 6.4 lbs. this week. Another week like this and I'll finally drop below 200.

I dropped 6.4 lbs. this week. Another week like this and I’ll finally drop below 200.

Hot damn! I’ve pretty much dropped all my weight gain from my trip to Texas. I was hoping for a 2 pound loss and ended up dropping 6.4 lbs. Sweet!

My secret? Tracking. Not exciting, I know. But truth is when I track, I lose weight. Funny how that works.

So my total weight loss is now 120 lbs. That’s 24 5-pound gold stars to my Weight Watcher peeps. Read More

Weekly Weigh-In: Down 4 lbs. With Minor Changes

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Down 4 lbs. over last week. Thanks to constantly tracking, I was able to pinpoint the problems that caused my weight gain August 4-16.

Down 4 lbs. over last week. Thanks to constantly tracking, I was able to pinpoint the problems that caused my weight gain August 4-16.

After two consecutive weeks of gains, I’m down 4 lbs. this week. I’m officially at my lowest weight since starting college. It feels pretty dang awesome.

So what was the difference? Thanks to tracking my food and activity, I noticed 3 things that lead to those two weeks of gains. Because I tracked, I was able to course correct for two of those things and experienced a sweet weight loss.

  1. Wine! — The Nectar of the Gods is one of my 10 Known Kryptonites (yes, I need to do a post on this). During the weeks I gained, I was drinking one too many glasses. This week I kept wine at bay (with the help of the husband) by drinking unsweetened ice tea when we went out for dinner.
  2. Sore Muscles — My trainer is pushing me hard lately. As a result my quads, hamstrings, glutes, triceps and shoulder muscles are more sore than normal. So my muscles were holding on to more water than normal as I upped the intensity of my workout.
  3. Lots of Bloating — For the last few months I’ve struggled on and off with constipation. Not a fun topic, but it happens when you’re trying to lose weight eating low carb. The last few weeks it’s been particularly bad. I’ve tried eating more greens to up my fiber but it doesn’t seem to help. Now I’m trying to add a bit more fat back into my diet and cut back on protein. For a short-term solution I’m picking up some magnesium citrate today — something the paleo folks swear by. Basically it’s a saline laxative similar to what you take to empty your bowels before a colonoscopy.

When I talked to my doctor about it back in March, he recommended I start taking a probiotic. Did it work? You bet. But for some reason I stopped taking it. Mostly because I ran out and never picked up another batch from my local Vitamin Shoppe.  D’oh!  So guess what I’m doing today.

My hope is this will be an easy fix and nothing more serious is going on.

Weekly Weigh-In: Up A Few Ounces

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My legs are sore as heck and I ate right all week. So naturally I'm up slightly. Damn you water retention! Expecting better results next Saturday.

My legs are sore as heck and I ate right all week. So naturally I’m up slightly. Damn you water retention! Expecting better results next Saturday.

An uneventful weigh in on Saturday. I’m up about 7 ounces so either I gained some muscle or I’m retaining water. Considering how sore my legs were on Saturday, my money is on water retention.

I did a great job eating about 20g of carbs a day this past week. As long as I continue eating smart, I should have a nice loss this coming Saturday.

Weekly Weigh-In: Down Nearly 2 Lbs!

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Just a little more than 7 pounds to go before I finally leave the 200 club! I'm going to try to do it by the end of August.

Just a little more than 7 pounds to go before I finally leave the 200 club! I’m going to try to do it by the end of August.

Another solid weigh in this weekend. I lost 1.8 pounds, bringing my total weight loss to 117.4 pounds. I’m so close to leaving the 200 club…maybe by the end of August. That would be sweet!

After two consecutive weeks of big weight loss, I expected my losses to slow down. Safe weight loss is anything up to 2 pounds a week. So technically I’m still at the high-end, but that’s fine with me. Considering the last few months, this is just my body’s way of saying, “Sorry for that plateau.”

Bragging Rights
Oh, during this morning Weight Watchers meeting I mentioned I lost 9.5 inches since March. I got a lot of applause and my meeting leader asked if I could bring my before photo to next week’s meeting so folks get a visual of how my body’s changed. Since I just posted a new Before & After pic to the blog this week, I just pulled that up on my phone.

I got a lot of oohs and aahs from the peanut gallery.

Yes, I feel awesome, but it’s no time to get cocky. Time to double down and get out of the 200s once and for all!

 

Weekly Weigh-In: Down Another 5 lbs!

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Another great week puts me closer to another weight loss milestone -- weighing less than 200 pounds!

Another great week puts me closer to another weight loss milestone — weighing less than 200 pounds!

I feel awesome this week. Finally my weight loss is back on track. For the 2nd week in a row, I’ve lost weight. I expected to drop a couple of pounds. Imagine my surprise when the lady at Weight Watchers told me I was down 5.6 pounds!

That’s more than 10 pounds in two weeks. Sweet!

I finally dropped below 210 and I can’t wait to say goodbye to the 200s.

I need to keep up with my healthy routines — tracking food, sticking to 20g of carbs/day and continue using my Fitbit One to get my butt in gear.

I’m excited my weight is going in the right direction. But I can’t get cocky. Gone are the days when I told myself, “I’ve got this.” To keep this ball rolling my new mantra comes from none other than Han Solo:

Weekly Weigh In: I Lost A Stick Of Butter This Week!

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I dropped 0.25 pounds this week. Sure it's not as huge as last week's loss, but I'm down and that's what counts!

I dropped 0.25 pounds this week. Sure it’s not as huge as last week’s loss, but I’m down and that’s what counts!

After last week’s big loss of nearly 6 pounds, my weight loss slowed considerably this time around. I’m down 0.25 pounds. That’s one stick of butter, and I’ll gladly take it.

My grueling workouts this week killed my quads, glutes, triceps, adductors and shoulder muscles. That tells me my muscles are retaining water. Maybe my 0.25 pound loss is the tip of the iceberg. If I keep eating right, I’m expecting a nice weight loss next Saturday when I weigh in.

On The Road Again
The big eating challenge this week is my road trip to FitBloggin’14. I’m driving to Savannah — about a 9 hour drive (not including stops). So I’m planning out my strategy for avoiding fast food traps. While I’m hopeful FitBloggin’ will include healthy foods, I’m not going in wishing for the best. I’m putting together a food plan for the two-day conference.  More on that tomorrow. Read More

Woohoo! Down 5.6 Pounds This Week

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I'm officially back on track with this week's 5.6 lbs. weight loss!

I’m officially back on track with this week’s 5.6 lbs. weight loss!

Hot dog! My diet is firing on all cylinders this week. I’ve recovered from that disastrous last two weeks in May. I’m down 5.6 pounds, putting my total weight loss at 112 pounds. That means I’m 13.2 pounds away from weighing 200 pounds, a number I haven’t seen since the end of my freshman year of college.

So the plan is to keep doing what I’ve done. Also I’ve noticed I’m drinking way more water than I was during the 7 pound gain. Clearly jazzing up my tap water is working. I just can’t get enough of that cucumber-mint flavor!

I set a goal of weighing 200 pounds by the end of May, but pushed it back to the end of June. Clearly I’m not going to lose 13 pounds in two weeks…not without starving myself (something I will not do). So rather than a specific date, I’m shooting for mid summer to weigh below 200 pounds.

 

 

Weekly Weigh-In: Down 1.2 Lbs

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After getting my eating back on track, I lost 1.2 pounds this week. Only 18.8 more pounds to go to finally hit the 200 mark!

After getting my eating back on track, I lost 1.2 pounds this week. Only 18.8 more pounds to go to finally hit the 200 mark!

Finally the scale is going in the right direction. I dropped 1.2 pounds. For some that may not seem like a lot, but that equals 4 sticks of butter. I’ll take that!

I know it’s only been a week, but I feel like I’m finally back on track. I closely followed my 5-step plan of attack. No wine or cheat meals this week. I stayed true to my weekly menu plan and made sure to go to my Weight Watchers meeting this morning.

As a result, my  diet and sleep were in sync this week. I stuck to 20-25g of carbs per day and I got in roughly 8 hours of sleep each night. My clothes felt looser, I had more energy and didn’t feel bloated after meals.

I just need to keep up this momentum and the 1.2 pound loss certainly gives me the boost to do just that. Read More

Weekly Weigh-In: Down 1 Pound

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Even though I ate out too much this week, I still dropped a pound. I can feel the momentum building. Time to start cooking my own low-carb meals.

Even though I ate out too much this week, I still dropped a pound. I can feel the momentum building. Time to start cooking my low-carb meals.

Despite lots of eating out, I lost 1 pound this week. Yes, I dodged a bullet. I thought for sure I gained. Just goes to show you that predicting scale readings isn’t my bailiwick.

That puts my total weight loss at 112 pounds. But I need to do better if I want to reach my goal weight (140 lbs) by year’s end.

Lesson learned. This week nothing but homemade meals.

It’s a perfect day today (sunny and no frickin’ rain!) so that means it’s grilling time at our humble, little Love Shack. On the grilling menu today – hamburgers, pork tenderloin, chicken breasts and thighs, and steak. That gives us a nice selection of meats for the week.

I’m working on some simple rubs, sauces and marinades while the meat thaws. All low carb, naturally!

I plan to take a short run before the meat hits the grill. Yes, it is a perfect day.