Weigh-In Wednesday!!

                             

Oh yes...it's that day.  The day that gets all the nerves racing around my insides like I'm some kind of Nascar racetrack.

Most Wednesdays, when I'm doing weigh-ins, the nerves are usually bad ones.  I'm nervous because I know I haven't really given it my all...and I know that the scale is going to show me that.  Because no matter how much I want to blame the scale for being wrong, the truth is...it usually isn't.

But this morning?

That was different.  It was a different nervous...an excited nervous.  Because this past week, I've really tried hard.  Still not completely perfect, but I'm not even sure how I'll justify "perfect".  There will probably always be room for improvement.  A full week of logging my food.  A full week of counting my calories.  A full week of staying under my calorie limit.  And there's even been some exercise thrown in to the mix - which was my goal to add this week.

So, let's get down to it..shall we?

Recap:  

When I first started, again, I weighed 265lbs. (Technically I started the summer at 260lbs, and then gained 5lbs..so I started over again the first week of July.)

I went to the doctor two weeks ago and got put on pills - that day I weighed 262lbs

I started taking the pills 11 days ago.

Last week (5 days after starting them), I weighed 257.8lbs.

Today??  Drumroll please.... 254.8lbs.

A loss of 3lbs in a week.

A loss of 7.2lbs in 11 days.

A loss of 10.2lbs in 1 month and three weeks.

That's freaking amazing!!  Especially since a bulk of that 10lbs has been lost in the past couple of weeks.

To lose 3lbs+ for two weeks in a row is unheard of for me.  I don't recall the last time I lost 3lbs in one week...let alone getting the exact same feeling the very next week.

Oh wait.. yes I do...that was the last time I buckled down and committed to being strong and doing what I'm supposed to do.

It's obvious that the pill is helping.  But, I'm not going to let it take all of the credit.  Had I not been diligent with my logging and counting and measuring and exercise - the pill probably wouldn't have done a thing.  I've put in the work, as well.  I only agreed to take the pill because I knew it would help buckle me down and really give it my all.

Not because I thought the pill would make all my problems disappear, but because I knew how much it's going to cost to pay for doctor visits and actually getting the pill each month.  I might throw junk food down my pie hole like it's going out of style, but I won't do the same with money.  If I'm paying for it, I better use it the way it's supposed to be used!

Staying on the pill is going to cost about $50 a month.  That's not a tiny chunk of change... in my world, that's a tank of gas, groceries, bill money.  I don't have $50 just laying around to play with.  If I'm going to spend that kind of money, I better put my money where my mouth is and justify it.

The sad part is, it sure has helped me stay vigilant with my eating and exercise... but it really hasn't helped in the way I was told it would.  My appetite isn't really curbed.  I still get hungry.  I still crave food.  I still get desires mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and mid-evening to peruse my surroundings on the hunt for sweets and snacks.  I've just made myself say NO!  I've told myself it's not worth it.  I've reminded myself about that cash I'm forking out, and to just try and focus on what I'm trying to accomplish.

So, I may be just paying $50 a month for the motivation to do what I need to do.  

However, I do have increased energy for the first couple of hours of taking the pill... but by the end of the school day I'm wiped out and ready to crawl in to bed.  So...again...a little of increased energy, but not near the effects I was warned about.  I've read about people taking the same pill, the same time I take it each day, and not being able to sleep at night.  That those people feel the effects for 8-12 hours after taking it.  I'm lucky if my effects last 2-4 hours.  

I could try taking it later in the day, but why disturb the apple cart?  I'm doing what I need to be doing. And that's the point, right?  

All in all, I'm completely happy with my results so far.  And I have no intention of slowing down.  I've reached a milestone - losing my first 10lbs - but that means I still have 90 more to go.  

Getting a taste of what success feels like sure does pump some air in my deflating system.  I was starting to think I was a lost cause, that no matter what I did...the weight would never come off.  The truth was, though, I wasn't really doing anything about it.  I'd whine and cry about increasing pounds.. but that didn't stop me from putting down the cookie jar, did it?

Hmm..cookies... haven't had one of those in a long time.  And it actually feels kinda great to say that.

In the past seven days, I haven't touched any soda (not even diet) or chocolate.  No cookies or cake.  No potato chips.  

There's another milestone to be proud of.

Yesterday, I had to fill out my paper for the Secret Pal program at work.  I love participating in Secret Pals, but I made sure to write on my form how I was trying to lose weight...and I'd really appreciate it if there was no inclusion of sweets or soda.  I'd be perfectly happy with receiving fruit or veggies or some other healthy snacks.  I don't want to be tempted..and I have the power to extinguish any fires before they are even started.

This next week, my goals are to just keep doing what I'm doing.  I want to add more fresh foods to my line-up, and try to avoid as much sugar as I can.  These past couple of weeks have shown me that eating three meals a day gets me where I need to be in terms of calories... no matter what I'm eating, as long as the portions are under control (and that even includes some junk food).  I want to focus on upping my portions, but of foods that are fresh, wholesome, and much healthier.  

I may still be getting hungry during the day because I'm eating the wrong foods.  I need to focus on eating more veggies...that's for sure.  They make a perfect snack, and don't wreck havoc on my caloric intake.

I also want to add some sprint work in to my exercise.  I was going to do that this week, but I stuck with just walking.  That's my goal for this next week - start running again.

And that's about it.  Nothing too major.  Nothing too crazy.

I'm going to keep taking it one day at a time.  

I have the power to do this, I know that.  I just have to stay the course, learn from my behaviors, and make every moment count.

Till next time!