Weekly Weigh-In

So, yesterday I weighed in at 136.6.  And my period was over.  So, there we go, I guess it's time to change my ticker from 135.2 to 136.6. 

I decided that I needed to take my eating and exercise a lot more seriously.  I'm not sure there is any way to lose weight without being at least a tiny bit hungry.  Otherwise, how would I have a calorie deficit?  So, I started doing that today.  I'm not counting calories formally, but I am paying close attention to what I eat and not getting as full.  And I'm kicking the exercise into high gear, as in 1-2 hours a day, 5-7 days a week, until I reach my goal. 

My goal is to get down to 125 by August 1st and then maintain.  Based on past experience, I believe that I can do this. 

Sometimes I do wonder why I care so much.  Everywhere I look, I see people who are much larger than me.  I wear a freaking size small in most clothes, occasionally an extra small, and more occasionally a medium.  I am a size I would never have believed I could have gotten down to at certain points in my life.  Still, I'm a little thick and a little wide, and I really wish my tummy would shrink. 

I know someone in real life who has started a blog.  She is 2 inches taller than me, and her goal weight is not far from my highest weight.  It just kind of puts things in perspective. 

I have another friend who has a completely flat stomach with well-defined ab muscles.  I know I will never get there.  I have neither the motivation, nor, I think, the genetics to get my body fat down that low. 

But what I really need to do is to stop comparing myself to other people. 

Sunday Weigh-In

Today, with my period starting, I weighed 135.8.  That's okay.  It's not great, but I'm not upset about it.  I don't appear to be either gaining or losing weight right now.  Just fairly stable.  Stable is okay.  Gaining is bad. 

This is really a new experience for me, starting at a relatively low weight and working down to a lower one.  The two times in my life I've lost weight I was a lot fatter to begin with. 

I broke my vow, which was to keep my clothes budget tied to my weight and not to buy clothes until I've reached my geal.  I bought clothes, some pretty summer clothes at summer sales online that I hope to enjoy wearing.  I bought dresses and skirts.  I hope they'll help me to feel good about myself.  I want to enjoy the body I have, even if it is 10 pounsd more than the one I want. 

I've also found that the BEST way to lose weight is to buy some clothes you really love.  It never fails.  At that point, I will lose weight and then my beautiful clothes will look baggy.  Oh, well. 

The good news is that my kids' end-of-year programs are over, and things should settle down a little, and I should be able to get into a better routine.  I'm hoping to take some classes at the Y.  I just need to put them on my calendar and GO.  I'm interested in Zumba, line dancing, yoga, pilates, and spinning (although the spinning classes tend to fill up).  

I did have a fun 30 minutes of roller blading one day, while my son biked. I would have loved to have kept going, but he was done.  After I took a fall, I realized that I need knee pads before I try it again!  My scrapes have healed fine, but I'm over 30, and hurting my knee is a lot bigger of a deal than it was when I was, say, 12. 

The Couch to 5K is not going well at all. Ugh.  I could do it if I weren't so overloaded, but I think for now, I need something a little more exciting and different from what I'm used to. 

Once again, I would love to see the OTHER side of 135 next week. 

Couch to 5K: Day 1

Yesterday, I did day 1, week 1 of Couch to 5K, which means that for 20 minutes, I alternated between jogging for 60 seconds and walking for 90 seconds.  It was easy.  Still, it's hard to believe that back in November I completed a half marathon at a run/walk ratio of 2:3 minutes.  I stopped running completely in January when I had cold that I couldn't shake, which turned into a sinus infection, which resulted in me getting my first (nonpreventative) antibiotic prescription in nearly a decade.  Walking for 2 miles left me exhausted. 

I'm not sure if I'll attempt running this winter.  Instead, I may do Jillian Michaels DVD's instead.  I really struggle to run in the cold.  My children give me colds, and I also have a touch of asthma, which makes them worse.  When I get sick or am recovering and try to run in the winter, my pulse gets way too high, and I feel terrible.  I tend to have to take weeks off from vigorous exercise.  I guess this means that when I'm sick, I need to watch my portion and carb intake much better than I otherwise would.  If I can't exercise, probably giving up bread and carby snacks would be enough to carry me through until I can exercise again.  (Carbs, especially in the winter, seem to make it harder for me to control my appetite.) 

Anyway, so day 1 of C25K was a success.  I am thinking that I will do each week twice, whether or not it is challenging.  If it is challenging, I may repeat the week more.  I want to get to the point that I can run 30 minutes continuously before DST goes away.  Then I will attempt to run (intervals) with my Corgi in the mornings, when it's cool enough that I won't feel guilty for running him. 

I am seriously considering walking a half marathon this fall.  I, unfortunately, walked a half marathon I intended to walk/run back in April.  Doubly unfortunately, there was a walking division that I did not enter, so I came in dead last in my age group, since I was in the running division.  I started out at a great walking speed but was not able to maintain it!  By the end, I could barely move.  I definitely need to work on my speed walking. 

I am trying to keep the stress down on me, and I really don't feel up to pushing myself as far as running goes.  I'd prefer to do short runs and long and short walks.  I LOVE running.  I suck at it; it's hard for me, but I do love it.  I also think it's a lot easier on my skeletal system to run when I weigh less, so I think it will be good for me to prolong the C25K to until I am sure to weigh about 10 pounds less. 

I think I will do a 5K towards the end of the summer though, and run in it! 

Weekly Update: Good News

NYPDNCJCYHNU (Technorati Claim)

I weighed in this morning.  I actually was dreading weighing myself and lay in bed for longer than I should have.  When I stepped on the scale, I was so relieved to see 135.4.  It's been a few months since I've seen anything that low.  I'm hoping that in June, I will at least get back to the numbers that  started recording my weight at last year!  My lowest recorded weight was 132.2 back in November. 

I'm also very pleased that I do seem to be able to lose weight without going drastically low carb or doing a drastic increase in exercise.  I've been mostly walking the dog for exercise and practicing portion control.  While I'm not doing low carb, I have been very careful about sugary deserts.  We've had cookies a couple of times, and I've been able to eat them in moderation.  If I get a fancy coffee drink, I can ask for the low sugar syrup, and I think this is very helpful.  I still get my treat without the effects to my blood sugar. 

Activity, calorie intake, and carb intake are all equally important, in my opinion, to my weight loss.  

I am going to start Couch to 5K today, probably in a few minutes.  The Couch to 5K program will probably keep my busy all summer.  I'm going to try using a podcast, rather than a digital watch, to keep me on track.  This partly because I think it will be a fun change, and it is also because I have lost my digital watch. I'll also be wearing Spiderman sunglasses, because all the pairs I bought for myself at the Dollar Tree are lost, and I pathetically have to borrow my son's pair. 

Hopefully, I will see the 134's next week! 

A Setback

I didn't update with my weight last week, and I haven't really weighed all week.  Last Sunday, I weighed in at 137.2.  I was kind of bummed out about it.  I was probably retaining some water.  I had lifted weights, and my period was starting, so it could have been just water.  I haven't exercised well this week, and my eating has been fair, with some snacking problems.  I am feeling very full after my meals, which is good.

I always have problems right before and during my period.  I get extremely sleepy for about a week.
If I don't get extra sleep at night, I will have to lie down one evening and take a nap, where I sleep very heavily.  I don't have bad cramps or migraines, certainly nothing a little naproxen or ibuprofen couldn't handle.

I need something new for next week.  I was thinking about doing a Jillian Michaels video every day, but I think I'll start up with Couch to 5K.  I stopped running over the winter, due to constant colds and the worst sinus infection of my life.  I think I ought to save videos for the winter evenings when it gets dark depressingly early (around 4:30 here), and enjoy the outdoors while I can, even though it will be painfully hot.  Since I need to walk the (damn) dog every morning, and I don't want to try and run with him in the heat, I'll have to go when my husband gets home from work.

Oh, well, it will be okay.  I'm nervous to see what I weigh tomorrow, but whatever it is, I'll deal with it.  At least my pants and shorts fit again, even if they are a tad snug.  Maybe in a month they'll be comfortably loose.