Measurement Monday: September 29th, 2014

Yesterday was wonderful: dim sum with friends, preparing for my upcoming craft fairs, and greasy burgers with John. There was a touch of over eating, but there was a great accomplishment! Yesterday John offered to take me out to dinner last night just as I was heating up some taquitos. I cooked them, and then rather than eating one or two to "hold me over" until John got home, I left them on the counter to cool and didn't eat a single one. This is a big deal for me. Let's get on to the measurements!

Abdomen: 43.25 (-.47)
Waist: 34 (-.25)
Bust: 43.25 (-1)
Chest: 36.9 (.1)
Hip: 46 (-.17)
Left Arm: 14.5 (0)
Left Forearm: 10.6 (-.15)
Left Calf: 16.37 (.37)
Left Thigh: 27.75 (.25)
Right Arm: 14 (-1)
Right Forearm: 10.5 (-.25)
Right Calf: 16.37 (-.12)
Right Thigh: 28 (0)
Neck: 14.25 (-,5)
Current Weight: 198.4 pounds (1)
Inches lost: -4.72
Running total: -3.34 inches, +3.4 pounds

I'm up a pound, but that's okay. I lost almost 5 inches! I'm starting to see a pattern where I lose a large amount of inches, then as I slowly gain some of them back, my weight drops. It's like an infuriating roller coaster. The good news is, if I'm finding this pattern, and it's true, then hopefully that means that I'm not going to panic or be disappointed next week as the inches creep back up. On the other hand, I'll likely be down below my starting weight (wow, that's sad) by the end of October! At least I'll be well below in inches when I get back to my starting weight.

Measurement Monday: September 22nd, 2014

So many beans last night, so much gas.

Abdomen: 44.17 (-.37)
Waist: 34.25 (-.75)
Bust: 44.25 (.5)
Chest: 36.8 (.7)
Hip: 46.17 (.17)
Left Arm: 14.5 (.38)
Left Forearm: 10.75 (0)
Left Calf: 16 (0)
Left Thigh: 27.5 (.12)
Right Arm: 15 (.5)
Right Forearm: 10.75 (-.05)
Right Calf: 16.5 (.12)
Right Thigh: 28 (.25)
Neck: 14.75 (,25)
Current Weight: 197.4 pounds (-1.6)
Inches lost: 1.82
Running total: 1.38 inches, +1.4 pounds

My inches are now bigger than when I started, which is a bummer. I'm losing weight though, which is great. Only 2.4 pounds until I'm back down to wear I was when I first decided to lose weight. Maybe next week will be better? The good news is,  I went to a potluck last night and didn't over eat too much.

Whoo!

I woke up this morning and weighed 197.4. I got off the scale and measured again: 197.4! Whoo! At the beginning of the month, I was 201.6. 4,2 pounds in 21 days seems like too much. I wanted to be sure that It was body fat, not muscle loss. I whipped out my hand little calipers and found I'm down a percentage! I'm down to 33% body fat! 29% is considered average. I'm within sight of average!

When I graduated high school, I was about 180.

I'm the short one, obviously.

 For me, 180 meant I could wear some bikinis with confidence, and I was about a size 10. This is my first real goal. At my heaviest I was almost 30 pounds away from that goal. Being just over 17 pounds away is so awesome. I feel like I'm only a few weeks away!I know I"m not, but the hope of "only a few weeks" makes me feel so optimistic and motivated. Realistically, I'm not going to be down to 180 until mid-January at the earliest, but it feels like I'm close.

On the other hand, if I continue to lose weight this quickly and the holidays don't lead me too far astray, it could be sooner. Either way, I'll be ready for a bikini next summer!

Fast Food Cut Back

I've always been bad at moderating fast food intake.

Growing up, it was a treat. As an adult, it has still been a treat. I survived a rough day at work and don't feel like cooking: grab a dollar sandwich and fries. I've been doing really well losing weight: have a frappe (doesn't this seem counter-intuitive?!). The thing is, I've never had the disposable income necessary for some of those fun "rewards" the internet suggests, like new workout clothes, a pedicure, etc. $20 workout clothes or $3 fast food treat? It's not a hard decision when money is tight.

I recently bought myself something I've really wanted for quite a while: laser hair removal. I have the money I'm saving by not having a gym membership, and I've stopped buying myself fast food. Rededicating the money from fast food toward something I really want has helped me kick the fast food habit far easier than "because I'm trying to lose weight" ever did. As a result? I'm actually losing weight more easily, and I don't feel deprived. I love this aspect of intuitive eating! I don't crave fast food because I'm denying myself. I don't crave it because I don't want it. I don't want fast food, I want to be hairless! Sometimes I crave a mocha frappe...so I buy a small one. I buy it, and I drink it and I savor every sip. Then I throw the cup in the trash and don't think about fast food for a week or two - maybe longer. It's great. I feel free! I'm no longer controlled by food. Now I'm controlled by my financial needs and wants, like a normal person! This is a really big deal!

Before, I didn't even know that my thoughts about food weren't normal.

Hungry, Hungry, Hungry

The last few days I've been constantly starving. It seems to come and go in waves. The bright side is, I seem to be losing weight still! Despite eating an entire pizza over the course of 12 hours, when I hopped on the scale yesterday, it said 197.2!

Okay, that's not exactly true, which brings me to the second point of this post: scale fluctuations.

When I first stepped on the scale, I was disappointed. It said 201.6! I said, "No, that can't be right!" So I stepped on it again, and then it said 197.2 This morning the scale first said 200.4, then 198.0. I really thought that a digital scale would help with the inaccuracy I was experiencing with my previous scale. To an extent, it did, now that it's a two pound fluctuation instead of then 15 pounds my old scale had, but still. Two pounds makes a difference when you're trying to lose weight!

Measurement Monday: September 15th, 2014

Well, I'm finally back below 200! The last time I was this low was back in May. I'm a little bloated based on my measurements (and the fact that I've eaten nothing but salt for the last two days)

Abdomen: 44.5 (.37)
Waist: 35 (.75)
Bust: 43.75 (.5)
Chest: 37.12 (.12)
Hip: 46 (0)
Left Arm: 14.12 (.87)
Left Forearm: 10.75 (.1)
Left Calf: 16 (0)
Left Thigh: 27.37 (-.12)
Right Arm: 14.5 (.5)
Right Forearm: 10.8 (.05)
Right Calf: 16.37 (.15)
Right Thigh: 27.75 (0)
Neck: 14.5 (,12)
Current Weight: 199.0 pounds (-.4)
Inches lost: 3.41
Running total: -.44 inches, +3 pounds

Well, damn. That's a big increase in inches. I'll eat better next weekend. I'm sure it's mostly bloat.

Fullness Changes

I've noticed something new with intuitive eating and listening to my body: the point at which I feel content to stop is different. Before, I would only feel like I "over did it" when I was so I full I was physically uncomfortable.

I could sit down and eat half a medium pizza easily before. Now I eat two pieces and think, "Man, I probably didn't need all of that second piece!"

I spend a lot of time being confused about how little I have to eat to feel satisfied compared to what I thought was satisfying before. I'm definitely saving money on groceries!

No Going Back

I officially uninstalled My Fitness Pal. This shouldn't seem like as big of a step as it is, but I feel so free now. I'm not going back to counting calories or macros, it's official. It wasn't worth the stress, and I'm losing weight without it. It's still the best food tracking app I've seen, but that's not the lifestyle I want. It's too stressful.

I also gave up the gym.

I'm a little surprised myself.

The new gym just wasn't for me. My old gym wasn't convenient for my life at this point. I've seen some neat "challenges" that pop up on Pinterest and Facebook periodically. I think I'm going to start doing those. It won't be much, but it'll be better than nothing, right?

Measurement Monday: September 8th, 2014

It seems like Sundays I tend to over eat. I have to start working on that.

Abdomen: 44.12 (-.25)
Waist: 34.25 (-.25)
Bust: 43 (-.5)
Chest: 37 (-.5)
Hip: 46 (.5)
Left Arm: 13.5 (-.87)
Left Forearm: 10.65 (-.1)
Left Calf: 16 (.25)
Left Thigh: 27.5 (0)
Right Arm: 14 (0)
Right Forearm: 10.75 (.25)
Right Calf: 16.12 (.63)
Right Thigh: 27.75 (.25)
Neck: 14.37 (-.12)
Current Weight: 200.4 pounds (-1.2)
Inches lost: -.21
Running total: -3.85 inches, +4.4 pounds

A bit of fluctuation, but not that bad. Considering I lost four inches last time, I'm not surprised that I didn't lose much this week, but I am happy I lost anything. I won't complain about another 1.2 pound down either!

Hopeful

I know I get all excited sometimes and claim that I'm going to lose X amount of weight by Y time. I'm doing my best not to get all excited just because I've lost a few pounds the last few weeks. It's hard to contain my perspective excitement. Even if I continue at my slow (though really it's not, I'm just impatient) and steady pace, I could be in a bikini by next summer. Well, a bikini that I feel good about my body in.

How I feel I look, but I certainly lack her confidence.

Today I'm going to the gym. I don't want to go. I don't know why. I think maybe I'm just a little nervous because it's a new gym, and what I want is to play racquetball, but I don't want to play alone.  Today I'm going to go and do upper body. I'm sure it'll be fine once I'm there, working out, but I just don't want to go. Maybe I'll swim instead.

In other news, I'm back to working on Saturdays again, which is great. It gives me a day to do homework at work and get caught up on stuff. It's going to be great if I can actually focus. This week I've managed to get a few assignments done so far at work. Hopefully I'll get the rest of it done today, but who knows. I'm just a little aimless right now.

Hunger is Weird

Eating when I'm hungry sounds easy, and it should be, but it's weird. All the articles and books I've read, they put hunger on a scale.

Typical Hunger Scale

Now, depending on which scale/article/book, they all recommend different numbers at which to eat and stop eating, but most of them, at least what I've seen for weight loss, they recommend eating at around 4, and stopping at around 6. It's way harder than it sounds. As someone who has always eaten around a schedule (usually regulated by breaks in work and school), it's baffling trying to listen to my body. I spend hours hanging around 4, and then it feels like I skip 3 all together and run head first in to 2. I feel like I've spend the last five hours carefully checking in with myself to see how I feel hunger-wise. I've been waiting to hit the magic "Fairly Hungry" stage. Suddenly I'm Ravenous.

I don't even like hotdogs and these look good.

I do okay most of the time with stopping at Full, but I occasionally over do it by a few bites. I'm currently reading "How to Have Your Cupcake and Your Skinny Jeans Too" by Josie Spinardi (I'll be putting up a review once I finish it), and she suggested a great technique to keep from over eating: Leave food on your plate. 1. This visually tells your body you don't need seconds, and 2. we (at least I) tend to over serve ourselves. Planning to leave  food on your plate means you have to check in with yourself as you get to the end of your meal: how many more bites do I need? How many bites are left? I check in at the halfway point and carve out a small portion of left overs. As my "will eat" pile dwindles, I start to consider how much of it I really need. If I'm truly hungry, I can always eat my leftovers, but I'm usually not. It's working really well for me, and my dogs are loving the leftovers.

Measurement Monday: September 1st, 2014

I over ate yesterday, but only a little.Otherwise it was a pretty good week. Just a brief explanation on my revised running total: I'm changing it from my highest weight and measurements to my starting weight and measurements.

Abdomen: 44.37 (-.38)
Waist: 34.5 (.25)
Bust: 43.5 (-.75)
Chest: 37.5 (.5)
Hip: 45.5 (-1)
Left Arm: 14.37 (0)
Left Forearm: 10.75 (0)
Left Calf: 15.75 (-.5)
Left Thigh: 27.5 (0)
Right Arm: 14 (-1)
Right Forearm: 10.5 (-.25)
Right Calf: 15.37 (-.63)
Right Thigh: 27.5 (-.5)
Neck: 14.5 (.12)
Current Weight: 201.6 pounds (-1.2)
Inches lost: -4.14
Running total: -3.64 inches, +5.6 pounds

I was looking over my very first Measurement Monday post, way back in April, and I've realized that I am NOW finally back down to my original measurements (give or take a half inch here and there). It's frustrating that I've spent four months going up and down to where I started. I do weigh 5 pounds more than I was originally (though who knows what I really weighed given my old scale). I just feel like I've been spinning my wheels and wasting time.

The four inches I lost this week REALLY gives me hope that this is going to be the thing that helps me lose weight. Three inches last week, four inches this week, it really does inspire me. Seven inches in two weeks is incredible. If only I didn't need to put on weight and give up bread for three months to figure it out.