A Long Overdue Update

The blog fell by the wayside as big changes in my life occurred. I moved to a new town, bought a house, found a career, broke it off with my fiance, and totally changed my lifestyle.

Wow.

The results have been worthwhile and I've learned a lot.

I also got in to my size 5 goal pants and comfortably wear a size 4 most of the time.

I'm still not where I want to be, but I'm getting close. The thing that worked best was certainly the 5 Bite Diet, which I was certainly quite skeptical about at first. The one modification I made was instead of black coffee, I would mix a spoonful of chocolate protein powder in to it because:
1. I like chocolate and can't stand black coffee
2. It satisfied the cravings to eat
3. Protein is important

What really helped more than the 5 Bite Diet was a lifestyle change. It's cliche, but true. I started an active life. The house I bought required hours of physical labor to make it livable. Leaving my fiance drastically changed what I did in my free time from eating and watching movies to exercise, cleaning, and socializing without food. Once I started seeing the benefits, it changed my relationship with friends too. Some friendships have certainly weakened, but overall its been largely a positive impact. I now meet up with a few different friends to run or walk. I ride my bike as often as I can. I enjoy moving and being active.

Although my relationship didn't work out for personal reasons, I now can see how having a partner that isn't working toward the same goals is a huge hurdle. Surrounding yourself with people with similar goals is what truly makes all the difference.

Measurement Monday: April 6th, 2015

Belated posting, but measuring was on time. I was really sick this past week I wanted to do nothing but eat comfort food but didn't end up doing too badly on eating. I didn't track anything or count bites, but it worked out in my favor this week.

Abdomen: 40.5 (-.75)
Waist: 31.5 (-.7)
Bust: 40.4 (-.6)
Chest: 34.4 (-.4)
Hip: 42.9 (-.6)
Left Arm: 13.2 (-.1)
Left Forearm: 10.4 (-.1)
Left Calf: 15.3 (-.45)
Left Thigh: 25.2  (0)
Right Arm: 13 (0)
Right Forearm: 10.3 (+.05)
Right Calf: 15.4 (-.35)
Right Thigh: 25.3 (-.5)
Neck: 13.6 (0)
Current Weight: 174.4 pounds (-8.2)
Inches lost: -5
Running total: -21.7, -21.6 pounds

I wanted to lost 5 pounds this past week and I blew that goal out of the water by losing just over 8 pounds! Whoo! Makes being sick a little more bearable. Also, I think it's funny that the number of inches I've lost matches the number of pounds I've lost.

Next week's goal: lose 2 pounds. I feel confident I'll lost a pound this week, but it's so hard after a big loss to keep momentum. Usually if I lose big one week, the next week I'll put on a pound! I'm not sure if it's my brain or my body that leads to the wait gain, but I'm going to fight it this week. I'm still not feeling well, so hopefully that will help.

Already Hit Goal!

On Monday I wanted to lose 5 pounds this week. This morning I weighed 177.2 and ate a ton of sodium yesterday. I knew 5 pounds was doable. All I have to do is eat reasonably the rest of the week.

I'm also only 1 pound away from the 30 pound mark!

First of the Month Photos: April, 2015

FINALLY getting back on track. First photo in each pair will be from April 2014 (Holy cow, I've been blogging for a year now?), the second will be from April of 2015.

Looks like some progress! Thighs are DEFINITELY thinner.Boobs are smaller, but maybe perkier?

I can see progress! Rib fat is less apparent, arm is thinner, thighs are smaller, lots of good things.

Thinner arms, less back fat, lots more muscle definition in my back. Awesome!
I seem to have misplaced my body fat calipers, but that's okay. I'll find them by next month.
Weight: 182.6
BF%: ?
Goal: Lost 15 pounds and get into the shorts (below) without a muffin top! They're a pair of Calvin Klein size 10s that I found at a thrift store.They're not too bad on the waist, but I feel like my thighs are going to bust them open any moment.

Measurement Monday, March 30th, 2015

Back on track and back to measuring. The last time I measured was the end of November!

Abdomen: 41.25 (-1.5)
Waist: 32.2 (-1.3)
Bust: 41 (-2)
Chest: 34.8 (-1.4)
Hip: 43.5 (-1.75)
Left Arm: 13.3 (-.8)
Left Forearm: 10.5 (-.25)
Left Calf: 15.75 (0)
Left Thigh: 25.2  (-1.2)
Right Arm: 13 (-1)
Right Forearm: 10.25 (-.25)
Right Calf: 15.75 (-.5)
Right Thigh: 25.8 (-.7)
Neck: 13.6 (-.6)
Current Weight: 182.6 pounds (-9.2)
Inches lost: -13.25
Running total: -16.7, -13.4 pounds

I know it doesn't look like I've lost much, since it's been four months since my last measuring, but in that time I have gone from a tight 14 to a loose 12 (or a really tight 10)

Next week's goal: lose 5 pounds. It's a lofty goal, but yesterday morning I was at 179.2, so that's just over 3 pounds right there in bloat/food weight.

Another Long Absence

Today has been a bad day. I'd done great for a while. I'd been sticking to 5 Bites and had gotten down to 178.2. I was so excited...but then it was like get below 180 gave me permission to suck. I haven't felt great the last few days either. Ugh.

I need to get back in gear. I'm going to start blogging regularly again. I'm also going to start a new challenge. Historically, I haven't done well with my challenges. How will thus one be different? Well, this isn't just a challenge, it's a new habit.

I'll be doing 20 squats before I use the bathroom. With the loss of 27 pounds, I've noticed that my butt has gotten particularly sad.

When I lost weight back in high school, I always lost from my ass first, leaving me with huge thighs and a big muffin top. No good.

With 5 Bites, I'm noticing a very different weight loss pattern: my legs and arms have really slimmed down. Its nice having thinner legs to go with my lack of butt.

Anyway, I'll be reinstating Measurement Monday.

A Happy Medium

Good news! I've found a happy medium to my dieting dilemma. It may seem overly thought-out (obsessive?), but I think it will work for me, and that the important part!

Monday: Free day! I always grab lunch with a friend, it's our one day to hang out during the week, and it's the day that I cheat and then beat myself up over for the remainder of the week.

Odd Dates: 5 Bite Diet!

Even Dates: Intuitive Eating

So, what's the point? Well, I'm hoping by alternating I can 1. Keep my relationship with food healthy, 2. Train myself for maintenance, 3. Not cheat on my 5 Bite days, and 4. Actually lose weight (something I didn't really manage to do on Intuitive Eating alone).

I'm pretty excited, and I have to say, it's going well! I feel like I have better control over my diet than ever before. In addition, after a Monday of Intuitive Eating, and a Tuesday of Intuitive Eating, I was down .2 pounds! Does that seem like a silly thing to celebrate?