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!