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?

Checking in Again

Well, we finally have internet!

Also, this means updates will be a bit more regular.

So, how are things going?

Um. Not horrible?

My head has been in kind of a weird place recently in regards to my weight. Some days I wake up and think I look so much thinner (pictures to come!) and slack off on my diet because I'm hot shit already.

Other days I think that I'm still huge and if 10 bites a day is good, zero bites a day should be better!..but then I get hungry. Then the next day I end up feeling worse, not because I cheated, but because I obviously am fatter.

That doesn't sound very healthy, now does it?

I know this is bad. I know this is an unhealthy mentality. Through all my dieting this past year, I've never really felt that way. This is exactly why people eventually move to intuitive eating. I'm debating recommitting to intuitive eating. This can't be healthy, right?

On the other hand, if I just stick with 5 Bites until I get to a point where I'm at least more comfortable with my body, then I can switch and not hate my body. I can lose the last 10 or 15 pounds with intuitive eating.

The problem is the last 10 or 15 pounds is still 40 pounds away. I'm not sure where I'll be mentally by the time I get there.

Between 5 Bites and Intuitive Eating

I've easily maintained my weight loss while just trying my best to listen to my body, but I can't get myself motivated enough to go back to 5 Bites. Natural portion control is coming along easily, but I'm just not losing.

This morning I was 189.6. I have 4.6 pound to go by the end of January. Seems doable, if only I could focus.

I'm thinking I'm going to try 5 Bites consistently until I get down to my goal weight for the month. Maybe if I simply focus until I get to X-weight, then give myself a reprieve, I'll be able to tackle this weight loss?

A bit over 4 pounds per month and I'll be down to 150. That would be so worth it, wouldn't it?

4 pounds a month would mean 173 by May. 173 is a size 8 -10 for me! I'd be set for bikini season!

Checking In, Resolutions, and January's Goal

I've been unable to log in the past few weeks between house sitting in the middle of nowhere and rebuilding our new home! I may disappear again, but I thought I'd let everyone know how things are going:

5 Bites: Not going well. I'm firmly in the realm of Intuitive Eating right now. Between holiday eating, a bachelorette party, having no kitchen due to the move and construction, and lots of alcohol, I haven't been able to maintain 5 Bites and my happiness. On the other hand, I've done a great job of listening to my body and limiting my portions to the range between what my body needs for fuel and what I want emotionally.

Weight: 189.4! Whoo! Through intuitive eating and happy portion control, I've broken 190. This is a really big deal, as I don't know the last time I was below 190. Perhaps my high school graduation?

Body Fat: 29.6%, At the beginning of November I was at 31.3%. Almost 2% during the biggest eating months of the year isn't too shabby in my book.

Weight-related Resolution: Get down to 150. It's a lot of weight to lose, and if it doesn't happen, I won't be heartbroken, but I like having a goal to work towards. I'll be very angry with myself if I'm not down to 175 by the end of the year.  I spent most of this year gaining weight as I experimented with different diets and have spent the last few months finally losing all that dieting weight. This year will be different. I'll lose weight the whole year, instead of gaining and playing catch up. I simply need to lose 1.3 pounds per month to get below 175. At that rate I could do 5 Bites one weekend a month and just work hard to maintain with Intuitive Eating the remainder of the time and hit my goal.

Blog-related Resolution: I'd like to get back in to posting a bit more often, both on Ditch the Excuses and on Homesteading in the Dust (my blog about homesteading in Southern Arizona). In addition, I think I'd like to start setting monthly weight loss goals. The November Challenge was great and very motivating, though a little stressful.

January's Goal: I want to be at 185 by the end of January. I lost almost 8 pounds in November, so 4.4 pounds in January should be more than reasonable.

As construction (most of which I'm doing myself) is still underway, I probably won't be checking in again until mid January.