Belinda's WL Diary

IFing

I gained a bit of weight when I was basically running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get stuff done around here. But I'm finally, FINALLY in a groove now.

Intermittent fasting. There are many diet plans out there. So far I've tried counting calories, tried small meals and/or snacks throughout the day, SlimFast. But I've hit the IFing style pretty hard this past week and I've found it suits me best. I eat one big meal each day. I do not count the calories; just until I'm full (that satisfying feeling of a full stomach is also a plus). Usually in the mornings or afternoons so I'm active for the rest of the day and not sleeping on the food I just ate.

The weather has been unusually mild this past week as well so I've also been walking every evening when my husband gets home. My daughter and dog also come along and enjoy it. I'm not sure the exact distance, but I'll wear my pedometer and edit this later with the steps. EDIT: It's about 4,000 steps.

With these two changes this past week, I saw 177.3 on the scale Sunday morning. This is the smallest I've been since my daughter was born 4 1/2 years ago! :hurray:

I know some people who do IF will also have an "off" day each week. Mine was yesterday so obviously that weight has jumped up a bit. But I think I can finally say farewell to the 180s :D
 
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All Areas Need Attention

Because it was raining all day yesterday, I did an hour on the stationary bike in two 30-min sessions. They weren't as intense as I could do. But I still saw 176 this morning. I'm almost 20 pounds down from my starting weight now and 170 is the halfway point to my goal.

Yesterday I also did some exercises on the Bowflex that focused on my arms, chest, and abs since the only parts of me that I've been exercising lately have been my legs and maybe my butt with all the walking and pedaling. The rest of me has gotten a break up until this point, but that made me realize the rest of me can't be left out, either. So every day I'm going to do a little on the Bowflex to hopefully tone up (my goal isn't to build bulky muscle) while dropping the pounds.

IFing last week wasn't nearly as hard as this week, but I'm pushing through. Seeing the scale move like this is encouraging. Someone on the forum has a quote on their signature that has just stuck with me when the craving for something hits: Nothing tastes as good as slim feels. I interpret it as: is that donut really worth it in the long run? And I haven't had one in almost two weeks :D
 
I'm so happy you're starting to see some results. I know exactly what you mean about the donuts. My weakness areas were always candies and chips. Whenever the Lay's Salt & Vinegar chips were only sale I'd grab 2 big bags and over the period of 2 days they'd be gone most weeks. Now, I can't remember the last time I've gotten big bags. When I'm craving them I'll get the small snack sized bags and will make sure I have room in my day's calorie intake. Even then I don't have them a lot. I got a small snack sized bag last week. Probably the first and only in a month. I'm feeling the same way as you. Now that I'm seeing and feeling results I just don't want to "ruin" it by eating something I shouldn't. Granted I still have my days where I overeat, but for the most part it's only a once a week type of thing and it's my only true cheat day of the week so I'm not worried about it. :)

Good idea on working on the Bowflex. The only real exercise I'm doing as of right now is taebo (which has been great for me so far) and walking when it's not too hot. I need to start looking at other alternatives.
 
What is going on here?

I've had an odd trend with my weight loss ever since I started back at the end of March. I'll lose five pounds in about 1 to 1 1/2 weeks and then stall out for a couple more weeks (no weight change whatsoever). Then I'll see another 5-lb drop before another stall. What is up with this? It happened at 190, then 185 where I hovered for the longest time it seemed. Then again at 180 and now at 175. The halfway mark is RIGHT THERE, dammit :cuss: , right around the corner and now I'm stuck again?! Anyone else experience this before? Any advice before I toss the scale out in frustration?!
 
Yup!! Still trying to get to 200lb. I've been to 203lb twice now before going back up to the 205's. EXTREMELY frustrating. I feel your pain! Have you been taking measurements to see if you're losing inches, but not weight as the scale sees it? I am losing inches so that's the only thing that's keeping me sane. LOL
 
I've been measuring about every two months (just whenever I remember to). I didn't last month, but I'm going to this month; thanks for that reminder Mandy!
 
I sent Chris out to get a ribbon tape measure. On previous measurements I've been all ghetto and used a usb cord and regular tape measure. Measurements should be more accurate now.
These are changes since I started back in March:
Neck: -0.2"
Bicep: -0.5"
Forearm: -0.5"
Chest: +1.0"
Waist: -1.5"
Hips: -1.0"
Thigh: +0.7"
Calf: 0
 
Progress is progress and it sounds like you've made some! Congrats on that! I'm sure it was much easier to do with a real tape measure! ;)
 
Fasting is a way to lose weight but it can also be bad for your health because you're not getting the nutrition your body needs daily.
 
Thanks for that reminder, Moses.

Mandy, it was soooo much easier, and accurate I'm sure. Makes me wonder how far off my first measurements were.

Now for an update: When I started out on this journey, I was fitting comfortably in size 18 jeans and my size 16 jeans were tight. Right now my 16 jeans are loose when I put them on and I can't go without a belt. So, to add a reminder/motivation each time I open the closet, I decided to buy a pair of smaller, more snug jeans. Just one pair of jeans to aspire to fit comfortably into. I tried on a pair of size 14 and they actually fit :D They fit so easily, in fact, that I switched them out for size 12. I was able to button the 12, but they're still tight; just what I was looking for. So now I have a pair of now-tight jeans hanging on my closet door so that each time I go to get dressed, I have a goal sitting right in front of my face.
 
Goal pants are a great idea! I have a few as I outgrew some smaller ones from a couple years ago, but they are still motivating me as I've gotten back into one of them.

I would imagine your chest and thigh measurement increases are from muscle. That's why the scales are funky, your changing your body composition, your ratio of fat and muscle is being altered. Weight is a simple measure to track a complex process.

Your doing what yuu need to track your progress while the scale is funky. You'll likely hit the halfway point in a big drop. I hope it's soon for you.
 
That's awesome Belinda!! To go down 2 sizes is a great thing! Having those size 12 jeans hanging around is great motivation to fit into them! I'm sure you'll get there fast. :)
 
School Year Started Today!!

Today is my daughter's first official day of her last year of preschool! She's there from 7:30 to 11:30 so that leaves plenty of time for me to exercise however I wish. This summer I was mainly confined to the stationary bike in the house while keeping an eye on her (the weather was just too hot to take her walking outside). This morning I took my dog for a 3-mile walk. It's awesome that he loves being outside; being a 4.75-lb yorkie, I figured he'd peter out after the first mile, but he was a trooper! (Until we got back to the car, then he promptly curled up on my lap for the drive home.) I also did some weeding when I got home, so there was a bit more exercise.

I'm going to make it routine to get that 3-mile walk in the days she's at school (just Monday through Thursday) and then walk the neighborhood like I've been doing when Chris gets home from work. This should put me well past 5 miles on those days with the added normal walking I do through the day.

I've also gone back to drinking Slimfast a couple times a day. Which got me to wondering about rotation dieting (if that's even a thing?) and if it's beneficial. Does anyone else do this; stick to a certain method of dieting for a couple of weeks or so then switch up to another when it gets old or just because? I did IFing for a couple of weeks without counting calories now I'm back to the Slimfast for a bit.
 
I'll be going for another 3-mile walk this morning. It's my husband's late day, so he's going with me. Yesterday was the first day in several weeks that I've gotten over 10K steps in. The pedometer showed 11,620 at the end of the day, but when I got home yesterday morning I showered off and switched out shorts. I forgot to switch over my pedometer and it ended up going through a wash cycle :( That booger is really durable, it's been washed and dried several times and still works! So I would definitely recommend the Fitbit Zip if you're forgetful like me and leave your pedometer on your pants.
 
Walking!!!

The county park I go to has a walking/biking trail that's three miles long. I've made a habit of walking there in the mornings after dropping my daughter off for morning preschool. I did my walk like usual yesterday morning, then Chris comes homes and asks if I wanted to go walking. Me, thinking he meant our usual evening route around our neighborhood, agreed. But as we were getting ready to go, he suggested we go to the park and walk the trail. Eh heh! :ack2: But I did it anyway, got over 15,000 steps in yesterday and 6 miles of it was that trail. I was so beat from the walking and the evening humidity that I slept in this morning and chose to clean my car instead of walking like I would normally do. Do I feel guilty for sleeping in? Maybe a little, but I know I'll be walking again this evening :D

P.S. Got my new Asics in today, time to break them in!
 
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Benefits of Body Measurments

The last time I took my body measurements was eleven days ago. I've been doing a lot of walking and it shows: my calf is 1/2" smaller and my thigh is 1/4" smaller. However, everything else has pretty much stayed the same save for my chest and waist.

When trying to get fit or lose weight, the scale isn't the only tool to measure your progress by. Sometimes (especially in my case) the scale doesn't move for days or even a couple weeks at a time. It's easy to get discouraged by this. That's where measuring comes in--a way to stay encouraged and see progress. Not only that, but it also helps you to see which areas are positively impacted by your exercise routine and when to adjust your routine so that the areas still needing work aren't missed.

I added a set of 3-lb wrist weights while on the stationary bike this morning (exchanged walking for that today). I worked on bicep and tricep exercises in addition to the bike resistance providing my legs with work. I'm going to stick with the weights for the next couple of weeks and see what that does for me. I'll also be finding time to squeeze in some sit-ups as well.
 
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