Hello All,
I am sorry not to have updated in a while, but I have been busy (understatement). To date I have lost 30 pounds. It is definitely much slower going now, but there has also been much interference. Because I have been so busy, I have not had the time to even go for a walk (that doesn't help weight loss). I have also haven't been sleeping enough (which is very, very bad for weight loss). And to add to that, I have been very stressed which leads to me eating more and eating things like too much chocolate (very, very, very bad for weight loss).
Despite it all though (with a few bumps along the way) I am still losing weight. YEAH! I have also found that it is not helpful to a person like me to have a faulty scale...lose a lot - false hope, gain some - lose all hope.
Despite my "very, very, bad" days, many of you will be happy to know that things like hamburgers and chocolate need not be done away with, but can be approached differently.
I still go out with my family, but if we go to say Burger King (like less than once in two weeks), I will get a junior whopper with cheese, no fries(or sneak two from my son), and water. This way I can fulfill my cravings, but not gain the weight.
After being on this journey for a while now, I have realized that most drinks are empty calories. They give you little satisfaction, but they can tag on the calories quickly. So I only drink water and tea without sugar. I will have skimmed milk with my cereal (Special K, red berries), but that is all. That seems to help a bunch. I have also found that carbs have lots of calories, so unless they are part of a meal like spaghetti bolanese, or bread in a sandwich, or rice in sushi, I try to avoid them. Even though I could only eat soups at the beginning, and thought I would hate them forever, they have actually become a larger part of my diet (Love clam chowder and lentil soup with chicken broth).
I have found that perhaps the greatest indicator of weight loss is not as much about food calories and exercise as you'd think (although they are important too), but it is about getting enough sleep. I have not researched this enough, but there seems to be a direct correlation between hours of sleep and weight loss. And exercise helps you get better sleep. So...
My goal was 176 (10 more pounds to go), and I think I will reach that. The issue is that now I want to lose more. 156 is my ideal weight, so if I stall at 176, then I may try one more balloon.
p.s. I started this journey busting out of a size 20UK 18US/CAN, and day I bought a t-shirt size 16UK 14 US?CAN and slim jeans size 14UK 12US/CAN! How freaking awesome is that?!? I purged my closets and now only have size 16 and 14 clothes. (I will have to do more shopping soon!! ;-)
Would love to hear how others are doing...
I am sorry not to have updated in a while, but I have been busy (understatement). To date I have lost 30 pounds. It is definitely much slower going now, but there has also been much interference. Because I have been so busy, I have not had the time to even go for a walk (that doesn't help weight loss). I have also haven't been sleeping enough (which is very, very bad for weight loss). And to add to that, I have been very stressed which leads to me eating more and eating things like too much chocolate (very, very, very bad for weight loss).
Despite it all though (with a few bumps along the way) I am still losing weight. YEAH! I have also found that it is not helpful to a person like me to have a faulty scale...lose a lot - false hope, gain some - lose all hope.
Despite my "very, very, bad" days, many of you will be happy to know that things like hamburgers and chocolate need not be done away with, but can be approached differently.
I still go out with my family, but if we go to say Burger King (like less than once in two weeks), I will get a junior whopper with cheese, no fries(or sneak two from my son), and water. This way I can fulfill my cravings, but not gain the weight.
After being on this journey for a while now, I have realized that most drinks are empty calories. They give you little satisfaction, but they can tag on the calories quickly. So I only drink water and tea without sugar. I will have skimmed milk with my cereal (Special K, red berries), but that is all. That seems to help a bunch. I have also found that carbs have lots of calories, so unless they are part of a meal like spaghetti bolanese, or bread in a sandwich, or rice in sushi, I try to avoid them. Even though I could only eat soups at the beginning, and thought I would hate them forever, they have actually become a larger part of my diet (Love clam chowder and lentil soup with chicken broth).
I have found that perhaps the greatest indicator of weight loss is not as much about food calories and exercise as you'd think (although they are important too), but it is about getting enough sleep. I have not researched this enough, but there seems to be a direct correlation between hours of sleep and weight loss. And exercise helps you get better sleep. So...
My goal was 176 (10 more pounds to go), and I think I will reach that. The issue is that now I want to lose more. 156 is my ideal weight, so if I stall at 176, then I may try one more balloon.
p.s. I started this journey busting out of a size 20UK 18US/CAN, and day I bought a t-shirt size 16UK 14 US?CAN and slim jeans size 14UK 12US/CAN! How freaking awesome is that?!? I purged my closets and now only have size 16 and 14 clothes. (I will have to do more shopping soon!! ;-)
Would love to hear how others are doing...
