Ok, so remember how last week I promised to try for an A- in terms of my effort, rather than a B+ like last week? I totally had an A- week. And yet I gained 6.2 freaking pounds.
3/1/12 247.2
2/16/13 170.4
Pounds lost in March: .7
Pounds lost in April: 3.5
Pounds lost in May: 7.0
Pounds lost in June: 7.1
Pounds lost in July: +3.8
Pounds lost in August: 2.0
Pounds lost in September: 2.4
10/4/13 157.8
10/13/13 160.9
10/19/13 161.6
10/27/13 167.8
This doesn't make any sense. I'm definitely not pregnant. My efforts have been solid for the last three weeks in a row, even pulling ahead a little bit this week. Third week of gaining in a row (although last week probably would've been a loss if I'd weighed in Sunday morning instead of Saturday night) means it's time to consider a change. I've been plodding along with the same routine, same kinds of foods, same calorie level and activity level for months now, and really, what do I have to show for it? I've had some little ups and downs as well as some big ones, but the bottom line is that I basically weigh today what I did in the spring, around April and May.
It's tempting to throw my hands up and say "Well, I wasted my entire summer." But I know that's not true. I didn't go off the rails. I wanted to learn how to maintain my weight, which I've never done in my life, and maybe this is what maintenance will look like for me- little ups and downs all centered around the same basic ten pounds. To have remained in that "healthy weight" category, at least according to my Wii scale, since the beginning of February? That's huge for me. So I'm not beating myself up about anything here.
But I want to put the brakes on this upward trajectory. There really is nothing I can point to that would explain the gain over the last few weeks, or the general scale sluggishness lately. My body needs a recharge, and to be honest, so does my enthusiasm towards weight loss, so it's time for a change. The last two months, I've barely stepped on the scale in between official weekly weigh ins. In some ways, that's a healthy thing- it's not good to be obsessed. But it's also not good to be apathetic, and that's a perfect way to describe how I've felt about my Getting There efforts lately.
Perhaps one of the reasons why I haven't been eager to step on the scale is that I really can't trust it. I'm aware that it's been weighing me in a good ten or fifteen pounds lighter than other scales I've stepped on over the last few months. It's hard for me to give up those ten or fifteen pounds, even if I know they aren't real, but it's time. So no matter what changes I decide to make, one of them will be a more accurate scale. It'll be a blow to my ego to post an official weight in the high 70s or low 80s, but that may very well be what happens next week.
I'm starting my new job on Friday, so I'll take this week to make up my mind on what to do, and then implement it starting next Sunday. (Although I solemnly swear that I will not go off the rails during this week of decision-making.) Starting a new job is a perfect time to start a new routine. Here are a couple of ideas I've been considering:
1. Re-starting Weight Watchers. It's a great program, and I've never really given the new points system a fair shot. I could use a little bit more structure, I think. This one is a strong contender, but I can't really afford the meetings, and when I do Weight Watchers I always want to do meetings at least for the first month or two, for a little jump start. It's $42 a month for the "monthly pass" that I would use, which gives you unlimited meetings and online tools.
2. Modifying the Ideal Protein diet I've been counseling patients about the weight loss clinic, to make it more sustainable. I've been realizing this week that I'm going to miss the little snacks I have every now and then at the office when they aren't there right in front of me. So I started to think, "Duh, if you actually like them, you might actually like doing the program itself". I would modify the program because the dinner we recommend is boring and unrealistic- but if I ate Ideal Protein (or the cheaper and just as tasty Healthwise) foods for breakfast, lunch and snack, I think it would do me a lot of good. Healthwise food is available online, and I could stock up on some Ideal Protein things before I leave the weight loss clinic.
3. Sticking to my same not-really-counting-calories technique, but changing up breakfast, lunch and snacks entirely. Finding new things to eat for those meals because maybe my body is just getting tired of cereal bars and light frozen dinners.
The last two items I'll be contemplating my options as the week goes on... I'll look forward to sharing my new plan with you next Saturday!
3/1/12 247.2
2/16/13 170.4
Pounds lost in March: .7
Pounds lost in April: 3.5
Pounds lost in May: 7.0
Pounds lost in June: 7.1
Pounds lost in July: +3.8
Pounds lost in August: 2.0
Pounds lost in September: 2.4
10/4/13 157.8
10/13/13 160.9
10/19/13 161.6
10/27/13 167.8
This doesn't make any sense. I'm definitely not pregnant. My efforts have been solid for the last three weeks in a row, even pulling ahead a little bit this week. Third week of gaining in a row (although last week probably would've been a loss if I'd weighed in Sunday morning instead of Saturday night) means it's time to consider a change. I've been plodding along with the same routine, same kinds of foods, same calorie level and activity level for months now, and really, what do I have to show for it? I've had some little ups and downs as well as some big ones, but the bottom line is that I basically weigh today what I did in the spring, around April and May.
It's tempting to throw my hands up and say "Well, I wasted my entire summer." But I know that's not true. I didn't go off the rails. I wanted to learn how to maintain my weight, which I've never done in my life, and maybe this is what maintenance will look like for me- little ups and downs all centered around the same basic ten pounds. To have remained in that "healthy weight" category, at least according to my Wii scale, since the beginning of February? That's huge for me. So I'm not beating myself up about anything here.
But I want to put the brakes on this upward trajectory. There really is nothing I can point to that would explain the gain over the last few weeks, or the general scale sluggishness lately. My body needs a recharge, and to be honest, so does my enthusiasm towards weight loss, so it's time for a change. The last two months, I've barely stepped on the scale in between official weekly weigh ins. In some ways, that's a healthy thing- it's not good to be obsessed. But it's also not good to be apathetic, and that's a perfect way to describe how I've felt about my Getting There efforts lately.
Perhaps one of the reasons why I haven't been eager to step on the scale is that I really can't trust it. I'm aware that it's been weighing me in a good ten or fifteen pounds lighter than other scales I've stepped on over the last few months. It's hard for me to give up those ten or fifteen pounds, even if I know they aren't real, but it's time. So no matter what changes I decide to make, one of them will be a more accurate scale. It'll be a blow to my ego to post an official weight in the high 70s or low 80s, but that may very well be what happens next week.
I'm starting my new job on Friday, so I'll take this week to make up my mind on what to do, and then implement it starting next Sunday. (Although I solemnly swear that I will not go off the rails during this week of decision-making.) Starting a new job is a perfect time to start a new routine. Here are a couple of ideas I've been considering:
1. Re-starting Weight Watchers. It's a great program, and I've never really given the new points system a fair shot. I could use a little bit more structure, I think. This one is a strong contender, but I can't really afford the meetings, and when I do Weight Watchers I always want to do meetings at least for the first month or two, for a little jump start. It's $42 a month for the "monthly pass" that I would use, which gives you unlimited meetings and online tools.
2. Modifying the Ideal Protein diet I've been counseling patients about the weight loss clinic, to make it more sustainable. I've been realizing this week that I'm going to miss the little snacks I have every now and then at the office when they aren't there right in front of me. So I started to think, "Duh, if you actually like them, you might actually like doing the program itself". I would modify the program because the dinner we recommend is boring and unrealistic- but if I ate Ideal Protein (or the cheaper and just as tasty Healthwise) foods for breakfast, lunch and snack, I think it would do me a lot of good. Healthwise food is available online, and I could stock up on some Ideal Protein things before I leave the weight loss clinic.
3. Sticking to my same not-really-counting-calories technique, but changing up breakfast, lunch and snacks entirely. Finding new things to eat for those meals because maybe my body is just getting tired of cereal bars and light frozen dinners.
The last two items I'll be contemplating my options as the week goes on... I'll look forward to sharing my new plan with you next Saturday!