I meant to write this on Monday but I just didn't have a whole lot of energy or much exciting news to give....
I am still shocked that 4 months later I am still at this, doing pretty darn good considering I hate dieting! This really feels like a lifestyle now, even though I'm still attached to 'packets' 3x a day. I am definitely feeling better about going into the next phases and using less IP product but hate the idea of counting carbs. Oh well, the payoff is that I've lost a lot of weight so I think it's worth it!
I am definitely sure I'm going Wheat Belly when all is said and done. I will use all the tools that IP has and will continue to teach me and I'm grateful that I have no sugar or general carb cravings anymore. It's so strange to smell a deep fried 'anything' and to think for a second that this food item might taste good but then I immediately think 'But my stomach will hate me later so I'd better eat clean.' That's a huge difference in my outlook. Food was meant to be instant gratification before. Now I know how connected I am to the food and how it affects me. I don't want stomach aches or any of the other nasty lower GI issues I used to get. I am so done with that.
It's TOM still and I've had so little energy. A couple of nights ago, I just wanted to crawl into bed (around 8:30pm) and just go to sleep. NOT typical of me....I'm more of a night owl but getting up at 5:30am has made me want to sleep around 10pm-ish or so. Not complaining, it's just a different feeling to doze off before 11pm. ;-) I've been downing a lot more coffee which isn't necessarily good but at least I'm drinking plenty of water to make up for it.
So, I started Monday off a little higher because of TOM so I wasn't really counting it but I guess I still have to since that's 'what I weighed' on that day. I was at 163.0 on Monday which was about 2 lbs of water weight but it still read lower than my weigh in numbers on Saturday so I guess I was doing okay. My body fat numbers finally started creeping back down again but I'm still high. I'm around 33.6% which is better than I was two weeks ago so I'm not complaining. The biggest issue is that I want to be at 23-25% so I still have 19 lbs of fat to lose. That's a lot of fat.... but at least I can say I've already lost about 22-25 lbs of fat already!
Today I'm finally seeing some changes in me. I started the morning at 161.2 which I haven't seen since the late 1990's. I'm wearing size 8 jeans from Old Navy and my belt is down another notch! I also put on a size small (4/6) camisole from Costco and it fits perfectly. I'm waiting for an order of bras to come from Macy's so hopefully that will also help me feel a little better since my current bras are NOT holding me up well anymore. Crazy to think these 2 bras are only 6 weeks old and they are too big for me! I measured myself yesterday (I try to only do this once a month - otherwise I obsess too much!) and I finally lost in my waist after nothing for weeks! I'm reading 30.5 in my natural waist and my hips are reading 39.5. My waist needs some exercising to whittle it down to where I want (27-28) so hopefully I'll be able to do that soon.
I've been incorporating a little non-IP product into my life. I know that's not kosher and I don't talk about it in my IP groups because I don't want to be accused of trying to lead people away because IP really does work. I just am trying to ease the financial burden that this places on us so I don't feel bad about it. For example, I just bought Quest bars (high protein snacks) and while most people on IP say to use them as a restricted I've managed to use them with a regular IP restricted snack and still be okay. I'm burning fat - I'm losing weight and I feel pretty darn good so I'm obviously meant to have an increase in my fat intake. I also use an occasional bulletproof coffee (which has butter and coconut oil) and it has made my hunger go away and I still lose. Some hardcore IP-ers will tell me that I'd be losing more if I didn't put these extras into my diet. Well, I tried it without and I didn't lose as much so there ya go..... I am really listening to my body and finding what works. My coach is really happy with my results so I'm sticking with my current plan.
So that's where things are at after 4 months. I will probably be in phase 1 for at least 7 more weeks. I I'm totally okay with that too. I'm used to eating this way and I really don't want to eat junk or have to think about carbs right now anyway. I'm going to be baking and cooking lots of non-IP treats today for Thanksgiving (and eventually Christmas) but I really don't want to eat any of it. I have enough chocolate treats (my IP strawberry wafer bar is the bomb!) from IP so my sweet tooth is well managed. Also, those Quest bars are great meal replacements as are those Costco Premier Protein drinks. And thank goodness for salad, pickles and eggs (IP staples) and hot tea for hunger pangs!
IF I manage a 3-4 lb a week loss I'll be done by the end of December. We'll see...I've been averaging 2-3 lately so who knows! Also, depending on how I'm feeling I may choose to phase off sooner. I have that 23-25% body fat goal but if I feel great at 27% I'll start phasing off. I'm an overachiever though - LOL! I hate being on the high end of weight or body fat scales. I want to be on the low end all the time so I have wiggle room plus I want my clothes to NEVER feel tight again. So, it'll probably be 23% that I am going for! I am such an Asian..... gotta go for the gold! ;-)
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Week 16: Weigh in
Well, well.... 4 months is done as of tonight. I can't believe I'm at this point.
I have to say that IP is definitely the right plan for me. Of course now that I'm in the thick of it, I find all kinds of 'alternative' programs that are low carb, ketogenic, etc., etc. I probably could have done any of them and had success but I'm glad I had the supervision and the packets (the foods we love and curse at the same time!). My coach is awesome and I really appreciate her history with the program. She's even back on phase 1 again after being in maintenance for most of this year. She said she's got a stubborn 20 lbs to get off and really wants to say she's lost 100 lbs so I say more power to her!
I'm at the 41 lb mark myself. I'm pretty damn proud of that. I do eat more fats than I probably should so technically I am a cheater. But honestly, I don't consume that much in calories to begin with and my body responds well to the fats I do take so as far as I can tell, I'm still a model IP student losing what I should be. I'm sure someone would tell me I'd lose more if I didn't use my coconut creamer in my coffee or to stop eating my restricted strawberry wafer and replace it with an unrestricted packet but I want to enjoy my life while going through this. I fully intend to continue using my coconut creamer in my coffee once I'm in maintenance and as well as enjoy a piece of bacon here and there. I don't intend to eat lots of bread, potatoes or rice though (they will be treats) so I think I'm doing okay.
My weigh in was a mixed bag of info. My TOM hit again (I swear, I have a period every 2-3 weeks and then they last 1-2 weeks so it's never ending) so my body fat cannot be read on the fancy scale at the clinic. It pisses me off so much that something so technologically advanced cannot read through hormonal changes in the body. So.... body fat readings don't count this week. I lost 1.2 lbs according to the scale but the stupid thing is that I weighed 3 lbs less at home (prior to breakfast, drinking water and putting on clothes). It's amazing how much clothes and water weigh. So while my official weight was 164.2 (38.9 total) , I read 161.0 (41.1 total) at home. Again, it's water retention so I'm not worried. This should mean that my next weigh in should be pretty phenomenal!
I did manage to lose some inches too! I lost 1/4" under arm, 1/4" chest, 1/4" thorax, 1/2" waist (lower). The lower waist reading is especially awesome because that's right at the belly button where ALL my fat seems to sit. I've had that pooch since I was 12 and so for me to have lost 8" around the belly button just blows my mind. My natural waist is still being stubborn and the back fat there is still holding on but I know once I get to exercise I'll lose a lot of it. So I'm not in any rush....I'm actually pretty patient about this weight loss plan!
I also ended up ordering 3 new bras because well... if I lose anywhere it's my chest. That's the joke that God plays on us gals. Where's the one place we don't want to lose? Well, that's where we lose the most and the easiest!!! I want to whittle my natural waist, belly, thighs and hips down but they're the slowest and most stubborn! That's how it always works! So from what I can tell I was probably a 40C at my heaviest and as of right now I'm reading 36B. It's entirely possible that I'll go down to a 34 - actually more than likely at some point and I'm okay with that.
I am almost sure I'm gunning for another 19 lbs before I finish. The hard part is that this is all fat I'm trying to lose. I can't let my muscle be affected so I have to be really careful to stay on track diet wise. This means I'll be in Phase 1 through the holidays. I've have some good 3-4 lb weeks and if I stay consistently high then I will be in phase 2 by early January. If I'm slow (like this week) then it'll be February. What's a few weeks difference, eh? I am just grateful that this plan works!
I have to say that IP is definitely the right plan for me. Of course now that I'm in the thick of it, I find all kinds of 'alternative' programs that are low carb, ketogenic, etc., etc. I probably could have done any of them and had success but I'm glad I had the supervision and the packets (the foods we love and curse at the same time!). My coach is awesome and I really appreciate her history with the program. She's even back on phase 1 again after being in maintenance for most of this year. She said she's got a stubborn 20 lbs to get off and really wants to say she's lost 100 lbs so I say more power to her!
I'm at the 41 lb mark myself. I'm pretty damn proud of that. I do eat more fats than I probably should so technically I am a cheater. But honestly, I don't consume that much in calories to begin with and my body responds well to the fats I do take so as far as I can tell, I'm still a model IP student losing what I should be. I'm sure someone would tell me I'd lose more if I didn't use my coconut creamer in my coffee or to stop eating my restricted strawberry wafer and replace it with an unrestricted packet but I want to enjoy my life while going through this. I fully intend to continue using my coconut creamer in my coffee once I'm in maintenance and as well as enjoy a piece of bacon here and there. I don't intend to eat lots of bread, potatoes or rice though (they will be treats) so I think I'm doing okay.
My weigh in was a mixed bag of info. My TOM hit again (I swear, I have a period every 2-3 weeks and then they last 1-2 weeks so it's never ending) so my body fat cannot be read on the fancy scale at the clinic. It pisses me off so much that something so technologically advanced cannot read through hormonal changes in the body. So.... body fat readings don't count this week. I lost 1.2 lbs according to the scale but the stupid thing is that I weighed 3 lbs less at home (prior to breakfast, drinking water and putting on clothes). It's amazing how much clothes and water weigh. So while my official weight was 164.2 (38.9 total) , I read 161.0 (41.1 total) at home. Again, it's water retention so I'm not worried. This should mean that my next weigh in should be pretty phenomenal!
I did manage to lose some inches too! I lost 1/4" under arm, 1/4" chest, 1/4" thorax, 1/2" waist (lower). The lower waist reading is especially awesome because that's right at the belly button where ALL my fat seems to sit. I've had that pooch since I was 12 and so for me to have lost 8" around the belly button just blows my mind. My natural waist is still being stubborn and the back fat there is still holding on but I know once I get to exercise I'll lose a lot of it. So I'm not in any rush....I'm actually pretty patient about this weight loss plan!
I also ended up ordering 3 new bras because well... if I lose anywhere it's my chest. That's the joke that God plays on us gals. Where's the one place we don't want to lose? Well, that's where we lose the most and the easiest!!! I want to whittle my natural waist, belly, thighs and hips down but they're the slowest and most stubborn! That's how it always works! So from what I can tell I was probably a 40C at my heaviest and as of right now I'm reading 36B. It's entirely possible that I'll go down to a 34 - actually more than likely at some point and I'm okay with that.
I am almost sure I'm gunning for another 19 lbs before I finish. The hard part is that this is all fat I'm trying to lose. I can't let my muscle be affected so I have to be really careful to stay on track diet wise. This means I'll be in Phase 1 through the holidays. I've have some good 3-4 lb weeks and if I stay consistently high then I will be in phase 2 by early January. If I'm slow (like this week) then it'll be February. What's a few weeks difference, eh? I am just grateful that this plan works!
Monday, November 18, 2013
Week #15 weigh in and Week #16 begins
Still obsessing on the colon so if talk of this kind of stuff bugs you you may want to skip the first paragraph!
It's been a weird week.... of course, the colonoscopy totally ruled my last weekend and I wasn't sure if I would get great losses or not. So, I really didn't..... I lost about 2 lbs. after the initial 'cleansing'. Then the rest of the week I spent not really going to the bathroom but I wasn't truly constipated, just clean! It takes 2-3 days for your body to build up waste.... really! When I made it to Saturday the shocking results weren't that I lost a lot.... in fact I lost about 2 lbs total. The weird thing was that I lost 2.8 lbs of fat! Pure fat here..... and no inches whatsoever. I wasn't upset at all, just surprised. Sunday I happened to drop a half a pound but guess what? I gained .4 of it back as of this morning. I ate way too much yesterday.... nothing illegal but I just ate too much veggies and protein, salt and healthy fats. I also think I had too much caffeine (a diuretic) and not enough water to compensate. So I'm still in ketosis, that I know. I also didn't remember to take my dinner time and late night supplements so I probably messed up my potassium and magnesium levels. The other odd thing was that I had a lot of bloating and gas and a little bit of the runs! Gross, I know.... but it was different feeling this way when I've been feeling so good over the past 3 months. I think the colonoscopy really did affect the way my body felt and I do feel that I'm still trying to get my supplement levels back to normal. Hopefully, things will be in balance after today!
I've been craving more food since this required cleansing so I did expect a gain. I managed to hold it off until this morning thank goodness. I do think the gassy/bloaty feeling is part of my weight gain though. Oh, and the fact that I probably wasn't hydrated enough from my food/drink choices. I expect tomorrow to be a better day.
So as of this morning I weighed 163.2 lbs. (Yesterday was 162.5) The great news is that my body fat is under 34%! Now that I am at 33.9% or maybe even a little lower that means I am in acceptable range for probably the first time since I was in my late 20's/early 30's! I never really had a true BF test done (other than the caliper test) and I was always over 30% but never knew the exact numbers. I am not really worried about today's reading. I know there's gas and bloat weighing in plus I had a lot of water to drink already. It'll all balance out.
So this begins the final week of month 4 for me. I never thought I'd be able to stick to a diet/lifestyle change for so long. I truly don't crave the bad stuff anymore. I do want sweet foods now and then or something crunchy (yeah, protein drinks get BORING after awhile). But I'm not saying I want a candy bar. It's really cool to look at foods and think "that will taste great but then I'll feel awful so I won't have that." I still plan to enjoy my breads and sweets and other carb-ish foods when I'm in phase 4 (maintenance) but I know I won't be able to eat that much of it without getting sick. The 'wheat belly' lifestyle is where we'll be once I'm done with the Ideal Protein phases and I'm really excited about it. I do intend to eat bread and sugar again though, really! Life will happen. I like to cook and bake so I will be tasting the foods I make. I just know my body will be a well oiled machine when that time comes and I'll only be able to handle smaller portions and only take bites of things that used to make me sick and heavy.
I had a good chat with my coach about goals. I told her I really want to aim for 25% body fat (the lowest reading before going into fitness level). Now, that might not be as realistic since I'm not allowed to work out yet. If I get stuck around 27-28% I may choose to phase off and then start working out to get to my ultimate goal of 23%. We'll see how it goes. I need to lose around 19 lbs of fat to get to 25%. IF I can stay clean I might be able to get to that goal within 5-7 weeks. I seem to be burning more fat these days so it seems doable. I'm not intimidated by the numbers as I know this is within reach. To be less than 20 lbs away from my ultimate weight is so exciting. I haven't felt this confident about my body in years!
I have been thinking about what my first off protocol meal will be when I can be in Phase 4 and enjoy the freedom of anything (within reason). I can't figure out if it'll be sushi at Hakata's, Mexican food (at one of several favorite restaurants) or a pancake breakfast at Big Bear Diner or Saimin or Loco Moco at Aloha Kitchen. There's plenty of other ideas but those 4 meals keep coming back to me like recurring dreams. Whatever the case, I am sure I'll be able to control myself. I was a binge eater before. I had really bad habits and could not control my portions. My relationship with food was technically abusive! Abusive towards myself too..... so interesting to think about all the ramifications of that. I am finally feeling like food is meant to be nourishing (yet tasty and comforting) but it's not 'all that'. Life requires food but it also requires exercise and other things. Balance is the key!
Okay, I'm planning to kick this week off correctly and attempt to avoid all the excessive fats I've been craving/eating! I think it'll be okay.... again, I feel like balance is coming back after my week of cleansing and my appetite should be settling back down!
It's been a weird week.... of course, the colonoscopy totally ruled my last weekend and I wasn't sure if I would get great losses or not. So, I really didn't..... I lost about 2 lbs. after the initial 'cleansing'. Then the rest of the week I spent not really going to the bathroom but I wasn't truly constipated, just clean! It takes 2-3 days for your body to build up waste.... really! When I made it to Saturday the shocking results weren't that I lost a lot.... in fact I lost about 2 lbs total. The weird thing was that I lost 2.8 lbs of fat! Pure fat here..... and no inches whatsoever. I wasn't upset at all, just surprised. Sunday I happened to drop a half a pound but guess what? I gained .4 of it back as of this morning. I ate way too much yesterday.... nothing illegal but I just ate too much veggies and protein, salt and healthy fats. I also think I had too much caffeine (a diuretic) and not enough water to compensate. So I'm still in ketosis, that I know. I also didn't remember to take my dinner time and late night supplements so I probably messed up my potassium and magnesium levels. The other odd thing was that I had a lot of bloating and gas and a little bit of the runs! Gross, I know.... but it was different feeling this way when I've been feeling so good over the past 3 months. I think the colonoscopy really did affect the way my body felt and I do feel that I'm still trying to get my supplement levels back to normal. Hopefully, things will be in balance after today!
I've been craving more food since this required cleansing so I did expect a gain. I managed to hold it off until this morning thank goodness. I do think the gassy/bloaty feeling is part of my weight gain though. Oh, and the fact that I probably wasn't hydrated enough from my food/drink choices. I expect tomorrow to be a better day.
So as of this morning I weighed 163.2 lbs. (Yesterday was 162.5) The great news is that my body fat is under 34%! Now that I am at 33.9% or maybe even a little lower that means I am in acceptable range for probably the first time since I was in my late 20's/early 30's! I never really had a true BF test done (other than the caliper test) and I was always over 30% but never knew the exact numbers. I am not really worried about today's reading. I know there's gas and bloat weighing in plus I had a lot of water to drink already. It'll all balance out.
So this begins the final week of month 4 for me. I never thought I'd be able to stick to a diet/lifestyle change for so long. I truly don't crave the bad stuff anymore. I do want sweet foods now and then or something crunchy (yeah, protein drinks get BORING after awhile). But I'm not saying I want a candy bar. It's really cool to look at foods and think "that will taste great but then I'll feel awful so I won't have that." I still plan to enjoy my breads and sweets and other carb-ish foods when I'm in phase 4 (maintenance) but I know I won't be able to eat that much of it without getting sick. The 'wheat belly' lifestyle is where we'll be once I'm done with the Ideal Protein phases and I'm really excited about it. I do intend to eat bread and sugar again though, really! Life will happen. I like to cook and bake so I will be tasting the foods I make. I just know my body will be a well oiled machine when that time comes and I'll only be able to handle smaller portions and only take bites of things that used to make me sick and heavy.
I had a good chat with my coach about goals. I told her I really want to aim for 25% body fat (the lowest reading before going into fitness level). Now, that might not be as realistic since I'm not allowed to work out yet. If I get stuck around 27-28% I may choose to phase off and then start working out to get to my ultimate goal of 23%. We'll see how it goes. I need to lose around 19 lbs of fat to get to 25%. IF I can stay clean I might be able to get to that goal within 5-7 weeks. I seem to be burning more fat these days so it seems doable. I'm not intimidated by the numbers as I know this is within reach. To be less than 20 lbs away from my ultimate weight is so exciting. I haven't felt this confident about my body in years!
I have been thinking about what my first off protocol meal will be when I can be in Phase 4 and enjoy the freedom of anything (within reason). I can't figure out if it'll be sushi at Hakata's, Mexican food (at one of several favorite restaurants) or a pancake breakfast at Big Bear Diner or Saimin or Loco Moco at Aloha Kitchen. There's plenty of other ideas but those 4 meals keep coming back to me like recurring dreams. Whatever the case, I am sure I'll be able to control myself. I was a binge eater before. I had really bad habits and could not control my portions. My relationship with food was technically abusive! Abusive towards myself too..... so interesting to think about all the ramifications of that. I am finally feeling like food is meant to be nourishing (yet tasty and comforting) but it's not 'all that'. Life requires food but it also requires exercise and other things. Balance is the key!
Okay, I'm planning to kick this week off correctly and attempt to avoid all the excessive fats I've been craving/eating! I think it'll be okay.... again, I feel like balance is coming back after my week of cleansing and my appetite should be settling back down!
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Week 15 now playing....
Didn't get a chance to write yesterday since it was Colonoscopy day! Woo-hoo....
It really wasn't bad at all. I was really worried leading up to it and the whole procedure was so damn easy because I slept through it! Ha-ha.... the worst part was doing all the laxative stuff the day before and morning of as everyone told me. So... if anyone is reading this, know that the colonoscopy part is a snap because you won't even remember it!
So I had a weird day of eating and drinking since I had to fast from 2pm Sunday (liquids allowed) until 8 am Monday. Then no food or drink until after the procedure. We were out of there after 12noon so I got to eat a yummy piece of salmon and a salad and boy did it taste good! I wasn't as hungry as I expected since I had a lot of air in my body from the procedure. Being gassy meant I wasn't sure if I had to go or not so it was a little scary being out in public but I managed okay!
I ended up shorting myself of liquids yesterday a little but I still managed to lose a little weight. Of course, because my colon was cleaned out and I got rid of the excess air that was put in there I knew I would weigh even less today.
So yesterday morning I was at 163.9 and unfortunately my body fat reading is all over the place on my scale so I'm not quite sure where I'm at. I think I'm hovering around 35% which is still too high but I'm working on it.
Today I have managed another .5 lb down so I'm .3 away from 40 lbs!!!! So dang excited to be that close to this goal. I still have another 20-22 lbs of fat to get rid of (and that's the fancy Tanita scale talking, not me) but I'm going to make it happen. I'm very determined!
It really wasn't bad at all. I was really worried leading up to it and the whole procedure was so damn easy because I slept through it! Ha-ha.... the worst part was doing all the laxative stuff the day before and morning of as everyone told me. So... if anyone is reading this, know that the colonoscopy part is a snap because you won't even remember it!
So I had a weird day of eating and drinking since I had to fast from 2pm Sunday (liquids allowed) until 8 am Monday. Then no food or drink until after the procedure. We were out of there after 12noon so I got to eat a yummy piece of salmon and a salad and boy did it taste good! I wasn't as hungry as I expected since I had a lot of air in my body from the procedure. Being gassy meant I wasn't sure if I had to go or not so it was a little scary being out in public but I managed okay!
I ended up shorting myself of liquids yesterday a little but I still managed to lose a little weight. Of course, because my colon was cleaned out and I got rid of the excess air that was put in there I knew I would weigh even less today.
So yesterday morning I was at 163.9 and unfortunately my body fat reading is all over the place on my scale so I'm not quite sure where I'm at. I think I'm hovering around 35% which is still too high but I'm working on it.
Today I have managed another .5 lb down so I'm .3 away from 40 lbs!!!! So dang excited to be that close to this goal. I still have another 20-22 lbs of fat to get rid of (and that's the fancy Tanita scale talking, not me) but I'm going to make it happen. I'm very determined!
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Week #14 weigh in
Not too much to report.... I lost a little (thank goodness) but i expected to be a little slow because of my previous week's bigger drop.
I guess I know myself better than I thought! I lost 1.5 lbs and .2 of it was fat. My coach wasn't too concerned as she said it was just old cells, garbage, etc. and it wasn't any muscle so I was good. I lost 3/4" in my hips, believe it or not!
I always weigh a little more at my weigh in's thanks to breakfast and clothing so I know I wasn't too impressed with the numbers. I weighed 165.5 at home and 167.1 and my body fat was up about .4%. Again, I can't get too concerned with the BF number because my freaking hormones seem to really affect me, much more than I ever thought. That's okay though.... I know I'll settle down eventually.
Today I weighed in at 165.2 so it's a little down. I did enjoy some fat yesterday in my bulletproof coffee so that could be part of it. I really love that stuff.... I look forward to that being totally okay everyday when I'm on maintenance! LOL. No, I'll just enjoy one every few days or so, I promise.
I start my colonoscopy prep in about an hour. This will be an interesting day spent being close to the bathroom! Lovely..... the one benefit of all these laxatives I'm taking today is that my coach said I'll have a huge weight loss since I'm cleaning out my colon and drinking lots of fluids! Woo-hoo, there is a silver lining in that rain cloud after all! ;-)
Okay....that's enough of that gross topic. I did get to try on some size 8 jeans this week and believe it or not, I could zip them up! I am still not 100% comfortable in them just yet (I see muffin tops) but I'm within a week or two of it fitting, I think! Pretty psyched about that - I just purchased some cute sweaters from a boutique online (it's way over in Richmond, VA) and I couldn't believe I bought size 6-8 and they all fit! I even bought a Small/Medium cardigan and it fit too! What the what???? Me? A possible small? Since when?
I still have at least 5-10% of body fat left to lose which equates to about 10-22 lbs. I am going to be a size 6 or 8 at the biggest and possibly a 4 at the smallest....can you believe that??? I'm flabbergasted!
Okay....that's all for now. Off to enjoy more coffee on this Sunday morning!
I guess I know myself better than I thought! I lost 1.5 lbs and .2 of it was fat. My coach wasn't too concerned as she said it was just old cells, garbage, etc. and it wasn't any muscle so I was good. I lost 3/4" in my hips, believe it or not!
I always weigh a little more at my weigh in's thanks to breakfast and clothing so I know I wasn't too impressed with the numbers. I weighed 165.5 at home and 167.1 and my body fat was up about .4%. Again, I can't get too concerned with the BF number because my freaking hormones seem to really affect me, much more than I ever thought. That's okay though.... I know I'll settle down eventually.
Today I weighed in at 165.2 so it's a little down. I did enjoy some fat yesterday in my bulletproof coffee so that could be part of it. I really love that stuff.... I look forward to that being totally okay everyday when I'm on maintenance! LOL. No, I'll just enjoy one every few days or so, I promise.
I start my colonoscopy prep in about an hour. This will be an interesting day spent being close to the bathroom! Lovely..... the one benefit of all these laxatives I'm taking today is that my coach said I'll have a huge weight loss since I'm cleaning out my colon and drinking lots of fluids! Woo-hoo, there is a silver lining in that rain cloud after all! ;-)
Okay....that's enough of that gross topic. I did get to try on some size 8 jeans this week and believe it or not, I could zip them up! I am still not 100% comfortable in them just yet (I see muffin tops) but I'm within a week or two of it fitting, I think! Pretty psyched about that - I just purchased some cute sweaters from a boutique online (it's way over in Richmond, VA) and I couldn't believe I bought size 6-8 and they all fit! I even bought a Small/Medium cardigan and it fit too! What the what???? Me? A possible small? Since when?
I still have at least 5-10% of body fat left to lose which equates to about 10-22 lbs. I am going to be a size 6 or 8 at the biggest and possibly a 4 at the smallest....can you believe that??? I'm flabbergasted!
Okay....that's all for now. Off to enjoy more coffee on this Sunday morning!
Monday, November 4, 2013
Week 14 begins
Starting the week at 164.4 lbs and 34.9% BF and 28.2 BMI.
After such a great weigh in, the rest of the weekend was just so much more relaxed for me. Mark and I went out to dinner with our best friends at an authentic Tuscan (Italian) restaurant and while I couldn't eat lots of things (like their yummy bread, the balsamic vinegar reductions, cheese, pasta, etc.) I still managed to eat some meats off the antipasto plate (prociutto=yum) and my dinner was a great stuffed pork loin with olives and a pomodoro sauce and steamed broccolini. There may have been a scant amount of sugar in the sauce but it didn't affect me since I weighed myself the next morning and had lost another 1/2 a lb.
Yesterday being the 'fall back' into standard time, I always feel more tired than when we switch to daylight time. Even though the extra hour of sleep was great, I could tell I was an hour behind all day. Poor Mark was exhausted most of the day since he didn't sleep well from the night before (we think it may have been too much coffee). We did our normal Costco run to get my veggies for the week and I got a pair of jeans in a SIZE EIGHT for the next goal and pair of fleece PJ's in a MEDIUM (first time in years since I've worn medium pjs!).
I was pretty excited about the clothes.... the PJ's fit great but of course I'm so used to super baggy pants that I was complaining that the pants were too tight (which they weren't, LOL). I'll get used to them, I'm sure. They're super soft 'sueded' micro-fleece and they felt so comfy, especially in this super chilly fall weather. The jeans are always such a steal at Costco. To spend less than $20 on a pair of jeans is always great and since I'm still losing weight it's stupid for me to even consider anything expensive. I wanted a pair of size 8 jeans for my next goal. That's how I work. I have something that's too small and I try them on weekly to see how I am doing. It's a great way to keep tabs on your losses without having to weigh or measure yourself. I've done that since the beginning when I bought 2 pair of size 12 Old Navy jeans and one pair of 10's for my goal.
I honestly thought size 10 was going to be the pinnacle and that's where I would stop. According to my body fat % I need to keep going. If I want to be 'average' or 'fit' I have a minimum of .9% to go and I would prefer to be in the 'fit' category which means I have another 10% to go. Pounds-wise, that equates to about 18-22 lbs. I won't worry about the exact number.... I'm really going on the percentage and that actually changes with each weigh in.
So here's the crazy thing. I haven't been a size 8 since forever. I had one dress in a size 8 back in 1996 that I loved and looked great on me. Otherwise, I was never smaller than a 10. I was okay with that at the time because I thought my body would never get any smaller. I remember being a size 8 in high school and college but after that it was always a 10. In my typical ritualistic fashion, I made myself try on the size 8 jeans after dinner because that's how you know what's too tight and what fits. I'm tentatively putting the jeans on and it's always a little scary going over the derriere but that worked fine. I knew my waist and belly would be the major issue so I carefully pull up the jeans and try to button them. Well, I can button them.....it's a little tight but I can button them. The zipper doesn't really want to go up though and that's okay. I know my belly is the bane of my weight issues (well, that and my waist, hips and thighs!) so I figured it wouldn't zip up. But.....it wasn't that bad. The weird thing was, the butt and the thigh area fit perfectly! What, what, what? I can wear a size 8 in my thigh/hip area? Huh? I know if I really had wanted to and had I put on a pair of Spanx (which by the way, I need to get a smaller pair!) I probably could have worn them. But I HATE super tight pants. I hate feeling that bound up around the belly, especially if you have to sit down!
So I am actually closer to a size 8 than I thought. And with calculating my future body fat, I'm probably going to hit a size 6 or even a size 4. WHAT THE EFF? This blows my mind. I sincerely can't believe this is my body and that my belly fat is going away for the first time in 30 years. I used to be a gym rat and I worked out religiously. I did more sit ups, crunches, and every imaginable weight machine than you'll ever know. I LOVED it. My calves are still a testament to that training. But I never could get smaller than a size 10 and my belly fat never went away. It really is what you eat that matters more. I thought it was a punishment - you had to eat absolute bland crap in order to get the body you wanted. But that is far from the truth. You can eat what you want but you have to remember to eat as clean as you can 90% of the time. Reward yourself with all the bad foods one day out of the week but eat clean the rest of the time. It's doable....really.
So I am off to start week #14. I can't believe I'm saying that. Yeah, 3 months ago I thought I'd be phasing off now but I wasn't being realistic. I know I've got some holiday challenges ahead but I'm planning accordingly. I will be phasing off by Christmas/New Years, that much I know. As long as I don't stall or do anything stupid (crossing my fingers) I should be down 18-25 lbs by then. I've already cleared with my coach that I'm cheating on both Thanksgiving and Christmas so there may be a delay for a week but so what? I am going to enjoy the holidays plus I'm going to be healthy and the smallest I've ever been in my adulthood!
After such a great weigh in, the rest of the weekend was just so much more relaxed for me. Mark and I went out to dinner with our best friends at an authentic Tuscan (Italian) restaurant and while I couldn't eat lots of things (like their yummy bread, the balsamic vinegar reductions, cheese, pasta, etc.) I still managed to eat some meats off the antipasto plate (prociutto=yum) and my dinner was a great stuffed pork loin with olives and a pomodoro sauce and steamed broccolini. There may have been a scant amount of sugar in the sauce but it didn't affect me since I weighed myself the next morning and had lost another 1/2 a lb.
Yesterday being the 'fall back' into standard time, I always feel more tired than when we switch to daylight time. Even though the extra hour of sleep was great, I could tell I was an hour behind all day. Poor Mark was exhausted most of the day since he didn't sleep well from the night before (we think it may have been too much coffee). We did our normal Costco run to get my veggies for the week and I got a pair of jeans in a SIZE EIGHT for the next goal and pair of fleece PJ's in a MEDIUM (first time in years since I've worn medium pjs!).
I was pretty excited about the clothes.... the PJ's fit great but of course I'm so used to super baggy pants that I was complaining that the pants were too tight (which they weren't, LOL). I'll get used to them, I'm sure. They're super soft 'sueded' micro-fleece and they felt so comfy, especially in this super chilly fall weather. The jeans are always such a steal at Costco. To spend less than $20 on a pair of jeans is always great and since I'm still losing weight it's stupid for me to even consider anything expensive. I wanted a pair of size 8 jeans for my next goal. That's how I work. I have something that's too small and I try them on weekly to see how I am doing. It's a great way to keep tabs on your losses without having to weigh or measure yourself. I've done that since the beginning when I bought 2 pair of size 12 Old Navy jeans and one pair of 10's for my goal.
I honestly thought size 10 was going to be the pinnacle and that's where I would stop. According to my body fat % I need to keep going. If I want to be 'average' or 'fit' I have a minimum of .9% to go and I would prefer to be in the 'fit' category which means I have another 10% to go. Pounds-wise, that equates to about 18-22 lbs. I won't worry about the exact number.... I'm really going on the percentage and that actually changes with each weigh in.
So here's the crazy thing. I haven't been a size 8 since forever. I had one dress in a size 8 back in 1996 that I loved and looked great on me. Otherwise, I was never smaller than a 10. I was okay with that at the time because I thought my body would never get any smaller. I remember being a size 8 in high school and college but after that it was always a 10. In my typical ritualistic fashion, I made myself try on the size 8 jeans after dinner because that's how you know what's too tight and what fits. I'm tentatively putting the jeans on and it's always a little scary going over the derriere but that worked fine. I knew my waist and belly would be the major issue so I carefully pull up the jeans and try to button them. Well, I can button them.....it's a little tight but I can button them. The zipper doesn't really want to go up though and that's okay. I know my belly is the bane of my weight issues (well, that and my waist, hips and thighs!) so I figured it wouldn't zip up. But.....it wasn't that bad. The weird thing was, the butt and the thigh area fit perfectly! What, what, what? I can wear a size 8 in my thigh/hip area? Huh? I know if I really had wanted to and had I put on a pair of Spanx (which by the way, I need to get a smaller pair!) I probably could have worn them. But I HATE super tight pants. I hate feeling that bound up around the belly, especially if you have to sit down!
So I am actually closer to a size 8 than I thought. And with calculating my future body fat, I'm probably going to hit a size 6 or even a size 4. WHAT THE EFF? This blows my mind. I sincerely can't believe this is my body and that my belly fat is going away for the first time in 30 years. I used to be a gym rat and I worked out religiously. I did more sit ups, crunches, and every imaginable weight machine than you'll ever know. I LOVED it. My calves are still a testament to that training. But I never could get smaller than a size 10 and my belly fat never went away. It really is what you eat that matters more. I thought it was a punishment - you had to eat absolute bland crap in order to get the body you wanted. But that is far from the truth. You can eat what you want but you have to remember to eat as clean as you can 90% of the time. Reward yourself with all the bad foods one day out of the week but eat clean the rest of the time. It's doable....really.
So I am off to start week #14. I can't believe I'm saying that. Yeah, 3 months ago I thought I'd be phasing off now but I wasn't being realistic. I know I've got some holiday challenges ahead but I'm planning accordingly. I will be phasing off by Christmas/New Years, that much I know. As long as I don't stall or do anything stupid (crossing my fingers) I should be down 18-25 lbs by then. I've already cleared with my coach that I'm cheating on both Thanksgiving and Christmas so there may be a delay for a week but so what? I am going to enjoy the holidays plus I'm going to be healthy and the smallest I've ever been in my adulthood!
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Week 13 Weigh in
Well.....
It's been a struggle these past couple of weeks because of hormones (as I've droned on and on about in the previous couple of postings) but I finally came out of the cave and my body fat took a dive in a big way! Woo-hoo....this has been a long time coming!
So it's interesting when your body registers a weight loss of 2 lbs but you actually lost 4.2 lbs of fat, right? Of course, the reasoning behind this is pretty simple but it made me realize I drink a lot of water first thing in the morning and my body weight reflects that until it flushes out a few hours later!
It's cool to know I finally lost 4.2 lbs in one week. I've been lucky to have many 3 lb weeks but lately it's been 1-2 lbs and being the competitive person that I am (even against myself) I want to be achieving the huge losses I see from others on the groups I follow online. I need to remind myself constantly that this isn't a speedy race but a slow one. It didn't take me months to put on this weight but years. I'm lucky that there is a way to lose it fast. The trick is not to gain it back!
I'm pretty happy today because of the huge drop...the 'whoosh' as many IP-ers call it. You know it, but you don't know it. I should have realized something was coming when I was able to go into Macy's and try on skinny pants and leggings in sizes 8 and 10 and have them fit! I decided to spend my Halloween afternoon there to avoid the candy trap - and it was a nice way to stay distracted from all the sweets I'd have to be smelling. I tried on INC (a brand I love but I couldn't wear any of their pants because I was too big) super skinny pants in size 10's and they were fitting beautifully but a little loose in the waist! I went to my trusty Alfani brand and was able to wear sizes 8 and small in many things! Wow! There are so many differences from brand to brand though so I know I HAVE to try clothing on and I have to use a tailor to fix things once I'm at my goal weight so things look just right.
It was a great start to a fabulous weekend, including my Week 13 weigh in. My numbers were:
4.2 lb of fat (2 lbs down showing because of water)
34.9% body fat
3.75 inches (not including my waistline) total
1/2" arms
1/4" underarms
1/4" chest
1/4" thorax
1 1/2" low waist
1/4" hips
thighs stayed the same
Tonight we are going out to an authentic Tuscan restaurant with our best friends so I'm hoping to be able to deal with my choices without being too difficult with the chef! I hate being high maintenance but I'm within 15-22 lbs of my goal so I really want to stay on track!!!
It's been a struggle these past couple of weeks because of hormones (as I've droned on and on about in the previous couple of postings) but I finally came out of the cave and my body fat took a dive in a big way! Woo-hoo....this has been a long time coming!
So it's interesting when your body registers a weight loss of 2 lbs but you actually lost 4.2 lbs of fat, right? Of course, the reasoning behind this is pretty simple but it made me realize I drink a lot of water first thing in the morning and my body weight reflects that until it flushes out a few hours later!
It's cool to know I finally lost 4.2 lbs in one week. I've been lucky to have many 3 lb weeks but lately it's been 1-2 lbs and being the competitive person that I am (even against myself) I want to be achieving the huge losses I see from others on the groups I follow online. I need to remind myself constantly that this isn't a speedy race but a slow one. It didn't take me months to put on this weight but years. I'm lucky that there is a way to lose it fast. The trick is not to gain it back!
I'm pretty happy today because of the huge drop...the 'whoosh' as many IP-ers call it. You know it, but you don't know it. I should have realized something was coming when I was able to go into Macy's and try on skinny pants and leggings in sizes 8 and 10 and have them fit! I decided to spend my Halloween afternoon there to avoid the candy trap - and it was a nice way to stay distracted from all the sweets I'd have to be smelling. I tried on INC (a brand I love but I couldn't wear any of their pants because I was too big) super skinny pants in size 10's and they were fitting beautifully but a little loose in the waist! I went to my trusty Alfani brand and was able to wear sizes 8 and small in many things! Wow! There are so many differences from brand to brand though so I know I HAVE to try clothing on and I have to use a tailor to fix things once I'm at my goal weight so things look just right.
It was a great start to a fabulous weekend, including my Week 13 weigh in. My numbers were:
4.2 lb of fat (2 lbs down showing because of water)
34.9% body fat
3.75 inches (not including my waistline) total
1/2" arms
1/4" underarms
1/4" chest
1/4" thorax
1 1/2" low waist
1/4" hips
thighs stayed the same
Tonight we are going out to an authentic Tuscan restaurant with our best friends so I'm hoping to be able to deal with my choices without being too difficult with the chef! I hate being high maintenance but I'm within 15-22 lbs of my goal so I really want to stay on track!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)