Wednesday Weigh-In #14: NEW SCALE

I am so depressed right now.

Last night, I came to realize that my scale was broken. I got on it just to check things out and get a little preview for the morning, and it said 180 lbs. And then the numbers started going up. And then they started going down. And Hubbo got on and it said he was in the 140s, which he’s not, and then it said he was in the 150s, which he’s also not.

We bought a new scale – a fancy one that claims to tell you your body fat and water weight percentage. It also tells me that I am not as light as I thought I was.

The thing is that I don’t know when my other scale started to go crazy. How long have I been deluding myself? Did I ever really hit my goal of 191 lbs? I’m not sure if the scale was broken the whole time or if it just happens to register less weight on it in general. It’s so frustrating not to know!

But because I don’t know, I can’t adjust any of my prior records. And so this week will show up as a gain on my track record because, although I’m fairly certain that I didn’t gain weight, the new scale shows a bigger number than the old scale. 

So here’s the bitter truth (as told by new scale):

 

Starting Weight: 226.5 lbs
Last Weigh-In: 192.5
Current Weight: 194.4 lbs
Weight Lost This Week: gained 1.9 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 32.1 lbs

Starting Waist: 45 in
Last Weigh-In: 36.5
Current Waist: 36.5 in
Inches Lost This Week: 0 in
Total Inches Lost: 8.5 in

Starting Hips: 47 in
Last Weigh-In: 42.75 in
Current Hips: 42
Inches Lost This Week: 0.75 in
Total Inches Lost: 5 in

 

Unlucky Wednesday Weigh-In #13

Ok, so this wasn’t the best weight loss week ever. I probably had a few more starches than I should have (especially yesterday: three pieces of bread the day before a weigh-in?) and I had a couple of sweets throughout the week (cake and a Margarita at the wedding Friday night, an Odwalla peanut butter chocolate chip bar Monday night, and a chocolate chip cookie yesterday). But hey, a loss is a loss, and I will take it. Hopefully I can exercise a little more self-control this week!

 

Starting Weight: 226.5 lbs
Last Weigh-In: 193 lbs
Current Weight: 192.5 lbs
Weight Lost This Week: 0.5 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 34 lbs

Starting Waist: 45 in
Last Weigh-In: 37 in
Current Waist: 36.5 in
Inches Lost This Week: 0.5 in
Total Inches Lost: 8.5 in

Starting Hips: 47 in
Last Weigh-In: 43 in
Current Hips: 42.75 in
Inches Lost This Week: 0.25 in
Total Inches Lost: 4.25 in

 

I also lost 2% in body fat this week, which is exciting, and I am steadily losing inches in my chest, thighs, calves, and arms. My waist-hip ratio is currently 0.854. It’s gradual, but it’s happening.

Wednesday Weigh-In #12: Huh?

I am ridiculously scared to write these numbers down. I don’t believe them. It feels like if I put them here on the website then I am saying “Yes, I reached this. Give me credit for it and expect more!”

Let me be clear that this was a Phase II week. The beginning of this week contained two days that were completely Phase I days. Yesterday, also, was mostly Phase I, but included a snack of Peanut Butter on Whole Wheat bread. All the other days I had Phase II meals; my diet this week included shamelessly eating bread brought to me at a steakhouse, rice pilaf, couscous and lots of other starches. I’m assuming those three days of eating Phase I foods almost entirely by accident account for this weigh-in. 

The only other possibility I can think of is calorie shifting, which I’m not sure I really buy into. (Please note that I link to this article simply to explain what calorie shifting is, not to recommend it. Check out this article for the dangers of relying on a diet like that.) I haven’t been doing this on purpose because I’m on the South Beach Diet, not a calorie-shifting diet. But I did try a lot of new things this week (hence the post entitled “Trying New Things“) and varied up my diet quite a bit.

Is that enough of a disclaimer for you to believe that I had nothing to do with this?

Starting Weight: 226.5 lbs
Last Weigh-In: 199.5 lbs
Current Weight: 193 lbs
Weight Lost This Week: 6.5 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 33.5 lbs

Starting Waist: 45 in
Last Weigh-In: 37.5 in
Current Waist: 37 in
Inches Lost This Week: 0.5 in
Total Inches Lost: 8 in

Starting Hips: 47 in
Last Weigh-In: 43.25 in
Current Hips: 43 in
Inches Lost This Week: 0.25 in
Total Inches Lost: 4 in

 

So needless to say I’ve met my goal of 195 lbs. The next goal is 191 lbs. I’m afraid that this weigh-in is a false low (though I stepped on and off over and over in disbelief, and even moved the scale to a different room to see if it was just unbalanced) and that if I act as though it’s real I won’t give myself enough time to hit 191 lbs. But there’s this other part of me that says I should believe in myself. I have lost thirty pounds. Why do I still think I can’t lose weight?

So the next goal date is going to be August 6th. That way, even if I wake up tomorrow morning and weigh 196 lbs again, I should be able to meet it. Here’s to luck…

Wednesday Weigh-In #11

Ok. Here it is. Officially. Bleh.

Starting Weight: 226.5 lbs
Last Weigh-In: 197 lbs
Current Weight: 199.5
Weight Lost This Week: gained 2.5 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 27

Starting Waist: 45 in
Last Weigh-In: 37 in
Current Waist: 37.5 in
Inches Lost This Week: gained .5 in
Total Inches Lost: 7.5 in

Starting Hips: 47 in
Last Weigh-In: 43 in
Current Hips: 43.25 in
Inches Lost This Week: gained .25 in
Total Inches Lost: 3.75 in

 

So, still a gain. I get that I gained while camping. What I don’t get is that I gained again the day after when I had been good – totally and completely good. Oh well. Slow and steady wins the race, I know it. It’s just hard to see myself backslide like this and how long it takes me to recover from just a couple of bad decisions.

In slightly better news… I’m thinking of going shopping sometime this week. I have a hunch I might be able to fit into a size 12 at a couple of select stores… If that’s the case, I will be able to say I’ve lost three pants sizes (since I was wearing a really-tight-should-have-been-an-eighteen-16 when all this started). We’ll see if I really get that gutsy.

Wednesday Weigh-In #10 – WOW

I’m so ridiculously pleased. It looks like C25K is having an impact on my weight loss (and inches lost) after all! Thanks to this weigh in and a little prodding from my new diet buddy Lavender Lemonade, I will attack Week 2 Run 2 with renewed fervor this morning. You can bet I am going to finish today.

 

Starting Weight: 226.5 lbs
Last Weigh-In: 200 lbs
Current Weight: 197
Weight Lost This Week: 3 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 29.5 lbs

Starting Waist: 45 in
Last Weigh-In: 38.5 in
Current Waist: 37 in
Inches Lost This Week: 1.5 in
Total Inches Lost: 8 in

Starting Hips: 47 in
Last Weigh-In: 44 in
Current Hips: 43 in
Inches Lost This Week: 1 in
Total Inches Lost: 4 in

 

I also did all my other measurements (including body fat) for the first time this morning. I’m going to be keeping track of those from now on, too. 

It’s so awesome to know I am only .5 lbs away from a 30-lb loss! Amazing!

Wednesday Weigh-In #9

Well, at least I didn’t gain.

 

Starting Weight: 226.5 lbs
Last Weigh-In: 200 lbs
Current Weight: 200 lbs
Weight Lost This Week: 0 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 26.5 lbs

Starting Waist: 45 in
Last Weigh-In: 39.5 in
Current Waist: 38.5 in
Inches Lost This Week: 1 in
Total Inches Lost: 6.5 in

Starting Hips: 47 in
Last Weigh-In: 43.5 in
Current Hips: 44 in
Inches Lost This Week: 0 in (gained 0.5 in)
Total Inches Lost: 3 in

 

In sum, I did not lose weight. I lost an inch on my waist, but a half-inch of that was just redistributed to my hips. I’m ok with that, though, because it helps my waist-hip ratio, which, by the way, has decreased from a whopping 0.957 in April to a slightly more respectable  0.875 today. Just as a reference point, wiki says that women reach a healthy ratio at 0.7.

Anyway, I completed Week 1, Run 2 of C25K today. It seemed a lot harder than the first run. Maybe I just wasn’t fueled properly? Also, I did not have a bruise from giving blood when I woke up this morning, but I did have one after the run. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to go today, but what can I do? There will always be an excuse and if I allow myself to accept them then I will never go.

Despite a bad weigh-in this week, I will not give up.

Wednesday Weigh-In #8

I am totally stunned. I stepped on and off the scale several times again this morning to verify, and the number didn’t change. 

I guess there’s nothing else to say by way of introduction. Better to just let the numbers speak for themselves this week.

 

Starting Weight: 226.5 lbs
Last Weigh-In: 204.5 lbs
Current Weight: 200 lbs
Weight Lost This Week: 4.5 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 26.5 lbs

Starting Waist: 45 in
Last Weigh-In: 39.5 in
Current Waist: 39.5 in
Inches Lost This Week: 0 in
Total Inches Lost: 5.5 in

Starting Hips: 47 in
Last Weigh-In: 44 in
Current Hips: 43.5 in
Inches Lost This Week: 0.5 in
Total Inches Lost: 3.5 in

 

So just to sum up, total weight loss for the two weeks of Phase I (Part II): 11 lbs!

It boggles my mind that from Wednesday through Saturday I can lose absolutely nothing, and then suddenly, without changing any behavior at all, drop 4.5 lbs from Saturday to Wednesday. I really thought I had stalled at 204.5 lbs. I guess it just goes to show what a little perseverance can do.

Anyway, I expect to see a little bump up in the numbers tomorrow as this is the first day of Phase II (Part II). I am, however, reintroducing the carbs a lot slower this time. Last time I just started eating fruit and starches and everything at several meals on the first day. This time I think I’ve rationed it out a bit better to be a little more gradual with my system.

Phase I and the NBA Championship are officially over, and it is with great relief that I bid them farewell! (So sorry, Hubbo, but if I had to hear about another Celtics game this month I think I would have about had it.)

Wednesday Weigh-In #7, and Sizing things Up!

Good morning!

So, since this is measurement day and all, I feel it’s appropriate to tell you: I’ve lost a cup size! (Also, I find it interesting to note that I find it “appropriate” to share that information with the outside world ever, but this being a diet blog and all…) Yesterday, after several days of noticing that my bust size was perceivably smaller, I decided to measure. I had been fighting this because the way my bras were fitting made me think they were too small, despite what I visually noticed in my body. Turns out I was wearing a band size too small and a cup size too large – no wonder they didn’t fit right! This is a major NSV for me. Bra-shopping has always been one of my worst enemies, just because it was so difficult to find anything that fit that wasn’t made for a granny. Even if my band size still makes it difficult to shop for bras, that won’t be the case for long. I am losing and it is making a difference.

It is nice to finally lose a size in something. It’s kind of disappointing to me that I’ve lost over 20 lbs and still wear the same pants size. Unfortunately, that’s what happens to people who don’t own up to their weight gain and continue wearing sizes too small for them (we’re talking major muffin-top issues here) like me. Now that my pants actually do fit, I probably have lost a pants-size. I just haven’t gotten to celebrate by needing to buy new pants.

Anyway, onto today’s stats!

 

Starting Weight: 226.5 lbs
Last Weigh-In: 211 lbs
Current Weight: 204.5 lbs
Weight Lost This Week: 6.5 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 22 lbs

Starting Waist: 45 in
Last Weigh-In: 40.5 in
Current Waist: 39.5 in
Inches Lost This Week:   1 in
Total Inches Lost: 5.5 in

Starting Hips: 47 in
Last Weigh-In: 44.5 in
Current Hips: 44 in
Inches Lost This Week: 0.5 in
Total Inches Lost: 3 in

 

I’m pretty excited that I will definitely be hitting another of my important goals this week even though I didn’t actually set a date for it. I am days – maybe one day – away from hitting 204 lbs: loss of 10% of my weight. I already technically lost all the weight I gained over the past year – April 07 to April 08 – when I hit 205 lbs yesterday, even though I lumped those two together in the Goals page. Woohoo! Finally hitting that big 10% is important to me. Apparently, it greatly improves your health to lose 10% of your body weight even if you’re still overweight. 

Well, that’s all folks. One more week of Phase I (Part II) to go. 

Wednesday Weigh-In #6

Okay! So obviously this is my first weigh in in two weeks, but I was basically on the diet for five days between weigh-ins. I dieted for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday before I left, and also on Monday and Tuesday after coming back. So it’s not one full week of dieting, but it’s close enough. 

So that means that these numbers include five days of dieting and nine days of not dieting. With that in mind, here are the numbers:

Starting Weight: 226.5 lbs
Last Weigh-In: 210.5 lbs
Current Weight: 211 lbs
Weight Lost This Week: 0 lbs (gained .5 lbs)
Total Weight Lost: 15.5 lbs

Starting Waist: 45 in
Last Weigh-In: 40 in
Current Waist: 40.5 in
Inches Lost This Week: 0 in (gained. .5 in)
Total Inches Lost: 4.5 in

Starting Hips: 47 in
Last Weigh-In: 44.5 in
Current Hips: 44.5 in
Inches Lost This Week: 0 in
Total Inches Lost: 2.5 in

 

Not bad, huh? I’m was pretty surprised that the scale only said 211 this morning. But woo hoo! My net gain from the last weigh-in was only 0.5 lbs! That is pretty awesome.

Anyway, I feel pretty good about starting Phase I again at this weight. I was worried I would do a whole week of Phase I and only get down to my pre-vacation weight, but it looks like I will not have any problems surpassing that – all I have to lose is 2 lbs, after all. I constantly find myself in awe of how well this diet works when you just stick to it.

Farewell, fruit. I will see you in a week or two.

Wednesday Weigh-In #5

I did not lose weight this week, though I did manage to lose some fractions of an inch. But I did not gain either, and I count that as a victory.

I know that I didn’t make good decisions this week. I started off well most days (except for Sunday with the hash browns), but I had cheated at least once by the end of almost every evening. It was moderate cheating, but it was very cultural and hard to resist. By “cultural” I mean that it all started with the Juevos Rancheros – the meal served with hash browns on Sunday morning. I also mean, for instance, that over at a friend’s house on Friday night, I did try to snack mostly on fruit, but of course we had some chips and salsa and a quesadilla (on whole wheat tortillas!) also. I also mean that a good friend’s birthday was Monday night, and although I had purposely left some calories to spare, I went a little overboard by ordering a Dos Equis and a Mexican pizza the restaurant called a quesadilla. (Who fries a quesadilla? Honestly.) And finally, my family wanted to go out for barbeque last night. I tried to order one of the healthier sandwiches on whole wheat, but it was a no-go, so I wound up getting a salad. The problem was I knew that salad wasn’t enough for me, so I had a kid’s-meal-sized beef & been burrito (flour tortilla) afterward.

Oh, Mexican food, I love and hate you so.

So considering all of the above, and that I’m quite crampy and PMSing right now, yes, I am proud that I did not gain. I also know that if I just stick to it, I can continue to lose. The diet did not fail me; I failed the diet. This means I can control whether or not this happens again.

With 47 weeks left to my goal date of April 14, 2009, I have 60.5 lbs left to lose if I want to be at 150. My average now needs to be 1.29 lbs lost per week. So far on Phase II, my average weight lost per week is 1.17 lbs, which means that this week cannot be repeated.

Here are the numbers:

Starting Weight: 226.5 lbs
Last Week’s Weigh-In: 210.5 lbs
Current Weight: 210.5 lbs
Weight Lost This Week: 0 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 16 lbs

Starting Waist: 45 in
Last Week’s Weigh-In: 40.5 in
Current Waist: 40 in
Inches Lost This Week: 0.5 in
Total Inches Lost: 5 in

Starting Hips: 47 in
Last Week’s Weigh-In: 45 in
Current Hips: 44.5 in
Inches Lost This Week: 0.5 in
Total Inches Lost: 2.5 in