Month 8 Recap : Waging war on a plateau

October [Month 8] Progress

-4lbs/-52 total

(Updated pics at the bottom of the post)

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The first half of this month was frustrating. I watched the scale pretty much do nothing. I was weighing myself nearly everyday (which I probably shouldn't have been doing in the first place) and would watch it go down a few pounds then come up a few pounds so I was pretty much breaking even for the first two weeks of October. This was a battleground, a real fight my body was giving me. It was taunting me perhaps saying 'you need to do something different or we're going to get comfy right here'. I had liked see that neat little graph on MyFitnessPal app go down and to the right nicely for so long, I was not about to watch it flat line. This, my friends, was war...

It was around mid-month when I really decided to start changing my diet and try two words I had sort of been dreading since I started this journey months ago : gluten-free. While I am pretty educated on how to make my diet gluten-free I didn't really think it was all the necessary for me, until now. Nothing was happening so I needed to do something [I am a sucker for ongoing progress!] The third week of October I started to cut out the gluten completely and any calorie extras I could. I gave up my morning [yummy] caramel latte which was pretty sad. I replaced it with black coffee with just a splash of raw [yup, unpasteurized] milk. Doing the math this change alone was cutting 500 calories for me a week, or 2150 a month. By the third day of no gluten while I found I had plenty of filling options, the time frame after dinner until I went to bed it became a struggle to convince myself I wasn't hungry. Not to say I was really hungry, but I didn't get that 'full' feeling. In the first two days I dropped three pounds, which, needless to say, really encouraged me to keep going.

Here's what I ate today, so you can see how delicious life can be without the wheat & barley
Breakfast : 2 hard boiled eggs, a banana, coffee with raw milk
Lunch : Pulled pork confit, potato gnocchi with peas & a nice helping of broccoli
Snack (sort of): 10oz coconut milk (delish!)
Dinner : White fish fillets with herb butter, rice & kale

Sounds like a gourmet lunch, huh? Well it is - from our incredible cafe, all organic and everything labeled with a nice gluten-free magnet which makes it easy for me. But damn, why do they have to have that gluten-free chocolate raspberry cake that looks so tasty?!? [I didn't need the extra calories even though it was wheat-less].

The gluten-free initiative proved hard to stick to last weekend when we took our trip to Boston - had a few bread products at dinner, and on Sunday - but the scale reminded me Monday morning when that three pounds appeared again. Cutting the gluten out again that day it disappeared the next morning - weird. I guess I should stick to gluten-free huh?

Workout last week :

Monday : Spin & Sculpt = 512 calories

Tuesday : Bodypump = 480 calories

Wednesday : Spin & Sculpt = 501 calories

Thursday = 2.5 mile walk [320] + 3 mile run [410] = 730 calories burned

Workout this week:

Monday : Spin & Sculpt [510], 3 mile bike ride [150] = 660 calories

Tuesday : Bodypump = 475 calories

Wednesday : Spin & Sculpt = 527 calories

Thursday : CrossFit = 450 calories

Friday : 5 mile walk around Boston = 620 calories (estimate)

The last two weeks of October, I lost 4lbs, so 4lbs total for the month which is a little hard for me to swallow. I took my measurements again too - another inch gone off my waist and an inch off my hips. I have to remember that I increased my weights in bodypump this month and started CrossFit [I was sore for four days after last week's class]. I know I'm stronger this month than I was last month which means more muscle mass.  It is a constant battle, but one I'm not willing to lose. So I'll keep trying, keep giving it my all and hope for results.

Side note: I'm really starting not to recognize myself in mirrors, I do [finally] notice the physical difference. When we were walking in to the hotel in Boston I recall thinking how all the mirrors looked like 'skinny mirrors'. You know, those mirrors that make you look thinner than you are [you know what I'm talking about Old Navy!]. Then I thought how all the mirrors couldn't possibly be 'skinny mirrors' - I was just thinner than I was used to seeing myself. Cool. And I guess my thoughts are kind of validated; here's a pic showing the start, at 5 months (-40lbs) and 8 months (-52lbs). Sorry I need to stop taking crappy cell pics...

But you see the difference, right? This month I notice my hips are much smaller and my arms are trimmer for sure - must be all that bodypump. Although I may complain that this is slow-going sometimes, there is something to be said for enjoying the progression & the journey. It gives me more time to reflect on why I'm doing this, and remember the hard work, time and effort it took for me to get to each milestone. 

Week 32 Recap : Lesson in Discipline

This week, as I mentioned in my last post, I really zeroed in on my diet. I started using my handy calorie counter app again as well because although I have pretty much learned what I can / can't / shouldn't eat logging everything helps. I ate less grains (any starch I did eat was limited it one serving on rice or potato a day, minimal processed stuff) which was a little harder than I thought. Instead of my lunchtime sandwich a few days a week, I did what I said and stuck to protein and veggies.

But here is where I know I can improve - the weekends. Friday & Saturday I was not on par with my eating or drinking. Although we walked a bit Saturday doing the tourist thing in Stowe, I still did a wine tasting and had a few martinis both Friday & Saturday night. Still, I really can't beat myself up about the weekend because I resisted both cider donuts and Ben & Jerry's ice cream (win, win!). I feel I can definitely eliminate some (but not all) of my booze intake and that will help me out. But really other than that, it was a good nutritional week for me. I lost a pound and a half (the ticker is rounding 49.5 up to 50, and I'll take it!).

The last few weeks have been pretty frustrating though. I haven't dropped as much per week as I'm used to. During this journey I knew during this journey I was bound to hit a few walls. So, I could choose to just let the wall block me or find a way to climb over the damn thing even though it might take me time and more energy. Not getting discouraged. Trying new workouts the last two weeks is definitely a step in the right direction.

Workout This Week :

Monday : Spin & Sculpt = 480 calories

Tuesday : Bodypump = 401 calories

Wednesday : Spin & Sculpt = 460 calories

Thursday : 2.5 mile walk = 350 calories

Friday : CrossFit = 550 calories

Week 31 Recap : Something is Happening

People are really starting to notice me changing, and not because I blog about it. Yesterday, an 'acquaintance' (some girl I may have seen a few times walking down the hallway) stopped me and said that I looked great like I had lost a lot of weight. She didn't even know my name, and I didn't know hers, but the change must have been that noticeable. I was also told at some point this week that I have a chin! Another comment on positive changes I am making. I feel like I have gotten so many compliments over the last two weeks, thank you blog readers, friends and coworkers so much for that, you keep me motivated to stay on track.

Now here is the important thing and the point of this post. Right here, right now, is the part where I get comfortable. I feel more accepting of my looks, people are saying I look great, I am comfortable in my own skin. This point - right here, right now - is where, in the past, I have seen myself start to try less, stay at one size for a little while and let the weight slowly creep back on. This is the turning point. A moment in time where I can say 'try harder' or 'you look pretty good you don't need to try so hard anymore'. I have chosen. I refuse to turn back. The only way to go is forward. In fact, I think it's time to set an aggressive goal and be completely honest with with the actual number on the scale, which is something I haven't disclosed on the blog before. Even though I am right in the middle of where I was and where I want to be, my weight (209 now) is something I am no longer embarrassed of. I am proud. I worked so hard to get here. You can do the math if you want, but I started much heavier and I am so close to seeing a '1' at the start of my weight for the first time since high school - 10 years.

Now that we're in the third quarter of the year, I feel it's fitting to set a goal for the end of the year. Something acheivable, yet challenging. We'll set that goal to be to lose another 22 lbs by January 1st, 2013. If I meet it, I will have lost 70lbs total and weigh in around 187. That puts me on target to hit my ultimate goal by the summer of 2013. In fact, let's set another. I'm going to run a 5k race by the end of the year too.

Workout this Week :

Monday : Spin & Sculpt = 500 calories

Tuesday : Bodypump = 340 calories

Wednesday : Spin & Sculpt = 475 calories

Thursday : Cardio Kickboxing = 440 calories

Friday : Trail Hike 3 miles = 330 calories

I'm happy with my consistency this week - 5 really good workouts. Cardio kickboxing was fun and this week I'm signed up for it again along with another new class [new for me] on Friday : CrossFit. Now I have seen and heard a lot about CrossFit and for now I'll peg it as sort of a bootcamp-type class, but I have a pretty good feeling it's going to be much more than that. I'm at the point where I'm not afraid to try anything and everything to get stronger and leaner. I believe in myself. I know I'm strong. I may not be the best in the class, but I will finish it the best I can.

This week I didn't lose anything. Honestly, I expected that after taking a week off (which can cause muscle weight loss) and then a week back on (back in to strength training, added a different workout). My focus this week is to really hone in on what I'm eating and drinking. I haven't been as strict with this the past few months as I should have been, so it's time to review my diet again. I'm going to try to eat as clean as I can with very few grains or refined foods. I started the week off right by making my breakfasts ahead of time for the week (fruit & hard boiled eggs, my favorite!). Instead of getting sandwiches every once in awhile from the Cafe at work, I'll stick to protein and veggies. I really need to limit my drinking and stick to wine if I do drink. The pomegranate martinis Friday night probably did not help my cause much. Time to refocus, re-engergize and get back at it!

I HAVE CHOSEN TO TRY HARDER & KEEP GOING