Recognizing Progress

I've just gone back and re-read the last several posts. In each one I have lamented problems, admitted excuses, described frustrations and failures, but never recognized progress.

In one, I complained that I had been stuck at 146 lbs. That caught my eye because lately I've been frustrated that I am stuck at ..... 144!

I am not a fast loser. Many years ago I did the Atkins diet. It worked very well for me. I felt good. I lost weight. And I was able to maintain on it for a number of years. (A very frustrating year at work sent me scurrying back to the comfort foods and you can fill in the rest of the story.) Even though Atkins worked well, I lost weight slowly. My saving grace was that I measured and recorded my body each week and I saw progress. But the weight seemed to stay the same until one day several weeks later I would lose 5 pounds. Maybe I had insensitive scales that couldn't pick out small changes, but whatever it was, I learned that I don't lose weight quickly.

If Atkins worked well before and I felt good on it, why am I not doing it now?? Practicality. In Florida where the weather is always warm and fresh produce is available year round, meat, salads and veggies were fine. But now I live in Pittsburgh...the equivalent of Pasta World. Just tonight, we had dinner at a local resturant. I did have the steak salad, no dressing. It was excellent! But my husband had the stuffed shells. IT was to die for! Oh my gosh! I had one bite and wished I had gotten that for dinner. They really know how to make a great red sauce around here!

Enough about food. Talking about food is not conducive to staying on a diet. Back to the topic...recognizing progress.

The whole point of this post is that because I lose weight slowly I feel like I am stuck at a weight forever and that I am not making any progress in spite of all my hard work. The reality is I am making progress. I would love to lose a pound a week, but I'm more likely not to lose anything for a few weeks. I will bounce between a 2 pound difference for days on end, but as long as the bounce is between the weight I feel like I am stuck at (146) and the lower weight that just won't hold for more than a day or two (144), I am making progress.

The next step?? I am hoping to start the bounce between 144 and 143. At first, it will look good. I'll feel like I've made a breakthrough. But after a few weeks, even that step will start to feel like I'm stuck. Will I ever make my goal?

This whole weight loss thing is probably good for developing patience. But so far, that hasn't worked either!

I'm back!

I'm Back. Time to check in. I haven't actually moved away from my efforts to lose weight, but life has intervened. While I still tried to work out, eat right, yada, yada, yada, the reality is I lived each day as I desired.

The result? A few extra pounds, a few less workouts, all which means No progress.

Boring.

Annoying.

Frustrating... only because I WANT the damn pounds to melt away simply because I WANT IT!

Observation...The difference between Biggest Loser contestants, Other Successful Weight Loss People, and me is .... drum roll... suspense.....could it be the obvious? Priorities!

They have given up 6 months of their life. I have a hard time letting go of 1 hour of each day.

Yoga on Thursday? No, that's my Bible Study day and I really enjoy it. I like the people, the discussion and the teacher is fantastic. (of course my yoga instructor is fantastic too, and I Could go to Bible Study in my yoga clothes after class, but .... nah, I need to .... eat breakfast first, change my clothes, (yada, yada, yada)--excuses....

Time to walk the dog? It's cold out....windy....or rainy. We get a lot of both here. Or maybe there is a lot going on. Who has time to walk the dog?

Ah, the dog. That has become a sticking point. The dog loves to walk and actually SHE is my priority. The dog is quite likely to get the walk. But she is 12. The days where she walked ME are long gone. I do walk her quite regularly because I believe she really needs the exercise. But she is a slow walker these days. So that good power walk has taken a back seat to the nice therapeutic walk. I'm not sure anyone has ever lost weight in therapy. Strengthening, perhaps. Development... yes. Healthful? Of course. So that's where I've been. I'm the therapist for my dog. She is my priority.

I think I have just self-talked myself through what others would easily pick out as the obvious.

I make excuses and so I am fat. I don't lose weight because I'd rather do what I want to do instead of what I need to do.

I think I'm back. But am I really? You'll probably know before I do. Tune in, if you can't stand the suspense. Will I start watching my calorie intake and my exercise (calorie output)?

Watch and see.

August

My last post was in February and indicated I was entering a plateau period, both in weight loss and in motivation. I sounded hopeful that things would turn around. Oops...they didn't.
March I went to Florida and was very disappointed when I put on 5 pounds. That surprised me because both of my daughters prepare health conscious meals. Jen carefully watches fat and sugar. Jan is very conscous of portion sizes. Neither girl has bought into the idea that if people are present you have to make big meals with lots of food AND dessert.

As I look back on this summer, my travels, and other things I have discovered a few things.
1) Exercise is crucial not only to weight loss, but even to maintenance. When I visit my kids, I don't get in the walking that I do at home. The same was true of winter time. I lose weight best when I can get outside to walk. I enjoy it more than walking inside, like with the 'mall walkers'. 10,000 steps is crucial for weight loss. 6,000-8,000 is needed for maintenance.

2) There is a change. This all started last summer because I had a hard time keeping up with Jen when we were at a theme park. I recognized she wasn't going that fast, but I was walking really slowly. This year I notice that when walking with a group I now have to slow myself down. I've picked up my pace. Apparently you can teach an old dog new tricks. It is one change I am really pleased with!

3) I lost 15 pounds and put 5 back on. I am still 10 pounds lighter than last year. I have 10 pounds to go, but I want to lose 15 simply because I usually put 5 back on when I try to maintain.

I've been walking a lot this summer. I added the townships walking path to my routine. On a good week I do 2 miles minimum every day, and often 3-5 miles a couple of days a week. I haven't lost any weight, but I've enjoyed it.

The quest goes on. I don't give up even if I don't see change. I know if I give up, the weight goes back on and THAT is defeat.

The Jeans Test

I may like to weigh myself a lot, but the best test of any weight loss plan is the fit of your clothes. Today I pulled on a clean pair of jeans. They zipped right up. Even the snap was easy to close. (Obviously I prefer the zip style to Levi's 501 Button Flap jeans!)

My jeans are still size 12. My goal is size 10. But what caught my attention is that I frequently found myself hiking up my jeans. I needed a belt! That tends to happen after I've worn them a few times, but not on the first day.

Subtle changes....little steps....but they're all good! One day at a time, one pound at a time. That's all I can ask for.

Seeing a Difference

I've been much better this week. I've managed to work out every other day, even when I didn't want to. Today it is snowing, so my work out will actually come a little later when I go out to shovel snow. That is a full body workout--legs, back, arms, shoulders, abs. It pretty much hits all muscle groups, and is aerobic as well. There were times this week when I didn't want to walk or work out, but I took my own advice and just did it.

There was one day when I cut my walk short, which is unusual. Normally, once I start, the dog keeps me going and we do the full mile or go for 2. The day in question I was uncomfortable because the sidewalks were slippery, the streets were salty and it was late in the day when people were coming home from work. As I neared the entrance I felt more and more  like a target on the street, so we took the shorter inside route with less traffic and came home.

Best part??? Instead of losing my usual 1 pound I lost 1.5 pounds!!!! Even better, the inches really dropped off when I measured myself. Even that dastardly mid-section that just loves looking like a balloon gave up a couple of inches. That's what I'm looking for!

Today is cold and I will be outside soon shoveling snow. I usually wear long underwear under my sweats, but today I switched it up. I have my longjohns on under my jeans! No problem! Plenty of room. I may get into those size 10's yet. Here's hoping....

From Oops to Wow!

Losing weight is a funny thing. One day something smacks you on the head to bring you down, and the next day, out of the blue, something happens that says "You Go, Girl!" My last post I was feeling chastised because I saw the scale move slightly the wrong way after rewarding myself for recent successes. But after this weekend, I am Stoked!

When we lived in Florida, I took riding lessons. I had conquered my fear of heights on a horse, but I never felt I had achieved control of the horse. One problem I had when riding was that my knees would really ache after an hour, and when I dismounted it took me a few moments before I got the kinks out. I never got very good, but I loved it just the same.

Last Sunday I went horseback riding for the first time in 4 years. I was really looking forward to it and hoped that I would be up to it. Of course, I knew come Monday morning I was going to have a very sore butt at the very least. There were 20 of us riding that day, and it took awhile to get everyone saddled up and on the right horse for them. I was given Gabriel. (That would be the "angel, Gabriel, right?" I asked!) While we waited I had a few minutes to walk around the arena and see how the horse responded.

The ride turned out to be a whole lot more strenuous than any ride I had in Florida. It started out on a rough dirt road, but that was fine. Then we started across and down a grassy hill to the gate where we made a hairpin turn into the woods and some deep grass. That was as easy as it got. After climbing another hill we turned and entered the woods and started going down a very steep hill. The path made by the horses on previous treks was literally about 12 inches wide.
I mentioned before that I had conquered my fear of heights on top of the horse, but this was seriously going to challenge it. I leaned back in the saddle (the proper way to go down a hill) and let the horse have his lead.

Over the next 2 hours we went up hills, down hills, through deep mud, through sand, rock...you get the picture! So why am I stoked?

Because when it was over, I won! I never lost my nerve. I was relaxed on Gabriel. He listened to my commands...that's a first! I was tired and glad when we got back, BUT!.... and this is a big But!...

My knees didn't hurt! When I got off the horse, I felt tired but fine. And yesterday, I wasn't stiff at all! My seat was a little tender, but not what I would have expected. What does all this mean? Forget the scales for now. I am in much better physical shape than I was a month ago. I read yesterday that speed walking increases circulation to all parts of the body which helps in multiple ways as well as improving my stamina. I also truly feel my diet has once again proven it is the right one for me. Remember when I listed 'less aches' on my success list? The diet is the biggest difference between other riding experiences and this one.

They say the biggest motivation to stay on a diet is seeing success. They are right! I may only be down a few pounds, but it's coming. All signs point forward. I'm sticking to my plan.

Oh, by the way, my total step count on Sunday was 16,000. I have to give 8,000 of those steps to Gabriel. My pedometer faithfully clicked away each step he made.

Desperate to Lose!

I have had it! I am desperate to lose .... 30 pounds. 30 pounds you say with incredulity??? You are blogging over 30 pounds? Puhleeze!!!!

Yes, I am desperate. I need to lose 30, but for now I'll settle for 20. At least that will be a positive step in the right direction. I am actually 50 pounds heavier than when I got married. Over the last 3 years I have tried to lose weight, only to see it creep up instead of down. I have counted calories and kept a food diary. I have tried to walk. For awhile I was working out. But I lacked consistency in all of these endeavors. 3 pounds down, 4 pounds down, but then it would pop back up again. Last summer I was visiting my daughter and decided when I got home I was going to give 110% and get to the small private gym I had joined. Going through the mail, once I was home, I discovered a letter from my gym saying they were closing at the end of the month. Talk about a downer!

I decided I could go it alone. I had some workout equipment. I renewed my subscription to SELF Magazine because they had new workout cards every month so I figured I could change my workout up. As usual I failed. I couldn't stay consistent. During the cold winter months I found every excuse in the book. I put on 5 more pounds.

So here is my new tactic. It's time to enlist a new support group. YOU! I have a plan, but I need to stick to it. To hold myself accountable, I will post several times a week and let you know how I am doing. I am wearing a pedometer daily and have stuck to the plan for almost 2 weeks now. But this only means that soon something will come up to derail me. Maybe if I have to confess my soul online, I'll be motivated to keep going. It really is 'baby steps', isn't it?

Tomorrow I will share my plan and give you an update on how well I've managed. I'll be honest and tell you about the bad days and the failed temptations. I need your encouragement, your ideas, and yes.... you are welcome to knock me on the side of the head when I need it. It's not fun being tired, and sluggish, and chunky. I want to fit in my clothes again. I am lookimg for some teammates and some cheerleaders! I hope you'll be one of them.

See you tomorrow. Same Blog, New Baby Step.