Losing Weight

I’m battling a cold because a coworker thought it was a good idea to come into work super sick.  So my workouts this week have been… pretty much non-existent.  I rode my bike for 45 minutes last night and it felt like a killer workout, but really wasn’t much of anything.  It’s hard to write about fitness when all you’ve been doing is sitting on the couch.  I am enjoying the new fall TV though.  Which is good, because I’m going to need something to fill up all of the trainer and treadmill time I have planned for this winter.

I’ve talked about my weight loss struggles before.  When I moved to DC, I was in the best shape of my life, thanks to a summer of studying for the bar exam.  I made the gym my study break, and I was so paranoid of gaining a ton of weight that I ate so incredibly healthy.  I looked darn good when I moved here.  8 years later, I was up almost 40 pounds.

I’ve never actually seen that in writing.  40 pounds.  That’s… a lot.  The weight slowly came on as I started my new job, as was to be expected, but because it was slow, I wasn’t really paying attention.  And when I really started to pay attention, it was almost too late.  So I started calorie counting.  And it worked, to a point.  But then I would have a day where I screwed up and it all fell apart.  I tried Weight Watchers.  That didn’t work either, again, because of my own failings.

Back in September, I did the Swim Bike Fuel program.  It was expensive, but I needed to do something.  For whatever reason, this seems to have worked.  Since September 1, I’m down almost 10 pounds.  I’m at the lowest weight I’ve been at in years, and I don’t feel deprived.  I’m not calorie counting.  I’m not specifically avoiding any foods, but I’m being conscious about the choices I’m making.  What I loved most about the program was that there was nothing in there that felt funny to me.  No magic potions, no tricks.  In fact, if I’m honest, I knew a lot of the information that was presented.  But I just didn’t know how to put it into action.

While the program worked for me, I’m not necessarily saying that it’s what’s going to work for you, but it’s about finding what works for you.

For example, one change that I made (that wasn’t part of the SBF recommendations, but was approved when I asked about it) was that because I workout after I get home from work, I switched my big meal of the day from dinner to lunch.  Yesterday, for lunch I had baked chicken, squash, quinoa, and broccoli.  Dinner was a green smoothie (which I love – feels like a treat).  I don’t get super hungry in the afternoons anymore, and I can get through my workouts without hitting a wall.

I’ve also been working on my sugar addiction.  The holidays are going to be rough because I LOVE sweets.  Way too much.  But it’s all about moderation and choice.  I no longer eat the cookie just because it’s there.  I eat it because I want to eat that particular cookie.  And sometimes, I don’t eat it.

I guess it’s starting to be noticeable, because a coworker asked me what I was doing to lose weight.  I made a few comments about eating well and avoiding the donuts in the kitchen, and she looked at my healthy lunch and said “Oh, that sounds too hard.”  Okay then.

Over the past two weeks, I’ve fallen away from the plan a bit, and I’ve noticed that in my weight loss.  I’m still at a record low, but I’m stalled here.  Some of that is likely due to comfort eating since I’m sick.  For some reason, when my throat is sore, it hurts to drink, but feels good to eat.  So I end up eating too much.

How much weight do I want to lose?  I don’t know.  But I do need to get into a healthy weight range.  Even though I’m down 10 pounds, it doesn’t feel like a huge difference.  Some of my clothes fit better, which is nice.  Given my height, I’m still obese according to the BMI charts.  I know that the charts have their limitations, but they’re a starting point.  Getting to “normal weight” on the BMI charts would put me below what I weighed 8 years ago, so that might be a bit unrealistic.  Right now, I don’t really have a number goal.  I’m just seeing what happens with good eating and exercise.  Every pound I lose is one more that I don’t have to haul up the hills on my bike.  And that’s a good thing.