The Last Weigh In

I’ve got a long way to go still, but this has been an excellent motivator to get me launched.  I am halfway to my goal weight.

Today’s weight: 151.0 

I have dropped from a size 14 to a size 10 with the goal of size 6 by June.  I will repost my “before” pic along with an “after” pic as soon as I find the cord to download pics from my camera.  (My good camera didn’t survive my London trip… I left it in the hands of fellow conference-goers when I went to the restroom and it hasn’t worked since.)… ...Continue reading

Weekly Weigh In

Without further ado:

152.6

Un-freakin-believable. It’s been a rough week with soccer practice starting and dance classes for my kids so I feel like I’ve hardly eaten at all. I’ve been living on fast food salads and granola bars for the most part.

In addition to the daily stair climbing, I’m coaching my 8-year-old’s soccer team this season, so my exercise has gone way up. For me, part of serious dieting includes getting to the point where I’m not too interested in eating anyway, so it’s really easy to refuse a bite of someone’s cookie or “clean up” the kids’ extra food. Honestly, that’s a huge source of useless calories in my past.

The boredom eating has been replaced with flavored waters and a quick flight of stairs and… ...Continue reading

March 14 Weigh In

I’m so excited, so excited, so excited!!

Today’s weight: 156.0

Measurements: 5 inches lost (waist, hips. chest)

Body Fat: Down from an initial high of 44% body fat to 35% body fat. Still in the overweight category, but just by a hair. 23%-34% is considered a healthy range and I’ll be there before this is over!

I started on January 10 (before the contest started) at 176.4… That’s 20.4 pounds lost year to date!!

I still haven’t made it to the gym ONCE even, but I’ve started taking the stairs to the roof and back every time I go to the bathroom. (With 6 bottles of water a day, that’s a lot!) I can make it to about 2.5 before I slow down. The trick: take my shoes… ...Continue reading

It’s Weigh In Day, March 7

We are 5 weeks in to the contest!

Weight: 160.2

Measurments: No change.

I really, really have to find the time to start exercising!… ...Continue reading

Official Benchmark February 29

On this leap day, I weight in at 161.2.

I can honestly say I never thought I’d be excited to see those numbers on a scale.  For most of my life, I’ve considered 150 to be the outer limit of fat for me… I am horrified to realize just how far I’ve slid off the mark. (I remember going to the gym for a consultation in 2004 and leaving in tears because I weighed 146!)  But considering where I started on Jan 10 (176.4) I am in fact, thrilled to see the numbers going down.

7 weeks I’ve been dieting, 15.2 pounds lost. That’s 2.17 pounds a week, which is about where I’d planned.  I am one third of the way through this campaign and it’s not been so bad- getting started… ...Continue reading

A More Realistic Weight

Yep, it happened.  A day of drinking water and I’m back up to 162.   I considered not reporting it, but that wouldn’t exactly be fair, would it?

I’m still pretty close to last summer’s weight.  I went through my weight journal (I use an online service) and realized I’ve been fooling myself about my weight for much longer than I thought! A quick search through Flickr confirmed that… man there are some mega fat pictures of me out there.

I’m glad I’m finally doing something about it- regardless of appearance, it’s a serious health issue.… ...Continue reading

Benchmark February 25

New weight: 160

Inches lost: .5

The inches thing is sort of discouraging but I’m glad to see the weight number still going down. Yay!

I kinda suspect the number may go back up in the next few days as I readjust to my normal eating habits (alchohol tends to have a dehydrating effect!)… ...Continue reading

The First Weigh-In

Last Friday: 172.2

Today: 167.2

Difference: 5 pounds

Inches lost Chest/Waist/Hip: 3.5

That’s a pretty good week, in my book! Some of it is probably just water, but I’m pleased and motivated to keep it up. While I haven’t done anything as dramatic as going down a size, the clothes I do have fit better right now.

This upcoming week: More exercise, no chocolate!… ...Continue reading

More Math and Goals

I want to reach my ideal weight (130) by June 14. That’s 19 weeks at 2 pounds a week.

In order to do that, I need a deficit of 1000 calories per day, or 7000 calories a week. That sounds like a tall order, but it’s not as bad as it seems.

My BMR (base metabolic rate) which is how many calories I burn just by being alive is about 1500. When I restrict my calorie intake to 1000 calories a day, I have an automatic deficit of 500 calories.

• Stairclimbing for 15 minutes on my lunch hour burns approximately 160 calories.
• Walking for 30 minutes at 3.5 miles an hour burns approximately 150 calories.
• Sitting at my desk working on the computer burns about 100 calories an hour, times about 6

Goal Setting- It’s All About the Math

No matter how much I’d like to believe in the magic food combinations that burn fat and all the other “secret” ways to lose weight- let’s face it. It’s all about math.

A pound is made up of 3500 calories. To lose a pound, you have to expend 3500 more calories than you take in. The formula is easy: BMR-Calories eaten=calories burned.

A BMR calculator (Base Metabolic Rate) I used estimated my typical daily calorie usage at 1500 calories. If I do nothing else but manage to keep my intake at 1000 calories a day, I should lose a pound every 7 days. This contest runs for 59 days, so I should be able to lose about 8.5 pounds.

That sounds pretty pitiful to me, so I”m ...Continue reading