Six-Month Weight Loss Followup

If you are a regular reader of my blog (or my Facebook page), you are aware that I began a serious weight loss journey this past January. My goal was to get down from my initial weight of just around 180 pounds to the 148 pounds that I weighed for a number of years after my kids were born, and possibly even down to the 138 pounds that I weighed throughout my 30s. As of April, I had reached the 148-pound mark and was working on figuring out a maintenance diet plan, and possibly continuing to lose a few more pounds, with the aim of getting down to 138 pounds. 

I've now spent about 3 months on my maintenance/"creep down" diet plan, and I'm pleased to say that my weight has, indeed, continued to slowly creep down. My current weight is 141 pounds, and I'm confident that over the next few months, I'll be able to reach my secondary goal of 138 pounds - and, more importantly, maintain that weight for the long term. 

I think that the most important parts of my maintenance plan are that I've continued to write down everything I eat, and that I still record my weight daily. Both of those steps help me to see my overall eating pattern and quickly notice if either my weight or my eating choices are falling back into unhealthy territory. My weight did jump up a few pounds right away when I began a "maintenance" diet, but because of my tracking, I was able to revise my habits very quickly, and continue a slow but (generally) steady downward trend. 

It's nice to know that this trend can withstand a few days of overindulgence (the recent bump up was the result of a family wedding and multiple related celebrations, during which I allowed myself alcohol, rich foods, and desserts that I would otherwise have skipped). It would be easy to be frustrated by those minor upticks, but because I can see my long-term pattern, I know that a few added pounds can be quickly counteracted with discipline and determination. 

My continued rewards are still improved health on multiple fronts, increased physical stamina, and simply looking and feeling better in general. And that is the best motivation of all!

Closing in on the Goal: Week 13 Check-In

My initial goal for this weight-loss journey was to get under 150 pounds. I am within 2 pounds of that goal!

This week was something of an experiment in loosening up my restrictions, for a number of reasons. First of all, last Sunday was Easter, which meant a special dinner (including appetizers and a special dessert) shared with family, as well as the presence of candy. A LOT of candy. Chocolate bunnies. Pastel M&Ms. Robin eggs. Marshmallow Peeps. Jelly beans. More jelly beans. Yet more jelly beans. Temptations were all around! And I resisted. (Mostly.) Another thing that made it difficult was that I had two wisdom teeth removed and was on antibiotics, which meant needing to eat something in the morning and just before bed. It also meant some degree of mouth pain, especially while eating, with the recommended soft foods generally being high in fat and/or sugar, like pudding, jello, ice cream, mashed potatoes, yogurt, etc. We also went out for dinner last night and the soup of the day happened to be one of my favorites (ginger carrot), one that I don't get to have very often. I did limit myself to an especially small portion of my dinner, but it was still a larger dinner than I've been eating.  

The good news is that despite eating somewhat more than I had been, I continued to lose, albeit a little more slowly. It gives me confidence that I will be able to maintain my weight loss by continuing to keep an eye on my eating habits relative to what I see on the scale, and that I can find a comfortable balance between eating well and staying at a healthy weight. It also means that I am planning on continuing to lose a few more pounds past my initial goal, assuming that my body continues to cooperate. 

Quote for the Week:

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. 

-Robert Collier