Check-in

Well, I didn't post last week - and not because I gained, which I did, but I was too darn busy.  Oops.

Sorry 'bout that.  But this week I did lose weight - 2 pounds!  February has not been as successful as January was.  I managed to lose about 6 pounds in the month of January, but only about 3.5 pounds this month.  I am .5 pounds away from a total loss of 10 pounds. 

I had wanted to reach the 10 pound mark this week, but with last week's gain I knew that would be tough.  Here's hoping I can make the 15 pound mark for the month of March.  It's ambitious, but if I work hard I think I can do it (or at least get close).  Thankfully March has 5 Thursdays, so it's only a loss of 1.2 pounds a week - very manageable.

As frustrating as this weight loss journey has been - a good loss one week, followed by a slight gain the next week - I have to keep reminding myself that it took years to put on this weight, and even if it takes an entire year to lose it, that's still better than SEVERAL years.

However, I have noticed a HUGE difference in my clothes this past month.  I have lost an entire pants size AND an entire shirt size.  This I am quite proud of.  I don't think I'll lose much more in the chest/arms to lose an additional shirt size, but I do hope to lose at least one more pants size, if not two more.

Here is where I have lost the inches this month:
Chest: -1"
Biceps: -.25" (each arm)
Waist: -1"
Hips: -0
Thighs: - 1" (each leg)

I have mixed opinions of these results.  I've lost the most from my chest in the past two months (-2.5") and I didn't really have much to lose there.  However, I am VERY happy with my lower-half loses of waist (-2"), hips (-1.5"), and thighs (-1.5" each leg).

Soon, I'll post another picture as a visual reference.

Thinking happy thoughts this week,
Claire

Thanks For Your Support

Thank you all for your comments on Monday's post.  I can be really critical of myself sometimes.  I spiral pretty quickly and it feels really good to have some encouragement when I'm frustrated. 

Shabby Chic Mom - Susie, Liza, and S all suggested doing measurements.  I did them a few weeks ago and I'll be sure to do them again soon. 

Amanda @ Diary of a Mad Fat Woman suggested I take stock of my calorie intake.  I'm going to switch from 2400 calories a week to 2200 a week and see if that has a measurable impact.  I'm also going to try to use the kettlebell workouts to supplement my cardio exercise rather than replace it.  I can see results with the kettlebell workouts, they're just not pushing the scale down.

Julia made a very good point when she said "treading water at least keeps you from drowning"

I have a much better outlook now.  I just ran two miles at the gym tonight and feel like a new man.  I'm going to do this.  I'm going to lose this weight.  I'm going to end this plateau.  I'm going to win. 

Thanks again everyone.

Weigh-In Results

Right to the chase.

I lost .9 pounds this week.  I'm not happy with this at all.  I ate right, I exercised, I logged calories.  Something needs to change.  I need to be better at this.  I don't have a plan yet, but I will. 

I feel stuck.  I feel trapped at the weight I'm at now and nothing I do can really make that scale move.  I feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew and no matter how hard I work I'm only capable of treading water. 

A Quick One

Alright, it's been almost a week with no posts.  This is ridiculous and needs to stop.  I'm going to try to blog as much as possible this coming week.  Maybe I'll make it every day.

So I'm almost finished with my 21-day challenge of logging my calories every day.  It's been a challenge, I really needed to subject myself to.  I really think this is going to be the key to losing the next 50 pounds and beyond.  It's crazy that I'm talking about losing additional weight after my goal of 100 pounds, but that's the kind of optimistic mindset I'm in.  Ideally, I think I'd like to weigh about 170 pounds.  I still really don't know what's under all of this fat, but I'm anxious to find out.

Well, I know it's been a short post, but I'm going to get to work on some intense exercise.  Wish me luck.

Oh, I've pushed my exercise pledge off to Sunday afternoon, so if you still want to get my ass in gear on the treadmill, just leave a comment on this post.  I'll count it for 30 seconds of exercise.

Weigh-In Results

Hey everybody, happy Valentine's Day.  I'll get to the weigh-in pretty quickly, but before I do, please leave a comment on my Workout Pledge post to make me get in some serious cardio.  Thanks.

Alright, now that you've done that, let's get down to brass tacks. 

The exact same weight as last week.  I'm not sweating it though, I was over on my calories 4 days last week and I was too sick to exercise for five days this week.  I'm counting treading water as a victory though for two reasons.  I didn't gain, and I didn't stop counting my calories when I didn't feel like it. 

Now to avoid the chocolate that will be everywhere at work for the next week or so.

Bike Ride and Work-Out Pledge

I am so lame.  It's been almost a week since I posted last.  I need to not do that.  So what's happened since I've been gone?  I got sick again.  I even went to the doctor on Wednesday to have a throat culture.  Don't worry, I don't have strep.  Not that it's contagious over the internet (I think).  I'm feeling much better now though.  I am kinda bummed I didn't get to exercise until yesterday.  I'm doubling up today by doing Kettle Worx and going for a bike ride. 

That's right, I went on a bike ride.  It was about 45 degrees today so I decided to fill up the tires and hit the road for the first time this year.  The roads were really good but when I went to go take the bike trail around a nearby lake I discovered the pedestrian trail wasn't plowed so everyone was using the bike path.  It was a mess.  I nearly fell off my bike a couple times to avoid pedestrians who suddenly moved in front of me to avoid puddles.  I'm sticking to the roads for a while.

I've been thinking I should do another exercise pledge.  It's been a long time since I've done one of these and I could really use a hard-core cardio session so here's how it works.  You decide how long I work out for by doing certain things.  You can follow me on facebook or twitter, leave a comment, or donate to a charity.  As of right now, I have 212 followers on facebook and 138 followers on twitter.  For each additional follower on either of those two, I will add 30 seconds to my work-out.  I will also add 30 seconds for each comment you leave.  It could just be words of encouragement or maybe some advice or even your life story. 

I'll also be adding 30 seconds for each dollar donated to the Special Olympics for my Polar Bear Plunge on March 5th.  If you don't know the details, I'll be jumping in freezing cold water (I live in Minnesota) as a fundraiser.  You can donate here!  Just let me know you donated so I can add your dollar amount to my total time.

Here's a picture from last year's plunge.

That's me on the left.  Yeah, the fat one.

So there it is.  Four ways to get me to bust my hump cardio style next Friday at noon.  Follow on Twitter, "like" me on Facebook, leave a comment, and donate to my Polar Bear Plunge effort.  If you did all four, that would be awesome, but I'd be happy with a comment. 

See you tomorrow for the weigh-in!

Back on the Wagon

This post is going to be short and sweet.  It's been a very long week, and I still have another 10 days of intensity before it begins to taper off.

I lost 2.3 pounds this week.  I'm very proud.  My goal for next week is to reach the 10 pound mark.  I am continuing with the KettleWorx work-outs and they are TOUGH.  I can tell they are working though, I've seen a difference in how I look and how my clothes fit.

Below are two pictures: the first from a month ago, and the second from this week.  Can anyone see a difference?

Cheers,
Claire