Which means that, as long as I'm disciplined about only having a few days before this next WholeSomething, I'll be under 200 by the end of it. Hooray.
I checked all my weight logs on my phone, and here are the stats:
Since January 1, 2012 (or whenever, before I started getting serious about weight loss again) I have lost 81 lbs
Since September 15, 2014 (when I tried logging all my food intake on a Google Docs spreadsheet, which was a giant pain in the ass but helped a bit) I have lost exactly 50 lbs
Since January 18, 2015 (Day 1 of my very first Whole30 Adventure, as cataloged on this blog) I've lost 45 lbs
So! My weight has fluctuated but gone down significantly overall. While there's still a long way to go, the under-200 milestone is very close, and after that, it's just 15 lbs until the down-100-pounds milestone. Both of those are very motivating and will help me get my ass in gear for Phase Two.
Phase Two will again involve periods of WholeSomethings, as Phase One has (to my count, I've done 3 Whole30s, a Whole45, and a Whole50). It will also be coupled with non-negotiable exercise.
So basically in addition to the food choices (which are now coming much easier and more habitually, and which I don't think will be a problem for longer WholeSomethings), the challenge for Phase Two will be daily exercise sessions with the intention of building some lean muscle and - primarily - kickstarting the weight loss again.
Next WholeSomething will be a Whole40, which I admit is a strange number but it's the number of days between this Sunday and my stepbrother's wedding (...and our trip to Vegas...) and I'd like to be able to have alcohol on both of those trips. Attending my friends' weddings during this last Whole30 (and not being able to drink) was still awesome, and it wasn't a big deal to pass on Champagne, but I do like the festive ceremony of it all. And, it'll be good to share a glass of wine with my dad and uncle again, both of whom have great taste in wine. (And I haven't seen my dad in too long!!)
So basically, today and tomorrow are Treat Days. Friday and Saturday I'll be calming down a bit, back to the basic foods but still having a final Treat Meal with Jen on Saturday (chicken and waffles, here we come) and then Sunday begins Whole40, the first WholeSomething of Phase Two.
Phase One (January 18 - August 17, 2015) Results (goals copied from the first entry on this blog)
- To identify any food sensitivities I may have, which have negatively impacted my health and/or weight. Achieved Honestly, I don't believe I'm particularly "sensitive" to anything (e.g. gluten, dairy) but I do notice I feel better after a few days omitting these things from my diet. It's hard (oh how I love cheese) but honestly, it's worth it. And while I don't feel like I could move mountains (fairly certain the folks on the Internet exaggerate *just a tad*) I do notice it. And that's important to me. It's clear I do best when I avoid excess starches and sugars - I already knew that but this process has just confirmed it again!
- To lose some weight and improve my skin/ hair/ nails. Achieved 45 pounds in 7 months (Hey...to the day! Cool!) is nothing to sneeze at. True, I wish it was 100 lbs in 6 months, but I'm glad to have made any difference at all, and maybe this way my extra skin won't be so gross (because, well...I'm starting to see some of the really thin "extra" skin in some areas...). Skin and hair are still my skin and hair...my skin's improved slightly from all the water I'm drinking, but hopefully the exercise will be the kick in the pants it needs to really clear up. I have definitely seen improvement in my fingernails; they're not nearly as brittle and peely as before.
- To give myself a realistic timeframe, and a reference point for future health projects. Achieved Like I said above, 7 months seems like a long time to have only lost 45 lbs, but I am glad to have that as a reference point for how long it takes me to lose significant weight. It's good to no longer expect 100 lbs to fall off me in a month, as nice as it would be to get that kind of instant gratification. ;-) And, the fact that I've made it through all these WholeSomethings without falling off the wagon is HUGE for me. Having a couple of days in between to get my "fix" of whatever sugary thing I've been craving is good, but the real benefit is the sense of pride I have after completing each one. A year ago I would have laughed if someone had suggested I could go 30 whole days without doing ANY one thing. Now I know I can go even longer.
Phase Two (August 23, 2015 - ?) Goals
- To establish a sustainable, but effective and healthful, exercise regime for myself. The goal isn't necessarily to become a gym bunny who works out every day. But I do need to exercise every day and I think the gym, and the track, are good places to start. I've attempted working out with trainers before and nothing has quite fit. This will be a trial and error process, and while I'm not going to beat myself up for mistakes, every day of a WholeSomething will need to include exercise. Also the FitBit goal is returning to 10K steps per day, and it's not going to be changed again.
- To drop as close to goal weight as possible. As a person gets closer to their goal, inevitably, the weight loss in pounds becomes slower. But I want to work as hard as I can to get as close as possible before the end of this year. Goal weight is 150 lbs, goal size is 8/10
- To have no more than 2 Treat Days (and no more than 5 days overall) between WholeSomethings. I think a big part of the slower weight loss was gaining back weight in between periods of loss. Taking it easy in between is fine, but not going crazy, and not taking 2 weeks to eat and drink myself stupid, will help keep momentum going overall.
And...I guess that's it for Phase One! Overall, I'm glad for this progress and motivated to keep going. Sunday begins the first Whole40 of Phase Two (whole eating plus exercise) so prepare yourself for a few self-indulgent whiny entries as I start whipping this body into better shape. ;-)
Thank you for reading.
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