I want to be a loser

I want to be a loser, 1 week later

It’s been 2 weeks since I decided to lose some stubborn baby weight, and guess what?  The scale says I’ve lost 9 lbs.  I’m stunned.  I would question the honesty of the scale but it’s saying very realistic things to everyone else in the family.

Furthermore, my shorts reveal the truth.  I have a pair of navy blue shorts that I have owned and worn for years.  I wore them to a friend’s house on the 4th of July and by the end of the first hour, had to unbutton them.  If I were home I would have changed.  Since I wasn’t home, I had plenty of time to think over why I had to spend the day with my shorts unbuttoned.  That was the day I decided to lose some weight.

I’m wearing those shorts now, and they fit the way they did when I bought them.  Ahhh.

I have a few thoughts:

1. My weight tends to fluctuate about 3 lbs. day by day – at least it did before I cut back my eating 2 weeks ago – and I started at a high point.  That means the first 3 lbs. didn’t really count.  Not all of them.  I knew that already.
2. The heat helps.  It’s a great appetite suppressant.
3. I really have ramped up my activity level.  I’m not doing aerobics, but I’m doing a LOT of isometrics and some very purposeful puttering.  That should count for something, shouldn’t it?
4. I feel good. I feel lighter on my feet already, and I walk with a spring in my step that I didn’t have 2 weeks ago.
5. I bought a size 2 denim skirt at the thrift store last week, and it’s my new favorite.  That’s not to say I am a size 2.  I’ve never worn a size 2 before and I still don’t, and the skirt is obviously sized incorrectly.  Nevertheless, it’s my new favorite and probably wouldn’t have fit 2 weeks ago.  I like to say I lost 6 sizes in 2 weeks.  :)

I have probably cut back too much.  I’m not going hungry – I’m eating when I get hungry just like I planned and I feel great – but when I think about the amount of food I eat over the course of most days, I know it’s probably not enough to stay healthy.  It’s fun to approach my goal this quickly, but I’m going to have to learn what it takes to maintain a healthy weight.  That means eating more without going back to my old eating habits.  That could be tricky.

But first, I want to continue with the weight loss.  I initially said my goal was 10 lbs, then 15.  Well, after nearly 10 lbs. I feel better but I certainly don’t feel done.  I still have plenty of padding, and since it went so quickly I would love to lose another 10, making a total of 20.  That may sound like a lot to some, but on my frame it isn’t.  I don’t think most people can even tell that I’ve lost weight at all, so another 10 would only make me appear marginally slimmer and get rid of a little more excess padding.  It would put me under my wedding weight but still with considerably less muscle, which means more fat and more inches.  I’m not expecting to ever see my pre-wedding waistline again, but I wouldn’t mind getting the hips down to their old size.

Since things are going so well, I’m not going to work on cutting back any more.  I just want to continue toning and increase my activity level a little more.  I totally forgot about the kettle bell all week and I love using it, so there’s my goal for the upcoming week: USE THE KETTLE BELL!

That’s my weight-loss update for the week, and I’m off to swing the bell.

How did you do this week?

Enter our current giveaway: Large Family Logistics

Since I announced last week that I wanted to lose a bit of extra baby weight, I have made 2 big changes.

First, I worked hard to change the way I eat.  I haven’t made any substantial changes to what I eat, but the way I eat has undergone some extensive remodeling.  I really hope I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew with these changes, but it felt easy so far and I feel great!

Inspired by my little sister’s recent loss of 30 lbs, I followed her lead and just quit eating so much.  I eat when I’m hungry.  When I’m not hungry, I stop. It’s about as groundbreaking as the classic SNL skit Don’t Buy Stuff You Cannot Afford, but it really works.

I stuck to my intention of drinking a glass of water whenever the urge to snack struck, and ended up drinking tons of water while hardly snacking at all.  I have grazed and kept my stomach comfortably full for so long that for the first two days, I think my body had a little trouble remembering how to express real hunger: I got light-headed several times waiting for hunger signals that never appeared and I had to eat even though my stomach didn’t actually rumble.  After that, my body and I seemed to communicate better.

Now when I eat, I’m shocked – flabbergasted at how little it takes to be “not hungry,” instead of eating til I’m full.

Basically I’m keeping my “gas tank” on 1/4 instead of 3/4.

Eating this way has a few perks I didn’t expect:

1. Food tastes better when you’re hungry.  Duh.
2. Being hungry makes me just slightly fidgety.  Fidgety = calories burned.  This is in stark contrast to the bloated whale effect when I’m almost full all the time, which makes me want to lie around until I have digested a bit – then go see what else looks good since I have a bit of room in my belly.
3. If I keep myself just on the edge of [genuine stomach] hunger, I’m always up for a treat if the opportunity comes along.   It’s like gassing up at every station you pass, but only adding a gallon or two.  Note: when I say “treat” I don’t necessarily mean a sweet: I mean a few bites of anything yummy and appealing.

Over the past 7 days, we had dinner at some friends’ home, where they served us burgers, hot dogs, beans, chips, soda, and lots of ice cream for dessert.  We had our oldest daughter’s 18th birthday party, where we did another low country boil, a watermelon eating contest, marshmallow roasting, and ice cream with strawberries and lots of whipped cream for dessert.  We had a church fellowship meal, followed by a birthday party for my mom with banana splits and the most delicious peanut butter cheesecake I have ever eaten.

Because I avoided the empty carbs I don’t care for at each of these meals and ate very moderate portions of the foods I did like, I was able to enjoy dessert each time.  In fact, I think I enjoyed desserts more than usual because I wasn’t bloated from too much dinner, and the pleasure lasted longer because I also wasn’t uncomfortably full from too much dessert.

The second change I made was to increase my activity level.

I didn’t start a vigorous new exercise program.  I did walk 2.5 miles once last week, but you probably do twice that every week, don’t you?

When I say I increased my activity level, I just mean I quit sitting around like a lump all day.

For one thing, I started running far more errands here at the house:

• When I needed my purse, I got it myself.
• When I needed a glass of water, I got it myself.
• When one of the little ones wanted a drink, I got it myself.
• And a hundred other examples…

I can’t say I took every single opportunity that arose, but I did get up and move around much more than usual.  As often as not, while I was up getting a glass of water, I decided to do 2 or 3 or 10 other things while I was up, so the activity built upon itself.

The other way I changed my activity level was by incorporating some low-key exercises and isometrics into my day:

• I did quick set of kettle-bell swings now and then to ramp up my pulse and breathing (1-2 minutes)
• I did a set of triceps dips on a nearby chair once or twice/day (1 minute)
• I got down on the floor and held a low-plank position or a bridge while reading email on my phone.
• I leaned back slightly on a stool while reading aloud to the children.  When sitting in a chair, I scooted forward just a little and leaned back slightly.  Great ab workout!
• In the van, I leaned my seat back a little more than I wanted, then used my abs to sit more upright.
• I did squats while looking through my drawer for clothes each morning.
• I walked through the house in a goofy, bent-knee position for the entertainment of the children.  ”Look!  I’m doing the exercise walk!  I’m getting skinny!”

I didn’t do every one of the items above every day or at every opportunity, but I tried to make sure I was doing significantly more than I usually do.  Obviously this level of activity is not going to make or break a diet, but I do want to tone the muscles in certain areas as I shed some of the insulation that’s covering them.  I think it’s sufficient for that goal.

Results?

I’m down by 5 lbs. already.

Wait – don’t leave!  Don’t hate me!  It’s not like I actually lost 5 lbs. of body fat, or even 5 lbs. of body weight.  It’s more like my stomach isn’t carrying around 5 lbs. of food.

After one week, I’m happy with my progress (who wouldn’t be?) and excited to see what the next week holds.  I don’t expect to lose nearly so much over the next week, but if I can maintain my new habits and take off another pound or two I will be more than satisfied.

Parker is still nursing heavily, and I was surprised that my diet seemed to have only a minimal effect on my milk supply.  Of course it’s not a big deal since he eats a lot of solid food already, but he enjoys nursing and I’m glad I won’t have to worry about milk supply issues.

Since I already made so many changes, this week I’d like to continue on same path: eating only when hungry, stopping when I’m not hungry (don’t just keep eating until I’m out of room!), doing quick exercises throughout the day and taking opportunities to get off my tail and walk to the other end of the house.

How did you do?  Give an update in the comments or link to a post of your own!

I admitted recently that I have gained about 10 lbs. over the years.  I blame nursing for 5 of the pounds, so that’s Parker’s fault, but actually the total is closer to 15 lbs.  I think that means I still have to take credit for gaining  and holding 10 lbs. on my own.

And so…

I’m going to lose it.

See?  That was easy.  Now I just have to do it.  Who wants to hold me accountable and check up on me?  Who wants to join me?  If I post weekly on the subject, will you leave a comment updating your own progress?  If I don’t post, will you remind me?

My plan is nothing crazy.  It’s already crazy hot here and we don’t have a/c, so you won’t see me spending 45 minutes/day on aerobics or the treadmill.  I probably won’t even walk very often.

What I will do is some quick toning exercises several times/day (maybe I’ll set alarms on my phone for reminders!).  I’ll also make an effort to get up and do stuff as often as possible.  Instead of asking the kids to do things, I’ll be the one to run an item down to the van (up and down 12 steep stairs), or go turn on the hose for the little guys (up and down 12 steep stairs), or pick up the clothes that blew off the rack and into the yard (up and down…oh, you already know).

I know that’s not enough to make a big difference, but I don’t plan to make huge, sweeping changes to my diet either. I already eat a reasonably healthy diet with very little processed foods, fast food, or empty carbs.  I eat lots of produce and dairy and eggs, a bit of meat, and some sweets here and there.  I know I talk a lot about chocolate and ice cream, but a tiny pint of ice cream usually lasts me nearly a month.

So here’s the big thing:  I’m not going to eat unless I’m hungry, and when I’m almost full, I’ll stop. That’s huge for me.  I’m a casual muncher, a grazer, a social eater.  I nibble and browse and rarely eat a big meal but rarely stop eating altogether.  I spend more time mostly full than mostly empty.

If I get the munchies and I’m not truly hungry – no hunger pangs in ma’ belly – I’ll start with a glass of water.  If that doesn’t do the trick, I’ll have a glass of milk.

That’s my plan.  What’s yours?