Another milestone!

Monday's weigh-in: 169.6lbs
down 5 lbs from last week.
wow! I'm in the 160s....crazy!

wow!  I didn't hit the gym once last week...crazy!
I realize that weight loss is a math exercise.  Calories out has to be greater than calories in.  It is..but isn't.  In last week's post, I listed all my workouts but had only lost a pound.  I was feeling worn out so took some time off from the gym.  Didn't go once last week!  Calories in were reasonable - around 1200 calories/day.  In fact, eating was a cinch - no snacking & only 3-4 meals/day.  I noticed I was a lot less hungry without all the workouts.

Also, it was almost like I could feel my body composition shift.  I know where the 5lbs came from - my butt.  My ass deflated last week.  I have Hispanic heritage & tend to sport a big, round J-Lo booty.  Not anymore.  My ass is as flat as a 3-day old balloon & looks just as droopy.  The hubs is having a good time making fun of my new flat ass.

The more I do this weight loss thing, the less I understand.  This is a huge loss for me but I wish I knew how to keep it going.  What, specifically, was it that I did that led to this?  I want a repeat.  No, actually, I want a THREE-PEAT!
 
A couple NSVs to report......
             1. Blood pressure today 100/60.  The nurse said this is really good
             2.  Hubs & I are doing a lot of road biking these days so I finally broke down & bought a bike jersey.  "Spandex" & "skin-tight" are not my friends so I was wary.  I found one I liked - in a medium! Bike jerseys are cut really slim.  I just can't believe I fit into a medium!

I saw my family doc this morning to get blood drawn for upcoming 6mo visit with my surgeon.  I'm really curious to see how the blood work comes back......

Oh yeah, back to the gym this week.
cheers,
chloe

I WORKED for it!

Monday's weigh-in: 174.6lbs
down 1lb from last week.

Let me tell you what went into that *one* pound...
Monday: 1 hr kickbox, 1 hr Chisel =  989 calories out, 963 calories in
Tuesday: rest, 1114 calories in
Wed: 1 hr kickbox, 1 hr Chisel =  933 calories out, 1100 calories in
Thurs: rest, 978 calories in
Friday: 1hr spin, 1hr Chisel = 918 calories out, 953 calories in
Sat: 4hr bike ride!!!! = 1881 calories out, 1382 calories in (U2 concert in Denver. they rocked!)
Sun: about 5 hrs working in the garden = 800 calories out, 1280 calories in

That's a lot of effort for just 1 measly pound. a bit frustrating.
All the weekend activity coupled with a quick out & back to the Bay Area yesterday (catch an 8am flight, meeting, meeting, meeting, get home at midnight) has left me drained.  I'm feeling quite battered.  Anybody else been in this place?  Suggestions?

I think I'm going to take a little break from the gym.  I'm on kid patrol today & tomorrow so I couldn't make it to the gym anyways but maybe a few days rest is what I need.  Its starting to get nice in Denver & there is a LOT of gardening to do this weekend.

cheers,
chloe

50lbs down!!!!

Yes, its true & very hard for me to believe.  I'm officially down 50lbs in almost 5 months!!!

Monday (Tuesday, actually) weigh-in: 175.6lbs!
down since last weigh-in: I have no idea

Truly, its hard for me to process.  I broke this journey into little mini-chunklets of 10% or 8lbs each.  The mini-goals definitely help me not be overwhelmed about how far I have to go (sample convo in my head....self: skip the chocolate since you only have 3lbs to go to next goal.......rather than self:  swing by DQ for a large malt since you have 80lbs to go and its so far away).  However, the mini-goals kind of obscure big milestones like this one so it hasn't really sunk in yet.

Maybe if I keep screaming it in my head, it'll start to feel real.  My rate of weight loss absolutely has slowed - you can see that by my mini-goal tracker in the sidebar.  I was reaching a mini-milestone every month but this last one took me six weeks.  But, hey, I'm only 6lbs from the next step.....better go to the gym tonight :)

Don't you just love Bigger Loser?  Those girls are amazing.....still losing 4lbs/week even this far along.  I was admiring that all the girls are in the 140s now which is my ultimate goal.  Wonder what I will look like then?


Sorry no posts last week - I was in southeast Asia on business.  The trip was ok.  I think I was expecting a lot more from Singapore but it just felt like any other city.  However, the food was simply amazing.  So many different cuisines to chose from; so many spices & flavors.  I was only there 3 days but every meal - highend to street hawker - was fantastic.  Most of it was actually quite band-friendly, too.  Most meals are served family style so you can just take a bite or two from each dish.  Plus, lots of fish & not really any desserts.   mmmmmm, chili crab. excellent!

The travel days were just long - 30hours to get home.  Bad airplane food is universal.  I find myself hoarding food in these situations.  You should have seen all crap I had stuffed in my purse!  The stress eater in me comes out, too.  I do confess to a chocolate shake at O'Hare when the flight from Hong Kong was late & I missed my connection home by 5minutes.  That miss added 3 hours to my overlong journey.  sigh.

One thing that struck me on this trip was the loss of an old friend - comfort food.  For me, there is no longer comfort in food.  This fact is still sinking into my fat-brain.  In fact, when I treat food poorly (eating too fast, not chewing well, big bites, bad food choices) there is actually more pain involved than comfort.  How pavlovian.  I feel like I am just coming around to this reality.  I feel like I am still fighting or resisting this reality.   I guess I'm into the real work of breaking a lifetime of bad habits.  Success will be measured in how long I go between stuck & PB episodes.  I do believe these are not supposed to be a routine part of life with the lapband.  I see these events as signals that my behavior needs to change.

I'm so glad to be home - I'm much better with a consistent routine.  Get up, have protein shake while getting ready for work, a cup of tea mid-morning, lite lunch,  greek yogurt or some snack late afternoon, hit the gym for cardio & weights, quick dinner, bed.  Rinse & repeat.  Travel just throws me off.....

....and there is more to come.   While I was in Singapore, I got notified that the next big trip is in the works for mid-June.   Around the world in two weeks.  Literally.  Europe leg one week & Asia leg the next.  I sit down with my colleagues tomorrow to hash out trip coverage.  Lets see how much of it I can weasel out of...this year was really supposed to be for me to dial down a bit on the work front in order invest in Project Me.

As a reminder, lets shout today's success one more time...

cheers,
chloe

Another weigh-in

Monday's weigh-in 178.2lbs
down about 2lbs from last week.

I did have this whole post planned about how the world has tilted to explain my recent stall but last week's loss ditched that plan.  Although Mondays are my "official" weigh day, I do hit the scales during the rest of the week and I've been sitting at 180 for quite awhile now.  Yesterday's weigh-in was quite a surprise, actually.

I do spend a lot of time reading others' blogs & I had noticed a lot of people lately have been stalled.  Nice to know I'm not the only one out there & other people are feeling the same frustrations.  

Great - looks like I'm losing again.....just in time for another work trip!  I leave Friday morning for Malaysia & Singapore.  I've never been to these cities before so I'm excited to visit but they are far, far away.  Trip to Kuala Lumpur is about 22hrs actual flight time - can you butt-numb-athon???

cheers,
chloe