Wow-what a month!
The struggle is real, folks. Over the last two months, my weight loss has slowed again, and to be honest, this week was especially troublesome. I'd sabotaged myself the previous week, and after making my post last week, I fell really hard in my yard.
Arthritic knees don't like it when you fall on them. I couldn't even get up on my own. Luckily for me, the young man next door saw me fall, and my son (who was visiting us) ran out to help me to my feet, just as I cried out for help.
They'd lifted me easier than I thought they would, and to be honest, I was pretty impressed. The only time since my honeymoon I'd ever felt all Princessy and stuff. I limped into the house, feeling a lot less Princessy as my legs and arms decided to chime in.
I was one big ache for the next few days. Walking was out of the question. My arms were sore, and I couldn't lift them above my head. We were out of the stuff to make salads, and since my husband and daughter were out working, I kept forgetting to ask them to go shopping. Ah well.
I made some protein-hearty meals, cut down on the bread, and used smaller dishes. Fiber was also in the cards and helped move things along better.
Now it's Monday, and I had to step on the scale. I'm not gonna lie- I was really wondering if the numbers were going to remain in the three-hundreds. So I stepped onto the scale, saw the screen flash, and...
Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels
...Goal achieved!
4 weeks ago: Now: Difference:
Weight 300 298 -2 lbs.
Bicep 19-1/4" 19-1/2" +1/4"
Chest 56-1/2" 56-1/4" -1/4"
Waist 52-1/2" 52" -1/2"
Thigh 28-1/2" 28-1/2" same
Neck 17" 17" same
Hips 61" 60" -1"
Okay, so the numbers aren't great, but they still count! There's more blue than red, and I'm FINALLY under 300 for the first time in years!
Woohoo- look at those changes! My arms are drastically thinner, and my butt is more defined. Also, my second chin is disappearing, and look how wrinkled the shirt and shorts are! Definitely, some progress going on.
I wish I could say the rest of the ride will be downhill, but I know better. The struggle will increase as I get thinner. I need to rethink what and how I've eaten because I've been getting away with a lot.
Choices need to be made concerning meals- do I eat two much smaller meals or one bigger one? I like variety, but when I eat two smaller meals, I often feel bloated after eating a small meal or snack nearly two hours later. Sometimes, one bigger one also leaves me bloaty, but I get the hungries more often. So maybe I could mix it up a little and see what happens.
Also, I'm considering changing my eating window from a two-hour one to a one-hour one, possibly doing OMAD several times a week. Lately, I've forgotten to eat in time (I even set a timer but was involved or unable to eat at the time) and knew I didn't eat enough and had to extend my window to eat something small. It's easier to eat in one sitting, but I need to eat more because I get ravenous by the evening.
Maybe the book should be called Fast, Feast, Tweak!
I actually like tweaking my fast. It prevents getting stuck in eating ruts and allows me to be more flexible when needed. But unfortunately, the past two months have shown that what I've been doing needs to be taken down a peg or two to keep losing weight.
Tweaking windows, tweaking portions, and tweaking how I'm eating is crucial to getting to my next goal. Also essential is what I'm eating.
Like I said, I've been able to get away with a lot during this first leg of this marathon, but now I have to hunker down for the second leg. Snacks are the first thing to tweak, not just in volume but in frequency. Meals need to be enough if it's an OMAD or in much smaller dishes if I want a variety that day. To start, I'm not going to plan which days- I'll just let them happen as they may, then see what kinds of patterns emerge.
I hope sharing the up and downs of my journey helps you in yours. I promise not to sugar-coat anything (though my twisted sense of humor might soften the blow) and tell you everything about how I feel and what I think. You aren't alone in this, and your feelings are valid!
I hope this blog inspires you to be a healthier person, inside and out!
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