1 Month In: Week 4

This has been one of my most frustrating weeks so far on several fronts. Since grad school operates on a slightly different calendar than other schools, my last week of classes is in 4 weeks (instead of the six weeks officially posted). I have six papers due by then! Yikes! So, chugging away on that.

The weight thing hasn't been going well either, but I still count it as a half-victory. I have somehow plateau'd in the 10-14 lbs lost range (I fluctuate like crazy) and haven't budged at all yet from that. The victory comes from not gaining anything on my diet-free vacation, but the 'half' comes from not losing anything either.

One of my rewards for losing each set of 20 lbs is a free hour-long massage. I want that massage!

I can't tell if I've caught a bug or my allergies are just really bad ('both' is also an option), but I haven't felt well much lately. My mom, who race walks for fun (her current record is completing a half-marathon in just under 3 hours- walking!) has been leaving me in the dust so much. It's been nice to have her along though, walking in loops is less tedious with company.

Everything is starting to turn really green here now that spring has decided to stick around. When I went to the lake to walk, every surface right above water level was covered in turtles! It was very adorable.

Turtles! Turtles everywhere!

(from Fort Worth Zoo pictures last week)

Final stats for the week:

Weight at start: 254 lbs

Current weight: 244 (*upper end of range) as of 3/29/12

Left to go: 94* lbs

A Weekend Off

It was my birthday weekend, and instead of presents I went on a small trip to Dallas. I had thought I'd have gained a lot more weight from not dieting while I was down there- all of my favorite restaurants are not diet-friendly- but somehow I still lost a few pounds. Perhaps it was all the malls-

-Or maybe the zoo-

But regardless, I had an excellent time! Happy 23rd birthday to me.

I'll be back with the weekly weigh-in on Thursday.

Week 2

This week wasn't nearly as fulfilling. I only weighed myself twice because I'm trying wean myself off that, and it's been discouraging. At today's weigh-in I had only dropped one pound for the whole week. After last week's seven-pound drop it seemed like I suddenly stopped doing anything.

I also keep freaking out over my calories. The diet I'm on is 1200/day. It doesn't matter what those 1200 calories are, but I only get 1200. So on Tuesday one of my snacks was M&Ms. One day I ate a boring salsa-salad so I could have a piece of cheesecake. I keep forgetting that if I go over, it's actually fine. I'm still well below the intake point where I wouldn't lose weight.

I love cheesecake.

Didn't walk as much either, partially because of school and work but mostly because I didn't want to. I find walking laps really boring, but this area is rural enough that walking to an actual destination is a long, long walk. On the few days I did walk, I've been trying to go faster- I'm up to 3-3.5 mph, which isn't fast enough for half-marathons but is still faster than I started.

Hopefully next week will go better. My best friend may be getting a dog, so I'd have somebody to walk with me if she does.

Weigh-in: 246

Total lbs lost: 8

Left to go: 96 lbs

One week in

Yesterday was the end of the first week of the diet/exercise plan, and it was a good one. I walked a lot, ate very little, and somehow lost my sweet tooth in the process. At my weigh-in I was down seven pounds!

Interesting things that have happened:

1. A goose almost attacked me.

Lake Springdale, where I walk about half the time because of how pretty it is, attracts geese and fisherman on the weekend mornings. On Saturday as I was lapping the lake I noticed a guy fishing with a male goose very nearby. I figured he was some kind of Goose Whisperer and didn't pay any mind to it. When I started getting closer the goose got up and started honking at me and fluffing itself up (defense mode), and wouldn't let me pass. I ended up sprinting past it real quick before it could attack me. The fisherman was laughing at me the whole time.

2. I saw a groundhog.

Thanks, Wikipedia.

It was at the same place as the geese. At first I thought it was some sort of weird beaver until I googled it. I didn't know we had any of those around here, and I'd never seen one in person before. So that was fun too.

3. Food tastes better.

A 1200 calorie diet means dropping pretty much all processed foods, including sugary food. Up until starting this diet I ate a lot of pasta, frappuccinos, and burritos (not at the same time usually). I haven't missed them at all, which I hadn't been expecting. I had figured it would be difficult to suddenly drop all these foods my body was used to, but it really wasn't. I guess my brain wasn't the only part of me ready to get healthy.

4. Buffalitos are under 700 calories.

Literally this exact one- Fayetteville, AR. (Thanks, Google!)

I love Buffalo Wild Wings. If I make sure to exercise, I can have some buffalitos and not have to change my calorie ration at all while still eating something normal and insanely delicious. My favorite sauces are the Spicy Garlic and Honey BBQ. Mom always gets Caribbean Jerk, Dad always gets Asian Zing. We're a spicy family. (My brother is a vegetarian; he gets chips and queso.)

So, final stats for the week:

Weight at start: 254 lbs

Current weight: 147 as of 3/8/12

Left to go: 97 lbs

The Beginning: Week 1

There are several reasons I'm starting this blog. Mostly I want to track this new adventure I'm starting. Partially I want somewhere I can share stories about things that happen.

But most importantly, I'm trying to get healthy. Physically, it's gotten to the point where my weight was starting to cause health problems. I'm already at pretty high risk of thyroid disease and diabetes anyway, and then to add all those extra pounds didn't help at all. So my biggest project this year is to get in shape.

I have a goal: Complete the Walt Disney World 1/2 marathon next January. Just complete it. Nothing more.

My dad did the Goofy Challenge this year and survived did great!

I currently can walk about 1.5 miles at a moderate pace before getting tired, which means I've got my work cut out for me. This is why I set this goal now, in March, so that I have most of the year to get my speed and endurance up.

My doctor suggested a 1200 calorie diet and moderate regular exercise as a quick- but still healthy- way to shed a lot of the weight I need to get rid of, and then ease back up once I'm getting close to my goal weight.

The basic facts-

Height: 5'7"

Pants size: Women's 18

Weight at start: 254 lbs

Exercise at start: none

Goal weight: 150

Now, I'm already almost a week into this new regiment. The diet is proving easier than I thought it would be so far, partially because of my tendency to put salsa on everything. Salsa is pretty healthy, being mostly tomatos and spices.

Turkey spinach salsa wraps- surprisingly delicious!

In the last five days I've lost 5 pounds, just like that. Just by cutting my calories to 1200 (what had I been eating like before? Geez!) and walking 5 miles.

So, to amend my fact list-

Weight at start: 254 lbs

Current weight: 149 as of 3/5/12

Left to go: 98 lbs

I'll be back in a couple of days with more!