Autumn has arrived! Which means that life is back to normal – school’s in, my schedule is busy, and obligations abound. But I won’t use those as excuses to slack on my goals. The great thing about fall is that the weather is cooler, which means that those wonderful fall fashions will keep me motivated. Plus, crisp temperatures mean that it’s never “too hot” to workout. I’m going to relish my nightly cup of steaming hot tea as another way to keep my water intake up. I look forward to all those hearty, satisfying and wls-friendly soups, stews, and crockpot meals that I’ll create for myself. This year, the changing season will mark new milestones that I haven’t seen in 5, 7, 10+ years! Bring on fall 2013 – it’s time to reach new heights! Sunday weigh-ins will keep me accountable through the weekend, and will give me a positive goal to begin each new week. Throughout the fall, I’ll be giving Sunday progress updates called Fabulous Fall Weigh-Ins.
Week 24 was a fun week filled with lots of walks, a few NSVs, and of course, weight loss. (This post is a day late because I spent Saturday night/Sunday morning at FaveCousin’s house to do the Mermaid 5K and I didn’t have my own scale. So, the weigh-in was postponed a day).
So, how’s the scale looking?
When I weighed in this morning, I was 211.8, which is a loss of 2 pounds this week, and a loss of 65.2 lbs since surgery! I’ve lost a total of 103.2 pounds from my highest weight!! I’m really happy that I had a nice loss this week, especially since I lost almost four pounds last week. This week I ate more carbs than normal, but because most of those carbs were from things like oatmeal and lentils I’m not too worried about it. But I do want to get back to my morning protein shakes this coming week – nothing helps me meet my protein goals like those do.
This week brought a few NSVs:
- I had to buy new jeans because the ones I was wearing are all too big and baggy. So on Friday afternoon, I bought size 18s from Avenue, which is exciting because in the past I’ve always found Avenue jeans to require a size larger than I can wear in other pants. Buying smaller sizes is always exciting, but it’s really weird to think that I was in a size 28 last year at this time. I can’t quite comprehend that I’m wearing size 18s – the last time I recall wearing this size was at least 20 years ago.
- When FaveCousin and I went to sushi on Saturday night, we were at a really small hole-in-the-wall sushi restaurant in the Richmond District of SF. The tables were all really close together. Normally, I would’ve been very concerned that I was taking up too much space compared to the people in the chairs behind me, but I when I looked behind me, I realized there was plenty of space. And when we got up to leave, I had no problem scooting my chair back and making my way into the aisle. This was one of those huge, yet quiet moments that only big girls/guys could truly understand.
- The entire experience of the Mermaid 5K yesterday was an NSV for me. Night and day to the last one I completed, back in March of 2009. I’ve come a long way, baby!
Today’s quote is really important to me because I’m moving into completely new territory in my journey. I’m hitting numbers on the scale and wearing sizes that I don’t remember seeing in the last 18 years. I’m accomplishing things that seemed so far out of reach just a year ago, and now I’m thinking of bigger goals than I ever thought possible. Recently I was reminded to enjoy each step along this journey, and not just focus on the end goal. I can honestly say that I am living in the moment, enjoying the gifts that each new day brings, and loving the life I’m creating.
Until next Sunday, my friends. I hope the scale treats you well, and that you have a wonderful week!
Bella on the Beach 
Just curious, was the oatmeal before your 5k? If so, kudos! I think you’ll find that you should have carbs before a longer workout session. Much better to fuel your body — not even counting the gastro issues that ensue when your body is trying to process protein while simultaneously trying to exercise. There’s a definite time and place for carbs!
I ate the oatmeal throughout the week, although I didn’t eat right before the 5K – it was too early to eat anything. Post race I had 1/2 a bagel, light cream cheese, and 1/3 banana.
Ah. For a 5k walking, not a big deal to skip food before. But higher effort and longer time will need some (carb) fuel. I have bagillions of ideas to share when you need them!!
This post brought tears to my eyes! Bella, I am so stinkin proud of you! You have come so far! Congratulations on all of your milestones, and NSVs!
xo
Brittany 😀
You continue to impress me each week with the consistency of your weight loss Bella. I love how you are appreciating all aspects of this journey. Congratulations on the 5K!!
Outstanding 5k! For the clothing sizes, I love that as a NSV. To keep the finances in check I go to thrift stores for in-between sizes on my weight loss journey. I had trouble shelling out big bucks for transitional clothes, so thrift stores provide a fun outing and cheap alternative to department stores.
Regarding carbs before exercises, IMO it is a personal thing. Tons of literature and advice out there pertain to extereme events like marathons or world class athletes looking to shave a fraction of second off their race times. For any workout less than an hour I don’t pay too much attention to nutrition, other than sticking to a generally healthy balanced food plan which is part of life, not specifically for the workout. But that’s just me, everyone can tailor their fueling to their own body, goals, and needs. That’s part of the fun of running as a sport.