‘Tis the season! Which means that the world turns sparkly, the weather turns chilly, and 2013 is almost over. I’m looking at this time of year as a Countdown to Christmas – focusing on my weight loss and achieving my goal of hitting ONDERLAND before the end of 2013. Achieving that will be the best gift of all!!! Sunday weigh-ins will keep me accountable through the weekend. This is the time of year when food and celebrations are plentiful and the last thing on most people’s minds is weight loss. I’m going to show that weight loss can happen during the holiday season. My Sunday progress updates will be called Countdown to Christmas Weigh-Ins.
Week 30 was packed! Tons of grading, finals, and finishing everything up before my two-week Winter Break. Not to mention, trying to get things organized for Christmas and keeping up with my workouts.
So, what did the scale show?!
When I weighed in this morning, I was 202.2, which is a loss of 0.8 pounds this week, and a loss of 74.8 lbs since surgery! I’ve lost a total of 112.8 pounds from my highest weight!! This loss isn’t stellar, but it is a loss, and it does reflect my efforts this week:
- I did great with my workouts – continued C25K training (more on that in a minute) and got two other workouts in, for a total of 5 workouts during this busy week. That fact alone is something I’m really proud of because last year at this time all workouts were out the window.
- I can definitely improve on two fronts – getting enough water in and nighttime snacking. Some days I got plenty of water in, but most days I’d only had 4-6 glasses, which just isn’t enough. I definitely believe that water intake has a big effect on my weight loss and overall bodily functions. The snacking at night is something I need to curb – I track all the snacks and was still within my normal 900-ish calories a day, but it’s the habit itself that needs to go. Eating later like that doesn’t work well for my weight loss. Plus, giving in to cravings isn’t a road I want to go down. I’m never hungry after dinner, so I need to avoid the snacks and have a cup of tea (which will help my water intake, too).
One reason I’m looking forward to this break is fitting in my workouts with ease. I have lots of fun, new classes I’m planning to take, and I’ll write about those as I do them. C25K has been going really well, and after my Santa Run, I completed the other two days in strong form. I ran for the entire 3-minute runs without much issue. I just had to keep my mind strong and make sure I had great music playing and I did it! This week includes the 3-minute runs that I’ve conquered, and then amps the time up to 5-minute runs. The C25K app I use shows that I’ll be jogging half a 5K this week!! That fact alone is enough to encourage me to do those 5-minute runs. Wish me luck.
I still have my goal of getting to Onederland before the end of this year. That’s 3.2 pounds in 10 days (including the 31st) and I know I can do it. The challenge is going to be doing it with all the Christmas food and celebrations, but I’m not going to let that be an excuse. I will enjoy the foods my family eats on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and be thankful for my VSG tool because it offers built-in portion control. And I’m also going to remember that we’re just talking about two meals, not two days of indulging. One major thing I’m going to look at is the types of snacks I’m eating. I’ve been having lots of nuts and nuts w/ craisins, dried blueberries, etc., which is fine for once in a while, but I can’t have them everyday. The calorie/protein ratio is just too far off. So I’m going to stick with snacks that have a higher protein count and lower calories.
My point is, I know exactly what I need to do, and if I want Onederland badly enough, I can get it. It’s more important to me than any snack, any indulgence, any distraction.
Until next Sunday, my friends. I hope the scale treats you well, and that you have a wonderful week!
Bella on the Beach 