The Wonders of Weight Loss

I totally forgot to share the results of this week's weigh-in with you all, and that's probably because I was trying to forget about the results of this week's weigh-in.  But, I need to hold myself accountable, so I'm going to post my results today.

This week, I lost a whooping 0.2lbs.  So, my total weight loss for the challenge is 9.2lbs.  I really wanted to see a better number this week, but it is what it is.  I am just thankful I was still able to lose, because many of the participants gained this week.  My team, for example, ended up gaining 5lbs collectively.  So, even though I lost, it didn't do much for us. What did feel good, though, (as bad as this sounds) is the fact that I was the one that was able to lose something despite all of the issues that arose this week.  Unfortunately, the team's gains bumped us down to third place again.  So, we have some work to do in the next couple of weeks if we have any chance of winning.  

Many of the participants blamed parent-teacher conferences for their gains.  And the conferences probably were a big factor in a lot of people gaining.  We had a pot-luck at work, and most people were grazing all evening or trying to cram in food whenever they had a free second to do so.  My biggest accomplishment came from the fact that I was sensible with my food choices, opting for soup and salad on Monday night and a sandwich on Tuesday night.  I ate no sweets, no chips and dip, and no junk.  In fact, I'm 100% positive that my measly weight loss came from the fact that I retained water because I didn't drink near as much water as I should have.  I know this because when I got home each night, my ankles were swollen.  It's easy to forget to stay hydrated when you're working that late, I suppose.

Another clue that I retained water is the fact that I've lost a couple of pounds since Wednesday.  Now that I'm hydrated and all of the swelling is gone, I've seen a difference on my scale at home.  That will hopefully mean a good loss for me on Thursday.  

I am very surprised by how different I already feel with only losing about 10lbs (actually that number is closer to 12lbs according to my scale this morning).  There are some obvious effects to the weight loss that I'm starting to recognize.  The first being my boost in energy, and feeling less tired all of the time.  

After a long week at work (or even long, short week), I usually go to bed extremely early and spend the first day sleeping in until 10-11AM.  In fact, thinking back, I don't remember the last Friday night where I stayed up past 10PM and was up before 10AM.  I was just exhausted.  This week, however?  Wednesday night I was up until almost midnight and then was up at 9AM yesterday morning.  Last night, I was up past midnight and was up at 8:30 this morning.  Not only that, but I didn't sit on my rear all day like I usually spend my first day of a weekend (or break). 

I will be honest and admit that I'm pretty lazy when I'm at home.  Normally.  On the weekends, I like to relax on the couch or sit at my computer and work.  Yesterday, I found that I couldn't sit down.  I started out by cleaning the living room, vacuuming, and straightening up.  Then I moved in to the den and cleaned my desk that has been piling up junk for months.  Then I swept all of the floors in the house.  Once the cleaning was all done, I did sit on the couch and crocheted for a while.  Then, I decided I was going to cook dinner.  While I was cooking, I cleaned dishes.  After dinner, I spent some more time crocheting until Hubby left for work around 10PM.  Then, I got another burst of energy and spent the next two hours cleaning my bedroom.  I sorted out my closet, packed up my summer clothes, got out my fall wardrobe, and cleaned all the junk that had piled up in my room.  Definitely not something I would normally do that late at night.  

This morning, I'm full of energy again and plan on going out and doing some shopping.  When I get home, I'm going to clean out Jelly's closet and room and get rid of all the clothes that she's outgrown. Do you know how many weekends I've said I'm going to do that?  Too many.  But, you know what?  I know that I will get it done today, because I feel energized to do so.  

It's amazing how different I feel with just losing a little bit of weight.  I still have a long way to go, but I don't want to lose the feeling that I have right now.  I need to hold on to it, and remember how awesome it feels.  

Another accomplishment has been with how much better my clothes are fitting.  On Tuesday, I put on a pair of pants that were extremely too tight the last time I tried to put them on.  On Tuesday, they went on with ease and I even had a little wiggle room.  I also noticed that my jeans fit much better on Wednesday.  I also received the new shirt that I ordered on Tuesday, and was very worried if it would fit.  Being that sizes above XL cost an additional $2, I decided when I ordered the shirt that I was going to order the XL.  I normally need a 2XL, but I'm tired of paying more just because I'm too big to fit in to an XL.  So, I decided to order the smaller size and have it be motivation for losing weight.  Well, I don't need much more motivation, because the XL fit perfectly.  In fact, I think a 2XL would have been too big.  That was an awesome feeling.  Now the next step is to get my dress size back down to where I don't have to shop in the plus sized section of stores.  

I have been so shocked at how easy it's been to lose the weight.  My normal routine is to eat minimally for a couple of weeks, force myself to give up eating the stuff I want to eat, drop a couple of pounds, and then realize that I'm hungry, I'm missing the stuff I've been avoiding, and just want to eat.  Then, I lose my motivation to continue trying to lose weight and just give up.

This time around, I can really tell how much I want it because I feel so fantastic about doing it.  I don't feel deprived in the slightest.  I'm eating everything I want to eat, looking for healthy alternatives rather than not eating, and I've noticed that my cravings for sweets and junk food have become non-existent.  And the times I have given in to temptation and eaten something loaded with grease or sugar, I feel gross and bloated after.

I've gone over a month without touching a drop of soda, I'm choosing foods that I normally wouldn't eat, I'm eating a lot more regularly, and I'm finding that I'm craving stuff that's better for me like fruit and veggies.  

Wednesday, for example, I had my "free day" because that was weigh-in day.  I bought some brownies for a couple of kids in my class that were eating lunch with me that day.  I also got a tray from the cafeteria instead of eating lunch that I brought from home.  I ate some of the food on my tray, and I ate a brownie, but I didn't enjoy it.  In fact, I would have been much happier eating a pile of steamed veggies than the small helping of mashed potatoes and gravy that I ate.  The brownie actually made me feel nauseous.  A small little brownie, and it was enough for my body to say "NOPE, you don't need or want that".  

Yesterday, I cooked dinner, and all I could think about was what I wanted to cook that was healthy and delicious.  I moseyed around the kitchen looking for some ideas.  I picked out some chicken breast, sliced it up, seared it in a little olive oil, and then baked it in the oven.  While the chicken was baking, I made a sauce out of salsa style tomatoes and some seasonings.  I then cooked up some garden rotini (squash, spinach, and tomato pasta).  I served the chicken on a small bed of pasta and topped it with the sauce.  The kids and Hubby all loved it, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Healthy and delicious? Check! I was also full and satisfied after I ate.  That's another thing I've noticed about eating better.  I no longer get the desire to eat in the evenings.  I'm eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and there's no desire to snack in between meals or before I go to bed.  

Overall, I think I've finally found the motivation I've been looking for.  I'm actually enjoying this process of losing weight, instead of looking at it as a chore or necessity.  I think my problem has always been thinking about the fact that I have to lose weight, instead of wanting to.  Now, I want it. Really want it.  My clothes are fitting better, my energy level has increased, I feel good, so why on earth would I give that all up?

I'm so thankful to the friends that talked me in to doing this weight loss challenge (Sheila, Nicki, and Suzanne), and I really owe all of this success to them.  I was so skeptical about doing it, and I really thought I would end up letting my team down.  What I realized, however, is that I needed a team to cheer me on, and for me to cheer on.  And at the end of it all, win or lose, I know I've already won.  I've found that spark of motivation I had so many years ago, that desire to succeed, the desire to lose the weight.  This time, though, I've found that I'm not struggling, I'm not fighting urges every single day, and there's absolutely no reason whatsoever that I can't continue seeing this thing through and keeping the weight off.  

I'm a winner by being a loser.  

And that's something I plan on continuing. 

Have an awesome Friday, everyone!