7/31/2020 Weighing In With Measurements

213.75 today, for the fourth day in a row. Nothing like a plateau to encourage continuing on the quest for health.

Anyway, today is the day for measurements.

	7/2/2020 Baseline	7/24/2020 Last Week	7/31/2020 Today	Weekly Difference	TOTAL Difference	Week % Lost	Total % Lost
Weight	227.75	216.5	213.75	2.75	14	1.27%	6.15%
Neck	16.75	16	16	0	0.75	0.00%	4.48%
Bust	47	44.5	44.5	0	2.5	0.00%	5.32%
Waist	48	45.5	45.5	0	2.5	0.00%	5.21%
Hips	47.125	45.75	44.5	1.25	2.625	2.73%	5.57%
Upper Arm L	14	13	12.75	0.25	1.25	1.92%	8.93%
Upper Arm R	14.75	13.5	13.5	0	1.25	0.00%	8.47%
Mid-Thigh L	21.5	19.75	20	-0.25	1.5	-1.27%	6.98%
Mid-Thigh R	22.5	20.5	21	-0.5	1.5	-2.44%	6.67%
Calf L	15.25	14.5	14.75	-0.25	0.5	-1.72%	3.28%
Calf R	15	14.75	14.75	0	0.25	0.00%	1.67%
Total Body Inches	245.125	231.75	231.25	0.5	13.875	0.22%	5.66%
Inches Lost	0	13.375	0.5		-13.875
BMI	34	32	31.6	0.4	2.4

Not as encouraging as the last few weeks, but that's ok. The general drift is downward, and I didn't measure myself in the same clothing or at the same time of day as I've been doing for the last few weeks.

And 14 pounds gone in a month ain't half bad!!!!

7/26/2020 Weighing In

Yesterday was 215.5; today is 215 even. That's half a pound, which is great! I'm down well over 10 pounds since 2 July!!

I get hungry in the afternoons, so my Optavia Coach and I came up with the tactic to distract myself. Do something other than sit starting at 2:30 pm and going on until I either (a) am no longer hungry and/or (b) have to eat again according to schedule (that would be 4 pm). It works ... to a point. The "something other" has to be active ... pulling weeds is one option. Going for a walk is another. Exercise on the NordicTrack or the TRX straps is a third. Gardening is the best option. Today I will weed-whack my overgrown yard and maybe start to dig the hole for my patio!

But winter will come ... sooner than I want it to ... and then I'll have to find distractors inside. Putting the pennies on the steps is one; that needs to be done, as does putting tiles on the ceiling in the entryway. Before I lay the pennies, I need to paint the spindles and bannister. I'm tired ... TIRED ... of Guinevere's colors!! And then I need to patch and paint the walls in the living room and the entryway.  I have selected a lovely shade of gray that will set off the reds and blues in the living room; that gray can easily carry over to the walls in the hallway.

But, meanwhile, I'm happy with the weight loss. And I feel good, too.

7/17/2020 Weighing In - With Measurements

I didn't get the chance to even get near my blog yesterday or the day before. The day before ... enh ... I weighed in yet again at 219.75. But yesterday ... yesterday the scales tipped at 218.75. As they did today. 218.75 today, too.

I started this weight loss two weeks ago today at 227.75. In two weeks, I'm down 9 pounds! That rate is not likely to continue, since ... ahem ... several of those 9 pounds I lost in the first couple of days while detoxing. But it's encouraging to see the tonnage falling off.

I like this system. Optavia is apparently associated with MediFast (the same people who designed MediFast also designed Optavia). Optavia borders on being a very low calorie diet, or VLCD ... one eats 800-1000 calories per day ... at the weight-loss stage. I did a VLCD years ago, in the late 1990s, that pulled a ton of weight off of me. But then I started law school full time at FPLC with easy access to Brian-the-Chef's scrumptious soups every day and yoyo'd right back up. So I know I can get it off. My challenge is ... has always been ... keeping it off.

But I'm not there yet. I'm still getting it off. One step at a time.

I have this new weight app on my phone that will easily track my weight daily (yay!). Then it will show me graphs and analyses and all that stuff. This weight app tells me that my ideal weight is 144.5. So okay; that's my new goal weight. 144.5, here I come. I ate my way over that weight when I was in junior high school, so this will be good.

Measurements.

	7/2/2020 Baseline	7/12/2020 Last Week	7/17/2020 Today	Difference	TOTAL Difference	Week % Lost	Total % Lost
Weight	227.75	220.25	218.75	1.5	9	0.68%	3.95%
Neck	16.75	16	16.5	-0.5	0.25	-3.13%	1.49%
Bust	47	45	44.5	0.5	2.5	1.11%	5.32%
Waist	48	46	46	0	2	0.00%	4.17%
Hips	47.125	45.5	44.5	1	2.625	2.20%	5.57%
Upper Arm L	14	13.5	13.5	0	0.5	0.00%	3.57%
Upper Arm R	14.75	14	13.75	0.25	1	1.79%	6.78%
Mid-Thigh L	21.5	19.75	20.125	-0.375	1.375	-1.90%	6.40%
Mid-Thigh R	22.5	21.75	21	0.75	1.5	3.45%	6.67%
Calf L	15.25	15	15	0	0.25	0.00%	1.64%
Calf R	15	15	15	0	0	0.00%	0.00%
Total Body Inches	245.125	235.5	233.375	2.125	11.75	0.90%	4.79%
Inches Lost	0	-9.625	-11.75	-2.125	11.75
BMI	34	33	32.3

Yeah. I'm a happy camper. I lost an overall 2.125 inches this week (11.75 inches overall!!), and I'm down a total of 3.95 of my weight and 4.79% of my body measurements! And I LOVE that downward drift of my BMI ....

7/4/2020 Weighing In

I love starting a weight-loss journey. The pounds roll off at the beginning, and that is what is happening. 226.75 today, down from 227.75 yesterday! The Optavia foods are actually pretty good, too. The crunches are quite filling! And all that water ... my kidneys are drowning! Sadly, it doesn't last. The weight does come off, but the rate slows and becomes erratic with time. But that's healthy and the way the body should work ... frustrating as it is.

12/11/2019 Weigh In

212.0, down one pound from 12/9/2019's 213.0.

I'm back on the straight and narrow, and the loss of the pound I gained in Meddy Oulde England shows that. Now to keep it up and get more off!

I ordered a TRX exercise system (they were having a half-price sale), and it shipped last night;. That will help with keeping the strength up and it will also help a LOT with my sore hips (which so effectively prevent me from moving much). This is the system they have at the gym; straps support me as I bend and squat and move my joints in ways that would surely have me falling on my head if I didn't have the straps to support me.

And there's always the NordicTrack. I've been remiss with that lately, and I notice the difference in breathing and in ability to walk any distance at all. With the travel plans I have for next summer, I'd better get my butt in gear and get on that.

I'm also needing to increase my water intake. I'm thirsty!! No, I'm not showing a high blood sugar; my A1C was "perfect" last year, and it will be again this year since I'm not eating piles of processed sugar (and will avoid most sugar over the Christmas holidays). I simply am dehydrated. Traveling has done that, I think. Airplanes are desiccators.

Today's Plan:

Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, strawberries, water
10:30 am: 5 minutes on NordicTrack, water
Lunch: Chicken/Fish, salad, water
2 pm: Wasa, water
4 pm: Wasa, water
5 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack, water
Dinner: Bran pancake, strawberries, water
7 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack, water
7:30 pm: Apple, water
9:30 pm: Yogurt

11/3/2019 Weigh In

215.5, down 0.5 lb from yesterday's 216.

It's coming off! Every loss is a win for me and my health! Little bit by little bit, I'm losing all there is of it ("it" being the extra tonnage).

And now it's time to eat. I'm hungry, and it's well past breakfast time.

Today’s Plan:

Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, strawberries, water
11 am: 5 minutes on NordicTrack, water
Lunch: Fish, salad, water
2 pm: Wasa, water
4 pm: Wasa, water
5 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
Dinner: Chicken, salad, water
7 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
7:30 pm: Apple, water
9:30 pm: Yogurt

10/29/2019 Weigh In

218.5, down 0.5 from yesterday's 219! Hurray!! I'm working on the next 10 pounds!! 9.5 pounds to go .... It's so much easier for me to put it on than it is to take it off, so I'm really quite proud of myself for losing the 10 pounds in three weeks; it will probably take a bit longer than that to lose the next 10, though; it's coming off in fits and starts, little bit by little bit. Well, 2 lb per week is a healthy rate. Frustrating, but healthy.

The Plan with the NordicTrack ... yeah, that didn't work out. I did 5 minutes on the machine yesterday. But I ate right and will work up my time on the machine. So let's be a bit more realistic today.

My Reward comes today; I ordered these red yoga pants from Amazon. They should really be quite stunning! And they give me something other than shorts and the black yoga pants to wear to the gym ... which is good!

I have to modify the Plan today; I have a dentist's appointment at 11 (for fillings; I hope to God he uses his laser drill and not novocaine) and a client coming in at 2. But it still works!

Today's Plan

Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, strawberries, water
9:30 am: 5 minutes on NordicTrack, water
11 am: dentist
Lunch: Chicken, salad, water
1:45 pm: Wasa, water
4 pm: Wasa, water
5 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
Dinner: Fish, salad, water
7 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
7:30 pm: Apple, water
9:30 pm: Yogurt

10/8/2019 Weigh In

225.75, down 1.25 lb. from yesterday's 227.0.

YES!! 1.25 lb lost yesterday ... I'll take it.

And I woke up this morning not hungry. Yes, I can easily eat, but I'm certainly not ravenously hungry. I rather like the two cheats I had yesterday (an extra piece of fruit and 1/2 C plain nonfat Greek yogurt with almond extract, Stevia and cocoa powder); they seem to satisfy the hunger. I shall keep them for the moment.

I am working on exorcising the demon that has kept me fat for all these years. I've always been heavy, and that has sat badly with a demon whose voice has been with me forever. The driving force behind that demon ... a fat-shaming close family member ... has been dead and gone for nearly five years now, and it's time to get that voice out of my head. I deserve to be fit and healthy ... even though, yes, I'm now in my 60s and have arthritis in one hip and extraordinarily tight hip flexors in both hips, so I now walk with a gimp and can't run at all. I walk, actually, like my grandmother walked ... grabbing onto solid objects as I pass them for support. That pisses me off. I never liked that grandmother much.

This is the shape I need to get out of before I go on my Grand Tour of (some of) the western National Parks next summer. Weight loss, NordicTrack, and personal trainer to the rescue!

Goals. Time to set goals. I will weigh 210 lb by Thanksgiving. That's a goal. It's achievable; not easy, but achievable. I have 1.5 months to lose 15.75 lb. It's an important goal; I'm off to England for a week right after Thanksgiving! First time in decades I will have visited London!

Long-term, 145 remains the pie-in-the-sky dream, but that is totally invisible to me at this moment. I'll do this in shorter chunks.

So. Today's Plan:

Pre-Breakfast: glass of lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: bran pancake made with cinnamon and stevia, water
10 a.m.: orange, water
Lunch: salad, chicken, water
2 p.m.: Wasa, water
4 p.m.: 1/2 C Greek yogurt with cocoa powder & almond extract, water
Dinner: salad, chicken, Wasa, water
7:30 p.m.: apple, water
9:30 p.m.: 1 C strawberries, water

The yogurt and the strawberries are cheats on the strict diet. I figure that if I plan the cheats, I won't cheat the Plan.

UPDATE at 10:26 pm:

I stuck to the Plan ... except for some of the times. I exchanged the timing of the Greek yogurt and the strawberries (1 cup of strawberries is less than I wanted it to be...), and I had the Greek yogurt at 8:15, not at 9:30. I am now going to bed comfortably full.

Tomorrow will be challenging since I'll be in my office all day with clients. I'll likely do the same Plan tomorrow, except I'll substitute salmon for chicken for lunch.

Weighing In 11/1/2018

201.5,  down 1 lb from 202.5 on 10/27.

And it's Measurements Day:

	3/14/17	1-Oct	1-Nov	Month's Difference	TOTAL   Difference	Month % Lost
Weight	256	209.75	201.5	-8.25	-54.5	3.70%
Bust	49.5	44	43	-1	-6.5	2.27%
Waist	51	45	43	-2	-8	4.44%
Hips	48	43.5	41	-2.5	-7	5.75%
Upper Arm L	15	13	12.75	-0.25	-2.25	1.92%
Upper Arm R	15	13.125	12.75	-0.375	-2.25	2.86%
Mid-Thigh L	23	19.5	19	-0.5	-4	2.56%
Mid-Thigh R	25	19.5	19	-0.5	-6	2.56%
Calf L	16	14.75	14.5	-0.25	-1.5	1.69%
Calf R	16	14.75	14.5	-0.25	-1.5	1.69%
Total Body Inches	258.5	227.125	219.5	-7.625	-39	3.36%
Inches Lost		-31.375	-39	-7.625	-39

I'd say I'm doing okay here. I seem to be losing about 8 lb per month, which is a good, healthy rate. Inches started peeling off this month because of the Callanetics and the gym and my personal trainer, all of which, given these results, I shall definitely keep doing.

I anticipate breaking that 100s digit VERY SOON!!!!

Weighing In 10/27/2018

202.5, down 1 lb from 10/23's 203.5.

I'm getting there. That change of the hundreds digit is in easy sight. That great day is closer than I think!!

On that day, I will have 55 pounds left to lose; the long-term goal is now set at 145.

Weighing In 9/26/2018

207.5, down 1.25 lb from Monday's 208.75.

This is the result of the Team Darryl workout last night at the gym. That workout was hell on earth, but if it gives this result, I will gladly go through hell on earth. Actually, I paid $90 to go through hell on earth ... this team challenge lasts until mid-November ... by which time I hope to be down 20 lb from that 208.75 starting point. Let's see ... that would put me at 188.75. It will be a Great Day when I crack the 200-lb mark!!

And Darryl gave us homework. We are to find one thing to do to make the team challenge worth it. Me, I'm doing the Callanetics workout from the DVD I have. At least four days this week. I'll get it up to seven days each week by Week 3.

Oh ... I hurt today. My hip is killing me.

Hey ... I've lost over 50 lb since I started this in March 2017!! New cross-trainers for me!!!!! Yay!!!

And food is easy; just keep on with the Diet Center Reducing Diet. Easy enough.

Weighing In 9/21/2018

209.0, down 0.5 from yesterday's 209.5.

That works!

That rate will, of course, slow down, but I'll take it for now.

Hey, one more pound and I will have lost 10 lb this month ... that's exactly what this Diet Center diet is supposed to do.

I started this journey on 3/14/2017 weighing 256 lb; in 3 more pounds, I will have lost 50 lb! I shall reward myself for that accomplishment with a new pair of cross-trainers.

The next 10-lb goal will take me down below 200 lb; that's a MILESTONE ... an absolutely magic number. I still need to figure out how to celebrate that one. I've already paid for the trip to Egypt, so that's not the reward. I'll figure it out.

Weighing In 9/8/2018

211.0, down from yesterday's 211.25.

I'm losing fat now, and building muscle. Thus, the scale is slowing down. Following the Diet Center program, I generally lose about 2 lb per week on average, or 10 lb per month, which is healthy and sustainable.

According to my trainer, losing 20 lb over 10 weeks will NOT win the challenge at the gym. There are those who do this challenge and lose about 60 lb in 10 weeks. That is NOT sustainable, nor is it healthy. That kind of loss will gain the weight right back. But they win the big bucks. Me, I'll win increased health. So who's the ultimate big winner?

Weighing In 9/7/2018

I missed writing here yesterday; I weighed 212.0.

Today, I’m down 0.75 lb, weighing in at 211.25.

I joined Darryl’s Team for a weight-loss/body transformation challenge at the gym. It’s a 10-week challenge that will get my achy old body moving more than I do, and will increase my membership level to the max for the duration. I weigh in there on Tuesday morning. In 10 weeks, I should, theoretically, be down 20 lb. That’s the goal; that and deleting some of the pain in my hips....

Weighing In 9/3/2018

I'm at 214.75, down 2.25 lb from yesterday's 217.

This rapid loss is lovely, but it's all water at this point. I've been peeing approximately once every 15 minutes. That will end, and water will stabilize, and weight loss will go to losing fat, which is much slower than is losing water.

I'm getting a late start today; it's 11 a.m. and I haven't yet eaten anything. Gotta go eat before I shake the house down!

Bran muffin
Water x 4
Apple or Orange
Wasa bread slice

That will bring me up to where I should be in the day ... oh, and it will fill me up.

Lunch today will be yesterday's chicken with apple (I cooked 2) with a large leafy salad. Snack will be another Wasa bread slice and another piece of fruit. Dinner will be a large leafy shrimp salad and another Wasa bread slice. Snack is a piece of fruit. And the ever-present water will be on tap for all eating sessions.

Weighing In 9/1/2018

It's been a year and two days since I last posted here. I've done a decent job of maintaining my weight for that year; I'm at 218 pounds this morning, having pigged out on sushi yesterday (thanks to my brother who came to hang out for a couple of hours and took me to lunch) and pizza and ice cream for the last two days (my brother had nothing to do with those). Last time I posted, on 8/30/2017, I was at 212.75, and I will be there again very soon.

I'm still going to the gym at least once per week, and the same personal trainer is still kicking my butt. I think that's how I am maintaining my weight, quite frankly.

It's time. I'm done maintaining. Today I restart the old Diet Center weight loss routine, and I become answerable to this blog again. It's called "accountability."

The goal is to lose 50 pounds (putting me at 168 lb) by the time I go to Egypt in February. It's the healthy thing to do. Eventually, I'll go down another 20, and that will be my final goal weight. Imagine my weighing less than 150 ... haven't been there in decades.

I'll post measurements as I start the Reducing Diet on the day after tomorrow, then again on the first day of each month.

Weighing In 7/10/2017

218.25, down 1.25 from yesterday.

My kinda break of a plateau!!

I've been doing this for nearly four months now. I've come a long way; down 37.75 pounds from my starting weight. That's not half bad!!!! In 2.25 pounds more, I will have lost 40 pounds ... 40 pounds!!!! I will not yet be halfway to my goal, but that ultimate goal is more and more in sight.

Do I think that my life will become problem-free and full of suitors when I get there? I do not. Life's problems go on for everyone. But I am becoming healthier, which solves one set of problems. It's already easier to tie my shoes. It's easier to get up from exercising on the floor. It's easier to get down to exercise on the floor. My blood chemistries are improving ... pretty dramatically. My hips still hurt; that's arthritis, unaffected by weight loss, and one day (when I go on Medicare's Plan F in four years and no longer have a huge hospital copay) I will likely get a hip replacement; meanwhile, I gimp along (if I need it, I have Jim's cane to use, and I can likely get a handicap tag for the car with these hips). Exercise helps.