Weiging In: In Honor of MLK Jr...

I'm protesting against my own weight loss.

Naw, seriously, I'm just not doing it this week. I probably gained, I don't need a scale to tell me that. I spent most of last week sick and not paying attention to what I was eating anyway.

Weiging In: Thanks Water Weight!

Well, I may have done some physical work this week, but I also didn't watch what I ate as well as I could have, so I'm going to chalk the bulk of this initial drop off to water weight. So, once again, thank you water weight!

Starting weight (8/12/08): 221.4 lbs

Startover Weight (1/5/09): 199.4 lbs

Last Time(1/5/09): 199.4 lbs

Today(1/12/09): 193.0 lbs

Difference from last weigh in: -6.4 lbs

Overall difference: -28.4 lbs

Weighing In: Let's Start Over...

Okay, not going to lie. I think I've mentioned before that I use food as comfort, and that didn't somehow miraculously change recently. So, as to be expected, I gained back a good bit of that weight. Yeah, I'm disappointed, too, but it's a New Year and it's nice and cliche to have a weight loss resolution. So, we start over. The last "good" weight I hit was about 185, so we make that the goal. No timetable pressure this time, either.

So we'll add a stat here, which is my weight today, for the starting over purpose. We'll keep the overall weight loss from August, though, since it'll make me feel good looking at that. Heh.

Starting weight (8/12/08): 221.4 lbs

Weight today/Startover Weight (1/5/09): 199.4 lbs

Last Time(11/17/08): 184.6 lbs

Difference from last weigh in: +14.8 lbs

Overall difference: -22 lbs

Weighing In: Whoops!

I sorta forgot about weighing myself for awhile there. Luckily, I didn't completely forget about trying to lose the weight. Probably because Jessie is back on Weight Watchers to get back to her pre-pregnancy weight, which was her goal weight.

Starting weight (8/12/08): 221.4

Weight today (11/17/08): 184.6

Last week (well...it was like 3 weeks): 186.2

Difference from last weigh in: -1.6 lbs

Overall difference: 36.8 lbs

Weighing In: This, Too, Surprises Me:

No gain or loss, back to the line of scrimmage. Like a running back who hits a solid wall of defenders.

This surprises me only because, while the food people get/make and bring for you is good, it's also the stuff I've stayed away from in large doses. And they've got them to us in large doses. Awesome food, but not really conducive to a diet. Several days worth of Boston Market...a huge pan of lasagna...etc. Not to mention the brownies that my mother in law made early last week, and then the new pan I made last night. It's a wonder I didn't gain 2 or 3 pounds, and I'm honestly curious as to how I managed it. I guess eating really light breakfasts and chugging the water really helps. I doubt I was burning tons of calories bouncing the baby. Or building my DIY light tent/soft box, or bidding on a flashgun (which I won, yay, I can experiment with bouncing and off camera flash for pictures with Erin!), or the other "activities" I did this week.

Starting weight (8/12/08): 221.4

Weight today (10/27/08): 186.2

Last week: 189.4

Difference from last weigh in: 0 lbs

Overall difference: 35.2 lbs


And now, some more baby eye candy. She drools like daddy!

Weighing In: Sometimes I Surprise Even Myself

I was totally expecting to gain, or to hold steady, with all the hospital cafeteria food I've eaten the past few days. Lo and behold...another nice drop. You'd have thought I had had the kid! (Kidding honey, kidding).

Starting weight (8/12/08): 221.4

Weight today (10/20/08): 186.2

Last week: 189.4

Difference from last weigh in: -3.2 lbs

Overall difference: 35.2 lbs

And now for some baby eye candy.

Weighing In: Nothing To See Here...

Seriously. No gain, no loss. Nothing to see here. Oh well, it was a weird week, so I should be glad that I didn't gain.

Weighing In: Always Look On The Bright Side of Life

I say that because even though I'm obviously in mourning, I made my secondary goal of 190 before Erin arrives. I'm not going to make another one before she arrives, however, I am now making a goal of 175 by the New Year. Once again, if I somehow obliterate that like I did with 200/Erin, I'll amend it to something else.

Starting weight (8/12/08): 221.4

Weight today (10/6/08): 189.4

Last week: 193.8

Difference from last weigh in: -4.4 lbs

Overall difference: 32 lbs

Weighing In: Keeping on Keeping On

In an completely unrelated note, I saw a lime green VW Beetle with the personalized tag of AREDCAR on the way to work today. Couldn't get my camera phone out in time though. Weird.

Anyway, 'nother week, 'nother decent loss. Steady as she goes, as it were.

Starting weight (8/12/08): 221.4

Weight today (9/29/08): 193.8

Last week: 196.8

Difference from last weigh in: -3 lbs

Overall difference: 27.6 lbs

Weighing In: There is NO secret!

First things first...Happy Birthday to the Queen. Taking her out to a nice dinner at Sakura, a Japanese steak house. Kind of like Benihana.

Anyway, another loss this week. Stop asking what my secret is, though, because there is no secret. Here's what I'm doing:

1) Drinking at least half my weight (in ounces) of water a day.

2) Loosely following the points (Flex) system of Weight Watchers. By that I mean I'm not keeping track of every last point, but I know basically what I'm eating here and there, and know when to take it easy or when I can "splurge" a little.

That's it. No more, no less. Now, on to this weeks results.

Starting weight (8/12/08): 221.4

Weight today (9/22/08): 196.8

Last week: 199.0

Difference from last weigh in: -2.2 lbs

Overall difference: 24.6 lbs

Weighing In: Crap!

Well, I gained. A little over half a pound, but it's still a gain. Can't say I'm surprised. All day at the hospital Thursday didn't help, and I'm sure that the cake I had at the baby shower Saturday also didn't help. At least I'm still under 200, and I'm not worried at all. Last time I would randomly, even while following the program to the letter, spike up 1.5 lbs. My body must be weird like that. There might be a real reason, but if there is, I don't know why, that's for sure.

Starting weight (8/12/08): 221.4

Weight today (9/15/08): 199.0

Last week: 198.4

Difference from last weigh in: +.6 lbs

Overall difference: 22.4 lbs

Weighing In: Initial Goal Achieved...already.

New goal has to be met now. Darnit, that's what I get for being over motivated. So now, I'm gonna try to be at 190 before Erin is born. The way I'm going, I might have to set ANOTHER goal. Heh.

23 pounds in a little less than a month. Right about now, about a million American women would probably like to kill me. I'm not even exercising yet. Well, unless you count some of the work I do on a daily basis exercising, and a case could be made that it keeps me active and moving. But still.

Starting weight (8/12/08): 221.4

Weight today (9/8/08): 198.4

Difference from last weigh in: 5.8 lbs

Overall difference: 23 lbs

Weighing In: Todaybor Day is-a Labor Day

Welp, that initial "holy crap fear for his health" drop is over. Now I'm on a more normal drop, so those of you that did fear for my health can stop covering your eyes.

Starting weight (8/12/08): 221.4

Weight today (9/1/08): 204.2

Difference from last weigh in: 2.2 lbs

Overall difference: 17.2 lbs.

Weighing In:

Not too bad this week. Obviously not anything like that initial drop off, but I knew it wouldn't be. But, at this rate, I think I could very easily reach my first goal of being under 200 when Erin is born, which means if I crack 200 way early, I'll have to reassess that goal weight and timeline...Perhaps I'll go with 190. With not as much aggressiveness if I don't make it, since I really was focusing on starting out by getting under 200 before Erin arrives. If I do that a month to go, well...Go me.

Starting weight (8/12/08): 221.4

Weight today (8/25/08): 206.4

Difference from last weigh in: 7 lbs

Overall difference: 15 lbs.

Weighing In

So, I've decided to use you guys as a de-facto support group. I'ma gonna use you people, yeah. Sorry, horrible joke. But I don't have the money for Weight Watchers...but I remember the basic concepts, so I should be somewhat good. However, what I lack is the support and motivation that comes from being in a Weight Watcher group (even if I didn't go to that many actual meetings back when I was on it, it was there when needed).

So, what I'll do, is every Monday, I'll weigh myself, post it here big and bold, and you guys can help encourage my ass. Because I have an addiction to food. I mean, we all sort of have an addiction to food, but mine is definitely a pyschological thing...I eat for pleasure and comfort, and I obviously can't be trusted to go at it alone.

Starting weight (8/12/08): 221.4

Weight today (8/17/08): 213.4

Difference from last weigh in: -8 lbs

Overall difference: -8 lbs

Don't get too happy or congratulatory. Last year I also started off with an 8 pound drop, and not coincidentally, it was also a combo of the same two things along with the watching my eating: the initial water weight loss and a digestive tract issue (to put it nicely).

So, now I'm basically at where I started last year. Okay, two pounds lighter, but still.

I Fell Off The Wagon

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Saturday Photo Hunt with a confession post.

I'm effin' fat again. To say I fell off the wagon doesn't even quite do it justice. I fell off the wagon which was at the edge of a mountain, and I hit a lot of jutting branches and ledges on the way down.

Tuesday night I weighed myself at 221.

Two

Hundred

Twenty

One.

Let me put it bluntly...that's 6 pounds heavier than I was when I started dieting last year. I had gotten down to the 180 area. Maybe slightly lighter. And then blam...a year later and I'm 6 pounds heavier than when I freaking started. Just like me.

Well, I'm disgusted with myself. I look bad, I feel bad, time to remember that motivation and drop again. I've already gotten to about 217, but of course, that was probably the water weight. But even then, I'm only getting back to where I started a year and a half ago.

I'm shooting to get to the 200 mark, or maybe break it, by the time Erin is born, and hopefully back to the 180 point or so by the new year. Wish me luck, send me strength and motivational skills.

An Excess of Excess

Saw a documentary recently about being overweight in America. Which could honestly be for any "westernized" country, though especially so for the good ol' US of A.

Essentially, it analyzed what's become a culture of over eating. It traces back to the Great Depression, and the reactions of an entire country after being on rations. Basically, they say that once the country righted itself, we had Scarlett O'Hara syndrome. As God as our witnesses, we will never go hungry again. Now, restaurants and grocery stores are very much about supplying the most food for the least buck. Couple that with increasingly processed food products and incredibly increasing sedentary lifestyle, and BAM! We're fat, we're fat.

I have to admit, I totally was influenced by it all. Especially since I was raised in a family that really stressed getting the value out of a dollar. I would see any uneaten food as wasted money. I still do, unfortunately. Of course, now, I know what I was doing and work against it. I'm not afraid of food going to waste now. Those starving folks in Africa be damned. No, wait, I didn't mean it like that...great, now I'm gonna get hate mail. I simply mean that the guilt trips don't work anymore, I won't be guilted in to over eating.

I've lost 32.6 pounds since Jan. 31. I'm just above 180 lbs now, and I am shooting for 167. The Queen marvels at how she can now completely put her arms around me and then some. A belt is pretty much a necessary accessory, as I've lost about 4 inches off the waist.

And if I can do it, all fat asses can. Though, this documentary also mentioned that once you have weight, the body will go to great lengths to retain it. So the heavier you are the harder you have to work. But I'm seriously one of the laziest, most unmotivated person around, and I eat very quickly, which lends to obesity (you don't realize your full until you've already eaten too much). What's your excuse then?

Also, small tip. You ever been eating, and midway or so through the meal you've sighed? Stop eating. That's your body saying "I'm cool." You should always listen to your body.

Side note...I barely broke 135 at best in high school. Sopping wet. I don't think I'll ever see that weight again, because my body changed around 19 or so (shoulders widened significantly, for one), but it's tough to even remember being that thin anymore. And that worries and motivates me the most.