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Finally broke into 140s (149 today - lost 21 pounds since Jan 1). But I can see it's already harder since my weight has been jumping to 150-151 with even a small change from diet or exercise. I find I do best if I do one fairly longer mini exercise (atleast 20-25 minutes long - enough to get my heartbeat up at cardio levels for at least ten to twenty minutes) than do the same amount of steps broken over smaller mini exercises. However getting that 20-25 minutes is the hard part since I try to time it for baby sleep while kiddo is in preschool. A hit or miss most days. Trying to figure out if I can do it late in the night so I can get to it after everyone sleeps. But that is when my will power is lowest and I can't push myself to start. Well, I guess I need to haul myself and just do it.
Sunhat, I'm 4 pounds above my normal BMI (my next goal) as well and I can't wait to get there. However I've learned that to keep the weight off, it's better to lose gradually than do a sudden jump. What has helped me was to make sure I give myself mini treats if I do my exercises or stick to my diet for x number of days. Usually the treats are a new book, a massage, y amount of kid and baby free time, etc. I also identified a bunch of clothes in smaller sizes that I love and every time I reach a smaller size, wear them with pleasure. As a result, I love dressing up now and feel so happy that I'm able to fit into my favorites. The rest, well I'll get there soon.
Candace, thanks for the encouragement!! Truly means a lot to me.
firelight, you and I are similar in weight, height and activity level, so I feel a kinship. I don't have the kids to deal with, though, so my hat is doubly off to you. You are almost at normal BMI! You'll be there soon! I love the idea of going into your closet and finding the next clothes you want to fit into. Talk about incentive. I bet the mini-exercise sessions you're doing are building muscle, which will in turn help you in keeping the weight loss going as you get closer to your goal.
I'm hovering at about 146 lb now. My next milestone will be breaking 145. Can't wait to get back on that side of the line. I plan to go for a jog this afternoon, which seems to be what it takes for me to get the scale to move more than infinitesimally in one day. DH and I did our third workout of the week today (of four that we do each week), and we walked three miles last night, three the night before, and four the day before that. We're on track to complete our goals for the week, which are four workouts and ten miles walking, starting from Monday.
We're having friends over for dinner tonight, which is a fun thing I love to do, but it means I have to be conscious of any "extra" food I eat since it's a semi-special occasion with more food than normal. I'm trying to get into the mindset of eating like a person who's already thin. That means that even though I'm cooking up a semi-special dinner tonight, and we'll have a pretty nice and calorie-rich cocktail made too, my strategy will be to keep portions small. Our cocktail is called a Painkiller. I made a big batch for a social I hosted back in December, and we still have some ingredients left over, looking for an occasion. There's a specialty item called cream of coconut, which has been sitting in my fridge waiting for an excuse since then, plus cans of pineapple juice. The other ingredients are rum, orange juice and a sprinkle of nutmeg. So as you can tell, these are not diet-friendly. I will allow myself ONE as a treat.
I'm making whole wheat sourdough fermented bread, which is rising as we speak, and pork loin with sweet potatoes and pineapples. Our friends are bringing roasted Brussels sprouts. It will be good and relatively healthy with no white bread, no white potatoes, and no white rice. So I just have to not over-serve myself. If I keep the portions small, I should be able to eat a little of everything. I'm hoping to go for a jog this afternoon, which is kind of an extra exercise session for me, to help me not gain weight from this dinner.
Next bet ending date is March 16th, when I have to be at 146 or below. I do hope to beat that by a pound or two since I'm there now But the bet puts a floor on how badly I can screw up. At this point, it means I can't *gain* weight. So, it's not so stressful, but it serves a purpose.