The Wife Weighs In...Week 8

Good morning, weight loss fans!

I had a surprisingly good week this week. You know, one of those weeks where you don't think you did all that well but are pleasantly surprised when you step on the scale?

Despite a good loss, I felt as though I was dangerously close to veering way off-path. I didn't have a binge or anything like that, but I felt that familiar exhaustion creeping up on me...that feeling of just being overwhelmed. I was overhelmed by a couple of big projects at work, by my outside commitments, and by the things I know I need to do at home. My greatest desire this week was to take solace in foods I know I shouldn't be eating, foods I haven't eaten in months...cookies, chips, french fries...anything sweet, salty, greasy, or full of fat would have done the trick.

This was not a desire for a quick splurge, which is something I can handle. This was something much bigger and much deeper. Fortunately, I was able to rein things in, but it was a very scary feeling. It was a huge reminder that in order for me to reach my goal and keep the weight off, I am going to have to ever-vigilant. For me, heading off-track can happen in the blink of an eye.

On a positive note, I am pleased that I was able to identify that feeling and keep myself from taking the first step down the slippery slope. I had an 8th straight week of loss, and shaved another point off my BMI...down to 31.

As an additional success, I actually visited the local gym and got the tour. I plan to call later today to schedule a time to register. This is a HUGE step! So, by next week, I should be a woman with a gym membership and at least a few workouts under my belt. Wish me luck!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Laura

11/02/2007: 194.6 pounds
11/09/2007: 192.4 pounds (a loss of 2.2 pounds)

Total loss: 36 pounds
Next mini-goal: 185 pounds by December 21

6 weeks and 7.4 pounds to go!

The Weigh-In 22

223.4 Lbs. That's what it said on the scale this morning. Both a loss of 2.2 and a gain of 2.6 depending on whether your glass is half full or half empty of water or a Brandy Manhattan.

I am extremely happy with this result. 2.2 is a great loss over the past two weeks, considering I didn't really watch what I was eating last week. I'm still in great shape to reach 220 in the near future.

Marathon not a sprint...marathon not a sprint....

No winner again this week, but Heather was the closest with a guess of 2 lbs even. Nicely done Heather, nicely done.

I am having crazy computer problems so I'll keep this short. Of course I have an insanely busy day. Busy day + bad computer = stressed out Tony... I look forward to taking that stress out on the treadmill in a few hours!

Tony
11/9: 223.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
3.4 lbs. to go

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 22

I am going to tell you right now, last week was a fluke brought on by a fluke worm.

I just looked up what a fluke worm is ...eewwwwww!

So it wasn't a fluke worm. That was just a clever play on words, but my giant loss last week was definitely the result of a stomach bug and lots of dehydration. My weight jumped back up on Sunday and has been bouncing around all week.

I knew this was going to happen so I am not disappointed. I am still way ahead of schedule to reach my goal. And just having 220 in sight is exciting. I don't know if I'll reach my goal by Thanksgiving, but if I were a betting man, I'd bet you a few bucks I'll make it by the second week in December.

So here is what we are going to do. We are going to throw out last weeks results and pretend like they never happened.

Your guesses this week should be based on how much my weight has changed from my weigh-in 2-weeks ago. 2-weeks ago I weighed in at 225.6.

This has been a great week for exercise... not such a great week for eating. No major binge sessions, but I did succumb to a candy bar on a hardware store run on Sunday and I did break down and have Chipoltle on Monday. Hopefully the new exercise routine will win the battle of the burrito.

Step right up, step right up.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.

To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.

I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.

REMEMBER: Your guess this week is based on how much my weight has changed from my weigh-in 2-weeks ago. 2-weeks ago I weighed in at 225.6.
FORGET 220.6 EVER HAPPENED!

Stats for the week of November 5th.
Walked / Ran: 9.52 miles

Calories Consumed: From Thursday morning through Wed. night I have consumed aprox. 18809 calories.

Calories Burned: From Thursday morning through Wed. night I have burned aprox. 26306 calories.

33% of my calories have come from fat.
9% of those calories came from Saturated Fats.

49% of my calories came from carbs.

16% of my calories came from protein.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!

Tony
11/8: 220.6 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
.6 lbs. to go

p.s. Don't forget you can subscribe to the e-mail edition of Guess How Much I Weigh . Simply enter your e-mail address in the space to the right.

My Couch To 5K Pointers

I moved in out of the cold this week and started running on a treadmill for the first time. It felt kind of like starting over. I had gotten to a point where I was finishing 3.1 miles in 32 minutes pretty consistently. My run on Monday was 36 minutes and I only made 3.02 miles. I had set the machine for 35 minutes and it shut off on me with less than a tenth of a mile to go.... I figured it was a sign to stop for the day. I'll set the machine for 40 minutes today just to be on the safe side.

Since it feels like I am starting over I thought I would share the wisdom I have gleamed so far from learning to run.

I have not been using a Couch to 5K plan but here is what has worked for me. Most of this is common sense, but maybe it will help some of you who are just starting down this road.

1. Start walking for the first week or two. Work your way up to a couple of miles at a really good pace. Once your legs stop cramping and hurting, add a little run. But keep it short. No more than two minutes at a time to begin with. Even :30 seconds. This is not something your body is used to doing.

If you can only do 1 or two minutes of running out of your half hour walk that is fine.

As you feel more comfortable running start to add more running. Run for a minute or two, then walk for 5 or ten minutes then run again.

Using this method I have worked up to 20 minutes of running during a 32 minute outing.


2. Try to stretch the first run as long as you can. In the first two months I worked up to a 5 minute run then a two minute walk and another 2 minute run to complete the first mile of my course. After that I would alternate walking and running as I felt comfortable.

Now I am able to run an 8:30 minute mile for the first mile... and every once and awhile I can stretch that first run to 12 minutes.

If you have a few days rest try to really push the first run. That is how I eventually made my mile.


3. Get good shoes! You will save yourself a lot of pain and suffering.

Tony
11/7: 220.6 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
.6 lbs. to go

Habits

Over the last few months I have developed two new habits. These have nothing to do with eating or exercise but they are directly related to the psychology of losing weight.

The first habit started shortly after I started wearing my wedding ring again. Five or six times a day I slide my wedding ring off my finger, just to feel how loose it is. It has gotten to the point were I do it subconsciously while I am talking to people or when I am sitting at my desk writing. I'll be deep in thought and suddenly realize that my ring is off and twirling around in my other hand.

Having my wedding ring fit again was one of the first major symbolic victories of this journey. Sliding it on and off reassures me of how far I have come.

The other habit has a lot more to do with vanity. I find myself constantly running my had down my stomach to feel how flat it is. It's another habit that has become subconscious. I do it all the time when I am standing in line or waiting for someone. Hopefully it looks like I am just straightening my shirt and not fondling my bely button.

Just two more little ways losing weight is changing my life.

Tony
11/6: 220.6 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
.6 lbs. to go