Category: Fitness

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 17: Of Birthday Parties, Willpower, and Stress

20lbs in 20 weeks, Fitness, Stress, Weight Loss
Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 189.5
Goal Weight 185
Lost 15.5
Left Until Goal 4.5

This weekend, JSL turned four.  This meant a birthday party which, of course, meant a trial of my willpower.  Now, my willpower can sometimes stay strong, but not during an event like this.  I’ll admit that I didn’t track my points over this past weekend.  And when I don’t track my points, I slip and eat more than I should.  Of course, this leads to weight gain.  I take a step back to 189.5 but I’m not giving up.  I’m still a stone’s throw from my goal weight and only three weeks to go.

There might not be any celebrations coming up to sabotage my weight loss, but something else is lurking: stress.  I’m not good about handling stress (as I’ve mentioned in the past).  I don’t have a big circle of offline friends to talk things over with and online friends can only help so much.  Talking with B helps, but if the topic is something we both are stressing over then the stress tends to fester.

When the stress festers, I think less of the pounds on the scale.  It’s not so much that I turn to food for comfort as I cease to care.  I’m worried about more important things so what does it matter if I stuff a handful of peanuts down my throat?  I’m fretting about big items so why should I care about how many points this snack has?

Right now, the stress is festering.  I want to scream about everything that’s going on, but the circumstances surrounding the stress don’t make that a possibility.  I can say that it involves NHL’s education, though.  Right now, the best I can do is try to keep the stress from overwhelming me.  Deep calming breaths and distracting work seem like the best prescription to avoid a binge.

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 16: Back on Track

20lbs in 20 weeks, Fitness, Weight Loss
Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 186.5
Goal Weight 185
Lost 18.5
Left Until Goal 1.5

Thanks to a week back on my weight loss plan, it looks like I’m back on track.  My weight has dropped back down and my goal is within sight.  Even though my son’s birthday looms over this coming weekend (and thus the presence of cake and other goodies which I’m sure to partake in), I think reaching my goal is definitely doable.

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 15: Post Passover Weigh-In

20lbs in 20 weeks, Fitness, Weight Loss
Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 194
Goal Weight 185
Lost 11
Left Until Goal 9

Now that Passover has ended, it is time to get serious about my weight loss again.  After all, I expected some weight gain but I weighed in at 194 pounds yesterday. 194! The last time I weighed in there was way back in week 6 (February 20th weigh-in).  It stings to realize that my work from the past weeks were undone by a couple of carb-loaded matzo days, but I’m not letting my resolve weaken.  I have 5 more weigh-ins until my challenge is over and 9 more pounds to lose.  It may be tough, but it won’t be impossible.  I can do this!

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 14: First Passover Weigh-In

20lbs in 20 weeks, Fitness, Holidays, Judaism, Weight Loss
Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 186
Goal Weight 185
Lost 19
Left Until Goal 1

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been going on and on about Passover looming on the horizon.  I’ve been more and more fearful of the weight that would pack on when matzoh permeated my diet.  So when I stepped on the scale, I was shocked to see no weight gain.  Even more surprising, I lost 3 pounds!

I have no real explanation for this.  I haven’t been watching calories or points at all.  I was even snacking too much on Passover junk food while at work for two days.  Going to work during Passover means I need to pack all the food I’ll need during the day.  This means I need to estimate my day’s food needs.  It tends to seem to be a better idea to bring too much food than to not bring enough.  Sadly, this can result in over eating.

Still, despite this, I lost weight.  It should be interesting to see what the rest of Passover (and the days that follow it’s ending) brings.

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 13: Unlucky 13

20lbs in 20 weeks, Fitness, Weight Loss
Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 189
Goal Weight 185
Lost 16
Left Until Goal 4

This week’s weigh-in brought a not-so-pleasant surprise. From being a half a pound away from my goal, I went up to 189 pounds.  All that pre-Passover snacking took its toll.  To make matters worse, I’m sure I’ll gain weight during Passover itself.  Still, this just means I’ll be as good as I can be during the Eight Days of Matzoh and then will redouble my weight loss efforts post-Passover.

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