Category: Weight Loss

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 12: Nearly There

20lbs in 20 weeks, Fitness, Weight Loss

Sunday morning, I stepped on the scale and nearly jumped for joy.  The scale said I weighed 185.5 pounds.  This is only a half a pound above my goal weight.  Huzzah!

Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 185.5
Goal Weight 185
Lost 19.5
Left Until Goal 0.5

Of course, I’m not claiming victory anytime soon.  The next three weeks will be tough ones dietarily-speaking.  (Is “dietarily” a word?  Well, it is now!)  As I’ve been saying for weeks now, Passover is approaching.  I’ve been mentally getting ready for packing on some pounds due to Matzoh overload.  Still, I didn’t remember one other “Passover is approaching” danger: Pre-Passover “Gotta Finish It Up” Snacking

You see, when Passover is here, all non-Kosher-for-Passover foods must be put away so Passover foods have room.  Of course, there is limited space to “put away” these foods and some of them might spoil if not consumed during the eight days that we celebrate Passover.  Since I hate wasting food, I wind up snacking on it.  Sleeve of opened Girl Scout Cookies?  Munch on them instead of putting the box in the bin.  Ritz crackers?  They’ll go nicely with that block of leftover cheddar instead of taking up room in the cabinets.

In the end, I wind up with less food to put away (good), but more pounds on my waistline (not so good).  I’ve all but given up on keeping track of points this week.  I’ll try to mentally keep score to keep my snacking down, but I’m not going to add the stress of points tracking to the stress of Passover preparation.  I’ll just have to re-double my weight loss efforts once Passover is done.

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 11: Back on Track

20lbs in 20 weeks, Fitness, Weight Loss

After Disney World, I gained 5 pounds.  I expected to lose some of that this week.  I figured three pounds.  If I was lucky, four.  During the week, I weighed myself and was startled to see the pounds dropping drastically.  When I weighed myself Sunday morning, I was 187 pounds.  One Hundred Eighty Seven!  That’s a loss of six pounds in one week.  It was quite nice and gives me some hope for my post-Passover weight drop.

Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 187
Goal Weight 185
Lost 18
Left Until Goal 2

This also means that I’m a mere two pounds from my goal.  Given my past weight loss averages, I lose between one and a half and two pounds per week.  With two weigh-ins before Passover begins, I’m nearly certain to hit my goal.  Still, considering that Passover is going to be a guaranteed weight gain time, I’m not going to count the 20 Pounds In 20 Weeks challenge as successful unless I hit 185 pounds after Passover has ended.

Still, I’d say I’m doing quite well and am well on my way to completing this challenge.

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 10: Disney World Weight Gain

20lbs in 20 weeks, Disney, DisneySMMoms, Fitness, Food, Travel, Vacation, Weight Loss

It was to be expected.  I gained weight while at Disney World.  It was always going to be a battle between the calories burned by walking throughout the parks (and sweating in the Florida heat) and the calories consumed from the wonderful food Disney World has to offer.  The food won.  When I left for Disney, I weighed 188 pounds.  Upon returning home, I weighed 193 pounds.  That’s a gain of 5 pounds.

Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 193
Goal Weight 185
Lost 12
Left Until Goal 8

This setback, though expected, means that I now have 10 weeks to lose 12 pounds.  I also have Passover looming on the horizon.  During Passover, I’m not going to count points as Passover food tends to be high calorie and high in carbs.  Matzoh alone is 120 calories and 27 carbs per sheet and I can easily eat 3 slices for breakfast slathered with cream cheese before I feel full. There is no option of low calorie/low carb bread or rice during Passover.  Matzoh seems to permeate everything that gets made and so it won’t be a good situation to be tracking points in.  I’ll try to give myself a fighting chance by loading up on fresh fruits and veggies and by not buying a ton of Passover cakes/cookies (no loss as they tend to taste awful).  Still, I expect weight gain during those two weigh-ins.

I guess that just means I’ll have to try extra-hard to lose weight during the 8 weigh-ins that I have left during which I’ll be tracking points and (hopefully) losing weight.

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 9: Last Pre-Disney Weigh-In

20lbs in 20 weeks, Disney, DisneySMMoms, Fitness, Food, Travel, Vacation, Weight Loss

This marks the last time I will weigh-in before we go to Disney World.  (At least, the last “official” weigh-in before Disney.  I might weigh myself just before we leave out of sheer curiosity.)  While at Disney, I’m putting the weight loss plan aside.  This doesn’t mean I’m going to pig out just for the sake of pigging out, but neither am I going to count points.  Let’s face it.  This is Disney World we’re talking about.  The food there is incredible and I’m not going to ruin our good time by trying to figure out which dishes are the lowest in points.  Besides, going to Disney World means a lot of walking.  (Last year, I only wound up gaining half a pound during my trip.)

Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 188
Goal Weight 185
Lost 17
Left Until Goal 3

All that said, I weighed in at 188 yesterday morning.  This puts me a mere three pounds from my goal.  Were Disney not a factor, I could probably reach my goal in the next two or three weeks.  I’d say I’m doing pretty well.  Now, I’m off to prepare to celebrate in Disney World!

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 8: Fruits and Veggies

20lbs in 20 weeks, Weight Loss

This weigh-in, the scale read 190.  This means that I’ve lost 15 pounds in just 8 short weeks.  Just five pounds more and I’ll be at my goal.  I’m 75% of the way there.

Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 190
Goal Weight 185
Lost 15
Left Until Goal 5

When you’re trying to lose weight, one thing people often do is cut back drastically on how much they eat.  This, in general, can be good.  The average “American portion” is usually double a normal portion size (at least).  Take a plate and a pot of cooked pasta.  Fill up the plate how you would expect to be served in an Italian restaurant.  Now fill up a second, identical plate with a real serving of pasta.  The restaurant serving will likely be four times the amount of pasta as the real serving.

So how do you fill up while still slashing the calories?  It’s simply really.  Add a lot of fruits and vegetables.  Making a sandwich?  Skip the mayo and add tomatoes, cucumbers, bean sprouts and any other veggie you can think of to add in flavor.  Need a side dish for dinner?  Slice up some zucchini, place the rounds on a baking sheet, coat with a little cooking spray and add salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Next cook at 425 for 8 minutes, flip and cook for another 8 minutes.  Want a mid-morning snack?  Don’t reach for a chocolate bar, reach for a banana.  Or slice up some strawberries and enjoy with a little light whipped cream.

The more fruits and veggies you add to your diet, the fuller you will feel and the healthier you will be.  Just don’t drown your fruits/veggies with calorie and fat laden toppings like cheese sauce or heavy salad dressings.

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