Category: Weight Loss

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 7: The Challenge of Eating Out

20lbs in 20 weeks, Fitness, Food, Weight Loss

Last week I gained weight (though just half a pound) and said that you needed to persevere through these dry spells.   Keep your weight loss routine up and you’ll soon see the numbers begin moving down again, I said.  Sure enough, this week saw two more pounds flee my body.  I’m now down 13 pounds since I started this seven weeks ago.  That’s almost two pounds per week on average.  At this rate, I should be in the 180’s by the time we go to Disney World!

Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 192
Goal Weight 185
Lost 13
Left Until Goal 7

On Saturday, we went to B’s parents’ house for dinner.  This is nice as we get to see them, the boys get to play, I get the day off from cooking dinner.  However, there are problems.  For some reason, my willpower drops when I’m at my in-laws’ house and I tend to eat a lot more than I should.  They also are not on the same diet we are on so I worried that the food they served would be high in points for us.

The latter issue was easily resolved.  They used a frozen, pre-made chicken product that turned out to be surprisingly low in points.  They also didn’t serve us the usual high-point fare of rice or bread.  Instead, I helped out by sautéing some bagged vegetables with dried onion and minced garlic (bottled).

SIDE NOTE: While a “true chef” might recoil in horror at the mention of bagged or frozen produce, dried onion flakes or bottled minced garlic, I find them to be essentials.  I don’t have time to mince my own garlic (and clean up the mess) or keep a stock of onions to chop.  While I do like using some fresh veggies, sometimes a quick frozen bag in the microwave (or in the frying pan) is in order.  It gives me a quick and healthy side dish with little to no cleanup.  Very handy for the healthy parent/cook!

All in all, our dinner was 13 points including a salad, the aforementioned chicken and veggies, strawberries and even a few small cookies as an after-dinner indulgence.  Not bad at all.  It just goes to show that you can eat out while trying to stay healthy.  It just takes a little planning before hand.

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 6: Tiny Setbacks

20lbs in 20 weeks, Fitness, Weight Loss

This week was a first in this 20 pounds in 20 weeks challenge: I gained weight.  Not much, mind you.  Just a half a pound.  It was still a bit disconcerting to see the scale numbers go up.  I didn’t do anything too out of the ordinary last week.  Not giant points splurges to speak of.

Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 194
Goal Weight 185
Lost 11
Left Until Goal 9

Even if this “setback” were larger or if this spans a few weeks without weight loss, the key thing to remember is that you can’t let it get to you.  In my experience, a body undergoing weight loss will often reach a plateau.  At this point, many people will get discouraged.  They will notice that they are depriving themselves and nothing is being reflected on the scale.  It is here that the danger of falling off the wagon lurks.

When you reach a plateau during weight loss, just ignore it.  Your body needs a week (maybe two, maybe three) to readjust before the weight loss begins again.  Keep your weight loss routine up and you’ll soon see the numbers begin moving down again.

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 5: Snack Time Sweets

20lbs in 20 weeks, Fitness, Food, Weight Loss

This week was another surprise.  Given the big drop last weigh-in, I was expecting a one pound drop.  I wound up with two pounds gone.  With four weeks to go before we leave, hitting 190 before the Magic Kingdom seems quite doable.

Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 193.5
Goal Weight 185
Lost 11.5
Left Until Goal 8.5

One thing that is always tricky when we start watching our weight again is snack time.  When one isn’t watching one’s weight, it is easy to listen to the beckoning of cookies and cakes.  You can fall into the pattern of filling your stomach with sweets.  When you begin watching your waistline, your natural inclination is to eliminate the sweets.  Of course, once you do this, you begin craving them more than ever.

While you might think you should resist these urges at all costs, that would be a mistake.  I’m not saying you should indulge in a nightly hot fudge sundae with every topping possible.  Instead, take a path of moderation.  If you’re craving ice cream, get some fat free ice cream or frozen yogurt.  You could even add a little chocolate sauce and whipped cream for an extra indulgence.

Of course, since “a little” can quickly morph into “that looks like a little but it really is five servings”, a kitchen scale and a good set of measuring cups are invaluable.  Since we’ve been watching what we eat, we’ve found some good snacks.  Besides fruit, we’ve been snacking on Reece’s Puffs cereal (1/2 cup = 2 points) or sliced strawberries with chocolate sauce and whipped cream (also 2 points).  These snacks provide a good taste of chocolate, peanut butter and/or other sweetness without a ton of calories and fat.

What not-bad-for-you snacks do you partake in to get rid of a craving for sweets?

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 4, Fighting Optimism

20lbs in 20 weeks, Fitness, Weight Loss

I wasn’t expecting much in the way of weight loss this week.  After my 1 pound drop last week, I figured I might plateau for a bit.  But one thing I should have learned is that weight drops can surprise you.  So I was pleasantly surprised to see 195.5 pop up on the scale.  That meant a drop of 3 1/2 more pounds and brought me a hair away from the halfway mark.

Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 195.5
Goal Weight 185
Lost 9.5
Left Until Goal 10.5

Now, I find myself in the unusual position of fighting my sense of optimism.  Part of me looks at my weight loss this past month and figures that I’ve lost 2 pounds per week on average.  If I continue like that, I find myself thinking, I’ll be pretty much at my goal weight by time we go to Disney World for the Disney Social Media Moms conference.

Some optimism is good, but you’ve got to keep things in perspective.  Like last week’s advice not to give in to pessimism when your scale numbers don’t plummet like they do on TV, too much optimism can be a bad thing.  If you optimistically expect huge weight loss numbers, you’re just setting yourself up for disappointment.  Of course, some optimism is healthy.  You don’t want to go into a weight loss plan thinking “I’ll end this at the exact weight I started at” or “I might lose a couple of pounds but I won’t reach my goal.”  However, you also don’t want to say “I lost 3 pounds last week so I can expect to lose at least that much every single week or else I’m failing at weight loss.”  It’s all about balance.

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 3, Big Picture View!

20lbs in 20 weeks, Fitness, Weight Loss

After a 3 pound weight loss week and a two pound weight loss week, it was a little disappointing to step on the scale and see only a single additional pound gone.  I know, however, that this isn’t a bad thing.

Starting Weight 205
Current Weight 199
Goal Weight 185
Lost 6
Left Until Goal 14

When you first start on a weight loss plan, you’re bound to post some big numbers.  Then, as the plan goes on, those big numbers disappear.  Unlike The Biggest Loser, we normal folks trying to lose weight aren’t going to shed 10 pounds every week.  In fact, that’s just not healthy!

There’s a reason that I chose a span of twenty weeks in which to lose the pounds I want to shed.  Ideally, weight loss should come in 1 to 2 pounds per week segments.  There are some exceptions, but this is healthy weight loss.  So, while it is easy to get discouraged when the pounds don’t go flying off, you’ve got to celebrate the little victories and keep your eyes on the big picture.  Even a single pound lower on the scale readout is a step in the right direction!

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