Back at target, still thinking...

[Scrumbles]

Thanks Susie!

It does seem to be working out well for now. "Pendulum principle", eh? Feels more akin to walking a tightrope most days: teetering from side to side but just about hanging on, lol!

I'm actually not too bad with heat - what kills me is heat with humidity. When I lived in Seville as a student I used to wander round exploring the streets in the afternoons when the temperature was way up in the 40's and it didn't bother me much at all, but that was an almost desert-dry heat. I suffer way more at much lower temps in the UK because it seems we can never have really hot weather without it being massively muggy. And of course, this being the UK, it only lasts for a few days at a time so I never get a chance to find out if I can acclimatise before we're back to cool and wet again. Ho hum.

I definitely find I'm handling it better now I'm smaller, though, so perhaps as you lose weight you will too?

Weighed in this morning and was surprised to see I'd dropped half a pound to be 10st 6.6, but it's probably to do with the fact that I've been exercising less over the past week so my muscles haven't been needing to retain as much water as they normally do. Now the weather has cooled off and I'll be getting back to my usual routine I expect to go back up again, but it was nice to see a lower number for a change!

Looking forward to tomorrow because we'll be having a pizza and wine night - not had any wine for 2 months It's been planned since last weekend, so I've been deliberately saving calories for it through the week and have "banked" the princely sum of 1000 (should be 1200 by tomorrow!). That should cover it

Have a good weekend, folks!x

 

[ladyfelsham]

Ooooh enjoy the guilt free vino and pizza, perfect weather for it.

I know what you mean about muggy weather, I absolutely loathe it too - I remember going to Rome in May with the ex once and it was like walking through glue . It's a bit drier here so more bearable, but I do like to sit in the shade wherever possible .

Well done on the loss, even if it's only for a short stay - although you never know!

 

[Scrumbles]

First update for July (where is the time going??) and I've lost a teensy bit more to get to a new low of 10st 5.8lbs.

Really happy with that because although I've endeavoured to not go over my weekly maintenance calories (14,000 approx) I haven't been uber-strict about it, so to see a continued slight downward trend is very encouraging.

Makes me wonder if I actually have to do anything different to get to 10 stone, or whether that's the weight I'll eventually end up anyway if I just carry on as I am? Perhaps without realising it I'm already eating/moving like a 10 stone person, so that's where I'll settle?

In any event, I'd already decided not to try to reduce again until the start of September, so I'll definitely stick with what I'm doing for now, but I might reassess nearer the time. I'm not big on depriving myself of stuff these days, so if I can whittle away the last few pounds with a negligible deficit, all the better!

And those pounds have to go, for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, I realised the other day that I have two significant landmarks that are so close it would be almost rude not to go for them.

I started my weight loss journey in 2011 at 243lbs, which is 17st 5lbs. So if I get to 10st 5lbs (and I'm less than a pound away!) I will have lost exactly 7 stone, and if I then get to 10st 3lbs, that will be 143lbs, so exactly 100lbs lost. Has to be done, doesn't it??

The more important reason is that I'm not happy as I am. In spite of what I've lost I still feel...big.

And objectively, I do not look small. I'm 5'5" with a 40" bust, 34" waist and 40" hips which puts me in a solid size 16 and 16/18 in dual sizing, and that just won't do for me, not so much because I dislike those numbers but because the way I carry my fat makes me look bigger than I feel comfortable with.

Back when I was 17st 5 I wouldn't have believed that I'd end up here and not be content, but there it is. I just don't want to have put in all this time and effort only to still feel and (IMO) look overweight, even if technically I'm not.

Hopefully with another 6lbs off I'll feel better - small amounts make a bigger impact the less you weigh. But we'll see.

Have a great weekend, folks...hope the sun is shining wherever you are!x

 

[ladyfelsham]

Maybe it's time for some toning type of exercise like Pilates? I've got a mate here who has started doing it and she hasn't lost weight but lost loads of inches!

 

[Scrumbles]

Blimey! 1st of August already...where does the time go?!

Still chugging along in maintenance here. My average weight is about 10 stone 6lbs, so it does appear to have levelled off now. That means I'll actually have to do some work to get to 10 stone...rats!

Maybe it's time for some toning type of exercise like Pilates? I've got a mate here who has started doing it and she hasn't lost weight but lost loads of inches!

Sound advice there, Susie, and I'll defo incorporate some strength/toning eventually, but I do have fat that needs to go - I can still grab handfuls of it round my stomach, and thighs, and I'm 99.9% sure that the only way to tame it is to lose a few more pounds.

I'm not hating the idea, though. Once upon a time I was worried about getting lighter because of having to cut my maintenance calories, but online calculators and my own data tell me that with my activity level I would be able to maintain 10 stone on 1950 cals per day, which isn't even remotely scary - it's about one biscuit per day less than I'm having now, lol, and I'm fairly sure I won't miss that.

So, one more month of summer indulgence, then on September 1st it's down to work. As I'm only trying to lose half a stone I'll be looking to do it slowly - no more than half a pound a week, if that. I ought to be able to do that on about 1800 calories a day, which will mean that I should be able to carry on eating pretty much as I am just with reduced snacking (not a bad thing!). I'm actually looking forward to it in a funny sort of way...does that make me weird? (Don't answer that)

Anyway, nice day here in the south east, so I'm off to make the most of it before the next band of rain comes along and spoils it!x

 

[ladyfelsham]

Yes a good plan to enjoy the summer (especially when you actually get some sunshine ) and then focus on the last few pounds - you can do it Champ! xx

 

[Scrumbles]

Popping in to say that I'm still chugging along at around the 10st 6lb mark which means I've been within my current target range for 22 weeks now - probably the longest I've been at a target weight ever! Blimey.

I realised today that I've been tracking my food for nearly 20 months consecutively, with only 8 days not logged in that time, and 7 of those were last year, so only 1 day this year without logging (my birthday!). Can we say "habit"??

I've also been recording my weight daily throughout that time, and I'm chuffed with both of these things because they represent a sea change in my attitude:"old" me would have a day of overeating and immediately stick her head in the sand, decide not to log it and not weigh myself the next day because I didn't want to see "bad" numbers, then usually plunge into denial and start regaining weight. This time around I'm logging everything, the good, the bad and the downright indulgent so that I have no place to hide. There was a day recently when I consumed 3000 calories (booze-related) and I can't pretend it was easy to see that number, but I need to because this process can only work long term if I am 100% honest with myself. I have to see and own the damage that I'm doing or I can't address it. Simple as that.

Anyway, two more weeks of summer fun to go...x

 

[ladyfelsham]

Yep that's what Stackie says - log everything, no matter how awful you think it might be - a good habit to get into!

But fabulous about maintaining so elegantly!

 

[Scrumbles]

Exactly...have to keep myself honest no matter what. Last week I had two days that were just short of 3000 calories and ended up in surplus for the week by about 800 calories, but at least I know what I did, and, because I was logging as I went along it probably stopped me from being a lot worse!


So...September is here, and my summer of fun is officially over.

I'm fairly satisfied with how things have gone over the last few months having stayed within my weight range in spite of the many pizzas, ice creams and homemade cakes that have passed my lips (!), but it has illustrated very clearly how hard I have to work to sustain that kind of eating and not gain weight.

I haven't been "getting away" with anything: all of my treats have had to be paid for with no less than an hour of purposeful, fairly vigorous movement every single day, plus hitting a step-equivalent target of 5-6 miles per day (10k-12k steps). That might not be a lot for many people, but it's a lot for someone with my physical issues, and I'm not sure that it will be sustainable in the long term. I've been eating somewhere in the region of 2100 cals per day, which allows for about 500-600 calories of fun foods, but I realise that will have to come down considerably if I'm wanting to back off from quite so much exercise and maintain at a lower weight.

I'm not intending to revert to a couch potato, btw, but it occurs to me that I haven't had a single rest day this year (other than when I've been ill a couple of times) and that ain't right! Also, it concerns me that if I injure myself and cannot burn off all those treat calories I'm going to pile on the pounds alarmingly quickly, so I need to know what my Plan B is and be comfortable with it in case it's forced on me.

So, my new regime starts today. I'll be aiming for between 1700 and 1800 calories per day and looking to burn 2000-2100 calories in total, which should yield a weight loss of about half a pound a week. In addition to reducing my calories I will be tweaking my meal size/timing with the aim of concentrating my calories into 3 meals per day and ditching the habitual snacking mid-morning and mid-afternoon because the choices that I make at those times are never good, and all I'm doing is robbing calories from my meals that could have been allotted to more nutrient-dense food. I may also have to look into adjusting my macros if satiety becomes an issue, but I'll cross that bridge if I come to it. What I'm actually trying to do here is tweak things rather than make major changes as those tend not to turn out too well for me in the long run!

Here we go, then!

Starting weight this morning was a little up on my usual (after a particularly pizza-y weekend!) at 10st 7.4lbs, so my first goal is to be 10st 5(ish) by the end of September.

Onwards and downwards...xx

 

[ladyfelsham]

Wow Scrummie you've put a lot of thought into it and it all sounds brilliant!

I like Tibbs' idea of having carrot batons at eye level in the fridge to graze on - you could do loads of crudites like celery, peppers and so on and have them ready? Because with the best will in the world, we all need something to snack on every now and then - but make them healthy snacks and you're laughing .