Eye on the Prize

While watching the Biggest Loser show, it’s easy for me to get caught up in the drama of quick weight loss. Double digit losses, so exciting! But that’s not reality and it’s not the way to change habits for the long term. I know I’m doing this the best way I know how. I feel great and have tons more energy. It’s cool to feel my body getting stronger and see myself do things I just couldn’t do before (like pushups!)

From past experience, I know the pattern that I tend to follow when trying to lose weight. I tend to see a significant dip every couple of weeks. I’ll see a “small” number that is a new low for me only to go back up and hover at a higher weight for awhile. It’s frustrating but at least I know what’s going on. My current average is just slightly over 1 lb per week, which is great. I know this is going to take a long time and that’s OK.

I’m still using FitDay to track my calorie intake, activity, and weight each day. The habit is really ingrained in me now and it makes me feel in control of the situation. It’s empowering to know how much I’m taking in versus what I’m burning off. It keeps me in check and lends perspective to my food choices. If I have something extra, I have to cut something else out. It’s a balance, just like a budget for my finances.

The key to this process is definitely consistency. Consistency of tracking my food and in getting the activity I need. If I keep doing these two things, I will succeed. I’ve been sticking with my strength training class, going 3 times a week. I’ve stuck to yoga as well, which is twice a week. Over the past couple of weeks, I added in a lot more cardio, which seemed like a good idea at the time. But it wore me out and made me ravenous. More is not always better. And in the end, the pace of my weight loss remained unchanged. So, I’m sticking with what works and will avoid overdoing it to try to speed things up. Patience is not my forte but it’s what will take me where I want to go.