Humpday Reporting

I'm shifting my weekly weigh-in to a day other than Monday, being as how I'm often too groggy to remember to step on the scale before I start throwing things off by drinking/eating, etc. We'll try Wednesday for now. Middle of the week seems fair for a representative weekly weighing. I'll ask Siri to yell at me in the morning to remind me.

269.4 lb.

Weekly Loss: 1.8 lb.

Total Loss Since 8/17/2015: 23.8 lb.

Less than two pounds and I will have achieved one of the personal goals I've set for myself: Lose 25 pounds by the time my son is born. Jensen Edward Chambers is predicted to arrive on December 15th--but we'll see if he decides to enter the world a little early. Maybe I can make it to 30 before he makes life more interesting!

Time Flies When You Forget to Post

Who's got two thumbs and forgot to weigh-in last week? It's been a crazy one, with Halloween activities for the little one going on for a full week. (Remember when holidays used to be one day out of the year, and somehow they keep growing until they are week-long events or even entire seasons? It's almost as if companies who financially profit from holiday-frenzy are pushing consumers to think and spend more on each one so we're always focused on purchasing something or else be shunned by polite society. Sorry, I digress.) I am very proud to say that I managed to avoid all of the delicious, mass-produced sugary goodness from the various candy buckets and bags. Even while playing D&D yesterday I was the one who passed on the Halloween candy (it was carrots, hummus, and pita chips instead). I have, however, allowed myself the occasional treat of my liquid apple pie because we have to have some vice in our life.

Anyway, two weeks late I've got good news!

271.2 lb.

Weekly x 2 Loss: 2.4 lb.

Total Loss Since 8/17/2015: 22.0 lb.

HALLELUJAH!

I got over the 20 lb. milestone! And I managed to still show a decent 1.2 lb. average loss per week (since I didn't actually weigh in last time). If I can do just slightly better this week I'll make it down into the 260s and I'll be one happy camper. My once-tight jeans seem very loose and I need a new belt. I wear this stretchy-material one and I've pretty much mangled it and now my pants are falling down no matter how tightly I try to cinch it up. My size 2XL shirts are looking looser on me and I'm not too far from being able to wear my old XL shirts without looking like a pudgy adult trying on little kids' clothes.

Halloween --> Thanksgiving --> Christmas --> New Year. Every month brings in traditional treat/feast days. I survived the first, but there are three to go, not to mention all the baking and treat-making I do this time of year. Help me stay strong, Internet. Willpower has never been my strong suit.

Steak & Martini Downfall

We'll make this short and sweet. I was on track to make my 20 pound goal, but then I traveled to Kentucky to conduct some business and help out one of my best friends — the amazing Lindsay Archer — at an art showing at a games and comics store. This weekend involved two steak & martini dinners, and I'm fairly certain I overdid a bit. (Mmm ... baked sweet potato ...) Still, I still lost for the week and I'm really close!

273.6 lb.

Weekly Loss: 1.4 lb.

Total Loss Since 8/17/2015: 19.6 lb.

I'm less than half a pound from the first major milestone of twenty pounds of lard erased. This is GOING TO HAPPEN this week. I'll see you when it does!

So Close to 20!

Working off a few pounds is good and important and all that ... but when you can honestly declare "I've lost twenty pounds" that you feel like you've really accomplished something. Twenty pounds makes a difference in how you feel and look. And I'm soooo close, you guys. In fact, I would probably have made it but I indulged this weekend with some mini-anniversary celebrating with my lady-love. A cocktail, Cajun dinner, and even dessert! No regrets. I still made progress for the week!

275.0 lb.

Weekly Loss: 1.4 lb.

Total Loss Since 8/17/2015: 18.2 lb.

This does represent the least amount of weekly weight lost, but once again: crawfish bread and pumpkin bread pudding. SO GOOD. But I'm going to try and do better this week. I want to be able to announce I hit the 20 lb. milestone!

Pumpkin Plumpness

Still working at it, some days I'm better than others, but I'm keeping track of what I'm eating and slowly working my way there.

276.4 lb.

Weekly Loss: 1.8 lb.

Total Loss Since 8/17/2015: 16.8 lb.

The bad news is that's the least amount I've lost in a week since I started working at weight loss again. But the GOOD news is that I'm still going in the right direction and I came within spitting distance of my 2 pounds per week goal. And the extra good news is that based on that two pounds per week lost average, I'm still about five pounds ahead of where I wanted to be at this time. Keep me strong, Internet—this is the month of pumpkin bread and trick or treat candy!

Fifteen Pounds Down, Y'all

It's another Monday and another weigh-in! I may be doing everything else in my life wrong, but I'm still dropping weight. Some of it may be from all the skin peeling off of me from last week's sunburn (sexy, I know).

278.2 lb.

Weekly Loss: 2.0 lb.

Total Loss Since 8/17/2015: 15.0 lb.

That's another five-pound milestone in the BANK. But with each week it gets harder not to hit a plateau. Just gotta keep up the slow-and-steady wins the race good diet choices mentality, while stepping up the increased activity.

Personal goal is to shave another ten pounds of lard off by Halloween minimum, which is roughly within the 2ish pounds a week range. Seems doable. Then I have to keep my hands off the candy.

Thanks for the messages of support, everyone!

Savannah Sunburn

I confess to being a little nervous in stepping on the scale this morning, since I spent the weekend in Savannah attending a wedding and over a three day period really wasn't following the "plan" but was in vacation mode—though I did imbibe less drinks and order lighter than I would have two months ago.

Plus side? We went to the beach on Tybee Island midday yesterday before heading home and I got in the ocean and didn't get out of the water for several hours. I swam out past the edge of the pier and back several times, body-surfed the waves, played with my daughter, and got a delightful sunburn. I'm sore this morning, but in a good way.

So back to that "stepping on the scale" part:

280.2 lb.

Weekly Loss: 2.2 lb.

Total Loss Since 8/17/2015: 13.0 lb.

Boom! While the loss of lard is less dramatic than the previous weigh-in, it's in the recommended 2-3 pounds lost per week range. I have no doubt that all that swimming yesterday played a significant role, and I need to keep up a higher level of activity to counter the fact that my job involves me sitting on my ass all day.

Thanks again for the encouragement and support. I'll post a picture of my sunburned self on social media later today when I've had a chance to clean up a bit. You might be able to see the difference!

Achievement Unlocked: Ten Pounds Down

Dear Diary:

Labor Day and Dragon*Con caused me to miss my weekly official weigh-in and report, but now that Monday con-holidays are over I'm back at it. I've been counting my WW points and taking my vitamins and following my doctorly advice, and it's paying off!

To recap, this is where I started about a month ago:

August 17th:

293.2 lb.

And here's what the scale told me this morning:

282.4 lb.

Weekly (x2) Loss: 7.6 lb.

Total Loss Since 8/17/2015: 10.8 lb.

So my first milestone — 10 pounds of lard shed — has been achieved within the first month! I have a full physical coming in the next few weeks (yay 40, can't wait for that prostate exam) and I'll keep talking to my doctor about how to keep up the progress in a way that's healthy.

The first part of this process has been through diet alone. Phase II begins this week by incorporating increased calorie-burning activity, including long walks and doing some much-needed yardwork as an excuse to get more physical. If I can prove to myself that I possess the discipline to do certain things daily I will eventually be joining a gym, taking advantage of my early-morning schedule to add some weight training. I want to tone and get in better overall shape in addition to just dropping pounds.

Thanks to all who support me as I try to reduce my waistline and accompanying health risks, so I can live to see my unborn son graduate from high school one day. Tune in next week to see how I do, same bat-day, same bat-blog.

Back on the Wagon

... and I'm back. With the bad news/good news thing. In just over a year I let stress and excuses knock me off the health wagon and my weight shot up as a result. I kept procrastinating focusing on a healthier lifestyle after the next trip, after school starts, after whatever I could think of to keep me from dealing with it.

Looking back to May of last year it's sad to realize just how much weight I put back on, getting me back to Square One when it comes to a healthier weight. But a trip to the doctor put the smack-down on me and I am now official re-lighting Health beacon, and just like before I'll be tracking my progress out in the open—support from my friends and loved ones makes all the difference for me.

I didn't do an official weigh-in last week, but I did two weeks ago, which will be my starting point:

August 17th:

293.2 lb.

(Ugh)

Yep, that's bad. But I've lost this before and I will do it again and not hit a stopping point—just a point where I'm ready to maintain a healthy lifestyle and understand that some bad habits just need to be gone for good. I don't want to get Type 2 diabetes. I don't want my back to get so bad that I need surgery. I want to be healthy and have the energy for the new baby on the way. I want to look in the mirror and not be disgusted with what I see.

So here we go. Week One of Year One of the New Era, and my results from my doctor-recommended methods of healthier living:

290.0 lb.

Weekly Loss: 3.2 lb.

Total Loss Since 8/17/2015: 3.2 lb.

283.2 lb. is the first celebratory milestone — the first ten pounds of lard dropped! And it's not that far away and I know it's very achievable. Historically the first 10-15 lb. come off very easily once I make it a priority, and then things get trickier.

I'm beginning with diet only, working in increased activity, then work my way to structured exercise and eventually some weight training.

Wish me luck. Here I go!