Week 12: The Milestones Are Getting Marked Off

My weigh in Sunday was nothing spectacular but still, a loss is a loss, and still have the finish line in site.  I got to mark off another milestone, and I am so happy about that... So here we are...
Week 12: -0.8 lb since the previous week, and -19.4 lbs overall.  That's almost 20 lbs people!

Yuck, my toe nails need painted, but I can't find my polish.

Milestones:

140 lbs = Pre-Brendan weight.

137.8 lbs = -15 lb mark

133 lbs = Pre-Avery weight.

132.8 lbs = -20 lbs mark

128 lbs = The lowest weight I have been since having babies.

122.8 = Pre-Lindsey weight and -30 lb mark.

So I am officially pre-pregnancy Avery :)   Win.  I am fitting in all of my pre-Avery jeans and I'm super glad I kept them around! 

It's been a few posts since I have outlined what I am doing to mark off these milestones... I wanted to also outline some psychological things that really help me to keep going.

1.COUNT YOUR CALORIES: I am using My Fitness Pal EVERY STINKING DAY.  There isn't a day that I don't use it to keep track of my calories and exercise.  The most important key to losing weight is calories in v. calories out.  If you don't know what is going in your body and what you are taking out of your body, then there is no way you can be sure you are creating that deficit that you need to lose weight.  Use some form of calorie counting, whether it be a points system like weight watcher, or actual calorie counting.  This is VITAL to weight loss success and also weight maintenance.

2.WORK IT OUT!: I am working out 5-6 days out of the week.  I used to work out everyday of the week, but this has gone down since I have started school.  Some days I just can't fit a workout into my schedule, but on the days that I do not work out, I adjust my diet accordingly.  I don't have the freedom to eat like I do on days when I work out... and that is okay.

3.FIGURE OUT FAST FOOD: Figure out your best fast-food options. For all you busy people who every now and then have to consume a fast food meal for your calories, I am going to give you some tips... tacos (crunchy shell, believe it or not, the soft tortilla is higher in calories) are your friend.  They are a good option over hamburgers and french fires.  At least for me... I can always fit two into my my calorie budget.  Also Hunan Chicken or any other non-fried vegetable dish at a chinese restaurant is better than eating a hamburger and french fries.  If you have to eat at Sonic or the like, then choose Chicken Strips and a drink like Sonic's peach iced tea made with splenda (I am not a huge consumer of diet or artificial sweeteners, so don't make this a big habit) and skip the fries/tatertots or other sides like that.  Or even a grilled chicken sandwich... skip the fries and soda and drink water with lemon...  Anyway, those are my fast food loopholes.

4.WEIGH DAY: Do NOT weigh everyday.  Pick one day a week to weigh in.  Your body fluctuates a lot during the day, and if you weigh everyday, odds are you will see these normal fluctuations and it will discourage you... Don't fall into that trap.  Choose a day, weigh first thing in the morning after you have used the bathroom,and before you have consumed anything.  Record your weight once a week.  I promise it's so much better to see your progress weekly than to watch your weight go up and down everyday of the week.  When I first started this process, I was weighing everyday, and changing that has been a big key to me still making progress today.  I think I would have given up a long time ago.

5.COMMIT TO THE PROCESS: because it is a process.  It's going to take trial and error for you to figure out what your body and mind needs for you to find success in losing weight.  This isn't an overnight transformation, and it isn't something that will happen in a day, and this leads to the next point...

6.REALITY CHECK: Keep a realistic perspective.  A healthy weight loss is anywhere from 1-2 lbs a week, so approach your weight loss with that in mind.  I have been averaging 1.6 lbs of weight loss a week, and I am happy with that progress.  You have to keep focused on the goals, on the big picture, and your overall progress.  Don't focus on a bad week or a bad weekend, or a bad day.  It took a long time to put it on (even though it doesn't seem like it, it did... for instance, it took me 40 weeks to put on 39 lbs of pregnancy weight - it has taken me 12 weeks so far to lose 19.4 lbs... So really, it seems that it takes the same amount of time to take it off as it takes to put it on, and actually a little less seeing as I have lost half of the weight that I put on in 40 weeks in 12).

7.EARN YOUR TREATS: Instead of having a list of foods you can't eat, think about what your diet will be during the day and if you want to consume something like Andy's Frozen Custard or a candy bar or a soda, then work for it.  Add those calories to your work out so that you aren't living by a list of restrictions, but rather, you are earning your treats.

8.Ummmm YES YOU CAN: Know you can do this!  Your body is full of billions of cells and all of those cells need nutrients to function, and as long as that is the case (and if you are alive, it is), then you can lose weight.  So take "I can't" out of your vocabulary.  You can.  So do.

And that's all I have for now.  This is a mental process as much as it is a biological process, so don't let your mind keep you from reaching goals that are definitely reachable.  KEEP GOING!  :)