Week 18 - Small Victories

Stats:  Lost 4.5lbs this week.

Don't ask me to figure it out.  I have no idea.  I was thrilled to be back on track with my goal of 1# a week, but my body just confounds me.  I am thrown off balance - I don't know what is working and what is not since there is such a see-saw ride on the scale.

Last week's post was so short because I was short on time, but after the big gain, I tried to focus on other areas of victory.  I mean, my clothes are definitely fitting better.  When I see my silhouette reflected in glass or the mirror, I don't cringe like I used to.  I know that I have a long way to go, but it is nice to be able to see the results of all hard work.

I also have seen some progress in my fat %.  It has read as low as 35% sometimes, with 37% being the highest I usually see.  This is a good trend, once I get my fat % less than 35, I should be able to burn more calories (or at least as much) at a lower weight.

When I was trying to make sense of my weight gain, I remembered that the last time I tried to lose weight, I was around this same weight, and it was really stubborn.  I ended up getting frustrated because I was up one week and down the next, with very little net progress.   I think I'm in for that again - it's going to be a stubborn set point, but if I can get past it, I should be ok.

I just wish I was a few pounds ahead of my goal instead of being right on.  It gives me no wiggle room, so I figure that I just have to cut back even more, be more careful about what I am eating, and stop drinking.  I decided I am going to quit drinking until Thanksgiving.  At first, I thought it should be a piece of cake - I don't have any major outings planned between now and then, but even last night (Friday night), I was really wanting a glass of wine or even to go out for a drink.  It's going to be more difficult than I thought.  But, I do believe it will make a dent - and maybe get me past this stubborn set point and beyond.  It will be the beginning of the holiday season, so it would be good to be ahead before all that eating and drinking starts.