January 2021: 7 pounds
February 2021: 5 pounds
March 2021: 4 pounds
April 2021: 3 pounds
I've been doing this for 9 months and lost 49 pounds. I have several thoughts about the pace of current progress. First, in early April I started a pasta journey and had some birthday celebration food for my youngest. So around April 12, the scale was showing that I had gained 5 pounds in April. So if I measure from that point forward, I actually lost 8 in less than 20 days. (Of course, those five up & down are easier to come by than true progress.)
Also, I both expected progress to not be as fast 9 months in as it was when I started. For one, I do weigh a lot less so by percentage, 3 pounds now is equivalent to 4 pounds when I started. Plus, I know the body adjusts. I'm not going to be burning as much as I was back then, no matter what. Also, this year I have been lifting weights, so there might be some muscle growth that is offsetting actual progress on the scale. And one more little note, the 4th pound I lost in March actually showed up on the last day so it was probably more accurate to say 3.5 in March, 3.5 in April.
I'm decently happy with how I look now, so I'm okay with 3 pounds a month. (I've also tried to be kind to myself on days when I'm extra hungry and/or go over my calories. I'm human and if that means that I don't beat myself up and lose 3 instead of 4 in a certain month, that's ok.) Lesson learned though, I shouldn't ever make estimates about when I'll hit a certain target weight.
In mid-April, I was going to be content with just breaking even this month. But near the end of the month, I'm like a cop trying to hit my monthly quotas for speeding tickets, extra motivated to stay on track and not have any cheat meals.
At 49 pounds, I can finally tell a difference on zoom. Still looking forward to surprising people when I go back into the office.
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The biggest thing that happened in April was that I started my new Daily Favorites cooking series. (I originally named it Every Day Favorites but recently changed it to Daily Favorites so that the initials would match my own.)
This has been fun and personally satisfying on multiple levels. It's wild that it took me this long to do something like this.
Back in 2007(!), I had identified four hobbies. Writing, music, photography and cooking. This new series combines three hobbies into one project. (And I'm listening to more music this year as well.)
But more than just fun, this series is proving to be helpful already and will continue to be a good resource indefinitely. This is my pandemic/quarantine self-improvement project. For years, I anticipate opening my Daily Favorites Collection before I do my grocery shopping. It will be easier to stay on track long-term if I have a huge variety of tasty meals in my arsenal. Perhaps, I will think back to the pandemic and wonder if I would have ever done this without the year+ of working from home.
In case, you're wondering, I lost steam on learning Italian once it got difficult, about 11 days in. But starting that led me to the Pasta Journey. And starting that led me to the Daily Favorites series. Which I just started less than two weeks ago, but already feels like one of the most important things for myself that I've ever done. So you never know what something like a whim of trying Italian on an app can take you.
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In May, I'm excited to cross the 50 pound lost barrier. My goal is just to keep stacking good months on top of each other. This monthly check-in keeps me accountable. And it's definitely working.
"This has been fun and personally satisfying on multiple levels. It's wild that it took me this long to do something like this."
ReplyDeleteYou did dabble a bit in this vein with Food As Fuel, but it seems like you've really refined that idea with what you're doing now with much more emphasis on things you can make that can satisfy cravings and provide strong flavors while keeping the calories in check. Congrats on the progress and the well-deserved satisfaction you're feeling!