Let’s recap what I have done over the last 9 months (AGAIN, like you haven’t heard it enough), but I have some new readers……I’ve lost 36lbs and a WHOLE lot of inches. I wanna say about 43 inches overall. I went from ex-large/large shirts to small/medium, a size 12/14 pants to a size 4, size 7 in juniors. I’m sure you are thinking “Why the heck are you wearing junior sizes?” Well, I don’t have a butt or hips, so yes; I can wear junior size clothes AND they have some cute styles. Don’t hate!! J Anyway, those numbers are pretty amazing to me. I am hovering at about 129lbs. By looking at the scale, I would like to hit my ultimate goal number of 125-127, but really does 2-4lbs really matter at this point. I have come this far, I really don’t think so. It’s all about the toning now!
I talked it over with the hubs and decided to switch up my “diet” or lifestyle plans and move into maintenance mode. I did some research on this. WOW, did this blow my mind. Researchers from Brown Medical School say, “An estimated 80% to 95% of people who lose a significant amount of weight will gain it back.” The percentages sound high, but I believe it and it scares me.
I know my faults. There may be some splurges with desserts, ice cream and dining out. Hello….. have you all met my husband. He is “Mr. Meat and Potatoes and I love all processed and fattening foods.” Sorry, B, didn’t mean to call you out! Seriously, I really don’t expect those factors to make much of an impact on the circumference of my mid-section since I have gotten this far and I never cut them out totally, but you never know. Reading those statistics demonstrates, maintaining a weight loss is difficult for everyone. In fact, I would say it’s even harder than losing the weight in the first place. Why? Well, once you’ve dropped the pounds – once you’re no longer getting measurable results on the scale, and weight loss morphs from a happy goal to a ho-hum product of the past – things will change. Over time, I am sure my enthusiasm will fade, behaviors will slack, and long-ignored temptations are indulged with abandon. I know that counting calories is not something I want to do for the rest of my life. Or will I have to continue this same lifestyle just to be happy with myself? I don’t want to feel like all of this hard work will be wasted.
Since I have found that I love to work out, I don’t foresee slowing down in that area. I love motivating and inspiring the people I see come to kickboxing. I am always looking for new workouts too. I read that to stay at your current weight, I should be at exercising at least 1 hour per day (I take 2 rest days per week. That may need to change), eat breakfast (already do that), weigh myself once a week (I am a daily person), and watch 10 hours or less of TV per week (Who has time for that?) So, I should be good, right?
I am having a hard time with eating. Sounds weird huh? I adjusted my food goals on Myfitnesspal. I went from 1200 calories per day to 1540. That doesn’t seem like much but when you have restricted you’re eating for so long, it’s hard to change, especially if you are eating nutrient rich foods that are low calorie. I try adding more calories but still watch my macronutrients like carbs, fats, protein and sodium intake. I have added some higher calorie foods, like almonds, avocados, peanut butter, and eggs, but trying to reach that 1540 is hard. I have just started, so I am going to give it some time. I am giving myself a 3-5lb flux, so I know when I get towards the higher end, I will go back into losing mode so it doesn’t get out of control. I don’t want to wake up one day and step on the scale and see a 20lb gain.
I am ready to tackle this next phase. The good news is the longer I maintain my weight, the more likely I will keep it off. Wish me luck.
Current progress pics taken on January 2, 2012.
(Oh yeah, I got some new ink on the belly area! Color to come soon!)
