One of my 2016 goals is to drop 10 lbs. No time like the present to get cracking on that, right?
Now that the glittery confetti of New Years has settled, let’s get down to business. While I did not deprive myself through December and the holidays (hello daily ice cream on Marco Island) I didn’t go hog wild on the indulgence front either. I stayed fairly consistent with workouts too, although it’s my running “off-season”, so mileage is on the low side.
Overall December weightloss: -1 lb. (given the holidays and vacay, I’ll take it).
I spent the past week or so being mindful of my eating habits to assess where my weak spots are.
- I tend to grab a handful (or two) of Thing 1’s morning cereal when I pour it for her. I do the same thing with Thing 2 when she gets up
- I crave a sweet after lunch, which can spiral into an afternoon of snacking
- I’ve been known to graze while cooking dinner
- I like a sweet after dinner, although this one is easier to cut out for me.
All of these behaviors stopped this week.
The plan going forward:
Cut the crap. Stop the mindless grazing because it adds up. This week there have been no more hands in the cereal box. Focus on whole, unprocessed foods. Lean proteins and lots of fresh veggies.
Here’s my most recent haul from the farmer’s market.
More water. My water before coffee goal is coming along nicely, btw.
Weigh once a week. I’ve got an awesome new scale, thanks to Beets by BLU. It measures weight, body mass, muscle mass, and water and syncs wirelessly to an app on my smart phone. Every time I weigh in, progress is tracked and updated on my phone automatically so I can tell if I’m losing weight, gaining muscle, changing BMI etc. over time.
I managed to get everything moving ever so slightly in the downward direction last month. Even muscle mass. Whoops! So far I really like the scale. It’s actually fun to use. The only issue I have is sometimes forgetting to bring my phone into the bathroom with me when I weigh. It needs to be there to sync the data.
Take body measurements once a month. I took baseline measurements yesterday. Compared to the last time I did this (a couple years ago), the excess weight I’m carrying is in the chest, waist and hips. No surprise there.
Track food intake. The jury is out on this one because historically I’m terrible at this.
Stick with the plan. Easier said than done sometimes, but if I want to run faster, I need to weigh less. That’s why I’ll be talking about this every Wednesday. To hold me accountable.
What are your tips for lasting weightloss?
I rarely use my scales (too much risk with recovering from an ED) but we have a smart scale and it’s so cool.
For me it was all about my CHECK IN JEANS.
If those suckers fit easily then I was good.
(they were NOT NOT NOT SKINNY JEANS :-))
if they didnt?
It was time for some back to basics.
Wow that looks like a cool scale. I am trying to do the hole water thing in the morning and it just isn’t working for me, i have to tweak it a little. I know what you mean about mindless eating.
Since I workout before coffee, I do have water before coffee. I have an orange at lunch to satisfy that sweet craving. After dinner is way harder for me.
I rarely weigh myself…like Carla, I go by how my clothes fit (altho I don’t have a pair of “check in jeans”).
We have so much crap at work. The nurse in my hallway keeps a dish of chocolate on her desk. It’s so easy to dip in when things get a little tense…
I got the scale too 🙂 I’ve never owned a scale since I Am not one to watch numbers but I really like it.. plus the set up took 2 seconds!! I don’t really have a weight loss goal but I just want to get stronger and leaner this year!
Oh and I too need to STOP grazing when I am making dinner… that’s my worst habit!
Well you didn’t waste any time at all…great start! I should do an analysis like you and see where I can cut out the bad habits during the day. That scale looks really cool! I only weigh myself every couple of months, I have no idea whether I gained a lot over the Christmas holiday, but I wouldn’t be surprise if I did!
I’m back to getting on the scale. I was satisfied to see that I hadn’t gained weight since I last stepped on but I hadn’t lost any either. Le sigh. At this point, trying to lose baby weight, the number is a good indicator of success. It’s not everything but it is something. I need to be in a good habit of getting on it because if I don’t do it, I let the eating slide. If I start to eat poorly, the less I want to get on the scale. It’s a vicious cycle.
I’m avoiding my scale right now. I know I’ve gained 3-5 lbs which is crazy considering all the running I’m doing but I know that you can not out-run your fork! I admit I’ve been indulging more than normal. I’ve also fell short of my water intake since picking up the coffee habit. Trying to get back on track but AFTER this weekend! 😉 That’s a pretty cool scale too. Good luck to you, I know you’ll reach your goal in no time!
Great job on the -1 I’d take that too. Looks like you are on the path to success with the tools you have set up for yourself.
Yum all that fresh food looks so good! And best of luck to you on your goal 🙂 I’m big on the afternoon snacking too which I don’t necessarily want to stop, but I need to turn more junk into more fruit and veggies.
Looks like you have a solid plan. It can be hard to break grazing tendencies but tracking really helps because you realize you have to write it down if you eat it.
So I don’t weigh myself anymore but my husband has been using this scale and loves it. Good tips for me it’s also about planning out healthy meals.
I have a couple posts coming up in the next couple weeks! 🙂
You’re doing great! You have a solid plan in place, and I know you’ll hit your goal in no time!
I so need to start with this kind of analysis – I know grazing while making dinner is one of my weak points. Sounds like you’ve a good plan in place. Good luck!
Sounds like you know exactly what you need to do in order to set yourself up for success. Good luck with following through on your action plan.
Down 1 over the holidays!! Awesome! I will be following this with interest. I actually stepped on the scale this morning for the first time since before Thanksgiving and was actually pleasantly surprised. Despite eating like a total pig for a month I was actually pretty stable. That still leaves me with 5-8 pounds to lose before June to get to race weight for my goal race (which is hilly so even more important). I have to stop the “boredom as hunger” mid-afternoon snacking at work. Otherwise Im doing okay.
I have no tips on weight loss apart from running for 3 hrs in 90% humidity. That’ll get your weight down – until you rehydrate.
I actually don’t even own a scale and have no idea how much I actually weigh- usually I find out at my yearly doctors appt and am either happily surprised or a little horrified, haha!
Love the idea of x amount of water before coffee! I especially have to do this when I do some hot yoga in the morning or else I pay for the lack of water all day long!
Great plan! Water is a huge thing for me as well (so is the mindless eating)–I know I need to do better!
I bought a smart scale this summer but haven’t used it much. I just couldn’t understand the BMI it was giving me, seemed completely off.
I have taken measurements recently because ALL my weight goes to my chest / abdomen and I know I have put on 7 pounds or so the past 3 years. Is it middle life ? I doubt it, I think it is eating more than my body needs. Snacking ? yes, too much…. but as I am in the middle of marathon training, I don’t want to cut calories too much. But losing those 5 to 7 pounds ? Definitely on my agenda this year, just need to cut out my after dinner snacks…
I find that tracking with MyFitnessPal and taking before and after photos help me a lot if I’m trying to reach a goal related to weight loss or gaining muscle. It’s terrifying to do/look at but it sure does help!