still losing...

I haven't posted in a few weeks (I'm finding that consistently posting on a weekly basis is harder for me than the weight loss). Lots of thoughts about what's happened:

Of all the resources provided to to us by Intel, our merry band of Largest Loser contestants may be the best. Why? Well, while technically we're in a competition, we're a tremendously supportive bunch...and even when we're not cheering each on (or cheering each other up) we're sharing experiences...and knowing that other folks are going through the same frustrations and challenges that I am is a HUGE help. Some specific examples:

"Reset expectations" I started off thinking that I could lose 2-3 lbs/week, but my actual results show that after the first couple weeks of the program I'm pretty consistently losing "only" 1 lb/week. My first reaction to this realization was disappointment and frustration. But another "Loser" said something in our wellness coaching session a few weeks ago that's helped me - Stacey talked about changing his expectations regarding "success" in the program.

With that in mind, I realized that even at 1 lb/week, I'm losing weight at a pace that's 10 times faster than the rate at which I was previously gaining weight. Better yet, I'm convinced that my current eating and excercise patterns are sustainable. So...I'm doing two things about my pace of weight loss. First, I'm changing my behavior a bit, shaving off a few calories each day and adding a short walk at lunch time in an effort to lose weight faster. Second, I'm adjusting my attitude - adopting a sustainable lifestyle that has me losing 1 lb/week isn't something to be disappointed about.

Encouragement When I weighed in after a vacation in Disneyland, my weight ticked up 1.5 lbs despite my success in hitting (or beating) my activity and eating targets. I was chatting with a John about this (and venting my frustration & disappointment) and he suggested that my weight gain was likely due to water gain - while on vacation I drank a lot of diet soda (high in sodium) and a bag of sunflower seeds. His theory seemed likely, and gave me hope that getting back in the habit of drinking lots of water (and little soda) would cause the weight to drop back off.

Sure enough, it worked! The next week my weight went down by 4 lbs (yay!). John helped me in two ways - he helped me get through the disappointment & frustration, and helped me understand how important it is to drink water instead of soda (which is bad for a whole lot of reasons). I'm now working on phasing out diet sodas in vavor of iced tea (not tackling caffeine just yet).

"I can't do push-ups" One of the other Losers mentioned during the morning workouts that she "couldn't do push-ups"...meaning push-ups that are hands and toes, not hands and knees. That didn't sound right to me - partly because we've been at this for a while and all of us are noticeably stronger - and also because I didn't like hearing one of my loser buddies say, "I can't". John and I picked up on her comments and insisted that she could - certainly she could do one.

With a little coaching on form from the two of us, she managed a push-up. And when I checked in with her again on Monday, she reported that she'd been doing them over the weekend. Only a single pushup each time, but that's something to build on. As a group, we do a great job of pushing & inspiring each other, directly and indirectly.


I don't want to suggest that it's been all rainbows and unicorns...but this is working...and what I'm seeing in myself and hearing/reading from others is behavior changes that are starting to become our new normal, and a sense of optimism regarding our long-term health prospects. That's a huge change, and it's why collectively, and individually, I think we rock.

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....that's what I posted internally today...for those that are looking for hard numbers, my weight as of last friday is 301.5, down from 319. My body fat percentage has dropped to 32% from 38%, all over the last 8 weeks. My current progress suggests that at worst, I'll be at 285 around christmas time. That's over 30 lbs shaved off...wow.