Keeping Up with Weight Loss and Exercise Goals with MS

Staying motivated while making lifestyle changes can be challenging. How many times have you started an exercise or diet program just to fizzle out in enthusiasm after a month or two?

In February I shared with you how wearable technology, such as a FitBit device, can help to provide motivation to make lifestyle changes. I began wearing a FitBit last summer, but it wasn’t until November that I began making a concerted effort to exercise more, taking advantage of the Airdyne exercise bike in my basement.

Throughout December and January, I attended twice weekly physical therapy sessions to work on strength and range of motion with the goals to improve physical function and reduce the pain I was experiencing from knee osteoarthritis.

When I reported my progress in February, I had lost 19.5 pounds. Here it is 28 weeks from when I started keeping track of food consumption and exercise, and I have now lost 34 pounds. Whoohoo!

Update: It has now been 32 weeks and I've dropped 40 pounds!

Read this post in its entirety:

Weight Loss and Exercise: Staying on Track with MS

A Year of Weight Tracking

If you would like to catch up on my past year watching (more closely) what I eat and losing weight in the process, check out my year in review post on MyObesityConnection.com.  Looking back at my previous posts is like reading a public diary of sorts.  Educational and enlightening.  Here's hoping that 2011 is even more successful.

(No resolutions, however.  I don't do them.)

Revisiting My Weight Loss Journey

I’m laughing at myself this morning after stepping on the scale an extra time.  I find it ironic that my weight almost always drops from Sunday morning to Monday morning.  Why is that? 

Probably has more to do with what I ate on Saturday than anything else.  And this past Saturday, I had a great meal of grilled grouper, cauliflower mash, and asparagus.  To top off the meal, I splurged by sharing a deep dish apple pecan pie with ice cream.  Hey, it was in honor of my birthday which occurred this past week.

The difference in numbers on the scale this morning make it so very tempting to use the lower weight.  But if I did that, then I would be straying from the pattern I had set-up to use a consistent day/time each week as a measurement of changes over time.

It’s a good idea, but honestly, part of this is my mild OCD talking.  “We” must keep things the same and abide by the record-keeping “rules.”  But really, it’s just my self-imposed rules which are in effect here.  So with that, this week’s weight is 232.1 pounds instead of Monday’s 228.4 pounds.

Is 3.7 lbs such a big deal?  Heck, yah!!  It’s significant, not only because that’s a big different in poundage, but the lower number is clearly over the 15% loss line on my graphic chart.  Actually, it represents a 16% weight loss since January 2010!!

Read this post in its entirety:

Obesity and Weight Loss: How are you doing it?

When it's good to be able to pinch an inch...

Recently, I’ve noticed that I take a little more time looking at myself in the bathroom mirror.  It’s odd, as my weight is going down, I am beginning to feel physically fatter.  It doesn’t make sense, I know.

It is easier to grab handfuls of flesh and visualize the core body hiding beneath.  If it were possible to chop off this excess, I would feel almost pseudo-skinny (at least for me).  I even asked Rob the other day if we could just slice off the saddlebags which are becoming more defined.  He said no....bummer.

I know that the more important fat to lose is visceral fat.  This is the fat which lies deep within the abdominal cavity, padding the spaces between the abdominal organs.  Losing this internal fat is why I can feel a slimmer belly in me.  Visceral fat increases the risk for cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes.  It also produces inflammatory proteins which negatively affect rheumatoid arthritis.

Read this post in its entirety:

Can Losing Weight Make You Feel Fatter?

I wrote the above post last week and I still find the contradiction to be, well, a contradiction.

34 Pounds and 17 Inches

Time for a progress report as we enter the 3rd quarter of this year.  Last weekend I had dinner with some friends (a family of four) whom I hadn’t seen in far too long.  I believe we last got together around New Year’s, just before I started this public journal and made myself accountable.

After setting down my purse, the words out of my friend’s mouth were, “Wow, Lisa, you look great!!”

Admittedly, this made me smile something huge and I quickly said, “Thank You!!”

(Yes, the dialogue was spoken with emphatic exclamation marks.)

We were interrupted and I needed to go get something.  Our conversation ended there.

Besides my own mother and my boyfriend, this friend was the first person to mention noticing any difference in my appearance.  [That is except for Jen who noticed a difference between when I first met her in April and during our cruise in June.]


Read this post in its entirety:

Turning Back the Clock: Weight Loss and Pride

P.S. I've lost: 34 pounds, 3.5 inches off my hips, 3 inches off my waist and chest both, 2.5 inches off each thigh, and 1.5 inches off my neck.  No wonder clothes aren't fitting.  I'll eventually have to go shopping.  ;-)

Happy to be 11% Less

I am happy to report that I've achieved my first 10% weight loss since January 2010.  The last few weeks have been bumpy with holidays, visits with friends, and extra doses of steroids.  Water weight drastically increased the number on the scale.  However, in less than three days, 10 pounds drop off quickly.  Crazy roller coaster.

This afternoon I weighed in at 242.3 pounds. Even less than seen above.  :)

Read this post in its entirety:

The Weight Loss Journey May Have a Few Twists and Turns - Celebrate Each Success

Obesity, Menstrual Cycles, and Weight Loss

Girls gain weight during their menstrual cycles, right? That is something which I had heard sometime growing up and which I just took to be fact. So with over three months of weight loss under my belt (haha, pun intended) covering the time of four menstrual cycles, I thought it would be good to see if this theory held true.

For years, I’ve had the “empty pit” phenomenon of being ravenous in the day or two just before my period begins. When I can’t seem to get enough carbohydrates or chocolate, then I know it’s time to be prepared with the extra Ibuprofen and feminine hygiene products. A girl can’t be caught off-guard.

What I’ve personally seen, according to the chart on which I’m keeping track of weekly weigh-ins, is that my weight actually stays steady or drops just a bit the week before each period. As I wondered why that might be, I conducted a google search to try to find the answer.

Read this post in its entirety:

Menstrual Cycles and Weight Loss

Updates from Phat in My 40s

For those who are following my weight-related posts at HealthCentral, here are some new one from the past couple weeks. I welcome your feedback!!

Winter Olympics in My Backyard
(written before the 2nd blizzard in one week to hit the DC area)

Stayin' Alive - Resting Metabolic Rate
(how many calories does your body need to function?)

My Favorite Egg & Cheese Sandwich
(how can we easily create lower calorie meals?)

Thanks for your support. I really appreciate it!!