But I will.
Right now...
It's not going fast enough and I don't feel any results. For some reason, this past week has felt like week 1 or 2 all over again - minus the cool "I'm gonna do this!" feeling. Everything aches. I've had headaches, joint pain, and foot swelling, not to mention really crappy days in general.
I have to share a potential problem with you. This is the point, EVERY SINGLE TIME, when trying to lose weight, that I "fall off the wagon". It's at THIS point when nothing but sheer willpower keeps me on track and as we all know, willpower only lasts so long.
I've been doing this weight loss / healthy living / exercising thing (this time - I'm calling it - the last time!) for about 10 weeks now and I can tell you that if it weren't for writing this blog on an almost daily basis, I probably would have stopped after week 5. But I've made it twice that far, so I guess there's something to be said for "journaling" in this manner.
But I can feel the wavering. I can feel the laziness. I can feel the busyness creeping in on me. Derailment is in sight. But I don't want to quit even though sometimes I do want to quit. To quit trying. I can feel the "why bother" attitude just around the corner people and I desperately want to stop the attitude before it sets in! Why does this happen? Every. Single. Time.
(***WARNING*** ALERT ***Math about to be performed here!)
I've been doing this for 10 weeks now and I've lost around 13 pounds. 13? Seriously? Only 13? It should be 20 at least. I should be down at least one size in pants and I'm not. If I stay on this path, losing approximately 1.3 pounds on average per week, it'll take me another 48 weeks to reach my goal or more realistically - ONE YEAR. If I'm having problems now, after only 10 weeks, then what about after 20? 30? You see where I'm going with this, right? I have 62 pounds left to hit goal. When I started 10 weeks ago, I was thinking 2 pounds a weeks was attainable, so in approximately 9.5 months I could reach my goal.
Well then, obviously that's not going to happen. On to a bit of troubleshooting:
Troubleshooting goal here is to figure out a way to up the losses to at least 2 pounds per week.
What do I know for sure that I am doing right?
- Not eating out everyday like I have in the past
- Cooking fairly nutritious meals at home
- Watching portion sizes
- I enjoy the meals I'm making
- Walking a lot more than I did before
- Parking further away from the front door at work
- Taking the stairs
- Weight Training is good
Where do I know for sure that I'm struggling:
- Cardio intensity may be lacking (see HR note)
- The meals I cook aren't necessarily the most absolute healthiest choice
- Water intake is around 64 oz/daily or less, it should be at least 80 or more
- Pain & joint stiffness (very wet weather lately)
- Sitting too long at work
- Core workouts are a struggle to fit in
HR Note: Heart rate plateaus at 125 after 5 minutes on the treadmill and stays there for the rest of the workout - resting heart rate is around 60bpm. According to FitWatch - my max HR is 179 and I've been exercising at about the 55% mark. This should probably be a bit higher, however I constantly worry about having a heart attack - seriously - like hypochondriac worry, ok? Anywhooooo....
Goal Realignment for this week:
- Bump up HR to 130 (60%) for at least one minute for every 4 minutes on the treadmill through incline/speed
- Make note of fruits and veggies eaten this week vs. carbs & sugar-loaded foods
- Drink a big glass of water (16 oz) first thing in the morning to get a good start to hydration for the day
- Get core strength training done just after arriving home from work.
- Put up pics so I don't have to try and remember how each is done
Anyway, I apologize for the gripe session that is some of this post, but I just wanted you to know, it hasn't been easy. I know there are folks out there who have lost far more weight than me, and who are still seeing losses on the scale or in clothing size. I know there are even those who have more than me left to meet their goals, but see consistent progress in the right direction. If you're one of them, please, advice, anything? All I have left is will power and it seems to have gone into hiding...
Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great week!
I am the same way Kris - "why is this taking so long?!"
ReplyDeleteI thought for sure at the end of 60 days of Insanity I'd be down 20 pounds.
But, I have to remember a: I am 45. b: I am still only at 90% of the workouts of Insanity (my belly gets in the way of a couple exercises that I still have to modify) and c: I should probably eat more fruits and veggies.
That being said - I am losing inches because my size 14s are swimming on me and in May they were tight.
I ditched my beloved wine during the week! This is a huge victory for me, because my husband has beer every single night with dinner, so kudos to me!
In 1999 when I lost my original 70 pounds in 14 months - I had a plateau for SIX weeks, but I kept at it.
We can do this!
Thanks so much for the encouragement Biz. You're right - age, intensity and what we eat are all big factors. So, it looks like it will take a bit longer than planned - but yes, we CAN do this!
ReplyDelete