I seem to have settled into a pound every other week weight loss schedule.  While I would like my body to move a little faster on this, the overall trend is down and that's a good thing.  NPR ran several pieces on obesity related illnesses this week.  The statistics are grim.  I have been blessed with good health so far, and want to continue the trend.

This week I weighed in at 153 pounds.  I am down 11 overall since starting this weight loss routine.  But let's go beyond the weight numbers.  They're easy to measure, but they don't give the full picture of the transformation that has been happening.

The past week, I've been seeing my stomach flatten and my legs start toning really nicely.  I still have a bit of a pooch, but I am starting to look pretty good, and miniskirts look awesome on me.  I am clearly converting fat into muscle with the strength training.  I've been wearing some of my sexier clothing again, and that feels great.

Speaking of strength training, I've been enjoying the new workout, Joyce Vedral's On the Ball.  The workout is varied, quick, and has some moves I've never seen before.  It is the first time that I have lifted weights to a DVD rather than following exercises from a book.  It is definitely easier to decipher the "how" of an exercise when watching it unfold in front of you.  Likewise, because the DVD was not too polished, I felt like I was doing the workout with two friends -- Joyce and her daughter.  It was quite motivating.  

The only downside might be Joyce Vedral herself.  I still cannot decide whether she is inspirational or annoying.  Perhaps it is best to say that she is both. Joyce is sixty something and looks amazing.  Her body would be the envy of most twenty year olds.  She clearly knows her material and I feel like I am in good hands with her.  On the other hand... Her voice is grating.  She has a heavy Bronx accent, and is so bubbling over with enthusiasm that she can be a bit wearying. (Some of the reviewers on Amazon suggested doing workouts with her with the sound OFF.)   However, I have decided for the moment that the inspiration outweighs the annoyance, and I am even considering getting another DVD by her in four weeks when it is time to change strength training routines.

I have also been loving playing with the stability ball.  It is so much fun to play with, and every book I've consulted so far on how to use it has come up with different exercises for it.  For a cheap piece of fitness equipment, it is really versatile and my god, my abs have really tightened since I started using it.  

So that's the health news for this week.

Hmm

I have to admit that it was a pretty terrible week for will power.  I broke my diet twice, having three desserts in one weekend, and I missed two strength training sessions and did not do much more cardio than what was required for using the bike as transportation.

Given all that, I must say that I am relieved to have merely plateaued.  My weight is 154.  Nothing lost, nothing gained.

But I've started a new strength training program today (Joyce Vedral's On the Ball Video) and jogged, and am ready to start afresh after a bit of an oops week.

See you all next week.

Hmm

I weighed in today at 154.  That's another pound down this week, and I am down ten pounds overall since I started this fitness effort.  The jeans I was wearing are noticeably looser, and a pair of jeans the next size down zipped up without a problem.  

More importantly, the strength training seems to be having a big impact.  My abdomen is a lot firmer.  This week for the first time in ages I was able to wear a sexy sweater that bares the midriff.  It is really nice to feel sexy again, and I am also noticing that I can do more stuff.  My balance is better.  My stamina is better.  I can ride much faster on my bicycle without getting winded.  

This week, I went to a trampoline park for a child's birthday party and bounced around like a maniac.  It was fun.  Heck, I've even done a little running.  I normally hate running, but I've added it to my fitness mix of activities, and it hasn't been bad.

I will see if I can get a photo or two to show off the changes.  Meanwhile, if you are reading this, what have you been doing lately?  How have you moved your body this week?

Hmm

The astute of you will notice that there was no update for week 7.  That was because I still weighed in at 157 pounds, and was starting to feel like one of the characters in Waiting for Godot.  Nothing was happening, despite my best efforts to get the plot moving.  I had changed up my workout.  I had continued to eat well. I double-checked that I was getting enough protein.  I had gotten a lot of bicycling in, and kept up the strength training, and my body refused to lose any weight.  I had barely enough motivation to continue my diet, but seemed to lack the motivation to report about it.

I know plateaus are a natural and expected part of the weight loss process and I don't mind them when they last only a week or so.  I do mind them when I feel like I was stuck there for a month.  What kept me going through all of this was that I was noticing changes in my muscle tone.  My thighs are firm.  My arms are less flabby, and are starting to show muscle definition.  My waist looks better.  Given that muscle weighs three times as much as fat, I knew that I had to be losing some fat to getting this improved muscle.  Still, my jeans were not significantly looser (as in falling off, my other way of measuring weight loss when the scale is being fickle.)

So what is the weigh-in this week?  155.  I lost two pounds this week, and have lost 9 pounds overall.  I have twenty pounds still to go in my overall weight loss goal.  

What are my health plans this week?  More stability ball exercises.  I like them, they are fun, and I really like what they do for my core.  Definitely more bicycling and other cardio exercise.  Lots of bean dishes and salads.  And who knows?  Maybe next week I'll be down another jean size.  Generally speaking, every five pound loss translates into a jean size for me.  On my short frame every pound makes a huge difference.

Hmm

So, I'm back at 157 pounds.  If I really gained two pounds last week, I lost them again this week.  What I really suspect is going on is that I'm in another plateau, neither gaining or losing weight, and will be here until my body decides it can move forward again.  I've changed up my weight routine and brought out my stability ball and I'm just keeping going.  We'll see what next week brings.

Hmm

I was sick a good portion of this last week, feeling woozy and awful.  It started at Quilt Camp, where I felt tired all the time.  Then Monday hit, and I felt rotten.   I missed a bunch of exercises, my weigh-ins and all sorts of other stuff.  I am finally feeling better, only to discover that I am up 2 pounds.  Aren't illnesses supposed to make you wan and cause you to lose weight?  Bah.

I don't think my jeans are any noticeably tighter... In fact, the butt of my jeans is loose.  So I really don't know what is going on here.  Did I gain muscle weight?  Is this just the normal daily 2 pound fluctuation of water weight, maybe affected by having been sick?  Or did I really gain that much due to a few days of missed exercise and maybe too much snacking at Quilt Camp?  I have no idea.  The only thing I can do, really, is keep going and see how things go next week.  The scale may be just being fickle, or I may have backslid, and only next week's weighing (and the fit of my jeans) will really tell me.

All I know is that I am in this for the long term.  Overall fitness is my goal, and a temporary upswing can be only that.  Over time and with the right effort, everything will start shifting in the right direction again.

Hmm