On the verge of "Normal"

Just a quick post to say that this morning I weighed 68.1kg, giving me a BMI of 25.0. Eeeeeek! Almost "normal", hahaha!

BEST fruit EVER

I'm introducing you to the best thing that grows in our garden: STRAWBERRIES! I love them so much, and right now they're just ready for the picking in our own garden.

Feast your eyes on this, first harvest of the season:

I felt like a cocktail, but didn't feel like spending calories on the liquor, so I created my own virgin cocktail: Half a lime, three strawberries, two teaspoons of caster sugar, fresh mint, ice and sparkling water. It doesn't look like much, but it hit the spot just right. Cheers!

Weekend of Indulgence

I had a glorious weekend, food wise. Thursday was dinner with the in-laws. It was a decent restaurant, and I had starter, main course and dessert. Yes, I had dessert. It was a little dark chocolate cake with gooey center; soooo yummy! I can't possibly feel guilty for that.

Friday evening there was a work party for Engineer Daddy with a BBQ where I had a few glasses of wine, a full plate of food and ice cream. Saturday evening Engineer Daddy made lasagne in the most fattening way I have ever seen. I only had a small portion, but I could taste the fat. Tasted good though. And then Sunday evening was the usual dinner at the in-laws. complete with birthday pie for my sis-in-law.

Yesterday morning came the bill: 69.4kg. I was actually surprised it wasn't more. I guess it was a good thing I worked out on Saturday and I kept my portions reasonably small (except on Thursday).

I had a good day yesterday, complete with workout. I even managed to do a new long distance! Check me out:

957 calories burned in an hour and 9 minutes. Not too shabby. For now I'm going to concentrate on my speed. My goal is to run this 10K in an hour or less. I'm not going to set a time limit on this goal, just see where it goes.

And then this morning I read 68.9kg. Today should be a good day too so I expect to be back around 68.5 tomorrow. Then there's a long weekend coming up. There's probably going to be plenty of food too, so if I can maintain this weight for now I'll be happy. I still plan on meeting my goal of 64kg, but right now I feel good in my skin and I'm going to enjoy life. The weight will come off, I know it will. I'm in no rush though.

Pre-Children Clothes

68.5kg this morning. Hurray! The past few days have been good and I guess it shows. I'm going to do a stats update today because we are having a fancy dinner tonight. I AM planning to make good choices and stay on track, plus I'm going for a run during my lunch break, but I predict there will be some bloating going on tomorrow morning and I don't want that to throw off the results. Without further ado, here come the stats:

Height 165cm (5'5")
Starting weight 76.5kg (168.7lbs)
Starting BMI 28.1
Current weight 68.5kg (151lbs)
Current BMI 25.2
Lost weight 8kg (17.7lbs) - 64%
Goal weight 64kg (141lbs)
Goal BMI 23.5

Just 0.5kg away from being classified as "healthy". Woot! And apparently I'm almost 2/3 of the way to my goal weight. This is so exciting.

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In my previous post I said something about posting some outfit pics. And here they are! I took some last night.

Item the first: A wrap dress that I really love because it's comfortable and it hugs my curves in the right places. The colour is a little dull but I usually add some cute accessories to liven up the outfit.

Item the second: OK, this is not technically a pre-children. I actually bought it on sale right before I got knocked up with ZwitsalBaby. BUT it didn't really fit back then anyway, it was too tight. The pricetag is still attached haha! Last week I tried it on and it fit! I was ecstatic because I love polka dots and it's the perfect skirt for summer; it's dressy enough to wear it to work but light enough for the weekends too. Looking at this picture now honestly I think my body looks good! My stomach is pretty flat. The amazing shrinking boobs taken into account, the only flab left in my body are on my arms, butt and legs. I can't wait to see the difference side-by-side once I get to my goal weight.

Item the third: Workout pants! These fit nicely around the stomach but probably a bit tight in the ass area. Definitely wearable though.

Item the fourth and fifth: A black shirt and pants combo. (This is actually the uniform that I wear when playing music in on the of the ensembles I'm a part of.) I totally forgot about those pants until I discovered them in the back of the closet last weekend and I'm relieved because the post-children black dress pants I have are getting seriously big on me.

That was all for now. I still have some favourite pre-children clothes lying around that don't fit quite yet. I hope I'll be able to update this when I get to goal (sooner or later).

First Weekend Loss

69.2kg this morning. Huh? First time I've seen a loss during the weekend EVER. I usually gain during the weekend. I did work out on Saturday but all in all my food choices weren't better than any other weekend. Very odd, but I'll take it.

Look at my ticker! My BMI is coming so close to me being classified as "normal". Yay! I know it's just a number and intellectually I know that I am perfectly healthy right now, but it will still feel like a victory when I cross that border.

I am starting to wear the clothes I had before I got pregnant with MiniMe again. They were stashed all the way in the back of my closet, but after trying on some stuff last week I noticed I am starting to fit in many things again! Not all of them mind you, but enough so I don't have to replace all my "fat" clothes. I'm thinking about doing an outfit post or something, to show off the stuff I'm able to wear again.

People are definitely commenting now, after a 7kg loss. Enigineer Daddy said I look good with my new "fit" body and my mother in law said "Wow, you just keep on losing, don't you?" It's certain they both noticed the loss before, but they are only commenting now. I love getting these compliments and I'm sure many people have already noticed but are just too shy or diplomatic to say anything.

Holding on

69.4kg this morning, hellz yes! Holding on to that loss, like I planned.

Nothing much else to report, really. Had a good day yesterday and played some awesome badminton.

Except off course new stats. I added the % of the way I have made it to my goal weight so far. Great motivation.

Height 165cm (5'5")
Starting weight 76.5kg (168.7lbs)
Starting BMI 28.1
Current weight 69.4kg (153lbs)
Current BMI 25.5
Lost weight 7.1kg (15.7lbs) - 56.8%
Goal weight 64kg (141lbs)
Goal BMI 23.5

Bye to the Seventies

69.7kg this morning yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!! Byebye seventies, I will NOT be missing you! Weren't the sixties the decade of peace and love? That sounds kinda good right now.

I had a GREAT day yesterday. Beautifully within my calorie count and I managed to squeeze in some exercise in during lunch. Usually on Wednesdays I do an evening run, but Engineer Daddy had a dinner with friends, so I anticipated and went running during my break (6K, 560 calories burned ;-)). In the evening I had a small portion of spaghetti leftovers, which was yummy.

Now I have to be super focused though so I don't go back up too quickly. I am feeling pumped today and my motivation is right where it needs to be.

In other news, I'm still watching YouTube videos about weight loss in the little spare time that I have. Right now I am going through the seasons of the Biggest Loser. It's so much fun! I have my doubts that it's completely healthy to lose that much weight so fast, but it's still fun TV to watch. Inspirational too.

Dear Boobs,

I know we've always had a love-hate relationship. When I was 13 and you started growing there were times that I resented you. You were quite large, covered with stretch marks and often uncomfortable. Over the years, I did grow to like and even love you. So can you please please stop shrinking right now? I'm loving the freedom of movement but all my bras are starting to become too big. I really don't want to spend my money on a new bra-collection, mmmkay?

Sincerely yours,
me.

Check me out

70.5kg this morning. Like I said, same thing as last week.

In more interesting news, I did a new longer distance today. Woot!

This running is becoming easier and easier. And fun, too. I am almost looking forward to lacing up my shoes in the evening and getting into the fresh air. Even more significant: It actually rained during the second half of my run yesterday, and I didn't even care. It even made me feel like a pro "Look at me, running in the rain like it doesn't bother me." I'm getting the runner's high more often now, that feeling like I could go on running for hours. All my muscles and joints are cooperating, no injuries so far. I know I should be careful not to push too hard, so I'm going to try and shoot for a regular distance of 10K and stay there for a while, to see how fast I can get it done. This is a new goal of mine.

While I was running I was actually thinking "The scale can suck it, check me out!!" But I do care what the scale says, unfortunately, even though intellectually I know it shouldn't matter that much. I have to start celebrating non scale victories as much as I do the ones on the scale. Maybe I should make a new ticker, one that is related to my running. I should probably think about that for a bit.

Plateau

4 days, I think that's the longest I've gone without posting in the past few weeks.

Don't worry though, no falling off the wagon for me, at least not yet. Weigh in summary: Friday 70.3kg, Sunday 71.1kg, this morning 71.3kg. It's like seeing last week's numbers coming around again. I've been taking some laxatives that are helping with the constipation, so I should not have a problem there. In conclusion: I think we can officially call this a plateau.

For now, I don't have time to think about elaborate ways to break this plateau-thingy. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and see what happens. Tomorrow I should have lost the weekend-bloat as usual, and we'll see how we go from there.

Feeling Shitty

70.2kg this morning. Ugh this suuuuucks!!! I mean, I'm happy the scales are going down but I'm literally feeling like SHIT today. This morning I was able to drop a deuce but I can feel there's still something in there that needs to get out. WHY DOESN'T IT GET OUT??? I'm bloated and crampy. For a moment yesterday I felt like Aunt Flo was coming over, but false alarm, it's just the constipation.

Speaking of Aunt Flo, it would seriously surprise me if she came to visit, since I haven't seen her for 2 years and 4 months now. I breastfed ZwitsalBaby for 9 months and then got Mirena, and haven't had a period in all that time. I know it's still possible she'll make a comeback, but I think it's unlikely.

If I haven't done a huuuge dump by the end of the workday, I'm stopping by the pharmacy because this shit's getting ridicolous.

Not That Easy

70.4kg this morning. Bummer. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit disappointed. Yesterday was a great day. I was within my allowed calorie intake AND I did a workout during my lunch break (gym, elliptical and treadmill). This is the first time since the start of the weight loss journey that I did not lose anything after such a great day. I was sooo anxious to get below 70kg too.

I can think of two things that might be the problem:
1. Once more, I'm a bit constipated. I haven't done a good number two in a few days now. I'm praying it happens today because I am becoming uncomfortable.
2. For dinner we had risotto yesterday. I had only a small portion, but there's a lot of fat and salt in there.

Anyway I know weight can fluctuate from day to day so I'm not going to let this derail me. I'm sticking to the plan. For today that's to drink a LOT of water and hope I can eliminate some of that shitty weight. I will see that 6 in front of my weight sometime this week, this I tell you now!!!

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Yesterday I was reading through my posts so far. Somehow I make it seem so easy, this weight loss thing. Well, it's not actually. And I'm not just saying this because I've had a disappointing weigh in this morning.

I have said no to a lot of food items that I would have eaten and enjoyed otherwise. To name a few:
- Easter chocolate in all shapes and sizes,
- pie with raspberries,
- an appel cake that looked extremely moist and delicious,
- ice cream,
- a chilled glass of rosé on a hot day,
- potato chips - which I LOVE,
- beer,
- cookies at the coffee machine at work, twice a day on every workday,
- rhubarb pie with mascarpone cream on the side.

Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's hard. Oftentimes I do want that treat but I decide it's just not worth it. Don't get me wrong; I say yes occasionnally, but more often I decide against it. Saying no to food is not becoming easier over time, either. I hoped that it would, but no not the case, unfortunately. Those chocolate eggs look just as yummy to me now as they did a month ago.

The exercise part is not a breeze either. There are times that I just want to fold on the couch and stay there for an entire evening instead of lacing up the running shoes. Luckily though, this part is getting easier. I do look forward to the workouts and running longer distances is becoming a very satisfying activity. That's probably because my physical condition is improving and I've lost some weight. The weather is also improving and it's light outside for a longer time. Side note: While at the gym yesterday, I did this "fitness test" that was available on the treadmill. It makes you run for a while and then measures your heartrate. You know what the machine said? Apparently I'm "elite". It made me laugh a little bit because it's definitely far too optimistic, but I'll take it as a sign that I'm on the right track.

So to sum up: It's not easy. But it is rewarding and I am determined to keep it up and meet my weight loss goal. I'm an optimistic person anyway and I don't dwell on the downsides of things. That's why most of this blog is so upbeat. Let's keep it that way.

People Noticing!

70.4kg this morning, and we're back on track. Yesterday was a really good day and I'm ready to make this a fantastic week.

This weight actually means I'm about halfway through this weight loss journey (see ticker). This is so exciting! I just have to make sure to stay focused and not let it slide.

Ahhh... nothing better than that shirtless hunk of manhood telling me to focus. Yes, darling.

In other news, last Friday I had dinner with my parents and sisters and they were congratulating me on the weight loss. Finally people are noticing!!! I can't be too surprised my colleagues don't notice since they are all men, but I still expected someone to see it. And it only took a weight loss of 6kg. Jeez. Just kidding, just kidding. I'm really extremely happy that they saw it. Gives me a confidence boost and the motivation to keep up the good work.

Good Weekend

71.1kg this morning. Up a little bit again, not as much as the previous weekend though. I'm happy with that, actually. It was Engineer Daddy's birthday, and there was cake and booze. I made good choices and I worked out on Saturday so IMO I handled it pretty well. Today I'm feeling good, no bloated icky feeling like last week; I'm totally ready to roll again today.

Monday evening I usually have my evening run. However Engineer Daddy has a work thing, so that won't be possible. My plan is to do a slightly shorter run during my lunch break. The weather is absolutely amazing today, so I have no excuse whatsoever. I'm almost looking forward to it, even. Also looking forward to seeing an even lower weight on the scale tomorrow. Wish me luck!!!

Update: So my lunch break run was OK, just a bit longer than expected. I took a wrong turn somewhere, tried to find an alternative route, but in the end I had to turn back. That resulted in a run that was 3km longer than expected. Woops! But it went good. I never felt out of breath or in pain. WIN!

Fries Hangover

70.5kg today, same as yesterday. I'm very happy with that. Especially since yesterday evening we ate fries. FRIES!!! It was a small portion, without extra salt and with just a little bit of ketchup, but still FRIES. I think it evened out because I was very conscious during the rest of the day, plus I drank plenty of water because I was afraid of the bloating.

I'm feeling a bit tired and I've got a headache today. We took the kids to a playground yesterday so I think it might be from standing and running around in the sun all day. Or I figure fatty foods give me a headache nowadays, so it's like a fries hangover? I hope it gets better because I would like to go for a run during lunch break.

Otherwise I don't have too much to blog about today. Just the stats! Quite happy to see my BMI is now 25.9. It's not that much lower than last week, but I see that magical "overweight" barrier 25 slowly coming closer. I know it's only a number, but I will still be extremely relieved once I'm on the other side.

Height 165cm (5'5")
Starting weight 76.5kg (168.7lbs)
Starting BMI 28.1
Current weight 70.5kg (155.4lbs)
Current BMI 25.9
Lost weight 6kg (13.3lbs)
Goal weight 64kg (141lbs)
Goal BMI 23.5