Weight Loss Update!

As far back as I can remember, all through high school, college, and in my 20s, I weighed 107 pounds. Yes, of course I would gain a few pounds here and there, during the holidays and vacation, but watching what I eat, drinking more water, and increasing my physical activity for few weeks afterward, I was able to bring my weight right back to 107.

It was just before my 31st birthday when I realized that I had gained a lot of weight and it was neither around holidays, nor had I gone on vacation! I think I was just a few pounds shy of 120 and even my baggy clothes were getting uncomfortable!

One day while eating lunch with my coworker/friend I complained that I had gained a lot of weight. She looked at me and said that I looked great, but encouraged me to join her gym. She said we could workout together after work, everyday. She also suggested lowcarb way of eating.

So I joined her gym, switched to lowcarb diet, and so started my obsession with my weight and the weight fluctuation that continued for about seven years! Yes, I would lose weight, but then during a busy time at work, or holidays, I not only gain all that I had lost, I would gain a few more pounds for good measure!

I am not exaggerating if I say that in that seven year period, all my free time was spend thinking about how can I lose weight! My mind was always on two issues: my eating method, how effective it is, and my exercises regime, how effective it is! I read so many diet and exercise books and tried all that was suggested, but I failed at them all.

In my 20s during the stressful time at work, I would lose weight, because I just couldn't eat. In my 30s during the stressful time at work, I wanted to eat and eat and eat some more!

So you can imagine that when I gave up my gym membership at the end of last August, how concerned I was! I thought I had gained, on the average, eight pounds a year, with all the exercises I did, and all of my efforts to eat right. I thought now, with being busy at school, and no gym, I was going to see 200 pounds for sure by the time I was done with school!

But a pleasant surprise happened! I became so concerned about my finances after I quit my job, that I started watching my grocery spending very carefully! I never paid that much attention to my bills. Yes, I had budget everything, but my budget was initially set based on how much I had spent, so it was more of estimation than reduction. After becoming unemployed, I was trying to reduce my budget, preferably bring it close to zero, lol.

During the first semester, I lived on Atkins bar! I had one for breakfast with my coffee, and 2-3, but mostly 2, during the day, with lots of water. My mid morning yogurt, and mid afternoon mocha was out of the question with my student status. Eating out a few times a week was also out, including Friday's pizza with my best friends which I missed the most! On that note, actually we are trying to revive our Friday's get together since I am not that strapped for cash anymore!

Anyhow, at night, I had one serving of a lowcarb dish that I had made during a weekend, and had divided it into reasonable servings and froze. In the morning, I put one serving out to warm up at night. Everything else was frozen, so I could easily talk myself out of defrosting another serving.

My only form of exercise was my commute to school. I live about 15 minutes walk away from the bus stop, so that was at least half an hour of walk every day.

By the end of my first semester I had lost almost 13 pounds. Then the holidays came around and I gained a few pounds, but afterward, I lost all that I had gained, plus one more, and by the time I started the second semester I had lost over 14 pounds.

During the second semester I switched to a vegetarian diet because of my limited kitchen. I started drinking freshly made juices or smoothies for breakfast. Snack on natural peanut butter on whole grain bread. I took banana, apples, or tangerine to school instead of Atkins bars, and made green salad with homemade dressing for lunch. For dinner I made vegetarian soup or chili and sometimes had it with whole grain bread. Yes, I eat more during the second semester, but my goal was to survive with limited kitchen capability while eating vegetarian.

I also made a pact with myself to walk at least 3 miles, and up to 5 miles, a day. Rain or snow, freezing or not, I told myself, I could walk at least 3 miles. So in the mornings I walked a few stops further to make sure I had walked for about 45 minutes, another 15 minutes was grantee at night. It was not easy, but I was determined!  Maybe just a handful of days, I could not make it to 3 miles during the entire second semester. I am very proud of this accomplishment.

Also during the second semester, because it got dark and freezing early in the evening, I usually left school little after 5 pm to make it home before 6. After the days got longer, I decided to continue this, and on March 13th I started a walk/run routine after I got home, since it was still light. I started with 1 minute run/2 minute walk repeated 6 times with 5 minute warm up and 5 minute cool down, and now I can run 40 minute straight, a little over 5K.

I am so happy to report that in the second semester I lost over 17 pounds for the total of more than 32 pounds since September 1st. So basically I lost about 3.75 pounds a month, during the past 8.5 months. That is a very slow pace I know, but I think slow and steady has worked for me!

What makes this accomplishment sweet, lol, is that I did not make any effort to lose weight! It was because of my new lifestyle that it happened. First semester the stress of staring school, and also for economical reasons I eat less. And second semester, because I set a goal to run a race this coming fall, I needed to start walking, and not having a stove or big refrigerator to cook and freeze my meals, I stared eating more fresh fruits and vegetables.

I have to say, I blend in more at school these days, lol; I think I look younger, lol. My complexion, because of healthy eating, has become clear and youthful, and being thinner, makes you look younger I guess, lol.

I was very embarrassed to admit how much I weighted back in September, but now that I have gotten to a more reasonable number I am not too embarrassed to say that I was up to 163! Seriously! On a small framed 5'4" tall woman, that was a lot of weight to carry around. I am now down to 131. So yes, I am more than half way to the weight my body was comfortable with less than a decade ago!

My plan is to continue my vegetarian way of eating, my runs during the week, my long run on the weekend, and walking everywhere else, all through the summer and into the fall semester. I am very motivated, for one because of my younger sister's upcoming wedding, and two because of the new man in my life. Anyhow, hopefully by the end of the year, my body shall settle on a number that is comfortable for my age. I don't necessarily want to make it back to 107. If my body still likes it there now, in my late 30s, so be it! But if I can't maintain it there, I don't want to get there. I want a weight that I would be able to easily maintain and not obsessed over ever again.

Have a great weekend.