Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Getting Fit Project Update: Halfway There!

I officially started my Lifestyle Adjustment on March 8 with the goal of losing 40 pounds by August (five months from then).  We're about halfway through now, and this morning, I officially hit the 20 pound mark.  Woot for me!  How that looks in real life: I lost 3 inches from my waist, 2 inches from my hips, an inch from each thigh and an inch from my bust.  That's 8 inches from the areas that I measure.  All the Boat Clothes I bought before our cruise in March are too big, which needs to be filed in the "Good Problems to Have" folder.

I'm finding it slower going now, but I expected that.  Your body eventually gets used to the new food regimen, and will adapt to it.  So I need to switch things up - eat often, to keep my metabolism going, for example.  And I read that up to 70% of your metabolism is determined by how much water you drink, so I'm drinking loads of water these days - at least two liters a day.  I pee all the time, but after being pregnant, I'm kind of used to that.

And I'm still hungry.  Seriously, I've said it before and I'll say it again.  All those people who say you can lose weight without being hungry are absolute liars.  I'm perpetually hungry.  But I'm getting used to it, and I don't go to bed thinking I'm going to die overnight if I don't eat a big bowl of cereal before I go to sleep anymore.  I'm eating about 1800 calories/day which generally includes at least one really big spinach salad for dinner.  If it were up to me, I'd be eating 3000 calories a day, half of that made up of cake and icing.

The thing that's worth it, though?  I went up to the attic on Sunday and got down a box of clothes I haven't been able to wear since 2004, and most of them fit.  

The big downside?  I'm noticing fine lines in my cheeks now, which I suppose have always been there but I didn't notice because of the extra weight.  So now I get to buy anti-wrinkle cream.  Sigh.

It's a Reward Day though, and my 10 Pound Reward this round is a new phone.  I'm getting myself down to the Verizon store quick-like.  New gadgets and old clothes are totally worth being hungry for!