Lost 9lbs in 3 weeks during school break... Now to keep it off and keep going

futurecowvet

I got to travel home for my 3 week break this August. It was the first time I had been home for any part of summer since 2013 and while I was home I lost 9lbs over the 3 weeks. In all honesty I hadn't really been watching what I was eating, I think it was more a matter of the stress was down, it was gorgeous out and I wanted to be outside with my animals and that healthy options were not only available but affordable (compared to the island I've been living).

I'm back on the island now and while I still have a ways to go in regards to getting back to the weight I was at when I found this site which I am going to try to be better about using continuously again.

So here are the current changes I've made since I've gotten back to school on this little island that is home for another 4 months...
1) I moved - in a way I kinda regret this decision as I am entering the most stressful semester and as it is classes have started and I'm about half way through the stuff I was able to move but there are still items in storage as I am waiting to get those large, heavy items scheduled with someone with a vehicle that can move them in one trip as my previous landlord requested.
2) My new apartment is across the street from school so I'm walking rather than driving. I'm hauling a backpack that is on an easy day 20lbs and am usually walking in temperatures of >80 degrees so I increased the time I estimate on my tracker a little (anyone know any good iPad apps that will work without an internet connection for tracking your walk?)
3) My apartment has no internet, part of this is due to the fact that I have 4 months left on the island and one provider doesn't work during the peak hours when I'd actually be using it and the other requires a 1 year contract and since I'm across the street I can access the internet on campus for free (I'm hoping this will result in me being more productive and also more active as I'm going to have to walk to campus for internet (I am still currently driving when I plan on being campus after 7pm and it is dark as my family is worried about me walking home)

Here are the challenges however...
1) this semester the schedule is crazy, every morning and afternoon I will be responsible for checking at least 2 animals starting next week and going through November (some weeks I will have more). I will be standing when performing surgery for roughly 3hours not counting the prep and clean up/recovery periods and the schedule is just everywhere
2) at the moment most of my food is in a barrel in storage and I'm currently at a loss for what to have for dinner as all i have is cereal, and canned ravioli and during the semester I need to come up with healthy, easy to make either CrockPot or fast dinners (as well as lunches) that will also meet my goal of being under my calorie goals each day (any recipe ideas would be great, especially lunches that don't require refrigeration or heating).
3) keeping the stress level in check - there is just so much to do, that on the first day I already feel lost and overwhelmed and I've been in this school since May 2013. Today was the first day since I got back on Saturday that I actually found myself starting to stress eat and while I managed to catch myself and had no more than 1 serving of the ice cream I bought I can't let this start back up.

Even if I can just drop 1 pound a week I'd be happy.

KrisiAnnH

From what I can tell from this post, you seem to like to be organised (just going from the methodical approach and the lists here) which means if you manage to find the time in what sounds like a very busy schedule, prelogging your meals may work well for you? I know when things are super busy for me it helps to have some food made up in advanced; I'll bulk cook things like chilli, bolognaise, curry etc and be able to grab it if I don't have time to cook.

As for 1lb a week that's a great goal to have! Having lost 9lbs in 3 weeks that's quite a lot to lose so fast, as 2lbs a week is the recommended max loss, but as you're just starting out I wouldn't worry too much; people tend to lose faster at first due to water weight etc.

All the other things you've described like walking to campus etc sound like great ideas good luck!

futurecowvet

I'm currently in the process of trying to plan out my meals for 2 weeks out, it's just a matter of trying to balance my time and also trying to figure out what I currently have and what I need to go out and purchase/if it's available on the island. I'm looking into the Crockpot freezer type meals since I currently have a programmable crockpot