Two NSVs!

tpfoodie

So I've been trying to lose weight since January, and overall it's been a pretty depressing run. Time constraints, finishing grad school, moving to a new city and getting a new job have all been pretty taxing and have made it hard to keep a routine - especially when I wasn't seeing results.

I started by swimming a few days a week and counting calories, but I initially only lost about 8 pounds after a few months of work. Then I moved to a new city where, for a while, I had no kitchen and no food storage space. I ate all of my meals at restaurants and didn't have the money to afford a gym membership.

In September, I finally settled down in a nice place that's about 25 minutes from a gym that I fell in love with. It's very expensive, but I've finally decided that my health is worth it. I've been going 3-4 times a week to do group fitness classes, strength training circuits, yoga, cardio... you name it. And I've been frustrated because I hadn't been losing any weight. The scale has barely budged.

But then!

Over the summer I bought a dress online in a size I usually wear. It didn't fit (of course), and I was disappointed. Yesterday I felt as though I had nothing to wear so I pulled the dress on. Ta-dah! It was a little tight around the arms (I was wearing a sweater so I didn't care) but it fit perfectly around my waist. As I looked at myself in the mirror I realized that other things had been fitting differently too - my work blazers, normally tight on my arms and a bit difficult to squeeze into, have been sliding on and off my shoulders with eaze. The same with other dresses and shirts. One pair of my pants is no longer professional attire because they are too baggy below the waist. Woohoo!

This morning was when I noticed a real change. I don't consider myself lethargic, but I'm not a "run" person. I don't run. I can hustle, but I rarely run. This morning I was walking to catch the bus - and I saw it at the stoplight before the stop a block and a half down. I wasn't going to catch it. Without a second thought I ran the rest of the block, across the street (I was watching for traffic) and down to the stop. I beat the bus by about 30 seconds. While I was standing there feeling pretty puffed up and proud of myself for catching the bus, I realized that I had actually a) run and b) run without becoming winded.

This process has been disheartening because I never had the big losses that many people do at the beginning. My journey to health has been slow and unsteady. But I'm really excited to finally feel a bit of success!

ohaston

Great NSVs!
My suggestion would be to just keep at it ... but here's a little boost that I know works well for me ...
Yesterday I just finished a three day detox in which I ate only raw fruits and vegetables along with water and lemon . ( I did continue to have a cup of coffee) but that was all.
I had been struggling with the scale for WEEKS and working out and eating pretty well but still the scale didn't budge.
Well, mid day on the first day, i was losing a RIVER of water weight and today (which is my first day back on reg aka cooked foods and Im still not done flushing out all the water) .
I will not say just yet how much weight I have lost because it was truly a lot and some of it may come back as soon as I start eating normally again.
However, I know processed AND high sodium foods can cause MOST to retain water. Try to cut it out for as long as possible.
My motto at the beginning of this journey was " if it doesn't grow, i won't eat it" and the weight along with the craving quickly started to vanish. It wasn't until i started just eating whatever ( within calorie range of 1500 of course) that I stopped losing weight .
I agree totally with calorie in calorie out ... BUT the less processed and the less sodium for ME really makes a difference.
Best of luck ... You will do this!.
For dinner tonight, Im going to stiry fry the rest of the raw veggies but Im going to add some grilled chicken breasts.