6 weeks in and my story so far

joshuamhort

I have been doing this off and on for a while now, but on July 11 this year, I decided to actually be serious about my weight loss goals. I wasn't sure starting off if I would just use it to track my exercise, or to log food and exercise, because I had no control over the food that was brought into the house. In the end, I decided to log the food, since I could at least monitor how much of the bad stuff I ate. Even then, I would sometimes...ahem..."forget" to log something, and occasionally I still do, but try not to.

Anyway, I want to lose the weight fast (not unhealthy fast), because I have career goals that require a healthy weight and fitness level. I am going for a Master's degree in Criminal Justice and am aiming to get to that level by the time I am done in 20 months. So, I set MFP to lose 2 lbs. a week, and when I have a chance to weigh myself I find that I am doing a pretty awesome job at losing that weight. I may be half a lb. off track, but then my last weigh-in wasn't exactly accurate since it was mid-day after having eaten and been working. You guys know how it goes, so I could have actually been higher, but could have been lower too. I tracked it anyway. My problem though was that while I was losing the weight, I was not losing inches (anywhere I was measuring at least). I looked around on the boards here for some inspiration and figure out why that may be.

Here is what I found out. People often primarily measure one specific area, like hips or waist. They tend to lose focus on measuring other things like neck or arms. Should have thought of tat sooner, since my shirts are fitting me differently around the collar, but alas, hindsight is 20/20. But, aha! Found a possible culprit! I immediately went in to the track weight loss and looked, sure enough, I had it set to track only neck, waist, and hips. I decided that I needed to add a few measurements, like upper and lower arms, thigh, and calf. I then proceeded to take my measurements for all that I am tracking, and have lost a bit here and there.

I have lost:
0.5" from waist
1" from hips

but have gained 1" in my neck. Don't understand it, but it happened (I think, I may just be measuring differently). My shirts fit looser around my neck and shoulders, so I don't know what is going on. My lower neck and collar area is also slowly becoming more defined. I don't quite know what to make of that, but I won't worry about it.

I just started taking the other measurements, so don't know if I have lost anything from them or not. I think I have because my pants like to slide down a lot easier than they did before.

So I am excited to have lost 12.5 lbs so far AND finally been able to measure a difference in my weight with a tape measure and will not forget to track the other measurements now. It isn't much of a success yet, but it is enough for the moment to know my weight loss attempt is not in vain. And while I do have before and during pictures, there isn't any noticeable difference in them to justify putting them up yet. Maybe in a couple months when I finish with Insanity.

LesleeBeAlive

Good job! Keep it up!

gerripho

You'll get there! It's good to have goals to shoot for and it sounds like you've got your head screwed on straight. Never give up and you'll make it.

econut2000

Great job! Sounds like you have a major goal in mind (job) and are working towards it! Don't forget that while you're working towards that goal, you are also working towards making yourself healthy! Sometimes our bodies are stubborn and don't want to drop the weight as fast as we want them to....don't let it discourage you. You got this!

Rayzback

You sound determined, have a solid plan, and are getting good results... Sounds like the start of a successful journey to me!

LosingWeight4Good

x standing ovation x

You are doing it every day. The measurements will get easier with practice. Keep feeling motivated by how your clothes are fitting differently. I am so excited for you! This is the beginning of your new, healthy lifestyle. Enjoy every minute! I know that sounds weird, but in 6 months when you look back and SEE progress, you will feel proud of your focus and dedication through the hard times.

jazee11

Super success for such a small amount of time!



Great start, look forward to hearing more of your story as it unfolds.

ALW65

Great job with the weight loss!

Regarding measurements, I have a hard time with consistency in measuring too. What I finally did was have my daughter double check that the tape measure was level all around the area I'm measuring, and I used landmarks to make sure I measure the exact same spot each time.

For instance, you may say:
2" below the right earlobe for the neck
5" below the edge of the brastrap for the bicep

That's helped me a lot so I thought it might be useful for you - keep up the fine work!

emyjeter

12 pounds in 6 weeks is great! Sounds like you are right on track!