MFP 1-Year Anniversary

Stats:
Height: 5'5"
SW: 201
CW: 156
GW: 150

The first shot here is the closest thing I have to a "before" picture. I also had a heckuva cold that day.



I was tied for sixth oldest climber among the 116 participants who had registered online for Sunday's event. An additional 28 people (ages unknown) registered at the door.

I've been a lifelong yo-yo. I know how to take the weight off really well! My main challenge is keeping it off. To that end, I've been focusing on sustainability, otherwise known as making things easy on myself, combined with working on better stress responses.

Here's how this weight loss compares with past ones:


In the current shot, I'm wearing the same jersey as I had in '95 and the same pants as I had in '02. The purple jersey from '02 fits me, but is very snug.

What worked for me this time around:

1. Slow weight loss goal -- I set my goals based on losing a half pound per week. Actual average has been about 4/5 pound per week, with my weight loss pace slowing as I get closer to my goal weight. I've logged in under my calorie goal most of the time, without feeling hungry.

I've set no deadlines; I'll get there when I get there. I weigh myself daily and don't let the fluctuations on the scale bother me. I update on MFP when my weight has dropped. Longest plateau so far (meaning my weight goes up-down-up-down-up-down) has been 28 days.

Here's what my progress looks like as of two months ago:


I've lost an additional three pounds since I generated the graph. I also gauge my progress with fat calipers:


They currently show me at 29.2% body fat, which is on the high end of "ideal" for a woman my age:

Source: Accu-Measure

2. Eating back at least part of my exercise calories. My current goal is to NET 1,430 calories/day, which is total calories consumed minus exercise calories burned.

3. Ditching most processed foods and eating plenty of fresh produce. Fresh produce provides more water and fiber, which are filling. Their natural sugars satisfy me, without the cravings I used to get from processed sugars.

To deal with my cravings at the beginning, I used what I call bridge foods. Here's an example:


Raisins gave me the sweetness I craved but not the fat of chocolate. However, they were still calorie-dense. I then moved from raisins to grapes and typically eat two cups of grapes after my workout.

This pretty much represents my staple foods:

I've had that food scale (sitting on the cheddar) since the 70s.

4. Making sure I get enough in my macros, especially protein. If I feel as though I'm flagging, I usually reach for a protein-dense food. Eating a can of tuna before my workout can make a huge difference in my energy level. If my fat grams are low I'll eat something like peanuts. I've had to learn to recognize what my body needs and when. For example, if I need fats and eat carbs, I might still be hungry; if I need fats and eat fats, I'm satisfied with the same caloric intake.

5. Grabbing as much control as possible over what I eat. I'm a caregiver, so I drive my caree to medical appointments including those 75 miles away. She always has to eat either before or after the appointment (or both), so I carry my own food with me in a cooler:


My typical "cooler lunch" is 4 slices of crispbread, a can of chicken, and an orange or banana. Greenery waits until I get home; less preparation that way.

If I'm at a restaurant, potluck, or in another less-controllable situation, I don't sweat it. It's a day or just a meal. Afterwards I get right back on track.

6. Making exercise accessible and enjoyable. For me that means having my equipment (mainly a Magne-Trainer mini-bike) right here at my desk. Everything -- bike, music, video, towel, water -- is within arm's reach. On Sept. 1 I celebrated a full year of regular exercise, with a total of 321.5 hours and 31 rest days, including a week off for that bad head cold. (The mini-bike accounted for more than 3/4 of my workout hours.)

As of this date (and prior to today's workout) I've logged 3122.5 miles on that puppy since Sept. 1, 2012.

I took rest days both before and after Sunday's climb. Last night I lowered the resistance on my bike and increased my speed because I've still got DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness). Soreness didn't stop me; it just made me change my routine a bit.

Back in 1995, my level of physical activity was unsustainable; once that dropped off the extra calories I was eating continued and I packed the pounds back on. Back in 2001-2002 I had lost 60 pounds on a low-carb diet, which was also unsustainable; eventually my stress-eating shot through the roof.

These days I am striving for balance and for habits I can stick with for life.