Success is not a straight line, 20 lbs loss in 100 days

Didn't know where to post this, if in success stories or here.
Although I consider it a success it's only partial as I have much more weight to lose.
In any case I thought this could be helpful for anyone, newbies and veterans alike because even though we know this journey is not a straight shot to our goal sometimes graphical representation of data can be very helpful to not lose hope when the scale just won't budge.

I've highlighted several mayor incidents over this past 100 days for me.

1) When you start paying attention to what you eat and exercising a little more you get a big drop at the beginning. For me it was 7 lbs in one week.

2) That pace is not sustainable. Over the long run my weight loss has been more like 1.5 lbs a week.

3) In one weekend of careless eating you can undo a whole week of progress. If you believe in 'cheat meals' or 'cheat days' and can recover from them good for you! but for some a bad meal turns into a bad day into a bad week into a bad month... you get the idea. I don't deprive myself of anything I like/want. I just measure it and log it. I exercise portion control. And while I may have a big meal here or there I don't plan or believe in the idea of 'cheat meals'. Who are you cheating anyway? you know about it, your body very knows about it. Again if it works for you do it.

4) When we seat down and calculate our daily intake and what we plan to do for exercise we rarely account for sick days or off days for any other reasons like a flat tire, sick relative, unexpected appts. etc. When I got a cold I was so discouraged that for 3 whole weeks my weight only seemed to go up but I didn't completely drop my eating and exercise routine. I only missed one week. The one where I got sick. So after three weeks I saw a big drop. My body had finally responded. What would have happened if I quit 2-1/2" weeks after my cold?

5) I started to feel my clothes looser and I felt slimmer but I felt bloated somehow. I decided to join a gym to do strength training to put on some muscle. I didn't like the feel of all this loose skin around me. I started to eat a little more as well. My body fat started to go down a little faster. And my body kept shrinking but you don't see this on the scale, only if it measures body fat %.

6) In the last few days the weight keeps dropping even after eating more while my body fat percentage keeps dropping.

I still have quite a long way to go. I plan to eventually bring my body fat % to under 10. But doing a review of this past 100 days shows me that 1) I can do it! and 2) I may not get there in one clean straight shot but there will be many up and downs.

If you find this helpful please drop a comment