Just Give Me 10 Days ~|~ Round 145

Congrats to all for finishing another 10 days focused on improving your health! Thank you for your support and inspiration!

23 March-01 April 2021 (Round 145) SW: 196.4 / GW: 193 / EW: 197

About me

Day, Weight, Comment

3/23 – 196.4 – 13,908 steps, 40 min aerobics yesterday. Another stressful job interview today. Hope I don’t get so nervous that I blow it again. Another presentation for this one. Also hope I don’t drink entire bottle of wine afterward.

3/24 – 198.2 – 10,208 steps, 20 min aerobics yesterday. Job interview rescheduled after preparing all day. Now I get to do it again tomorrow. Ate some scary delivery tacos last night that are still sitting undigested in my system. Fasting today.

3/25 - 195.4 - 13,438 steps yesterday. Fasted yesterday so I know this drop is temporary but it still feels like progress to have finally dropped below 196. I really, really, really would like to be at or below 195 April 1. A challenging schedule the next week, but I’ll find a way! Please lord let me finish with this job interview today. Then I write a press release Saturday for this job, then I can focus on my current job. Sheesh. Job seeking is tough. Also finalized application to secondary licensure program yesterday and may be enrolling in a summer course if neither of the jobs I’m still in the running for hires me.

3/26 – 197.8 – 10,222 steps yesterday. Eek. Drank almost a whole bottle of wine last night. Not feeling great today! It was really stressful preparing for yesterday’s job interview. I don’t think the job is a good fit for me and I’m focusing now on educator licensure. I quit my marketing job 5 years ago to focus on teaching with the goal of transitioning from higher ed adjunct to secondary English teacher, and I’m finally doing that. It’s been a winding path. Through my education degree I learned how hard it is and that made me rethink my choice, but it’s my passion. This challenge is like my personal diary. TMI alert. Health is more than weight, though. I am going to finish up the application process for this job, but I am 99% sure they’re looking for a more polished and slick PR professional, which I am not and have no desire to be. The job is in education and I’d love to do it, but, well, we’ll see. I really would like to have the freedom to go to the beach as much as I want this summer. Life is short.

3/27 –17,254 steps yesterday

3/28 – 10,463 steps yesterday

3/29 – 199.4 – 10,296 steps yesterday. Well, my phone died while we were out walking, so actually about 5,000 more steps than that. Got my first vaccination Friday and haven’t been 100% since then. I’ve decided I don’t want the marketing job. The vibe was weird with the people there and I feel pretty sure it is a toxic environment. That’s not to say any other job wouldn’t be, but I am not feeling it. I’m not finishing the process. I already wasted too much time on it. I want to give my brain and heart to something more worthwhile. I’m going all in for teaching. I need to rant a little bit because I don’t know what the hell is going on with me right now. In November I totaled my 2017 Subaru and have been driving my old 2006 since then, but haven’t felt safe (steering felt off but alignment, etc. didn’t fix it). Finally last week the clutch started giving out, so I brought it in and they replaced the clutch, flywheel, and the axles, which were totally destroyed. It was good to find out that the weirdness with steering wasn’t my imagination, but now I’ve put more than $4,000 into this car since I started driving it again (new snow tires, windshield, maintenance, etc.), which I wanted to avoid. So, car failure. Fixed. At the same time this was happening, my phone – whose battery hasn’t held a charge right for more than a year – stopped connecting to the cellular network. It won’t update; or it does, but still won’t connect. So I’ve had no ability to use my phone’s cellular data since last Wednesday. Bringing it in today. Friday my sewer mainline backed up. For those who haven’t had the pleasure, this means that sewage comes up through your lowest drains, typically bathtubs and showers. I’m trying to clear this myself but so far no luck. Also having WiFi issues. I know I’m really lucky in a lot of ways, but it just seems so odd that we’ve got the car, plumbing, and phone going haywire all at once. Also super fat right now. No excuse. I know, I know. Haven’t been able to do much cooking with no ability to drain water. Ate pretty badly yesterday. Rant over. Need to get to work and prepare for a fun, fun, fun appointment at the Apple Genius bar. Boyfriend and I are both vaccinated now and have appointments for our second dose. We have made it through this year without contracting COVID or completely losing our minds – so far. Just a few more weeks and we will feel safer. Really hoping we can make it through the next few weeks and beyond without getting sick. Going to go to the bathroom in a bucket now.

3/30 – 199.8 – 10,847 steps yesterday. Totally off the rails. Fasting today. Hope this will re-set my system a bit and that I can get back into a normal pattern and focus on health goals. Not expecting to end this round anywhere near my goal, but there’s always next round! Today’s goal: at least 40 min aerobics and 10 min weights in addition to steps.

3/31—196.4 – 11,103 steps, 20 min aerobics yesterday. Technology and mechanical stuff still crashing around me. Up since 3 a.m. today and hoping my computer will update and I can do a little video workout before starting the day.

4/01 – 197 – 11,415 steps, 20 min aerobics yesterday. Boo for ending this round up from my start weight and four pounds above my goal. Yay for getting all my steps and more every day; getting vaccinated; fixing my phone issues after much time, effort, and money $$; getting my car fixed $$$; fixing my plumbing; doing a kick-*kitten* presentation for a job I realized I didn’t want after investing two full days preparing; and recommitting to a career as a teacher, which is what I was meant to do. Just waiting to hear back from the secondary licensure program at my school to see if I was accepted. Getting my hair done today!

Goals and Rewards

Round 145

Age: 39
Height: 5’ 3”
SW: 163
CW: 124.8
GW: 125

GW for this round: 124-125

Round 135 (10): 136.6 to 133.6 (-3.0 lbs)
Round 136 (11): 133.6 to 133.2 (-0.4 lbs)
Round 137 (12): 133.2 to 131.8 (-1.4 lbs)
Round 138 (13): 131.8 to 130.2 (-1.6 lbs)
Round 139 (14): 130.2 to 128.8 (-1.4 lbs)
Round 140 (15): 128.8 to 127.4 (-1.4 lbs)
Round 141 (16): 127.4 to 128.2 (+0.8 lbs)
Round 142 (17): 128.2 to 125.8 (-2.4 lbs)
Round 143 (18): 125.8 to 124.4 (-1.4 lbs)
Round 144 (19): 124.4 to 124.8 (+0.4 lbs)

Goals for this round:

- Weigh every three days
- Add 1/3 of exercise calories to daily calorie goal

3/23 - 124.6 - I’m in for one more round as I continue to get maintenance figured out. I was higher than I’d have liked last round - I was expecting to drop a little rather than gain, but the round included multiple high calorie days and it’s too soon to see a regular trend. I’m going to try and continue to spread out the weigh-ins to see if I can get used to it, but I’ll revisit the idea at the end of the round. I may just feel better weighing each day since it gives me more data. For calories - I kind of geeked out with a spreadsheet, but I’ve figured out my average daily calories before exercise and I plan to aim for 1840 (my daily activity calories) plus 1/3 of my exercise calories. That should generally come to around 1950 each day.

03/24 - DNW - TOM started today and it kind of snuck up on me this time. I guess I’ve attributed the increase/lack of decrease on the scale to other things, and any increased hunger was masked as I let myself eat more calories. I’m definitely feeling it today though - hopefully the kids will be happy with playing in the backyard so I can rest a bit. If not, I may have to resort to some Daniel Tiger. 😂

03/25 - DNW - Beautiful sunny day! Trying to spend as much of it outside as possible. Snacked a bit more than I intended last night for game night, but I don’t think I did too much damage. We’re getting takeout bbq tonight though, which may impact the scale tomorrow.

03/26 - 124.2 - Took my daughter to her allergist for a skin test this morning; it confirmed what we already suspected: she’s allergic to seafood (fish & shellfish). This is in addition to allergies to tree nuts and several legumes like chickpeas and lentils. It’s easy enough to manage at home, though this will make it tougher - I’ll have to prepare a chicken serving for her whenever we have seafood - but knowing she’s going to be dealing with these all her life hurts my heart. I’m trying so hard to teach her that food isn’t “bad” or “good” but I have to balance that with teaching her there are foods she simply cannot ever have.

Otherwise - weight was good this morning and I got in a solid leg workout before we had to leave. I’m hoping to do a core workout tonight but it’s also “movie night”. I’ll be skipping the popcorn; it always gets in my teeth and we’re having leftover takeout so I’m short on calories (and I’d rather have chocolate than popcorn)

03/27 - DNW
03/28 - DNW - Forgot to check in yesterday, and almost forgot to check in today! I’ve been avoiding MFP this weekend - I log in at night to fill in the info for the day, but I wanted to see how I’d do with not logging everything throughout the day. I guess I’m a creature of habit, because I did just fine staying within my calorie goals. Let’s see what the scale shows tomorrow.

03/29 - 124.6 - Holding steady, which is great especially since we had pizza for dinner last night. It feels natural now to only have two small pieces and a large salad with it instead of 4+ slices! Still higher in sodium than I’d like but the scale number is still good. Did some workouts this morning (HIIT and weighted arms/core) that were both boxing inspired - so much fun! I’ve got to find more like those.

03/30 - 123.6 - This is why I think I’m
going back to weighing daily! I “cheated” and weighed in this morning since I was curious if the sodium in the pizza really was making an impact. And clearly, it was! That’s my biggest fear with weighing only once a week: if there is something that skews the scale just on that one day, I’ll spend the next week worrying about what caused it - was it really water weight from sodium? Or hormonal? Or am I really starting to trend upwards again? Weighing daily captures all the ups and downs but I’d rather have more insight into them than be left wondering.

03/31 - 123.4 - Had a beautiful day yesterday, and today looks to be the same. We went out and picked up an order from Target - including new dumbbells for me! I’ve actually gotten to the point where I need higher weights. I’m planning to do a 10-week program starting on April 5th - hoping to continue to get stronger while keeping the weight off. Our other great news is that both my husband and I were able to sign up for our COVID vaccine appointments last night - his is on Friday; mine is Monday! So excited to finally see a light at the end of this long dark tunnel of the past year.

04/01 - 124.0 - Had some snacks late last night, so not surprised that the scale is up a bit this morning. My average weight is still going down though, and my HappyScale trend is also still declining. So I’m still losing weight, although slower than before. I’ll bump up to aiming for 2050 calories a day next and see how that goes. And back to weighing every day!

Total Round Loss: -0.8 lbs

Starr
Age 39 Height: 5.8
Highest Weight: 229.6 (March 2016)
January 1st 2020 226.5
January 1st 2021 195.5
Ultimate Goal Weight 175 by August 2021

March goal is just to get back on track.
Steps Goal 329308 steps out of 400,000 82.3%

Round 140 SW: 192.1 EW: 190.5 -1.6
Round 141 SW: 190.5 EW: 192.5 +2
Round 142 SW: 192.5 EW: 192.6 +0.1
Round 143 SW: 192.6 EW: 195.7 +3.1
Round 144 SW: 195.7 EW: 196.8 +1.1
Round 145 SW: 196.8 EW: 194.2 -2.6



03/23 195.8 Some of the salt is gone but I am still sore today. I realize with me missing days that my numbers were way off I have posting in round 143 for round 144. So I corrected and am starting Round 145. Meanwhile I don’t think I can make my step goal but I will continue to try.
03/24 195.5 I am still sore today. It is mostly my hamstrings but it is a good soreness. It does make things a bit harder to complete my cardio. The last day or two I have been thinking about how to increase protein and veggies and reduce my carbs. It is not just about getting rid of sweets in my house. I realize that potatoes, rice, pasta have increased in consumption in my household. I need less of that and more veggies, more protein. So today my salad which is usually just 4 to 6 leafs of romaine, I included almost a cup of spinach and arugula as well. It’s much bigger. I also included lots of cucumbers and green peppers. I am having homemade spicy shrimp tacos for dinner today. Plus I got to 83 oz of water yesterday!
03/25 194.6 It was totally worth those tacos. It was spicy enough to make my nose run. The salad made me feel very full and very satisfied. I will be breaking out the big bowl for salads going forward.
03/26 197.1 So this the result of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Too much cheese, milk or cream does not agree with me but apparently I am not lactose intolerance. When I make a grilled ham and cheese I use one maybe one and a half slices of cheese but I let someone make it and the weight gain is bloating. TMI, but other than that I had a wonderful calorie day. I had 83 ounce of water and a low calorie dinner.
03/27 DNW. Twas to busy. Didn’t get an official workout but ran to the eye doctor with my son. I mean literally ran with him. They keep me hopping quite a bit.
03/28 195.9 I am on my way down. Sunday I did laundry
03/29 195.0 Slept in this morning because my daughter was up crying last night. Had to hightail into work to get to work on time.
03/30 194.2 No joke. Imagine finding out a family friend has died. You grieve, you cry you have make up running down your face a work. 10 minutes later you receive a text saying he did not die. That was my day yesterday. I could be upset but I hadn’t seen him in a long time so I drive an hour and a half across the state so my Mom could say goodbye. For the mishap of information, I am grateful. I did have dinner out.
03/31 195.2 Red Baron pizza last night. It was very good, but pizza sticks with me. I also didn’t get my walk in yesterday. However I did get in some strength training with some 5lb dumbbells. I feel like I am ending this month back on track. Still fluctuating on weight loss/gain but I am eating healthier. As believed I will not make my monthly goal but I like having it up there. I should finalize around 80% which is something to continue to strive for.
04/01 194.2 Nice way to end this round.

Starting weight 179lbs
Goal weight 126 lbs

Round 123 174.0lbs
Round 124 172.8lbs
Round 125 170.0lbs
Round 126 168.2lbs
Round 127 165.2lbs
Round 128 163.2lbs
Round 129 161.0lbs
Round 130 158.0lbs
Round 131 156.2lbs
Round 132 155.8lbs
Round 133 154.0lbs
Round 134 152.2lbs
Round 135 153.0lbs
Round 136 153.8lbs
Round 137 150.4lbs
Round 138 150.4lbs
Round 139 148.4lbs
Round 140 146.8lbs
Round 141 145.4lbs
Round 142 143.6lbs
Round 143 142.8lbs
Round 144 141.8lbs

Day, Weight, Comment

03/23 142.2lbs I've been hovering around this weight for the last 10 days. I was hoping to be under 140lbs by the end of this round.
03/24 141.6lbs
03/25 141.6lbs
03/26 141.2lbs
03/27 140.8lbs
03/28 140.2lbs
03/29 140.6lbd
03/30 140.2lbs
03/31 139.6lbs...I've actually done it! Now I need to keep under 140!
04/01 139.6lbs