UPDATE: Now the Scale Is Just Messing with Me

And I'm down another 2 pounds the day after I'm supposed to meet my goal....oh well. :)

Monthly Weigh-In: March 2011

March's Goals:
Weight: -4
Work out at least 15 days



March Progress:
Weight: -2.8
Days in calorie range: 15/31
Days worked out: 18/31

Total YTD Progress:
Weight: -19.8
Days in calorie range: 52/90
Days worked out: 42/90



April's Goals:
Weight: -7.2
20 days in calorie range
20 days working out


So for some reason even though I was below my goal a few days ago, I've gained back a little under 2 pounds. Who knows what my body is thinking - I've been eating at my calorie levels and working out every day since I posted that I met my goal. Go figure. 


Now. Considering that I went on vacation this month for a week (after which I weighed six pounds more than I did at the beginning of the month), I did pretty well. That said, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. 


Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I've been doing really well with working out. (At least 5 days a week at the gym! Me! Crazy!!) I definitely need to learn to manage my time better now though. Before the gym workouts, I had plenty of time to come home, cook a delicious meal, eat, and then write the recipe down for all of you to enjoy. Now, as I'm sure you've noticed, I haven't had time to do any of that since I've been staying at the gym until at least 7 every night, sometimes later. I've been getting takeout more (usually healthier choices, but still, it makes it difficult to track calories exactly) and I've also been hungrier, so I've been allowing myself to flex more with my calorie intake. 


I think the theme for my April will be balance. I was watching the A&E show Heavy the other week and I wrote down a phrase that one of the girls said about her time at the weight loss facility: "Creating new normals." Sort of like how people always say weight loss is a "lifestyle change," but her phrasing didn't make me want to roll my eyes. I need to just get used to working out and cooking well for myself. It's creating my new normal. 


So my official April goal will be to work out at least 20 days and eat within my calorie limits at least 20 days. I have no vacations planned for April, so there shouldn't be any sudden weight gain. The only big plans that I have are Cathy's birthday (when we will go out to eat at least once) and Easter, but I think my mom is going to come down to visit and we'll probably eat mostly healthy stuff, so that shouldn't be an issue. 


To end on a positive note, the consistent working out has really made a difference in how I feel, how I look, and how my clothes are fitting, even if the scale isn't reflecting the changes ... yet. That's why I'm not too down about this month's outcome, because I think once I build a little more muscle the pounds will start coming off again. 

Monthly Weigh-In: February 2011

February's Goals:
Weight: -7.2
Track budget


February Progress:
Weight: -9.2
Days in calorie range: 18/28
Days worked out: 8/28
Budget Tracked: 28/28

Total YTD Progress:
Weight: -17
Days in calorie range: 37/59
Days worked out: 24/59


March's Goals:
Weight: -4
Work out at least 15 days 


I've done really well the past month, but quite a bit of that can be attributed to the fact that I was sick for two weeks, so I didn't eat. I did do well tracking my budget and actually saved money this month even with buying a $300 plane ticket, so I say that is a success! I will continue to track that for the rest of the year. 


I didn't work out the whole time that I was sick, so that number was really low. I want to make up for it this month by working out at least 15 days. Especially now that I'm working out at the apartment gym; I think it will make a big difference this month. I will be going on vacation during March, so that will present an extra challenge as well. 


For my rewards I got a new pair of shoes, a pair of pants, and two floral shirts for spring. Since I kept the weight off after I met my goal early, I also get to pick an extra reward. I haven't decided what that will be yet. Maybe a new food processor since I seem to have misplaced the blade attachment for my old one. 


The goal seems small for March, but I've decided to stick to the monthly goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year. The main point is to stick to reaching my goal by my birthday. If I do it a month or two early, great! If I get a few more rewards up front, great! I set small goals at the beginning of the year for a reason - they are achievable. It would defeat the purpose to change them all just because I did well this month. (Remember last month? When I didn't meet the goal? Yep.)

Monthly Weigh-In: January 2011

This morning I woke up to a beautiful snow day! So while I'm working from home in my pjs, I'll give you the run-down for January.

 So it's the first month wrap-up for me. Overall, I'd say I did pretty well. If it hadn't been for the liberties taken this last week with food and working out, I definitely would've shown more of a loss. That said, my granma died on the 7th and I pretty much checked out for five days, so I am proud of the fact that I didn't gain any weight during that time. I think the main point is that I actually lost weight, and if I continue to lose at even less than this pace, I will meet my goal by my birthday. Now without further ado...


January (and total YTD) Progress:
Weight: -7.8 pounds
Days in calorie range: 19/31
Days worked out: 16/31

February's Goals:
Weight: -7.2
Track budget






February's goal was going to be to lose 6 pounds, but since I didn't quite make it to January's goal, I'm going to add on that extra 1.2 pounds to February and try to catch up to my goal. I'm also starting to keep track of my spending with a budget Excel spreadsheet that I worked on all weekend, so I'm also going to make a non-weight goal of keeping track of what I spend for the whole month and see how much I can save when I put my mind to it.