Working at Weight Loss

This morning I did my weekly weigh-in and for the second consecutive week I gained weight. I wish I could say this was a surprise, but when I only half-heartedly keep track of what I am eating, neglecting to track any candy and a lot of the snacks I consume, it isn't really a surprise. Since February 13 I have managed to lose 6.6 pounds only to gain 3.8 of them back in the last two weeks. The only way I am going to be able to get this weight off is if I actually pay attention to what I am eating and by getting some exercise.

The Losing Continues

I lost an additional 1.2 pounds this week, bringing my total weight loss since February 23 up to 7.0 pounds. I was worried that I wouldn't have any loss this week as we ate out twice during the week. I did count most of my Weight Watchers points though, although I did estimate the points for one of the dinners, and I used up every single point I had for the week.

I'm a Loser, Again

Yesterday was my weekly weigh-in day for Weight Watchers, and after two consecutive weeks of gaining weight, 0.4 pound each week, I have resumed losing weight. My weight was down 3.4 pounds from the previous week for a net loss of 5.8 pounds since I reset my tracking history four weeks ago, on February 23. Since I have not lost 5.8 pounds, I reached my first 5 pounds milestone. A couple of things that helped me get back to losing weight was more accurately tracking what I ate and actually getting exercise. I rode my bike on the trainer four times during the week. I intend to move up to riding at least five days each week. Not only will that help me with my weight loss, but it should also help me to prepare for RAGBRAI.

Becoming More Active

This morning I weighed myself again for my weekly Weight Watchers weigh-in, and once again my weight was up. It was down less than a pound from my weight at the beginning of December when Weight Watchers started its new Points Plus program. There are two things that have been holding me back in being successful at losing weight -- not carefully tracking my points and not getting exercise. That will change beginning today. Today I rode my bike for twenty minuted on my new bike trainer. Twenty minutes doesn't seem like a very long ride, but I figured it was a good start considering that I haven't been on a bike since the final day of RAGBRAI in 2009. Also, I did my bike riding during my lunch break from work, so I didn't really have the time to ride much longer than that.

I also will be more careful about tracking my points. I know I have said this before, but I think I can do it. I even recorded the two Carbury Creme Eggs, 4 Points Plus points each, that I had this evening. One of the hardest parts of tracking points is keeping up with them when I am away from a computer. It would be easier to do that if I had a smart phone, but that will have to wait.

1 Down, 25.9 To Go

My weight was down 1.0 pound this week leaving 25.9 pounds to lose until I reach my goal of weighing less than 200 pounds. To help in reaching my goal this morning, I declined buying a roller grill when I stopped at SuperAmerica. I really like the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Tornadoes that they have. They are tasty, but they are 5  Weight Watchers Points Plus points each. I would rather save that for a healthier snack later in the day.

Back to Losing Weight

I have been using the Weight Watchers PointsPlus program for the past six weeks now, since the beginning of December. I lost weight on the program for the first two weeks using PointsPlus, but then gained weight the next three weeks. This gain was probably due in large part to not carefully watching what I ate over the holidays. This week I have gotten back on track, losing 1.6 pounds, bringing my weight to 226.8 pounds, 0.8 pounds less than my starting weight on December 1. It may take me a little longer to reach my goal of weighing less than 200 pounds than I hoped, but if I really stick to this, I should be able to do it.

Difficulties With Resolution Number 1

The first of my New Year's resolutions was to get my weight below 200 pounds this year, and to keep it there. So far this has been a bit of a challenge. I do not know why I haven't been doing well at it, although I probably ate to much less-than-healthy foods this weekend when we closed out our celebrations of Christmas. My weight this morning was up to 228.4 pounds. I can definitely still reach my goal. It will just take a bit longer and a little more hard work. At a healthy rate of losing one pound per week, I should manage to reach my goal by June 16. Now I just need to remember to track my Weight Watchers Plus points, exercise, and ignore the chocolate chip cookies that are sitting on the kitchen counter.

New Year's Resolutions

I have returned to my blog to write a few resolutions for the new year.

1. Get my weight below 200 pounds.
2. Keep better track of spending.
3. Read at least six books during the year.
4. Keep up with my blog.

I think the third of these will be the most difficult, but I can do it if I just make the time to read.

Taking Off the Pounds

I seem to be getting back on track with my weight loss. I lost another 1.2 pounds this past week, meaning that my weight has now decreased four of the past five weeks. And I think the only reason my weight was up last week was that last Tuesday I went to a potluck lunch at Mel's workplace. I was actually expecting to see an increase this week as I weighed myself Monday and my weight had increased significantly. I was very happy to see that it did not increase however. In the 14 weeks since I have been using Weight Watchers, I have had a net loss of 11.2 pounds, averaging 0.8 pounds per week. I'd like to see my weekly rate of weight loss slightly higher, but this number is acceptable. I now have 12.5 pounds to go before I have lost 10% of my weight when I started Weight Watchers in May, and 25.6 pounds until I reach my goal weight of 200 pounds. I know I can do this, but it would be much easier if I could find some time to get some real exercise in.

Getting Back on Track

I did a pretty good job at losing weight once I started back on WeightWatchers on May 5. However, since the beginning of June I have struggled a bit at continuing to lose weight, as shown in the graph below. While I am not looking forward to the prospect of having a cholecystectomy, the fact that I have been having issues with my gallbladder has made me reevaluate what I have been eating lately. This has provided the extra motivation to eat well, as I do not want another gallbladder attack. Hopefully my gallbladder issues will be resolved soon after I see a surgeon in a couple of weeks. And while I would enjoy going back to care-free eating, I think I really need to focus on eating right!

Continuing Weight Watchers

In my second week on Weight Watchers, I managed to lose an additional 3.0 pounds. This makes for a total of 6.8 pounds so far, bringing my weight down to 330.0 pounds. I have just 30.0 more pounds before I reach my goal.

My Return to Weight Watchers

Last Wednesday I signed back up with the online program that Weight Watchers offers. In October 2007, my weight was down to around 200 pounds. This is significantly less than the 243 pounds I weighed at the end of May 2004. However, in the past couple years my weight has crept back up significantly. Last Wednesday is was 236.8 pounds. In the last week, following the Weight Watchers program, I managed to lose 3.8 pounds, bringing my weight down to 233.0 pounds this morning. I have quite a bit of work ahead of me before I reach my goal of 200.0 pounds. If I work hard enough at it, hopefully I will be close to my goal by the end of this summer.