Kind of an interesting trend...

Check out these two graphs from my loseit data. The first, below, shows my weight (much smoothed) over the last 6 months:

In case it's hard to see the actual numbers, about 6 months ago I was just under 360 lbs and presently my smoothed weight is showing at around 335.

Now look at this graph, for the same time period, but this time average calories consumed:

Again, in case the numbers are hard to see, I started around 1600 and ended up working my way up to 2750 over the last 6 months.

Add 1150 calories and lose 25 pounds. I like it. And you might be asking, well, did my exercise just increase to compensate (and then some) for all those extra calories? No:

The Woes of Chairs and Mirrors (2011 Week 3 Update)

I lost an amazing 5.8 pounds this week, going from 344.6 to 338.8. It was pretty surprising, because I was well over my loseit calorie budget almost every day of the week -- but, as I've been hearing on fat2fit radio, I am supposed to be eating 1.2 x my bmr, which currently would be putting me around 2800 calories if I am being lightly active (up to about 3200 if I am moderately active, exercising 3-5 times per week). My loseit calorie budget is only 2300 calories. So, maybe, I accidentally found out a calorie range where my body is happier right now.

The reason I kind of let myself go higher on the calories last week is because I lost my new job. I was sad about it, and doing some emotional eating, letting myself have a little more ice cream because it was comforting, etc. So it really was a nice surprise that all that weight came off instead of the scale going the other direction. Another thing to note is, yesterday for the first time all week I hit under my loseit budget again and this morning my weight had held constant. So... maybe I need to be aiming toward that higher range with my calorie budget and just make sure what I'm eating is more nutritious.

I had kind of a self esteem hit last week. It was the first week of classes for me. With some exceptions, I am usually able to fit into the normal sized student desks. I do always have to ask for a seatbelt extender on the airplane, but in the classroom I have typically been alright. However, my psychology class was in an old building with very old fashioned student desks and there was just no way it was going to work out. I had to go ask the teacher if it would be alright for me to take a separate chair from the front of the room to sit in. It was embarrassing, but I think I handled the situation a lot better than I would have a couple years ago. By the end of the night I was glad to be sitting in the comfy padded chair instead of the hard plastic student chairs.

I bought a new over the door style mirror today. My current mirror has just been messing with my head. Maybe you know what I mean. It makes me look much thinner than every other reflective surface I see... extremely so, and it only leads to let-down later on in the day. I just want to see the real me.

I'll update my weight loss graph below. I am currently 5 pounds ahead of where I need to be for my 100 lbs lost in 2011 goal. That's good, I should be getting ahead of myself now because I know as I get smaller the loss rate will probably slow down.

Fat Girl on Her Feet All Day (2011 Week 1 Update)

I just weighed myself this morning and I'm at 348.6, a perfect 2 pound loss since January 1st. At the end of today I will only be about 1500 calories under my loseit calorie budge for the week, but I haven't been logging all the new extra calories I've been burning at work due to running around all day. I actually would have expected a greater weekly loss after all that @work exercise change but I'll take what I can get, and 2 pounds is right on target.

With all the routine change of weird shift work and the exhaustion of starting a new job (excuses, excuses), I did not go to the gym or exercise at home all week. In the coming week I'm going to be working mornings instead of nights, so I think I can change that pattern around and head to the gym for some weight lifting right after work.

I have been doing a good job on my meals, though, and mostly due to pre-planning. Last weekend I made up a big batch of vegetarian chili and it was all stacked up in the fridge ready to bring to work in my lunch. I also had bananas and apples for snacks, and tortilla chips as a treat to sprinkle on top of the chili.

There was one day last week that I packed up my lunch all carefully before leaving for work and then somehow left it at home. I had a hard day, and it was difficult to go get something elsewhere during a 1/2 hour "lunch" break at 7:30pm.

I think using those 10 minute breaks twice a day at work to get in a nutritious snack is going to be key, because otherwise I end up desperately foggy in my head and starving at the end of the day. I actually stole someone's half a donut that was left in the office at night --- wtf? Not the food I want to be putting in my body and not the impression I want to give during my first week at a new job. Eeep.

Anyway, on target with weight loss and getting by in most respects.