This summer I tried out a Scaleless Summer, where I put away the scale and focused on what I was putting in my mouth instead of focusing on the number on the scale.  I started out the summer weighing 217 pounds.  About a month later I went to the doctors and weighed in at 213, totally forgetting that I wasn’t suppose to look, but was really excited about my weight loss.  My plan to fill half of my plate with veggies before adding protein and carbs was working well and creating weekly meal plans on Sundays left me feeling great.  My workouts were all over the place, but I knew I was making some good decisions in regards to what I was putting in my mouth.

July was a really stressful month for me as I tackled 2 graduate classes, interviewed for a new job, rocked the house on my current job (at the time), accepted a new job, and went on a vacation with Neal to Florida.  Still, by the end of July I was feeling great and knew I had lost/maintain my weight.

August was another story though.  I love the summer, but with the heat comes lots of eating out (baseball games, happy hours, dinners with friends, etc.).  Although I love the summer, it can be a challenge to know how many calories I’m consuming each day.  In addition, I’ve really been struggled with overeating since August.  It could have been stress or it could have just been my inability to say no to the foods I love.  Either way I have consumed way too many calories in one setting on a number of occasions.

As of yesterday, I weighted in at 226.6 pounds.  I was honestly shocked to see my weight that high.  I don’t feel like I’ve gained almost 10 pounds this summer nor do I think I look like I’ve gained 10 pounds.  It could be muscle mass, as I do put on muscle rather easily and have boosted my workouts up.  Either way, 226 at the end of a scaleless summer is not where I wanted to me.

I have learned a lot this summer, both about my workouts, my eating habits, and about my mentality surrounding weight loss.  To some degree I feel that I have been on a 4 year plateau.  My weight has gone up and down during that time, and as of June I was 9 pounds from my lowest weight (209 in the summer of 2007).

I want to will defeat this plateau.  I want to will break 200 pounds.  I want to will love myself through the entire process.

This past week I focused on counting calories.  It was really helpful to see how many calories I had been consuming and to focus on what it takes to consume the proper amount of calories needed to lose/maintain weight (1533 calories for me).  I didn’t count calories during this weekend’s getaway to Cleveland and I honestly regret it.  I feel like I’m back at a point in my life where my habits are not good habits.  Until I create lasting healthy habit, I need to always be focused on weight loss and what I’m trying to learn/implement.  Here’s what the weekend looked like sans counting calories/thinking about weight loss…

Saturday

  • coffee at Jill’s
  • food samples at the market
  • cup of soup and a slice of bread at the Souper Market
  • 1.5 mini cannolis
  • 1 medium mate latte
  • 2 PB and J sandwiches (which I had packed for Friday but didn’t eat then)
  • 1/2 of Porky Cheese sandwich at Melt with fries
  • 1 more bite of a cannoli

Sunday

  • coffee at Jill’s
  • soy chai and raspberry scone at The Root Cafe
  • Other half of Porky Cheese sandwich
  • Diet Pepsi, yogurt covered raisins, and honey wheat pretzel rods during road trip
  • cranberry orange scone and soy chai from Starbucks
  • 3 slices of banana bread at home (from neighbor)

Sunday was pretty bad, as I could have made so many different choices.  Take the banana bread for instance, my super sweet neighbor brought it over when I got home last night and because I was too tired to cook dinner, I just opted to eat the banana bread.  The banana bread would have been a perfect addition to my breakfast … over the course of a week.  Instead I ate it in one night.  (I’m being honest here guys)

The Scaleless Summer was not a loss by any means.  I rekindled my “love” for running and have started training for a 15K with Neal.  I also learned a lot about my body, my portion sizes, and what it’ll take to lose weight and create healthy habits.   Over the past three months I have learned what my two main issues are in regards to my eating… 1. Eating when I’m not hungry 2. Rare binge eating sprees.  As Neal said though, “it’s nothing I can’t conquer”.

Yesterday I jump started my quest to break 200 pounds with the start of The Biggest Loser.  I consumed 1599 calories and burned 984 calories at spin.  I really felt great yesterday and stuck to my meal plan.  The only thing I added was carrots and hummus after work and a salad with my pizza.  This morning Neal and I ran 3 miles in 33 minutes and I burned 569 calories.  Again, I feel like I do a great job of planning but for me the key is sticking to my plan and not binge eating.

Here’s to a happy and healthy fall!

 

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Filed under: Scaleless Summer • Weight Loss

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