March/April weight loss challenge

[GLC1968]

148.8

Three weeks into this new strength training program and my body has finally settled down and started losing again. Phew! I'm feeling stronger, too. Gotta love that!

[Catrin]

133.4 - heading the right direction now! I suspect water retention has been the problem, especially since the weather is still keeping me from riding consistently.

[Tri Girl]

159.8

gained a little this week. TOM and I ate two whole boxes of Girl Scout cookies (darn you, thin mints).

Next week will be better.

[Possegal]

Late updates.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?...lE&output=html

[Glory]

206.4 Ughhh! Vacay and my birthday wrapped up in one, not good. At all.

[azfiddle]

113.6
mostly on track....

[surgtech1956]

182.5

[gnat23]

141.0

-- gnat! (half-a-pound a week by my graph, ok, I guess that works)

[klesko]

141.0

-- gnat! (half-a-pound a week by my graph, ok, I guess that works)

I have been losing half a pound a week - it adds up

[channlluv]

Back up to 228.4.

I just don't get it. I have been doing a 5k on the treadmill every day this week because it's Spring Break and DD is home and doesn't like to ride for exercise, so my getting a workout in on the bike isn't going to happen unless I drop her off for a playdate somewhere.

So I've been walking on the treadmill. And I gained five pounds since last week.

Is is the bread, really?

Oy.

[Veronica]

Is is the bread, really?

Oy.

It could be. I am much leaner with a 1 to 1 ratio of protein to carbs.

Veronica

[channlluv]

I have to think there's something to it. I cut way, way back on bread last week and dropped about four pounds. I think partly because where I was eating a sandwich every day for lunch (whole grain bread and turkey with lettuce and cucumber, or almond butter and jelly, depending), I went to eating a head of celery with that almond butter instead, or leftovers from my breakfast scramble of spinach, onions, peppers and an egg. The fiber ratio went way, way up as the bread went way, way down.

This week I went back to my normal bread intake and ploomp...last night I was back up to 231.2. I feel like that blueberry girl in Willy Wonka.

I upped my water intake yesterday. I was feeling really dehydrated and constipated -- another bread-related issue? That helped, but I still feel bloated.

So, breakfast this morning is fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt and a half-cup or so of pomegranate seeds from Trader Joe's. Lunch will be an apple and a head of celery with some almond butter. That seemed to agree with me really well last week.

I'm about to go get back on the treadmill. I'm going to continue doing the 5ks because I like how my legs feel really muscular when I'm done, like after a hard bike ride.

I've also been told I need to do more weight-bearing exercise. I wonder if some of this bloated feeling is from inflammation because my body's not used to the pounding it's taking.

I dunno. Why, why, why does French bread have to taste so darn good when it's right out of the oven?

Sigh.

[Tri Girl]

I understand your frustration, Channlluv.
I've been upping my workouts lately (marathon in 5 weeks and Ironman training started last week) and even tho I'm working out more, I'm not losing. So frustrating.
Do you think it could be that you've been walking so much everyday- that the mucsles are retaining water while they are growing and repairing? If you haven't been walking that consistently and then started ramping it up, perhaps that's it. Hopefully next week you'll see yourself return to your previous weight.
Or maybe it is the bread...
bread is one of my BIG weaknesses. I've recently gone gluten-free to try to resolve some of my tummy issues, and GF bread is pretty gross- so I think it's curing me of my affection for it.

Funny how your weight can fluctuate so much in one day- yesterday I was 1.5 lbs lighter than this morning. I need to stop getting on the scale everyday (but I'm trying to also figure out what foods I'm eating are helping me retain water to try to reduce that).
Oh well... my progress has been about .7/lb lost per week for the last 14 weeks. At least it's progress. Slow... but progress nonetheless.
I gotta keep my eyes on the big picture. And at least this time I'm losing weight and still eating things that I know I'll continue eating for life. Last time I lost 35 lbs I was losing 1.5-2.5 per week, but I cut out everything remotely bad for me. Then when I reached goal, I went back to old eating habits and gained it all back (plus 12 more). I'm hoping that this time since I'm cutting back on portions and losing it will help me maintain my loss when I eventually lose it all. I have to remind myself that slow is better in this game...

[GLC1968]

148.5 - not much of a loss, but I'm actually quite pleased. It's been a week of gluttony and sloth. Bad combination. I was sure I'd see a gain.

I'm picking up the intensity again on my training now that a few other things in my life are settling down, so I'm hoping for some nice progress in April.

[channlluv]

TriGirl, I hope you're right about my muscles just retaining water. I suppose that could be it, the trauma of working out every day. I'm burning about 350- 400 calories per workout according to the machine.

I don't want to get into a super-restrictive diet. I'm just not good at that for very long, and then, like you, I gain the weight right back.

We want to go to Hawaii this summer. I really would like to be under 200 by July. I think I could do it. I mean, on paper, I could do it. In reality...who knows.

Roxy

4/1, 12:30pm, Exercise update: 4.5 miles at elevations 1 and 2, 90 minutes, a little over 500 calories, according to the machine