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calluna 07-01-2010 01:43 PM

Six months in review - how about you?
 
We're six months into the year, and I thought it would be a good time to do some mental review. Summations, congratulations, winces, and next steps. I'm a reflective person, I suppose, and always enjoy exercises like this one.

Weight: 200-201. Positive: That is roughly 68.5 lbs lighter than I was on January 1. A great thing! Negative: I've been so close to onederland for weeks, and still haven't broken through that barrier. Things to think about: I am still overweight by a considerable amount - at the upper end of the spectrum for my height; I still have 30 pounds or so to reach the upper limits of healthy weight for height.

Body shape: Dramatically different. My hips are a size 14, my waist is a size 16-18 depending on the brand - means of course that all my pants have a baggy butt or are of the low-waisted type. Belly fat, begone! Lost a lot off my bust, but somehow haven't managed to lose a cup size - back fat? ew. Calves are still huge. Fingers have shrunk - I love seeing my fingers. :)

Here are the numbers (inches lost):
Neck: 1.625
Wrist: .375
Forearm: 1.5
Bicep: 3
Calf: 1.25
Thigh: 4.25
Bust: 11.5
Waist: 9
Hips: 10
Total: 47.5" lost (this accounts for only one side - it would be considerably higher if I doubled measurements to account for matching limbs)

Health: Dramatically improved. Evidence is lack of acid reflux and heartburn; better sleep nearly every night; vastly increased fitness and energy levels; and less joint pain. I haven't gotten a blood test since February, though I probably will in the next month or so - the numbers weren't bad to begin with, but I'll bet they're considerably better now.

Mental/emotional health
: This one is harder to evaluate from the inside. Certainly I feel better about myself and have increased confidence. I'm very pleased with some of my habits and practices. The discipline I use here has spilled over into some other areas of life, which is good. Overall, though, my mental and emotional health weren't bad to begin with, so here I would vote for affirmation rather than transformation.

Eating/exercise plan: I've described this in another post not long ago, so I won't belabor it - the short form is to eat healthy to about 1500 calories and exercise vigorously about 5 days a week. I like it because it is balanced and allows me latitude - if I want fruit, chocolate, prime rib or carrots, I eat them as well as the broccoli, chicken breast, and oatmeal. However, I am not sure that I shouldn't at least temporarily adopt one of the other eating plans to get my losses going again. This recent plateau was a bear, I haven't lost an ounce since last weekend's whoosh, and I am not sure the plateau is really broken. I will certainly keep exercising, as I have come to enjoy the time "off" and feeling of personal power that result.

Next steps: Continue maintaining the awareness and care for my health and well-being, certainly. No reason not to, every reason to do so even if I never lost another ounce (which will NOT be the case!!!). May change eating plan, may not; haven't decided yet. It will depend on whether I decide my priority lies with poundage or simply continuing to live a healthy life for the time being. Perhaps even practice maintaining for a few months. At some point poundage will need to be a focus, but the timing is up to me. Thoughts on this from the peanut gallery are welcome. And a final note - with the house purchase about out of the way, I would like to do what I had hoped to do this summer and spend more time hiking and biking.

Long post, eh? So, what about you?

KmbRN84 07-01-2010 02:21 PM

First I have to say that I am proud of myself for still being here. Funny how every time I start to stray I realize that I have not been here in a while!

Weight: 240.2! I can not remember the last time I was this weight. I keep meaning to call my doctor and ask. Thats 31 pounds in seven moths for me. Not fast but steady. I will get where I am going.

Body shape: The same, just smaller!

Health: To be honest I have not noticed much difference. But that could be because I am horrible about taking my synthroid!

Eating: Pretty good. Most days I am on plan and even on my bad days it is usually just one bad meal. I have learned that when you get of track it is not an excuse to have a bad day. Your very next meal should be a good choice.

Exercise: I need to step it up. I work out hard with a trainer twice a week and then sometimes do a day of walking by myself.


Next steps: Step up the exercise! Continue to make good food choices.

Eliana 07-01-2010 02:38 PM

Oh, this post has potential to be quite inspiring. ;) And Calluna, I didn't realize you were a January beginner!! The statistics of making this far are staggeringly against you, so congratulations!! Look at what you have done!! Be proud to be one of few. ;)

January 1st, I weighed 207.6 and was feeling really good about that. So I have lost 30 pounds since the beginning of the year.

The biggest change for me has been a huge mental shift. I have gone from being in a larger size for my height/weight to being in a smaller size for my height/weight. In other words, I think people would be surprised now to know how much I weigh. Calculators tell me my BMI does not match my measurements and that I may have "unusual body mass distribution". :D In other words, MUSCLE!! :carrot: Armed with that, I can now face the scale with a smile and a wink. I now get it, finally, that the scale does not accurately measure what I do. There are still days that I want to throw it out the window, and frankly today is one of them. But I have way more ok days now.

My body fat percentage since March has come down from 41% to 27%! :carrot: This takes me from being off the charts into the "fair" category. Yay!! I'm ok with "fair"...for now.

Fitness?! Where to begin?! This is where the dramatic changes have happened. I have gone from January being afraid to exercise, knowing darn well that the scale would stop dropping, which it did...to now, having a clear understanding of my true relationship with the scale. I went from thinking it was great that I could "run" around my ping-pong table for 11 minutes to running 5K in about 30 minutes time. Where then, I still had no energy for things like throwing together a family gathering, today I'm looking forward to hosting holidays. Then I wasn't even dreaming about running, and in fact I'm pretty sure I had dreams where I forgot how to run in times of crisis. Now, I'm running and saved my dog from danger the other day because I could run! I went from being terrified of spin class to spinning three times per week and more when the kids are with grandparents. I spend more time at the gym than in front of the television. And this Summer has been amazing, with a mom who is more active than the kids! I outlast them at the amusement park! :D

For my continued success, I plan to continue eating "on plan", which really means watching myself. I no longer count calories to a "T" but am pretty automated with what I eat. If anything, I eat too few calories, so I need to be mindful of that. For exercise, where my real goals become reality, I'm toying with the idea of running a 5K, like an actual race. I know I can do it physically, but I'm not quite there socially...it raises my anxiety to think about it. If I can get over that hurtle, it might be fun.

It's been a great year!! I can't wait to see how it finishes up.

ubergirl 07-01-2010 09:50 PM

Interesting. I've been focusing on the one year mark, so I decided to see what the last six months have looked like.

Weight: 199 (but I'm away from my scale and think I must be a pound or two lower by now!) That's down 30 lbs since Jan 1. It doesn't seem like much, to me, since I dropped 65 between June 19th and Jan1, then my rate of weight loss just totally slowed down. So it helps me to see that yes, overall, I'm still losing a respectable 5 lbs per month.

Fitness I started C25k in January, and at the time it seemed like the longest of all longshots.... Even though I was a former athlete, I DID NOT RUN EVER. Right now, I'm out of town, and yesterday, I grabbed my ipod, strapped on my shoes and went for a run....This is one of the my PROUDEST accomplishments EVER. I honestly never ever believed that being a runner was in the cards for me. I used to worry about having a heart attack every time I walked up a hill. No more! Now, I run because I can and I'm grateful for every step. I am disappointed that I've had very little time for weight training recently. I've been travelling like crazy, and juggling way WAY too much on my plate. My goal for the next six months is to get in my lifting every single week.

Emotional/Mental: In January, life was great. I was not under a lot of stress and I was excited to have already lost a good chunk of weight. Since then, I've actually had a TON of stress. Some ups and downs in my job, a new job offer that would entail a move, and a LOT of responsibility on various fronts. But my new habits let me cope with that stress so much better than I used to. And yes, I've found that I can manage to keep with my plan even if I'm travelling, or stressed, or otherwise things are not quite normal. That is a HUGE relief.

Body shape: The last thirty pounds have made more of a difference than the first 65. While I'm not where I want to be yet, I look fit and for the first time in 20 years I don't have to wear plus sized clothes. Still looking to shed that tummy though.

catherinef 07-02-2010 01:58 AM

The last six months made all the difference, I think. I've lost 35 pounds, and very nearly 4 sizes in this time, hit Onederland, hit goal (195), changed my goal, got to the "normal" BMI range, am now right on the verge of hitting the new goal (175) and am most likely going to go for another five or ten pounds after that. I'm basically very happy with how I look right now, but I do think 175 is going to put me in an awkward place where clothing sizes are concerned, so I'll probably forge on until I'm comfortably in the smaller size. So I'm generally a UK12 right now (US 8 or 10, depending) and I think I'd like to be about a UK10 (US 6 or 8, depending) which is a really good size for my height and build, as I'm pretty sure it'll be the sweet spot between nicely slender and gangly for me. (That I can even be looking at gangly as a possibility kind of blows my mind.)

I really, truly, do not recognize myself much of the time. You know how when you're walking into a place with glass doors, and you see your reflection? It takes my mind a second to catch up with what my eyes are seeing. Or if you see yourself in one of the security cameras in shops? Yeah, the same thing, where I look up and go, whoa, that's me? This doesn't happen at home, when I'm looking in my mirror, after getting dressed or whatever; it's those unplanned glances that shock me so.

My fitness level is really good, although I'm not doing much in the way of actual, planned exercise; I just walk EVERYWHERE, often for hours at a time, and spend vast amounts of time doing heavy gardening work, so I'm calling that my current cardio and weight training. I plan on actually shifting my focus to fitness once the summer passes, and I'm not quite so busy. Maintenance is knocking on the door, and, other than daily weighing and continuing with my eating plan, it'll be nice to have some other standard to measure by once I've ceased losing. To my delight, I am NOT becoming lazy and complacent about it all as I get closer to goal; I'm actually more determined than ever, because I've lost nearly 200 bloody pounds, and it's taken almost 2 years and the thought of gaining it back just makes my blood run cold. I expect some bobbles and plenty of hard work to maintain it, and shifting to maintenance makes me nervous, but then I remind myself that, for the most part, sticking to plan hasn't been a struggle; my real struggle has been being PATIENT enough while all that fat came off, because I genuinely like my plan and the lifestyle sticking to it provides me.

A bit tl;dr there, but basically, the last six months have been incredibly significant, and it's very true for me that the closer you get to goal, the bigger the difference smaller losses make.

WarMaiden 07-02-2010 01:32 PM

Between June and December last year, I made a conscious decision to just maintain my weight, due to the stress of my mom's illness. Finally in January I felt like I had the mental space and energy to work at losing weight again. I was at about 210 pounds at that point--up from 204 at my lowest last year, but I lost 6 of those pounds within the first few days of restricing calories again (water weight).

So since then I've "only" lost about 11 more pounds, however the difference in my body is significant because of the weight-training I've been doing since March. I've lost 2.5 inches in my waist just since March, and probably lost a couple before that, too. (In May 2009 I was about 204 pounds but had a 39-inch waist; in March 2010 I was about 202 pounds but had a 37.5 inch waist, and now I am down to a 35-inch waist.)

I'm very, very happy with the progress in my body. I look really awesome these days--last night I put on some lingerie for my husband, and I had no sense of "cringe" about the way I looked at all!

Since March, I have established an absolutely-every-day exercise routine which is really working for me. I'm nearing 100 consecutive days of exercise and am totally pleased with that. It really helps with my energy level throughout the day, and definitely helps with my weight loss as well.

In June I decided to be very rigid about my daily calorie levels, mostly to prove to myself that I could do it. Well, I did it; score for me. However, I don't enjoy it and I was too hungry overall, so this month I'm going back to being looser with my calories and accepting a slightly slower rate of loss. Honestly, I'd rather be less hungry and a little more sane than lose quickly. I'll be very happy with 3 pounds of weight lost per month (4 pounds fat gone, 1 pound muscle gained).

In July I'm continuing with my exercise, continuing with my excellent sleep pattern, and tweaking my food to remove some carbs that I don't need from my diet and add back in some more fat. I think the fat will help me feel less hungry.

jigglefree 07-02-2010 10:37 PM

Thanks for the thread...it's good to check your progress so you don't get discouraged.

Weight
/Size: I don't weigh but go by sizes. I was in a tight 22 comfy 24 in Jan which is when I started. Now I'm a size 16 knocking on the door of 14!!!

Body shape: Started as a pear and looking more hour glassy but still hanging in the pear neighborhood.

Here are the numbers (inches lost):
Bust: 5
Waist: 8
Hips: 8
Belly: 8
Total: 29" lost (these are the only areas I measure)

Health: Didn't really have any health issues besides not being able to bend over to pick up my daughter. Now I can bend over and tie my shoes and the bow is in the middle.

Mental/emotional health
: I was always pretty confident and that hasn't changed. I may be bordering on cocky.

Eating/exercise plan: I started out doing about 15 minutes of strength training, moved up to 30 day shred and did all levels. I started running/walking in March and now I run a mile then do a 1 mile walk/run. Still strength training so I can look good when the jiggle is gone.

Next steps: Getting down to my goal and maintain my calorie levels until I get to goal while continuing to workout. Increase the distance I run. Not really interested in running a 5k, half marathon or marathon. I really run for the results I get in my hips, belly and butt.

I would also like to add I see my bones coming through. I'm constantly looking in mirrors, glass windows or anything that shows my reflection. Absorbing the progress I've made so far.

HokieLoki 07-03-2010 05:03 PM

this is a great thread!!!!

My six months will be in about six weeks, I am looking forward to checking my own progress.

Rosinante 07-04-2010 04:58 AM

What a great thread!


Weight: 201.6. Positive: That is 14lbs lost in 6 weeks. Negative: I've started and re-started losing at least 5 times since January. If I'd stuck to the first, I'd be farther on.

Body shape: Not very different. The work shirt I wear and wash because I've only got the one, now stays buttoned, even when sitting down. The one I grew out of about 6 months ago is within a couple of pounds of buttoning standing up. I know my all round bust size has dropped, because my blouses and robes hang lower down off the shelf!

Measurements I really meant to take them this time but couldn't find a tape when I started, and now I don't want to measure because it'll just remind me that, however hard I've tried, I'm still an extremely round little apple.

Health: Sleep improved, skin improved, joints improved. I think but need to work on it some more, I think the joints in particular are due to ditching wheat all together.

Mental/emotional health: I'm proud of what I've achieved but I'm still anxious that I might have already eaten myself to death and won't make goal; and I still get anxious if I think my WOE isn't working. I'm hoping the latter will improve now I can claim a stone off - that's not just a fluke! I'm hoping the former will just be proved wrong!

Eating/exercise plan: Hm. I'm walking more, and more easily. I need to work on doing a LOT more walking.

Next steps: I'm still exploring my way round low GI/GL, having started on low carb 6 weeks ago but medically advised off it. Nearer or at goal, I will have to do a lot of head work about my attitude to some foods but, at the minute, I'm sticking with total avoidance of my triggers. I need to be more organized about my walking. It's much too hot to do much during the day, so I need to commit to getting up earlier to getting it in.

renstwin 07-04-2010 08:46 AM

Six months Done!

Well, I have a ways to go yet. I am hoping that the next six months shows more than these first six months have!

Pounds Lost: 57 WooHoo!

Inches lost:
Waist: 7
Hips: 8
Thigh: 4
Bust: 6

Starting this month I am adding strength training to my routine. Time to start conserving muscle while losing the flab! I am working on my consistency the last six months of this year, and hoping to lose 51 more pounds in 2010.

This is the longest I have stuck with my plan for years, and even though I am not nearly close to goal I am reaping the rewards of less pain in feet and my knees!

jennyplain 07-04-2010 10:46 AM

Awesome post! I'm not quite at six months yet (I started on January 15th), but I figure I'm close enough that I can reply!

Weight: 227 as of yesterday, which is exactly 40 lbs down from where I started. I had just been diagnosed with PCOS, I was miserable, and I didn't know where to start, because every other diet I had been on in the past had failed. This time has been different and amazing.

Body shape: I was squeezing into a size 18 when I started (I refused to buy a size 20), and now I'm very comfortably in a 16 on the bottom, 14 on top.

Inches (haven't measured in nearly a month, so this might be more):
Neck: .75
Bicep: 2.5
Calf: 2
Thigh: 3
Bust: 6
Waist: 6
Hips: 6
Total: 26.25" from all the places I've measured - I should have been doing my wrist and forearm, too!

Health: PCOS is much better. My periods are coming semi-regularly. My high blood pressure hasn't gone down much, but it runs in my family whether folks are overweight or not. So that's something I'm still working on. I want to get my cholesterol tested to see if I've improved it.

Mental/emotional health: I've been seeing a therapist for nearly a year now for food addiction related issues. I feel like I've come a long way, and even though it took me six months to get to the place where I was mentally ready to lose weight, having the six months beforehand to talk through my issues was amazingly helpful.

Eating/exercise plan: I started out doing strict South Beach Diet. As I've progressed, I've tweaked that plan into one that works for me, personally. I calorie count, while watching my ratio of C/F/P. I never, ever eat a carb without a protein alongside it - that's my hard and fast rule. I wear a GoWearFit, which helps me keep track of calories burned. I try to burn between 2300-2500 a day, and eat between 1500-1700 a day, to lose a pound and a half a week. Some weeks it works better than others. As far as exercise goes, I go to the gym 3 days a week for weight lifting. One week I do machines, the next I do free weights. I get my cardio in walking at work, or occasionally doing a hike/bike ride on the weekend.

Next steps: Keeping it up, not getting discouraged, and making tweaks as I need them to continue losing!

calluna 07-04-2010 01:13 PM

What great, thoughtful replies! I hope more people add to the thread - all of us are six months through the year, even if we haven't been on plan during that entire time. :)

Beverlyjoy 07-04-2010 03:44 PM

Nice idea for this post. Thanks.

Weight: I weighed 238 January 1 - and now I am 202 - so I am down 36 pounds. I am one pound away from being 70 pounds down and almost to onederland. I am happy with this. I was out of town on vacation and working out of state for four weeks of the last 6 months. I didn't gain while I was gone. In February I had actually lost two after being in LA for a week. That was exciting!

January 1 - 238
February 3 - 228 ( - 10)
March 3 - 220 (-8)
April 1 - 216 (-4)
May 1 - 210 (-6)
June 1 - 205 (-5)
July 1 - 204 (-1)
2 more pounds since July 1

Body shape: I was wearing some 1x and 2x dresses. Now it's large, XL and a few pinched in 1x's. I only wear pretty dresses or skirts and tops. Actually, the similar fun style for 35 years. (I don't like pants or shorts)

Health: my health has basically improved. Just physically losing that much weight has taken weight off of my joints, etc. My cholesterol is normal. My blood preassure is better. I still have to have some major foot/ankle surgery soon. There was no 'majic' with weight loss fixing that, unfortunately.


Mental/emotional health: I sometimes see a counselor - mostly dealing with living with chronic health issues. That has been helpful.

Eating/exercise plan: I have been doing calorie counting - concentrating on healthful choices, lots of fruits & veggies, lean proteins, etc. My calorie range is between 1200 and 1550 per day. Because I have a mobility challenge - I do stretches, strengthening and such. No weight bearing exercises.

The thing that has made the biggest different to me is reading and using the techniques of Dr. Judith Beck.(The Diet Solution - it's a hokie name for such a wonderful book!) It's a cognative approach to 'living' healthfully with food. I now work daily on things like: planning, measuring & logging my daily food, write down everything I eat planned or unplanned, fork down between bites, mindful slow eating, feeling fullness, leave a small bite of food, practicing resistance techniques that deal with cravings and desires, using techniques dealing with negative emotions, strategies for dealing with travel/special occasions/eating out and more. These have made the most difference to me than anything in years.

Next steps: I have a HUGE challenge ahead of me. I'll have this surgery and won't be able to walk on my foot for three monthes/weigh myself /or work for nine monthes and more. This will be a physcial and emotional challenge that I am trying to prepare myself to face. I am actuaqlly pretty 'terrified' of the whole thing. I have a huge challenge not overeating when I feel pain. So, I have much to deal with coming up. I will do the very best I can.

eclipse 07-04-2010 04:10 PM

Weight: I'm down 55 lbs since the beginning of January.

Body shape: I've dropped from sort of busting out of size 24 pants to an 18/20. If my waist would cooperate, I'd be a solid 18, moving into 16s. Before weight loss, I was much more hourglassy, but my hips have shrunk much more quickly than my middle. My chest does not appear to have shrink much at all. Though I need a new bra now for the band size, the girls themselves are about the same size, though noticeably saggier :(. I'm actually starting to seriously consider breast reduction surgery if they haven't gotten a lot smaller by the time I get to goal. The more weight I loose, the more I feel the pull in my neck and shoulders, and it isn't fun.

Health Seems to be better. I'm still on all my meds (for blood pressure and reflux), but I just feel better, over all. I'm not having as many issues with my knees, less head aches, sleeping better, etc.

[b/]Mental/emotional health[/B]: I'm in a much better place than I was when I started this journey in September. I don't know how much is about the weight loss, and how much is related to starting anti-depressants, but I think I definitely have a healthier outlook than I did back then. I have hope for the future now, which I was really lacking before.

Eating/exercise plan: I'm eating around 1500 calories a day of what I would mostly consider healthy food. Exercising is much newer for me, as I hurt my back in January, and it took me from then until the end of May to really be able to start a plan. In some ways, that was a good thing. I had to get a handle on the food before I could focus on exercises. By the time I started exercising, the food was a habit already and I only had to learn to habituate (is that a word?) the exercise. I've been working out 4-5 times a week for the past month and a half or so, and I'm really feeling good about it. My weight loss has slowed, but the changes in my body have sped up.

Next steps:For now, I'm just continuing to do what has worked so far.

gmailjunkie 07-04-2010 06:02 PM

I'm new so my progress (or lack thereof) may not be very interesting to the folks here yet but I thought I'd jump in.

Weight: 243 plus or minus 3

Bodyshape: A little firmer perhaps under the skin. See Exercise/Eating Plan

Health: Not so hot for someone my age, but nothing major thank God- nothing incredibly wrong with my blood work. I have an un-rehabbed injury but I am still as mobile as the extra weight will allow.

Mental Health: Six straight months of therapy has helped tremendously and I Like myself better than I ever did though the old traumas still have much more effect than I'd like on my daily life than I would like I feel like I am moving towards something alot better

Exercise/Eating Plan: The exercise plan I think is coming together- I have changed my work schedule to make it easier to both get a little more sleep and a work out in in the morning and I have a gym very close to my office so it's easy to get in a yoga class (which I actually find incredibly difficult) in once or twice a week or more.

The eating part is harder (being treated for an eating disorder) but I intend to make better choices between episodes and plan to start weight watchers meetings soon cause I think the accountability will help.

Not much of an update or even a plan to move forward but It'll be interesting to see where I will be six months from now.


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