Weight Loss Chart
Not too bad this week. I didn’t expect anything like last week’s loss since the weekend in Omaha was not a healthy eating weekend, plus I lost a workout on Friday last week due to the travel.

Still, 1.4 pounds down. Getting closer to 50 total lost. I should hit it next week if I behave this weekend.

My workout routine seems to have settled on trying to get a good workout while not staying too late at the club, though today I went longer than I usually do. My baseline and starting speed is 3MPH, and I go up from there, varying it depending on my mood and energy level, but I don’t slow down below that except during cooldown. I hit 4MPH on Thursday — today I was more in a mood to play with the incline, going at 7.0 with a speed of 2.5 for the extra 20 minutes I spent on the treadmill today. Typically, though, it’s a level surface with 3.2 - 3.5 MPH.

Because I work out in the morning on Wednesdays (I like to get a good workout in before I weigh in), I’m off until tomorrow after work. I think, in general, I prefer the end of day workout; I get to work out the stress of the day, and puts me in a good mood before heading home to sleep. The downside is that since I’m typically working 8-8 these days I don’t get to eat supper until around 10 or 10:30. I’ve been making sure I stay on top of my other meals to counteract my body going into ’starvation mode’ and storing fat.

I think I’ve successfully stopped skipping breakfast, but habits are hard to break. I am never hungry at breakfast time. I don’t even think about food then. But then, typically, I don’t think about food unless I can see or smell it. I don’t really know what it actually feels like to be “hungry”, which is weird, considering that you’d think someone who eats the way I used to would do so out of a feeling of hunger.

But, no. Sure, I occasionally get a craving for someting, though it’s almost exclusively because of some outside trigger. I’ve gone whole days without eating, usually because I’m involved in something that’s taking all my concentration. I’d lay in bed and go over the day and realize I didn’t have a meal, or a snack.

It’s weird to think about that — it’s made my whole Weight Watchers experience interesting. I hear others complain that they feel hungry all the time when on the program, for example. Now, granted, my allowable point total is a lot higher than most, because it’s based on your present weight. But the last time I was on the program, I pretended I was only allowed 24 points a day on some days and didn’t have a problem. I didn’t feel hungry, but I missed the foods that were so bad for me. I mean, I enjoy a nice healthy sub from Subway a lot. But I really would enjoy a slice of pizza — well, frankly, many slices of pizza. Or a Bacon Double Cheeseburger from Burger King; That burger is my weakness.

I think that’s the biggest thing I’ve learned from my times in Weight Watchers — the portion control is so important. Keeping track of what you eat is very important, and to adequately track it, you need to know the points for each portion. Some foods come with a *surprisingly* low point total, but then you look at the serving size and realize that a box you used to treat as a single serving is actually 2, 4, or 6 servings!

So I don’t have a whole pizza; I have half of a Freschetta 8 inch pizza, which is a two-serving pizza. I don’t have a bacon double cheeseburger; I have a cheeseburger. It’s okay. I occasionally splurge and have something that’s not terribly good for me point-wise, but that’s what the 34 point wekly buffer is about. Plus I tend to take it lighter on the other days and ramp up the workout if I feel I went overboard.

Generally though, I’m happy with my progress and lifestyle changes. We’ll see where it goes from there.

Onwards!