Weigh-In: Week 5

This was the week of "Delicious Food that I Probably Shouldn't Have Eaten." And I'm not at all sorry. Last Friday, we went out to a small Austrian cafe and I had schnitzel for the first time. Let me tell you, Austrians know what's up. Then last night, Kammah and her boyfriend came over for steak and Doctor Who and I thoroughly enjoyed myself--with the company, the show, and ALL the food. And while I planned in advance for both of these events (and also Sunday out at Faire, where it's hard to remember to eat and/or choose wisely), some things are just too hard to calculate.

Plus, there comes a time when you become That Girl. You know the one. The girl who's dieting and becomes so obsessed with calories that she doesn't enjoy the food or the company or the experience AND/OR she annoys the hell out of everyone around her by TALKING about the calories in things and making A Whole Big Thing out of her diet. I've been that girl; I don't like being that girl. So I guessed a lot, tried to eat smaller portions, and just plain relaxed.

All of this to say that this week, I was not expecting great things at the scale and I was completely fine with that. However, I did better than I'd hoped. The stats:

Original Weight: 312.0 lbs
Today's Weight: 304.0 lbs
Week's Loss: -0.6 lbs
Total Loss: -8.0 lbs

There are times when this kind of incremental change would bother me--especially during those weeks where I try so hard and a loss this small doesn't feel like it rewards my efforts. In those situations, I try to tell myself two things: 1) A loss is a loss, no matter how much and; 2) Anything between -0.5 and -1.5 is both HEALTHY and NORMAL. Today, I'm just happy that I didn't gain. As a bit of a numbers weirdo, I also like the fact that it's a solid 8 pounds lost, which is exactly halfway to my 5% goal--my first goal with a deadline. And okay, that technically makes it my 2.5% goal, but that's not really a thing, so pretend we all didn't just do the math on that. Since this is Week Five and there are five more weeks to July 3rd, I'm right on track.

Even though I'm happy with this week's progress, I still find myself in a mental trap. You see, my brain likes to lie to me and tells me that 8 pounds isn't all that much, especially when held up against the (ridiculous) 120 pounds I have yet to lose. But, as with any lie, it's defeated with the truth. Here are some facts I'm using to remind myself of the truth:

• A gallon of water weighs approximately 8 pounds: I would imagine milk doesn't weigh much more, so I think about the relief I feel when I'm carrying in the groceries and I get to put down the milk. I'm glad I'm no longer carrying around those 8 pounds.
• I weighed a little over 8lbs when I was born: I know LOTS of babies born that size. So I've already lost the weight of a whole HUMAN BEING. Granted, a rather small human, but still.
• I'm not where I used to be: Before I moved to Texas and started going to meetings, I'd already lost 10 pounds. When I add that to the 8 I've lost here, it starts to feel a whole lot more substantial.
• My pants fit better: Right before Christmas, I went to the thrift store and bought three pairs of cheap pants in size 24, set on only being in them for a short time. For my birthday in January, my mom bought me a nicer pair in size 22 and they didn't fit. I am now comfortably wearing the 22s and ALL the 24s live in a drawer. [I had an epiphany one day after my fresh-out-of-the-dryer 24s were falling down every time I stood up. Huh. IT'S ALMOST LIKE THEY DON'T FIT ANY MORE. Apparently, I am a terrible clothing size judger.] Even though 22 is is not a number I like, it's progress. 
• My finger nails are longer and stronger: I think they've grown a millimeter a day in the last week. I looked down today while typing and was like, "WHOA! When did that happen?" Then I remembered last time I did WW: getting all of my daily recommended vegetable/fruit and dairy servings actually makes me...healthier. In appreciably quantifiable ways. While this isn't weight-loss, per se, it is a direct result of my efforts. 

That's all I've got for today. Hopefully I'll have some interview updates later in the week. Until then, let's talk about YOU. How's your weight-loss going? How's your life? Got a funny limerick? Want to talk about the season finale of Doctor Who? Comment away!