Just started 6 weeks ago!!

[TheCemeteryMom2]

HI everyone !! 
I just started doing cardio workouts about 6 weeks ago (with one week in the middle break). It seems that as I have started to work out I have gained all the weight back that I had lost. My friend said it was muscle gain but my doctor thinks it water weight. I'm not on medications other than a women's vitamin, iron, and an allergy tablet. I's drinking 50.7 to 64 fl oz a day with some days as more. I just started to watch my food intake by adding it to my calorie counter but I have been watching what I eat without that anyhow. I've all but given up sweets; I have every so often but not much as I used to. I also rarely drink soda despite being in a family that is obsessed with coke and cherry vanilla coke. I just got my hubby to switch to Snapple.

I am also using a sweat belt to boost my sweating to burn more fat off. I'm doing a 30 minute cardio video and a 10 minute barre inspired abs work out. 

So anyway Hi all !!! 
 

[TheCemeteryMom2]

I've increased my water to 100 fl oz which is just about 3 litres. I get very thirsty and I seem to be having more energy. 

I'm not a big coffee person except when hubby makes me a cup but that is only when he is home on the weekends. I also get some digestion issues with a lot of coffee. Green Tea with peppermint is my go to drink. 

Update: I had the husband measure me and found that instead of 69% body fat I am more like 45% body fat. Lost a 1/4 of an inch on my belly. I have gained 1/4 inch on my left arm that I have been measuring. He just measured my right this week so next week I will see if anything has changed. My neck stayed the same. My leg is the same as well. 

Finally touched the 270s. I am at 279.6 lbs. Yay ! Goal for the month is 278. I also am starting to see muscle definition in my calves. 

Not sure if anyone has tried them yet but I signed up for the Body Project with Daniel and Alex. Really love their workouts and tried them on youtube first then signed up for the free portion of their full webpage. Also trying an arm focus 10 minute video with Emi Wong. Focus spots so I can build up muscles in my arms. I have wrist problems so I am strengthening them so I can do floor exercises. The Body Project has videos on how to modify to standing and still get the same results. 

Good week!  

[TheCemeteryMom2]

So update a few days late. 

This past week I started the my body project program with real start. I lost 2 inches on both legs in one week. I was down to 278 by Saturday but went back up to 281. I gained a few inches everywhere else that's including my hips and natural waist. My belly lost an inch. I am starting to see muscle definition on my calves so there's a start. I am going to do the 1st week of the real start again because the ones at the end were challenging so I want to use them to work my way up. 

I am eating yogurt for breakfast with the kiddo. We have a routine where we get 2 different flavors and rotate bites. I also am eating cottage cheese among other protein items. The other night we made talipa that was in our freezer for a while to get it out and made them lemon flavored. Very yummy except the husband hates fish. So we shall see. 

I saw a message from my emails and it looks like it isn't on here anymore. No thanks to Herbalife. I have a friend who pushes it 24/7 and quite honestly I have 0 interest in it. I also looked into Keto and have 0 interest in it as well. When I was younger it was in a weight loss program where all I did was exercise, drank water and watch what I eat portion wise and I made out just fine. I am sticking to that plan. So far things seem to be moving along. 

[DavideFitbit]

Thank you for sharing your progress @TheCemeteryMom2! I've been trying to increase my water intake as well, and I've been drinking at least 6 glasses of water per day. That'sa huge progress for me 😅

I've great to know that you're starting to see some results and definition in your body, it's all about patience and determination, so keep going and always stay motivated! 

I love cottage cheese too, I usually combine it with some pesto and toast. 😎

[TheCemeteryMom2]

@DavideFitbit I have a secret for the water intake. I have a tupperware dealer and she showed me these bottles. Eco. They are different sizes and I use the larger one. its 50.7 fl oz I try to drink 2  a day. I sip 1 before noon and the other is done before bed. I started out with the 24 fl oz ones and filled it 4 times to get 64 fl oz then worked my way up to 72 and finally the 50.7 fl ox (1 litre) . saves you on measuring and water bottles. 

I also have the flavor packets. My weakness is the sweet tea from Walmart and the 4c green tea. I only drink 1 a day or less now. The sweet tea fills my sugar needs. The green tea one I add a bit of honey to it to make it more sweet. I know the fake sugar stuff isn't the safest so I limit the amounts I drink. Also try crystal lite. My mom used to make the tangerine one and keep it in a pitcher in the fridge. 

[DavideFitbit]

Excellent @TheCemeteryMom2! That's actually a great trick to drink the required amount of water per day, I'll definitely give that a try 😱

[TheCemeteryMom2]

Update ! 
I am again at a plateau - day 8 of 276. Inches are rolling off so I know there is some progress being made. Frustrating because I want to be down 2 lbs this month at least for the monthly challenge. Speaking of I am going strong on that even got 10k Tuesday and 9k steps yesterday - my goal is 8k a day for now. My feet didn't hurt so I am thinking of adjusting my daily levels to 8500 or even 9k steps a day. 

Knees still hurt so I took and did some very lite work on cardio. 

My mom just had her lady parts removed due to a cyst in her ovary. I am thinking she may have had PCOS. This is a very hereditary disease but rarely diagnosed. My grams, aunt, and now mom have all had problems as they got older and this removal has solved the problem. I may have to talk to my doctor to see how we can work to prevent this from happening on my end. I had my tubes removed after the tiny tot because I wanted to reduce my chances of cancer since it is also a big thing in my family and when asked if he could removed my entire unit was told no because it wasn't medically necessary. 

We shall see what happens. Still plugging away. Have made 0 changes in my routine so thinking it could be:
muscle build 
a water gain due to sore knees 
monthly lady stuff 

[TheCemeteryMom2]

We are dubbing this periodic plateau the purge. 8 days at 277 and yesterday I saw 274 then today I saw 273. So I need to expect that this will happen. I'll build a bit of muscle and then my body flushes the fat out. I changed nothing. I am still eating the way I was before just more portioned. 

15 pounds off badge earned today even though I am at 16 pounds. Next stop 20 pounds off. 

[AmandaGeorge]

WTG @TheCemeteryMom2!  Keep at it and try pushing yourself just a touch more each week!  It doesn't need to be hard going, just aim to increase 1 more blob and maybe an extra active minute a day... small changes grow into big rewards! 

Keep drinking those 2 litres of water a day and just have a few less chips (fries) or an extra spoonful of veg or slightly less pasta or rice or whatever... not huge changes 'cos that'll lead to disappointment and you'll give up very quickly, but literally 5 less chips (fries) or 10g less of pasta or rice, or one less slice of bread or a slightly thinner slice of cheese... something that you really can't tell the difference of on your plate, but it all adds up!

[TheCemeteryMom2]

Already on the veggie and fruit increase. We ate out the other day at Wendys and I still have yet to eat my jr bacon cheese burger. I opted for the caesar salad. Cucumbers and Tomatoes are finally ready to pick and have been eating those like crazy plus other yummy fruits and veggies. 

Just Tuesday I looked at my fat intake and somehow accomplished having 15% fat intake with the rest at protein and carbs. Haven't been able to replicate it but 1 day isn't bad. My hunger levels are not as much as they used to be some days I am at 1500 then other days I'm at 1900 or 2000. So I'm all over the board on calories as well. 

Discovered a standing pilates workout so my knees don't swell at the end of the day. Tuesday I tried pilates on a mat and my knee swelled before bed from being at table top position and doing the superman things. Not fun. My left knee has slowed in the pain so that is good news. Now if Right knee can hop on the train we will be better. 

I saw a curious article about how research indicates that 7500 steps is enough to make a difference a day and that anything over that hits a plateau in changes. Still trying for 8k - 10k a day but now I'm not so concerned that I'm not making the 10k. 
Staying at it. 

[AmandaGeorge]

Make sure that everything that passes your lips goes into your Fitbit app and work towards turning the graph green each day... you're allowed one red day a week, but anything more is cheating  😉 

It's great that you're increasing your fruit and veggie consumption, but I hope you're consuming less calories in other areas too, instead of as well?  Fruit and veggies don't seem to have many calories, but they do have *some* so by not adjusting the other food you eat, you are eating even more calories than you used to without realising it.

It's great that your hunger is decreasing... maybe slowly decrease your portion sizes to go with it?  Or use a slightly smaller plate or something like that?

I'm so glad that you've found a pilates workout that works for you and your body... keep at it and you'll increase your fitness as you go along!

Maybe aim for the 7,500 steps a day, but challenge yourself to hit the 10k once every week... you can do it, @TheCemeteryMom2! 

[TheCemeteryMom2]

I can confidently say I've only had 3 red zones in the past 2 months! Last 2 weeks I had 2 of those. No cheating other than on cheat days here. 😉

Yes everything that goes in gets counted and yes to the adjusting everything to fit with the fruits and veggies. Last night I had Angel food bunt cake with strawberries (strawberry short cake) and added blueberries as well with it. Very yummy. I calculated the calories in and adjusted. What I usually do is calculate out an extra 500 this way if my math is off I can account for those extra calories to get to my 500 deficit zone. I know I'm not perfect when it comes to math so I usually round up on everything to be extra sure.

Portion sizes are also smaller. I've even swapped out white bread in the house for Italian bread for the family. I compared the ingredients and it's healthier than white and 20 calories less. This way if I run out of my wheat bread or 27 grains then I know I've got some healthier stuff. I've snuck in some low sodium items into the family's meals and no one has noticed a difference. I also started with lite dressings so I can spare some calories on my salads. 

Just some tiny tweaks that are starting to add up.

Back down to 273 today for my daily weigh in so now my next stop is 271 by the end of the month. Then I can start to tackle the 260s. I weigh in for my 6 month update here in a few weeks so I know my doctor and I will talk about more measures to take. I plan to talk to him about my PCOS concern as I've skipped my flow again and I have my tubes tied. 

Side note: Thursday we got a gift of cupcakes and aside from a finger slide of icing I haven't touched them. They aren't even tempting to me anymore. The glazed doughnuts tho they are a bit more tempting but I'm holding strong. 😂 

Keep up the good work and thanks for the positive vibes. 

[AmandaGeorge]

It sounds like you're doing well with all the healthy things you've put in place! 

What's your exercise like?  I know you've got pilates, but what about other things like walking or sit-ups to help to drop more weight, quicker?  Maybe you could start off by spending 15 minutes walking around your house and garden every few hours?  That's what I did while I was self-isolating before I went in to hospital on Monday! 

Maybe you could offer to walk a dog for a friend or family or even a neighbour?  That's what I do twice a day in all weathers too and I've lost 12-15kg since I got my Fitbit at the end of September last year.  It's not easy to find the motivation when the rain is lashing down, but seeing the weight come off just by making small adjustments has really helped me... maybe it could help you too?  When I've got medical permission to start exercising again, I'm gonna start off by doing every other hour and slowly build up again from there.

Maybe do like I'm gonna do and aim for getting 3 sets of purple blobs and 15 active minutes for each of those blobs every day for a while then ever so slowly build up from there?

Maybe let your Fitbit app do the calorie counting for you - literally the only time I look at the calorie and fat and carbs etc is on foods that aren't already in the database and I can't remember the last time I did that!!  It's one less thing for you to worry about and makes it a lot less stressful too  😉

You should feel proud of yourself for skipping the cupcakes, @TheCemeteryMom2!

[TheCemeteryMom2]

I am using the team body project. I found it on youtube 2 months ago after it was suggested by popsugar fitness. They have different style programs. The REAL start is where I started for the first week and repeated it twice then I randomized the videos they have. There's cardio, HIIT, pilates, boxing, and other programs that they have. Most are free but there is a lot more on the subscription program too. Since I'm broke right now the free stuff works for me just fine. I am also doing pylojam with Stacey Beaman and Leslie Sansone has her videos up on youtube as well. I use her at the end of the day to get where I need to. 

[AmandaGeorge]

It sounds like you're doing a lot to keep yourself healthy and it sounds like you're enjoying and benefitting from those videos!

[TheCemeteryMom2]

I measured in at 269.8 today. I think yesterday I was bloated as I gained inches everywhere but my hips. My hips I lost 1/2 of an inch. Everywhere else saw 1/4 - 1 inch of gain. Could be muscle could be bloating. 

My 6 month check up with the doctor is in March. He wants me to be down to 260 but I am aiming for 250. He also calculated my weight loss by 6 months not by the 3 months that I had started at. Still he said the weight will stay off with this slow and steady decline. We also discussed that we are raising my goal weight to 170 as I am gaining muscle and he would rather me overweight and muscular than overweight and fat or under weight and no muscle. 

I went to the store and bought some size Large pants. Sure they are tight but I can fit into them and wear them. Also had to buy a new bra. I am now in a 42DDD. I was a 44DDD. Hopefully this continues to go down as I feel this may be a big factor in my back pain. 

Tried floor exercises like planks and such today. My knees are killing me but I was able to hold myself up on my wrists so that a bonus. I may add a plank everyday before bed. We shall see on that. Baby steps. If I can get the rest of my body down then I can eventually add the plank. Maybe wait until I hit 250 and then celebrate by adding the plank or just hop into it. 

[AmandaGeorge]

Great going with the weight loss, keep doing what you're doing 'cos it seems to be working for you!

Maybe compromise with the weight to get down to by March and make it 255?  It's less than your doc wants but more than you want and it might be easier to keep it off too that way?

It's great that you've moved down a chest size with your bra too... it's great when that happens, ain't it!

WTG with the plank... maybe try increasing it by 5 seconds each week or fortnight or whatever... slow but steady progress and all that jazz.

[TheCemeteryMom2]

I added a barre class with Marnie on popsugar. I've been doing the planks in there. Today I was able to remove my yoga brick and have my hands on the floor. I was able able to criss cross my leg under my other one. A little hunchy but that will come with my flexibility. I think Mondays will be barre with marnie so I can work to get flex and stability. Plus those ab crunches are killers. I may just add her 10 minute into the routine for each day as well to reap the benefits. 

Also I gained 2 pounds. Back to 271 but every so often my body does this then flushes back down. It's like my body is regulating itself.

I still haven't had my period. I've got my tubes tied so I know it's not a baby. I also have had irregular flows when I was a kid that never regulated but a few months without now is weird. Might be my exercise and body changing. We shall see. Inches came back off as well. My right side is thinner than my left side. Weird but whatever. I also have seen on the underside of my belly at my hips it is starting to suck in about an inch on each side. Husband also noticed I have more defined shoulder muscles. 

Small pieces of change. 

[AmandaGeorge]

It sounds like you are doing really well, @TheCemeteryMom2!  Keep it up and I'm sure you'll get there  🙂  Would it be worth having a word with your doctor about your periods?  I know almost nothing about gynaecology (other than how much agony I used to be in every month thanks to Endometriosis), but it might be worth having a word with a medical bod to put your mind at rest as much as anything?

[suki555]

Just found your blog and have read all your comments.  First of all I think you are doing fantastic, you are consistent in your approach to exercise, what you are eating and acting on some good advice that you have researched.  You know that what you are doing is working even if it takes a little longer than you would like.  Give yourself a pat on the back, you have achieved a lot.  You will achieve your goal because you are dedicated and driven to succeed in what you want to accomplish.   Wishing you lots of luck and best wishes.  Remember You Can Do It and You Are Achieving Your Goals.

[TheCemeteryMom2]

Sorry for the lack of "interest" that may appear here. I am still working out on everything. I hit a snag Monday that is having me take a different take on everything. I have a back spasm and 2 days later I am still not 100%. I also have jury duty next week so this is the perfect time to see how I do with a slower amount of exercise. I will say that even with not getting my 7500 steps a day and only doing a walking exercise of 15 minutes is still helping me to keep and take the pounds off. I will be running an experiment to adjust my calories based on the lack of exercise. 

Oh and a few days ago I finally reached the 20 pound marker and am seeing 260s steadily. Next stop the 250s. I also have adjusted my secondary goals to be down to 200 by June of next year for my friends wedding. I am ok with a little higher or lower but that is about where I want to be.