July 2022 weight loss report: Down 4.4 pounds

Interestingly, I am down the exact same amount in July as I was in June–4.4 pounds, another month of notable weight loss. Yay.

Even better, I dropped more weight in the final two days after hitting a plateau that lasted a little more than a week.

The continued weight loss can be attributed to a few things:

  • Lots of exercise. I am running three times a week (each run is a combined 18+ km of walking/running) and I do walks on my non-run days, too. Compulsion to close activity rings on Apple Watch fitness app: Ongoing!
  • Less snacking overall. Reminding myself to not eat when not hungry (it’s surprising how often we do that.). This is known as fog eating and would go better if you ate actual fog instead of food.
  • Smarter snacking. I am eating more fruit or doing things like having a serving of non-fat yogurt with blueberries or strawberries mixed in. No more cookies!
  • Better meals. Saving things like pizza as occasional indulgences rather than having them regularly. I’m sorry, pizza, our torrid affair must remain part-time.

The weight loss is now enough that I can see the downward trend over shorter periods of time. I still find it darkly amusing that the biggest loss happened when I got COVID-19. But unlike other times when illness led to weight loss, I didn’t put the weight back on. Woo.

My Fitbit one-year chart is below. It is a weird coincidence that my weight peaked on January 1 of this year:

On the first day of this chart, I was 176.2 pounds and see-sawed until I celebrated New Year’s with a barrel of donuts, apparently.

Also, looking over the chart again, I seem to have mistyped my weight from January 1, so my weight loss for the year-to-date is even better than I originally thought. I have corrected the January stats below.

Stats:

Weight:

January 1, 2022: 182.8 pounds
Current: 163.8 pounds

Year to date: Down 19 pounds

July 1: 168.2 pounds
July 31: 163.8 pounds (down 4.4 pounds)

Body fat:

January 1: 23% (42.1 pounds of fat)
July 31: 18% (29.5 pounds of fat--down 12.6 pounds)

June 2022 weight loss report: Down 4.4 pounds

After a month of standing still, my weight was on the move again, and this time in the right direction–down!

I even had a nice bonus of dropping a little on the last day of the month after hitting a new low, so it looks even better. In June, I lost 4.4 pounds, my best results for the year to date, and Fitbit now regards my weight as “normal” instead of overweight. As of today, I have 18.2 pounds to go to reach my target of 150 pounds, which I think I can hit by the end of summer. The start of summer would have been my preference, but clearly I did not hit my groove until this month. What changed? Let’s make a list!

  • Less snacking overall
  • Healthier snacking. I’m eating things like bananas and grapes instead of cookies and brownies
  • More exercise. I am back to running three times a week, and usually get in some exercise in my “off” days in the form of walks and such
  • A few tweaks to what I eat during meals, though I’ve been trying to keep those on the leaner, healthier side for a while

Overall, I am pleased with the results. I make no prediction for July, other than being down again. It would be nice to hit 160, but that would mean about two pounds of weight loss per week. It’s theoretically possible, but I think it’s more likely to continue to be closer to one pound, meaning I should be around 164 or thereabouts on July 31. We’ll find out soon™.

Stats:

Weight:

January 1, 2022: 180.6 pounds
Current: 168.2 pounds

Year to date: Down 12.4 pounds

June 1: 172.6 pounds
June 30: 168.2 pounds (down 4.4 pounds)

Body fat:

January 1: 23.2% (42.1 pounds of fat)
June 30: 19.9% (33.7 pounds of fat--down 8.4 pounds)

May 2022 weight loss report: Up 0.1 pounds

Sad trombone.

In terms of actual weight loss, the month was a wash, with a negligible increase of 0.1 pounds–basically the difference of leaning harder or more gently on the scale. More notably, Fitbit believes I have amassed a pound of fat over the last month, despite the minimal weight gain and my overall fat percentage went up, too. Not good!

I did do a bit of snacking, which was bad, but never gained traction for the entire month. Twice I dipped below 173 pounds, but never carried any momentum after doing so. I climbed over 175 a few times, so maybe I should be glad I ended up breaking even by the end. Still disappointing. But I have no one to blame but myself!

And so my quest to hit 160 pounds by the start of June–tomorrow–ends a full 13.5 pounds short. Only emergency magic liposuction can help me hit that goal now.

Instead, I will vow to swear off snacking in June and aim for a more modest loss of five pounds by the end of the month. Will I be reporting a weigh-in of 168.5 pounds in 30 days? We shall see!

Stats:

Weight:

January 1, 2022: 180.6 pounds
Current: 173.5 pounds

Year to date: Down 7.1 pounds

May 1: 173.4 pounds
May 31: 173.5 pounds (up 0.1pounds)

Body fat:

January 1: 23.2% (42.1 pounds of fat)
April 30: 21.3% (37 pounds of fat--down 5.1 pounds)

Fat is where it’s at (if it’s fat)

yellow analog meter
Not quite this hefty–yet! Photo by mali maeder on Pexels.com

Today the weather was sunny and almost seasonal. I decided to celebrate by going out and taking birb pictures. But before going out, I contemplated wearing shorts. I ended up wearing my comfy covid sweatpants (to be fair, I got them pre-pandemic). But while I contemplated, I pulled out a nice pair of casual shorts, the kind I wore in summers of yore, size 31 waist. I pulled them on. I zipped up the zipper. I did the button up at the top of the zipper. As you can see, I remembered perfectly how to put on shorts.

There was one small problem, though. Or rather a big problem. A big FAT problem.

My waist.

My waist is currently not size 31. I daresay it is not 32 or maybe even 33, either. I think it may be back to my pre-2008 size of 34. Technically I could wear the shorts, but in this case technically is not the best kind of correct, because I was being squeezed to death by clothing. The only way wearing those shorts would have been practical in any way would have been through spontaneous and magical liposuction.

So I wore the sweatpants.

My weight is currently at a bit of a plateau at the moment, but it should start coming down again through the remainder of the month. Will it be enough to let me revisit the bygone days of being under 170 pounds before we (jelly) roll into June? Perhaps. I’d like to think that by then I could wear those size 31 shorts without having to give up breathing, but I know that is unlikely. So that is my goal, my north star–to be able to wear my size 31 shorts before the weather becomes inhospitable to exposing my legs to the elements.

Excelsior!

April 2022 Weight loss report: Down 4.6 pounds

That’s not a typo! Thanks to a misplaced Christmas miracle, I was not only down this month, I was down a not insignificant 4.6 pounds. Woo. It looks even better if you go back one day from April 1st to March 31st when I was 177.7 pounds. From there I’ve lost 5.3 pounds. While this leaves my rate of weight loss coming up short to reach 16 pounds by June 1st, it’s still very good and finally reverses the sluggish trend of minimal or no weight loss that has been happening for many months.

How did I do it? Let’s make a list!

  • I got COVID-19 right at the start of the month and immediately shed about two pounds
  • Those two pounds did not automatically come back when I recovered
  • After-dinner snacking was reduced to near-zero
  • Overall snacking was way down and concentrated more on lighter fare, like an occasional banana or baked crackers
  • I was way more active, working out on the treadmill, doing some runs and walking, walking, walking, to the point that I completed the April 2022 fitness challenge on my watch two days earlier. The challenge was to hit 2210 exercise minutes a month or about 73 minutes per day.
  • I was actually down on the last day of the month. I don’t know why, but often on the last day of the month I suddenly gain weight, as if my body delights in springing sudden disappointments on me

As always, I do not recommend getting sick as a method of weight loss, but the timing this month seemed to help pave the way for gradual loss over the course of the month.

For the year so far, I am now down 8.2 pounds and lopped off 6.1 pounds of body fat. Woo x2!

Here’s hoping I can at least repeat the effort for May. If I do, I’ll actually drop into the 160 pound range for the first time in about a hundred years.

Stats:

Weight:

January 1, 2022: 180.6 pounds
Current: 172.4 pounds

Year to date: Down 8.2 pounds

April 1: 177.0 pounds
April 30: 172.4 pounds (down 4.6 pounds)

Body fat:

January 1: 23.2% (42.1 pounds of fat)
April 30: 20.8% (36 pounds of fat--down 6.1 pounds)

Weight loss report, March 2022: Up 0.3 pounds

Yes, I was up slightly. Boo and all that.

Early in the month I was tracking downward, then mid-month something shifted and the trend reversed. I’m not entirely sure what happened, as I totally for real did not start scarfing bags of cookies. The trend then began going back down in the final week until a weird 1.1 pound gain overnight and then stalled, so for the month overall it was basically treading water. Or retaining water.

And that got me thinking. Because I’ve worked out nearly every day this month, is it possible I could be gaining a bit of muscle mass? I went to grab the cloth measuring tape to find out, but it has vanished, so I’ll need to get a replacement, then read up on where exactly to measure (that’s what she said :drumroll:).

My sub-quest to reach 160 pounds by June 1st is thus more difficult now, as there are 61 days and 17.7 pounds between now and then. To hit that number, I need to lose an average of 0.29 pounds per day, or just over two pounds per week. Two pounds may not sound like much but again, look over the last month. I should have lost about eight pounds and gained 0.3 instead. Oops.

So for April my plan is thus:

  • Continue to workout like a madman, or at least someone who works out a lot
  • Swear off all snacking save for the following items:
    • Bananas
    • Other types of fruit I am not currently consuming
    • Vegetables

Easy peasy! I’ll report back in a month, when I will no doubt be…

169.7 pounds–or less!

Ho ho.

One tiny bit of good news: The 0.3 pound gain did not offset the 0.4 pound loss of February, so I am still down overall for the year to date.

Stats:

Weight:

January 1, 2022: 180.6 pounds
Current: 172.4 pounds

Year to date: Down 8.2 pounds

April 1: 177.0 pounds
April 30: 172.4 pounds (down 4.6 pounds)

Body fat:

January 1: 23.2% (42.1 pounds of fat)
April 30: 20.8% (36 pounds of fat--down 6.1 pounds)

Weight loss report, February 2022: Down 0.4 pounds

The good news is I was down again, yay. I was not down as much as I should have been, boo.

And it was totally my fault. Boo again. But I am still overall encouraged, as I will explain.

Good things:

  • Being down is always better than being up
  • I did 19 workouts on the treadmill. Burning these extra calories helps!
  • My body fat has dropped 2.7 pounds so far this year, which demonstrates that–assuming the readings are accurate–I am actually shedding fat and becoming leaner
  • The exceptions that curbed total weight loss are special cases (I swear)

And here’s why I didn’t lose more weight:

  • I made the last batch of brownies from the megabox we got from Costco. I wanted to get rid of them to clear up space in the pantry and to get the little devil cakes out of the place. They ended up in my tummy, which is perhaps not the ideal location. But they are gone now!
  • Yesterday I bought a tin of smokehouse almonds because they were on sale. These very rarely go on sale and are normally expensive enough that I’m never tempted to buy. Yesterday I was tempted and their salty, “just one more” quality led to a lot more than one more. I think I actually gave myself stomach cramps. So dumb. To my meager credit, I did not devour the entire tin in one day.

I am thus overall encouraged. The workouts will continue (until morale improves) and I’m continuing to eat leaner ‘ meaner with more lean meat and salads and stuff mixed in. I am hoping to accelerate the weight loss in March. We’ll see!

Stats:

Weight:

January 1, 2022: 180.6 pounds

February 1: 178.5 pounds
February 28: 178.1 pounds (down 0.4 pounds)

Year to date: Down 2.5 pounds

Body fat:

January 1: 23.2% (42.1 pounds of fat)
February 28: 22% (39.4 pounds of fat--down 2.7 pounds)

Weight loss report, January 2022: Down 2.6 pounds

A Christmas miracle has arrived! In January! I am down 2.6 pounds for the month. Curiously, this is also exactly the amount I was up in December, but if we track back to December 1st, my total weight loss since then is 0.6 pounds, Less impressive, but sustained actual almost-for-sure not a rounding error weight loss for two entire months? I’ll take it.

The key was likely related to a couple of things:

  • Much less snacking, especially in the latter half of the month when I started seeing regular dips in weight
  • Frequent 30+ minute workouts on the treadmill. I think my body got a bit used to exercise and may have started burning a tiny bit of fat from it as a result (16 workouts for the month, so an every-other-day average. Not bad!)
  • And of course, no donuts

In all, a nice trend and one I hope will continue.

Stats (rolling over yearly stats to this month, but for reference, I started January 2021 at 174,2 pounds, so I’ve got a ways to go just to catch up to where I was 12 months ago, let alone my target goal of 150):

January 1: 180.6 pounds
January 31: 178.0 pounds (down 2.6 pounds)

Year to date: From 180.6 to 178.0 pounds (down 2.6 pounds)

Body fat (year to date):

January 1: 23.2% (42.1 pounds of fat)
January 31: 23.5% (41.8 pounds of fat) (down 0.3 pounds)

Weight loss report, December 2021: Up 2.6 pounds

The tragedy and triumph of the month that is December when it comes to waistlines and the expansions thereof.

I started the month well-positioned for weight loss, 1.4 pounds under 180. 170 here I come!

By December 4th, I had dropped to 177.9, which would sadly turn out to be my lowest point of the month, because…December. By the 8th I had ballooned up to 180.8 pounds, and it took 16 days to finally get back below 180. I held a glimmer of hope that I could carry the downward trend onward. It lasted two days. Even after a lot of exercise and old-fashioned calorie-burning yesterday, I was still up this morning to my highest point of the month at 181.2 pounds. Sigh.

However, while I am always striving to do better, I am no longer making promises to myself. I will hazard a prediction that I will be down at least a little in January, if only because the worst indulgences of the holidays will be past. But we’ll see.

Stats:

December 1: 178.6 pounds
December 31: 181.2 pounds (up 2.6 pounds)

Year to date: From 174.2 to 181.2 pounds (up 7 pounds)

Body fat (year to date):

January 1: 22.4% (39.1 pounds of fat)
December 31: 23% (41.6 pounds of fat) (up 2.5 pounds)

Weight loss report, November 2021: Up 0.2 pounds

I gained a tiny bit of weight this month, all thanks to cookies and chocolate bars being on sale. What can I say? It was a very wet, dismal kind of month and I indulged. I was bad.

On the positive side, the weight gain was minimal, and I was trending down by a few pounds for the first half, so I know actual weight loss is within reach.

I just need to avoid sales. And buying stuff and then eating it. Easy peasy.

I won’t mention that December is likely to be even more dismal than November. Nope.

Stats:

November 1: 178.1 pounds
November 30: 178.3 pounds (up 0.2 pounds)

Year to date: From 174.2 to 178.3 pounds (up 4.1 pounds)

Body fat (year to date):

January 1: 22.4% (39.1 pounds of fat)
November 30: 23.2% (41.4 pounds of fat) (up 2.3 pounds, unchanged from previous month)

Holiday treats, holiday Type 2 diabetes

I got a newsletter from my local grocery store (I won’t name them, but you may be able to figure it out using advanced internet detective skills) that had this at the top of the newsletter:

A delightful collection of not-exactly-light recipes

And had this below:

I mean, maybe this is a coincidence, but it’s a little on-the-nose, don’t you think?

If it was a deliberate juxtaposition, I say kudos to the sassy ad writer not only for posting the logical sequence of thousand-calorie-sugar-nightmares followed by treating-diabetes-because-I-think-you-know-why, but for actually providing a public service while making the point.

October 2021 weight loss report: Up 0.1 pounds

The month started with me at 177.8 pounds and ended with me at 177.9 pounds, which is the very definition of a rounding error. While it looks like my weight stayed virtually unchanged, what happened on the other 29 days tells a different story, because the 1st and 31st are the only days I was below 178 pounds. I was up to 181 at one point and hovered around 179 a lot of the month.

This was due to making brownies and then eating them. I also didn’t run much in the first half of the month, and have started running more frequently and generally being more active in the second half of October.

I can’t say I’m thrilled with the weight gain, but am relieved that I managed to work it all off to at least end up neutral for the month.

I promise not to buy any cheap Halloween candy tomorrow.

Stats:

October 1: 177.8 pounds
October 31: 177.9 pounds (up 0.1 pounds)

Year to date: From 174.2 to 177.9 pounds (up 3.7 pounds--unchanged from September)

Body fat (year to date):

January 1: 22.4% (39.1 pounds of fat)
October 31: 23.3% (41.4 pounds of fat) (up 3.3 pounds--unchanged from September)