Week 3 Weight-Loss Results

Week Three is over and I lost one pound, which is .46% of my body weight.  That's a total of 11 pounds lost, or 4.87% of my original body weight! 

I thought for sure I was going to either maintain or gain weight this week.  If that happened, I would have to pay $1 for maintaining or $1 for each pound gained.  The trouble for this week was that I wanted to eat everything!  I kept telling myself that it was okay because Aunt Flow is coming soon for a visit, but I shouldn't use that as an excuse to eat.  

For the rest of this blog, you should be imagining any episode of "Shark Week," specifically when the sharks are feeding.  I wanted to put my face over the shark's face, but I'm technically challenged.  :)

The eating frenzy started last week Tuesday...my birthday.  My dad and step-mom sent us several gift cards for Christmas, and we've been saving them for a rainy day.  I had to work until 7pm, so Tim got a babysitter lined up for the kids.  When I came home from work, we celebrated my birthday with the kids (they helped Tim bake a little cake for me and one for each of them, too), then Tim and I we were off to eat dinner at Olive Garden.  I ordered my favorite meal: Chicken Gnocchi soup (sometimes Zuppa Toscana), salad, and breadsticks.  I had two bowls of soup, a big bowl of salad, and two breadsticks with a pat of butter for each of them.  Yikes!  I lost all self-control that night.  We ate so much and so late in the evening that we just felt sick afterwards.  I tried to be good for the rest of the week at work, but I wasn't really trying.
  
We also had our church youth group over on Sunday for a Super Bowl party.  Everybody brought something for the pot luck.  There were chili cheese hotdogs, macaroni and cheese, crock pot enchiladas, barbeque meatballs, bacon-wrapped water chestnuts, taco dip, crackers, chips, cookies, dirt cake with Reese's peanut butter cups, pickles, olives, candy, chocolates, cookies, cupcakes, a veggie tray, and a little fruit.  The kitchen table, countertops, and stove were full of food...a fat girl's dream party!!  :)

I recall sitting at the table in front of the food literally shoveling it into my mouth.  Okay, not literally, but literally!!  It all tasted so good.  My weight-loss intentions had been tossed out the window.  The worst part was that when I was eating the rich, calorie-laden food, I didn't stop, even when I was full.  Do you ever feel like you can feel your fat cells getting fatter?  That moment and I met again.  We've been long-time friends, I just thought I defriended him at the start of this journey.

After the party, I cut up some celery, radishes, and cucumbers to eat at work the next day.  That was ALL I was going to allow myself to eat...and lots of water.  My stomach had another idea.  A co-worker brought in a big crock pot of chili with all the toppings, including baked potatoes, and a chocolate cake.  Granted, the cake was sugar-free, but that really doesn't help all that much.  I fell in love with the chili as soon as I smelled it.  Must...have...a...bowl...NOW!  I forced myself to wait until 11am to eat my first bowl.  I was "good" and only had a small potato with chili over the top, a sprinkling of cheese, and a smattering of oyster crackers.  "I'll weigh in a day later this week," I reasoned, "just to give myself extra time to work this off."  A few hours later, the chili was still smelling wonderful and although I tried to end our relationship, the chili won me over.  I had to have another bowl.  It had beans, so it was healthy, right?  Right.  Okay, good.  You're with me.  My second bowl had another baked potato covered with butter, then chili, then topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, and more oyster crackers.  I ate that bowl of chili so fast that my co-workers were complaining of a draft!  Next in line to get schooled was the cake.  I sent it to detention...in muh belleh.  Mmmm...chocolate cake.

I weighed in with my wallet ready.  I was SHOCKED when I saw that I lost a pound.  I'll take it!  Each passing week is revealing my need to get my rear in gear.  I've been asking God to help me make wise choices so I can at least lose some weight each week.  I feel like I'm trapped in this body and it's utterly disgusting.  I can't keep up with my kids and I get winded going up and down the stairs to do the laundry.  That makes me so sad.  My company has a fitness room.  Instead of pigging out, I need to think: MUST.  WORK.  OUT!  

Next week, my hope is that I win our mid-point challenge by being the person to lose the most percentage of weight.  If I do, I'll celebrate, but not with food!  :)  (P.S.  I like my hair in these pics!)