Thursday, July 21, 2011

Losing Weight is A Bitch

This morning I stepped on the scale and for the first time since the beginning of April I'm finally back under 130 pounds--129.8.  

As I blogged here I managed to put on five pounds over the course of a month and a half.   In the beginning of April I was 129 pounds, but by the end of May I was 134 pounds.

Five pounds for me is a full dress/pants size, so all my clothes were snug.   I've learned from past experience that an extra five pounds, if not attended to, quickly turns into 10, and ten pounds is a hell of a lot harder to lose then five.  

So, I rolled back my eating and amped up my exercise, and watched as the scale remained firmly at 134 pounds through the end of June.   But, I've learned from the past not to let this discourage me.   As I've explained before, when you're in weight gain mode, you're obviously eating too many calories, so your initial calorie cutback/more exercise efforts generally just stops the weight gain.  

In other words, I was making progress because, although I wasn't losing weight, I wasn't gaining it as well.

So, after the July 4 weekend, I ramped up my efforts even more.   I increased my raw food percentage to cut calories even further (eating raw fruits and vegetables generally fills you up while cutting calories), and starting juicing whenever I could.   

The scale then started to move downward.    Last week I was able to juice until dinner three days, and was even able to complete an entire day of juice fasting. 

I lost 2 pounds last week--the most I've lost in a week since May when I started trying to lose weight again. 

This week, thus far, I've juiced until dinner twice.   Today I'm having a smoothie for breakfast but plan to juice for lunch and have a salad for dinner.

I've lost the weight I put on from the beginning of April, but I'm trying to get down to around 125 pounds which is really were I like to be.

I have to say that it has not been easy.  Losing weight is definitely a bitch.  It takes a lot of effort and you have to keep at it for a long time to see any results. 

And, I'm applying lessons learned from past weight loss experience.

First, fast weight off, is fast weight on.   Rather than launching into a huge, initial calorie cut-back, I rolled back calories gradually.  If you initially cut back calories too fast, my body seems to revolt and then does anything it can to try to put that weight back on again.

Second, don't get discouraged by a stuck scale.  If you're no longer gaining weight, you're moving in the right direction.

Third, don't let yourself get hungry.  Cut calories, but don't let yourself get hungry.  

Fourth, eat more raw fruits and vegetables.   You'll reduce calories while filling yourself up.

Fifth, move more.   Exercise is great, but sometimes is just all the extra moving that counts.  Park farther away and walk, take that extra trip up the stairs instead of letting things pile up until you go up, take the stairs instead of the elevator.     

6 comments:

  1. Awesome.
    Age has nothing to do with weight gain. It has to do with not moving enough to burn off what we are eating.
    Congrats,
    Susie

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  2. Losing Weight After 45 is a bitch.July 21, 2011 at 11:33 AM

    Actually, age does have a lot to do with weight gain. A 45 year old, 140 pound woman actually burns a lot fewer calories per day than a 25 year old 140 pound woman does. As we age our metabolisms slow down. Now, coupled with the fact that we usually do not move as much, that packs on the pounds.

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  3. Our metabolism slows down as we age yes but only because we sit on our butts a lot more. It isn't an age thing.........it is a sit on our butt and gain thing.

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  4. Losing Weight After 45 is a BitchJuly 21, 2011 at 3:42 PM

    Actually, as we age, our resting metabolic rate actually slows down. In other words, minus any exercise at all, i.e., if two women who were the same weight did nothing but sit in a chair all day, and one was 25 and the other 50, the 25 year old would still burn more calories. It's a function of aging. That is why, as we age, we have to eat less and exercise more just to maintain our weight.

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  5. Yes it slows down for a reason. The 25 year old has MUCH more muscle mass.
    A lost of 'older' people sit and do nothing and lose so much muscle mass and muscle burns a lot of calories.
    :)
    Susie

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  6. This is the first time I have seen Losing Weight After 45 is a Bitch, and reading some of these posts is like looking at my own weight loss journal. I am 47 and have put on that extra 10 pounds in the past 5 years. Actually, more like 15 pounds. I work out like a dog lately, and still the scale won't budge. I realize that the next step is to drastically cut my food (and wine) intake. It's a bitch. Thanks for sharing this experience. It helps!

    ks

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