Week Eleven Ends, Week Twelve Begins

   Well,  it's official.  I have lost 25 lbs.  I don't have a lot to report this week.  It was a fairly ordinary week, although I have noticed some serious cravings for the first time since I started this journey.  That's not to say that I haven't -wanted- certain foods, but this week... craving definitely joined the fray for the first time. And in truth, I have indulged in some of those cravings-- but have managed to balance them (mostly) within my budgeted ranges.  I was over my calories 2 days this week (once was an accident) but both times I was over by fewer than 200 calories, and on Sunday I spent a good chunk of my day swimming which knocked my net caloric intake waaaay down.  Thank heavens for exercise.


   I worked less.


   But I worried more.


   It seems my stress may be inversely linked to the number of hours I actually spend working.  The fewer hours I spend working, the more time and energy I spend stressing out about work.  It's not a great ratio... but I'm working on it.  I put a call in to a therapist this week.  She called back while I was working.  I  haven't tried again yet.  I will, Monday.


   I know I need to, particularly with this new craving situation rearing up.  I don't want to blow the progress I've made because of some stress.  I've done pretty well... great actually and the thought of throwing it all away because I'm having stress cravings actually  makes me feel kind of ill.


  So what did I achieve this week?


   I made three graduation cards and gifts in 5 hours.  I went to a party outside my standard party grouping... and had a great time.  And ... I even let my picture be taken.  I wasn't thrilled about it, but for a friend I haven't seen in ages... I let it roll.  I even peeked at it afterwards and didn't completely hate it.  I still look fat... but not as fat as I looked 25 pounds ago.


   Now, friends and family-- don't start thinking I'm ready to be in pictures... this was a one-time exception! I've already told quite a few of you... no pictures until I hit the 50lb mark... and I mean to stick to that.  But look-- I'm halfway there so how amazing is that?


   It is kind of cool if you think about it.  My initial "goal" was to lose 200 lbs.  I am 1/8th of the way there. At 11 weeks and 25 pounds lost, I am still averaging a loss of just over 2lbs a week, which is about the max healthy loss encouraged in the literature and articles that I've read (don't ask me to reference them, I'm too lazy.)  If I can keep that up, I will lose the 200 lbs in 20 months... just shy of 2 years.  That means that by my 30th I will have lost approx. 135 lbs, putting me at (for the first time since... High school I think) fewer than 250 lbs.  Amazing.  


   Now, I'm a realist, and I realize that 2 things are going to happen inevitably: 
1. When I'm finally able to add exercise those numbers could speed up for a little while.
2. At some point, it will also slow down as my body adjusts and tableaus here and there.


  My hope is that on average I can maintain a 2lb a week loss.  Right now I'm actually averaging about 2lbs and a quarter.  Which is very cool.  I just have to stay on track and keep it up.  The other thing to keep in mind is that once I AM able to start really exercising (and regularly) I'll start losing fat and building muscle (which weighs more).  That's a mental adjustment I'm going to have to make when the time comes as well. Realizing that just because the numbers may not be going down as steadily, doesn't mean I'm not making progress.  But I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. 


  As far as my goals go, 200 lbs was sort of an easy blanket goal.  Losing 200 lbs from where I started would put me at 167lbs.   The thing to keep in mind is that as heavy and as big as I have been, I will probably have to start dealing with excess skin issues before I even lose the whole 200.  Hopefully being able to exercise more will help tighten not just some of my musculature, but also help me firm up certain areas as well, although I realize there's not much exercise can do for flabby skin.  But... losing weight slowly and steadily can help as well, and doing it before age starts to take a serious toll on my skin's elasticity will too.


   I did some digging and found some great tips to help keep my skin bouncing back as I go through the process... 


   From allwomenstalk.com some super sensible tips to help your skin from becoming an issue during weight loss:

"First of all, you should not lose weight quickly …

   One of the main reasons as to why people end up with that badly sagging skin is because they shed those pounds too quickly. When you lose more than three pounds each week, it is not healthy at all. It will cause your skin to lose that elasticity faster and make it difficult for it to spring back into shape. Whenever you plan to lose weight, you should plan on losing around two pounds each week. This is not only healthier for your skin, but it is likely for it to stay off longer.

Use moisturizer each day …

   Moisturizer will add up to seventy percent of moisturizer to your skin. When you are losing weight, it is great to use a moisturizer as it will help to maintain that elasticity as your body is shrinking. Cover your body in heavy moisturizer each night before you go to bed.

Use Loofah or a body scrub that really works …Scrub your skin 3 times a week
   When you scrub away that surface, you will be causing that skin underneath to generate faster.

Drink a lot of water …

   There is a lot of studies showing that you should drink at least eight glasses of water every day. Why? In order to keep that moisture in your skin. Apart from this, the water is also going to flush those toxins out of your system. It will give your skin that healthy feel and look.

Exercise as much as possible …

   When we talk about exercise, we are talking about sit ups, push-ups, running and anything else you can think of. When you are exercising, you will be building those muscles up. This will plump up your skin from the inside and give it that tighter appearance. When you exercise, you will be making sure you will not gain all the weight back that you just tried so hard to lose.

Massage your skin …

   You may not believe this, but massaging the skin helps to build that elasticity back up. You should use mustard oil in order to get the best results. That daily massage will also help your muscles develop. In mustard oil, you will find that there are many medicinal properties in it that will help you to have healthy and glowing skin."

   You can read the full article :HERE: and it contains a lot of common sense information I've seen in many related articles and sites.    The point is, I may be able to maintain a lot of that issue on my own. Now that I've forged ahead with all this in a non-surgical fashion, I'd really like to be able to accomplish all of it that way.  Keeping the elasticity of my skin throughout the process will help with that.

   So that's this weeks notes.  Nothing terrifically exciting (ok, 25 lbs is kind of terrifically exciting!), and now it's on to week 12, at the end of which is the 3 month mark.  I had hoped to be at a full 30 lbs lost by then, but that's ok.  A 2lb average loss per week is healthy and encouraging... and I'm good with that.