Diet Update: The 20 lb Mark

Lest you think I’ve given up on my diet, I’m here to tell you that’s not the case. It’s a little over 2 months now that I’ve been on it, and I finally hit the 20 lb lost mark this morning, which means I’m also under 200 lbs again.

I’m also officially very tired of being on the diet.

The best news is that I’m just 2.8 pounds from being “Normal” once again, which is my overarching goal, of course. Because if I can be normal according to BMI, then at least that’s one area where I can say I’m scientifically proven to be normal. Right? Right.

Since I’m getting that close, my mind is starting to turn to how I’m going to ensure I don’t go back into “overweight” territory. That’s always the problem, isn’t it? I’ve proven to myself time and time again that I can lose the weight when I really put my mind to it, but I’ve also proven to myself that I’ll put the weight right back on if I don’t watch myself.

This time, I hope it’s going to be different, and I have a few good reasons to believe that hope:

• I’m exercising every day still. That makes a big difference, and it helps me feel much better on a day to day basis. Exercise is a no brainer I should have been doing all along, but it’s one thing to know something in theory. Applying that knowledge is the tricky part. I’ve found a way to exercise that works for me, and I’ve been doing it for quite some time now, so I don’t see any real chances that will stop.
• I’m not going back on sugar. Ever since I stopped eating so much sugar, I’ve stopped gaining weight, This was normally the thing that made me slowly gain over time: brownies and ice cream. By limiting myself, I’m hopeful that solves the problem.
• New goal. As you know, I’m very goal-oriented. I’ve tried to think of a way to tap into this to help me not just lose weight, but keep it off. My new approach is going to be forcing myself to do a weigh-in on the last day of each month. The goal is to be below 195 on that day. If I am, I’ll treat myself to a small reward. If I’m not, no reward. (Yes. I work for Scooby Snacks.) While this might cost a bit of money, I consider it money well spent, since the long-term health benefits will save me much more than whatever I spend.

Anyway. That’s it. The diet continues for a while, and then it transitions into the monthly weigh ins. I’ll be very glad to be done weighing food every time I eat it, that’s for sure.

Thanks for the words of encouragement and support, They’re always appreciated!