So...I last reported to you on June 28th...wow...a month ago already! Let me catch you all up...
July 5th - I weighed at home before the meeting and was 120.6 so decided to drink as much as I could on the way to the meeting. They hadn't given me any problem about being below 122 lbs (bottom of my goal weight range) last week but I thought they might say something this week. I weighed in at 123.4...that's ALOT of water = )
July 12th - I had to fast for the oral surgery I was having that afternoon so I weighed 121.2 for the meeting. They didn't say anything so I was happy.
July 19th - this completes my 6th week of maintaining...weighed 121.4...also filled up my first 16 week weight record. Something interesting to report to you...I had the 2 top back molars pulled/cut out last Thursday. I knew I would be eating soft foods for the next 2-3 days but I was totally caught off guard by how SORE my face was! Not just the holes in my mouth... my cheekbones, my jaw...YIKES!
The roots of one of the teeth went into my sinus so that tooth was cut off at the gumline, then each of the 3 roots were pulled individually. The dentist was concerned about bruising/cracking a bone by pulling the tooth out complete. Then he had to seal up the hole going into my sinus.
I don't know if this made my face more sore than I expected...I'd had all 4 of my wisdom teeth cut out at once and I didn't have nearly as much soreness, discomfort, pain as I did this time. I kept thinking maybe being 23 years older might have had something to do with it = )
Anyhow, I ended up eating soft foods for a week...and here's the interesting bit...soft foods don't fill me up near as well as hard foods! At the beginning I thought I might lose several pounds but that was not the case. I was more hungry than usual even though I had a much reduced activity level.
In fact, my weight was creeping up a bit and I had to start being more careful about my choices. That totally surprised me and taught me a good lesson!
July 26th - AWARD DAY! I weighed in at 121.4, completing my 7th week of maintenance. I got 2 charms...one for attending 16 meetings and one for reaching Lifetime Membership. The only thing that changes now is that all my meetings and Weight Watchers eTools are FREE = ))
My plan is to continue to attend weekly meetings and also do a weekly weigh-in. I am only required to weigh in monthly but I want and need the accountability that comes with weekly weigh-ins.
I find that I'm not having to change how and what I've been eating during maintenance phase compared to weight-loss phase. I haven't had to employ the "eat nuts if my weight is too low"...it all just evens out somehow.
I'm eating just a few more points each day...not the 6 extra that WW recommends. But it just feels good to be in a "zone"...my weight is stable, my hunger is stable, my energy is stable...not alot of work to keep things on an even level.
I feel fairly confident in maintaining through the rest of the summer and fall. I'm already mentally preparing myself for what I feel will be my biggest challenge, my biggest struggle...the months of December, January and February! But I'm uber-committed... determined...fixing in my mind what is necessary as far as foods and amounts and exercise.
Another interesting thing I learned in this past week is the difference a little extra meat protein makes in my weight and body fat. While Petey was home we had fish several days in a row. As I looked back over my nightly weight chart, I noticed my lowest weights and lowest body fat percentage numbers on those days. I also remember those days as when I felt most "satisfied"...as in not always thinking when and what I would be eating next.
So now that Petey is gone again, I'm still keeping up the fish-every-other-day thing. I made the happy discovery that this seasoned fish I buy from Costco can be cooked from frozen in the microwave and tastes just as good as if it was baked in the oven! And only 3-4 points per serving...and very satiating!
Running continues to go well and slowly improve. Just this morning it dawned on me that it's been awhile since I even thought about the "thigh rubbing, shorts creeping up" thing. That was the final short-term goal I had!!
And now on a totally different subject...missing Jake = ( I'm thankful every day for the 14 years I had with my Jakey and SO thankful that I have Lilli...named after Jake...looks alot like Jake...has a number of the same mannerisms as Jake!
Even though watching her reminds me of Jake many times a day and that's sad, it's also a happy memory of why I loved him so much and how happy I am to have some of "him" live on in his namesake...Lilli is from Lil Jake...that's what we called her as a kitten...LJ for short... until Petey came up with Lilli and it fit her so well = )
