A Salty Weigh-in for SUMMER SLIMMIN' & How the First Week Went...

My kick-off challenge weight was 267.6.

My first challenge weigh-in: 265.2

Loss= 2.4 lbs

It should have been more. I knew the damage that would occur eating at a Chinese place for supper yesterday. I didn't overdo. I even measured everything out and asked for the rest for take-out. I had no ice cream at my brother's house, even though we'd taken cones for the kids and my brother made one of my faves summer treats: homemade coconut ice cream. I did have one palmful of popcorn and, later, a salad with some shredded cheese and a fat-free salad dressing that, I suspect, had more salt than I needed. Again.


I'm guessing the weigh-in, sans the sodium, would have been a pound less. Normally, Chinese food makes me bloat 3 lbs, minimum. But I had loads of tea. Then, I did drink some extra water. That helped lots. But I was 264.4 and 264.2 on other previous days, so I had hoped for a 3 lb loss. 

I hadn't hoped for a big, big water loss first week scale loss cause I had been eating semi-okay (if maintenance caloric level of roughly 2300) and I had been drinking coconut water and eating lots of fruit (ie Potassium, Sodium's antithesis). If I had eaten junk food or not been eating tons of fruit, then I could have shown a bigger first week water loss on the scale. But I slipped down from a pretty decent eating place, not a "eating like crap" place.

Ya know, though,  we do obsess over the number itself, too much, rather than what it means. Water bloat is water. It's JUST water. It's not fat. What I need to lose is fat, and that will show up as a loss as I am consistent and strict with my intake of calories and consistent with my exercise and consistent with my water. It will balance out in the end. I will always have salty days. Always. I love salty foods too much to avoid them all the time. I just need to realize that a big water loss is meaningless. A small fat loss is meaningful.


We dieters tend to get so exhilarated over that first week's big loss of water. It's kinda silly when we do that, really. I get into that mindset, too, and even as I do, I realize how dumb I'm being. hahaha. I guess cause you know you were self-disciplined about eating and what proof in the feedback from Mr. Scale. 


I know I did fine. I see the loss. I know I lost fat. Period. And I probably built muscle, given the soreness post exercise. Period.


Water is water. I really need to chill out about that. :)

Also on the plus side: I'm happy with my eating. I ate under 1900 calories EVERY DAY this week. It's been so long that I did that, well, I can't even remember. Probably before I started this blog on one of my Weight Watchers phases. I stayed at my goal of 1800 (give or take 50 or so calories), even with eating out, even with the temptations of pizza commercials. This pleased me a lot.

I also met my journaling and (on 6 days) my water goals. I did pretty good with support posting. I did fine with blogging on the challenge and my meals, etc. 

I did not cook much (which I hadn't planned to do the first 3 weeks, so no biggie, as I have most of my meals delivery or eat-out). I did not meet my exercise goals. I only exercised 2 out of the 7 days. 

So, this week, my focus will be on making every day a perfect water day and getting exercise in 5 days of the 7. I plan to continue on 1800 calories, as I didn't feel unduly hungry. I want to see what another weigh-in at that level will be like. If I feel good about it, I might inch down to 1700 the week after. 

I'm taking it week by week here. :D

My trainer sent me the pics of me doing Pilates. I need to upload and reduce them so I can post. Maybe later today or tomorrow. Stay tuned. hah.

Happy and health-filled Sunday to all you fatfighters!