40 years, 40 lbs – Week 5 Check-In

I just realized I didn’t post last week!

It may have been because I was a bit sad that I actually had gained a pound in Week 4. I’ve since learned that is completely normal – when we change our lifestyle (consume fewer calories, be more active) our metabolism does all kinds of wacky things. Sometimes at the beginning things might be a bit out of whack.

What the gain DID force me to do was make some further alterations to my plan. I have significantly increased my activity level, as I’ve started running (for the first time in 20 years or so). I’m of course taking it slow, and actually I found this great iPhone app called “Get Running”, where this lovely Australian lady guides me through various intervals of running and walking. She’s very encouraging and so far, I’ve completed 4 run and am now running 1.5 minutes with 2 minutes of walking in between, a total of 6 times. It’s challenging but I can already feel a difference. I’m also doing more yoga and walking in the off-running days. I’m trying to get out and do some sort of activity every day.

Well, this one change has made a world of difference! Not only do I feel 100 times better, I’m sleeping better and have way more energy throughout the day. I’m also finding I’m not hungry as often – in fact at meal times I’m rarely starving anymore, which means I don’t need to eat as much to be satisfied. If anyone can tell me what the correlation is between exercise and appetite I’d be happy to hear it, because that part was unexpected.

Now, for the results. I weighed in this morning and I’m thrilled to report that I lost 2.2 lbs last week, meaning I’ve reached my first 10lb milestone! And you know what that means – only 30 more pounds to go! I’m 1/4 of the way there!

One silly side-effect of all this weight loss – my clothes are starting to become rather baggy. I have some clothes in a smaller size, but at the moment I’m officially “between sizes”. So, you’re just going to have to put up with me being Ms. Baggy Pants for a few weeks, ok? It’s a good problem to have!

I also think I’m going to have to start saving my pennies for that new Size 8 wardrobe I’ll be forced to buy in a few months….. : )

How did you do this week?