My Journey to Lose 20 Lbs

That time once again… time to lose some weight! Join me on my journey to shed 20 pounds in 4 months.

I have been overweight – scratch that – OBESE for most of my adult life. Not morbidly obese… but always up there. My highest has been around 250, and my lowest in the last 20 or so years was 168. At 5’5″ and 41 years old, my ideal weight should be around 120-140, and obese starts for me around 160. That said, at 168 I felt pretty damn good about myself and if I could get back to that, I’d happily ignore the “obese” classification.

About 3 years ago I dropped 30 pounds and went from 217 down to 187… it was a six month challenge and I smashed it (well ok… I smashed 25 of it and then did a fast in the final week to knock off the final 5). I climbed back up relatively slowly, but for the past year or so I have been bouncing between 202-209 over and over again. When I approach 209 I swear I cannot allow myself to see 210 and am good for a few days. When I approach 202 I get excited and think, now is the time to get serious so I can see the 100’s again… but then… potato chips.

But now… now I need it. I have a family reunion coming up in December and don’t want to hate myself when I go. My back kills me every morning, I am getting lazier. I NEED to get healthy and happy with my body. I need this for me and for my babies.

So here we are…

Starting weight 206.2 – weighing in every Friday morning with hopes of 1-2 lbs gone.

This time around, I am just utilizing calorie counting – hoping to fall in the 1200-1500 range each day, and trying my best to include more protein in my diet and be more active. (My average caloric intake – when not “dieting” tends to end in the 2000-2400 range…)

Ok… ok… I know… gross and flabby *be glad the pants are on* but I am putting myself out there in hopes that it helps me remain accountable.

My first week intake – ooops… a little sugary and a little over my goal. Thinking back I should have started on a Monday to keep my weeks in line with my tracker – but alas… I would dread Monday morning weigh ins. This week included two days of travel and dining out, one day with barely any groceries in the house and waiting on a contractor most of the day, and finishing off some old candy I still had in the bowl at my desk. Hopefully next week looks a tad better – but overall, still reasonable and I was able to satisfy a few small cravings.

My results:

One pound down!!! Yay! Hey – it’s a start, right? 19 more to go.

Not expecting much difference in my week one photos, but I know from past experience, photos are GREAT to have when you get down a bit as I LOVE the side by side evidence of success.

I know – I know – I am not wearing the same clothes. Most of my weigh ins / pics will be in whatever I slept in the night before… mainly lightweight tee’s and leggings… should rarely be more than a few ounces of weight difference, so as long as the scale shows some progress, I am not going to concern myself with my attire. For my final weigh in / progress photo, I will likely try to dig out the same outfit as my day 1 shot.

Anyway… here we are, one week in, and gung-ho to get this DONE! 186 doesn’t sound like much of an accomplishment, but I need to keep realistic small goals, and when I get there, I can decide how much further I want to take it.

If anyone else is on a weight loss journey, or wants to be, and would like a friend to do it with, shoot me some comments or reach out. I would love a partner in this quest for a better self.

If anyone wants to contribute to the elliptical machine I desperately want, but cannot afford, feel free to send donations to [email protected] on Paypal or Venmo – @Caroline-Miller-12296 (Can’t blame me for trying, right????)

Stay tuned for week 2 results and onward!