As I try to get myself back down to a comfortable weight again, I dug up my old data/journal for when I lost my original 40 pounds. I started on my plan a few days after visiting my father in the hospital when he had a stroke. I was on the same path and I needed to change directions quickly. As I progressed, I graphed everything to watch the trends and see the long term progress, and not be so worried about day-to-day fluctuations. I’m also really geeky about data and stuff too. :)
Anyway, I came across this graph.
What you may not know is that the plateaus going down all occured right where I plateued on the way up. Low 180′s in college, 195 in grad school. I was trying to hit the 175′s from High School.
The graph doesn’t show all my data but I eventually got down to 172, and I also didn’t start recording the information for 5 or 6 weeks. Even so, it was the greatest accomplishment I ever did for myself. It took me about a year, but I did indeed get to where I wanted to be. I wanted to be heading home for the holidays the next time and not get 2 weeks away and wonder how I can lose 10 pounds before I leave so I fit well in my clothes, and wish I had started doing somthing 2 months before that. When I went to my…ahem…(20 year) High School reunion (old man), I weighed what I did when I graduated. It was a great feeling.
You can see why I don’t want to go back up that hill. I worked too hard and paid for it with alot of sweat, and it is so easy to get comfortable and tell myself “I can eat this cake. I’m exercising.” Maybe I can, but not every day, like I have been doing.
Today I started my new graph. We’ll see how this one turns out.
Wow Jon – such a familiar story for me too. I lost 36 pounds over the course of about a year and have found myself recently doing things like “eating the cake” as you say. I have this sort of abrupt response which tells me to back away quickly which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. I’m not too afraid thought that I will “go off the deep end” – that wasn’t my path in the first place. But like you said, worked too hard for too long to head downt that road again. Thanks for a great post Jon.
Happy Thanksgiving Jon! Many of us have been there. I lost 25 pounds two and a half years ago…and since I’ve bought all new clothes, I definitely don’t want to go back! It sounds like you are focusing and back on track.
Happy Thanksgiving Day.
I hear you! I lost 40 lbs a few years back as well. I had kind of anticipated that when I started running I would just naturally lose a little more – even though that wasn’t necessarily the motivation. I have not, and I’m sure it’s because I am embracing the “I exercise so I can eat what I want” mentality too often. I am trying to eat healthy but I suspect I’m still eating more than I need to. Anyway, good for you for getting re-focused and I am thinking I should do the same.
On that note, Happy Thanksgiving :)
how often are those weigh-ins?
Hey Brent, those are daily wiegh-ins or close to it. I missed some days. I wanted to know how much fluctuation there was day-to-day. I also had graphed 5-day, 7-day, and 10-day moving averages as well, to see the long term trends.
Are you my twin brother?
good luck Jon. We are in the same boat.
Wow, Jon, I loved your graph. I just love seeing the data that way.
Good for you, losing it and keeping it off. I think keeping it off is really the hard part–it’s way too easy to feel like you’re done with dieting, especially when you’re running. hang in there, and Happy t-day!
Looking at that graph gives me the willies, because if I graphed mine out, there’d be places with straight lines long enough to land a plane. My plateaus take forever to bust, mostly because I’m reluctant to change my caloric intake, and that means I have to sneak them out through more exercise. Man, you’re the man. Did I say that lately, man? You da… yeah.