Day 38 and as of this morning, 20 pounds

2-7-07
Day 38 and now 20 pounds gone
265/245/200

20 pounds gone this morning! I got on my scale just now and saw that I
was at 245 pounds and so that means that 20 pounds are gone in 38
days.

I had about 900 calories yesterday and so my average daily intake
since Saturday has been about 1950 a day (with 6000 for Saturday and
Sunday).

Certainly the weight loss will slow down but it is fun to see the
scale go lower every couple of days.

In terms of the effective components of systematic weight loss, I
think that looking at the data can be very important if the data are
not discouraging or counterproductive. Yesterday morning, for example,
I was unable to sleep for a while and I turned my clock around to look
at it. (This is something I rarely do and I encourage others to avoid
this as well.) The clock said 3:30 (AM) and immediately I said to
myself, "Oh, no! I'm up at that dreaded time again!" I started
ruminating about it, about being unable to sleep, etc., and I couldn't
get back to sleep for several more hours.

On the other hand last night when I woke up briefly in the middle of
the night I refused to turn the clock around and look at it and I was
able to return to sleep fairly readily, perhaps being up for 20
minutes or so. (I was comfortable in bed and thinking about the
progress I've made with weight loss and that really helped my mood.)

Same too with the method of weighing myself that I use - that is, not
moving the indicator higher if it reflects a temporary weight gain.
(With a restricted caloric intake, the weight will simply HAVE to come
off, unless the laws of physics are suspended in my neck of the
woods.) The amount of weight gain I might have in the morning as a
result of water gain, fiber in the gut, etc., is similar to my looking
at a clock in the middle of the night - that is, it is information
that will not help me, is discouraging, etc. This weighing process is
a major reason I've been able to maintain my task focus long enough to
lose significant amounts of weight in the past.

Anyway, I hope everyone has methods that help them achieve their
health goals and that everyone is able to stick to them until their
health is improved!

Yours truly,


Caleb