9/1/2020 
9/1/2021 
9/1/2020 
9/1/2021
September 1, 2021
Progress Pictures: 9/1/2021
My weight: 155 lbs
One year into this fitness journey! It’s definitely had ups and downs, some stalls, and some moments of fast results. Over the year I’ve lost a total of 30 pounds, which makes me feel so much better. It’s easier to breathe, to move, to bend over, to cross my legs LOL (short legs)!
I’m grateful because there haven’t been any moments where I’ve noticed the weight creeping back on (yet?). Everything I’ve read about weight loss is very scary toward the “yo-yo” concept of dieting. “Oh sure, you may be able to lose some weight, but you’ll never keep it off!” But so far so good. Maybe it’s because I’ve made a fair amount of life style changes that are actually sticking.
I suppose in hindsight, the main lifestyle changes I’ve made are daily exercise (35 minutes of running) and having at least one meal every day that is “zero points.” Zero points is a weight watchers term which basically translates for me to chicken (or salmon) and vegetables, no carbs. My go-to zero point meals are:
- roasted chicken and vegetables with sri racha
- taco soup with hot sauce (beans, onion, low fat chicken broth, chicken, taco seasoning)
- pozole soup with hot sauce (hominy, onion, tomato, a little pork, low fat broth)
- mixed green salad with salmon and some light dressing
I get it – these probably aren’t totally zero points for the hard-core weight watchers out there but the idea is lean meat and vegetables, no carbs, for one meal a day. Then lighten the hell up for the other meal and have a sort of cheat meal. Not a crazy cheat meal, but like half a Chipotle burrito, or a couple slices of thin crust pizza. It works well. I never feel totally under restriction. I’ve even gotten to the point where I prefer the “zero point meal” most days, whereas at the beginning it was definitely the opposite.
This laid back approach is the key to the weight loss for sure, but damn is it going slow. I’m still not all the way to my goal of 145 lbs, 10 more pounds to go. And from the trajectory of things, getting those last 10 pounds off will probably take another 6 months. Especially with the holidays around the corner, I plan to indulge a bit in some wine and we all know that shit will erase any calorie deficit just by looking at it.
So, cheers to a year of solid progress, and looking forward to the next year of reaching the first goal and then transitioning from running to weight lifting and maintenance! It’ll be a whole new, different adventure!
