get into shape and have a 36" waist.

So last week I split the crotch of my pants while bending down during an EMT thing. So while I was killing some time before going to a movie, I went into JC Penney’s to buy a replacement pair of slacks. I found these nice Haggar pants that were 60% off, and took two pair with me to the fitting room to try on. One was a 36 and the other was a 38. I decided to try the 36 first and wouldn’t you know, it fit. So I bought them.

This makes sense because I’m only about ten pounds heavier than what I was when I first moved here, and at that time I was wearing a 36. Next target will be back to the 34s. I’m actually tempted to pull out one of my old 42 blazers to see if I fit in them again too.

It’s been another rough week or so for me. I’ve been really grazing on stuff at night. I just can’t seem to control my eating. Earlier this week I weighed myself and had put on 3.5 pounds. I know part of that was water and food weight because I’d eaten before getting weighed, but still the whole eating non-stop at home was definitely impacting my weight loss.

I went to the gym today and cracked down again. I increased my cardio time and level. I also put in an almost full weight routine for the first time in weeks (and my legs are paying for it now). I started a new thing last night where after I finish my dinner I have gone in and brushed my teeth. Once I brush my teeth I will not eat again until after I’ve slept. The temptation is still there (like right now I want to get some crackers), but I can do this. I have the will power.

That being said when I checked my weight today I’ve hit my half-way mark of where I want to get to. That’s three and a half months to get here. I’m sure the next half will take longer than that, but I’m really happy to be here. It’s six months until my 40th birthday, so maybe I can aim for that being when I’ll be back to my high school weight. That seems possible.

The past ten days or so have been incredibly hard. I’ve been on my new eating plan for two months and I’ve just been ravenous lately. It all started when I visited my family. From that point on, I just can’t get enough food. I’m not hungry, so I know it’s all mental. It’s like the stress of dealing with them set me off. I’m getting better, but it’s still hard. I’ve gone days without losing any weight and I even put on half a pound at one point. I’ve let myself have cheat days, but this has been a cheat week and a half. I ate a can of Pringles (not in one sitting, but over a few days). I ate pasta for the first time, and it was sooo good. I had Chinese and actually ate the pint of white rice that came with my broccoli and garlic sauce. I’ve ignored counting calories completely.

Today I was checking out at the grocery store and the clerk asked me if I’d been losing weight. I told her I had been, and she said I was looking better. I jokingly asked her if I didn’t look good before. After a pause, she finally said that I had more weight and that people look better when they lose it. I thought it was a very odd thing to say. Still, a lot of people are commenting on my weight loss, and I’m getting self-conscious about it. I’ve lost 16.56% of my top weight. My goal is to lose 41% so I’m about 2/5ths of the way there. I just need to find a way to refocus myself and move forward again.

So I took some advice from my friends here on 43 Things and bought some unbleached whole grain flour this weekend while I was visiting my parents. While dad went to the hockey game last night, mom and I hung out with grandma and baked some healthy “pizza rolls”. The dough for these contains 75 calories, and then the spinach, broccoli, chilis, tomatoes, and low-fat cheese added another 35 calories for a low-cal healthy snack at 110 calories. You could even eat three for a meal and still only clock in at 330 calories. For some I even added three slices of turkey pepperoni for an additional 15 calories.

These are excellent and a real treat after having avoided pizza for almost two months.

I also took the time to follow another suggestion from here and made my own whole wheat/multi-grain pizza shells. These shells are 130 calories. So I can add my own toppings and have pizza that is under 200 calories.

This is definitely going to help keep me motivated to stay within my daily calorie range without getting that urge to go out and buy a large pizza and devour it.

Last year, I lost 50 pounds and went from a 48-inch waist to 40-inch. I decided not to put a number of pounds to lose resolution together instead focusing on my body shape. Not sure if it will help or not but it will just keep me moving forward.