Did you say 10%?!?!

Yes, yes I did! As of today, I have lost 10% of my body weight. I DID IT!!


Here are some of the benefits of losing 10% and yes, I am feeling them!

Health Benefits

Risk factors associated with obesity can be significantly decreased by a moderate weight loss such as 10 percent of initial body weight, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The Department of Health and Human Services adds that achieving this initial weight loss goal helps lower the risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, some cancers and osteoporosis. The CDC indicates that a 10 percent weight loss also improves blood cholesterol.

Lifestyle Benefits

The CDC reports that participants in the National Weight Control Registry found improvements in energy levels, self-confidence, general mood and physical mobility related to weight loss. Related outcomes might include ability to play with children, climb stairs, or perform activities of daily living without becoming out of breath.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/212244-benefit-of-losing-10-percent-weight/#ixzz1PXoO3Bza"

Drumroll please...

So, I have BIG news! As of today, I am no longer Morbidly Obese! My BMI is officially under 40 at 39.96! Woo hoo!!!

This is a huge milestone for me and I'm so happy AND proud of myself to have made it this far. I am very nearly in tears realizing that I've already accomplished this amazing thing. I did this. All on my own but with the support and encouragement of my friends.


WOW!

Ummm yea, things are actually good!

So, Weekend #1 of my June On-Plan Weekend Challenge was a success! I lost 1.8 lbs over the weekend - with just a teeny tiny gain Monday morning which was likely just due to some extra sodium on Sunday. I was super active ALL weekend and stayed OP with food and water intake as well. In fact, I did a 5k with my Mom on Sunday. We did the same 5k last year and we knocked five minutes off our time! Yahoo! ...one weekend down, three more to go...

Today is the eve of Weekend #2, which is going to have some fun challenges. I'm going camping. Yikes! Camping has always been my free pass to be lazy and snack...a lot! My schedule always gets a little screwy in that I sleep in and stay up a bit later...and staying up later usually correlates to late night snacks as well.

However, I am an experienced camper so I know what the challenges are and have formulated some strategies to avoid my usual pitfalls. No, this isn't war per se, but I must strategize as though it is!

As such, my battle plans are as follows:
1) Drink ALL my water EVERY day!
2) DO NOT drink my calories!
3) Get at least some activity in.
4) Eat healthy snacks.

One and two are pretty straightforward. For one, I'm bringing my special water cup that I have with me at ALL times these days and my precious MiO water enhancer...since that's the only way I can ever manage to choke down all my water. For two, it's just going to be shear will power. Nothing tastes better than an "ice chest" Pepsi while camping. To be honest, my parents are taking all the food so I'm not sure what they took. If there's no Pepsi, will power will not be needed. If they did, all bets are off!

For three, I'm taking my bike and so did my son. 11 year olds are obviously naturally active so it shouldn't be to hard to get a bike ride or two in each day. The campground is fairly small though so riding around might not be very much fun so we'll just have to see about that one. It's been unseasonably cold this summer so it's definitely not going to be warm enough to swim. The campground is surrounded by a nice forest so maybe we can take a hike.

For the final goal, I'm taking my trusty low calorie popcorn. It's super filling and I don't have to feel bad for eating a whole bag if I need to. I KNOW my parents took a bunch of crap to so I'm also bringing my Kindle - loaded with new books and the afghan I'm crocheting to keep my mind and hands busy. You know...idle hands and all that.

So anyway, as far as the numbers go, I'm down 6.7 lb so far this month, 26.5 lbs total. My next mini goal is to hit 263.2, which is just 2.7 lbs away. Once I hit that, I will have lost 10% of my weight! Wow! I've never lost that much before in my life. I also haven't been below 268 since I got pregnant with my youngest who's now almost three. Good things are happening and I have only myself to thank. I AM doing this! Who knew I could...

May Wrap-up

So, May ended well...even with the holiday. I'm seeing a trend though...a trend I don't like and will definitely be focusing on in the coming month. I see that most of my up ticks in weight are directly connected my inability to stay on-plan during the weekends and during that special time of month. So, that is something I will focus on in June.

Here's a recap of May's progress -
Starting weight: 282.6
Ending weight: 272.6 (10 lb loss!)

In addition to the scale, I also re-measured and have lost a total of 7.5 inches since January.

I also decided to get my blood work checked again and received another pleasant surprise. My total cholesterol is now 140, 36 points lower than what it was in January and my triglycerides are now 150, 12 points lower than in January!

Woo hoo! I am definitely a healthier person today than I was at the beginning of the year. That was my ultimate goal and I find myself feeling proud of my success so far.