R2P2D9/35 - What a Lovely Bunch of Coconut (Oil)!

January 10, 2011

Day 9/35

If you don't know what my title is, it's a take off from a silly song from (maybe) the 1940s.  I'm not sure why that song is going through my head, other than the fact that my friend Heather (hi, Heather!) commented on my blog from yesterday, and her sweet Mom used to sing that song as we'd putter around together.

So, onto today's topic.  I have a guilty little "pleasure" I'm about to confess.  So, I hope you're sitting down and not drinking anything hot that you could drop into your lap.

I weigh myself twice in a day.

There, I said it.  Are you okay?  Did the shock of my confession cause you bodily or emotional harm?  I hope not, because, it's true.  I'm bucking the system and weighing myself once in the morning and once at night.  I started doing that during Phase 4 in Round 1 and have kept doing it.  Why on EARTH would I subject myself to twice daily weigh ins?  Well, because it actually helps me see what I can expect in the morning, and, if I see something untoward on the scale, I know there are a few things I can do to correct it.  For example, I have found that I usually weigh about 1 - 2 pounds higher in the evening than in the morning (totally normal ... try it, you'll see).  So, I know that, roughly, the scale will be at such and such in the morning.  It helps me not fret about what the scale will say in the morning.  And yes, I know I shouldn't fret at all, so I'm trying to manage that as well!  But, also if the scale is higher, I know that, most likely, I need to drink more water.  So, I can drink another 28 ounces (my favorite cup holds 28 ounces) and I'm good.

Okay, so, that brings me to the reason for this post.  When I stepped on the scale last night around 11, I weighed exactly what I weighed yesterday morning.  So, my little pea-brain thought this, "Ooh, good.  I should have at least a 2 pound loss tomorrow.  Cutting out all of that extra coconut oil consumption really worked!"  So, this morning, when I stepped on the scale, and put my hands on my hips, I could feel a difference (they are smaller ... even by feel).  But, what did my little eyes see?  The EXACT weight as yesterday morning (and last night).  HUH?!  I stepped off the scale and did something I never do.  I stepped back on it.  That's right.  Normally, I take the first weigh-in weight as THE weight for the day, or I'll drive myself mad with trying to "play" with the number.  And, that's not what this is all about ... it's about actually losing weight, not about manipulating numbers on a scale so I can pretend I've lost weight.  That is exactly what I've done with past diets (which shall remain nameless) to "encourage" myself.  Actually, it was enabling myself to work less hard. 

But, I digress!  Back to the story.  When I stepped back on the scale, I laughed at myself and said, "WHAT are you doing?!"  Then, I looked down.  I actually had lost a pound.  So, I stepped off and back on about 3 more times just to make sure I hadn't read it wrong.  Nope ... I'm a pound (exactly) down from yesterday.  So, I'm officially at 42.5 off and very grateful for it.  I'm also right where I was (technically 0.2 ounces lost more this round) from last round.  So, I'm tracking so far so good ("too far, too good" as my Mom tells me I used to say when I was a little girl).  I'm 3 pounds exactly away from a new decade (which I REALLY want to get into and out of in this Round).  And, I'm following my plan of less coconut oil (even though I've got a lot of lovely coconut-oil prepared things in my fridge) and sticking with 2 ounces or less in a day.  Lord willing, I will keep losing.

My final thought for the day that I want to share with you is this -- as I was driving to work today, thinking about what's ahead for the day, the thought popped into my mind again about my hips (a BIG trouble spot for me) feeling smaller.  And, it hit me -- you know, I've been diligently doing this for almost 3 months (1 week from today). I've been weighing myself and seeing the scale go down.  I've been measuring myself every month and seeing inches coming off of everywhere (some major, some minor).  I see clothes falling off of me (for example, yesterday I HAD to go buy a belt, because my pants are falling off of me when I walk, and I'm not ready to buy new ones ... my next size down are just a little too snug for me to want to wear them all day, so it's cheaper to buy a $12 belt than new in-between-sized pants/dresses).  But, I still don't think this is real.  Well, that little gesture this morning while I was weighing -- putting my hands on my hips and FEELING the difference?  Well, that brought it home to me ... this isn't a scale manipulation, or a mind trick.  I am losing weight.  I am shrinking. 

Well done, God, for giving me the fortitude to march onward!