Month in review

 



So it's been a month already, and I think I have made considerable progress. I don't think I would have made it this far without this blog. Over time it has built up to be an extremely good source of motivation. Like today, when there was a massive spread laid on at my workplace's morning tea. Lots of chocolate, cakes etc. It's an office tradition to do that once a month to celebrate the birthdays of the staffers that month. Even though I did celebrate my birthday this month, I'm proud to say I resisted. I just sat there with my cup of tea in hand and thought of all the effort I've put in this month and how I don't want to jeopardise that.

I hope February brings with it more success and I still have the determination to see this thing through. I think it's time I changed my shirt too.

Oh, and here are this week's profile shots in a larger format.

 

Click-click

I took some more semi-nude body shots this evening. Now that I have 4 weeks of them, I've taken to clicking through the images and see my belly gradually decrease in size. The feeling that you are actually making progress is a wonderful motivator in itself. Long may it continue.

Boom. Headshot

Compare and contrast.

On the left you see me on 5 January, the one on the right was taken an hour ago. I think the lighting obscures my double-chin, but my face looks a bit thinner, I think.

Effervescence

After trying several sparkling waters: the afore mentioned Pellegrino and Perrier (both made by Nestle), and a local brand, NZ Natural (from Frucor, the makers of V energy drink and Just Juice), I have to say it is quite a refreshing and surprisingly filling beverage. Certainly a good substitute for diet lemonade. Of the three, I think I prefer Perrier the most. The bubbles seem smaller yet more numerous. But it's too expensive for everyday consumption. I've pretty much given up on alcohol for now, so perhaps I'll chose that one rather than a beer in the circumstances that I'd ordinarily imbibe some booze.

At other times I think I'll stick with whatever is cheaper.

Weigh-in 4

Start weight: 178.8 kg (394.2 lbs)
Last week's weight: 171.4 kg (377.9 lbs)
Current weight: 170.4 kg (375.7 lbs)
Loss this week: 1 kg (2.2 lbs)
Overall loss: 8.4 kg (18.5 lbs)
Start BMI: 56.4
Last week's BMI: 54.1
Current BMI: 53.8







It's great to be down another kilogram this week. I've got to say, I thought last week's weigh-in may have been a bit of a fluke or a faulty reading - maybe I was a little dehydrated or something last Sunday morning. I always weigh myself first thing in the morning, after I've gone to the toilet. But the drop is at least consistent, even if the loss rate isn't.

I'm no good in the heat

A gorgeous day today.  One of the many things about being as overweight as I is the fact that you can't enjoy the summer as much as other people. I mean, obviously for years I haven't dreamed of showing my torso in public - or in private for that matter, so the beach continues to be off limits for me in terms of recreation. I used to really enjoy swimming when I was a kid. I look forward to being able to do that again at the end of my weight loss journey. It's going to be incredibly liberating being able to do what normal people can take for granted.

Facebook

I came out as a dieter today on Facebook, posting a comparison of my side on profile shots between when I started and now. I received overwhelming support, I don't think I've posted anything that has generated more thumbs up and comments, all of them positive. I think I'll post shots once a month there. It's a definite boost to the ego knowing you've got all these people rooting for you.