A pleasant surprise on a Sunday morning

And a recap of the first four weeks

Sunny and verrry cold this morning…

Sunday Scales: -2.8 lbs | Total loss for 2023: 12.8 lbs

Well, that was a pleasant surprise on the scales this morning! After my days of comfort eating I did not expect this at all. This goes to show that what we think in our heads is not always aligned with reality. Yes, I did do some comfort eating around my annual physical last week, but I did not eat any refined sugar, I still had three meals most days and we also walked a few times. I reckon if I had calorie counted everything it would have confirmed that I was still in the weight loss range (that range is quite generous when you’re obese). But without the certainty of calorie counting my diet brain took over and went to the worst case scenario. Mind you, I think I would have binged a lot more had I been on a calorie counting program. With calorie counting there was always this on/off switch, and when it was ‘off’ I would eat as much as possible, before the switch was turned back ‘on’. It is gratifying to know that my current program can carry me through some tough days without completely derailing me and regaining lots of weight.

In other news, my blood tests came back quick, I had them within 24 hours. My husband, who works in the medical field, is the one who always looks at them and then tells me what’s what. My bad cholesterol is a little high but not terrible, and my triclycerides are excellent. Sugar was normal, I am not pre-diabetic. My blood count was at the lower end as I am still working on my anemia, which is getting better. Overall, he said, everything looked normal or close enough to normal, and he does not expect my doc to put me on any additional medication. Let’s hope so!

I have a follow-up appointment with my GP in three months because he wants to monitor my blood pressure. We did that last year, too. But unlike last year, I am feeling calmer about this next appointment because I know that I’ll continue to work on my weight and health. It also helps to have a new baseline now, and one that is not as bad as I had feared. There are other things I need to do this year, like a mammogram and the dentist, so I know that there’ll be more anxiety. But who knows, by then I’ll also have practiced more tapping, done more journaling and even if I allow some comfort eating again, I know that I can deal with it.

Feeling the fear and doing it anyway can be terrifying but I’ve never regretted it when I did it. This experience has been a good reminder of that.

It was cold but the sunshine and fresh air felt so good.

Four weeks into my resurrected weight loss journey I have lost almost 13 lbs. I am very happy with that result but more than that, I like where I am emotionally and mentally. Deciding to not count calories this time round and to try something different, is working out better than I expected. I am delighed with how well I’ve taken to the combination of Intermittent Fasting, three meals a day except for a couple of ‘No Dinner’ days, and no snacking - my plan feels very doable this way.

It’s not been a straight-line journey by any means, but what helped a lot was to start it by making only one commitment: abstaining from refined sugar. Even here, I had to kinda cheat myself into it. For the first two weeks, for instance, I drank a Coke Zero every day! This is remarkable because I am not a soda or Coca Cola drinker. This was probably the most Coca Cola I had in my whole life and I am not kidding. My husband couldn’t believe it when I finished the whole case that we had bought for when we have visitors. But you know what? It helped. It was a guilt-free way to wean myself off the sweet cravings. Once I was through the case I stopped and the craving is gone. And I can say with a good conscience that I have not consumed any refined sugar since January 1.

The road ahead is still long and will no doubt have more bumps and ups and downs. But I am grateful for a good start and for working through my anxieties with a good dose of love and care.

Have a lovely week,

Kerstin xo