HOLY SHAMOLE........But hold the guacamole this time! :)

So it's that time again.  A Tuesday night at about 10:00pm and time to report how things are progressing in my weight loss adventure.  Here we go!!!!

Week 6
Week 6 Weight Loss = 1.5 pounds
Week 6 % Body Weight Loss = 0.547%
Total Weight Loss = 15 pounds
Total % Body Weight Loss = 5.48% 

Again.......HOLY SHAMOLE!!!!!!
*To those who didn't know me in college, this was an amazing phrase that I actually picked up from my grandmother when I visited her while in college.  It was a phrase that I used frequently but somehow have lost over the years.  I am glad to be able to reintroduce it back in my life again.*    P.S.  Guacamole is a good source of dietary fat because it comes from a plant source (avocados) but if you are watching calories it can be a calorie trap.  So eat in moderation!  ;)


1.5 pounds lost is great in one week.  15 pounds lost in 6 weeks is awesome.  Losing 5.48% of your body weight in 6 weeks feels fantastic.  Getting out of the 260s weight range = PRICELESS!!!!!!!!!  I don't remember the last time I was in the 250s.  For a year I worked out with my trainer, and I never made it below the 260s.  I definitely would say that it's been well over 3 years since I can remember being in that weight range.  But don't worry, I am NOT going to stay in the 250s for very long.  It's all downhill from here. 

A lot of people have been asking lately what exactly I have been doing to maintain my weight loss.  It's a huge combination of a lot of things.  So I thought I would list out what is working well so far. 

What I've Been Doing to Maintain The Weight Loss:
1.  Try to be physically active on a daily basis.  Whether it is going to the gym, spending time outdoors, adding physical activity to the daily life (park further away from the door, etc), all of these things can add up.  If I can't make it to the gym (which I can't every single day) I look for ways to increase my activity level.  Burn calories, burn!

2.  Pay attention to my food choices.  Is the donut really worth the calories?  Can I enjoy a bowl of strawberries even more?  There are amazingly delicious foods out there that are healthy and tasty.  So I've been trying to choose those over the ones that are just tasty.  It's helped me stick to my calorie range, while still allowing me the joys of eating.

3.  Allow yourself to have the donut every once in a while.  Everything is okay to eat in moderation.  We dietitian's teach that concept ALL THE TIME!  I am just a dietitian that had troubles practicing that concept.  I've just had to teach myself that I can have one donut and not a whole dozen.  In the past I have definitely allowed myself to eat very large servings of foods that aren't the best for me.  So now, instead of completely avoiding foods all together I am working on having them in moderation and as an occasional treat.  I enjoyed the small ice cream sundae last weekend very much! 

4.  Making it public has helped me keep the motivation to press forward.  The fact that so many people are following the blog has really helped me stay on task the majority of the time.  My coworkers help keep me on task daily and weekly as they ask me how it is going, follow the updates on the competition poster, and comment about the changes that they can see already (my clothes are starting to get more baggy).  I also agree with Angie (my friend/ roomie/ competition cohort) that different people have been placed in my life at this time to help me be successful in this endeavor.  It's the little things that people say and do that are really adding up to help me keep my motivation to continually work towards my goal.  My thanks go out to you all.  Thank you for allowing me to make these changes in my life.  Special thanks go out to those who want to walk beside me and improve their lives too.

Now for the ugly part of my motivation.  PRIDE!  I'm a pretty stubborn girl from time to time and I also stay motivated because I don't want to embarrass myself by having to report a bad week to you all.  I know that bad week or month will come sometime in the future.  Everyone plateaus during weight loss, but I really will try to push myself harder to keep face.   I'm tired of being the "fat dietitian".  It's hard to work in a health field all about nutrition when I don't look like a good role model.  So my pride, even though pride can be a bad thing, will keep me motivated to continue also.

5.  The goals and rewards!  I have some personal goals and rewards that I am working towards to help me keep on track during this journey.  Little ones include fitting into the "skinnier" clothes that I have in my closet.  Like I've said in previous posts, I have to be able to run a 5k for my family reunion in July.  As of right now I can run a mile without stopping.  That's much better than 6 weeks ago when I could barely run for 5 minutes at 4 miles per hour, but I still have a ways to go.  One of my bigger goals is to go skydiving when I am comfortably within the weight limit range.  The three of us involved in the "Unleash The Skinny Girls" competition are going to work on making some incremental goals to strive towards along our competition journey.  But we are going to make it so that when all three of us reach the goal we can reap the rewards, that way it will keep us motivated individually and as a team.

So there you have it.  The 5 bigger things that are keeping me in this journey.  I think I can sum it all up in one sentence (don't you wish I would've just put this at the beginning so you wouldn't have to read such a long post?). 

Jillian's Weight loss Mission Statement:

To successfully lose weight, I need to keep focused on the finish line, put in the effort, get back on track when I fall off, utilize the strength and support of those around me, continue to discover my own self worth, have faith in God's purpose for me, and I will succeed.  

On to week 7! 
Good luck to you all! 
Till next Tuesday!