Day 95

Stats:
Current Weight: 228.0
Pounds lost: 29
Pounds to goal: 43
Body Fat %: 32.1
Body Fat % Lost: 5%

Last Week Summary:
Average calories consumed per day: 1,849
Average caloric deficit: 1,973
Average steps per day: 13,889
Average heart zone minutes per day: 43

As much as I've lamented not losing fast enough or feeling like I wasn't getting where I need to be, or that I've taken too many breaks because of my foot, I am actually right on track with the projection Noom gave me on Day 1.

There have been times when I found myself not wanting to be honest with myself about what I was eating. That is to say, I found myself not wanting to log food when I know it was more than I should have eaten or not the healthiest choice, but who am I kidding? Myself. No one is going to see my logs but me, so there's no reason to lie to myself. This is one of the things Noom helps break down as "thought distortions."

Lessons this week have been a lot about the stories we spin in our heads with our imagination that get in the way of our success - we tell ourselves we can't lose the weight, we'll fail, we can't make it long term, etc. Noom's challenge is to pay close attention to these thoughts when they creep in and rewrite that story. For me, it's a paralyzing fear that I can't make it longer than six months. I'm kind of afraid of what happens on Day 181, but one lesson I've learned is to counter those thoughts and fears with positive determination that I can and will make it into the long-term, and this WILL be the change in my life I am going to make and keep. I WILL be that guy who goes to the gym 5 or 6 days a week, every week.

The biggest reminders I had this past week of how ingrained some of these fears and doubts are was when I was "retiring" some shirts that are too big to wear. I was setting them aside to box them up and store them for the future "just in case." NO. No, no, no, no, no. If I am going to change my life, then the clothes go. I don't get to keep them where they turn into an excuse to get fat again.

Gilligan said:

---

Lost over 40 lbs with Noom's full service and have kept it off.

Highly recommend

---

The really fascinating thing about Noom is on my very first day, they projected I would weight 221.9 pounds today. I weighed in at 221.6. I've stayed spot on with their projections every step of the way for four months.

Jbob04 said:

---

Curious how this is going for you. Any recent update?

---

Well ... it's been a bad month and I gained 5 pounds back. I hit the trifecta of being super busy/stressed with not enough time to be active, trying to give my plantar fasciitis foot a break, and tearing part of my calf muscle on the other leg. Needless to say, while I did a pretty good job of staying on track food wise, the lack of activity plus steroid shots and pills sent me in the wrong direction.

One thing I can say for sure is what I've learned from Noom has helped me be more focused on making better decisions when I was tempted, and has kept me from becoming demoralized and just giving up like I have in the past when the scale went the wrong way.

The good thing is my plantar fasciitis is doing better and my other leg has healed enough for me to get back into my activity. I was afraid it would set me back on the elliptical, but I was able to jump right back in where I left off doing intervals at 16/20 resistance. I also met with a trainer yesterday who is working with me on an upper body routine to help me build muscle to re-shape my body to compensate for some of the stubborn fat that likes to hang out around my tittays. I don't want to look like an episode of Baywatch every time I do cardio.

When I was getting frustrated by my grinding halt, I found temptation came back and I made a handful of poor choices. I'm really proud of myself for identifying those moments (even if I still ate some gluttonous things) and focusing on turning things around. I found myself really fearing a tumble off the wagon and a rebound back to my heavy weight. Just about every single time that has happened in the past 20 years I completely failed and gained all the weight back. This is the first time I've been able to make a conscious intervention on my own. I feel confident I will be back on track and losing weight again very soon.

Noom tells us to hold ourselves accountable by sharing our efforts and experiences with others, so this admission of a temporary setback part of that accountability. In the past, I would have just ghosted the thread and not looked back as I got fat again.