1 Week Down, 4.2 Pounds Lost, 34.5 Pounds To Go!

REMINDER: Anyone reading is welcomed (and encouraged) to send me their weekly weight so we can track together and motivate each other to continue to lose weight. "Alex - Projected" would be my weight loss of 40 pounds by my birthday on 6/12, at a steady 1.9 pounds per week. "Alex - Actual" is my actual weight loss. I can also post your weight anonymously if you prefer! A special thank you goes out to the Amherst Biology Department for teaching me how to make graphs in Excel, and for showing me that when you put two crawfish in a tank together, they will in fact fight to the death! It's really gruesome, I don't recommend it.

1 Week Down, 4.2 Pounds Lost, 34.5 Pounds To Go!

First of all, a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who's written to support the blog and share their own weight loss stories, challenges and goals. And especially to everyone who's holding me accountable to this weight loss plan by following the blog! To follow the blog, click here:  . For anyone just joining the blog, I'm publicly shaming myself into losing almost 40 pounds by my birthday on 6/12, and sharing my attempt with the world!

All in all, Week 1 has been a success, with 4.2 pounds lost! How'd I do it? Liposuction! Kiidddiinng, and I've heard lipo leaves you with some really nasty skin flapping about in the breeze. I actually just stuck to my plan, only ate when I was hungry, stopped eating when I was full, and tracked my WeightWatchers points. I will admit though that I didn't make it to the gym this week, but I'll be forced to go next week (see below).

My WW points for the week:

As you may have noticed, zeros across the board for "Activity Point" (i.e. exercise) this week. Like I said, I love to eat almost as much as I hate going to the gym.

I was especially surprised to learn this week how little food it actually takes, when eaten slowly, to make me feel full. A salad that I would have usually eaten all in one sitting was eaten over the course of an afternoon, and each time I stopped eating when I felt full. As my roommate put it,"So your plan is to stop eating when you're full? So you mean you're going to eat like a normal person."

His comment made me start thing about this idea of only eating until you're full, and not eating everything on the plate, which in turn made me think (if only I could just think myself into losing weight!) about this: If I had to take an educated guess, I'd say that portion size in America is probably one of the biggest reasons we're all so fat. Restaurants keep "super-sizing" their meals in an attempt to satisfy customers and probably out super-size their competition. If we grow up thinking that a double cheeseburger with fries or a giant bowl of pasta is what we should be eating for each meal, how are we really expected to have any idea what sized serving is actually enough to make us feel full? I know I certainly didn't.

I've also heard complaints that at some "finer dining" restaurants the portions seem small, but the reality is, does anyone actually leave hungry? No! So I'm challenging everyone to try the following experiment this week. Next time you're at a restaurant or getting fast food, try eating only half what they give you, but chew your food slowly and give your body time to digest and feel full. I think you'll be surprised at how little food it takes to fill you up and make you feel satiated. You'll also end up with an assortment of decorative doggy bags to display around your house from all the leftovers you'll take home! 

I'm dividing the rest of this post into two sections:

Tricks/Tips from the Week

On portion control, from my Dad: Drink a glass of water 30 minutes before a meal. You'll feel less hungry when you start eating and eat less as a result. Also, dehydration and hunger can be easy to confuse, so make sure you're drinking water throughout the day. 

On motivating yourself to exercise, from my brother: Hate the idea of actually breaking a sweat and exercising? The largest hurdle actually tends to be getting yourself to the gym, not working out once you're there. So think of it this way: Your only goal is NOT to do a workout, but to get yourself physically to the gym and on a machine. Once you're on the machine, work out for ONLY 1 MINUTE. (I mean really, who can't do a 1 MINUTE workout). If after a minute, you still really don't want to be working out, get off the machine and go home feeling guilt free, knowing that you at least put in the effort to get yourself the the gym, and you really weren't in the mood to do a workout.

The # of times my brother's gotten himself to the gym and then not worked out: 0. While this seems like an obvious mental trick, it can be much easier to motivate yourself to physically get to the gym when you mentally give yourself the opportunity to leave if you still don't want to work out once you're there. The truth is, once you're there you'll probably get in a solid work out, just don't tell yourself that beforehand!

On being addicted to TV, from me: I watch A LOT of TV. Even though I don't actually own a television or have cable, Hulu and Netflix feed my addiction. I also really like science fiction shows, and have unfortunately just gotten into Battlestar Galactica (it's cool, I'm a dork and I know it)! The problem is, there are 76 episodes of Battlestar that I now feel compelled to watch, so I've made a deal with myself. Battlestar's going to be my workout show, which I will ONLY watch when I'm at the gym. So if I'm having a craving for some good old alien/robot shoot 'em ups, I'll be watching from the elliptical. Also I've never really watched TV/movies while I've worked out, and it really takes your mind off a 40 minute workout! I suggest everyone should become addicted to a new series and make it their Workout Show.

Upcoming Challenges

This week and next, my biggest challenge will be staying within my Weight Watchers points. Why? Because today begins NYC Restaurant Week, where New York City's best restaurants offer $35 prix fix dinners that could otherwise cost triple digits. If you live in NYC, I highly suggest checking it out at NYC Restaurant Week (click the link to go). 

So far I have reservations at:

• Petrossian (French/Russian/New American)
• Nobu Next Door (Japanese)
• BONDST (Japanese)
• Atlantic Grill (Seafood)
• Nougatine at Jean Georges (New American)
• David Burke Townhouse (New American)
• Matsugen (Japanese)
• The Oak Room at the Plaza Hotel (New American)
• Megu (Japanese)
• Le Cirque (French)
• Asia de Cuba (Asian/Cuban)
• China Grill (Asian Fusion)
• One if by Land, Two if by Sea (New American)
• Fishtail by David Burke (Seafood/New American)

Realistically, I'll probably cancel half the reservations (for both diet and budget reasons)! But eating out even half the nights in a week can really put a damper on weight loss. The only potential upside is that restaurant week portions tend to be smaller than usual, though they all include dessert.

So my resolution is that for each restaurant I go to, I have to go to the gym that day. Will my workout burn off everything I eat at the restaurants? When pigs fly. But it's better than not working out at all, and I'm certainly not missing Restaurant Week :)

Keep the comments coming and let me know if you'd like to join my weight loss adventure! So far, having this blog has been great motivation to watch what I eat. Maybe it could work for you too?