A supportive friend of mine told me how he would collect four bean mix cans to provide visual context of how much weight he’d lost. It provided him motivation when questioning if his hard work was paying off. I totally get that. Numbers on the scale start to mean little. You forget how much one kilo actually is.
The past week has been of minimal weight loss. It’s been a week that I ate cake for lunch for two days in a row and had two nights where wine was my main meal for dinner. I was feeling a little down on myself and a little bored of the whole healthy eating lifestyle. I gave in to the temptations. To be honest, it was fucking fantastic at the time, but by the end of the week I was feeling bloated and tired.
So this morning when I stepped on the scales and saw 88.9 kilos, I had a mixture of relief for finally making it under 89, but also disappointment in myself for not putting everything into it this week.
Then I remembered the four bean mix and thought it time I reminded myself how far I’ve gone. I didn’t have them in the cupboard, but here’s a visual representation of my weight loss so far.
If you’re on a similar path to me, then give it a go. It’ll give you a sense of pride, in what is essentially a boring process. Counting calories and always making the right choices is so lame, when all you want to do is be reckless and spontaneous, but it’s worth it.
Then next six kilos will be hard work, I know it. Every kilo is hard work. But I am excited to get started on reaching my next goal of getting under 85 kilos. It’s these next kilos that will start to show changes on my body. People will start noticing I’ve lost weight. My clothes will start to fit better. I will feel healthier. I’m really pumped.
And when I reach that goal, I’ll set another one. Step-by-step.
Thanks for sticking by me while I share my weekly diary with you, I’m loving your emails and messages of support. Keep them coming – I love hearing your stories. We can do this!
Last week was a bit of a plodder too – you can read about it here.
bigwords x
Hi, I'm Bianca Wordley, I write about life.
I’ve been stuck at 5 kilos for the past week, sadly I didn’t have the cake or the wine. Just stuck. I don’t look any different which is annoying. How many kilos does it take before you look different? The exercise is making me feel very different which is what I have to remember. I keep telling myself it’s all about how you feel and not how you look. Keeping going babe, imagine if we both keep at this we’ll both be 10 kilos lighter when we see each other next. That’s pretty cool. xx
You’re doing a great job Kirsty. Sounds like you’re doing a heap of exercise, so you’re probably gaining some good muscle. I need to exercise more – this is something I tell myself every night when sitting on the couch. Keep going – you’ll crack that 10 kilos in no time at all xx
I’m losing at the slowest pace ever … 4 weeks in and I have lost 2 kilos … but am feeling lots better. I did have a 5 day food and drinking binge in Melbourne and didn’t put on any additional weight so that is a good thing! Only 8 to go!!!! I think we need to be gentle on ourselves and remember that while we are doing this to be healthy, total deprivation doesn’t make life fun and should be what it’s all about. Some days we need to indulge and others we don’t. It’s about balance. xxxx
Annie your trip away looked like so much. That’s the whole point of life – letting yourself enjoy those moments and then getting back to it again. Healthy lifestyle shouldn’t mean missing out xx
Please don’t give up. Last year I lost 18 kilos and have kept it off so far. You WILL look different, feel different and feel really proud! I still would like to lose another 5 or so but I refuse to beat myself up over it! It is possible.
Thank you so much for your words of encouragement. I am so freaking proud of you for sticking with it – 18 kilos is a massive achievement – you must feel so much healthier, stronger, more mobile and proud of yourself. Well done xx
6 kilo’s is so bloody impressive. Take a moment and let it sink it….. yep, still bloody impressive! As is determining that eating cake and drinking a bit (or a lot maybe!) doesn’t throw you right back at the beginning of the process, which is just demoralising.
You seem to be in a really realistic head space – that’s the bit I admire. You do the hard yards, then you step away from it for a bit and you accept that it is part of the process in the normal world. Impossible for most mere mortals to stick to it all the time. It just seems like you are setting yourself up to survive the not so fun aspects of the journey, which can only lead to success.
Love your candour, love the realism.
If i don’t accept my faults, setbacks, times of naughtiness I will definitely give up!! Thanks so much for your support xx
I’m also on the healthy lifestyle bandwagon, and this morning is the best I’ve felt in a long time. A very long time! It amazes me that I now enjoy getting on the treadmill, I love not feeling full as a goog at bedtime and really enjoying food rather than gorging. Keep up the great work and thanks for that tip on the visual of how much we’ve lost! I’m going to do that too