17 Pounds Down, only 9 more to go!

I know, you're thinking 9? I thought he wanted to lose 50? Well, I do want to lose 50, but I have realized that there is no way, on this planet or any other, that I will be able to stay on this diet for longer than just a couple of weeks. It's hard, it's strict, it's confining, and it's not that healthy. So, I vowed that I would make a step toward eating real food: whole grains, proteins by way of lean meats and low-fat dairy, leafy greens, and other vegetables and high fiber fruits, like pears. I know that it will take my body some time to adjust, so I'll be introducing them slowly, after I lose another 9 pounds!

This morning, the scale read 233.8, marking the astonishing weightloss of 17 pounds in just 9 days. It drops my average loss down to 1.88/day, but I'm not complaining. I'm 17 pounds lighter, and 17 million smiles happier, truly.

So, where do I want to go from here? Down! My goal was to be at or near 226 when we left on Friday. I've learned from the recent slowing down of my weightloss that probably won't happen, unfortunately. I understand that it's a natural process the body takes, and I am ok with that. I simply want the best for my final resolution, which is to lose the 51 pounds to take me into the 199 mark.

Last night we, Mr. Wonderful and I went shopping. I bought new trousers (a size down from what I was wearing) and a sweater that is so so cute! Unfortunately it's a jean sort of sweater that I can't wear to work - but I will sport it around town, for sure. While in the dressing room, I told myself not to be consumed with the fitting of these things. Before, I've gotten so upset I end up sabotaging, and with a pizza place right at the corner, this was not the place to feel "fat". Surprise Surprise - everything fit! EVERYTHING! So I didn't feel fat, I felt invigorated, validated that I had made steps in the right direction, and that I was doing what I needed to do for me.

I know my posts are long - and if you have read this far, I thank you! This journey is a tough one, and I have a lot of thoughts in my mind about various things - all of which I label here.

I emailed our photographer friend today to let her know I had lost 17 pounds, and was inching closer and closer to the weight I would feel comfortable letting her take some pictures of me. (Scheduled for May.) When that happens, I'll unveil them here.

I tried on the coat last night (the one I bought on Sunday) and guess what! It fit better than it did on Sunday! Talk about the light at the end of the tunnel! I'm moving back down to sizes that I feel good in, and into a body that I love. I remember wearing almost anything I wanted, because it all looked good on me. I can't say that just yet, but I certainly am much closer than I was 9 days ago.

So what's on the agenda today? Sleep! Rest! Recouperation! Charting the loss from yesterday, I noticed that the most dramatic daily loss came when I was sleeping for longer hours. I read that the body burns 60 calories per hour sleeping, which may not be accurate for someone who weighs as much as I do, I may burn more, but figure a 10-hour sleep would burn 600 calories, and it's easy to figure out why longer sleeping means greater loss. Hopefully I'll be able to go home, take a shower, crawl into bed, and sleep - undisturbed.

As for the gym, today it's a no-go. I think my body needs some time to rest, as showed obvious by yesterdays lack of energy. So please, cross your fingers, your toes, your eyes, your arms, anything you can cross, and hope that I hit 230 before the trip. It'd feel great to have taken off 20 pounds in just 11 days. And remember, once the scale tips 224.8, I'm slowly introduing carbs into my body - which will probably cause some static gains, hopefully that will relinquish their hold quickly! Best to all of you!