Jack of Harts

I’ve been losing weight over the last nine months. It was a choice. A decision. My ankles weren’t bending right and it hurt to walk. I chose to lose weight. I decided to do what I had to do to do that. I’ve changed how much I eat. I’ve changed what I eat. And I exercise more than I did. The results have been better than I expected. And other than the massive aches and pains of muscles being unhappy that I’m changing the shape of my body, I feel much better now than I did nine months ago.

I was WELL over 280 in January at Mayo, but that was with all my gear on. On March 14, I noticed that my belly was smaller than before, and I took a base line weight with no gear. I was 277. I continued weighing from them on, usually on a daily basis, and have watched the pounds go off. Sometimes quick. Sometimes I hit a stable pattern where I don’t lose at all. Then I make a breakthrough and pounds melt off again.

Two months ago, I realized that my Samsung App can measure body composition, so I decided to try it out. I’ve been doing that on a mostly daily basis since. The app also does 7-day averages, and looking back two months and comparing the averages is eye opening. I sometimes don’t see the daily progress, but the monthly progress is amazing. Two months ago I had a 7-day average of 265 pounds. My Samsung app and a scan from the watch says 85 of it was muscle, 103 was fat, and 119 was water. For those who can do math in your head, you are saying that doesn’t math. That’s right. I’m certain that the body scan is not entirely accurate, but I’m looking for trends, not exact measurements.

Two months after I started daily body scans from the watch, I’m averaging 257 pounds, with 83 pounds muscle, 98 pounds fat, and 116 pounds of water. Once again, that total is way over 257, but I’m assuming some overlap in what exactly is water, fat, and muscle. My 7-day average has dropped another 8 pounds in the last two months. Fat mass down by 5. Water down by 3, and muscle down by 2. Once again, the math doesn’t math, but I’m looking for averages and trends.

I don’t like that I’m losing any muscle at all, but I don’t think I actually am. I’m exercising to try to keep that from happening, and I think I’m doing a good job with that. I think I’m losing the fat and water attached to the muscle, which is probably a good thing. The fat loss is very good. I’m losing more fat than anything else, which means I’ve got my body burning the reserves I don’t need to get down to a better weight. And the lower water retention is good as well. I’m carrying way more water than I need, so getting my body to release some of it in a controlled fashion is good.

Now make no mistake. I am not healthy right now. 250s is not a good weight, but I’m better than I was. I saw 253 two Fridays ago and 255 last Friday. I’m over that right now, but still under 260. I had good food with friends on Saturday, and I made cornbread on Sunday. I’m a foodie, so I celebrate good things, like losing weight, by eating good food I enjoy. And then I go to the work of working it back off. 😉

I’m healthier now than I was nine months ago when my ankles weren’t bending right and it hurt to walk. Healthier than I was six months ago when I started weighing myself on a daily basis again. Healthier than I was two months ago when I started doing the daily body scans from my watch.

After gaining one to two pounds a year every year of my adult life, I’m currently losing an average of three or four pounds a month. And that is a trend I am holding. I’m not healthy yet, but I’m moving my body in the correct direction and I’m doing the work to get better.

Another note is that my taste buds are starting to change and American sweets are starting to taste TOO sweet to me. That tells me I’ve reduced the amount of sugar I eat enough that I’m starting to notice how much sugar is in American sweets. That is also a good thing.