226.2

Ok. The well's dry today so I'll just tell you that my weight was 226.2 this morning. Not a big deal except that when I started my diet on 10/11 it was 231 and since then it hasn't been dropping much despite running a lot and restricting my calories to the point where I'm constantly within 15 minutes of being hungry again. I loaded up a bit last Friday and Saturday in preparation for my 20 mile run on Sunday and my weight was actually 232 on Monday and didn't drop below 230 until yesterday. So 226.2 is spectacular news and puts me back on track for my goal of 210 by 1/1/07. At least as long as I don't weight 230 again tomorrow...

One thing I've noticed in the past is that my weight doesn't come off steadily. Instead my weight will get stuck for a long time and then suddenly it will just drop like a step function. It's like my body is trying desparately to retain its weight until it just can't take the lack of calories and then gives up and tries to maintain a new, lower weight. So, I'm hoping that this is it and my body has reset to a new, lower weight.

Dieting sucks, but at least Dietpower gives me a convenient way of tracking my calories and figuring out exactly how much I can eat each day. Yes, this is a shameless plug for a weight loss product that actually works. I used it a couple of years ago to drop from 265 to 230 over about a year. Since then I've half-heartedly tried to lose more weight without using it and while I didn't gain weight, I didn't lose any more either. So I started using the program again last month and have been trying to religiously log my weight, exercise, and food every single day. I'm gradually honing in on an eating pattern that works and keeps me on track. The main adjustment this week was realizing that by mid afternoon I was already hungry and by supper time I was ravenous and couldn't control my eating. So I've started packing two lunches to work and having a second small lunch in the middle of the afternoon. This has made it a lot easier to have a small supper without feeling like I am going to famish.

Lately I've been entering everything I'm going to eat for the day right after I weigh each morning. That way I know if I have room for any snacks or if I can have a bigger lunch or dinner. It's nice to know that you still have a few hundred calories left in the budget for something tasty. Last night it was Yoplait Key Lime low fat yogurt with frozen pineapple chunks and rasberries. It really hit the spot and was only about 150 calories. It was also the first dessert I've had in about a week. It is also helpful when it comes to controlling portion sizes. Instead of skipping something I can use the program to tell me how much I can have. Then I use a measuring cup or scales to keep me honest. It's a little bit of a pain, but I'm getting used to it.

The whole point of this is to try to be at around 200 pounds when I run the marathon on 2/22 next year. My training is going great and the brainiac at UT says I should be able to run a Boston Marathon qualifying time if I get my weight down. If so it will probably be a record for most improvement in a year by a 42 year old.