March 30, 2022

Wednesday Weigh-In : Week 44


I really don't want to write this post. Like, I've been coming up with a million excuses in my head not to write it. However, whether or not I write it doesn't change anything, so I might as well be vulnerable and honest. 

I'll spoil the ending right now--I had a terrible week as far as my weigh-in goes. After last week's gain, I was super motivated to have a good loss this week. My weight has been bouncing between 147 and 150 for what feels like forever (in reality, it's been about five weeks).

I don't know what happened this week, but I suspect that since I haven't seen much progress even when I try really hard, I just let loose and figured it wouldn't matter anyway. (This wasn't a conscious thought; I just imagine that's what was happening in my brain.)

First, my weigh-in for today:


Last week, I was at 149.8 (which was already a gain from the previous week). And today? I was at 154.6--a gain for 4.8 pounds! In a week.

I know there are lots of reasons that this could have happened, and I also know that I didn't gain nearly five pounds of FAT--a pound of fat is about 3,500 calories, so that would mean I'd have to have consumed an EXCESS of 16,800 calories, or 2,400 calories per day. I know that I didn't do that, so I know that this may just take a couple of days to drop the water weight.

However, I *did* eat a lot of excess calories, so some of that weight may very well be fat. I shouldn't have bought a big container of roasted cashews because I have a very hard time just eating one portion (or even two portions--they're so tiny!). I also went overboard with peanut butter. Nuts are healthy when eaten in normal quantities, but the calories can add up super fast and it doesn't even feel like you ate that much.

I also decided to change up my lunch this week. I actually did that with the hope that it would help the scale start dropping again. Instead of my usual cold oats, I've been having a sandwich: Dave's Killer Bread (it's the one with the yellow label with lots of seeds--so good!!) with vegan mayo, avocado, tomatoes, and pickles. The calories are about the same as my oatmeal, but the volume is bigger and it has less fiber. I'm not saying this is a factor in gaining weight; it's just something to note.

Another problem was that I ate "convenience" foods for dinner several times this week. It's been a busy week and cooking a meal has been a challenge (everybody has different schedules). I ate vegan "chicken" nuggets, a veggie burger, or just several snack-type foods to make up a meal. These obviously have more sodium, which could result in water weight gain. It's also a lot less fiber.

So, I could keep listing little things that could have caused my weight to go up so much, but like I said--it's not going to change anything.

However, I am really feeling the pressure now because I have to weigh in for my six-month DietBet in two days! At this point, I highly doubt I can drop five pounds by the time I weigh in, but my plan is to drink a TON of water, drastically reduce my sodium, increase my fiber, and eat the healthy foods I was eating before. I am also going to write up a dinner plan this week so that I'm not relying on convenience foods.

If I manage to reach my weigh-in goal, awesome! If not, then I'll just have to work harder to reach it next month. What bothers me the most is that I had already reached April's goal over a month ago! And in one single week, I went nearly five pounds over my goal.

In the past when gaining a significant amount of weight, I tended to quit my Wednesday Weigh-Ins because, well, it's embarrassing! But I really don't want to do that this time, even if I continue to gain weight. It happens, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who can manage to gain five pounds in a week. (It's certainly not the first time--or even the tenth!--that this has happened to me.

Okay, this post was hard to write. And I really, really hope that I don't have to write the same thing next week! (I appreciate how supportive SO many of you are--and I write this before I even publish this post, because I've always felt the support when I have a rough road. So I thank you--truly. xo)

34 comments:

  1. Good on you for posting, Katie. It's great for the rest of us to be reminded that you have these weeks too.

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  2. Thank you for your vulnerability, that open honesty is why you have such a dedicated following.

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    1. Vulnerability is the biggest challenge for me on my blog! Thank you.

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  3. Thanks for posting! I ate pizza for the first time yesterday in ages & while I really enjoyed it I knew my weight would be up this morning! And yes it was! So my plan is like yours drink tons of water & eat a bit lighter & see where I am in a couple days
    Question on weighing in? Do you find weekly better than daily! I’m guessing there is a post about this!!
    Long time reader,
    Rose T

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    1. Hi Rose! I have always liked weighing daily, otherwise I'm always wondering what certain foods/habits do to my weight. I don't let the daily fluctuations bother me because I know it's nearly impossible to gain a couple of pounds of fat overnight! But I know that it's hard for some people to see the scale go up 2-3 pounds in just 24 hours, so I understand why people weigh weekly. I think it just depends on our mindset! I don't think I've written about this before, but I can put it on a future post list :)

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  4. Please keep these posts Katie. It’s very helpful for me to stay the course when I’m going on four weeks in a row staying the same 2 numbers. It’s helpful to see someone else keep chugging along even when it’s hard and frustrating.

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    1. Thank you, Bex! I always find it helpful to hear of others struggling the same way I do, which is why I post these vulnerable situations. I agree--it's super frustrating sometimes!

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  5. Thank you for posting this. I tend to not want to face it when I don't have a "good" weigh in. My weigh in is this Saturday, between more sodium this week as well as it's just about that time of the month, I'm not expecting anything great. Like you said, it could be any of a combination of factors and I'm sure it'll be gone just as soon as it came on. You've got this!

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    1. Thank you! As long as you know what to expect, I think it makes it a little easier. I wasn't expecting a good weigh-in, so it didn't have a huge effect on my mood. Since I've started eating vegan and really increasing my fiber intake, I've noticed the foods that react differently to my body and it's been eye-opening. A good topic for a future post!

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  6. Don't forget that as you get older, your set weight point is higher! It's probably not what you want to hear, but people are not supposed to weigh the same in their 40s as they did in their 20s (I know you were overweight at 20, but I hope you get what I mean).

    There are so many other factors for health, and I'm not a doctor, but BMI is BS and I think you'd have to agree that you're doing really well overall now! Don't discredit your progress just because of a number that doctors made even lower in the 90s.

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    1. I know, and it's definitely not what I want to hear, haha. I used to work at Curves and the women always told me "just wait until you hit 40" or "just wait until menopause". I don't think I'm near menopause, but I did just turn 40 so I'm sure things will be changing. The worst part about being overweight (and constantly thinking about being overweight) is the waste of time. I would be 16 years old again if I was able to get back all the time I spent worrying about my weight!

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  7. I didn't step on a scale for a few years, knowing I was at my heaviest. I started a WW type program through my health insurance and they sent me a scale. Yup.... I'm over 200 lbs but weighing in every day is helping me change my eating patterns. Your blog is a huge inspiration too. I'm sorry you had a bad weigh-in. I know how frustrating this is. But I also know you've got this! Thanks for sharing your difficult moments because it helps me feel like I'm not alone.

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    1. It's so scary getting on a scale when you haven't been on one in a while. I avoided it big time in 2020! I find that weighing in every day is helpful for me, too. Some people do best with weekly weigh-ins, but I simply have to know. Thanks for the kind words!

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  8. This just happens sometimes! That's life for ya! I wouldn't stress and would just keep moving forward, that's all you can do! You look amazing and have so much to be proud of!

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    1. Thanks Amanda, as always, for the kind words! <3 I appreciate them more than you know.

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  9. I totally understand how frustrating and embarrassing it is to gain 5 lbs in a week. I did that last month, but it was because I ate ALL the Valentines chocolate I could find in the house. I was so mad at myself. I'm still trying to lose the weight, I do one week, but then gain a lb back the next week. I also understand about just not keeping certain foods at home. I went to Trader Joe's this week, it's about 2 hours from my house, and bought a bunch of new to me foods. One thing I knew I shouldn't get was a jar of cocoa almond spread. I ate almost the entire jar yesterday. What?! But it is soon good! Just keep doing what you know you need to do, you've got this!!

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    1. Over the course of a week, I ate a big jar of peanut butter! I like to mix it with dry oatmeal and I WAY overindulged last week. I totally accept responsibility for the gain, but it still sucks ;) I'm kind of glad that the nearest Trader Joe's is 45 minutes away. I'm sure I'd do some serious damage shopping there! Haha.

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  10. Thanks for the honesty. We all have days where weight is up. I'm doing 75hard and I was weighing myself everyday the first few weeks but it was too discouraging so I'm back to once a week. So many factors influence weight day by day for me, especially my cycle.

    I listened to a podcast that you might find intestinal. It's about metabolism & nutrition and how it effects weight loss. It's the Jan 12, 2022 episode on the Marathon Training Academy podcast. I'm a scientist and like nerdy details and it does go into detail about how we plateau with weight loss and how we need to play with calories, etc to get metabolism jump started again at certain points during weight loss

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    1. Good on you for doing 75 Hard! I don't know that I could ever do that again. It might be "fun" to try in the fall. Thanks for the podcast suggestion! I downloaded it so that it's ready to listen to on my run tomorrow. I LOVE nerdy details :) Thanks for the suggestion!

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  11. We have all been through this. You are only accountable to yourself and your goals are your own, so don’t feel you have to explain. You’ve got a plan and you know you can do it. One day at a time and give yourself some grace for a bad week. You got this!

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    1. Thank you! I knew I didn't owe an explanation, but I just knew I'd feel better (less anxiety) once I posted about it. I'm hoping it'll help me to get back at it and keep working on my goals. I appreciate the kind words! <3

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  12. Well done for publishing. Don't give up. Just think or look at all the clothes you have fit into. As someone else commented time of the month can make a difference as well as general water retention. You already have a plan to be more organized before cooking/eating which should help. I don't eat nuts anymore because they have so many calories and don't fill me up. Hopefully the weather will start to get better and help. Personal my stress levels have been high so my eating was out of control. So I will try to sort the rest of my life out first.

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    1. Thank you, Hazel! I am definitely happy about fitting into my old clothes--even if they are 3-4 years out of style, hahaha. I'm determined not to turn this 5 pounds into 10 or more. I've worked really hard for over 10 months to get here!

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  13. All day long all I can think about is something that my ex-husband used to say. "Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is THE definition of insanity." Day after day, I under eat all day long and binge all evening long. It's a pattern that I can't seem to break.

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    1. I know that pattern well--I used to do it all the time! I've gotten much better about it and have stopped binge eating. I still overeat sometimes, but nothing like I did when I was bingeing. It's such a hard habit to break! Best wishes to you <3

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  14. Good for you for posting anyway! You're human. Sending all the good vibes for you to continue your weight loss, but also to love yourself exactly as you are regardless. Thanks for being YOU!!

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    1. Thank you, Nita! I always love your kind and positive comments. <3

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  15. Please don't get discouraged! The scale is just one of many tools to help us on our weight control journey. You are doing great and look fantastic. I hope you feel amazing, too. Just think of how far you've come and all those cute clothes that fit so well again. You are an inspiration, as always!

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    1. Thank you, Tina! I am definitely loving being able to fit into clothes I couldn't wear anymore. I am so grateful for your kind comments!

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  16. You are my favorite blog! I have been reading you for years. I just don't comment. Your honesty is why I love your posts. I have the same weight loss issues. Thank you for helping us see that many of us are in the same boat! Thank you for years of motivation!

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    1. Jeannine, that is so sweet of you! Thank you for commenting (I know Blogger doesn't make it easy to comment, which drives me crazy). Thank you for reading <3

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  17. Katie, you inspire me always with your words and deeds!
    Michelle

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I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

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