Sooo… Did I lose 16 pounds in two weeks?

Posted on October 18, 2012 | 43 Comments

Ha!  I didn’t think I could do it either.  Nope, didn’t happen.

After two weeks of exercise and careful diet, I hopped onto the nifty machine at work, and I weighed EXACTLY THE SAME AMOUNT as I did at the last screening.  I mean literally the same weight… right down to the ounce.

Then the nurse starts looking at the results and starts jumping up and down and getting all giggly (which is scary when she’s nine months pregnant and ready to pop at any minute.)

“Oh!  This is so exciting,”  she said.  “Look at these numbers!”

Honestly, I was glad she was there again to explain those numbers to me, because considering the short time frame, they WERE good.

My Lean body mass (What you want to be) went from 96.8 lbs to 100.3 lbs  and my Body Fat Mass (The bad stuff)  went from 55.3 lbs to 51.8 lbs.  I’d lost 3.5 lbs in body fat.  My Body Mass Index stayed exactly the same, but my Percentage of Body Fat dropped from 36.3 to 34.1.  Now, that’s still higher than it should be, but it’s pretty cool after just two weeks.

How can I lose fat and still weigh the same?

I gained GOOD WEIGHT – That’s muscle.  My arms went from 86.1 and 85.7% muscle (far too low) to 92.3 and 90.1 which is just inside the normal zone (one arm is stronger than the other).

My saggy belly (which is noticeably less saggy) went from 89.4% to 92.7 %  Even my legs, which I think look fat but the machine said had enough muscle two weeks ago… gained in muscle. (Yes, I can see the change in my legs too, but I still have a way to go, since that’s where most of my lard is)

I am now just tipping into the “normal range” instead being really low across the board. Yay!  Not scrawny anymore!  I lost three and a half pounds of fat, and gained three and a half pounds of muscle.

What did I do?

I really didn’t change my eating too much.  If we were having pasta, I just had one helping instead of two.  I ate three tacos instead of five.  I found if I ate slower, I filled up faster and did not have to eat as much.  I do admit to celebrating with an ice cream sandwich one night… but I made sure not to do it EVERY night.  Cut up fruit is just as yummy.

I still treated myself to a handful of dark chocolate covered pomegranates a day (ya gotta live a little)  What I did, though, is poured out a quarter cup or so, and left the rest sealed up in a cabinet, because I know if the bag is sitting on my desk while I’m working/writing a little gremlin comes along and steals them so I have to keep refilling my bowl (stinking gremlins)

I’m sure there was exercise involved

Yes, of course.  I also did the Tony Hornton Power Half Hour every other day with hubby (who recently lost about 70 pounds) and every other day we’d do weight training (I am lucky enough to live with someone who could show me how to do it correctly to get the results I wanted and not hurt myself.)

So, the big change was ½ hour a day of exercise to make up for sitting on my butt all day at a computer. Cardio one day, Weights the next, and one day off of exercise a week.

So far, so good.  I’m going to keep it up for the next three months, and hop on the machine again.  At this rate, I could quite possibly have my Babe-tastic figure back by January.

Go me!

What do you think?  You can find 30 minutes a day for a healthier you, can’t cha!  Come on!  Get healthy with me.

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43 responses to “Sooo… Did I lose 16 pounds in two weeks?”

  1. Subtlekate | October 21, 2012 at 7:45 pm |

    This is great news, I’m impressed. 🙂

  2. mywithershins | October 20, 2012 at 5:35 pm |

    Congratulations on your success. Good for you for getting healthy! 🙂

    Yesterday, my friend and I did our Tai Chi routine, then checked out a free program at the local library called ‘Get In Motion’ and learned how to use one of those rubber band things for resistance training. I was surprised how I felt afterwards and think this is actually something old arthritic me can actually do without hurting my back. Maybe I can even change some of this flab into muscle tone. 🙂

    • Jennifer M Eaton | October 20, 2012 at 9:13 pm |

      You Go you!
      Awesomeness!

      I have some bands, but I’m not crazy about them. I’ve found that I enjoy liftin weights (as long as hubby is there to watch my form and make sure I’m not hurting myself

  3. Ayesha Schroeder | October 19, 2012 at 11:01 am |

    Nice work! It must be nice to see medically proven results! 🙂

  4. Vikki (The View Outside) | October 19, 2012 at 3:39 am |

    Well done you! I wish I could just get motivated *slumps* 😉

    Xx

  5. kford2007 | October 18, 2012 at 9:37 pm |

    Proud of you, Jen. Keep up the good work.

  6. Joan Leacott | October 18, 2012 at 7:43 pm |

    For the first time in my life, I’m counting and recording calories. My goal is to lose 11 pounds by Christmas. Those darn thing just snuck on over the years. It’s only been two weeks and I’m just about ready to gnaw off my own arm! Good luck with your pursuit!

  7. jmmcdowell | October 18, 2012 at 7:11 pm |

    Being in better shape also has amazing benefits for mental outlook and fitness, so you may find your writing getting in on the action, too. A nice plus! Keep at it!

  8. writerwendyreid | October 18, 2012 at 6:48 pm |

    Good job Jennifer! I lost 35 lbs since January but recently gained back about 10 of them. I have all sorts of things at my disposal for exercising but I just can’t do it long enough to make it a habit! I don’t have a lot of spare time and I begrudge anything that takes them up with the exception of eating and showering. I know that I HAVE to exercise though because I like sweets and if I don’t exercise, I am gaining weight.

    • Jennifer M Eaton | October 19, 2012 at 8:20 am |

      What I did is reprioritize. I made exercise #1 even if I didn’t feel that way in my heart. When I got home from work — if I knew I had tons of writing to do– I’d exercise before dinner. That way it didn’t get lost beneath all the other stuff.

      • writerwendyreid | October 19, 2012 at 7:34 pm |

        I’ve been trying to do that…but you have to remember that I’m in bed by 9 pm. If I don’t get home before 6, that leaves me only 3 hours to exercise, make my supper, eat and shower….whatever’s left is when I get to write. You are right though…I’ve got to make it a higher priority.

  9. Andrea | October 18, 2012 at 1:59 pm |

    Congratulations, Jennifer! Way to go!

  10. Emma | October 18, 2012 at 8:55 am |

    Go you! I have to remind myself that it’s not too hard, just eat a little less, exercise a little more and drink as much water as I can possibly hold 🙂

  11. Kristina Stanley | October 18, 2012 at 8:53 am |

    I think you’re fantastic. I’m a huge believer in keeping fit. Changing from fat to muscle is the healthy way to live. For me, it’s not the shape of your body that’s important. It’s what your body can do for you and how you feel physically that’s important.
    Does the cardio make your brain function better? I find on the days I run in the morning, I write better. I’m also happier and deal better with stress.
    Keep it up!

  13. Joanna (Lazuli Portals) | October 18, 2012 at 8:00 am |

    Congrats! Something chocolately every day is, in my opinion, a necessity. Unless you don’t like chocolate of course! And something in dark chocolate helps with sore throats (or is it coughs? Ah well, I have both, and that’s the excuse I’m sticking with.)

  14. on thehomefrontandbeyond | October 18, 2012 at 5:36 am |

    congrats – progress is wonderful isn’t it

  15. flujan | October 18, 2012 at 1:45 am |

    Finally a woman who understands that muscle weighs more than fat. People have such a hard time understanding this. It is great that you bring that to light! Nice post…
    ~Felicia

  16. Susan | October 18, 2012 at 1:25 am |

    Comgratulations. Sounds like you are making progress. Definitely keep up the good work!

    There really is truth to muscle weighing you down more than fat. When I joined the Army and went to basic training I was very scrawny and weighed 117 pounds. After basic training and doing constant excercise for two months I came in at 134 pounds. I hadn’t had much fat to lose, but lost whatever I had because I didn’t even get my period the whole time and not even for a couple months after that (sorry for the TMI). A common problem for female athletes.

    You can imagine my shock at gaining weight, though, and going up a size in jeans after doing so much physical fitness. It just didn’t seem right, but it was the muscle filling me out. It looked good so I couldn’t complain. I was completely toned. There is a lot to be said for getting the body fat down, even if the muscle goes up.

  17. dmmacilroy | October 18, 2012 at 1:04 am |

    Dear Jennifer,

    This piece resonated with me becasue I am in the beginning stages of losing 50 lbs. (Sounds so good when I say it that way. Creative Visualization and a Self Fulfilling Prophecy.) Good luck with your quest and don’t forget to keep living a little.

    Aloha,

    Doug