Mappin it Out: A Look Into the Future

THIS ISN'T A SPRINT - IT'S A MARATHON!

I decided to map out the graph of my progress and extend it out - and see what it looks like. Wow! I spent a few minutes putting the graphic together this evening and extended a band that is my current rate of loss into the future - not that I can count on anything, let alone my losses remaining consistent into the future. They could go slower or faster.

One thing that is apparent is that I got a whole giant boatload of flab to lose, and it is going to take some time, for sure. No wonder. I didn't get into this situation overnight and it will take more than a short while to lose the extra weight I have put on since I was about 18 or 20 or so.

Although I can be rational and mature and all that, ...it still **is** difficult to be patient and go through all the time and effort to reach my goal. The one upside of this taking so long is that as long as I am focused on losing weight, I'll likely not be gaining any back. So that bodes well for my health for the immediate future - the next few years at least.

I think that it is better that it takes time probably, as I will spend more than a couple years learning the skills I need to learn to maintain this as an ongoing way of life into the future.

Anyhow I am posting my long term chart as a graphic so everyone can see what a journey this is just to hit my goals. It may take longer - who knows? And in truth - the journey is one that I hope doesn't end. This isn't a diet. This is the way I eat from now on.

More Roller-Coastering...

Well, if you have visited here (my little Low Carb Blogfest) or my other online journal in the past you have had to listen to my incessant whining about the roller coaster ride my weight stats have been taking. Sure, the ride down is the most exciting, hands in the air screaming your head off all the way down. But those slow cranking rides back up kinda stink. Especially when you thought you were **AT** the top already, only to find things going up still higher.

It may be a little self inflicted water retention this time as I ate some Oscar Mayer No Sodium Nitrite/No Sodium Nitrate hot dogs (which if you look at the label is still chock full of sodium - just not nearly as much).

So when someone with sodium sensitivity like myself eats 4 of them (cause they are quick and easy to fix) it might have some effect. By and large I am doing well with moderating my sodium intake (cut the pickles and olives and hot dogs mostly).

I decided to rework the spreadsheet graph since January 1st (when I got my new scale) and to add in a moving 5-day average and a moving 10 day average as well as the actual. I am also graphing recent lows and highs as this bouncing or roller coastering up and down is moving in a window as well. I guess the averages make me feel better, seeing the overall trends and enabling me to look past any one days numbers. The peaks and valleys concern me a little. Especially the peaks.

Perhaps I need to bring in a Wall Street analyst and see if I should buy or sell... (smile).

I am looking at the purple line as some kind of resistance my body has to accepting the loss, and it is fighting back a little. The red line trending the lows is showing progress along with the averages.