FLUCTUATIONS

For the past few weeks, my weight has fluctuated an unusual amount. I’m not sure if there’s a problem with my scale or my actual weight is changing drastically. The former makes sense because my scale is kind of janky sometimes, but I’m not sure.

For example, I was steadily dropping weight until the 11th, when I gained almost 3 pounds (1.36 kg) overnight. Then I started dropping again from that point. I suppose it is possible to gain 3 pounds in a day, but it seems a little hinky to me, especially since I’m not eating an inordinate number of calories.

I admit my calories have been a little higher the past week (in the 1400s on certain days), but that’s not nearly high enough to justify that type of gain and it’s still well below the number needed to break even. It would make sense for the scale to be off if it dropped back down just as suddenly as it increased, but it didn’t. Perhaps I did gain 3 pounds in a day. I wish I knew what I ate that day because I’d never eat it again!

My weight is still decreasing in the long run, which is my ultimate goal. It just makes me a bit uncomfortable seeing such large jumps between days.

All of that said, I have lost 2.9 pounds (1.32 kg) since my last journal, two weeks ago. That’s the smallest drop yet, but I fully expected my weight loss to slow as I got closer to my target weight.

So far, I have lost a total of 44.8 pounds (20.32 kg) and I have 15.2 pounds (6.89 kg) until I reach my goal. I’m so close!

The Future

As I watch the pounds drop, it has become apparent that there will be a lot more work for me even after I reach my goal.

I know I’ve lost a lot of fat, but my stomach is still pretty prominent. I’m significantly thinner than I was, but I’m sure I’ll still have stomach fat even when I approach my target weight.

At that point I’ll have to focus on gaining muscle while continuing to lose fat. I’m not sure exactly how I’m going to approach that, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.

Even with the slowing of my weight loss, I anticipate reaching my goal by the new year. Happy New Year to Barry, am I right?

I don’t know what that means.

Anyway, you may recall that I posted a before and after photo approximately one month ago. Well, I found a more recent overweight Barry picture and decided to do a new side by side at my current weight (see photo). This overweight photo was taken in May, just before I began losing weight, while the other was taken in March. If it’s possible, I think I had gained weight between March and May. Either way, it’s a good thing I decided to start my weight loss journey.

I like doing these pictures because I don’t really see any changes looking at myself in the mirror every day. It shows how much I’ve truly changed. And I couldn’t be happier with the change.

I’m looking and feeling more like the old me from 8 or 9 years ago. I can’t believe how much I had gained, or how much I’ve lost in a relatively short time. I was worried that all my wrinkles and age lines would start showing now that my face isn’t ballooned out, but I think I may appear younger. Awesome! Still have dark circles under my eyes because I never sleep, but that’s neither here nor there.

I’m sorry for tooting my own horn, but sometimes I need to boost my own esteem! And I suppose this journal is about me and my weight loss journey, so there’s that too.

You knew what you signed up for when you started reading this! What do you mean you didn’t sign up for this?

Recipe for Ratatouille

I only have one recipe for your today. I apologize for the inconvenience. Or should apologize for the convenience? Today I have a delicious, easy to make, super low calorie, vegetarian meal. You could of course add your meat of choice to serve with it, but I think it’s a great standalone meal with some bread or rice.

We’re talking about ratatouille here, and I’m a little obsessed with it.

As per usual, I’m not making this the traditional French way, cooked in a pan over fire. My way isn’t necessarily better, although it may be because I’ve never had it the traditional way.

In this recipe, I roast all of the vegetables together in the oven. I really like this method, and not just because it’s easier. All of the vegetables roast and caramelize together, giving it an amazing flavor, the likes of which I’ve never had.

Ratatouille is especially great because it’s so forgiving. Don’t have zucchini, but you do have mushrooms (I detest mushrooms), and you actually like mushrooms? Throw them in instead! Or in additional to! You can put pretty much whatever you want in there and it will probably be good, assuming you like everything you’re mixing together.

That’s why this recipe is more a guideline. You can use extra, add something new, or omit something you don’t fancy. I use what I like, but it’s not a requirement to use the same things. I’d like to try it with butternut squash, yellow squash, among other things. Let your imagination be your guide!

The crazy thing is it tastes even better for leftovers. I heat it up in the oven the next day and it’s even more flavorful. Some people like it cold, but I’ve never tried it that way and I’m not willing to at the moment. Although, thinking about it, this would probably make a pretty amazing sandwich.

Conclusion

And that’s all he wrote! It’s a shorter health journal today, but I usually go on and on, so perhaps this is a refreshing change. Thanks so much for reading. You’re the best! As always, my daily weight and caloric intake is listed below.

I’ll see you in two weeks!

Daily Breakdown of Weight and Caloric Intake

Date	Pounds	Kilograms	Caloric Intake
2 October 2016	188.1 lb	85.32 kg	1289 calories
3 October 2016	187.3 lb	84.96 kg	1230 calories
4 October 2016	188.1 lb	85.32 kg	1216 calories
5 October 2016	188.2 lb	85.37 kg	1229 calories
6 October 2016	186.8 lb	84.73 kg	1293 calories
7 October 2016	186.6 lb	84.64 kg	1275 calories
8 October 2016	186.2 lb	84.46 kg	1169 calories
9 October 2016	185.8 lb	84.28 kg	1323 calories
10 October 2016	185.1 lb	83.96 kg	1361 calories
11 October 2016	187.9 lb	85.23 kg	1486 calories
12 October 2016	186.6 lb	84.64 kg	1179 calories
13 October 2016	186.3 lb	84.50 kg	1471 calories
14 October 2016	185.7 lb	84.23 kg	1270 calories
15 October 2016	186.3 lb	84.50 kg	1360 calories
16 October 2016	185.2 lb	84.01 kg	---