Doin' The Happy Dance

I just weighed myself for the first time since last week, because I promised myself I would not start obsessing about my weight every time I ate something verboten.

205 pounds. Yes! I've lost three pounds! I RAWWWWWWWK!

...And, having just whipped out my measuring tape, I will bravely - no I won't, I was typing those words and I completely chickened out! I am still horrified at the size of my "apple." However, I will post this: I measured 7 points where I notice fat tends to hang out, smoking crack or whatever it is fat does when chillin' with its homies. There has been some change:

Cup: one inch less, though that may simply be due to getting my period (ladies, you know what I'm talking about...)
Chest band: half an inch less
Waist: no change
Belly: inch and a half less
Bum: no change
Top of thigh: one inch less
Right bicep: no change

I also noticed that I cramped far less this menstrual cycle. I doubt that's connected to weight loss but it may well have been affected by eating a better diet.

It would also be great if I could eliminate the slight swelling in my ankles I get from time to time - is it water retention, is it from wearing heels, is it from sitting too long? All of the above, perhaps. I did consume more salt around the beginning of my cycle, but I've also been sitting for extended periods at my desk as I work on a very absorbing project.

As a sidenote, we know that mental exertion burns calories and can make you tired, and I have certainly come home from work tired in a good way every night this week. Mind you, I have also done some form of exercise every day, but the fatigue doesn't feel muscular. I would have guessed I'd only lose about two pounds this week, so perhaps I did burn off some calories through focusing very hard on the task at hand.

My diet buddy and I sat out on the patio at work yesterday to eat our lunch, and she and I both agreed that eating less meat is the hardest part about losing weight. I did have what I called a "moral victory" Thursday night, when I stopped eating my pork butt steak partway through and put it away, but it's tough for carnivores like us to cut back on eating our natural prey. I've had vegans tell me that if I had to slaughter my own animals, I would stop eating meat, and they are so wrong.

However, if I have to eat less protein in order to lose weight, so be it. I can't argue with the clear message conveyed by my weight gain: too many calories going in and not enough being burned off. I'm finding that I am not as hungry as I was when I began the diet, but I still get cravings. At least now I can recite my new mantra to myself: Three pounds. Three pounds. Three pounds....