Lose It App: Review of Week Five - The Journey Continues!

Links to previous reviews of my journey with the Lose It App come first as always. Each contains important tips -
Week One - Week Two - Week Three - Week Four.

It gets a little harder each week to figure out what to share. This week was rocking in that I hit a great new low by the middle - really exciting. Then had a couple days of not hitting the mark. So the weight bounced up a bit.  But I don't get discouraged.  I have discovered every time I hit a new low, as soon as I refocus, that number quickly reappears soon followed by a new low.

Friday was a momentous day as I finally finished the rough draft of my very first book - Life Outside The Box - but that meant hours at the computer and on the phone. The bike ride didn't happen which meant a lower number of calories allowed that day and then I didn't cook, just went with convenience food. Honestly, it was worth it to finally finish a project I had been working on for a year. Then I headed out to my friend fashion designer Trish Petrovich's launch of her newest Tastemaker Collection - #savethebees (not up on her website yet - but the promo video is below). There was wine and food.  Between the 2, the day did not hit the mark. I was way over.

This was followed by a Saturday group bike ride and picnic with my husband's company - Tour De Ladner this year. The bike ride was great, but not the length or speed I normally put in.  BBQ picnic includes those high caloric salads, fruit and meat in sauces.  Did my best and stayed right around my goal, but it wasn't the really clean follow up day I needed and had hoped for.  Today we have a family dinner.  Doing my best, but I have to accept I'm ending this week on a low note.  No worries, it's back to achieving on Monday.

Overall I have lost 13 pounds since February (8 on Lose-It and 5 before).  I keep envisioning those one pound blocks of butter or margarine at the store and what that means.  The weight is down far enough now that people are starting to notice when I go out and make encouraging remarks.  Talk about motivation. I'm in my 50's, so these kind of compliments just send me over the moon.

No new tips this week - just a short, sweet repeat.

1.  Exercise!  It means you can consume more calories, raises your metabolism, reduces stress and helps you sleep better. Bike riding has proved the ticket for me as it burns a lot more calories than walking and I don't have to go into a sweaty gym. I'm fortunate to live in Richmond where I can bicycle along the dike, enjoying the fresh air.

2. If I take my bike ride mid to late afternoon it seems to help me more with my weight loss goals.  Any caloric foods or alcohol are indulged in before my ride.

3. Drink lots of water - both for health and weight loss.  The current research says half your body weight in ounces (ex. - 150 lbs = 75 ounces of water).  I know it's a lot but it will make a big difference.

Here is an article on the importance of water consumption in dieting for those who would like to know more - Why Drinking Water Is Important for Weight Loss. It also has a different take on how much, but doesn't really offer much guidance on figuring out that number.