I Lost Five Pounds in 2020, And That Was A Major Victory

I have been following the Noom program for over a year now. It’s been a bumpy ride. Shall I recap? Yes, let’s! And since I was a history major, I’ll even get fancy with a timeline. (You’re welcome!)

Late February 2020: I joined Noom. I weighed about 209.5 pounds.
I lost a couple of pounds
March 2020: The shit hit the fan. #pandemic
I had already signed up for Noom, so I figured I might as well stick with the program.
March-July 2020: I lost twenty pounds! I was down to 189 pounds.
August 2020: Pippa started distance learning. I felt some serious stress. I quit Noom. #burnout
August-October 2020: I regained about fifteen of the pounds I had lost.
Late October 2020: I rejoined Noom.

This morning, I weighed in at 204.6 pounds. I could look at that as a defeat. Woe is me, I’m only down five pounds since this time last year. But I am choosing to look at my current weight as a major victory.

I could have easily gained fifty pounds in 2020. Before Noom, I used food to manage my stress and numb my feelings. 2020 involved an ass shit ton of feelings and stress, and I did in fact often reach for food to feel better. But just as often, I did something else, like exercise, meditate, or text friends. I was far from perfect on the emotional eating front, but I did better in 2020 than I ever had in my adult life. That, my friends, is what I consider a victory.

I want to make some serious progress in 2021 on the health and fitness front. I want to stick to my calorie budgets and shed the excess weight already.

But first, I want to give myself a standing ovation,