Weight Loss Wednesday

This was my first week "back" on my plan and I struggled.  The initial 3 days off sugar wasn't as bad as the first time, but I am more hungry than in the past.  I also have been waking up very tired in the morning.  I can't think of any reason for this other than lack of calories.  I took a walk last night and was exhausted.

I did have a decent loss though: 2.5 pounds.  I was hoping for more, only because the first week usually means a big loss.  However we did take Maggie out for a "fancy" dinner and I did have dessert and a meal covered in gravy.  Not my best night, but overall it was a decent week.  I really need to regain some momentum and motivation.  I now weigh less than I have my whole marriage and most of my college days.  I am still just enjoying that feeling.  I think the thought of actually weighing what is considered my "ideal" weight is so far removed from my thought process that I can't even imagine it.  

My new goal is to start making relying less on meat and adding some vegetarian options to our meals.  I just don't get that many dishes use a meat substitute.  My warped mind thinks "what's the point?"  I think a vegetarian meal should just be all alternatives and no substitutions.  But I am open to some new ideas, especially for the kids because at this point I really can't have most of what is even in the vegetarian cookbook.

One Year Ago Today...

I started yet another weight loss plan.  I wasn't sure it would work, or that I would be able to stick to it.

A year later I have lost 75 lbs and I am still headed toward my final goal.
What a difference a year makes.... which is basically the exact thing my SIL told me a year ago when I was struggling.

Weight Loss Wednesday: 3/2/11

About a month ago I was starting to get annoyed at my slow weight loss.  I even started exercising and I still wasn't loosing any weight.  I stalled out after reaching a 75 lb loss.  I will admit I have had trouble getting 100% back on track since Christmas.  I have allowed myself a slice of bread or two and I wasn't very focused.

So last month I just decided to work the Take Shape for Life transition plan for awhile.  I am still eating every 2 hours and I am still eating a shake or bar for 3 of my meals.  The main difference is I am occasionally eating muesli for breakfast or I will eat lunch.  I am eating extra protein during the day and not being so strict with fruit and grains.

Let me just add that my love affair with muesli began on our NCL cruise last November.  I decided to try a helping of this giant bowl of something... and it was DELICIOUS.  Jeff and I have been trying to perfect the recipe.  His version is very good, but I would still love to get Norwegian's recipe.

I eventually plan on going back to the 5 & 1 plan to loose the rest of the weight, but I think this will help me.  I am obsessively watching the scale to make sure it doesn't rise.  Last week I actually lost 2.5 lbs which is my biggest loss in several weeks, maybe even since before Christmas.

My biggest struggle is still with the exercise.  I motivate myself for a week and then fall completely off the wagon.  I wish there was a magic motivation pill I could take to get myself moving, but I haven't found it yet.

Weight Loss Wednesday

I have been getting a lot of compliments lately, and I welcome them. My good friend N is always good for a confidence boost. I also sent an updated photo on our family Christmas card and I have been getting a few phone calls and emails from those who haven't seen me in awhile. It is a good feeling. I still find it strange that other people ignore the issue completely. But I have been feeling pretty good about myself lately and proud of my accomplishment.

I still have a good amount of weight left to loose, but I am at a point where I am feeling comfortable in my skin. I reached my BIG goal and that was a great feeling. I now weigh less than when I got married, less than when I met Jeff and less than when I have since my early 20s. I don't know my exact weight in my late teens/20s/or even 30s because I had no interest in remember a number I thought was too big. Funny how now those weights we thought were too much are now our goal weights. Life is funny that weigh... LOL

I am grateful to have a husband who has never made an issue of my weight and loved and accepted me always. I am also grateful to have a few good friends who have done the same.

Here's to more success in 2011! N... we need to get back on the exercise bandwagon!

Weight Loss Wednesday

I recently decided to revisit my Body Bugg in an attempt to increase my exercise. This is the same unit that the contestants on The Biggest Loser use to gauge their "burn" or amount of activity needed to loose their desired weight. So far I have yet to hit my "burn." I am trying to figure out what exactly I need to do (besides run a marathon) to accomplish this. Last week, while on vacation, we visited a state park which involved a lot of walking, touring a historic building, and walking back and forth to the beach and restrooms. I was sure I would have hit my goal that day, but no.

I guess I need to step it up, but I am still having a hard time fitting in when and where to exercise. The treadmill still bores me to tears. I managed 15 minutes today, but that was all my brain could take. With the kids at home all day I just can't leave and take a long walk in the neighborhood. The kids whine too much to make taking them with me a possibility. Sure I could just endure the whining, but if you have ever tried to exercise with a kid hanging on you, you may understand how annoying this is. I remember when Maggie was a baby and Tyler was about 3, I used to try to do 20 minutes of a morning exercise show. I was never so angry in my entire life, and it was a yoga video! This was not exactly stress relief.

On a happy note, I had another NSV this week. I bought size 16 jeans! I really can't remember the last time I wore a size 16. I think possibly in college. I am officially in a smaller size than my wedding dress. Although, to be honest, I still "feel" like I weigh more than when I got married. Maybe that is because I am older and have more body aches and pains and less energy.

Weight Loss Wednesday

I must say I was fairly disappointed yesterday to step on the scale only to learn I had lost ZERO, NILL, NOTHING!!!! This has happened before, but I really stepped up my game last week. I really want to loose 10 lbs by mid November to reach an important goal. Last week I really concentrated on my water consumption and I started to exercise. I walked EVERY day. So, yes I was very disappointed with the results. Oh, I won't give up or backslide, but I can be pissed for a couple days, right?

I did have a small non-scale victory this week. Maybe it is more of an observation, but either way it is a success. I took my husband's car to get an oil change and decided to walk over to the adjoining strip mall rather than wait. That group of stors didn't have a place to get a drink so I walked across the parking lot to the McDonalds. Then I walked over to the next set of strip mall stores to check out Blockbuster. I did all this without giving the distance a second thought and, in my most unsupportive shoes. When I finally left Blockbuster and headed back toward the car shop I noticed the distance I had traveled. I realized that a year ago I would have been very reluctant to have walked that short path. I would have gauged the distance and, although it is not a huge distance, it would have overwhelmed me. It is hard to explain to a person of normal health and weight, but those extra pounds made each step an extra burden. And that became another double-edged sword. The extra physical difficulty of movement made the mental burden of exercising that much harder to overcome. But this week, even with my continual knee pain and extra pounds, I realized what a physical difference the 60+ lbs have made thus far. Now if I can just get over the boredom complex of the treadmill and find my IPOD I might actually make a habit of this exercise.

Weight Loss Wednesday

I am finding it harder than I thought to consistently blog and to be open and honest in my blogging. I don't mind telling strangers my issues, but I would rather not share them with people I know! LOL I know I am not the only one with these issues. My friend Nathalie has a blog I'm sure she regrets sharing with me ;) but also has hidden blogs. This blog is "hidden" in the sense that I have not shared it with my extended family. However since the original intention was a "diary" of sorts for myself then I guess I need to actually share with myself what is happening. And thus, weight loss Wednesdays is born....

Back in February 2010 my SIL started posting on Facebook about loosing weight. Then she posted about how my brother lost like 40 lbs in one month or something ridiculous like that. I finally decided that if I lost weight only 1/2 as fast as he did it would still be a huge success. I started The Program on March 15, 2010. I have now lost 62 lbs. People are FINALLY starting to notice and I am buying new clothes in regular sizes. It is all pretty exciting. I still have more weight to loose, but I have finally lost enough that it is really making a difference. It is pretty depressing when you loose 25 lbs and no one notices. It is tough to keep going sometimes, but right now I am happy and energetic and ready to go the distance.

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 3)

1. I am exhausted. I was on the go for two days this week and that pretty much exhausted me. I've been blaming my exhaustion on my classic introversion, but now I am wondering if it is more related to my low calorie diet?

2. I am on a low calorie weight loss plan. I'm not going to argue the merits of one plan vs another. I won't argue that a low calorie plan is healthy vs unhealthy. I will just say this: I have lost 50lbs and I have NEVER lost more than 10 lbs at a time my whole life.

3. I love to shop for office supplies. Maybe I should get a job in purchasing? I made my weekly rounds to the office supply stores yesterday. Target had a 3-pack of tape for $1 and medium binder clips for $1. Honestly I never thought I would use binder clips, but they come in very handy. I went to Office Max and spent 3 cents!! No, that is not a misprint. I bought 3 reams of loose leaf paper for 1 cent each. (where is that cent sign shortcut again?)

4. My daughter cracks me up. We were studying proper nouns this week and talking about the proper names of people in our family. I asked her what her Grandpa's name was. She said "Queen Duck??" with a confused look on her face. Oh my, I laughed so hard. The way her brain works is so intriguing... (My Dad's real name? Donald King)

5. I hate science. I bought the kids a very elementary science program this year. We are doing a PRE-Chemistry level so I thought I could handle it. The first day I got stumped with "What is matter?" I couldn't really explain it. It doesn't help that my introverted brain struggles to find the words to express my thoughts. It also doesn't help that I have absolutely ZERO interest in science. It is too bad the kid's Grandfather, who happens to be a chemist, doesn't live closer.

6. The Sims sucks the life out of you. My super nice friend gave me a copy of The Sims 3 recently (thanks Nathalie). I was so excited. I have been a Sims fan for over 10 years and really wanted to try the newest version. It is pretty cool. The graphics are great and Wow, it has a lot of interesting features that are so advanced from the original version. My kids love it also. We love it so much that I spent most of the day Monday playing it. Yeah before I realized it my husband was home from his errands and I thought I was a virtual person named Mommy who worked at the hospital and has really cool hair! Seriously it is super easy to get caught up in trying to advance your Sim's life that real time passes by way too quickly.

7. My hair sucks. Speaking of my Sim's awesome hair, mine sucks. I am very impulsive about getting hair cuts so this is not a good feeling. I was trying to wait until November to get a hair cut, but now I have hair envy. Do you think my beautician will laugh if I bring in a picture of my alter ego?