My Weight Loss Journey

Bursitis

2012-02-22T12:48:00.002-07:00

So apparently I have bursitis in my left shoulder. Which means no heavy exercise (ie no Jillian) for at least two weeks. The doctor said I can do cardio but to pretty much leave my arm alone. Just one more excuse....arrrrgggghhh!!!

I guess the way I was approaching things wasn't working anyway (not watching calories but increasing the exercise) so now it's time to switch the approach to watching the calories and walking/running when I can.

"It's okay. I'll do better tomorrow."

2012-02-15T09:19:00.002-07:00

That seems to be my motto as of late....and it's not a good thing. I just don't want to eat right. I decided a long time ago that a majority of weight loss success is having the mental commitment to doing it and I just don't have that right now. At my weigh in this morning, I "should" have been around 138. Instead, I was 144. Yeah, not good. I had decided to focus more on fitness which I have definitely increased, but not to the point it should be.

My eating...has been horrendous! And it's all mental. I'm not even hungry. I just see something yummy and think I have to have it. So I eat it. Solution? Don't eat it. Sounds easy. But it isn't. The thing that really stinks is that I can't even define a "trigger." A lot of people can say they eat because of this, this or this and they just need to get past their demons to get past their desire to eat. Me? I just like food. A lot.

So, I need to better. And I'll get right on that....starting tomorrow... :P

More official weigh in

2012-02-01T09:25:00.002-07:00

Okay, so today is weigh in #2 but probably more like #1. I was 140.2 this morning. Not bad. I did gain from last time but remember I was sicker than a dog and lost like 5 pounds in 24 hours! I haven't been watching my calories like I should but I am trying to cut back on how much I am eating. Seems to be working. I have added exercise back into the routine. That is key for me. Right now, I really, REALLY need to tone back up. So that is my focus. I would like to lose a few pounds in the meantime (6 to be exact, in the next 6 weeks). But my main focus right now is exercise.

Weigh in #1.........???

2012-01-15T22:59:00.001-07:00

Well, today was supposed to be my first weigh in. My original goal was 149 (because I didn't have any idea how much I actually weighed). Turns out, I was only 145 11 days ago. So how did I do? Well, I weighed in at 139 today. Only...it doesn't really count. We've had the dang stomach flu at our house today! BLAH!!! So, I'll just keep at it and give an actual and official weight next time! :)

Moment of truth...

2012-01-04T11:00:00.002-07:00

So I finally stepped on the scale this morning. It wasn't good but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. I officially weighed in at 145. I'm still going to keep my timeline and goals the same though because I don't typically lose 2 pounds per week and that gives me a little flexibility. I should still be able to reach 134 by March 15. That is one pound less than my weight I was able to maintain for about a year and a half so this is totally doable for me.

I was thinking the other day about how funny it is that I am panicking at weighing 145. Three years ago, I wouldn't have ever thought I would get THAT low. I don't think that it is so much hitting 145 that worries me though. It is going up and up and up that is freaking me out! I didn't spend a year taking the weight off (and a year and a half keeping it off for that matter) just to put it all back on!

Something's gotta give....

2012-01-01T15:24:00.002-07:00

...and I would prefer it not be my pants!

Yeah...things haven't been going so well...AT ALL! I have gained....a LOT. I actually don't even know how much because I don't want to get on the scale. Last time I checked, it was 10 pounds and I'm sure it is more now (that was about a month ago). My clothes are getting awfully snug. I've been avoiding pretty much everything...MFP, this blog...because you know, it you ignore a problem long enough, it will just go away, right?

Well, time to shake myself into reality! I'm always up for a challenge so I am going to challenge myself to match a fellow bloggers weight loss. I need the accountability right now because doing it just to do it isn't working for me at the moment! So Tiffany (yup, I think you're pretty much the only person still reading this blog), I'm going to match you, pound for pound, in your weight loss goals:

Mini Goal Weights:
Jan 15th- 149 lbs
Feb 1st- 145 lbs
Feb 15th- 141 lbs
Mar 1st- 137 lbs
Mar 15th- 134 lbs Final goal

Hope you're okay with that! This is in no way a challenge to you. I just need something to keep ME on track! :)

In reality, I think it will be difficult. I don't typically lose 2 pounds a week. But I'm going to give it a whirl, eat right, and exercise and see what happens! Even if I don't hit goal, down is definitely better than up!

Here's to a healthier 2012!!

I QUIT!!!!

2011-10-10T11:39:00.003-06:00

Yup! I quit! I am tired of the scale. So I'm going to quit using it! I went "scale free" for a few weeks but made hubby weigh me in so I'd still have a record. Six weeks and I lost 7 pounds (but five of that was the first week so technically, I only lost 2 pounds in that length of time). Then in ONE week, I gained back 6 pounds!?!?! Ummmm...yeah. My initial reaction was to beat myself up because I'm really good a that. But then I decided that I need to not define me by what that stupid number says!

So, I'm going to....
...track my eating
...make better food choices
...exercise
....because those are the things I can control.

BUT...
...the scale will not define me anymore!

Day 10

2011-09-30T09:50:00.004-06:00

(Apologies in advance. This post is a big disjointed ramble! But I wanted to get SOMETHING posted while a had a couple of minutes!)

So much for doing a daily post!

When I started this, everything I read said once you start this, you'll never want to go back. You feel fuller, have more energy and just feel good about the way you're eating.

Well, I made it to day 10 (still have to complete day 10 though). My overall impression - BLAH! I think I went a little overboard with the no preservatives or additives thing. I did cheat a little on dairy and ate dairy that only had vitamins added. The only way to get dairy without doing that is to drink raw milk and I didn't have access to raw milk!

Okay, I have to admit, I really didn't do the research I should have BEFORE I started so I really didn't know what I was doing. This led to quite the eating rutt....

I don't know why, but I just can't bring myself to eat many vegetables. Funny thing, I actually ate more vegetables before doing this. The thought of vegetables right now makes me want to gag. Not sure why. So I have been living off of fruit (LOTS of fruit), almonds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, oat bran, homemade all natural bread, brown rice, chicken, dehydrated refried beans, roast, vegetables (but not very much unfortunately), museli, milk, sour cream, and cheese sticks. Oh, and I've used lots and lots of honey! Gotta have my sweet!

Does that sound blah? Well, it is blah! I am so ready to be done with this. Honestly, it may seem pretty healthy, but I have been taking vitamin supplements and I still feel drained and hungry all the time! I'm obviously doing something wrong! I know one thing that would have definitely helped would have been to incorporate more beans. The only problem is that the canned ones have additives and the only way I know how to cook with dry beans is to add stuff that has...additives!

So where do I go from here? About half way through this, I thought "If I just go back to the way I was eating, isn't that just taking a step backwards nutritionally?" And that is definitely not where I want to go. But I also can't keep eating like this! So, as I have researched and thought, I have decided that I'm not going to step backwards. I'm going to take a step sideways!

Right now (referencing my 10 day experiment), I am NOT doing well in the nutrition department. Straight up, there is just not enough variety in my diet. So, I am going to add more healthy things in (beans, more vegetables) but continue to limit (not completely eliminate) the processed foods. In other words, I'll use spices and chicken broth, but cut out white flour and vegetable oil. I'll cook more from scratch, and less from a box. We'll eat more at home, and less at fast food.

And that means....more dishes....but it's worth it right? :)

While this little experiment didn't necessarily have the effect I thought it would have, it has definitely made me take a step back and take a closer look at my eating habits!

Day 2

2011-09-23T12:24:00.002-06:00

I had every intention of sitting and doing a detailed post of every thing I have learned in the past 24 hours but in reality, it's a lot! And for some reason, I just really don't feel like posting. So I'm going to keep it a little more basic and short for now.

I wasn't quite as tired or hungry today. I tried some almonds today and I was shocked and how filling they actually were. Right now, my learning is focused on good vs bad fats and oils and what a difference they can make. Well, that and finding a variety of foods that I can eat so I don't find myself in an eating rut with the same old foods!

Part of my problem could be my attitude. I actually am kind of liking this way of eating and realizing that it really isn't as hard or weird as I thought it would be. It is definitely different and has a learning curve to it but not as horrible as I anticipated. So I sat down with hubby last night just to see what his reaction would be to joining me. It wasn't good. So I kind of got the excitement knocked out of me. This is definitely not something I can see doing alone while the other 6 members of my family eat the same old way!

He is very skeptical that this is just another diet craze. I tried to explain to him that I'm really not following any sort of prescribed diet plan. I'm just trying to stick with foods that don't have all the additives and preservatives in them. I brought up the possibility of eating organic (to avoid the pesticides and such) and he really went off on that one! He is convinced that is just a marketing scheme and there is no difference between organic and regular produce. I'm not sure I really buy into the whole organic thing myself, but I am really convinced there is something to not eating all the additives and preservatives. I guess we'll have to give it time and see what happens.

Would I ever go completely organic, whole, fresh everything? At this point, I would say no. I think even greatly reducing the additives is a great start.

Day 1

2011-09-21T11:55:00.003-06:00

Noon -

So far so good. I went grocery shopping this morning to get a better idea of what was available for me to eat. It is possible that I should have done this (and maybe a little research) BEFORE I jumped into this... :S ... But I figured if I was in the mood to jump in with both feet, I might as well do it. Otherwise, it just stays on the backburner where it has been for last couple of years!

I decided that since I am supplementing with vitamins anyway, milk with added vitamins isn't going to kill me. I didn't incorporate any straight milk today but I did buy cheese sticks and sour cream (found a brand that is all natural) to use today. They did have organic milk but I had a hard time paying $6 a gallon for it! I found some nuts and beans that should help out a lot with the nutrition side of things.

When I have attempted stuff like this in the past, I get SUPER gassy/bloated. I usually last about two to three days and then quit because it is so bad. But this time, I decided to give it a full 10 day trial - NO MATTER WHAT! Yesterday was kind of a half day and it was awful! So I braced myself for the worst today. So far, it hasn't been bad. BUT, I also haven't eaten any vegetables yet today! I'll have to see how the rest of the day goes....

In review...

Well, I made it through the day...almost. I made rice for a neighbor (she just had a baby so I was taking dinner to her) and out of habit, I taste tested it to see if it was done. I caught myself almost doing that several times during the day. It was interesting to me how many additives white rice has while brown rice doesn't have any. Unfortunately, I was making white...

I've read that this type of eating gives you more energy and leaves you feeling fuller (mostly from cutting all the complex carbs that our body digests so easily). That was most definitely NOT my experience yesterday! I was totally and completely drained. I went to bed at 9:30 (I'm a night owl and usually don't hit the sack until after 11:00). I felt hungry all day long. Maybe my body just has to adjust to this type of eating. We'll see...

I did find a bunch of new recipes that I want to try out. I found that I really didn't have many grains in my diet yesterday so I am going to work at incorporating more of those into my day.

I definitely feel better about the way I am eating. I just need to make some tweaks and adjustments to get my body to feel better about it! :)

Pre Day 1

2011-09-20T22:38:00.004-06:00

Here I am blogging twice in one day! I wanted to document all of this so I can go back and look over it. So bear with me!

I planned out my eating for Day 1...and found that I was seriously lacking in several key nutrients! I'm thinking as I learn more, I will be able to get what I need from the foods I am eating, but for now, I am going to have to supplement with vitamins. I'm struggling with that because it kind of defeats the point (or at least my point) of getting all the nutrients I need by eating the right kinds of foods. And as I look through the ingredient list on the vitamins, there are a lot of weird things on there! Honestly, I think one of my biggest problems is that I DO NOT do seafood! And that is where all the nutrients are that I am missing! UGH!

Which actually brings me to my next "issue". I mentioned before I would only be eating single ingredient foods. I did modify that a bit to eating only foods that have "normal" ingredients listed on the can/box. For example, I am using Minute Maid orange juice (in a box) but the only ingredients are orange juice from concentrate and water. I'm not sure about some listings. Like on black beans, all of the ingredients are whole foods but one of them is "prepared black beans." What exactly does that mean? And some other foods say "natural flavors". Again, what does that mean? I'll have to make some decisions....

My supplements definitely break all the rules in the "normal" ingredient requirement! I am going to make a trip to the store to see what single ingredient vitamins are made up of....

Update to come! Here's to healthy eating!

An update and an experiment

2011-09-20T12:13:00.002-06:00

Things are good here. I gained about five pounds but I have managed to take it back off. My new goal that I working toward is hitting 129.8. Weird? I haven't seen 129 on the scale in like, ever. So I want to do it just to do it. I don't necessarily want to stay at that weight. I know, weird. But I'm going to try it. BUT, I have always used the scale as a crutch. So I haven't been weighing, sort of. I have been weighing because I am OCD and I have to have my "log" so hubby has been looking and tracking while I turn my head! So there's the update.

Now for the experiment. I have been wanting to try going strictly whole foods for a while. No boxes, no preprocessed stuff. I don't think my family will respond well so I've decided to try it on my own for a while to get some ideas of how to make stuff before I throw them into the fire! I'm not going full-on vegetarian whole foods. I just want to go back to the basics-one ingredient foods (or multi-ingredient foods made by me from single ingredient foods). So here's the plan. I 'm going to eat fruits, veggies, lean meats, whole grains, and I need to look into the dairy thing. Most of it has additives which I am trying to avoid. So for now, the plan is really scratchy but I'll try to keep you posted on what exactly I end up doing and how it goes!

Now it's in writing, so I have to do it! Right?

Still here

2011-07-07T22:30:00.002-06:00

I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. Just been spending most of my time over at My Fitness Pal.

It was working really well while the kids were in school. Now that they're out, and I have five kids ages 2 to 9 at home...I kinda quit.

Bad, I know. I haven't gained weight. But I feel blah. I haven't been eating right. I haven't been exercising. I think the exercise thing stems more from being too dang hot to exercise than anything.

Now the hubby is going out of town for 9 DAYS!! Ugh.....

My goal is to make it through July, without going over 135. There. I put it in writing. Now I have to do it! Right?

Kinda lame post, but I wanted to let you know that I'm still here (all one of you that actually still read this) :).

New find

2011-05-19T14:13:00.003-06:00

If you're looking for a good dressing to liven up your salad, I have found one!

All I can say about this stuff is YUM!!!

We have served this dressing at two separate parties at our house and it was a major hit with everyone who tried it! I was having a hard time eating salads but this stuff makes me walk to the store to buy lettuce (and anything else I can dream of to put on a salad) just so I can have the dressing! It is 70 calories per serving but I have found a half serving to be plenty for an average salad.

Today, I had a GINORMOUS salad for lunch and only used one serving and it was plenty. Just in case your curious, here's what else I put on my deliciousness:

2 1/2 cups spring mix lettuce (my new favorite lettuce blend)
6 grape tomatoes
1/4 green pepper
a few slivers of onion
2 sliced strawberries
2 slices deli turkey
McCormick Salad Toppins (another of my salad favorites)

My plate was hugely overflowing, I am stuffed, and the total calorie count? 200 CALORIES! I am so in heaven right now!

Another 5K!

2011-05-05T22:49:00.002-06:00

I completed another 5K! Notice I still didn't say "ran"! BUT, I beat my last time by 4 minutes and 30 seconds! Go me! Okay, I guess I should spill it and post my actual times.

First 5K - 40:00
Second 5K - 35:30

Not a fabulous time by any stretch of the imagination but I'm still excited about the improvement!

Switching to maintain

2011-03-25T12:30:00.003-06:00

I have really liked My Fitness Pal (have a mentioned that before?). One thing that I really like is that it gives me guidelines for maintaining my weight loss. That has been one area that I have really struggled with before - "Okay, I lost the weight, now what?"

When I started MFP, I had a couple of pounds that I wanted to get off and it was working so well that I wanted to just keep going! But I finally decided that 135 is great. If I happen to take off another pound or two, great. But if I don't, that is fine too! I'm good where I am.

So here's to maintaining....for real this time! :D

Pretty sure I've been here before....

2011-03-20T22:23:00.003-06:00

....and it sucked last time too....

Yeah, I went a *clears throat* little overboard with my eating this week. It was our anniversary, we went out of town (childless) and I just didn't care. I ate whatever I wanted, in whatever quantities I wanted. That was Thursday and Friday. And I still feel like complete and total CRAP. And, yes, I have done this before. And, yes, I felt like crap then too.

So why did I let myself do it again? Dunno...

But seriously, every part of my body feels BLAAAAAHHHH! If you really want to see how bad I did, go check out my MFP log. WARNING: It's UUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGLLLLLLYYYY!!

BUT, I actually AM glad that I logged it. Seeing those numbers instead of just thinking "yeah, I did bad but I'll get over it" was a good thing. I am completely disgusted by those numbers!

So here's to getting back on track and getting back into an exercise routine and feeling BETTER!

So excited!

2011-03-11T15:44:00.003-07:00

My hubby loves me. Wanna know how I know? Guess what he got me for our anniversary? I'll give you a little hint:

Yup! I have so been wanting one of these but couldn't justify the expense so he gave it to me for our anniversary yesterday! Now I can really track how many calories I burn when I exercise instead of just guessing! I already used it today and I have to say I was a little disappointed. NOT disappointed with the watch, just the results. I wasn't burning as many calories as I thought I was! BUT I am GLAD that I know how many I am really burning now!

Oh, am I am really liking My Fitness Pal...in case anyone was wondering....

The plan....

2011-02-22T21:53:00.003-07:00

I am going back to planning my food. A few blogger let me know about this site. Thanks Tiffany!

I am going to give it a whirl but kind of in reverse. Rather than tracking what I eat, I am going to plan out my eating for the next day. I may change and go to tracking what I do eat...I don't know. I'll play it by ear.

It really seems like a cool website. Wish me luck!

Rethinking my way of thinking....

2011-02-22T16:00:00.007-07:00

So I did this whole weight loss thing "naturally", you know, no pills, shakes, etc. I made "sustainable lifestyle changes" to get the weight off. Right? Well....now I'm thinking...not so much. I still eat most of the same foods, just in smaller quantities. I did make some ingredient substitutions (ie., low fat, reduced calorie, etc) and cut out some really bad stuff (like almost all of our fried favorites), BUT for the most part, the foods are still the same.

And it is starting to bite me in the butt! I don't want to cut quantities any more. The food is there and I just want to eat whatever I want! That doesn't work well for weight loss (or maintenance). Yup, still struggling....

I've been thinking a lot lately about the need for me (and my family) to really change the way we eat. We need to cut the complex carbs WAY down and WAY increase the fruits, vegetables and whole grains. When I think about it, it seems simple. Trying to put it into practice is a completely different ball game!

We have a huge food storage FULL of the crappy foods that I am talking about eliminating. Not to mention the fact that those foods have a better shelf life anyway making them more practical for food storage. It also makes it easier on the budget because when that stuff goes on a really good sale, I can buy 6+ months worth of it. It is a little harder to buy 6 months worth of fresh fruits and veggies!

I know, freeze it, can it. I have issues with freezing. One problem is the space. I don't have 50 cubic feet of freezer space. In fact, my freezer space is quite limited. I also have issues with freezing because what happens if the power goes out in the middle of summer? Yeah, my aunt (who has two full sized freezers) had that happen to her and had to throw out ALL that food!

Canning....BLAH! I know, stop whining and do it.

My other major issue is the kids. I have five kids ages 2 to 9 who have become accustomed to eating like crap. That's not exactly something that can be changed overnight. "Hey kids, I know you're used to eating Fruit Loops and Frosted Flakes for breakfast every morning but from now on, we'll be eating tofu and muesli. Ummmm....yeah.

I have been taking baby steps but I get frustrated with baby steps. I know that baby steps are steps and I just need to keep plugging along. I wish I could just throw everything out and start over but from a budget standpoint, that would be suicidal!

Anyway, enough with the whining.

I made a list of vegetables and put an "x" (* means we tried it since making this list) by all the ones we as a family have tried at one point or another. This list isn't comprehensive. I took off all the herbs, beans, and anything that brought up a photography website when I googled it (that really happened BTW). I was actually surprised at how many we had tried. Let me emphasize "TRIED". We don't by any means eat all of the "x"-ed ones on a regular basis.

So our new baby step is to try everything on this list! Wish us luck!

Artichokes
Arugula
Asparagus
Avocado	x
Beets	x
Beets, Yellow
Bok Choy
Broccoflower	x
Broccoli	x
Brussel Sprouts	x
Butter Beans
Cabbage, Green	x
Cabbage, Purple
Cabbage, Red
Carrots	x
Carrots, Purple
Cauliflower	x
Celery	x
Chard
Corn	x
Corn, White	x
Cucumber	x
Eggplant
Endive
Escarole
Fennel
Green Beans	x
Greens, Collard
Greens, Leafy	x
Greens, Mustard
Jerusalem Artichoke	x
Jicama
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lettuce	x
Mushrooms	x
Okra	x
Onion	x
Onion, Green	x
Onions, Red	x
Onions, White	x
Onions, Yellow	x
Parsnips	x
Peas	x
Peas, Pod	x
Peas, Snow	x
Peas, Sugar Snap	x
Pepper, Green Bell	x
Pepper, Orange Bell	x
Peppers, Chili	x
Peppers, Hot	x
Peppers, Red Bell	x
Peppers, Sweet	x
Peppers, Yellow Bell	x
Potatoes, Purple	x
Potatoes, Red	x
Potatoes, Sweet	x
Potatoes, Yellow	x
Pumpkin	x
Radicchio
Radish	x
Rhubarb
Rutabagas
Sauerkraut
Shallots	x
Spinach	x
Squash, Acorn	x
Squash, Ambercup	x
Squash, Autumn Cup
Squash, Banana	x
Squash, Butternut	x
Squash, Carnival	x
Squash, Chayote
Squash, Crook Neck	x
Squash, Delicata
Squash, Fairytale Pumpkin
Squash, Gold Nugget
Squash, Hubbard	x
Squash, Kabocha
Squash, Pattypan	x
Squash, Spaghetti	x
Squash, Sweet Dumpling
Squash, Turban
Squash, Yellow	x

Tomatillo	x
Tomatoes	x
Tomatoes, Cherry	x
Tomatoes, Grape	x
Tomatoes, Pear	x
Turnips	x
Watercress	x
Yams	x
Zucchini	x

It's official....

2011-02-07T08:21:00.002-07:00

I am OUT OF CONTROL!!! I need to nip this in the butt like NOW!! No more excuses. No more waiting.

"Oh, it's the Super Bowl party on Sunday. I'll wait until after that."

"Oh, Valentine's Day is coming. I'll wait until after that."

And then anniversary....March Madness....birthdays...Easter....

I'm not even going to post how much I have gained in the last week and a half but rest assured, it is PATHETIC!!!!! I can't even believe how stinkin' hard it is and long it takes to take weight off but how easily and quickly it comes back on! BLAH, BLAH, BLAH!!!!

I started out my day good. I exercised. Then I had a piece of homemade, whole wheat bread and a glass of juice (that equaled a serving of fruits and a serving of veggies). Go me! Then I ate leftover pizza and brownies from the party yesterday.....and it's only 8:25!!

No more excuses!! Change starts NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yummy treat

2011-02-06T19:04:00.005-07:00

My cousin has a recipe blog where she posted a recipe for a Green Machine Smoothie Dream. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical. BUT we decided to try it out for Super Bowl Sunday (you know, in an attempt to justify all of our horrible eating by eating something somewhat healthy). I have to say, it wasn't bad. I wouldn't say it was my favorite thing in the world but it is a fabulous way to get a hefty dose of a variety of fruits and veggies! The best part was that when I made it and split it in two (shared with the hubby) it was only three WW points (on the old program, I'm clueless as to how the new program works). Here is the exact recipe we did tonight (so the nutrition information below it will be accurate if you decide to make it based on that information):

3 cups baby spinach
1 cup frozen berry mixture (strawberries, blueberries, red raspberries & blackberries)
1 frozen banana
1/2 orange without peel
5 baby carrots
1/2 container Yoplait french vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup fat free milk

Oh! And we got our first basket of fruits and vegetables. I should have taken a picture. We got quite a haul! I was very excited. For the first time in a long time (okay, maybe EVER), my fridge is literally overflowing with fruits and veggies!! WAHOO!!

A two year snapshot

2011-02-04T08:50:00.004-07:00

It is so weird to think that it was two years ago that I started this journey. Two years ago, I weighed over 180 pounds. A few years before that, I was over 200 pounds. But that was before I was keeping track! This little snapshot kind of makes me laugh, but not really. Notice the three major spikes in the first year? Those were the times when I wasn't involved in some sort of competition. Pathetic really. BUT, I have been able to keep the weight off WITHOUT external motivation (okay keep it off until this week). Not too shabby!

Well...I did it...

2011-02-04T08:28:00.004-07:00

Can you sense the excitement oozing from me? Okay, it's probably harder on a blog to sense my sarcasm. But if I was really, truly excited, that title would have looked something more like "WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" And it would have come seconds (instead of almost a full week) after my weigh in.

But you'll notice, it didn't. Because while I did make it one full year with my Saturday weigh ins being at or under 136.6, my "celebration" was....well....pathetic! To celebrate, I went out to lunch, at over a dozen cookies, and had a milkshake...ALL IN ONE AFTERNOON! Hello! Did I learn nothing! And the rest of this week hasn't been much better! According to the scale this morning, I have gained...are you ready for this?.....THREE pounds in less than a week. Awesome. Pure. Awesomeness.

I even decided at the beginning of the week that I needed to go back into full on diet mode to get things back on track. The first day, I lasted until dinner. The second day, I lasted until lunch. The third day, I lasted until I woke up!

I think I have decided my eating on the weekends and watching it during the week is really biting me in the butt. It's kind of like someone trying to quit smoking. "I'll quit smoking, but just smoke on the weekends." Yeah, let me know how that goes for ya.

And while I have made some good strides in the eating healthier department, I know I still have TONS of room for improvement! Most of what I have done is modified ingredients to be lower calorie/fat and decreased portion size but I am still eating a lot of the same foods I did before. I won't say that was a necessarily a bad thing though. For me, it worked to get the weight off, and it worked for a year to keep it off.

But now, I need to get serious. My husband wants to lose weight. He has lost weight before but then puts it right back on. I am not feeding my kids healthy foods. I was at the grocery store the other day and as I passed through the produce section, it hit me like a ton of bricks that my kids probably couldn't tell you what even half of the produce even is! That is scary!

So we need to make some big changes. We need to eat healthier so I can teach my kids how to eat healthier, so my husband can take the weight off and keep it off, and so I can keep my weight off naturally (without relying on the scale to tell me what and when I can and cannot eat).

I'll have to keep you posted on how we do it. I know it is going to take some research and some major changes.

Step 1 (baby steps): I have signed up for a food coop in our community. Each week, I can go pick up a basket (or two, we'll see) of 6 different fruits and 6 different vegetables. Some will be familiar but some will be new. It will be fun to incorporate this into our diet! I am hoping that we enjoy it and eat it enough that soon we will be buying two baskets every week!

Here's to some major changes....a little at a time!

A New Challenge

2011-01-05T20:14:00.004-07:00

I decided that I need to spend less time sitting and more time moving. I wouldn't say that it is a "New Year's resolution" because I have a tendency to self-sabotage myself when something has that label!

So here's the deal. In order to watch TV, I have to "pay" for my time. If I have worked out for the day, I have to "pay" 100 jumping jacks (without stopping to rest) for every hour of TV that I watch. If I didn't work out that day, I have to do the same thing for every 30 minutes. It seems to be working. I have been watching less TV which has given me more time to get things done around the house. And when I have watched TV, I get a little bonus workout!

I should probably do the same thing for my computer time. I would be doing 1000 jumping jacks a day! Okay, not really, but I would be doing a lot. Baby steps...for now, I'll stick with TV.

It's been a year....sorta....

2010-12-31T14:12:00.006-07:00

On December 12, 2009, I weighed in at 136.6 and that is the weight I chose to stick with for my year of maintaining. A little over a year later, I am still at 136.6 (or lower)! I can't technically say that I maintained that weight for a year because I did have my little gain last January but here we are a year (plus a little) later! I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined that I would have taken off the weight that I did, let alone KEEP it off! Four more weeks (January 30), and I can officially say that I maintained my weight for a full year! WAHOO!!

I was actually thinking that was pretty cool until I started reading statistics that say 90% of people who lose large amounts of weight will put it back on within five years. FIVE YEARS!!?!? Man! I thought one year was a major hurdle and I was home free!

Okay, that was my initial reaction. My calm down, think rationally reaction is - One year really is a big deal. And who cares about "statistics"? I'm bound and determined to be a "freak of nature" (as one blogger labeled people who actually keep the weight off for five years) who actually keeps the weight off!!

I got to thinking about "statistics" and where they even come from? I know I am not part of any statistic. I haven't been to a doctor or joined any organized weight loss group. So who is included in these statistics anyway? People who go to a doctor and get put on a "miracle" pill to lose weight and then gain it all back when the pills stop? People who join weight loss groups and gain the weight back when they lose the support of their group? I really don't know.

Here's what I do know. I know how to eat. I know how much to eat. I know what exercises kick my butt and which ones really don't do much. I know that I can push myself physically much further than I ever thought possible. I know that I don't need diet pills, drinks, fads, etc. to lose and/or keep weight off. I know that I CAN DO THIS!! And...I know that YOU CAN TOO!!!!

Here's to a happier, and HEALTHIER me and YOU in 2011!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T14:59:00.001-07:00

Whew! I made it through Thanksgiving and still stayed under my weight! I was even a full pound below! Now, to make it through Christmas (which shouldn't be bad) and New Years (BAD, VERY, VERY BAD)....

I did it, kinda....

2010-11-08T08:33:00.002-07:00

Well, at my "offical" weigh in last week, I was 136.6. But I had to "kinda" cheat. My sweet hubby decided to sabotage me and take me out for a surprise date Friday night. At first, I kind of panicked! I avoid going out to eat on Friday like the plague because it has a tendency to wreak havoc on my weigh in Saturday morning. I expressed my "concern" to him and he told me that he had arranged a babysitter, I WAS going to go out to eat, and WAS going to enjoy myself!

Secretly, I decided I would just go along with it and find the lowest calorie thing I could find on the menu and then only eat half of it. This after starving myself all day Friday to make up for what I would eat that night. But after some thought, I decided to listen to hubby and ENJOY myself ON FRIDAY NIGHT!

So....I did my weigh in Friday morning so I wouldn't even think twice about what I ate Friday night. Keep in mind that I was worried about making it to 136.6 on Saturday and this would cut out a full day of getting myself down to that weight! So even though I technically cheated by doing my weigh in a day early, I am actually proud of myself for getting down to that weight quicker than I thought I would!

AND....I am grateful that I have a wonderful husband who MADE me get out and enjoy myself!! We really did have a good time. And not only did we go out to eat (and stuff ourselves silly) but we went out to ice cream afterward. Take that you stinkin' scale!!

BLAHHHHHHHHHH!!!

2010-11-03T21:48:00.002-06:00

I don't think anyone even reads this anymore but it is therapeutic so I am going to keep on postin'! I have heard so many times that stress causes a body to not lose weight. I have never really been major stressed about my weight....until now. I don't know why I am so stressed out! And I worry it will show on the scale.

That, or I am giving a "heads up" "cop out" for not losing weight this week! I have been pretty good though. I expected to see something on the scale. I actually promised myself that I wasn't going to step on the scale until Saturday. But I wanted a treat tonight so I stepped on to see if my weight was "low" enough for a treat. It wasn't...and things aren't looking good for Saturday...

I am frustrated because I have been doing so good with sticking to my points. I really expected see miracle numbers. Okay, maybe HOPED would be a better word than expected. A couple more days...

Really? Are we back to this?

2010-11-03T13:17:00.003-06:00

I decided to go back into full on diet mode and can I just say....I HATE IT!! It is important to me to not gain all the weight back to I know I need to do something. I have done pretty good. But all I want to do is EAT!! Today has been really bad for some reason. I just want to bury myself in my kids Halloween candy.......ahhhhh...!!!

I wonder if that has anything to do with it! I don't buy treats for this VERY REASON! If they are here, I want them. But I feel like a mean mom getting rid of all their candy. Why? I am being mean because I want them to be healthy? Hmmm....I may have to think through this one...

9 months was a good run...

2010-10-31T19:28:00.003-06:00

I have been HORRIBLE lately! What is my problem? Actually, I think I have a pretty good idea why I have been so bad. My eating freely on the weekends is catching up to me. Eating whatever I want on the weekend and then trying to get back on track during the week WASworking. But I have found myself getting further and further into each week before I get "back on track." I am back to wanting to eat everything in sight all day long. And my weight creeps higher and higher.

"Technically", I still haven't gone over my 136.6 but I have used every "trick" in the book to keep it under that number for my Saturday weigh in. This week, I decided it was time to get serious and get back on track. No more free weekends. I need to be eating right all week, not just on select days. That lasted until my kids brought home their Halloween treats...and it has been a DOWNWARD SPIRAL ever since!

I have to get back on track. I realize that one or two pounds isn't the end of the world. But it is the start of going back to where I was when I started this journey. I am super frustrated with myself right now. I had taught myself how to eat, what to eat, how much to eat. My little "weekends off" crap has thrown all of that right out the window! I want to "enjoy" food every day, not just weekends.

I know I am just rambling but I am really frustrated and sometimes getting things out helps. So there it is...the truth...out in the open. I am completely and totally falling back into old habits...and I HATE it! If only I could switch my love for food with my despise for exercise! THAT would be AWESOME!

Well, I better run...there is candy a few feet away calling my name...

Still hangin'....by a thread

2010-09-12T23:26:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to report that I have still maintained my 136.6 weight! That makes 7 1/2 months now! The last couple of weeks have not been by much though! So I am back to exercising and trying to watch what I eat a little more closely! I want SOOO bad to maintain for a full year WITHOUT going over! That would be SOOOO cool!

Individual results may vary

2010-09-08T11:44:00.005-06:00

Lately, there has been a lot of hype about diet drinks (or artificial sweeteners found in them) causing weigh gain. I was a little concerned when I heard about this because I use diet drinks and don't want to gain weight as a result! I couldn't figure out how something with no (or minimal) calories could cause weight GAIN. Then I realized that I LOST the majority of my weight while consuming them!

So I did a little research. As it turns out, the artificial sweeteners supposedly trigger cravings and thus increase other eating which results in weight gain. A friend of mine is taking a nutrition class. Her professor told her that these drinks can increase cravings for sweets by as much as 10x! My take on the whole thing? ~ "individual results may vary"! Diet drinks are literally what got me through my "diet". When I had a craving for sweets, I poured a glass of crystal light and the craving was gone (plus I got an extra glass of fluid!).

I wonder of part of this can be attributed to calorie tracking. When I was drinking the diet drinks, I was very closely monitoring my caloric intake. There wasn't the temptation to grab an extra snack (okay, maybe there was a temptation, but I knew it would take me over my daily points if I gave in).

I guess what I am saying is don't listen to all the fads and crazes. Do what works best for YOUR body!

I love this time of year!!

2010-08-05T17:57:00.003-06:00

This time of year is the easiest for me to eat healthy. We have a pretty large garden and now is when everything is ready to eat! For lunch today, I had new red potatoes, corn on the cob, and tomatoes. I will admit, I probably ate more than I should have and potatoes and corn aren't the lowest calorie veggies on the planet, but it sure beats a bowl of ice cream for lunch! I would highly recommend planting a garden if you can! We actually can/freeze a lot of it too so it lasts longer (but nothing beats getting it right out of the garden).

How I've kept the weight off

2010-07-10T15:58:00.011-06:00

Not much to report. Just wanted to make sure I am keeping up with this blog. I think the accountability really helps. I have continued to stay under 136.6 (on my weekly weigh ins). That is almost a full 6 months without going over! Yippee!! Still not exercising though.

I have had a lot of people ask me how I have kept the weight off. Honestly, I think it is a combination of A LOT of factors. I think I give everyone who asks a different answer! I am going to try and list as many as I can, maybe add to it later...

First, I don't keep my house stocked with treats. If they are here, I eat them. And there is nothing wrong with NOT having crap in my house. Hopefully, my kids will learn to like more healthy foods. It is hard because we have been the treat house for so long, they are very accustomed to having treats around. But it is nice to grab an apple or carrots instead of chips or a candy bar.

Next, I have not completely eliminated "treats" from what I eat. That probably seems to counter what I just said, but there is a difference. When I want a treat, I have to go buy it. It takes a lot more effort and thought than just shoving a candy bar down my throat because it is there. But if I really want a treat and don't feel like I have been eating too much, I go get a treat.

One major thing is portions. I have always had the "I have to get my fill", "I have to get my money's worth", "I can't let this go to waste (but apparently can let it go to waist)" mentality. I have learned to throw things away, eat in moderation. I don't have to eat until I am so full I can't move. When I eat less, I actually have MORE energy which in turn burns more calories than laying around because I am too sick to move.

I have modified the ingredients that I buy. We use a lot of Velveeta in our house. Now, I always buy the 2% milk variety. We also like butter. We have substituted butter spray. When I buy canned fruit, I always buy it packed in juice instead of syrup. Checking nutrition information on comparable products also helps cut calories. Tyson breaded chicken patties have almost twice as much fat and calories as Banquet patties.

I have cut out a lot of condiments. It takes a big mental change, but really, they add a lot of calories. There is no rule that says pancakes must have 500 calories worth of butter, peanut butter, syrup, and/or jam added to them. When we have pancakes, I add butter spray and call it good. I never use mayo/Miracle Whip anymore. I have found that mustard and honey mustard give sandwiches a little moisture without adding tons of fat and calories. When I have a peanut butter sandwich, instead of slathering on the condiments, I just do a thin layer.

Juice is another biggie I have cut out. I never really had an issue with soda or other flavored drinks so it wasn't hard to completely cut them out. It is really easy to justify juice because it is "healthy". But in reality, it never did anything to curb my appetite and just added calories that I didn't need.

I don't "diet" all the time. I mentioned this in an earlier post. I eat what I want on the weekend (Saturday and Sunday). I then cut back the rest of the week. I don't necessarily "diet" because I don't count my calories and I don't cut out particular foods but after a year of "dieting", I have a pretty good idea of how much I should eat in a day. And knowing I can eat all my "favorites" on the weekend helps.

This actually brings me to another point. I spent a full year getting to the point I am currently at. I didn't use "magic" diet pills or shakes. I watched what I ate and exercised. And yes, it was frustrating at times to see how slow the weight came off, but eventually, it DID come off. And knowing how long and hard I had worked makes it a lot easier to want to stick to it. And as I just mentioned, watching my intake for that long taught me what my portions really should be like.

Another thing that I can think of was reversing my daily eating habits. I used to eat very little in the morning and then a lot at night. There were two problems with this. I would be so hungry at night that I would eat everything in sight. Couple that with going to sleep on a full stomach, and the weight loss thing wasn't going well. When I switched that around, and ate the bulk of my food in the morning and early afternoon, I wasn't as hungry at night and had time during the day to burn off what I did eat.

Finally, one thing that I know has helped me keep the weight off is to continue with regular weigh ins. I actually weigh myself before breakfast every day. That may seem a bit excessive but it has really helped me to cut back on my eating before my "official" Saturday weigh in. I don't get to Saturday (or a month later for that matter) and realize I totally screwed up and have to work my butt off to take of the pounds that I added. This way, it is always under a pound when I do go over and that is much more manageable.

Well, that ended up being a lot more of a post that I had originally intended! I guess what most of this really boils down to is that during the course of the weight loss, I made a lot of lifestyle changes that have, in turn, helped me to KEEP the weight off.

Just for the health of it...

2010-06-25T10:46:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow marks the end of the competition with hubby. I did....awesome...but sucked. How does that work? I didn't go over my goal weight once, which I am VERY proud of. That is five months of maintaining my weight. That is the awesome part. However, I have not been eating right, nor have I exercised AT ALL. That is the bad part!

I have decided that I need to get back to exercising and eating right, "just for the health of it." My body doesn't feel like it did five months ago. I feel like crap. I am definitely bigger than I was even though the scale doesn't show it. But I have gone from very toned and in shape, to very NOT toned OR in shape!

I just don't know how to get the mentality to do it for health. I want to feel better, but I literally hate to exercise. I like how my body feels when I do exercise, but I absolutely hate doing it! People say to find something you like and then you will enjoy it. I have yet to find an activity that I thoroughly enjoy. My other issue is the time thing. I feel like I don't have a minute to breathe as it is. Taking out another (minimum) 30 minutes from my day...

Okay, enough complaining for now. I need to celebrate the positives and just work on the other stuff. I'll keep you posted...

Um...just kidding?

2010-06-02T09:34:00.003-06:00

I'm thinking my little challenge may be dead in the water before I even start! I was thinking more along the lines of giving up sweets, treats, you know, the stuff I really don't need to eat. This was initially triggered by a friend of mine who went sugar free and lost 30 pounds. She didn't change anything else, just dropped the sugar. My challenge wasn't so much for the weight loss. It was more just to be able to know that I could go a week without sugar.

I now know why she lost 30 pounds! I decided to do an inventory last night of what I can eat that is in my house. EVERYTHING has sugar in it - spaghetti sauce, chili, some soups, breads, crackers, yogurt, tortilla shells. I cannot believe how many things have sugar added! So basically, she is losing weight because she pretty much can't eat anything!

I am now categorizing this "challenge" in the fad diet category. And you know how I feel about fad diets! I may still do a day or two just so I can say I did it but it won't last a full week! I don't want to get the week over with and binge on everything in sight! I may continue with a modified version (kind of like the one I had originally envisioned) but we'll see...

A new challenge

2010-06-01T20:20:00.004-06:00

Wow! It's been a while since I last posted! Things have been going pretty well. I still haven't gone over my "target" weight. That means that other than one week in early January, I have maintained my weight loss for 5 months now! I am shocked! I am finally getting to the point where I feel comfortable buying clothing in my size. I was too worried about putting the weight back on (like I have in the past) to invest too much. I have been doing a lot of thinking about the "why" I have been able to keep the weight off and that is a post to come!

For now, I have decided to give myself a challenge. I am going to go sugar free for one week. I have read a lot about how removing sugar from the diet can make a huge difference in the way you feel. I should probably do it longer but we'll see how a week goes!

My timing probably isn't the best. One of my boys has a birthday this week which means cake and ice cream galore. Then again, maybe this is perfect timing! I just decided that if I am going to do it, I need to just do it! So June 2 through June 8 = no sugar, no artificial sweeteners, nada. (I will still eat fruit even though it does have natural sugars). This should be interesting!

My body sucks!

2010-05-07T10:43:00.006-06:00

I am really irritated with my body right now. Okay, really, I am irritated with the choices I am making right now but it is easier to blame on my body! I just wish I could be one of those people who can eat whatever they want, whenever they want and not gain weight. I really don't like people like that right now!

I am finally STARTING to come to grips with the FACT that for me watching what I eat is going to have to be a lifelong project. I can't just skim by and hope to stay the same size I am now. My last post talked about how I had been eating. That was working...sort of. I was maintaining, but not by much. So I decided to go back to full diet mode for a couple of weeks just to get things back on track. I did really well and lost 2 1/2 pounds. I was very excited and decided it would be okay to "drift" for a while. As of today (6 days after the 2.5 pound loss weigh in) I have gained 4 pounds!

How is that even possible?! It takes two weeks of watching every piece of food that goes into my mouth to lose 2.5 pounds, but 6 days of not watching to double it back? UGH!!

Can you tell I am frustrated right now? I just want to eat! BUT I AM REFUSE TO GO BACK TO WHERE I WAS!! IT WON'T HAPPEN!

Alterations

2010-04-16T12:35:00.008-06:00

We just went and had family pictures done. I am a freak about family pictures and had to make sure everyone's outfits coordinated. I used an old skirt for myself and bought a new shirt to match. I bought my hubby a shirt and tie (yes we did formal pics) to match my skirt. The kids were all coordinated. One problem! The skirt literally fell off of me! So I decided to pull out the trusty old sewing machine and a do a little altering. I never measured my waist before I started this journey (or even now for that matter) so I really had no clue how many inches I had lost around my waist. Well, I measured what I took off the skirt and it was 7 inches! I was pretty excited! I don't know if that is a lot but it seemed like a lot to me.

I have also made some alterations to my diet. I am not, by any means, advocating this method of eating, BUT, it seems to be working for me (though this weekend might tell a different tale, we'll have to see). After all the dieting, I just couldn't count calories/points anymore. But I knew that doing nothing wasn't the answer because I saw the weight coming right back. I tried intuitive eating, but I think that I need to read the book and know what I am doing before I really get into that one.

So, here is what I HAVE been doing. I actually started doing this accidentally, but it worked, so I have stuck with it for about 6 weeks now. Saturday through Tuesday are "free" days. I don't watch what I eat. I usually put on a couple of pounds. Then Wednesday and Thursday, I cut back a bit on my free eating. And Friday is full on diet mode. I have a "threshold" weight of 136.6 that I want to stay under (that was my second to last weigh in on my last weight loss competition). Saturday is my weigh in day and so far, I haven't gone over that weight once!

Again, I AM NOT advocating this lifestyle. What I would advocate is finding something that works. Experiment. Try different things. But track yourself. That has been the key for me. When I don't track my weight, I balloon. When I do, I see myself getting out of control, and I reign it back in. I have also heard that when you have more muscle vs. fat, your body is able to more effectively utilize calories that you do consume. I really don't think this method would have worked 50 pounds ago. But it has been working to maintain my current weight so I am going to roll with it for a while!

Advice from a Chinese Doctor

2010-04-09T10:14:00.001-06:00

I got this in an email and had to repost it!

Gotta love this Doctor. He is truly a medical wizard!

Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Heart only good for so many beats, and that it... Don't waste on exercise. Everything wear out eventually. Speed up heart not make live longer; that like say you can extend life of car by driving faster. Want live longer? Take nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies.. What does cow eat? Hay and corn. What are these? Vegetables. So, steak nothing more than efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef also good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And pork chop can give 100% recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine.. That means they take water out of fruity bit; get even more of goodness that way. Beer also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: If you have body and you have fat, ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Cannot think of single one, sorry. My philosophy: No Pain... Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU NOT LISTENING!!! .... Foods fried in vegetable oil. How getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise muscle, it get bigger. You should only do sit-ups if want bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: You crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Vegetable!!! Cocoa beans best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming good for figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

AND.....

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health.

It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies:

1. The Japanese eat very little fat
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION
Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills You !

New pictures

2010-03-27T16:21:00.004-06:00

Okay, I am really getting brave now! I am posting a picture WITH my face! WHOA! This is me a little over a year ago and today (with my new hair cut and make up). I think the biggest difference to me is my face. And I don't mean the make up or shape. I mean the look on my face. I DID NOT like having my picture taken a year ago! That was pure torture to take that picture. But I wanted to remember how I looked to remind myself why I didn't want to go back there! The pictures now - bring on the camera! I am truly amazed at the difference in my facial expression. I thought the biggest difference would be the shape of my body, not wearing contacts, make up...you know...physical things. But it is the attitude change that strikes me the most in these pictures!

And that, my friends, is why I don't make cookies!

2010-03-15T22:02:00.003-06:00

I have NO willpower when it comes to freshly baked homemade cookies. NONE! ZERO! So, I very seldom make them. Yesterday, I decided that since it has been a while and I am now "in control" (snicker, snicker) of my eating habits, I would give it a whirl. DUMB IDEA!! I probably ate a dozen yesterday (and I'm underestimating if anything) and today I ate 4! UGH! I would have eaten more today but shoved them into my kids mouths as often as I could just to get rid of them so I COULDN'T eat more of them! And I can't even say that I did better than I would have a year ago. When I eat out (or in for that matter) I am definitely doing better. But when it comes to homemade cookies, there unfortunately has been NO progress!

Whew!

2010-03-11T22:21:00.006-07:00

I made it through my anniversary (and three days straight of eating out) and even lost half a pound that week! Yay!

BUT...this week hasn't been so hot. I am not really doing well with the instinctive eating thing. I am thinking I may need to break down and buy the book so I can get some details on how it is supposed to work. I have reverted back to the "diet" and Jillian for now...ugh. We are planning family pictures for the first part of April and dang it, I want to look good!

I did have a good find this week. A friend of mine told me about these buns:I really like them! They are one point on WW for the entire bun (100 calories, 1.5 g fat, 4 g fiber, 5 g protein). And they are filling! They have the muli-grain (the ones I tried) and a whole wheat version. I would definitely recommend them! I have used them for hamburgers, lunch meat sandwiches, and peanut butter sandwiches.

Funny story

2010-03-03T15:05:00.002-07:00

Wow! It's been a while! I have been doing pretty good with my quest to maintain. I haven't gone over my target weight yet but this week might be a different story! It is my tenth anniversary so hubby and I decided to get away for a few days which translates to eating out every meal for a few days! I know we could have stashed some healthy stuff in our hotel fridge and just ate that way, but I figured once every ten years.... We'll see how the scale responds on Saturday!

Now to the funny story. We went and visited an early childhood center that we both had worked in for a time. One of the old ladies that I worked with 7 years ago was still working there. She is one of those old people that always has something to say that is totally off the wall "where did that come from?" We got there and they all were commenting on how skinny I had gotten (I was actually my largest when I worked there). She came up to me and put her hand on my arm. With a very concerned look on her face she said, "Are you okay? This isn't from cancer or anything is it?" I thought, "Did she seriously just say that?!" This time, I just laughed....

I did it!

2010-02-21T12:47:00.003-07:00

Whew! I did it! I made it through two weeks scale free (except for my weigh in with hubby last Saturday). My life doesn't revolve around the dang scale anymore! Although, I can see it quickly getting back to that point if I let it.

It has been an interesting week. I did gain a pound this week but I am okay with that. I am still one pound under my "don't go over" weight.

I guess I should explain what I am doing. I am "ditching the diet" (I copied that from a fellow diet blogger hence the quotes). I have come across a new lifestyle called intuitive eating. I have heard of it but Tiffany over at Skinny Jeans linked to another blog that had an article about intuitive eating. If you want to read the article, click here. It totally struck a cord with me. I am so sick of calorie counting and restricting. So I am trying this out. It is a lot harder than it sounds. I have to learn to trust myself. It's a scary proposition when you figure that I am the one who let myself get up to 200 pounds at one point (and no, that was not pregnant).

The first week actually went very well. But last week, I went back into old habits. I went out to eat three times (in one week - YUCK)!! And I didn't "listen" to my body. I have to say, I think the hardest part is having kids who eat very much on a schedule. It is hard to only eat when hungry when I am feeding my kids snacks and meals at a set time every day. It is something I will just have to play with. I'll keep you posted on how it goes!

Half way!

2010-02-13T20:10:00.001-07:00

I made it half way through my two week no scale challenge (except for my weigh in this morning). I fully expected to step on the scale this morning and see a gain. And I was ready to call it quits when I saw that gain. I even had a dream last night and in my dream I gained exactly 2 pounds! BUT, I actually lost a pound! Go me. And I did it without weighing in several times a day! Imagine that....

Up for the challenge...I think

2010-02-05T11:57:00.005-07:00

I was reading a weight loss blog (http://tiffskinnyjeans.blogspot.com/) and she has posted a challenge to go two weeks scale free. I decided that it is something I need to do. Lately, I have become obsessed with the dang thing! I will still have to do my Saturday morning weigh in with hubby but other than that - I'M GOIN' FOR IT!

On another note (but somewhat related believe it or not), I am so craving EVERYTHING lately! Every time I get in my car, I want to stop somewhere and grab a cheeseburger or a shake or both! When I go to the store, the chips and the candybars scream for me to buy them! Ugh! I know part of it is that I haven't been eating great lately so now putting that junk in my body, I just crave it more.

So what do the two have to do with each other? Well, we decided to have a party Sunday with all the treats (I know, not smart). I was thinking, "My weigh in is on Saturday. I'll do good this week, blow it on Sunday, and then do good the rest of the week to make up for it. It will be fine." But if I can't weigh in on a day to day basis, I won't know where I stand so hopefully, that will motivate me to NOT blow it on Sunday!

I'm still here...

2010-02-03T08:43:00.004-07:00

No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I guess I was just kind of taking a break. The last month or so has been interesting. I haven't gained since my last post. I am actually back down to my second to last weigh in on my last competition (which is actually right where I want to be).

Setting a weight loss goal is an interesting thing. I set a goal in the beginning to get down to 150 and then not go above 155 (at least I think those were the numbers). Then I kind of blew that goal out of the water and at one point went down to 131. I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself. I set a goal, I accomplished it, now what? I don't necessarily want to lose more so what is the point in watching every calorie I put into my mouth. But I definitely don't want to gain it back so I need to do something.

I guess that is the "problem" with setting a goal. I have always viewed goals as a sort of finish line. But it seems like, with weight loss, there really isn't a "finish line." Yes, I got down to (actually below) my original goal, but if I mentally tell myself that I am "done" it will all come right back.

At the beginning of this journey, I told myself that by doing it right, I would learn how to eat and how to work out so I would know how to keep the weight off. I am so glad I lost the weight the way I did. I have gotten off course a couple of times. But I knew how to get back on course. And over the year that I have been doing this, getting back on track has become easier.

But now comes the hard part. I need to find a lifestyle that isn't focused and obsessed with losing but on living. My hubby still has some weight he wants to lose so I made a deal with him. He has to lose weight or maintain his weight every week until the end of June. I have to keep my weight at or below 136.6 (my second to last weigh in). I am going to play a bit with that number. I think I would like to get it down to 135 just so it is a nice round number but right now, I'm going to stick with 136.6 and focus more on healthy living.

Drifting is not an option, apparently

2010-01-08T07:55:00.010-07:00

I mentioned in my last post that I have been very busy and thus haven't posted. I decided I need to come clean. That isn't the real reason I haven't posted. I haven't posted because I have been HORRIBLE and I keep thinking that I will get back on track before I post so then I won't have to make any "confessions". But that isn't happening so here I am confessing!

I am back to exercising (after about three weeks of NOTHING). I realized how much better I feel when I exercise and I was hoping the exercise would counter balance my eating (but it hasn't). I got a couple of new videos that I'll write about later but they seem to be pretty good workouts.

Okay, I've stalled long enough. Now to the eating thing. I have been PATHETIC in this department. I thought I could just "drift." You know, not really watch what I am eating because now I have "learned" how to eat right, it should just come naturally. Not so much! I have actually gained 6.4 pounds since the final weigh in 3 weeks ago! NOT GOOD!! So here goes my self justification for my weight gain:

1 - I lost 5 pounds the final week and I'm not even sure how I did it. I stuck to my points but didn't exercise and dropped almost a full pound a day. I told my hubby at the beginning of that week that I wasn't going to start exercising because losing a pound a day gave me shot at winning the competition (which I actually ended up doing). So, in my mind that 5 pound loss was somewhat artificial. So if I take the weight from the prior week, I have only gained 1.4 pounds. Still not good but better.

2 - It was the holidays for cryin' out loud! I did tons better than I would have in the past!

3 - I am 20 pounds below my original goal weight so it is okay to have a little bit of flexibility. As long as I can fit into my size 4 pants, what does the number on the scale matter anyway?

Now for a reality check! This little pattern of self justification is what got me into this mess in the first place! I am really good at self justification. On a daily basis, I find myself thinking thoughts such as, "It's only a bite. One bite doesn't really matter (neither does this bite, or this bite....)," or "It's been a rough day, I deserve a treat," or "It's a holiday, special occasion, etc. Who counts calories on holidays, etc?" Maybe I should change the word justification to destruction - self destruction!

So, drifting=self destruction which is NOT AN OPTION! Here is to a better week! No, I am not still bent on weight loss. I am actually happy where I am (or was anyway). But I do need to focus on maintaining. Weight loss is not a trip that you go on and at the end is it done. It is a life long JOURNEY - something that continues even after the "goal" has been reached.

Ugh...I feel like crap!

2009-12-20T21:39:00.003-07:00

Do you know what I have spent the last two days doing? Eating nothing but CRAP!! I decided that since I have lost so much weight and haven't had all the foods I love in so long, I was going to eat ALL of those crappy foods in two days. Blah. I don't like how I feel at all. It is yucky. It has definitely given me the motivation I need to get moving and get back to eating healthy. But now that I am where I want to be, I can experiment a little with points, different exercises...

In a way, I am grateful for this experience. It has made me see that I do not want to feel this way. No wonder I was so blah all the time before I lost weight. This is how I ate all the time! It is amazing how much difference a healthy lifestyle really makes in my overall quality of life! So tomorrow, I am back in the swing.

I bought shoes today!

2009-12-19T14:39:00.004-07:00

Yeah, I know, big deal. What does buying shoes have to do with weight loss? Believe it or not, for me, it has A LOT to do with weight loss. Before this little "journey", I was a sloppy, sweats and a t-shirt, don't care what I look like, throw the Nike's on kind of girl. Since I have lost all this weight I have started to care a little more about how I look. Thanks to the generosity (and weight loss) of my little sister, I have clothes that are actually cute. I have gone back to wearing a little make-up. I even had my hair professionally cut (for the first time in my entire life).

BUT, shoes are expensive (and thus in my mind a bit more of an investment). Because I never cared what I looked like, all I had were flip flops, Nike's, and dress shoes. The flip flops worked in the summer. The Nike's worked for winter. And the dress shoes worked for church. I have not bought a pair of "regular" shoes in literally YEARS. I bet it has been AT LEAST 5 years!

My wonderful husband gave me his Christmas bonus because he was proud of me for winning AGAIN (oh yeah, today was our final weigh in and I won, more later). I decided that I was going to buy shoes! As weird as it sounds, my buying shoes is kind of a stamp of reality on all this hard work. I feel good and now it is time to LOOK good from my head to my feet.

Awesome find!!!

2009-12-15T20:35:00.005-07:00

I just found the best website!! I have already found TONS of very useful information and I have only spend about 30 minutes on the website!

http://www.nutritiondata.com/
Here is a screen shot of their home page (once registered anyway). Registration is free. My favorite part (okay, one of my favorite PARTS)? The little gray "Analyze Recipe" button (right above the purple "Diabetes" box). One of my biggest struggles with dieting is my own recipes. I cook mostly from scratch. I know how to add up all the nutrition information for the ingredients in the recipes but it is such a PAIN! This lets you type in (and save) any of your own person recipes and get the nutrition information per serving!! LOVING IT!

BUT, THERE'S MORE!! I have found different online sites that allow you to look up nutrition information of certain foods. But this one is different from any that I have seen. Right up at the top (so you don't have to search for it every time you go to the site) is a box that you type in the food you're looking for. Be as specific as possible or you will get TONS of results. You then select the food from a list that best matches what you are looking for (it has meats, fruits, veggies, packaged foods, fast foods).

You then get this screen (this is actually only part of the screen). It rates the food you entered on weight loss, optimal health, fullness factor, glycemic load, etc. Scroll down and it breaks down the specific nutrients, carbs, minerals, protiens, fats, etc.
There is some cool info on this site! Like I said, I know I am only scratching the surface so go exploring and let me know what you find!

It still hasn't sunk in....

2009-12-12T21:21:00.002-07:00

I am so over the anorexia comment. Thanks so much for all of your comments. They helped more than you can know. I do know that I have gone about this the right way and that is all that matters!

I still can't accept the fact that I am a size 4. It is seriously weirding me out (yes I know weirding isn't a real word). When I tried on pants a couple of days ago, I was at Walmart. I convinced myself that it was just because I was at an el cheapo store and they just run bigger. So today, I made a trip to a department store to try on their size 4 pants. I tried on three different styles (two brands) and they still fit! My daughter was with me and couldn't figure out why I was trying on pants if I had no intention of buying any. I had to explain to her that it was just because her mommy is a little bit crazy!

Funny story here - I am so used to going straight to the "Women's" section that I didn't even know how the rest of the store is laid out. I walked in and thought, "I don't need the women's section anymore so that must mean I can just go to any of the other sections." Wrong! The section I started in (as far as I could tell anyway) had sizes ranging from 12 to 18. I didn't even know that section existed! I could have been looking in that section when I bought clothes! Oh well! Then I couldn't figure out where the section would be that did have the right size. I didn't want Juniors (just because they're sized differently so it wouldn't have been very useful). I felt too dumb to go ask a salesperson where my size was (okay, so maybe I'm not totally over the anorexia comments. I'm still a bit self conscious). After wandering around for a while I finally found them! It is seriously a big mindset adjustment

Weigh in

2009-12-12T12:57:00.003-07:00

I have to laugh at myself today. I have been so bad this week. I just kind of "gave up" I guess you could say. I have come to grips with the fact that I don't have a chance at winning this competition so I can't bring myself to do all the work that I have been doing. I did stick to my points but I did not even once exercise this week! Naughty, naughty me! So why am I laughing when I have been so bad? Because I lost a pound this week and haven't lost any for the last three weeks (during which I WAS working my butt off)! Maybe my body just needed to rest. I actually read this week that it is possible to work your body too hard and it can cause a "weight rebound." It doesn't really make sense but neither does eating more (and that one I have personally tried and had work).

So my goal is to find a workout this week that won't necessarily kick my trash, but that will still get me to move. At this point, I am more focused on maintaining and staying healthy than on weight loss. And I know that in order to stay healthy, I need to keep exercising (and eating healthy but that seems to be coming much easier these days).

Here is to NOT gaining this week!

That was short lived...

2009-12-10T10:57:00.007-07:00

I've already had my little bubble of excitement burst! Lately, I have been getting a lot of "you're too skinny" comments but most of them have been made in passing or by people who's opinions matter very little to me. My sister has been getting the same comments (she has also recently lost a lot of weight) so we call each other and vent our frustrations. First thing this morning, I called her to tell her that I was a size 4 because I knew she would be encouraging and supportive. She was so excited for me. This was going to be a good day! I was on such a high and she made it even better.

Then I talked to a good friend of mine. I didn't call her to tell her about my size but I was excited so I ended up telling her. She responded with "That is too skinny. That is like, anorexic skinny." And basically went on and on about how I was now too skinny. It really made me feel bad. I don't know if she reads this blog. I kind of hope not because my intent here is not to make her feel bad. It is more to bring awareness to people. I have worked my butt off! I have NOT starved myself. I eat exactly what Weight Watchers says I should eat. No I take that back, I ADD two points a day for exercising and I eat my extra 5 bonus points EVERY day. I don't have a separate menu I prepare for myself. I eat whatever my family eats. We have just made changes to our diet to include more healthy items and exclude the less healthy options.

Since I have been getting these comments lately, I was starting to feel a bit self conscious so I looked up my BMI on the computer. My ideal weight range is 118-159. Guess what? Mid point of that range is 138.5. I am currently 137.6! It seems like there is a 5 pound window that people think you need to be in to be "healthy". If you go over it, you're fat. If you go under it, you're too skinny. So next time you see someone who is "skinny" tell them they look great NOT that they look anorexic!

WHAT!?!?!?!?

2009-12-09T21:58:00.009-07:00

I have been really struggling with motivation this time around. We only have a week and half left in this competition and I just don't want to do it anymore. I am still doing the eating part but I haven't worked out since Friday (the fact that I know I don't have a shot at winning is the biggest factor me thinks). So, I decided I needed something to motivate me. Maybe a trip to the store to see if I am close to fitting into a size 6. Last time I tried on pants, I was a size 8. I figured if I was close to a size 6, it might give me the motivation I need to finish strong and get into that size 6!

As I was driving to the store, I was coming up with all the excuses (or scapegoats if you will) ahead of time for not fitting into a size 6 yet. "I still have a lot more excess in my belly than I would like which would make it hard to fit in a size 6." "I have always had wide hips. What can you do about your bone structure? If my bones are too wide for a size 6, there is no way I will ever fit into a size 6. " You know, setting myself up to not be too disappointed when I fail. It makes it easier to take...

I walked into the store and pulled the first pair of size 6 pants I could find off the rack. I kind of laughed at myself for even grabbing them. I thought to myself "I hope I don't pop the seams out trying on these pants!" I took them into the dressing room and sure enough, they didn't fit. Bummer huh? Not really! 'Cause guess what? They didn't fit because they were TOO BIG! WHAT!?!?!?!?

Okay, so let's try a size 4? Uh...okay...? I grabbed a size 4 and slid them right on! They fit like a dream. I use the word dream because to me it is still a dream! I can't believe it is real! I thought to myself, "There must have been a mix up. The wrong pants were put on the wrong hanger!" I checked the tag. Nope! They were size 4 alright. "Okay, so it must be this brand. If I get a different brand, surely a size 4 won't fit." I got another brand....and the dream continues because they fit too!!

Never, ever in my wildest dreams did I think I would get down to a size 4. I don't even know how I did it! I am so excited!

Just a side note here: I wasn't aware that there is a difference between Junior sizes and Women's/Misses sizes. I was always confused when I went to the thrift store and got two pairs of pants in roughly the same size and one fit and the other didn't. So just a tidbit in case I am not the only retard out there - Junior sizes are the odd numbers. Women's/Misses are the even numbers. And Juniors are sized smaller than the others (ie. a 7 in Juniors is NOT the same thing as an 8 in Women's). I didn't try on any Junior pants but based on my past sizing, I would guess I am a 7 or 9 in Juniors even though I am a 4 in Women's). So now you know...

Weigh in

2009-12-07T21:35:00.004-07:00

Yup! Definitely plateaued! I did lose but barely again. I have lost just over a pound in the last month. But I am okay with that! All I want to do at this point is keep from gaining. I've worked too hard to let it all go! I promise that soon I will get back to some posts other than weigh ins but I just haven't been much into blogging lately. It WILL come though! I did want to post my graph though (now that I can). I am actually a bit embarrassed by the spikes. That is when I wasn't doing competitions. I didn't realize how much outside pressures affect my weight loss!
(This graph doesn't have this last weigh in but just imagine that straight line staying straight!)

Weigh in

2009-12-01T08:26:00.004-07:00

I am a little late on this post. Not much to report. I did lose weight but by the skin of my teeth (good thing I brushed them or I probably wouldn't have!). I think I am officially hitting a plateau. I'm not too upset about it because I have lost a lot of weight and I'm happy with where I am. I just don't want to gain because I don't want to have to pay!

One thing that does frustrate me is watching my points (even on Thanksgiving day) and exercising every day and maintaining. I don't want to have to be that strict just to maintain! I would like a little wiggle room without worrying about gaining 10 pounds!

I was actually going to post an chart that shows my weight loss (and gains) throughout the year but the picture link isn't working. I guess I'll put it up when I can get it to work!

Revision

2009-11-27T15:03:00.001-07:00

Just in case anyone is interested, I revised my apple crisp recipe and it is much better now.

My First 5K

2009-11-26T22:19:00.004-07:00

Today I completed my first official 5K! Notice I said "completed." I very intentionally did not say "ran." I am a humongous wimp when it comes to running. I get so frustrated because my legs would totally go a lot harder and faster but I get completely winded!

I didn't train at all for this so I am thinking maybe I need to start doing a little running and see how I do on another one. But I don't have a treadmill (not that I think those are overly effective anyway) and my hubby is gone at work for all of the hours of the day that have daylight. I am scared to death to run by myself in the dark and have at least three kids at home all day. I need to figure something out because I think it would be cool to actually compete not just complete!

My time was 40:01. Not good, but I am glad I did it. My goal was actually to come in under 45:00 because I know what huge wimp I am when it comes to running and I actually beat that by 5 minutes! I also didn't want to come in last. That was my biggest fear! But it was a very casual 5K so there were a lot of walkers. There was a big pack of people up front, a big pack in the back, and stragglers all through the middle. I was towards the rear of the middle stragglers.

Any suggestions for training for running in my situation would be very welcomed!!

I made it through Thanksgiving!!

2009-11-26T21:00:00.001-07:00

I made it through Thanksgiving without going crazy on the food! Yeah for me! I staying within my points today and there actually was food there that I liked (despite my earlier claims that there would not be anything that I liked anyway).

I still want to eat more than I do but for some reason, it is all of the sudden getting easier to know when to call it quits and to call it quits. Knowing and doing are two different things. I have never really had a problem with the knowing part, but the doing has taken some time. But I AM doing and it feels great!

I hope my diligence pays off at the weigh in this week!

Apple Crisp

2009-11-23T21:30:00.006-07:00

One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving (and Christmas for that matter) has been the pie! Oh I love pie! My favorite? Apple crisp - especially warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting over the top! BUT, I also know that apple crisp is FULL of sugar and fat (at least the recipe I have).

I have been eating Healthy Choice meals now and then and they have a wonderful oatmeal topping for their apple crisp. I figured if it was part of this meal, I should be able to find a recipe online for a healthy apple crisp topping. I could skip the crust, put the crisp part on top, and be good to go! Every recipe I found had butter in it! I looked at the ingredient list on the box - NO BUTTER!

So, I decided to try my own recipe using the ingredients listed on the box. And I must say, it turned out decent. It wasn't great, but it is a good substitute. Don't get me wrong, this recipe is definitely NOT calorie free. It is LOADED with sugar. BUT it has NO fat and lots FEWER calories than the real thing!

1 jar apple pie filling
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp dark Karo syrup
1 Tbsp honey
1 cup rolled oats
butter spray

***REVISION FROM ORIGINAL POST***
To help crisp up the topping (and keep it crisper longer) bake the topping for 1 1/2 to 2 hours at 225 degrees. Turn every half hour. I sprayed the topping with butter spray, cooked if for 1/2 hour, turned it and then sprayed it again (so the bottom also got coated). This also seems to improve the flavor quite a bit. Cool.

Pour and spread the pie filling into an 8x8 baking dish (sprayed with cooking spray). Combine sugar, syrup and honey in saucepan and cook over medium heat until well mixed. Add oats and stir until well coated. Remove from heat and spread over apple filling. Spray the topping with butter spray. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

The ingredients list also had molasses but I didn't have any. I think it would probably have been better with a touch of molasses but I can't say for sure!

Potato update

2009-11-23T12:32:00.005-07:00

Okay, so do you remember a couple of posts back, I mentioned a party that I attended (and was actually good at) where they served mashed potatoes? I didn't eat them because I wasn't sure what was in them (but had a pretty good idea from a small taste test that it wasn't very diet friendly). Well, I found the recipe for them. I am SOOOOO glad I passed on the mashed potatoes:

15 medium (5 pounds) potatoes, peeled and quartered
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons onion powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup chopped chives (optional)

Seriously! Who comes up with recipes like this? This just shows me that I really have made some changes. Last year, I would not only have eaten the potatoes, but I would have sought out the recipe and made some myself. Now, I look it at this recipe, and it doesn't even look tempting to me. It looks a little bit more like a heart attack in a crock pot!

By the way, I do have a good recipe for mashed potatoes that is still yummy but much healthier! Okay, maybe not technically a recipe, but...

I boil my potatoes (amounts depends on number to be served). Drain the water and blend in a small amount of skim milk and Butter Buds or Molly McButter (sometimes I do a mixture of the two) to taste! I have also added some butter spray before. Still very yummy but no where near the calories and fat of potatoes that have real butter in them.

Weigh in

2009-11-21T19:47:00.003-07:00

I know, I have really been slacking in blogger land. Rest assured that all of my blogs have been lacking, not just this one. I just haven't been into blogging the last couple of weeks. BUT, I do have a tendency to go in spurts so stick around....

I figured the least I can do is keep up with my weigh in updates - makes me be more accountable. I didn't post great numbers this week, but I DID lose. And that is what really matters, especially at this point. I really want to lose another 7.4 pounds before the end of the year, but I figure it isn't the end of the world if I don't. I have far surpassed my original goal and I am very happy with that. At this point, my focus is more on NOT gaining than on posting huge numbers at the weigh in. I am still working out because I think one area I am lacking in is toning. I have lost the weight, now I really need to get what is left into better shape!

Weigh in

2009-11-14T09:56:00.002-07:00

I am officially a scale buster!! Yeah!! I am now OFFICIALLY in the 130's!!! When I started this journey, my end goal was to be in the 150's. I didn't think it would even be possible for me to go any lower. To have my weight in the 130's...I don't even know what to say!! I only have 8 pounds to go to be able to say that I lost 50 pounds in one year. How cool would that be?

I finally did it!!

2009-11-13T08:45:00.005-07:00

It has taken almost a year, but I finally did it! I went to a dinner on Wednesday night and I did fabulous!!

We were served mashed potatoes, ham, corn, rolls, and some sort of jello fruit salad. I didn't eat the salad because it was packed with all sorts of very sugary fruit. I skipped the mashed potatoes because I had no idea what they were made with. I even took a little taste and they were YUMMY. But I still didn't eat them! I ate the ham and the corn and about 1 ounce of a roll (the fact that I know how much an ounce of a roll looks like says I have weighed WAY too many rolls). I even skipped dessert because while they all looked very yummy, they also all looked very fattening and I knew I didn't NEED it.

BUT - it gets better! Last night, I was feeling lazy and bought pizza for my kids for dinner. There was a mix up at the pizza place so they threw in free breadsticks. I looked up the points and had one piece of pizza and one breadstick (the amount of points I normally eat for dinner). A year ago, I would have eaten AT LEAST half a pizza, a few breadsticks, and throw in some soda (I always thought you couldn't possibly eat pizza without soda).

I was good, two nights in a row! AND my hubby is out of town so there wasn't even anyone around to know if I was bad. I always used that as an excuse. My hubby is out of town, I am stressed, I deserve to eat whatever I want. WHAT?!?! And I also deserve to feel like crap and gain weight, right?

I think I am far from having my "food addiction" cured, but I am doing SOOOO much better than I was a year ago!

Another milestone!!...(but I cheated)

2009-11-06T22:49:00.004-07:00

Whoa!! I stepped on the scale today and I was in the 130's!!! Hello! I can't even remember the last time I was there! I'm guessing '92-'93-ish. Okay, okay, I have to admit, I kind of cheated. I volunteered at my son's school. It was 1:00 and I hadn't eaten since breakfast (7:00 this morning, a bowl of cereal). I got on the scale with a jacket on (I forgot I was wearing it) and weighed 140.8. So, I took the jacket off and then shed some other extra clothing to get down in the 130's but I figure my true weight would be without the clothes anyway!! Hip, hip, HOORAY for me!! We'll see what my weight is tomorrow at the weigh in but it was AWESOME to see those numbers actually register on the scale!

Halloween should be outlawed!

2009-11-03T21:15:00.005-07:00

This is a picture of about HALF the candy my kids brought home.

Can I just say that when you have five children, all young enough to go trick or treating, you end up with A LOT of candy after Halloween is over?!?! I have not done so well with staying out of my kids treats! I have to say that the candy I have eaten has still been within my daily points, BUT I would be better off using my points on healthier options. I have actually done pretty good this year with staying away from treats. I hadn't thought about Halloween. I stay away from treats because I don't buy them! Thanks to Halloween, we are now stocked!!

Every year, we let our kids pick out a certain number of their favorite treats. The rest of the treats go in a "community bowl" for everyone to share. This stash usually last us well into the next calendar year because I usually only let my kids have a piece or two a day. After the newness of it wears off, it goes down to a few pieces a week. BUT this also means that there is candy at my house for a long time!!

Some people say just to let the kids have at and get it over with. But I feel like that teaches them to binge eat. I'd rather teach them that it is still okay to have treats as long as they do it in moderation. Now I guess I need to move on from just keeping the treats away, to having the willpower to not eat them even when they are around. I will admit, if I can gain that willpower, going out to restaurants and parties will be MUCH easier!

Weigh in

2009-11-01T22:47:00.004-07:00

Just a quick update. I lost another pound and a full percent of body fat so I am no longer the ONLY person who hasn't lost body fat! Yeah!! It is amazing what happens when I actually exercise.

Yummy Treat

2009-10-31T12:52:00.005-06:00

I found a yummy treat that I wanted to share!

1/2 cup Dryers Slow Churned Vanilla ice cream (this is the kind I used but any with the same calorie/fat count would work)
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup (or 79 grams) frozen raspberry, blueberry, blackberry blend (needs to be this blend for the fiber)

Blend in blender until smooth. Weight Watchers points - 3!!

Salads

2009-10-25T14:31:00.005-06:00

I just wanted to share something interesting that I just discovered. I mentioned in an earlier post how sometimes ordering salads can actually be worse than just getting a hamburger. I was just checking out Wendy's nutrition information. A Chicken BLT salad (with croutons and dressing) has 17 points!! A Single w/everything is 11 points!

That is not to say that all salads are bad. Wendy's also has a Chicken Caesar Salad that is 8 points (with croutons and one packet of dressing). I actually like it without the croutons and dressing and then it is only 3 points!

It really makes me realize how important it is to check nutrition information before going to a restaurant if at all possible!!

Weigh in

2009-10-24T12:58:00.005-06:00

Whew!! I lost weigh by the skin of my teeth today! I have been doing HORRIBLE. I haven't watched my points, haven't exercised. So I was prepared for the worst today! But I ended up losing .6 pound. NOW, I have to get back to exercising and watching my points! I mentioned in an earlier post that we had the swine flu. Well, that turned into a sinus infection from Hades!! I have been on antibiotics for a few days and am finally feeling TONS better. So now it is back to work. I actually exercised today. I'm sure I will feel it tomorrow. It stinks because I already got past the sore muscles once and now I have to do it all over again!

Okay, enough whining! Everyone did well today at the weigh in. We had one slight weight gain but she did lose a good amount of fat. I am now in fourth place but hopefully now that I can get back to exercising, I will be able to do better. I am currently the only person (that we know of, two haven't weighed in on my scale for a couple of weeks) who has an overall fat percentage increase! Blah!! But I am sure that is from lack of ANY physical activity. When you feel like crap, you do a LOT of laying around!!

We did have to add a rule. We have allowed emailed weights from home when people can't make it to the weigh in. But we have had problems getting weights from a couple of people so now we have a $1 fine if the weight isn't to me by Sunday night. Hopefully, that will help get the weights in better!

Here's to healthy eating and exercising!!

Tools I use...clothing

2009-10-18T22:07:00.008-06:00

For me, I have three essential pieces of clothing for a good workout - a good sports bra, a headband, and good shoes.

First the bra. Obviously, this one only applies if you are a woman! I have worked out with the cheap sports bras from Walmart. I don't know if I got the wrong size or if they are just crappy, but when I get jumping around, the dang thing slides off! Yeah, that makes for a fun workout! And, I never really felt like it gave me good support anyway! Just because it says sports bra, doesn't really mean it is! So, I went and tried on a few bras. I jumped around, raised my arms in the air (basically, I was doing jumping jacks in the fitting room). But it has made a HUGE difference. I can't get on here though and say, buy this particular bra because I think it varies from person to person. My recommendation would be, TRY THEM ON!!

Okay, now to the headband. This is totally a personal thing, but I HATE having to push my hair out of my face all through a workout. And when you are sweaty and jumping around, the hair has a tendency to stick to your face...yeah, not fun. So I highly recommend a good "stay in place" head band.

Finally, a good pair of shoes is a must. I should have put this one first because I really think this is the most important. When I first started working out, I had a good pair of shoes, but they were walking shoes. They weren't designed for aerobics. I got horrible shin splints at first. After those went away, I would find that my legs were completely spent about 3/4 of the way through my workout. I was given a gift card so I went and bought some GOOD shoes specifically designed for aerobics and I cannot believe the difference they made! It was amazing! I was able to get all the way through my workout with legs that were less tired than half way through my workout with the old shoes! So get good shoes! Ask the salesperson for help. Make sure you get shoes that are designed for the type of exercise you will be doing. It will take so much stress off your legs and back. You will pay a little more but it is SOOO worth it!!

Weigh in

2009-10-18T21:59:00.004-06:00

We had our second weigh in yesterday. I actually lost a pound which shocked me because I have done NOTHING because we have all been sick with the swine flu at our house. Not being able to breath pretty much makes it so exercise won't happen. I am mad though. I was ready to go and had all the motivation in the world. I was doing great and then went down with this crud and now I have NO motivation! Ugh...

We did have one person gain this week (so far, we have one yet to report) so our pot is at $1 (okay, really it is $10 because we guaranteed a minimum of $10 but....)

We also had a new person join our group so now we are up to 8 people. Our newest joiner is trying to have another baby and is hoping that losing weight will help. I can personally vouch for weight loss as an effective way to increase odds of getting pregnant! My personal experience has been that it makes a HUGE difference.

Anyway, enough babble, hopefully now that I am back to health, I can get my butt in gear and get posting more regularly!!

First group weigh in

2009-10-11T10:24:00.005-06:00

Our first weigh in went pretty well. No one gained weight (that we know of, we still have one who hasn't reported). I lost five pounds in our first weigh in but it will be interesting to see what my body does next week. I have been sick so I haven't been eating much. I am worried that will translate into weight gain next week. My body fat went UP .8%. Don't know for sure what is up with that! But I will take the weight loss any day. Because my fat went up, I am in fourth place (out of the six that weighed in). So overall, everyone did pretty well. Having to report to a group is definitely giving me motivation to do well. Now I just need to get over this crap I have so I can start exercising!!

On a more positive note...

2009-10-03T22:36:00.004-06:00

I decided I needed to write a positive post since we started up our new group today and I don't want to be a motivation killer on the first day!

Seriously though, I am really excited about the group we have gotten together. There are six of us total. I know three of them, two I don't. So this will be fun to get to know a couple new people. As far as I know, everyone wants to meet weekly to do the weigh in rather than the email thing. I am very excited about that. I was worried people would want to take the "easy" road and just email their weight. It will be great to meet up with these gals every week! I will have people to be accountable to! When I have done these group things in the past, it has taken me a few days to get into the groove. But this time, I am ready to go today (not so excited about the exercise part, but I did DO it).

Here's to six women who will spend the next 10 weeks getting healthier and happier!!

Exercise

2009-10-03T22:27:00.004-06:00

I don't get it. I hear a lot of people say how much they LOVE to exercise. They say how addicting it is. I just don't get it. I DO NOT love to exercise. I know it is a critical part of weight loss. I love what it does for my body. I do enjoy how I feel when I have been exercising regularly. But honestly, I would rather have a root canal than exercise (they numb you at the dentists office and then give you drugs afterward).

I started up a new weight loss group today so I figured I better get back into exercising mode. I couldn't bring myself to pull Jillian out AGAIN. So I decided to go back to Bob. I like Bob but he is obsessed with lunges. Lunges are hard!!! Especially when you have to keep going and going and going. It's like he thinks I'm an energizer bunny!! Well I have news for you Bob Harper. I'm not a bunny!

Oh well, I guess it's a necessary evil. I need to find a running partner and go running in the wee hours of the morning. I love exercising outdoors but it's kind of hard to do with five children and hubby leaves for work at 6:00. So I would have to go running (okay, realistically, I would be mostly walking) at like 5:30 am....My body doesn't even know that time of day exists!! Any volunteers?

Weight loss group

2009-10-01T12:35:00.004-06:00

My neighbor and I decided to start another weight loss group because being accountable to others really seems to help both of us. We were trying to find a way to keep people motivated and committed without having a "fee" that people on a tight budget have to worry about losing. So here is what we came up with (any suggestions or insights are WELCOME):

We are starting this Saturday and will require that everyone weigh in this week and the final week (December 19). Weekly weigh-ins can be emailed or you can meet with us weekly to weigh in together if you need the motivation.

Our "challenge" will go for 10 weeks (so we can enjoy Christmas - LOL).

We will have a $20 "fee" to start BUT it is refundable. As long as people attend the weight-ins (or email their weight weekly), they can get their $20 back - with a small exception. To keep people motivated, we will have a fine for weight gain. Every pound gained at a weigh-in equals a $2 (haven't determined the exact amount yet) fine. Money collected from fines will go into a pot to be given to the person with the highest percentage of weight loss.

If anyone chooses to withdraw, they forfeit their money (this is the commitment part) and the money goes into the pot for the winner.

Ugh...

2009-09-23T20:07:00.005-06:00

Has anyone noticed that I haven't posted anything on here about weight loss lately? Well...THAT'S BECAUSE THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY!! Oh I have been HORRIBLE! Last time I did this competition thing, I went off the diet for 2 months and gained five pounds. I figured that wasn't too bad!

So this time around, I went back off my diet and something in me SNAPPED! It has been three weeks and I have gained 9 pounds!!! BUT...I do have to say that I still am under my ultimate goal weight of 150. I said I wanted to go below 150 so I would have some weight to play with...I know, I can give all the lame excuses I want...

You know what really stinks though? Guess where it has ALL come back? My gutt!! UGH!! Granted I think that is more from lack of physical activity than anything.

Okay, I really need to get my butt back in gear. My husband and his family are doing a competition until December. Each person has to put in $50, winner take all. I figured if I lose 19 pounds, then I will have lost 50 pounds in one year. How cool would that be? That would put me at 12% weight loss this time around. I just don't know if that will be enough to win or if I can even actually get down that low. Decisions, decisions...

Tools I Use...Ab Lounge

2009-09-17T20:40:00.005-06:00

This little contraption was a life saver for me when I first started this journey! I could not do a crunch, sit up, superman, etc. TO SAVE MY LIFE! Seriously! I had ZERO muscles in my stomach. I had given birth 5 times in 7 years (one six months before I started and one 15 months prior to that). I felt like the biggest doof! I didn't know what to do because I knew I wasn't going to build any muscles if I wasn't using them...

So I decided to give the Ab Lounge a try. When the ab portion of the video came on, I would let it play and use my Ab Lounge while the ab part played. At first I would just leave the exercise video playing and use the Ab Lounge for the duration of the ab portion. As I progressed, I would pause the video and use the Ab Lounge a little longer. Now, I can do all the crunches, sit ups, etc. on my own but I attribute a lot of that to this little machine! I don't use it anymore but it was definitely great to give me a jumpstart!

On drawback to the Ab Lounge is that it does have a 250 pound weight limit. There are other machines out there that I assume would serve a similar purpose (for example - Ab Rocket) but I am not sure what (if any) their weight limits are.

I paid around $100 for mine but the cheapest I could find was on Walmart.com for $77.

Tools I Use...George Foreman Grill

2009-09-13T20:52:00.004-06:00

I LOVE this thing for dieting! I have seen these advertised before but never bought one because I figured it would just be another appliance that would sit on my counter, take up space, and never get used. My husband mentioned that he would like to have one and a couple of days later, my sister called to see if I would want hers because she was getting rid of it. I said sure, thinking I probably wouldn't use it much but at least I wouldn't be spending the money on something I wouldn't use.

We literally use this a least every other day. Some days it gets used several times during the day! It makes it so easy and QUICK to cook up a chicken breast (very good for diets). I have used different types of seasoning on the chicken and everything has turned out great. When I do cook beef, it drains off all the extra fat instead of having the meat sitting in the grease as it cooks. We have found that it is VERY versatile. We have cooked fries (so no oil), squash slices (very YUMMY), burritos, breaded chicken, regular chicken, hamburgers, steaks, grilled sandwiches (which can be done without the added calories of putting butter on the bread).

I always hated cooking up a chicken breast for myself because of all the work and time. With this grill, I just throw it on the grill for five minutes and I have a nice evenly cooked chicken breast. I have even thrown them on slightly frozen and just increased the cook time and still got a perfectly cooked chicken breast.

One complaint I read online was that they are hard to clean because you can't remove the plates. We have found that this isn't necessary. All you have to do is wipe the extra food off with a dry paper towel. The temps on the grill are high enough that there is no need to use soap and water to clean it (in fact the instructions actually recommend not using soap and water). I have never had a problem getting it clean with the paper towels.

I found this one online at Walmart.com for $29 (mine is white but I think it is the same grill). It comes with a drip pan and a spatula designed specifically for this grill. If you will be cooking mostly for yourself, they do have a smaller one for $19.

"You're too little..."

2009-09-08T22:16:00.004-06:00

I had the most awesome thing happen to me today!! I went to buy a couple of shakes for me and hubby. I walked out to my car carrying two small shakes and walked by an older lady who was sitting in her car with the window rolled down. She asked if I was going to eat both of the shakes. I told her I wasn't. She responded by saying that if it was her she would probably end up eating both of them. Then she said "But you're too little to eat both of those shakes by yourself." She called me little!!! NO ONE has EVER called me little before!! I just wanted to give her a big old hug and tell her she made my day!! Talk about motivation to keep going and not put the weight back on...!!! WAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOO!!!

Pictures

2009-09-07T21:14:00.004-06:00

So I promised before and after pictures so here there are. I was hoping that the change would be a little more apparent in the pictures but what can I say?
These are the pants I was wearing in the before picture. I always laugh at these pictures because the pants are flat so it is a way skewed but I couldn't resist!!

Tools I use...Weight Watchers

2009-08-31T13:47:00.005-06:00

Weight Watchers is definitely the best "diet" plan that I have found. It has taught me how to eat what I already eat but do it in moderation. I like being able to eat what my family is eating. I don't want to have a separate menu every day for me. Even when I did make up my own menus, it was food that my family was already eating. I didn't make up some weird rice paper wrap stuff that I had to choke down every night. I ate what I liked!!

There are several ways to do Weight Watchers. There are meetings that you attend once a week. There is an online version. I used the online version for a month (got a free trial) and loved it. It let me type in my own recipes (which was great for me because I cook a lot of casseroles) and then it would give me the point value per serving. As much as I liked it, I couldn't justify the expense just as I couldn't justify the time and expense of the meetings. So I just purchased the books and the calculator and have done the program on my own. I bought mine directly from Weight Watchers when I had the free trial. I don't know if you can purchase directly from them if you are not a member, BUT you can get just about any of their stuff on EBAY for about the same price.

My friend bought a starter kit on EBAY and the lady she bought it from actually sent a detailed list of instructions on how to use the program, calculate points, calculate the point value of exercise...I actually copied her instructions because I was just kind of winging it! The most basic started kit I could find on EBAY also included a recipe book and a 1 month food journal. The kit I purchased from WW also came with these two items but I have never used them. But I have found that it is cheaper to buy the starter kit than to buy the two books I actually use and the calculator.

The calculator makes it so I can get the point value of any food that I have nutrition information. Unfortunately, meats and fresh fruits and vegetables don't come with preprinted nutrition information. This is where the books (or the cool food scale that I have) come in handy. I don't think I have come across a food yet that isn't listed in the books.

The books obviously don't list casseroles but I just find the point values for each of my ingredients, add them together and then divide by the number of servings. It is a pain to do this the first time around but then I write the point values (and number of servings used to calculate those points) on the recipe and then I always have the point value.

The Dining Out Companion is so-so. It has a lot of restaurants that I have never heard of and doesn't list a lot of my favorites. The restaurants it does have don't have a complete menu listing but I can use it to get an idea of what the point values of some places are. I have found that most national chains will have their nutrition information posted online so I go online before I go out and figure out the point values using my handy dandy calculator. This also helps me make better choices when ordering if I know that I will use up my daily allotment of points eating one six dollar burger!

Using this program has been a real eye opener for me. We still eat our favorite foods but some of them we have switched to only eating on special occasions now that we really know what we are eating!! I would highly recommend Weight Watchers even if you don't have the money to invest in their monthly options. If you purchase from EBAY, make sure you are getting a calculator with your kit. Some have them, some don't. I have found that most complete starter kits are around $60 right now.

Who really eats this stuff?

2009-08-31T13:00:00.007-06:00

I get a lot of emails from weight loss websites. I got one today that said it had recipes for losing the wasteline. I was all excited because that seems to be the one part of my body that just doesn't want to let go. So I opened the email and here are a few of the recipes that I found:

Rice paper-wrapped salad rolls
Blackberry spinach salad
Pecan & gorgonzola greens salad
Pollo en Escabeche
Carmelized onion and white bean flatbread

COME ON!! Who really eats like this? Oh, I know, it's the people that are already health nuts, don't need to be on a diet, and even know what this stuff is! Give me some stuff that I'll actually eat!!

I AM DA WINNA!!

2009-08-31T12:50:00.004-06:00

Well, I won again but I have to say, it wasn't as fun this time. Last time, it was a faceless name that I didn't know so it was easy to get all competitive. This time, I did the competition with a friend so while I was still competitive, it wasn't fun seeing her not win. BUT, even though she didn't win, I have to say, she still did AWESOME!! She lost 17 pounds in 12 weeks with two family vacations in the middle of all of it! Way to go!!

So here are my stats since January:

I have lost 39.6 pounds (22% of my body weight) - yeah I was trying SO hard to get to 40 pounds by the final weigh in. I was DANG close, but it was still good.

I have lost 11% body fat

I went from a pant size 16 to a pant size 8!!! That is half!! I was very excited about this one.

My overall goal was to get to 145 so I would have 5 pounds to play with so I can stay under 150. I was 140.8 at today's weigh in!!!!

Now I have to maintain.....

Weigh in

2009-08-25T21:08:00.004-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. Last week was pretty crazy so I didn't get any posts done. We had a weigh in Monday. I gained 1/2 pound but I was kind of expecting that. Last week's loss was somewhat artificial. But if you take my total weight loss for the two weeks (3 pounds), I still lost a pound and a half per week which is still pretty good.

I think stress must be a good fat burner though because I lost 2 percent body fat! I'll take it!

In the next couple of days I will get back to my "Tools.." posts. I still have a few more I want to do.

So, we have the final weigh in less than a week away and guess what I did tonight? I went to an all-you-can-eat buffet! DUH!!! It was my daughters birthday dinner so I couldn't really argue...

Ugh, I didn't do as well as I had planned, hoped, etc. But I didn't do TERRIBLE either (I guess some of that would depend on your definition of terrible though). I'm hoping it won't bite me in the butt come Monday!

Weigh in

2009-08-19T07:51:00.004-06:00

So we had a weigh in yesterday (had to do it a day late) and I lost 3.6 pounds! I think a lot of it was stress so it will be interesting to see what the numbers are next week. I did gain fat again though. Not quite sure what is going on with that one...

Tools I use...food scale

2009-08-17T12:58:00.006-06:00

I LOVE this scale. When I first started this whole diet thing, I was using a cheap little one pound scale . It did the job, sort of.

Then my husband did some research and found my Kitrics Digital Nutrition Scale. It comes with 999 foods programmed in (and a book to look them all up). I can program 99 of my own favorite foods. It will let me keep a running total of the nutrition information for everything I eat in a day.

One feature that I love is that I can put my plate on the scale and zero out the weight. Then I can put my meat on, weight it, and zero out the scale again and add my potatoes. With the other scale, I was having to find my lightest container (so it didn't tip the scale) and weigh one item at a time.

Another great thing about this is that I can type in my own foods and then make my own 100 calorie packs. Once the nutrition information is entered in, I just put food on until I reach 100 calories and voila - 100 calorie snack packs!

This scale actually shows calories, calories from fat, carbohydrates, protein, fat, saturated fat, fiber, sugars, cholesterol and sodium so I know the calories, fat and fiber for my Weight Watchers points. (I am starting to feel a bit like a typing infomercial).

We paid $50 on Amazon.com with free shipping but right now it is $45 with free shipping:
http://www.amazon.com/Kitrics-0120-Digital-Nutrition-Scale/dp/B000U67EI0/ref=pd_sbs_hpc_1

Tools I use...body fat scale

2009-08-17T12:33:00.008-06:00

I use a weight/fat/water scale when I weigh in. I prefer this type of scale because it shows my weight loss AND my body fat loss. These scales have been proven to not be 100% accurate on the actual amount of body fat but as long as I weigh in at about the same time, it gives me an idea of whether my fat levels are going up or down. I have learned that body fat levels go down during the day, some days by as much as 3% by evening. So if you buy one, keep that in mind. Oh, and if you have a pacemaker, don't buy one. ;D

The scale I use is a TANITA brand. I did a lot of research before I bought one and found this one to have the best reviews and the most consistent/accurate results. TANITA does sale a scale that has the works. It will tell you your weight, body fat, body water, muscle mass, bone mass, metabolic age, calories required to maintain your current weight, visceral fat levels, and physique rating. This was the type of scale used by my hubby's work and I LOVED it but I couldn't justify the expense. So I went with the same brand with the basics.

I bought my scale from Target for $50 on sale but I can't find it on their website so I don't know if they sell them anymore. I did find what I am guessing is the newer version of what I have on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009V1YPK/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=304485901&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000094ZGG&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=101XK4Y09NJAG7NK1910

I have seen a lot of other scales that are weight/fat/water but make sure you read reviews before you purchase them. Some of them seem pretty bad based on the reviews I read before deciding on this one.

Tools I use....a buddy

2009-08-17T12:19:00.004-06:00

Lately, I have had several people ask me how I have lost all my weight. So I thought I would do a few posts that tell what I have used (worked or not), where I got them, how much they cost, etc.

My first tool, and in my opinion, the most important one, is some sort of "buddy". I have tried and tried to lose weight on my own and it has NEVER worked. For me, the buddy had to be someone I was accountable to (ie. more than just a friend who was also dieting). I guess maybe I should say "someone to be accountable to" because that is more what I mean, but "buddy" is easier to type!

The first go round, I had my hubby's work as my "buddy". With hubby's work, I knew that I would be weighing in, it would be recorded, and people would know whether or not I lost weight.

Again, for me, it helps if the buddy comes with some sort of reward. The reward with hubby's work was $300 dollars. Yeah, GREAT motivation. If you can get a big group of people together, I would definitely recommend this strategy. Each person chipped in $20. The third place winner got their money back. Second place doubled their money ($40). And the winner gets the rest of the pool. The trick with this one is that everyone has to be willing and able to weigh in at a specific time each week on the same scale in the same location (believe it or not, the floor underneath the scale can make your weight vary by as much as a full pound).

This go round, my buddy is my neighbor. Every Monday, we weigh in at my house. It makes me be accountable. I can't just tell myself that I'll get back on track next week because no one will know because she will know. This blog has also helped with that because I am accountable to whoever may be reading it. I had to throw in a little reward though. The winner gets to go out with their hubby while the other one watches all the kids (there are nine total).

So, if internal motivation is not your thing, find something external. There is nothing wrong with that! I was worried that having the external motivation would make me less likely to keep the weight off. But now that I have lost it (and worked so hard to do it), I am DETERMINED to KEEP IT OFF!!!

Weigh in

2009-08-13T12:45:00.002-06:00

I just realized I never logged my weigh in this week. I lost a big whopping....are you ready for this one.... 2 tenths of a pound (yup, that's .2 pounds). Woopee!! Okay, a loss is a loss...right? Oh, and did I mention that I gained fat? I don't know why I am having such a hard time with that this go round.

3 weeks to go....

Diet Mistakes #11

2009-08-06T13:05:00.005-06:00

Found the link but had to keep you in suspense:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/slideshow-diet-mistakes?ecd=wnl_wlw_072509

#11 Avoiding Exercise

When you don’t exercise, you place the entire burden of weight loss on your diet. If you become more active, you can eat more of the things you like -- and still lose weight. The key is finding an exercise you enjoy. If the treadmill seems tedious, try swimming, ballet, biking, or Ping-Pong, all of which burn more calories than walking. Spend time at different activities until you find one you want to do on most days.

I LOVE this one!! I exercise not to lose weight faster. I do it because it gives me a couple more points to play with during the day AND it tones. Dieting alone WILL NOT tone your body. And I have really enjoyed doing different activities. I have several workout videos and I walk, run, and bike as well. Find what works and go for it! There are several workout videos that are 20-25 minutes (which is a must for me with 5 little kids) so they really don't take much time out of your day.

Diet Mistakes #10

2009-08-06T12:58:00.008-06:00

#10 Setting Unrealistic Goals

Telling yourself you’ll lose 20 pounds your first week is probably setting yourself up for failure. If you know you won’t be able to do it, you may never start your diet in the first place. If you do diet and lose 5 pounds in a week, instead of celebrating, you may feel discouraged that you didn’t reach your goal. A realistic goal is vital to successful dieting. If you’re not sure what your goal should be, talk to a dietitian.

This is a hard one. I have done this before. "I am going to loose 30 pounds in 1 month." Yeah right!! I have found that setting realistic goals is so much easier because you get a feeling of accomplishment when you actually achieve them instead of total frustration when you don't. My first go round, my goal was to reach a "healthy" (based on BMI) weight which meant 22 pounds in 12 weeks. That may have even been pushing it because the guidelines are 1-2 pounds a week after the first week. But I lost 6 pounds my first week so that left 16 pounds for 11 weeks. And I actually did accomplish it.

This time around, I had less to lose so my goal was 16 pounds in 12 weeks. So far, I am on track.

However, don't set goals that are so low that you could do it in your sleep. I heard a lady once say, "I always set a goal for weight loss and I never achieve it. So this year, I am not going to set a number. My goal for this year is just to be healthier." What kind of a goal is that? Set a real goal and then find ways to keep yourself on track (like a specific diet and exercise plan). If you just say "I am going to lose 5 pounds this month and don't exercise or change eating habits, it's probably not going to happen!

Diet Mistakes #9

2009-08-06T12:56:00.005-06:00

#9 Weighing Yourself Every Day

Weighing yourself daily is a recipe for frustration and doesn’t yield useful information. It’s more important to look for a long-term trend with weekly weigh-ins. If your goal is to lose 1 or 2 pounds a week, you’ll be satisfied to see those full-pound drops when you step on the scale. The result is more motivating than the confusing swings that may accompany daily weigh-ins.

Okay, so this one is me to a tee. Not really. I actually weigh myself three or four times a day! I am SOOOO bad with this one! I will get so frustrated because the scale shows that I have gained a pound or two but I have actually lost weight at every official weigh in but one. I REALLY need to work on this one. I have tried. I think once I even made it for two whole days without weighing...

Diet Mistakes #8

2009-08-06T12:54:00.006-06:00

#8 Taking the Drive-Through Bait

The drive-through is convenient after a hectic day, and you can always order the salad or other healthier option. But once you’re there, can you resist that milkshake or other treat? And if you allow yourself the ease of fast food once, it could become a habit. According to one long-term study, people who ate fast food more than twice a week gained 10 more pounds than those who had it less than once a week.

I can honestly say I don't have a problem with this one. We very rarely go out to eat. But one thing this doesn't point out that I think is important to point out is that you need to check the calories even if you are ordering a salad. I have been SHOCKED at some of the caloric/fat values of some salads. Some of them are worse than a cheeseburger! So don't think that just because you are getting a salad, all is well.

Diet Mistakes #7

2009-08-06T12:51:00.003-06:00

#7 Ditching Dairy

Milk, cheese, and ice cream are taboo for many dieters, but ditching dairy foods may be counterproductive. Some research suggests the body burns more fat when it gets enough calcium and produces more fat when it’s calcium-deprived. Calcium supplements do not appear to yield the same benefits, so dairy may have other compounds at work as well. Most dietitians recommend sticking to nonfat or low-fat milk, cheese, and yogurt.

Haha!! No problem here! In fact, I actually did have to ditch some dairy to get my diet to work. I was pretty much living on dairy - milk with every snack and meal, cheese on everything, ice cream, yogurt. Yeah, I have cut back but I still get plenty and I try to make sure it is low fat (most of the time).

Diet Mistakes #6

2009-08-06T12:48:00.005-06:00

#6 Drinking Too Little Water

This is one of the simplest diet blunders to fix. Water is essential for burning calories. If you let yourself get dehydrated, your metabolism drags -- and that means slower weight loss. Research suggests adults who drink eight or more glasses of water per day burn more calories than those who drink less. So try adding a glass of water to every meal and snack.

I have a BIG issue with this one. I don't know what it is but I just cannot remember to drink water. I have tried every trick I have ever read (drink water with every snack and meal, keep a water bottle filled up so you can keep track of your drinking, ....). The biggest problem is then at night, I am so thirsty that I drink away and then I am up all night in the bathroom. Getting a good night sleep is another weight loss help! I really need to work on this one!

Diet Mistakes #5

2009-08-06T12:45:00.007-06:00

#5 Sipping Too Many Calories

When counting calories, many of us tend to overlook what’s in our drinks. This is a big mistake when you consider that some fancy coffees and alcoholic beverages have more than 500 calories. Even the calories in fruit juice and soda can add up quickly. What’s worse is that liquid calories don’t curb hunger. You’re not going to eat any less after a high-calorie drink.

Again, not an issue here. I am not a flavored drink person. I do like juice and chocolate milk but knowing the chocolate just adds calories, I try to stay away from it and drink skim milk. I have mentioned in earlier posts that I do drink V-8 and V-8 Frusion to get my fruits and veggies in but I know I would be getting more for my points if I ate the actual fruits and veggies.

If you do favor flavored drinks, there are a lot of zero/low calorie alternatives: diet soda (I personally like diet A&W, and Sprite Zero), Powerade Zero, Crystal Light (and a whole bunch of generic versions), and FUZE Slenderize are all drinks that I have tried and liked. One tip with the Crystal Light (especially if you use generic) is to use less water than it calls for. This gives it a much better flavor.