10 Weeks In

I've been on this latest version of this journey towards good heatlth for 10 weeks now.  I've lost 15 pounds.   I honestly thought the first 20 would come off faster but I'm actually really happy with my progress.  There is more going on than the scale shows.    One NSV is that last week I was able to wear a new pair of jeans in size 20 for the first time in a long time.  I can't wait til I can throw away all my size 22s.   I also did my measurements the first week of March and in two months, I've lost 2.5 inches on my hips and 3 inches on both my bust waist and bust.    Can't ignore actual numbers proving I'm getting smaller.    And the thing that I'm the most proud of is that today is my 10th day of getting up early (daylight savings time - or is it the end of it? - is kicking my butt this week but still doing it) and walking for 30 minutes.  I don't think there's ever been a time in my life when I've exercised that many days in a row.   Consistency is an issue I struggle with in many areas of my life and it feels so good to do something so important to my health consistently.    And one more thing... the last couple weeks, I've pretty much forgotten I even have foot problems.   They aren't bothering me AT ALL.   

I'm on such a good path and things are just going to get better!

Loving Spring!

It is so wonderful that spring is arriving early here this year.   Take that you stupid groundhog.  ;)   We are usually due to get a couple more good snowstorms in March and although that might happen, the rain of the last couple days is doing a great job of washing away a lot of our snow.    The warmer temps (and yes - everything is relative - only time of the year where mid-40s is 'warm') are wonderful.  

We've been having a lot of fun spending more time outside.  It's good for me but even better for my daughters - we've all spent too much time inside this winter.    Here's a cute picture of my daughter 'finally' getting to try out her motorized scooter which she got for Christmas.   Ok... the motorized scooter probably defeats the goal of getting outside and exercising but she loves it and she must be working on her core muscles cause she looks like she really has to work on her balance while usuing it.  ;)

So good news on the exercise front... I got up today for a 5th day in a row and walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes.  I'm on a real roll now!     And even better, I walked another 30 minutes and did some work on my arms with the weight machine last night after work.   Having a Tivo in my workout room and only allowing myself to watch certain shows while I'm in there working out is great motivation.   I watch way too much TV and it's great to have guilt free TV watching time.   

Struggling with the food part lately but off to a good start today.    Actually did pretty good yesterday with the exception of the WAY too many Girl Scout cookies.  Didn't have a binge or anything - just one here or two there and by the end of the day they really add up.  No more opened boxes around today so it should be easier to resist.   

Hope you all have a great day!

4 Days in a Row!

I got up early 4 days in a row and walked 30 minutes on my treadmill.  Yahoo!!!  This is such a sucess for me because I can't remember the last time I strung together 4 days of exercise.   And I am so not a morning person so getting up at 5:30 just about kills me but the feeling I get after I exercise is so worth it.   And it's so nice to get it out of the way early in the morning.   Thanks to Loretta, Barbara, Lisa & M for your nice comments on my new workout room.   It really is a nice cheerful room and I'm loving that I have it!

We took our Girl Scout troop snowshoeing yesterday.   My assistant leader is so much more of an outdoor person so this was obviously her idea.    We went behind the grade school and the plan was for her to take the kids on a little trail behind the school.  I'd take a few pictures and then wait for them all to come back.   It all started out ok but I could see that most of the kids were getting quite a bit ahead and my daughters and another girl were hanging back so I trudged through the wet heavy snow to be with them so the other leader could catch up with the other girls.   Both of my girls were big whiners about the whole thing from before they even put the snowshoes on.  I said to them at one point, you really need to try this so you don't end up like me.  Because there was no way I was putting snowshoes on!    Well after trying to walk with them a little bit, both of my girls had their snowshoes off and my older daughter became absolutely impossible to deal with.    So I sent her back to the school (so much for the 'helper' she was there to be) and guess what I did - I put on her snowshoes!!    And you know what... I didn't break them or fall on my butt or die of embarrasment!  And they worked really good.  I was was able to walk on snow.  Go figure.   It was actually a lot of fun.    There was a lot of whining going on (not just from my daughters) and about half way through, several of the girls were carrying their snowshoes but I think overall it was a positive experience for most of them.    Afterwards, they played on the playground and then we went in for cookies and hot chocolate so all was right with the world.    Still can't believe I actually tried snowshoeing myself!   Definitely didn't live up to my fears.

Here are our girls with my assistant leader (my youngest daughter is the one in pink kneeling down):

Here's my older daughter - probably the last time she smiled for awhile...

And here I am.  From the height of my 7 year old - not exactly my best angle.  But hey... my pants look baggy. ;)

March Goals - Better Late Than Never!

These are my goals for March.   Can't believe it is the 8th already so I'd better get going on these goals.

1) Exercise 30 minutes every day.    I'm hoping that I can get up early each morning (like I've done for the past two!) and walk 30 minutes on my treadmill.   If my feet are hurting, I'll have to do the bike but I feel like I get a much better workout from the treadmill.    If I don't get up early, I'll have to fit it in later - either on my lunch hour or after work.

2) Track WW points Monday - Friday.   I'm gotten lazy with this and I know at least for now, I need to stay focused on the points.   I actually eat pretty well on the weekends but we are so crazy busy that I need a couple days off of measuring and tracking everything.   

3) Blog every other day (at least!).   I think I stay focused more if I blog what I'm doing.   I read other people's blogs every day but need to take the time to update my own more often.  

4) Learn how to use my new weight machine.    A few of the exercises are obvious but I know there's a lot more I can do with it.

Guess that's all.  Keepin' it simple! 

Last month, I did so so on my goals other than the one to finish the work out room.   Feel very good about succeeding on that one!  It's so good to finally have one room in our basement completely finished.   (And the bathroom is almost done too!).  Here are some pictures of our new room:

Now, just need to use it - EVERY DAY! :)

Have a great day and thanks for reading!

March Already?!

Well I guess I need to do some goals for March and reflect on February.   I'll do that in my next post!   

One February goal that I did complete with literally 15 minutes to spare was my new workout room!  Yahoo!!    It is such a pretty room and just as nice as I visualized it.     And finally after we first put up the walls a couple years ago, we now have ONE finished room in our basement.  From the floor trim up to the textured ceiling.    And now we're on a roll because this weekend, we might even have the bathroom finished!   I'll take some pictures of the new room today and post them tomorrow.    Oh yeah and I've actually been using the room too!   Walking 30 minutes a day (at least) most days and getting some time in on the bike too.

Last night, I did have a bit of a setback that really bothered me.  Having a setback itself didn't really bother me as I've had lots of those and I've getting really good at letting them go and moving on.  The part that bothered me is I kept eating even though I knew I wasn't hungry.  I didn't even like what I was eating anymore.  I told myself I didn't want anymore.   But I kept putting the food in my mouth.   It all started by waiting too long to eat dinner and I've already learned that leads to bad things.    I had to leave work early to pick up our troop's Girl Scout cookies.  Then for the next few hours we hauled and sorted our troops 1505 boxes of cookies and I was tired and hungry when it was time to head home.  You probably think I'm about to tell you about a GS cookie binge, eh?!   NO!!  Just had two Peanut Butter Patties.   That is a huge victory in itself.  Of course, there is lots of cookie time ahead so the struggle to avoid a cookie binge isn't over yet.    Anyway, back to last night.   On the way home, we stopped at Subway.  Knew I just didn't want to go home and cook and thought Subway would at least be somewhat healthy food and it was quick.   (Although the "Shamrock Shake" ad on the McD's sign almost pulled me completely to the dark side...)   I must've fell for the $5 footlong song because that's what I got.   Think I thought I could eat half yesterday and save the rest for today.   I was laying on my bed watching TV while I ate.  Another bad idea.   I mindlessly ate the first half and then started on the 2nd half.   That's when I started telling myself to stop.   Told myself I didn't really want it.   I really didn't.  It was started to not taste good.   But I kept mindlessly eating it while I watched TV.   It was so classic of the me I don't want to be.   And I was miserable the rest of the night.    I couldn't get the motivation to move off my bed and get anything done.  I dozed off and on  during one of my favorite shows.     I had already decided to take the night 'off' cause I was in a lot of pain from working so much in the basement lately but I didn't need to spend the night in a food-induced coma.    Grrr....   I guess the positive things to take from this is that even though I kept eating, I was AWARE of it and can learn something from that now.  I noticed how I felt later and made the connection instead of just being tired and not knowing why.    I did stop eating after the sandwich and didn't continue on a full blown binge (especially considering I now have 370 boxes of cookies in my house...). 

Today is going to be a good day!  :)

Two days in a row!

And I'm not just talking about posting to this blog!  I exercised two days in a row too!  Okay for a lot of people on this journey, that's not such a big deal but for me it is.  My exercise has been so off track lately but things are looking up!   Yesterday morning, I got up early and walked 30 minutes on the treadmill and it felt GREAT.   Well not so much during the walking part but AFTER I felt great!   I was even looking forward to doing it again this morning.  Unfortunately, my body wasn't cooperating.    Or specifically my left foot wasn't up for it.   I recently self-diagnosed myself with plantar fasciitis (to which my doctor agreed I was probably right) and although it's been better lately, it kicks in whenever it feels like it.  I knew working in the basement on the concrete floor barefoot all weekend was going to cost me.  (Seriously Mary - put on some shoes!!)  The pain is always worse in the morning.     So I woke up as planned at 5:45 but the pain was so intense, I could barely walk to the bathroom.  Going 30 minutes on the treadmill wasn't going to happen.  So I made a deal with myself that if I couldn't do it in the morning, I had to do it on my lunch hour.     Then I remembered that it was a half day of school and the girls would be home at 12:20 and I would have to bring them to grandma's daycare.  Right in the middle of my lunch hour.  Perfect excuse to get out of exercising...  But I didn't give in.  I snuck away from my desk (work at home but have to work regular hours of 8-noon and 1-5) 10 minutes early at 11:50, got my 30 minutes in on the treadmill and walked upstairs just as the girls were getting off the bus.    YAHOO!!!  I did it!

Finishing February Strong! :)

Finishing February Strong!

Can't believe we are almost at the end of another month.   Just a few days left and I'm really hoping to finish strong.    My weight has been up and down all month so if I want to see an overall loss for the month, I need to kick some (of my own) butt these last few days.   

Good news is that this morning I actually got my butt out of bed 45 minutes early and walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes.   It was really hard to get out of my warm and cozy bed but I'm so glad I did it.    And to no surprise, it made the rest of my morning go so much better.  I wasn't dragging myself around in a half-asleep fog trying to get my kids ready for school like usual.    After they got on the bus, I jumped in the shower and was sitting at my desk on time alert and ready for the day (I work at home but have to work a fixed schedule so need to be logged in and working at 8 am).    Now, if I can just remember that great feeling at 5:30 tomorrow morning and do it again...   Tonight, I'm going to put my workout clothes next to my bed and have the water bottle ready in the fridge.  So there will be no excuse or delays.  

Another good thing is the workout room is almost complete.    Just need to do the trim around the floor, stain the door and get the curtains sewn.  Will be done by my goal deadline of Sunday.    I'll post pictures then for sure.     It was so great to go down there this morning and walk on the treadmill in my pretty new room.    The new TV on the wall and Tivo with some of my favorite shows already recorded (yes, I'm spoiled!) were a great distraction while I walked.  

Went to my mom's for lunch and she had made a great spaghetti with ground turkey breast.  We have replaced ground beef with the ground turkey breast in several of our family recipes lately.   It was so yummy!   

So like I said, I'm going to finish this month strong!  It's just 5 days.  I can focus on eating right and exercising for 5 days.  No problem.  ;)

Finally Friday!

Actually, this week went by really fast but still glad it is Friday.    Just a few hours left of work and then my mom, the girls and I are off to my favorite store - Menards (home improvement store).   Unfortunately, it is about an hour and a half away so it's a big deal when we get a chance to go and my shopping list is always a mile long.   Mostly though, I need more wood trim to finish the workout room and since that room is just the beginning of what needs finishing in our partially-finished basement, we need supplies to get started on the bathroom next.

I've been eating really well this week and bounced back good from our weekend away.   Even though my official weigh in day is on Mondays, I weigh myself everyday and happy to say that even though my weight went up for a couple days, it has bounced back to 272.   Still hoping to see 269 soon.

Getting lots of informal exercise in this week and looking forward to working out in my new workout room next week.   

Feeling positive and happy today which is great!   The sun shining and listening to the snow melt really helps too!   Might still have a couple months of winter left around here but days like today let us pretend spring is just around the corner.

Getting past the long weekend...

We had an awesome time on our weekend away to the waterpark.   Ate lots of junk food and got sick and quickly remembered why I can't eat that way.    Back to the real world yesterday and it wasn't my best day back but I'm really focused today!  

Weighed in on Sunday and finally broke through to lose two pounds.   I am now at 272 and can see the 260s on the horizon and very motivated to get there!    Hopefully this week but if not, next week for sure. 

The work out room is really coming along.  The ceiling is done - what a chore!! - and will be finishing the painting of the room today.   Then I can move on to the floors and the wood trim.   It will be done this week so very excited about that.    A big reward will going TV shopping later this week!    I fixed my treadmill so excited to get that moved in and use it for the first time in a LONG time.  

Guess that's all for now.   Not much to report but wanted to get a post in as it has been a few days!

The Weekend

The girls are off school and I'm off work on Monday so we are headed out in the morning on our 5th annual trip to waterpark hotel about 90 minutes from here.    The weekend always involves swimming (although I use that word losely since I'll rotate my time between floating in the lazy river and the hottub) and eating.    And eating is a big part.   We go with my cousin and her two daughters and since it is our little mini vacation, everyone brings their favorite snack foods and we have a jolly ole time.    Granted, one plan might be to change traditions and not focus so much of the weekend around eating but hey, this is real life and that's not likely to happen.  And this is our only trip out of town during a LONG winter so it's not like it is a regular thing we do.    So I've been planning for three weeks what my 'special' treats will be.   There are these cookies that Walmart puts out at Valentine's Day that are either a shortbread or a sugar cookie with the sugar sprinkles and they just melt in your mouth.   My aunt showed them to me about 5 years ago and every year since then, my family has been inhaling quite a few bags between the last week of January and the middle of February.  I literally had an emotional reaction when I saw them on the shelf this year.   I dreamed about eating those damn cookies.  The more I resisted them, the more I thought about them.    I knew I couldn't buy them or I'd eat the whole bag.  Then I had my bright idea that I'd buy them and bring them on our weekend away.  I knew I'd be eating at least some junk food.  Might as well be the thing I craved the most.  So I bought them and they have been sitting in my room with the new Valentine pjs and swimsuits for the girls for the last *three* weeks!   There has been several times that I've been really tempted to open the bag - afterall, can't I just get another one? - but I stuck to it.  Not sure if it's a big test of willpower or just some stupid mind game I'm playing with myself but I'm kind of proud that I didn't open the bag.   And truth be told, when I packed our food bag today, the emotional tug those cookies had on me a few weeks ago has pretty much disappear.  The excitement of getting to eat them is gone.   Hmmm... wonder if there is a lesson to be learned there?!?   The other things I've been craving are licorice which is my all-time favorite candy (take that over chocolate any day) and doritos.   So the food is packed and ready to go along with a case of water and two healthy choice meals so we'll see how it goes.  One thing I know for sure is that if there are extra cookies, licorice and doritos, they will NOT be making the trip back home!   We usually have extras because even though I buy our favorites, we seem to like what my cousin brings better!  LOL.  

Since we'll be gone Monday morning, I'm going to do my official weigh in tomorrow before we leave.   The last two days have shown a small loss so hopefully that still shows tomorrow.  

Hope everyone that reads this is having a good weekend!

Some Random Thoughts

Just a few things I've been thinking about this morning...

My mom recorded a recent episode of The Doctors to show me.  It had several segments on health and weightloss.  What really stood out was that Danny the winner of last seasons' Biggest Loser was on.  He lost 239 pounds.  They had a weight bar with 240 pounds and asked him if he could pick it up.   He couldn't budge it off the ground.  Here he is now being in the best possible shape his body could be and he couldn't lift it..   When he was in his worst shape, he was carrying that around everyday.   I often think about how much easier it would be if I wasn't carrying around this 100+ pounds.  That's more than my youngest daughter weighs.  Even if I was in much better shape and stronger than I am now, I can't imagine carrying her around. Or imagine carrying ten 10 pound bags of potatoes!  No wonder my knees and feet and back and everything else hurts.   Not to mention what I can't feel - the strain on my heart.   So seeing Danny stand next to that huge set of weights has been a really good visual for me. 

While my mom and I were drywalling Sunday, she mentioned how when she was growing up, she can't imagine her mom ever making a meal thinking 'this would be healthy for my kids to eat.'  It was just a matter of making meals that would fill up the kids and taste was always a big priority.  She said that's what she knew and then when she had her own kids, it was more of the same.    It just kind of makes sense that we are all the size we are.  And all of us addicted to sugar!  Healthy eating just wasn't even on the radar.   My grandma (mom's mom) passed away last year at the age of 76.   We truly believe she'd still be here today if she'd only made some changes in her life.    She had so many health problems and most of them were brought on by her own choices.  Or at the very least made worse by her choices.   She was such a wonderful person but just wouldn't take care of herself.   My mom and I don't want our kids/grandkids to think that of us someday.     My mom and I are fighting the fight.  We do not want to be the victim my grandma chose to be.    We do not want to put our children (and grandchildren) though what she put us though.   We need to figure out the right way to do it.    THIS WILL BE OUR YEAR to get it done!

Back to the dentist today to get the permanent crown on my tooth.  When I got the temporary crown put on three weeks ago, it set me off on a mini binge once the numbing wore off.   Hope the trauma of going to the dentist doesn't do that to me today.  Okay, it's NOT going to happen.   I just hate going to the dentist so much, it sets off all kinds of emotions.   I'm aware of it today though and going to keep control!

Just need to get through work (and the dentist) today and then it's a 3 day weekend for me.  Can't wait!

Thursday Again!

Can't believe it's been a week since my last post.  I really need to make a goal to post at least every other day.   I guess some days I just don't feel like I have anything interesting or significant to say.  For my own benefit though, I need to post more because it really does help me stay accountable.   

My weight has been stuck around the same number (up and down the same two pounds) for about 2 1/2 weeks.  I'm frustrated with myself because I know I can do better.  So I guess that's also the good news - there is lots of room for improvement.  The real frustration would be if I was doing everything right and the weight didn't come off - but I know that's not the case.   I've been eating very good but know I could do better.  I've been logging my food in WW online part of the time but know I need to do it ALL the time.   I've been very active but not doing enough 'formal' exercise.  

On a positive note, we're making a lot of progress on the new workout room.    The room has been emptied and cleaned from top to bottom.   The two 'outside' walls are primed and painted and my mom was over Sunday afternoon and last night to work on finishing the drywalling process on the two 'inside' walls and ceiling.   Hoping to get the drywalling done this weekend and then I can finishing painting next week.   About half way done with the staining of the woodwork (floor trim boards, closet doors, french doors going into the room).  Figured out the broken part on my treadmill and ordered that.   Hopefully everything comes together by next weekend!  

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Thursday Update

Wow - Thursday already!  This week is flying by!  I don't have much to post about but since I'd like to post more often to stay accountable, I guess I'll just update my progress on my monthly goals...

1) Exercise at least 30 minutes a day 5 days a week.   Accomplished Monday and Tuesday.  My feet are hurting again so I've only been able to ride my stationary bike.   On a related note, I really hoped that I'd lose 10 pounds and my feet would magically be fixed as I've been blaming the pain on all this extra weight my poor feet have to carry around.   Didn't happen as the pain was back Monday morning.  (Maybe it will magically disappear when I lose 15 pounds. LOL.)  Then again, I didn't have to crawl to the bathroom or anything in the mornings and today I'm feeling almost normal again so maybe it is getting better.   Since I'm feeling good today, I will try out one of my Walk Away the Pounds DVDs today.

2) Eat on points with the exception of 'free' meal out Friday night. And track online no matter what...   Did great Monday and Tuesday.   My splurge meal of the week was moved up to Wednesday as Mom called last night and reminded me of the Wednesday 2 for $20 deal at a local restaurant and invited us to go out for dinner.     Had a small steak and baked potato.  Oh yeah and some deep fried cheese curds.   Don't even want to know the point values of them but they were sooooooooo good.   So according to the commercials, the 'happy cows' are in California but Wisconsin still knows how to deep fry cheese curds better than anyone.     In addition to the appetizer, the 2 for $20 deal also included dessert which was some pudding thing with fresh raspberries in it.   At least it had fruit.  :)   The good thing is that I had my big meal earlier in the week and have more time to get it off before weigh in on Monday.   And I did really enjoy it which is part of the plan.

3) Plan out menus for the work week. Still need to work on that.   Have ideas in my head but really need to get it down on paper.  Did start a list of the meals my girls will happily eat (unfortunately a SHORT list).  Tonight, we are having their favorite - tacos - which I now make a lot healthier (turkey breast meat, reduced fat cheese, whole wheat tortillas).

4) Finish our new work-out room in the basement. This is more of a weekend job so haven't made any progress yet.   Did find a cheap Tivo for in there on eBay but I guess that didn't take much effort.  
 
I really appreciate you taking the time to read this and make comments.  The extra support is great!

February Goals!

Started this phase of my weight loss journey about a month ago but didn't set any definite goals other than following the WW points plan.    I think it will help to have a more definite plan so here are my goals for February:

1) Exercise at least 30 minutes a day 5 days a week.   Would love to do more but keeping it low to start.

2) Eat on points with the exception of 'free' meal out Friday night.    And track online no matter what - even if I have to make things up - lol.   I do great every day until the end of the work day at 5.   Then I either forget to log dinner and snacks just assuming I have enough points left over or go to my mom's for a healthy dinner and unsure of points so don't put anything in.   So that's what I say about making things up - at least log the food even if I have to guess the point values.  

3) Plan out menus for the work week.    Need to avoid the 5 o'clock panic of not knowing what to make for dinner.   Also, keep finding recipes and even buying the ingredients but then not going through with making the recipe.   Plan ahead.  Plan ahead.  Plan ahead.

4) Finish our new work-out room in the basement.    Clear out the things that are still in there from its previous use as the 'cat room'.  Clean floors.  Finish drywall, prime and paint.  Do something with the floor.  Stain doors.    Move in treadmill and bike.   Buy a TV and run cable to room.    Yikes - good thing I have the whole month.   

January Almost Over!!

Can't believe how fast January flew by this year. It is usually my LONGEST month of the year and always glad to have it done. One more month of winter GONE. One more month closer to spring!!    Can't wait to get out in my (flower) gardens and get to work. And I can't wait to be doing it while hauling less of my own weight around. Know I'll have more energy and get more done.

This first month of this journey towards better health and weight loss also went by fast.    And it's gone really well and I'm proud of myself.   Lots of room for improvement (especially in the exercise area) but I'm feeling good about the start.    Eating lots of great foods.   Getting my kids to try a few new things.   Eating more meals as a family.  Almost completely cut out fast food.  Logging my food almost every day.   Dug out the exercise DVDs and tried a few.   Got back on the Wii Fit and added Wii Fit Plus.    Started working on our new home gym.    And of course, can't forget that I'm down 12 pounds!

I really want to set up some definite goals for February.   I'm going to work on that and post them on Monday.  Something that can help keep me accountable and motivated.   Something I can measure and not focus just on weight loss.  

Have a great weekend everyone!!

“Be willing to stop judging against yourself. Bad urges don’t make you a bad person.”

— Deepak Chopra

A before and hope-this-is-how-I-look after picture...

We have a screensaver type of thing on our TV that shows our pictures. This one below popped up yesterday. I hate pictures of me. I REALLY hate pictures of me displayed on a 52 inch screen.





This picture was taken last March while we were on our vacation in San Antonio, TX. Obviously, I'm the one on the left. The one on the right is my baby sister. I don't remember being thin. Probably because the last time I was thin, I thought I was fat. I can't visualize thin. However, I can look at my sister and since we share a chunk of DNA, maybe I can visualize looking like that. Now that probably isn't too realistic since a) at 6 feet tall, she has 5 inches on me. b) she's 17 years younger than me, all the exercise in the world won't make up for that age difference and c) we don't share the same father so we share even fewer genes. Anyway, her shape is definitely something I strive for. She's healthy, she's fit, she's an athlete. (In fact, at Christmas she looked even better - think she lost the freshman 15 instead of gaining it!)

Despite the age difference (I left for college before she was a year old), my sister and I are VERY close and I know she'll be one of the most proud of me when I succeed on this journey. She's away at college in Florida and I might not see her again until May so I'm really hoping to shock her with my progress between now and then. Would be so awesome to be 30-40 pounds lighter by then.

Up above, I actually cropped my daughter out of the original picture. Her facial expression is good for some comic relief so I'll post the original below.

Weekend Update and Weigh In

Aaaahhhh the weekend is over already!!

Friday night, we had a splurge dinner and had pizza from our best local place. I made sure to enjoy every bite guilt free. After all, my life will always include pizza from this place! Life just aint worth living without it. LOL :) We have gotten in the habit of ordering two pizzas lately so there is always leftovers for the morning (it is really good cold!!) but this time we just ordered one which was more than enough for us three for dinner. We've also gotten in the habit of taking our pizza and going to our separate places to watch TV while we eat it and this time we sat at the table and ate together as a family. My best success was not snacking on ANYTHING from dinner through to bedtime. In the past, going 'off plan' like that would lead to a huge bingefest of everything bad to eat. I had the pizza and enjoyed it and that's it.

Saturday was a busy day getting stuff done around the house but took the time that night to have movie night with my girls. Need to do that more often! Had a hard time that night resisting snacks but I succeeded. I remember at one point standing in the kitchen looking for something to eat and telling myself you aren't even hungry. So I left the kitchen telling myself you can only come back if you feel actual hunger. Didn't happen and I felt great about it!

Earlier in the day, I made a new pizza for us (we used to have pizza 5 times a week so two days in a row is nothing...). Of course, this time it was a much healthier version. Whole wheat crust, sauce, turkey pepperoni and low fat cheese. My older daughter questioned the crust right away but ate it just fine. The younger one only ate the toppings. So it was a partial success. I thought it was pretty good although the crust (like the whole wheat tortillas earlier in the week) will take some getting used to.

Sunday, my mom came over and made some AWESOME turkey chili. It was a great lunch AND dinner. And still have a couple bowls left over. My mom is a great cook but unfortunately, I didn't pay much attention growing up to gather any of those skills myself. So I had her show me what she did with the chili and definitely something I can do myself in the future. And I love how it is all 'real' ingredients plus it lasts for a couple days.

The only fruit both of my girls will eat is canned pears. (And even that's a struggle at times for my older daughter.) So with my new effort to make sure they eat fruit every day, they've been having a LOT of pears. For dinner last night, I tried to give them fruit cocktail. First I had to pick out the grapes, then the cherries, then the pineapple so they was just pears and peaches left. My younger daughter finally ate that but my oldest still wouldn't touch it. I did everything to encourage it but finally gave up. Wouldn't let her have an extra snack later because of that which led to a hour long tantrum from her about how horrible her life and especially her mom is. So I guess I'm proud that I stuck to it but darn it she sure makes things hard sometimes. That same daughter did tell me on Saturday that she likes us eating healthier cause we spend a lot more time together. So I'll just remember that and put the tantrums out of my mind.

And on to the best news today... weigh in this morning and I'm officially down 3.6 pounds this week for a total of 11.6. Yahoo!! I'm now .6 below my previous WW start number of 274 (from 5 years ago). Ya know the weight that WAS my highest weight ever... until I found out recently I had a new highest weight ever... So I can stop beating myself up about that stupid number and move on.

Hoping for another great day!

Happy Saturday!

"It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not."

My sister-in-law had that as her FB status and I love it. It really isn't about willpower - you just need to decide to do it and then DO it. My sister-in-law is trying to quit smoking but it's all the same no matter what you are trying to do.

Really hoping for a loss on Monday so going to work really hard this weekend to make sure that happens. It's so easy for me to fall off course on the weekends so going to avoid that by planning my meals in advance and keeping busy otherwise. Have a todo list a mile long so the 2nd part shouldn't be too hard!

Happy Saturday!
Mary

Yesterday afternoon sucked!

Yesterday was a rough afternoon. I had a dentist appointment and it was a bad one. I was so tense during the whole thing even though I made a huge effort to relax. Then at the end I was frustrated that my insurance covered VERY little and I had to put the $1200 charge on my credit card. When I got home, I was tired and stressed. When the numbness in my mouth finally wore off, I ate a whole bunch of junk and felt even worse. Well it wasn't complete junk - at least compared to what I would've eaten a month ago. I think I had 4 granola bars, pretzels, dry fruit loops, fruit snacks, almonds, and 2 WW ice cream bars. All within an hours time. Then I decided I needed supper and had a big bowl of honey nut cheerios. And what's really bad is that I had to be mindful of my chewing because I have a temporary crown and can't chew on my right side so I can't even pretend I wasn't aware of each and every bite. I felt guilty the whole time and knew at the time it was classic emotional eating. I knew I could and should stop but didn't really care. A couple hours later - at only 7 pm - I was falling asleep on my bed while trying to watch TV. Big surprise - that is what happens to me when I eat too much sugar. Then the acid reflux kicked in and I was afraid I'd throw up. Haven't felt that in a LONG time. Uggggghhhh.

Well that was yesterday and things are going so much better today. Thankfully God has given me a new day and a fresh start. What a blessing! So I'm going to take whatever lesson I can learn from yesterday and move on. :)

Oh it hurts so good!

I woke up with proof that I did indeed exercise yesterday! A whole bunch of new areas of pain in my body. But unlike my usual and somewhat random foot, knee and back pain, this pain was in places I knew I worked yesterday and it felt GOOD! In additional to the Biggest Loser DVD and a few minutes on the Wii Fit, I also rode for 5 miles on my stationary bike last night while watching Biggest Loser. It's a great start.

My girls LOVE tacos. Well their version of it anyway - just meat and cheese. So last night I tried something new and made ground turkey breast meat instead of ground beef. Also, used whole wheat tortillas and low-fat mexican cheese. While I was cooking the meat, my older daughter asked what was wrong with it cause it was so light. Thankfully though, my VERY picky daughters loved it and after their first two tacos with 'regular' hard shells (didn't want to make too many adjustment too quick), they asked for a soft shell one. Wasn't sure how the whole wheat tortillas would go over (I was having a hard time with it myself) but they didn't make a single comment about it. It turned out to be a great meal (both physically and socially) and since the meals both of my girls will eat is pretty limited, I think we'll be having this version of tacos often. And who knows, maybe someday I'll be able to sneak a little lettuce in there for them too. Any time I can get my girls to eat something healthy (or just healthier!) is a HUGE victory for me. Baby steps.

Last week, I wrote about my older daughter who doesn't eat ANY fruits or vegetables having a smoothie. It was made of just strawberries, blueberries and some sugar free orange drink mix. Now seriously, if a put one blueberry and one strawberry on her plate she might try to nibble on it but most likely she'd literally make herself physically sick. So having her 'drink' a cup of strawberries and a 1/2 cup of blueberries was HUGE. So I have decided to make smoothies for us every day after school. Yesterday, I made a smoothie with orange juice and banana and a 1/2 cup of fat free yogurt and she LOVED it. And with it, she had some of the mini chocolate rice cakes. What a huge improvement over the after school snacks of her past. She wants a strawberry and kiwi and banana one today so we'll see how that goes. My younger daughter took a tiny bite of yesterday's smoothie and wasn't interested in it all. Not as worried about her though as she does eat applesauce (no sugar added kind) and baby carrots every day so at least she's getting something in the area of fruits and vegetables. Good enough for now. Again... baby steps.

Plans for today:
5 miles on the bike.
Find my favorite Walk Away the Pounds DVDs and do one.
Play cards with friends at my mom's tonight and NOT binge on snacks
After school strawberry-banana-kiwi smoothie.
Journame my food and stay within WW points.

Feeling good today!!

Finally exercised!!

I made a plan and followed through. Amazing how that works. In honor of Biggest Loser tonight, I did the BL Boot Camp video. Well most of it anyway. Might take me a few more times before I can keep up with all the moves but I did keep moving the whole time and felt great when it was done. Still had a little lunch break left so I set up the Wii Fit. It scolded me a bit for being so long since my last visit but then I ended up resetting the user data and I'm starting fresh. By the time I got through all the tests and such, didn't have much time left but did try a few of the new things that were added with the Wii Fit Plus. Going to get back on tonight! Yahoo!!!

Also, tried a new Lean Cuisine meal for lunch - Roasted Honey Chicken. So great and tasty!!

2 Weeks - 9 pounds

Can't believe it's been 2 weeks already! I'm doing really well on the food end of things but haven't been doing any (extra) exercise. I KNOW I have to exercise to lose weight and I have big goals this week to kick that into gear. My feet feel almost normal for the first time since Christmas so no more excuses. I have to make it a priority. I have to make ME a priority. We have plans tonight so I guess that leaves my lunch hour. WILL get some exercise in and report back!

One week down!

So the first week was a great success! 6.6 pounds down - of course I know the first week is mostly water weight but i'll take it however! 6.6 pounds gone forever!

My motivation is still really high. I'm almost calm about it - a sense of acceptance I didn't have before. Really confident about losing the weight this time.

One of my greatest successes this week was going to the bar yesterday for the Packer game (even though the Packers were'nt successful...). They had a whole table full of food and I stuck with my plan to have just a little of what I REALLY wanted. So I had a few meatballs and small bowl of the wild rice soup. The soup was creamy and had some bacon so probably high in points but I just had a little and I throughly appreciated and enjoyed it. I did resist the polish sausage and chips and other yummy stuff. I had a little and was satisfied. A friend of mine won a big bag of peanut clusters and even though us trying to be 'good' begged her not to open them, she did. At first I felt a little panicked about it because I really love them and knew I couldn't stop with just one. Then I realized I wasn't even all that tempted. Instead I took the bag and used my phone to calculate the points (5 for 3 of them) and decided they just weren't worth it! Other than that, I had a couple 2 point drinks and a few Diet Cokes and a bag of pretzels. No idea on the points but I had plenty left for the day and week and felt good about the whole thing. Also, didn't eat anything after I got home at 7 which was great too.

My BIGGEST success yesterday was getting my 9 year old daughter to drink a fruit smoothie. It was actually her idea to make one and she loved it. I don't think my daughter has had a full serving of fruits or vegetables since she was about 3. It's no surprise she also has a weight problem. She says she likes apples and kiwi but in reality will only nibble a little and that's it. A vegetable? Out of the question! The closest thing she gets to that is tomato soup. It's a constant struggle with us. Anyway, the smoothie had a cup of strawberries and a half cup of blueberries and some sugar free orange drink mix (from the Hungry Girl 200 under 200 cookbook). I'd have never been able to get her to eat even one strawberry or one blueberry but here she was drinking a cup and a half of them! So I guess we'll try smoothies from now on! She has some ideas for other ones too and was really excited about it. And maybe with time she'll finally develop a taste for fruit. It's definately a step in the right direction!

My goals for this week are:
1) Stay within points
2) Exercise on the bike at least 20 minutes a day. Foot is still hurting so unfortunately, have to ease into excercise.
3) Keep blogging/journalling.
4) Follow some other blogs too.

Go Pack Go!

Day #7!! Almost a whole week. Trying to be really good and get some stuff this morning because I'm going to the bar to watch the big Packer game this afternoon. I'm planning on just drinking Diet Coke so I won't be wasting a lot of calories in mixed drinks today. Depending on where we end up going, there might be a delicious food spread but I know I can have a little and it's okay. I will skip the mindless eating that usually happens and pick what I really want. And enjoy it! Good planning this morning will leave me with lots of points left for the day and still have a bunch of weekly points left too. Of course, I have my first weigh in tomorrow morning so that's incentive to keep me in control too.

I've been reading a lot of other weight loss blogs the past fews days and it is so great to read the stories of other people going through the same things I am. Seeing the successes and the struggles are both helpful and great inspiration!

The Weekend is Finally Here!

So here I am on day 5 and things are going good. Got the exercise bike finally put together last night and I rode for 30 minutes last night. My left foot is still causing me lots of pain but the bike doesn't seem to bother it so guess this will be my only form of exercise for now - so really happy to have it! The girls are also having fun with it. My 9 year old daughter has even made a chart and is keeping track of the miles she does. So very encouraging there!

Last night, I had made a Sweet and Sour Chicken in the crock-pot recipe I found and it was AWESOME!! My mom came over for dinner and it was a great time. She's also restarted with WW so it was good to get together. We also went through the Hungry Girl 200 under 200 book and found some great things to try.

In the past, I often took weekends off. It helped me feel less deprived if I knew I had a free day coming up. Like earlier in the week, there was something I really wanted it and I just told myself "that's okay, you can eat it on Saturday" and the pressure was off and now that Saturday is here, I can't even remember what it was. Not that I'd totally go crazy on weekends - especially with a Monday weigh-in coming up - but it seemed to work for me to have a couples days where everything didn't revolve around measuring and keeping track of everything I ate. Anyway, it worked for me back when this was working for me... So not sure yet what I'll do this weekend. Might be too early in the process.

New Exercise Bike

Well it's the middle of day 3 and still going strong. Went grocery shopping again as I keep remembering all my favorites from other times on this journey. For lunch, I tried out a new whole grain bagel I found with ham, turkey and cheese. It was super filling and super satisfying. I've been doing good journalling my food which reminds me how much my eating has been out of control lately. I've been drinking lots of water which of course has me running to the bathroom constantly but I know that's an important part of the process!

Our new exercise bike arrived and I'm looking forward to putting it together tonight. Hoping it is a good exercise tool for me and my girls. My plan is that we'll have three stations with the treadmill, gazelle and bike and we'll be able to exercise together and take turns on each one to keep things fun and interesting. Which brings me to another project I have in mind and that is changing our mostly unused 'cat' room in the basement to a home gym. Although we have an open area in our basement that will work for the exercise equipment, I think having a special place dedicated to working out will be a great thing. A sign of the kind of lifestyle I want us to have. We never finished the drywall in that room so doing that and painting will be the biggest tasks. And when it's done, I can't wait to get a flat screen TV to mount on the wall! At some point, I'd also like to get a weight machine for in there but in the meantime our current three pieces of equipment will work for us.

One more thing... went to the dentist today and while I was sitting in the chair letting my mind wander while my teeth were getting cleaned, I tried to picture how different I could look the next time I get my teeth cleaned. A lot could change in 6 months!!

Me and My Girls

I can't wait til I can look back at this picture affectionately as my last 'before' picture. I do everything I can to be the one behind the camera and avoid being in pictures but it was important to my girls that we have a picture together in our matching pjs on Christmas Eve.

My first post

This is my new weight loss journal. In the past, journalling has really helped - never tried it online so we'll see how it goes... This time it has to work! I have to 'get' it this time. I have to lose the weight. I have to figure out what I haven't been able to figure out in the past. It's no longer about vanity. I can NOT physically carry this much extra weight around. I'm in pain ALL the time. My back. My knees. My neck. And especially my feet. At least one thing hurts all the time. Plus I have high blood pressure and heartburn all the time. I'm 36 years old and my body is falling apart. And the worst part is that I'm causing it all!

The one thing that has worked in past is Weight Watchers. About 5 years ago, I lost 49 pounds and felt great. Then I just quit. Can't remember why. Since then, I've gained back that 49 poinds plus 10. So I signed up for WW Online again. It worked before, it can work again. Unlike other diets, I know this is something I can do long term.

So I'm on Day 2 of tracking my eating with WW. So far so good. Plan to start exercising soon but my feet are really hurting the last couple days. Actually looking forward to being able to exercise.