Weight Loss Wednesday

Yay!

Yay-yay!

That weight I was a little behind on? Got it off this week.

I was down another 2.8 last night, for a total of 31.2.

I attribute it to getting back to my walking. Not only did I not walk when I was sick, I didn't walk much the week after that, either. But I walked 5 or 6 miles on Sunday when I was waiting around for my kids at their jobs, and I'm back to my weekday walks in the park with my friend (Hi Debbie!).

Plus, of course, watching what I eat helps.

It's a bore, but hey, it works.


Anyway, that's it for this week. For any of you also on the weight loss path, hope you're doing well. Let me know how things are going for you!

And for anyone just joining in, you can read what I've written on this subject previously right here:


Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10



Till next week, happy weight loss!!






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Thanks!

Weight Loss Wednesday

I had to skip my Weight Watcher's meeting last week due to the minor inconvenience of having my body ravaged by an ungodly flu-like illness.



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So I went last night with dread. I knew I'd gained. After all, I had gone from walking 20 - 25 miles per week to walking 20 - 25 steps a week. My appetite had diminished, true, but when I did feel like eating, gone was the resolve to put together something healthy, like a nice salad. Instead, I grabbed what was quick and easy. Cereal. Some toast. A bagel. Carbs and I became reacquainted. We were like long lost chums sitting down to catch up over a cup of coffee.

I was afraid, very afraid, to step on that scale.

But happy day, happy day, I lost another two pounds!

Total to date: 28.4 pounds down.

I had hoped to lose 30 pounds by the end of September, but I guess I'll have to settle for a week late.

And I can share a lesson learned here: if you're trying to lose some weight, be prepared for illness. Keep some healthy and easy-to-stomach foods on hand such as soup, crackers, and ..... oh I don't even know what else. I'm still thinking of my carbs. I miss them so.



Anyway, that's it for this week. For any of you also on the weight loss path, hope you're doing well. Let me know how things are going for you!

And for anyone just joining in, you can read what I've written on this subject previously right here:


Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9



Till next week, happy weight loss!!



And PS: Don't forget to keep checking out my son's blog. He'll be writing it for one month!




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Thanks!

Weight Loss Wednesday

I am nothing if not consistently inconsistent.

As per usual, I lost only about 1/2 pound this week, following a bigger weight loss last week. The good news is that I'm slated for another significant reduction when I weigh in next week. And I can still proudly lay claim to having a loss each and every week so far, so that's good.

My caseload at work picked up, so I wasn't able to walk quite as much. I had to cut back from four or five miles in the morning to three. Still, I got in over 20 miles through the course of the week, so not too shabby.

Plus, I started adding in some very lame, slow jogging in pathetically short stretches. Just enough to make me wish I were dead. But what started as 50 yards here, 30 yards there, has ramped up to where I can now run move slightly faster than your Granny's walk for an entire lap, which is 1/2 mile. I am hereby setting a goal OUT LOUD that this time next week I will be able to get through a full mile. Now there's no going back.

I take it back, I take it back, I'll never be able to do it!

Breathe....

I can do it.

Right???

Anyway, I have a recipe to share with you. One of my fellow WW cronies shared it with us last week and I tried it and I thought it was the bomb. Perfect when you want something sweet and yummy and comfort-foody.

What you do is you take a 6" tortilla, and you spread some cream cheese on it. Then you slice up 1/2 of an apple and put that on it, sprinkle some cinnamon on it, and roll it up. Nuke it for about 30 seconds and enjoy. It's like a little slice of apple pie. It tastes like you're doing something dreadfully wrong, but it's only about 3 points.



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Anyway, that's it for this week. For any of you also on the weight loss path, hope you're doing well. Let me know how things are going for you!

And for anyone just joining in, you can read what I've written on this subject previously right here:


Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8



Till next week, happy weight loss!!




Throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs? You know the drill by now. Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.



Thanks!

Weight Loss Wednesday

I went to my Weight Watcher's meeting last night.

I wasn't sure what to expect because, although I had been extremely active with cleaning/reorganizing/purging around the house, I had also eaten more than my fair share.

I hadn't gone crazy, but just off enough to start trembling as I stepped towards the scaly monster.

I held my breath....

Wait for it....

There is a God.

I lost 2 1/2 pounds this past week! That brings my total to 24 pounds, which is exactly where I wanted to be (I had set a goal for myself for 25 pounds off by the end of August, and I should be able to get another pound off by the time I flip the page on the proverbial calendar).

I know sometimes I fret over the amount lost each week. It's easy to get excited over 2 1/2 pounds, not so much for a 1/2 pound. 

But when I was waiting in line for my weigh-in, I glanced down at the log of my meetings. There's a column for the date, a column for the weight either lost or gained, and a column to put a plus or minus, for gain or loss. Since everything is arranged in the columns, it made it easy for me to see that each and every week, without fail, I had lost weight. Sometimes only a couple tenths of a pound, sometimes something more significant. But every week has been a loss, and I'm going to make it my business to let that be what I focus on.

Focus on a week, a day, on taking more steps and making healthy choices about what to eat.

One foot in front of the other....



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For any of you also on the weight loss path, hope you're doing well. Let me know how things are going for you!

For anyone just joining in, you can read what I've written on this subject previously right here:


Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5



Till next week, happy weight loss!!


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Thanks!

Weight Loss Wednesday

Unbelievable.

Just when you think customer service and business integrity are dead, the good people over at Fitbit go and do something like this.

I had been wearing my Fitbit faithfully, 24/7, since I had first taken it out of the package.

Loved. It.

It tracked my steps, my calories burned, my miles walked, my "very active" minutes and even my sleep patterns. It pitted me against a few other gals I had friended through the Fitbit community in a friendly competition which I found very motivating. It was the most useful weight loss tool I had ever encountered.

And then something terrible happened.

I was wearing it in the ocean, because I knew it to be waterproof and I wanted to track my activity while swimming and boogie boarding, and I hadn't seen any cautions against it. Two days in the ocean went fine. Third day was NOT the charm. I got hit hard with a big wave, and off it came. The surf was rougher that day, the water not so clear, and it was gone. My girls and I walked along trying to feel for it with our toes. I searched the beach thinking perhaps it would get washed ashore, but it was gone for good.

When I got back to the house we were staying at, I emailed Fitbit's customer service and explained what happened. I honestly didn't expect to get anywhere.

Much to my surprise, they emailed back the same day. Asked me for some particulars, and by the next day they were informing me they were replacing it for me. I should be receiving it any day now.

Fitbit ROCKS!



Anyway, back to the weight loss portion of this post, I didn't do quite so well at last night's meeting. Still a loss, but only a small one (0.6 pounds). Still, I guess even a small loss when on vacation is good, right? So now it's time to get back on track for a more sizable weight loss next week.

And if my Fitbit comes in soon? It'll be that much easier.





For any of you also on the weight loss path, hope you're doing well. Let me know how things are going for you!

For anyone just joining in, you can read what I've written on this subject previously right here:


Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4



Till next week, happy weight loss!!







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Thanks!

Weight Loss Wednesday

Last night was my Weight Watcher's Meeting, but I wasn't there because I'm away on vacation.

I'm not worried, though.

Even though I could be doing a lot better with what I eat (and what I drink *ahem*), I have been getting so much wonderful exercise.

"Wonderful exercise", you say?

Yes, wonderful exercise.

Each and every day I take an early morning walk on the beach, and each and every day I have gone swimming/boogie boarding, usually for what seems like hours, with my kids in the ocean.

I am in love with this kind of exercise. I don't feel like it is something I "have" to do or "should" do. It's simply something I "want" to do.




Why can't there be a beach in the PA countryside?





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Thanks!

Weight Loss Wednesday

I had a good week!

Finally.

I lost another three pounds, for a total of just under 21 down.  I had hoped to have 25 pounds off by the end of August, so I think I'm still on target for that.


One thing that I think made a big difference was getting a Fitbit.   I got the Flex, and I love it.




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Love. It.


It tracks my steps.

It tracks my sleep.

It tracks my blood pressure.

It tracks what I eat.





It's a little creepy, truth be told.

It's like wearing my own personal stalker on my wrist.



Seriously, though, it's fantastic.

It puts me in competition with myself. If I walked 5,000 steps yesterday, I'll want to walk 6,000 today. And 7,000 tomorrow.

See where I'm going here?

Yeah.

And every little bit helps.

Little bit.

Fitbit.





Anyway, for any of you also on the weight loss path, hope you're doing well. Let me know how things are going for you!

For anyone just joining in, you can read what I've written on this subject previously right here:


Week 1
Week 2
Week 3


Till next week, happy weight loss!!


*************

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Thanks!

Weight Loss Wednesday

Two months in, and still going strong.

I don't think I've lost any of my start-up motivation, knock wood. Don't know how long that will stay with me, but I'm hoping it's with me the rest of my life!

Because of the hospital ordeal this past week, I couldn't find much time for exercise and my food choices were less than stellar. Still, I managed to lose a teeny tiny bit of weight. Better than a gain, right?


So here's your food for thought this week:

Probably any one on a weight loss journey has seen this by now, but in case there are a few who haven't, here it is again.
It's a visual for keeping track of how much weight you'd like to lose, and how much you've lost.



I have to tell you it's very satisfying to move things over into the "pounds lost" jar.



As far as new exercise tips, I don't have one for you this week, as I'm still doing my squats challenge (see last week).
When I've completed that, I'll start something new, and share it with you here.

Point is, keep movin'!


Anyway, sorry not too much of a post this week, but I'll have more for you next week.

Keep the faith!!!




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Thanks!

Weight Loss Wednesday

OK, I'm back.

Couple busy weeks there, so I didn't have time to post anything on this topic last week.

And I'll admit (and if you are a regular reader you'll already know this) that I had a less-than-perfect stretch of a few days when I visited with my sisters in NYC about a week and a half ago.

But I'm back on track.

And I have a few tips I'd like to share.

The first two are just "food for thought" as it were. A couple of things that help me with my perspective.

The other is an exercise tip.

Food for Thought
If you went to the doctor, and he told you you only had six months to live, what would go through your mind? You would probably think of your loved ones, of how you wish you could have more time with them.  I doubt there is anyone who would think to themselves, "Geeze, I'm really going to miss eating!" Because food would not be something you would miss. And yet we give it so much thought and attention day by day, moment by moment. Doesn't add up.

Another thing. If someone told you that you had to lose all your senses but one, show of hands, who would choose taste as the sensation they couldn't live without? Why don't I see any hands? Because taste is just not that imortant to us in the grand scheme of things. And yet, again, we give it SO much importance in the moment.

To me, both of these thoughts go to show that we need to live more in the moments which make up our lives. Figure out what is important to us and let the way we live our lives reflect that.

Exercise
I haven't had too much time to exercise in the way that I want. But while I'm waiting for my schedule to slow down a bit, I've started an exercise program that only takes a few minutes a day and can be done anytime, anywhere, with no equipment needed.

It's a squat challenge I found on Pinterest. I'm currently up to 175 squats, and by the end of the month I should be doing 200.

It's easy while at the same time being hard.
I feel stronger already.

Roarrrr.



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So in summary, although I allowed for some special occasion eat-drink-and-be-merry-time, I did well on the plan, losing an additional three pounds, and bringing my total to just under 18 pounds.

I added in exercise and have been sticking to it pretty consistently, and I feel the difference.

I pulled some of my old shorts out of the dresser, and they FIT! They are a size smaller than my usual, and considering my usual was getting tight (who'm I kidding, I had ditched my usuals and had gone whole-hog yoga pants), it's really more like two sizes down.


But enough about me and my journey to getting fit, how about you?  Those of you who are on this same path, what's working, what's hard?  Share your epiphanies.

Because misery's not the only one who loves company.

So does success.
And joy.
And damn proud of yourself.










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Circle of Moms plug!

This is the LAST DAY to vote and I'm hoping to keep a place somewhere in the Top 25.

Will you help?


If you'd like to vote for me, just click on the image below, then scroll down till you see my blog, then click on the vote button. If I can keep in the top 25 I can get a cool badge to wear proudly on my blog!





XOXO!


*************

And don't forget Top Mommy Blogs! You know the drill by now. Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.



Thanks!

Weight Loss Wednesday

Stress.

High blood pressure.

Sleeping poorly.

Gaining weight.


Ugh.


Time to get serious

REALLY serious.




Image source



To that end, I've gone back to Weight Watchers.


I did the program years ago, and had great success, but then I let life get in the way of being faithful to the program, and I ate with abandon, and surprise, I gained the weight back and then some. And THEN some.

Recently I tried to cut back on my own, but I wasn't really taking it seriously enough, and wasn't getting anywhere.

I think I was afraid to make any kind of real commitment because I thought it would just be one more source of stress and that was the last thing I needed in my life right now.

But I finally decided to just do it.

And I am so glad.

I've been doing well with the weight loss (about 15 pounds so far), but more importantly, I'm at a place in my head where I feel like food doesn't control me. Like it just doesn't matter if I can eat the whatever-it-is-that's-in-front-of-me-at-the-moment.

I don't know if that feeling is with me to stay or if it's temporary since I'm all eager-beaver right now and all.

All I know is that getting fit and healthy right now is important to me.

Very important.

So I thought I'd do a weekly thing on my blog that shares thoughts, tips, progress, set backs, etc.

And I have a before picture, but I'm not ready to share it yet. Maybe in a few months when I have a decent after  in progress picture to put up.


If anyone else is going through something similar, I'd love to hear from you. Maybe we can form our own little support group.






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My blog has been nominated for the Top 25 Moms With Big Families - 2013 list on Circle of Moms!
If you'd like to vote for me, just click on the image below, then scroll down till you see my blog, then click on the vote button. You can vote once a day till the contest ends on 7/24. If I can keep in the top 25 I can get a cool badge to wear proudly on my blog!




XOXO!


*************

And don't forget Top Mommy Blogs! You know the drill by now. Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.



Thanks!