No news is good news... or so they say...

Goodness, I don't even want to think about how long it's been since my last post.  I know it was some time in October.  I'd intended to keep posting, right through the holidays, so we could all keep each other motivated to stay on track in spite of all those holiday goodies.  Well, that didn't happen!  But I have good reason.  Really. I promise.

On October 30th, much to my shock and surprise, I had a positive pregnancy test!  Our little one is expected to join our family sometime around July 2nd.  I had an ultrasound earlier this month and the little peanut is growing - just as babies do so well!  After the initial shock, we're very excited.  But I can assure you, it was a shock.  As in: I hyperventilated in the bathroom before I got the guts to tell my husband.  Wow. He thought I was kidding.

I'm trying.  Really. I'm trying to keep watching what I eat.  The first couple weeks, I did well.  Sticking with lower calorie snacks and treats.  Lots of fruit, etc.  Then I started getting sick and well, you just eat what sounds good when you're sick.  Then I had about two weeks there where my appetite all but disappeared.  Turns out, I was having gallbladder issues.  Thank the Good Lord for Hydrangea and Gall Bladder Flush.  Two wonderful herbal remedies from Nature's Sunshine.  They have worked wonders at calming my troubled gallbladder and I'm feeling much better.

To date, I've gained 4.6lbs since that fateful day in October.  That's just over a half pound per week (since I found out).  If I continue with this rate, that's another 13 lb gain before July gets here.  I would love to keep it there...

I know it's a little late, but MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! 

How was your weight loss/gain over Christmas?

Yesterday is... yesterday...

I ended up going over my daily PointsPlus target by 16 bonus points.  It was worth it though.  Bubby and I made apple pie for Daddy and had to try a piece.  Plus, I just had one of those I'm-hungry-and-can't-seem-to-get-full days.  As I sit here typing, I believe I may have figured out why: vitamins.  I forgot to take them.  oops!  Just goes to show, they really ARE important... and probably could have saved myself about 8 "empty" points (points that have no nutrition value).

Today is a new day and so far: so good!  More about that later!

Tuesday Morning WI

Weigh in: -1.4 lbs!!  (I originally thought I'd lost 1.6 but my WW weigh in record proved me wrong - still, I'm happy).

Just goes to prove:  If ya kinda do it, it kinda works.  If you really do it, it really works!!

Weekend Success!

As usual, I tracked my breakfast Saturday morning - then didn't track a stinkin' thing until this morning.  I was SURE I'd over done my PointsPlus goal.  But this morning, I sat down and tracked it all.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that I still had points left over!  Even though I splurged on a late night snack of Oreo's and milk.  ☺

I sneak peeked at work... which I shouldn't have done.  It seems I was very successful this week... however, I'm keeping in mind that the scales at work always weigh me less than the scales at home. I need to stick to weighing at home 'cause I'm not hurting anyone other than myself by weighing somewhere else!

On a side note - Papa Murphy's take and bake pizza - DeLite line - is relatively low in PointsPlus value!  We had the Medaterannian Chicken this weekend and it was only 5 PointsPlus per slice (pizza was cut in 8 slices).  Pretty good considering Casey's is 8-10 for a 12th of a pizza!  And I really liked the flavor! 

I'm such a loser!



Yesterday went very well for me!  I did go over my PointsPlus target slightly, but thankfully have those extra weekly Points to keep me on track!  I didn't get to walk... the football team was practicing thus blocking the track.  So I played with my 3 YO son and 4 YO nephew - which was fun and earned me one activity point!

Today - so far so good.  I've already eaten 4 out of 5 veggie/fruit servings.  Drank over half my water intake too!  And still have 15 PointsPlus left to get me through the evening!  Oh yeah, baby!  I will hit that 50 lb mark by Christmas!

I like to eat fruit in season... which means it's apple time now!  What other fruit is in season?  I've thought about pumpkin, but other than pumpkin pie, don't know much about how to use pumpkin.  Any suggestions?  Any other fruits you can think of?

Who needs a title?

I hate to put a title because
1) my titles are all starting to sound the same: "new goal" "I need motivation" etc. etc.
2) this time, I really mean it!

So this morning, I read through some of my very first blog entries... you know, back when I was successful and had great weigh-ins?  Back when my weight loss was actually weight lost.  Wow.  I really don't have words for the many mixed emotions I felt.  I felt disappointment when I remembered the day my average was 1.2 lbs lost per week... And when I realized just how close to goal I'd have been today if I could have stuck with it.  I feel hope when I realize it's not too late to do something about it.  I felt embarressed when I realized I hit my 25 lb goal back in March - but now can't seem to get to 30... 7 months later. But I feel inspired to try again. I felt like rejoining WW when I realized how slack I've gotten, but I now feel I can do this.  I just have to let go of the past.  I can't change the past.  I have to take control of my future.

I'm not alone in this.  My sisters may have passed me in their weight loss efforts, but I will catch up!  Look out girls!  Here I come! 

I have to share with you the emails between the three of us this morning:

From: Nettie Beard
Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2011
To: Grace Miller; amyg'
Subject: RE: Weight goal...

I've been re-reading my blog - starting at day one.  I don't even have words to describe what I'm feeling right now. I'm disappointed in myself, yet hopeful because I know I can do this again.  I'm inspired to get serious, yet depressed when I realize how close I could have been to goal by now.  So many mixed emotions.  Now the question is: what am I going to do about it?

Nettie

Grace had two responses:

From: Grace Miller 
Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2011

To: Nettie Beard; amyg
Subject: RE: Weight goal...

I've been re-reading my blog - starting at day one.  I don't even have words to describe what I'm feeling right now. I'm *sensored* hopeful because I know I can do this again.  I'm inspired to get serious *sensored*.  Now the question is: what am I going to do about it?

 

---

From: Grace Miller 
Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2011
To: Nettie Beard;
Subject: RE: Weight goal...

1)     Let go of the bad. Forget it. It’s over, there’s nothing you can do. The guilt only holds you back.

2)     Focus on the big picture. You lost 30 lbs!! Think where you’d be if you hadn’t gotten on weight watchers.

3)     You’re not dieting. You’re changing a life. Give yourself some room to breathe! J You don’t have to hurry and lose weight, you have the rest of your life to get to where you want to be. Now, granted, we don’t want it to take that long. But if it takes 2-3 years? Of 85+??? That’s so little time!! So what that it took 2-3 years?? You get to enjoy it forever! J

4)     Again: You’re changing a life. You need to learn to adjust your eating habits. It’s not about losing weight, it’s about eating just enough to stay at your ideal weight. So you have to learn how much you can eat and still be where you want to be.

5)     Again, and I can’t say it enough (and you know your WW leader would be saying the same thing) LET GO OF THE BAD. There’s nothing good that can come of the disappointment and guilt. Look how far you HAVE came, forget how far you could’ve come. J J J J

6)     WE ARE ALWAYS HERE AND WE LOVE YOU NO MATTER WHAT!!!! J ♥ J ♥ J ♥ J ♥ J ♥ J ♥ J

Isn't that sweet?!?!  I am blessed to have the support of my sisters!  Both of whom are doing a spectacular job losing their weight.  (And both had successful weigh in's this week!)

So with the help of my sisters and husband, I am starting over.  We have set a new goal: 50 lbs by Christmas!  Anyone else want to join us?  If we meet this goal?  The prize is: food on Christmas Day doesn't count!

Here's my plan and approach:

 

Just kidding...

I'm re-listing my goals for losing weight:

1) Be healthy - today, tomorrow, forever!

2) Give my son a healthy, free-from-fat-fight, life

Skinny is just a side benefit!  Although it will be GREAT to get back into my favorite dress I've hung on to for the past several years......



Still here somewhere....

I'm still here!!! I've been so busy it seems. Although I don't feel I've been very productive lately. I think it's these nice evenings. I just want to soak them in instead of working through them. Which means stuff goes undone. Which means I get behind. And so this vicious cycle continues.

This weeks weigh in was encouraging! I lost 1.6! I'm less than a pound from my pre-vaca weight! Finally!!

Tracking this week has been non-existent, but I vow to correct this in the morning!

Challenges and Walking in the Dark

I've done very well at getting up each morning to walk this week.  Quite proud of myself actually!  But then, I've had something driving it... a little voice in my head that keeps reminding me: Friday, we're having a company breakfast at work.  Then there are the three church dinners I have to get through too... So far I've earned 10 activity points and haven't eat ANY of my bonus points.  How about a wager?  Wanna bet that I at all 59 of those points????  :D

Funny story... at this time of year, I'm walking in the dark.  Not my favorite thing to do, but I'm determined!  So I get up this morning and head out.  I have my iPod playing away but I notice it seems extra dark today.  I look around and realize there are no stars or moon to be seen.  Which means: it's cloudy.  So for some reason, I'm suddenly very paranoid.  Every little noise makes me jump!  Including Peter Cottontail who runs off as I walk past.  Well, if you can call it "walk".  I jumped too high to really call it "walk".  I ended up shutting off my iPod so I can hear better.  If someone had walked up behind me and said "boo" I probably would have screamed and passed out!  Thankfully, I lived to tell this story.

Oh great.  Now that I've told this, some one's bound to be waiting for me in the dark tomorrow - just so they can watch me scream and pass out.......

Weigh In

Wooohooo!  I'm down 2.8!  If only I deserved that loss, but regardless, I'm taking it!  Illness does funny things to the body!  However, that new number on the scale was the "shot-in-the-arm" I needed!

Umph-ing up some motivation

So my sisters and I were talking about our recent stall in weight loss.  We were all doing so good pre-vacation.  It's odd (and depressing) how one week "off" has cost me nearly a month "off".  I can't seem to get back in the swing of walking every day.  I've had one excuse or another.  Too tired.  Too cold.  Rainy looking. You name it, I've used the excuse to stay cuddled in my warm bed.

But no more.  I'm scared senseless.  I'm scared I'm going to gain this weight back. Again.  It's not an option for me.  I refuse to even consider it.  But how do I get back to that all time motivation?  That drive I had pre-vacation? 

Neither of my sisters had the perfect answer, we did come up with this idea:

Tonight, spend some time on ourselves.
Looking at before and after pictures. 
Taking our measurements. 
And vowing to get back to some form of exercise 6 days a week.

I've taken my measurements and am frustrated that the good ol' hips went up two inches.  Guess I'm still carrying vacation with me.  Everything else moved down.  Yay!

Here's a before picture - not full length, but the damage is bad enough:

October 2010

Another before picture (about the only full length I can find):

August 2010

And yet one more oldie:

July 2010

So here are the "after" pictures:

June 2011

August 2011



August 2011

I've come to the conclusion: I have lost weight.  Maybe not high in numbers, but I'll get there.  I'm gonna keep moving on.  I will be setting my alarm for 5:55 tomorrow AM.  My shoes and clothes are ready to go.  I can't give up.

So the only thing I ask from you is: a comment.  I write these blogs as if the whole world reads them, when really, it's probably only my dear sisters reading.  In case you hadn't noticed, my actual measurements are NOT posted in this blog entry because I'm telling myself that someone might see it and what will they think?  So please, dear Reader, leave me a comment.  Anything just to let me know you were here and you are holding me accountable!

Weigh in

*disappointed sigh* Weigh in was not what i was hoping for. -1.8 is a great loss under normal circumstances, but not what I would have liked to see. I have no one to blame but myself... And the family reunion... And the fish fry... Yep. My own fault!

Today has went well. It's a good way to start the week!

Missing? Over 100 lbs!

Don't we look FABULOUS!!

L to R: Nettie [-30], Grace [-36], Amy [-30], Sharon (Mom) [-8]

Back at it again...

I’m horribly embarrassed to say my vacation cost me seven pounds.  Yes, you read that right. I keep telling myself that I need some extra fiber, or it’s due to a lack of water intake, or even possibly due to that monthly cycle… but facts are facts.  And it’s not a pretty picture.  But once again, I draw my strength from knowing today is a brand new day and I can start over again.  Vacation was a lot of fun - filled with (obviously too many) goodies.  Things like home made donuts and filled pastries… Ice cream, coconut cake, and oh many other tasty treats!  Bless my dear aunts heart… she bought us a lot of fruit and veggies… and I ate some, but not enough!  My own fault!  I’d like to be mad but being mad won’t do anything to change the facts!

Since this is my first official week as a “Weight Watcher” without the meetings, I’m even more determined to make this a good week.  The odds are against me because my refrig is bare of good fruits and veggies.  I will prevail!

I changed my weigh in day to Tuesday.  That means Tuesday mornings, I’ll need to get up and weigh in first thing.  I’ve set a reminder on my phone – otherwise I’ll never remember… I’m too accustomed to Monday night weigh in’s!

So here I go!  Week 3… or should I say Week 1 all over again?

The big 30!!!!

Yep! I did it! 30 pounds lost!!!!!!!

Sent from my iPhone

Recap: Week 2, Day 1

Week two hasn't started off quite as successful as last week but it was worth it... please, allow me to explain.

Last night, DH and I had our first date night in quite some time.  It was so nice to get away for a couple hours and just enjoy the evening together.  We went to Ryans because we had a coupon to get a free meal.  I hit the salad bar first and made myself a delicious 4 PointPlus salad.  I like that Ryans has the good lettuce - even though I don't know the name of it.  You know what kind I'm talking about?  The dark green leafy lettuce that makes you feel like you're eating a dandelion?? I topped it with tomatoes, brocolli, chopped eggs, ham, olives, a little cheese, and fat free ranch.  Yum.  It was scrumptious.

Yes, I had a roll.  One roll without butter. 

Then I had a some popcorn shrimp. 

The meal was finished off with one cookie and a rice krispie treat.  Yep, I had to dip into my weekly bonus points, but it was worth it. Especially for the time away with my dear hubby.

Today has been great so far...

Oil? Check! Check!
Activity? Check!
Vitamins? Check!
Dairy? Check!

And I still have a big bowl of watermelon in the fridge to enjoy later!  Yum!

Success - Week 1

So last week started out fabulously!  I did very well until Sunday.  Ugh.  Then I bombed.  I quit tracking when I ran out of PointsPlus - unfortunately, I didn't quit eating.  I'm ashamed of myself... but I can't change the past... only the future!  Two church dinners in one weekend is about more than this girl can handle!

In spite of my bombed out Sunday afternoon, I scored a .2 loss.  That brings my total weight loss to 27.4 pounds. I can't wait to hit that 30 lb mark.  It seems so close, yet so far away.  -sigh-  But I'll take what I can get.  And as I realized last night:  no one sees the number on the scales, but they CAN see the inches I'm losing.  I think it's time to check my measurement's again!

But now I'm scared to death.  Scared because I've taken the plunge. I'm gonna try this on my own.  I have decided, not to quit WW, but to change my plan of action. I will still be paying for the WW eTools.  This means I still have access to the software, just not the meetings, the support group, the weekly magazine, etc.  I keep telling myself that I'll do fine, but truly, I'm scared to death.  Scared that I'll give up and quit.  In fact, I have this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that is telling me I've made a dreadful mistake.  Now I don't know what to do.  Part of me thinks I can do this with the help of the Good Lord and my dear sisters.  The other part of me is just plain chicken. I need me to be strong.  I need me to keep going, even during the gains.  I do NOT want to gain this weight back for the 3rd? 4th? time!  I'm tired of being overweight and unhealthy.  I want a healthier lifestyle for me!  In doing it for me, I help my family too. So here goes!

Today has been successful so far - walked, vitamins, tracking!  It's a date night tonight... and I have 13 daily PointsPlus left for the day.  Hmmm... hopefully we go somewhere with a great salad bar! :-)

Success - Day Three!

I’m feeling pretty good!  3 days of eating my PointsPlus target.  I have yet to touch any of the Weekly Bonus PointsPlus!  Plus, activity too!  Here is this week’s progress report:

Last night I made chicken strips – yep, even fried them!  I have been finding I can fry my foods if I do small things like – use a small amount of flour, using skim milk and egg white only for dipping, and frying in a small amount of oil instead of the deep fryer!  They were so good and I only had two.  It seemed like I’d never quit eating last night.  I had two chicken strips with BBQ sauce, corn on the cob, cottage cheese, and zucchini sautéed in spray butter.   When I was finished I still had 3 PointsPlus left over so yes, as a matter of fact, I did have an ice cream sandwich! It was awesome!

(Aldi has their own version of the Skinny Cow Ice Cream/Cookie sandwich – they’re delicious, huge, and only 3 PointsPlus.)

My sister challenged us all to walk 30 minutes a day – any time of the day, just do it and text us all to let us know you completed your walk.  Little did she know, I’d already intended to start walking.  This is the perfect time of the year to walk in the mornings!  The mornings are cool and beautiful.  I am really enjoying it – even though it means I have to get up at 5:30ish.  I remember reading an interesting article about walking and all the health benefits.  I can’t remember where I read it, but I found this one online posted by Mayo Clinic.  So not am I walking to boost my weight loss and get in shape, I’m also lowering my cholesterol! 

Success - Day Two!

Yesterday was another successful day!  I even had pizza and stayed on plan! Yee-haw!  I love pizza – even if it’s cheap frozen pizza’s like we had last night!

I forgot my vitamins yesterday…  My dear hubby was off yesterday and had Bubby all day.  When I went home for lunch, I ignored my phone so I could spend the time with my boys.  By ignoring my phone, I missed my reminder to take my vitamins.  I should have set a second reminder, but I completely forgot them.  Something I’ve really got to work on!

No activity today – well, none to speak of.  I walked back and forth to work… all 35 steps and back.  J

Working on Day 3!  Taking it one day at a time!

She Did It!!

My other sister, Grace, completed the 30 Day Shred with Jillian!  Now it’s official – both of my sisters are better women than I am!! 

I’m so proud of you, Grace!  Keep up the good work!

Success - Day One!

Yesterday was a success!  By success, I mean: I stayed within my daily PointsPlus target!  Plus had one to spare.  I couldn’t tell you the last time that happened!  Plus, I met nearly all the good health guidelines.  I missed my oil servings and was shy one dairy serving.  But I remembered to take my vitamins, got in a little activity, drank the entire water requirement, and all the F/V [fruit/veggie] requirements.   Yee-haw!

I found individual serving sized bags of trail mix at Aldi last night.  It was 6 PointsPlus for the whole bag, but it was loaded with protein and fiber!  It consisted of peanuts, dried fruit, and a few white chocolate chips.  I really enjoyed the blend.  Plus, I didn’t come home from grocery shopping starving… and I had no temptation to stop for ice cream or some other fat loaded snack after shopping! 

So far so good today…  Will update more later!

PS: I loved this article from Weight Watchers: The Stuck-At-Home Workout!

NSV

Now, after giving myself that royal chewing… I have to post some self-motivation too…

Last weekend we went to the lake with some family… we had a great time, but the most exciting thing? 

Swimming… I swam a lot.  Well, maybe not a lot for an Olympic competitor, but considering I would barely get 6 feet from the boat last year… I swam a lot.  Keep in mind, I’m not really good at guessing feet and yards when it comes to distances… but I was able to swim a distance away from the boat.  My guess is 30-40 feet.  Not just once, not twice, but several times. The icing on the cake?  I was swimming against the current.  Go me!

Clean Slate

 “Tomorrow is new day with no mistakes in it, yet.”

~Miss Stacey of Avonlea~

Don’t you just love second chances?  I know I do.  Recently, it seems there have been a lot of things that have stood out to me… all related to second chances.  More importantly, how I am the one in control of second chances.  (Yes, I am a Christian and I know God is the one in ultimate control, but hear me out.)

My pound-shedding, weight-watching, butt-kicking sister posted this interesting concept:

When you miss your turn, the GPS doesn't berate you, doesn't scold you. Instead it says very politely to take the next available u-turn.
The GPS allows for mistakes and tries to help you correct them.
You're going to turn left at the hotdogs, make a right at the blueberry pie, and occasionally merge onto the interstate of banana-nut pancakes with a side order of sausage patties. Does that mean you should steer off the dietary cliff and fall into the fatty crevasse of destructive eating? Of course not.
Repeat the YOU diet mantra:
"At the next available moment, make an authorized YOU-turn."
Get back on the road.

(Borrowed from the book "YOU On A Diet)

Okay, so it’s an interesting concept and I agree with it, but I wasn’t quite ready to make the change. 

Later, I noticed one of those black and white marquee signs on the side of the road with this quote:

Headed in the wrong direction?  God allows u-turns!

Hmm… I think Someone is trying to tell me something…  But since I’m so hard headed, I still didn’t listen.  I blatantly pigged out through the weekend.  I mean, since I’m headed in the wrong direction, I might as well crash, right??  It was only a .8 gain!!

Then yesterday, a dear friend was asking me about the Weight Watchers plan.  She made the statement “when you were really doing the plan…” and that’s when the load of bricks hit me.  (Don’t get me wrong; I was in no way offended by her statement)

• I don’t have to tell anyone that I’m not sticking with the plan like I should. 
• No one has to see my eTools app to know I don’t track like should.
• I don’t have to post my weight loss on here to know I’m not “doing the plan.”

My body is doing the telling for me.

So even when someone tells me I’m looking good, or they can really tell I’m loosing weight, I should take it for the compliment that it is and the motivation that it is and get myself in gear!

I’m really tired of messing around with this.  Since April, my total weight loss has been a whopping 5.8 pounds.  Did you read that right??  5.8 pounds!  That’s about four and a half months and less than 6 sticking pounds.  I keep saying I’ll take any loss I can get, but this is pathetic. 

Don’t try to stop me or tell me I’m doing great!  ‘Cause I know the truth.

I’m going to whip this thing called fat.  My determination is ready to go.  I’m taking advantage of the fact that today is a new day with no mistakes in it yet.  I’ve set my WW options online back to “week 1” and starting over today.  My phone is set with a bunch of reminders.  There is no reason I can’t do this!

Just so you know… I set my alarm this morning so I could get up and go walking…  sure enough, it went off just like it promised.  I turned it off and promptly fell back to sleep!  Purely by accident!!!   Guess I gotta work on that too.

Fried Zuchinni?

Who says you can't have zucchini and fry it too??? 3 of these babies for 1 PointPlus!

Confession is good for the soul, right?

So, it’s confession time.  No, I’m not Catholic, but growing up, I couldn’t tell you how many times I heard my mother say those words.

I’ve been avoiding a certain question my sister’s keep pestering me with: what kind of workout are you doing?

Well, I decided to start The Shred.  First, I was curious about it to see what all the hype was about.  I’ve watched Biggest Loser and I really don’t care for Jillian.  She seems too arrogant to me.  I’ve always liked Bob better.  But friends kept going on about this workout. My curiosity didn’t get the better of me until my sister posted she was nearly done with the 30 days.  I couldn’t believe how fast the 30 days had gone by.  Surely I could do it for 30 days, right?  I didn’t tell too many people I’d started it… for one thing, if I decided to quit, no one would be the wiser!

I figured up the time I thought I would need to Shred + morning devotions + get my son and I ready =  I would need to get up around 5:30 AM each day.  I recently watched a special by Dr. Oz where he talked about getting the most from your workout.  He recommends a morning workout as you’re jump-starting your metabolism rather than working out in the evening when your body is working through all the calories you’ve ingested through out the day.  It made sense… so I’m up at 5:30.

Pre-day 1 – I borrowed the DVD from a friend at work; the night before Day 1, I watched part of the first workout and was scoffing.  Anyone can do jumping jacks, a few pushups, and chest flies.  What’s the big deal?

Day 1 – Tuesday: by the second circuit, I was about to die.  And feeling like an idiot for scoffing at the workout the night before.   I can’t do a minute of pushups (even the ‘easy’ way).  Jumping rope in place made me hack up a lung… And bicycle crunches… oh don’t go there!  Let’s just say, I’m glad no one saw that!  I made it through but my legs felt like jelly and I wondered how I’d make it through a shower!  I also noticed my right calf felt like it was locked – kinda like a “charley horse”.  I drank a very large, loaded-with-protein, smoothie for breakfast and was pleasantly surprised at how great I felt all day!

Day 2 – Wednesday: Surprisingly, day 2 was much easier than I anticipated.  In fact, my calf muscle opened right up and I was feeling good!  I’d already noticed an increase in my energy level.   After the workout, I drank another smoothie.  Man, them things are great!  Very little hunger after one of those protein packed babies!  However, after I’d cooled down, that calf muscle locked back up – tighter than before.  I limped the rest of the day. 

Keep in mind, I’ve never participated in any type of organized sports.  I know nothing about sport injuries and very little about stretching, etc.  But I knew what my body was telling me about my calf.  I was very concerned I’d pushed too far and was going to end up with a permanent injury.  I can handle sore – and boy was I sore.  But the calf was something altogether different than ‘sore.’ 

Thursday: when the alarm went off at 5:30, I could barely walk due to my calf.  I crawled back in bed wondering if the Shred was right for me.  That day, I looked online and found some good calf stretches and decided to work on that calf muscle throughout the day.  I was limping and had to do a lot of stretching throughout the day.

Friday: the calf is doing some better but I continued to limp some.  I continued stretching off and on throughout the day.  By Friday night, it was feeling much better.  I’m ready to Shred again!

Day 3 – Saturday: I got up and started shredding at 5:30.  About 5:45, my son came sleepily into the room and crawled on to the couch to watch.  After about 5 minutes, he’s up and “working out” with me!  That was so fun!  Especially when we’re punching… man he was swinging those arms, kicking his legs! He was going to town!  His crunches were especially cute too!   And to top it off, the workout was the easiest yet – plus no problems with the calf. (I’d noticed there aren’t many calf stretches on the DVD so I stretch before and after working out.)

Sunday – slept in!

Day 4 – Monday: I worked out and weighed myself.  The weight results were not what I wanted.   Plus, day 4 seemed to be about as hard as day 1!  What gives?  Needless to say, while I accept the .8 loss (which pushed me to a total weight loss of 28.2 lbs!), it was very disappointing after working out 4 out of 7 days.  I know; now I have to try to live by my own preaching, which is: be thankful for the little losses too!

Day 5, 6, 7, etc. have yet to happen.  This week I’ve not been faithful to get to bed at a decent time and therefore, when that alarm goes off at 5:30, it’s been very easy to hit snooze… or off… and keep right on sleeping.  Trust me, I’ve got all KINDS of excuses to stay in bed!

I’m not giving up on the Shred, I just need more motivation.  I expect I’ll get plenty nagging motivation now that I’ve confessed.

So girls, are you surprised?  Or were you expecting it all along?

PS: I also found out - when you work out in secret, you can't get any sympathy for your pain!

Mobile update

Confession:

I'm horrible about tracking. I barely keep up on my iPhone. Then to move it over here? It's nearly asking too much of myself. I know its a pathetic excuse, but unfortunately it's the truth.

Goal:
I've set a personal goal. I'd love to hit 52 pounds by the end of October. That's one year from my start date. I'm gonna have to kick it in to high gear. Really high gear. So I'm doing what I can.

Loss:
My total weight loss has officially topped 28 lbs! Yay!!

Sent from my iPhone

Giving credit where it's due!

Yesterday I recived a nice little motivational story on my phone via mobile updates from Facebook.  It reads like this:

This is my dear sister, Amy.  I'm SO proud of her for sticking to the Shred for the full 30 days!!!  I'm not sure I could have done the same thing.  She's very inspirational to me - especially when it comes to weight loss! 

Way to go, Amy!  Set that new goal quickly!  I know you can do it! 

More inspiration...

I loved this blog entry from Grocery Shrink!  As much effort as I put into weight loss, I would have caved... somewhere... :-)

Tracking

Food Tracker
Daily Target: 29
  PointsPlus values
Morning
smoothie - Quick-added food
6
Midday
chicken sandwich w/tomato on whole grain bread - Quick-added food
7
1 large peach(es)
0
Evening
home made pizza - Quick-added food
15
Anytime
3 serving(s) tortilla
11
Activity Earned
Swimming, lap, leisurely (slower than 50 yards/minute) - 10 min 1
aerobics, vigorous effort - 25 min 6
swimming, leisurely, not lap swimming - 15 min 1
Previous day Next day

Tracking

Breakfast
Smoothie: 4  (I found this great bagged fruit at Aldi's; it's called Fiesta Blend. Pineapple, mango, papaya, and strawberries; blend with 1/2 cup of orange juice, 2 teaspoons of oil, a banana, and ice cubes.  Yum!)
Coffee with creamer: 2

Lunch
Spaghetti: 7
Animal Crackers: 3

Supper
3 pieces of large pepperoni pizza: 18
Salad with light ranch dressing and cheese: 4
Country style pork ribs: 6

Total points used: 40
Weekly Remaining: 28
(Points Plus target: 29)

No activity to speak of... this was supposed to be veg out night... ☺

Biggest loser?

So my sisters and I are challenging each other to see who can lose the most weight between now and the end of next month. I, of course, intend to be the biggest loser. Part of the challenge is tracking every day. Here goes:

Breakfast
Cereal bar: 2
Creamer: 2

Lunch
Spaghetti: 7

Dinner
Chicken patty heated without oil: 5
pepperidge Farm bread: 1
Mayo: 1
Mac-n-cheese: 8 (todays killer)
Baked fries: 4
2 Mini Butterfingers: 5
Smoothie: 2

Total: 37
Activity: 6

Hot weather = Smoothie weather!

I love smoothies... of all kinds.  Well, almost.  I have, in my expiramenting, created some rather nasty smoothies.  But for the most part, yum.  Green smoothies are so healthy and yet SO delicious!  My son (who won't touch fruit) slurps down green smoothies and even turns down candy for a smoothie! 

This recipe isn't exactly a smoothie, but mamma mia!  Yumminess in a glass! 

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/07/watermelon-granita/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+pwcooks+%28The+Pioneer+Woman+Cooks%21%29

According to the recipe card (click 'print' for the card) this is 8 servings.  That means this is 0 PointsPlus!  Woohoo!  I can't wait to try it.  I love all things watermelon and I'm sure this will be no different.

In other news... today's weigh in was a 1.2 loss... however, in the scheme of things, I'm still trying to get rid of last weeks gain.  Not quite enough of a loss to even it out, but still, I'm going to take it!  Here's my most recent chart - see the right hand side?  Not nearly as nicely slanted as the left hand side.  I've purposed to do something about it!  Watch and see!

Inspiration...

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/07/15/macias.weight.loss.irpt/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

I love this story.  This kid is living proof that lifestyle changes start with Y-O-U!  (I'm talking to me!) ☺

help!

I'm stress eating and can't seem to quit!  Today's calls (at work) are about to push me over the edge and I don't have an outlet.  So I'm venting.  Here.  Don't expect specifics, just a bunch of rambling. 

Today I've had

5 or 6 cookies - justifed because they're gluten free, which means 'fat free,' right?
5 bite size Hershey bars
Angel food cake and strawberries
Chips and dip

I'm drinking a ton of water to give that 'full' feeling and have tried chewing gum.   I'm considering eating my chair next.

Pizza for dinner tonight (already planned with friends)

And this comes after the past three days of staying on track really well...

This is a test... Am I set up now?

Announcement!!!

I couldn't wait to post this...

As you know, my sisters and I are each other's support group.  We're constantly emailing or texting to keep each other on track and motiviated.  Today, our total combined weight loss is:

64 pounds!!!

64 pounds!!!

64 pounds!!!

Yes, we doing fantastic!!!  Love you, Amy and Grace!  Couldn't do this without you!!

MIA! Who me?

Goodness, it’s been a while since my last post.  A lot has happened in the past few weeks…

First of all, the tornado that demolished a large part of Joplin, MO affected my life.  No, I do not live in Joplin, but I do a lot of shopping and other business there.  In fact, I had shopped in and ate at several of the places that were wiped out in the tornado.  We were in town when the tornado hit, but by God’s grace, the house we were in was completely unaffected. 

Work – now that another story.  I work for an insurance company that had a very large amount of business in Joplin.  The last I knew, we’d received over 800 claims and losses were in the multi-millions.  A few years back, I worked in Claims so now have been recruited to help cover the workload over there.  I have been spared a large portion of the work, but enjoyed being able to pitch in and help.  Our company has been hugely affected by this event. 

Vacation – My DH and D2YOS went on a nice little vacation over Memorial Day weekend.  It was wonderful to get away for a few days and just breathe.  I was able to do a little shopping but mostly, we just enjoyed each other and spent time together.  Yes, I ate too much on vacation!  But the good news is that even though I was eating too much, my choices were healthier foods.  WW has impacted my choices positively!

WW – Speaking of WW, due to work related stress and that mini vacation, I let my tracking go.  Not a good idea and yes, I saw a 2 pound gain because of it.  Guess what this week’s topic was at WW?  If you said “tracking” then you are absolutely correct!!  Yep, so back to tracking it is.  I’m actually quite proud of myself as I’ve done extremely well with my tracking this week.  It could have something to do with my new-to-me iPhone and the great little WW app that is available!  Whatever the reason, it’s keeping me on track and making better decisions.

“Track only on days you want to lose!”

~Borrowed from my WW leader

Oil – one of the Good Health Guidelines set up by WW is to include 2 teaspoons of healthy oil in your diet every day.  This means two points per day used up on oil… seems contradictory to me… but they’re the scientists right?  I’m paying them to tell me how to do this, right?  Thanks to some serious motivation from my DS, I’m now trying it this week.  I want to see how it affects my weight loss.  I’ve been adding it to my smoothies each day… tried it in oatmeal, but that wasn’t my preferred method.  Smoothies covers up the taste completely!  I’ll report back on oil and the results later.

Smoothies – an excellent, quick, breakfast… that’s oh so low in PointsPlus values!  Plus it’s an excellent way to get my D2YOS to eat fruit… he normally won’t touch it with a stick!  How do I make a smoothie? Well… there is a science to it:  make it like you like it!  I normally start with ½ cup of juice or milk, add frozen fruit of my choice, and blend away!  The only thing with PointsPlus values is the juice or milk (and oil – if you add it).  Awesome, quick, and nutricious!

So what’s been going on in your life lately?

It's Official!

I hit two major goals tonight!!!

First: 10%

Second: 25 lbs gone for good!

☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺

WW Leader, Bernie, and I

(wish I would have did something with that hair before we took this pic!)

WI Apprehension

Why is it...

• Even when you've done great all week
• Even when you've tracked 17 activity points
• Even when you've drank water like you should
• Even you're expecting to loose

You still feel so apprehensive about weigh in day???

If Friday night hadn't (Mucho Mexico... the best Mexican food this side of the river) happened... I'd be pumped about tonight's weigh in.

So disappointed in Blogger...

Anyone noticed the missing posts?  The site was down for several hours and supposedly all posts were to be restored.  Apparently not.  I'm missing one, another friend of mine is missing one, and I know there were posts I saw, intended to read later, but are gone.  What's up with that, Blogger?

Sore but no water issues!

It’s a beautiful day… the sun is shining… I’ve been getting in lots of activity – in the form of gardening and cleaning.  I’ve been tracking, tracking, tracking.  So I know I’m great! 

Well, almost great...  I’m really sore from the 2-½ hours of gardening I did Tuesday night.  Anytime I sit for very long, I get extremely stiff and sore all over again.  Last night, after sitting through church and then the ride home, I was especially sore.  Yes, I’ve been laughed at, but I disregard it ‘cause my flowerbeds look great!    But for some reason, I keep hearing this voice inside my head.  It sounds a lot like the voice of my husband telling me I need to start working out at the gym more because I shouldn’t be this sore from “a little” gardening.  LOL  I love that man, doesn’t he have a great sense of humor?  I’m pretty sure, no matter how in shape you are, if you do an activity you’re not used to, you’re bound to be “a little” sore.  Right?  Anyways, my perfectly unacceptable excuse for not using the gym is: I don’t want to go alone.  Tee hee.

Just wondering?  Am I the only one that has struggled with getting in all my water?  Well, I think I’ve licked the issue for the moment.  I bought two (one for home, one for work) 24 oz tumblers from Wal-Mart at a nice price of $4.37 each.  These tumblers are acrylic with the re-usable straw.  They look like a to-go cup from a convenience store, but are reusable.  One drawback is that they’re not dishwasher safe.  But I’ll take that little inconvenience… since I bought the tumblers, I’ve hit my water target plus – EVERY DAY!  I know WW recommends six 8oz servings of water, but I’ve been getting at least 8, sometimes 9 servings per day.  Now, if you want to get technical, I know you’re supposed to divide your body weight in half, blah, blah, blah, etc.  I’ll take what I’m getting now and be extremely happy with myself!  Who knows, maybe I’ll eventually work up to that 100+ ounces of water per day. 

So how do you get in your water?  Or do you drink water at all?

Reverse Psychology Needed...

No, I didn’t update last week.  Why?  I was so ashamed of myself.  Yes, I gained.  A whole 1.4 lbs.  I was very disappointed with myself and just couldn’t bring myself to admit it to my readers.  The ironic thing is that last week I was doing my best to motivate others who were discouraged with their weight loss journey.  Talk about needing to live by my own preaching!

On my way home last week, I had a nice long chat with myself.  I figured the cost to drive back and forth to my WW meetings each week.  With gas around $3.85 here, that computes to approximately $23.10 in gas expense each month… and that expense is on top of my $39.95 membership fees.  I love going to the meetings.  I look forward to them each week.  It may have something to do with the fact that it is 2-3 hours of perfectly acceptable, guilt-free, Me time.  Regardless the reason, I really don’t want to give up my meetings.  However, since I’ve flat-lined on my weight loss, I’m feeling bad for the extra expense I’m generating with nothing to show for it.  I know there are other health benefits beside weight loss, but the point in WW is: weight loss.  I gently scolded myself and decided that I had to get back on track and start seeing results in order to justify all this expense.  So…

This week, I tracked.  I ate fruit (can some one say: WATERMELON!) and stayed within my point range.  Even with Mother’s Day BBQ on Sunday (can some one say: OREO PUDDING!) I did very well.  At one point, I weighed myself (at home) and had lost three pounds.  It’s a really good feeling to know you’re doing well. 

So yesterday, my normal weigh-in day, one of my dear friends decided to go in labor.  With her first baby.  A sweet occasion I couldn’t miss.  Trust me, I was torn.  I wanted to go to WW just so I could celebrate a successful week, but knew I couldn’t miss meeting this new little fella.  So, I weighed at work (their scales tend to be more accurate than mine) and documented my weight loss for the week. 

Talk about a great week!  I’m down 4.2 lbs!  Which pushes me to my 25 lb mark and I sailed right past that 10% mark that keeps avoiding me.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  It’s not official until I weigh in on WW scales in front of a WW leader.  But make no mistake; I will keep it off this week.  I’ve loaded up on fruit and other low PointsPlus foods and I’m ready to face the week.  I will make it all official next week.  And… I will make it officially into ONE-derland! 

Here’s the stats so far:

Hold me accountable, People!  Send me mean emails telling me I can’t do it.  The reverse psychology will kick in and I will do it just to prove you wrong! 

Loser!!

Yes, thank you very much, I did lose!  Yeah!  1.2 lbs - goodbye forever!  That puts my  total weight loss at 22.6 lbs.  Only a tiny little .4 lbs away from hitting that 10% victory again!  In case you don't remember, you can read HERE about my gain that kicked me out from celebrating my 10%.  I WILL celebrate next week!

So while I'm at it... check this out:

How's that for kicking flat lines in the proverbial rear??  Take THAT flat line!  (If you look really close, the circle on the far right has taken a tiny little dip - but I'm still kicking the flat line!)

The topic for this weeks meeting was trying something new.  I had some chicken I needed to use up.  I decided to try out chicken spaghetti.  The only bad thing is... when I have a dutch oven FULL of spaghetti, how do you technically know how many servings that is?  I don't have a clue... if your a man, it might only be 4 servings... for me, it's probably closer to 10 servings.  So I guessed at a, hopefully, safe 8 servings... I could be way off!

Try it - you might want to cut back on the chicken broth... but hope you enjoy!