Still Going...

(No weigh-in today) 
I decided I'm only going to weigh-in once or twice a week.
About to go exercise - pretty good yesterday, drank only water and coffee, only carbs were a small serving of rice at dinner, and the sugar in the creamer I used in my coffee in the am.  Today, good so far!  Now we'll see how I feel after an exercise video!  :)

Another Beginning

Today's Weight - 216.1 (Up!!)
Well, at least I haven't gained back all I lost!!  I'm still down more than 11 pounds!  :)  So, now it's time to get going again - take off the eleven or so pounds I've gained back, which should be pretty easy as it's new weight, and then lose another ten, and then some more, and so on....  I can do that!  Especially since Joanna's getting married in a little less than four weeks, and if I don't take off a good bit of weight between now and then, I won't have anything to wear!!  Even if I could afford to buy something new, I would look awful in it at this weight!  So, I'm trying to drink nothing but water and coffee, cut out most carbs, and exercise most days.  At least walk!  Hopefully work up to running.  I would LOVE to try Zumba!!  I know I would love it, and I would DEFINITELY lose weight doing that!!  At least I can turn on some music and DANCE!
Well, off we go!!  :)

Grrrr....

Late night munchies - which I don't usually suffer from.  And even more bizarre, I'm craving ICE CREAM!  I hardly ever really care for ice cream!!  If I'm going to go off on a binge, it's a food binge, not generally dessert.  And when I do have a dessert craving, it's fudge or brownies or cheesecake, not ice cream!  But tonight, I suddenly NEED ice cream.  And yet even more strange, when I told Julie and Joseph about this unnatural craving, they both confessed that they had just been talking about needing ice cream!!  Of course, Joseph's craving involved not only ice cream, but brownies and hot fudge....

Whew!! Now, Time To Get Back On Track...

Today's Weight - 212-5 (Down 1.6)
I finally found and unpacked the Wii since the move (more than two weeks ago!), but I've still got a LOT of unpacking to do!!!  I was pleased that I was down almost a pound (0.9) from the last time I weighed in, and there is so much good going on in my life right now that I'm hoping it will encourage me to go on to the next level.  A little difficult, when I'm completely broke, but at least I can drink plenty of water!!  :)

Another Try

Today's Weight - 214.1 (No change)
Not doing too well with all the chaos going on, so I'm fairly thankful that I wasn't up this week.  I am really looking forward to being in the new house!!  Also looking forward to starting school July 6!!  :)
It will probably be difficult to be as careful as I should be this week, since I'm packing up the kitchen, but I am going to try.  It might also be difficult to find the time to exercise, but I know I'll need a break now and then - if I will only take my break outside, instead of in front of the computer!!!
Also, Joy has shown me a new website that helps keep track of nutrition, exercise, and helps keep you motivated!!!  So here is a link to my blog on SparkPeople.com  - 
http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal.asp?id=JONI1965

Back Again...

Today's Weight - 214.1 (Up 1.4)
Definitely not bad, taking into consideration how completely undisciplined I've been.  Every bit as bad as if I had never begun.  And for about a month.  Lots of stress, knowing that in June 1)we HAVE to move, and 2)my income decreases by $300 a month.  Also, very unsure (and discouraged) about whether or not I can get a job, and whether my financial aid was going to come through for starting school on July 6.  
Now, I'm breathing a little easier - we have found a house, and if I can make it through the financial hardship of all the deposits, I think I'll make it - especially if I can get a job!  I have a little more optimism (today, at least) about finding something.  And I found out that my financial aid is ready to go!  Registration is tomorrow, and I am looking forward to doing something towards being independent.  So now I am wanting to get back on track, and take off this ridiculous excess weight.  Already, I've been feeling crummier, and not sleeping as well, just with the little more I've regained.  (I am SO thankful it wasn't more - I was expecting to be back up around 220).
It ought to be easy to lose weight, when I can't afford to buy any food!!  No tea, so we're all drinking water!  I am just now having a fiber bar, with ice water, for breakfast (at 11:30am!!), and I'm going to make some coffee.  (We do still have some coffee - just no sugar or creamer!!!).  Might even take Jenny to the pool for a while today, to take a break from packing, and to get her away from her movies!!  She misses school!

*Long, Resigned Sigh*

Today's Weight - 212.7 (Up ???? ALOT)
Well.  I guess that's what happens when you do absolutely nothing to lose weight, and eat like you were never interested in getting thin and healthy.  

Yay!

Today's Weight - 209.2 (Down 0.5)
Not much time this morning, but it's good to be down after the snack I had yesterday afternoon!!!!!  Everything else was great - cereal for breakfast, lunch was a peanut butter sandwich on those flatbreads, dinner a grain bar - but in the afternoon, I ate half a bag of those veggie chips!!!  With sweet tea!!!  :O

Slow And Steady...

Today's Weight - 209.7 (Down 0.4)
As long as it's going down, or even holding ground (for a day or two!), I'm happy!  Of course, I'd love to weigh 135 TODAY! but I'm very happy to be smaller today than I was a few months ago, and looking forward with great anticipation to being smaller still this summer!!  Yesterday I had cereal for breakfast (very healthy organic granola with almonds and dark chocolate! - but I really need to get some more skim milk!), with water and coffee, then for lunch - - - OH MY!  Joy and Charles took me to Fogo Del ????? in Buckhead!!!  Oh my goodness.  I have had some good filet mignon in my life, but yesterday....  there has never been filet mignon until then.  I melted!  (You know how a good filet "melts" in your mouth?).  Everything was incredible!  The salad bar - I would have been perfectly content to just eat that - that is, until the meats starting coming around.  I didn't know food could be that good!!  And I have had some good food!   *sigh*
After eating such a substantial meal, I was hoping not to have to eat at all the rest of the day (we ate at noon), but after spending the afternoon playing in the pool at Joy and Charles', I was hungry by 5pm!  So I made a deli sandwich on that cool "flat" bread, and even had some chips.  And didn't eat until almost 7!  Oh, I also had a half flatbread with peanut butter!  And I was still down this morning!!!!  Yay!

Whew!!! That's A Relief!

Today's Weight - 210.1 (Down 2.4)
Yay!  I guess being hungry yesterday paid off!  It wasn't necessarily easy going from total indulgence to no coke, no tea, no fries, and only two meals rather than eating whenever and whatever I wanted!  But all day long, I wanted the freedom from obesity more than I wanted food - so it worked!  Now just to remember that....
I had a grain bar for breakfast (along with coffee and ice water, of course), skipped lunch and went to West Bank Park instead, to get too much sun!!, then had a sandwich and a handful of chips for dinner, just after 6.  (Water, of course).  Oh yeah, I also had a spoonful of peanut butter while I was making dinner for the kids, before I started my sandwich.  I got some new bread, called "sandwich thins" - pretty cool, like flatbread, only round and sliced open.  So instead of 160-220 calories in the bread you eat in a typical sandwich, this was only 100 calories in bread.  They have several whole-grain varieties to choose from.  (They were on sale!!)  Pretty good with Boar's Head Salsalito Turkey! (also on sale).

Really Need To Find My Groove Again!!

Today's Weight - 212.5 (Up 3.4)
Well, NOW I'm on the other side of 210!  Still, I was prepared for worse.  But now is the time to halt the reverse momentum - before it gets more costly.  I cannot forget how much I have enjoyed the benefits I have already reaped - just being down twenty pounds (or even fifteen....).  There is no way I want to give that up!!  Even though I have a long way to go - particularly as I'm doing this really slow!! - it is still rewarding on the way;  I don't have to wait until I reach my ultimate goal to enjoy it!!  It's fun on the way there!
So today, I'm going back to water (which I love, remember?), and healthy eating (no more junk!!).  And I don't have to consider that a sacrifice - I like the foods I eat when I am eating healthy.  Some people don't, and that does make it difficult.  Plus, I want to add exercise as part of my daily routine, not just an extra I throw in once a week or so...

These Breaks Will Wipe Me Out!

Today's Weight - 209.9 (Up 1.0)

Actually, I'm very thankful - I was trying hard to prepare myself for a much bigger gain - I was afraid I'd be back well on the other side of 210.

Oops...

Today's Weight - 208.9 (Up 0.7)
I didn't really mean to skip yesterday's post/confession... although it wasn't a pleasant thought to have to tell that I had gained the 0.9 pounds back that I had taken off the day before.  Anyway, after being up 0.9 yesterday, this morning I am down 0.2 - actually a pleasant surprise, since I had lunch at Red Lobster yesterday (I think I had three cheese biscuits!), and then for dinner...!  First, I had a fiber bar at 5:30, so that should have done me for the rest of the day;  I wanted to eat early.  But when I made pepperoni pizza for the kids....  I caved and had two pieces - at 8pm - and drank a coke and a half!!!!  So I was very pleased to be down this morning!  :)  Now, to try to control myself today...

Who Knows...?

Today's Weight - 208.1 (Down 0.9)
Well, that proves that yesterday's excessive gain was a fluke.  Because I sure shouldn't have lost any yesterday.  I had cereal for breakfast, with coffee and water, but after that - that was it!  I don't even remember what I had for lunch, but I had McDonald's fries and a coke about 5, for an after-school snack, and Julie's shepherd's pie for dinner, and then I made toffee! and ate half of it!!!  Late!!!  Drank coke and sweet tea...  just ridiculous.  And I lost 0.9 pounds!  Well, I do feel better, so I'm going to try to keep going in that direction.  What a ride!

Yuck...

Today's Weight - 209.0 (Up 2.9)
It looks like I was really bad over the weekend - and although I did "relax" a bit (fish tacos and sweet tea Saturday night, Zaxby's fries, nibblerz, and coke for lunch on Sunday, and Giorgio's! with sweet tea for dinner Sunday night, not to mention tortilla chips with spinach, cheese, and artichoke dip as a snack!), I have done far worse with less catastrophic results.  I believe my gain is partly digestive (or the lack thereof), and partly retaining water (which is sort-of related).  I feel bloated, and my whole abdomen is sore, and hard as a brick (and not because I have great abs, either!).  So I am hoping to see that disappear soon, and be back on track.  In the meantime, I don't feel so good, and I'm afraid I won't feel like exercising, so I guess we'll see how that goes.  At least for right now, I don't want to eat again, ever!   :) 

Yay!

Today's Weight - 206.1 (Down 0.3)
Definitely a little disappointing, but still - thankful to be going in the right direction.  If I will keep on going through these slow spots, the weight-loss will catch up, and I'll see much more satisfying results in just a few days!  Yesterday, I had a whole bagel (both slices) with low-fat cream cheese (with chives and onions!), along with my coffee and ice water.  For lunch, a ham sandwich on whole grain with o.o. mayo, and water.  I snacked on (too many!!) cashews and cinnamon-covered almonds in the late afternoon, and had two slices of real pizza (from Little Caesars!) for dinner - and it was fairly late, around 8pm.  So maybe being down only 0.3 pounds is pretty good after all!  I'd forgotten all the nuts, and how late dinner was, and the fact that they were real pieces of pizza, instead of just small slices of frozen pizza!  Okay, now I feel better!  
Today is such a nice day, I think I will go walk on the Greenway, or up at Central Park!  :)
I just realized that this week alone, I've lost 4.2 pounds!!  That is something to be thankful for!!!!  :)  
(I had to come back and add that after reviewing the week!!)

I Made It To Friday!

Today's Weight - 206.4 (Down 0.4)
Good - another day in the green!  Today's is a little disappointing, considering that I did really well yesterday - but no!  I won't even say that!!  I am completely thankful that I went down 0.4, and not up 0.4.  That happens at times, even on those days I've been good!  So I'll take this little baby step, because it gets me (a little) closer to where I want to go!
I had cereal for breakfast (Cinnamon Quaker Oat Squares), with water and coffee, and a tuna sandwich for lunch (whole grain bread, very small amount of mayo made with olive oil), with water.  Had another cup of coffee sometime during the early part of the day...  Then I had two small slices of Red Baron pizza at about 5:30, with water - oh yeah, and a handful of cashews while I was waiting on the pizza!  So I had nothing but water after eating the pizza at 5:30.  But for some reason I feel like I'm retaining water.  Well, we'll see how tomorrow looks - as long as I behave today!!!  :)

Still Going Down...!

Today's Weight - 206.8 (Down 0.9)
Yay!  Now I've lost 20 pounds (again!)!!  And I've made a small beginning on the next ten.  My "low" is 205.7, so I hope to be back there by Saturday - maybe even tomorrow, if I do well today!!  (That's only1.1 pounds).  Then I will have completely lost all I gained back.  Oh, I am so looking forward to being in the 100's again!!!!
Yesterday I had an omelet for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and then - made toffee for Julie!  And I only scraped the spoon and pan!  :)  Actually, after getting the kids from school, I actually ate a small piece.  And then had a "diet" bar for early dinner - and another cup of coffee!  So really, having lost almost a pound is pretty good.  I'm happy with it!  

Underway Again!

Today's Weight - 207.7 (Down 0.6)
I told myself to be thankful for going down instead of up, and I was!  Of course, it was alot more fun to lose two pounds in a day, but I can't do that everyday.  I think the difference is that I ate late last night, whereas the night before, I ate early.  Monday I had oatmeal for breakfast, Subway 6-inch club (no mayo or cheese), with baked BBQ Lays and diet coke, and for dinner, since lunch was so big and so late (3pm), I only had a couple of slices of deli chicken - about 5:30.  
Yesterday, I had cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, a snack in the afternoon of a few pineapple chunks, cheddar cheese cubes (4), and the little bit of fresh broccoli (raw).  Oh - I also had one container of this sugar-free Jell-o mousse early in the afternoon.  Then for dinner, Julie made her MOST delicious chicken soup, so I had two bowls of that, and it was after 8:30.  At least I didn't have cornbread!!  That certainly saved me!  When I don't specify another beverage, I had water.  And of course, at least one cup of coffee in the morning!  (I think I had two yesterday...)
Anyway, today, I will try to eat dinner earlier (and lighter!).
 

YAY!!! :)

Today's Weight - 208.3 (Down 2 pounds!!)
Wahoo!!  I'm so relieved to be back under 210 - yes, I know that is a whole lot to weigh, but it's SO much better than 227, or even than 217.  Now I have only 0.8 to (re)lose to be back to twenty down, then I'm on my way to being THIRTY DOWN!!!  That will feel GREAT!  I am looking forward to it!  It is going to happen!  :)

Back!

Today's Weight - 210.3 (Up 1.3)
Okay.  I'm back from my break.  Time to get to the next level.  I am truly thankful that my relapse only cost me (another) 1.3 pounds, because I have totally abandoned all of my healthy activities, and lived like an unhealthy slob with a death wish.  Oddly, perhaps the thing that saves me from a weight-gain in proportion to my departure is the same thing that caused the departure in the first place - my unpredictable cycle (or what's left of it!).  That's usually when I start my nosedive, and when I'm through it (assuming I live through the crash), the extra fluid weight is gone, so my weight goes back down a little.  
Anyway, I'm back, and I'm going to work towards taking off 2.8 pounds (to get me back to twenty down), and then get serious about taking off the next ten.  That will put me at thirty pounds down - that's getting to be serious weight-loss!  Go for it!

I'm Back...

Today's Weight - 209 (Up 0.9)
It could definitely be worse this time!!  I've been on the roller coaster again, and this time I stayed for a while.  I haven't logged in since last Friday (a week ago), and since then, I've only been "good" for portions of two days.  So I am really pleased that I'm not back up in the teens.....  pleased that I'm only 1.5 pounds up from the 20 I'd lost.  No point in thinking about where I COULD have been by now, if.......  There are no "if"s.  So, going forward from here, even though I'm heading into another weekend, I want to reign in my roller coaster impulses and behave.  I don't want to lose the freedom I've gained thus far!

Could Be Worse!

Today's Weight - 208.1 (No Change)
It could be much worse - so I am encouraged by the "no change".  I kind of lost my motivation in the late afternoon, yesterday, and had chips and dip, and two hamburgers for dinner.  Oh yeah, and Coke.  So I am pretty thankful that I didn't gain some more back!  I was good for breakfast and lunch, so I guess that kept me from going up.  I am going to try to behave better this weekend than I have lately, so that I can at least hold on to what I've accomplished.  

...Well, Maybe....

Today's Weight - 208.1 (Up 0.6)

Yesterday I would have had to record a gain of 1.5 pounds - hence, the absence of yesterday's journal entry.  I know I should go on and record those unpleasant days too, so that maybe I can figure out what triggers my nosedives.  But yesterday, I just didn't care.  

The day before yesterday was great - up until the point that I decided to go eat Mexican for dinner, instead of having the last fiber bar.  And I enjoyed dinner so much!  We sat outside on the patio, the weather was delightful, we laughed and had a great time!  Joy, Isaac, Addy, Joseph, Jenny, Joanna, and I.  I don't regret it - I just could have chosen something better from the menu, and avoided the cheese dip!  However, after seeing that it had cost me 1.5 pounds (yesterday morning), I pretty much threw everything out the window, and had an even worse day - I did behave for breakfast, but for lunch I had 12 Chic-Fil-A nuggets, fries, and a diet Dr. Pepper, and for dinner - two pieces of Tombstone pepperoni pizza, and a bowl of Dinty Moore beef stew with rice.  And I drank sweet tea all day.  And yet, this morning, my weight was back down 0.9 pounds.  Go figure!  I guess my gain of 1.5 the day before was only temporary.  

Anyway, I'm not giving up.  I'll just continue taking the slow route - like the tortoise who eventually won the race.

Now I'm Back!

Today's Weight - 207.5 (Down 1.7)

Whew!  *Sigh of relief*  Now I'm back to being twenty pounds down!  I really think that eating early, and drinking water instead of sweetened beverages, are my two biggest allies.  I didn't really do very well for lunch yesterday!!  I went to the zoo with Joy and the kids, and instead of eating my fiber bar for lunch, we ate at the Wild Planet Cafe!  It smelled SO good!  I got a turkey and ham wrap instead of chicken fingers or pizza or a burger, but I had homemade potato chips with it!!   At least I had a diet coke instead of regular coke (although I should have had water!!).  But I made up for it by eating dinner early, and it was a small dinner - the fiber bar I had ignored at lunch!  I also exercised for about 50 minutes on the Wii last night.

I feel SO much better being back on track, and at least regaining my twenty-pound landmark!  And I love going to the zoo!!  It feels like a mini-vacation - the gorgeous tropical (or jungle) foliage, and such nice world music all over the zoo.  It was a gorgeous day!

Rainy Days And Mondays...

Today's Weight - 209.2 (Up 1.1)

Sigh.  My eating binge, lasting five days, has cost me three-and-a-half pounds.  But here's the good news - I can take those three-and-a-half pounds back off this week, and then be well on my way down below 200, for the first time in more than almost four years.  So that is my plan - I have had more heartburn these last five days than I have had in two months!  Not good.  Plus I enjoy my new clothes and jewelry so much, and am SO looking forward to a fun summer, that there is no way I would give up.  I'm going in the right direction again.  :)

Well.... Here I Am....

Today's Weight - 208.1 (Up 1.3)

*profound sigh*  Well, back on the roller coaster!  Somehow, this one's not as fun as the ones I love at Six Flags and Busch Gardens!!!!   You might notice I didn't record anything here yesterday.  That's always a bad sign.  (Unless I'm suddenly invited to go to the beach).  For days I had been craving something rich and cheesy - lasagna, or pizza....  but I didn't have any money!!!  So Wednesday, when I finally got my check!, I ate a BBQ bacon cheeseburger (with fries and a Coke!) from Steak N Shake.  Then we went to Golden Corral for dinner!!  Needless to say, my weight was up Thursday morning (when I didn't log in!) by 0.9 pounds.  And then yesterday, for lunch, I met Joy and Charles and kids at RED LOBSTER!!!  Two of those out-of-this-world-delicious cheddar biscuits!  and breaded seafood-stuffed tilapia, plus a baked potato with sour cream and butter and a salad with bleu cheese dressing!  And instead of skipping supper, like I intended, I had three pieces of Dominoes Pizza WITH Coke!!!  I was pretty surprised that this morning, I was only up 0.4 pounds from yesterday!  Of course I've been doing absolutely NOTHING active!  So actually, I am rather thankful that my backsliding didn't have even worse results.  (So very much like my spiritual backsliding - God always graciously intervenes before I slide too far).  

Well, I did enjoy everything I ate!  But the solid fact is - I also REALLY enjoy being twenty pounds lighter!!  (Well, almost twenty pounds! - since I re-gained some!!).  And I am REALLY looking forward to a great THIN healthy summer!!!  That I enjoy even more than I enjoy the food!!  Except for the seafood.  And actually, the seafood still goes hand-in-hand with a healthy life.  I do finally and sincerely prefer my seafood grilled - you can better taste and appreciate it that way, than battered and fried!  (Although battered and butterflied fried shrimp is still pretty close to the top of my favorite list!).  So I can be healthy, active, thin, and STILL eat my favorite foods in the world!  :)  Okay, that sounds like a plan! 

Same Ol', Same Ol'...

Today's Weight - 206.8 (No Change)

I guess no change is better than a change in the wrong direction! Still suffering from extreme inertia. :/

The Ides Of March

Today's Weight - 206.8 (Up 0.4)

Well, considering that I completely abandoned any pretense of healthy eating yesterday, I should be pretty thankful that it's not up more!  I had a Hot Pocket for breakfast (not even a Lean Pocket!) with sweet tea, and of course my usual cup or two of coffee, inadvertently skipped lunch, and for early dinner I ate a whole Totitnos Pizza!  (with sweet tea!).  I think today will be a better day than yesterday.

Bummer... :p

Today's Weight - 206.4 (Up 0.7)

I don't know if it was drinking one-and-a-half glasses of sweet iced tea, or eating supper too late, but I'm up today....  blah.  Well, I know the highs can't last forever, and I was on such a high this past weekend that I knew I'd have to be starting downhill sometime soon!  It was beginning to feel a little precarious.  Oh well, I'm still enjoying the benefits of going down to give up!  :)  (It could also have been getting on the scale at different times yesterday and today!  Yesterday I didn't weigh in until after 11am, and today it was 7-something).

Six Good Days In A Row!!

Today's Weight - 205.7 (Down 1.3)

Yay!!  Down again!  And it's even the weekend!!!  Yesterday, I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast, and tuna sandwich (whole-grain bread, 1tsp olive oil mayo for the whole can of tuna) for lunch, with ice water and a cup of coffee.  I didn't intend to skip dinner, but the timing, and my lack of money, made it happen.  However, I made up the difference by having three drinks at the singles party I went to at the 57th Fighter Group!!!  (and I didn't buy any of them!!)  :)

YEEEHAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 

 

Ugh!!  Fighting with the photo manager again!!!

 Anyway, as you can see, I made it to my next mini-goal!!  Another ten pounds down, for a total of TWENTY!!!!!  Whooohoooooooo!  That feels like real, visible progress!!

Today's Weight - 207.0 (Down 0.7)

I'm so excited!!!  Perfect timing, as yesterday I had my first "date"!!  And tonight, I'm going to another singles party at the 57th Fighter Group!!  :)

So here are my first/ten down/twenty down measurements:

Bust              49       / 47      / 46

Waist            47       / 44      / 41.75

Hips              50      / 49       / 48

Thigh            28      / 27       / 25

Calf               17.75  / 16.25 / 15.75

Upper Arm  15.75 / 15.5   / 15

Forearm       12      / 10.5   / 10

Thursday, I had cereal with skim milk for breakfast, with coffee and water, a tuna sandwich (whole-grain bread, olive oil mayo) for lunch with water, and a fiber meal bar for dinner - and was down 2.2 pounds the next morning!  Yesterday, I had cereal again, with skim milk, coffee, and water for breakfast, salmon and steamed vegetables for lunch!  (lunch date!), and another diet bar for dinner, and snacked on some pretzels in between lunch and dinner.  I also had a piece of brown bread with butter at lunch, while waiting for our entrees to come out.  

I'm so excited with this progress, I think I'll be pretty good over the weekend!!  THIS IS FUN!!!  :)

                                                        

yes Yes YES!!!!!!!!! OH YES!

Today's Weight - 207.7 (Down 2.2)

YES!!!!!  I am so excited!!!  Down 2.2 pounds, yet another new "low", and now only two-tenths of a pound away from being down twenty pounds!!  New pictures and measurements to compare, a trip to Charming Charlie (as soon as I have money!!) - and best of all, it feels so GOOD!!!!!!!!!!  (plus, I have a lunch date today!!)  This is worth every chili dog and french fry and gelatto I ever gave up!!!!  Thank you, Lord, for days like this, that are jewels on the strand that is my life!!  :)

New Low!!!! :)

Today's Weight - 209.9 (Down 0.9)

Yeah, I'll definitely take (almost) a pound down!!!  Yay!  A new low, and now I'm in single digits;  hopefully, only for a couple of weeks - then I'll be below 200 for the first time in four years!  When I think about how overweight that still is, it can be pretty discouraging.  But the fact that I'm feeling better and better as it goes down keeps me going!  Now, another 2.4 pounds and I'll FINALLY be at my next 10!

Hooray!

Today's Weight - 210.8 (Down 0.4)

Yay!  Down another small amount - - - I'll take it!!  :)

Going Down Again!

Today's Weight - 211.2 (Down 1.1)

Yay.  I am glad to be going down again.  I just wish I felt better!!  I would be more excited about it, and maybe I would want to go outside and exercise today.  I still have the remains of a migraine from last night, and the mysterious pain in by lower back/abdomen that makes it so hard to do anything.  But even as I record this, I'm beginning to feel a little better.  Maybe after a cup or two of coffee....

Yesterday I had a great time at the zoo with Joy and her kids!!!  I'd forgotten how much I enjoy being there.  The animals, and the beautiful landscaping, make you feel like you're traveling in another country.  I'm looking forward to going back!  :)

Roller Coaster Weekend

Today's Weight - 212.3 (Up 1.1)

What an up-and-down ride this has been for the last several days.  For the life of me, I can't figure out why, when I got on the Wii this morning, my weight was actually down 1.1 from Saturday's high (which was up another 2.2 from Friday's!).  Bizarre.  If you think I voluntarily did anything to effect a weight loss yesterday, you are sadly mistaken.  I've been bad for several days....  Saturday morning, on the way to babysit at Johnny's, I had breakfast at Chick-Fil-A, then had a cinnamon-raisin bagel at Johnny's.  On the way home, we had lunch at Five Guys!!  TONS of the most delicious fries you ever bought at a food establishment.  For dinner, Jenny and I went to Joy's to get pizza - three pieces, plus Coke, and on the way to her house, I stopped and got a chocolate turnover from Arby's!!!  Then I had a huge omelet for breakfast/lunch yesterday, and then three pieces of leftover pizza (from Joy's) for dinner.  Coke and sweet tea all weekend.  And I just didn't really care.  But in spite of not caring too much, I'm getting back into the game today.  I'm very encouraged, and thankful, that all-in-all, over my long weekend, I'm only up a little over two pounds.  So maybe I'll be able to reach my next landmark ten, for a total of twenty pounds lost, sooner than I was anticipating.  4.8 pounds to go to get there, and I can do that in a week, if I can behave - through the good days and the bad days!

Bleh :p

Today's Weight - 211.2 (Up 1.1)

Well, here I am again.  I didn't even want to log in yesterday, to record that my weight was up 0.7 pounds.  Instead, I ate three cinnamon rolls for breakfast, ChikFilA (including fries) for lunch, and soup and cornbread for dinner, and was actually surprised that this morning, after I convinced myself to get back on the Wii, I was only up another 0.4 pounds.  So a total gain of only a little over one pound.  Yesterday, even aside from having my weight go up, I just felt like crud.  And it went seriously downhill from there.  No graceful nose-dive this time, no.  Just nose-down, negative-G, screaming straight into the ground.  

But I feel - physically - so much worse today, that I'm going to get back into gear, whether I lose more weight or not.  No more coke or junk.  My back-or-whatever-it-is-in-there hurts so bad I can hardly sit/stand/walk/lay down.  And leg cramps!!!!!!   UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So we'll see what eating healthy can do about that.  And if I lose more weight, great.  I'll take it.

So-So :/

Today's Weight - 210.1 (Down 0.4)
I know it's stupid of me to be anything but happy that my weight is DOWN, but I was so good yesterday it was almost painful, and I have only four-tenths of a pound to show for that?  But I know it was good in the long run.  I just need to be more patient!  And four-tenths of a pound down is better than staying the same, or being heavier!!
I can't figure out how to update my ticker, with Google Chrome (which is WAY faster than Firefox, btw) - I can't get my dumb Firefox to open!!!

Forgotten Meals...

I notice that I have kind of dropped the log I was keeping of what I eat, and that can be very helpful to go back and look at when I encounter something unexpected.  So I'm going to do that again, starting with today.  For breakfast, after taking the kids to school, I had a sandwich - I couldn't WAIT til lunchtime to have some of the Boar's Head Londonport Roast Beef that was on sale at Publix!  That is the best deli meat EVER!  I had a sandwich on whole-grain bread with a tsp of olive oil mayo, ice water, and a second cup of coffee.  (I also had a cup of coffee before taking the kids to school).  Since I had lunch for breakfast, I decided to have a "breakfast bar" for lunch!  I ate that at about 2:30, with ice water and a THIRD cup of coffee!  I look over all the specs on the different cereal/fiber bars at the store, and pick ones that are high in fiber and protein, and low in carbs and fat.  I ate an early dinner (about 5:30) of another roast beef sandwich, same as at lunch with the addition of kosher dill pickle slices, with ice water.  I also worked out for about an hour - 15 minutes on the Wii (the obstacle course is a workout!) and 45 minutes doing a fun Salsa "Dance Off The Inches" dvd.  Nothing but ice water since 6pm!  I'm going to shoot for doing that every night.  I know it's not always possible, but when I can, it helps so much!  It's better for the kids, too!

It's Getting More Exciting!!

Today's Weight - 210.5 (Down 2.0) !!!!!!  :)

Yippeeeeeee!  I feel like I am making some progress!  I'm beginning to be able to see it in the mirror!!  Down two pounds, making my total loss so far seventeen pounds!  Only three more to go, and I'll be down twenty, and I'll get my haircut and post new before/now pictures.  Oh, yes!!  It feels SO GOOD to be looking forward to a great summer!!!!!

Got To Get Over My Weekend Mentality!

Today's Weight- 212.5 (Up 0.4)

Actually, being up only four-tenths of a pound is not too bad, considering the weekend I had!!  McDonald's cheeseburger, fries, Coke, cake yesterday at Addy's party!  Tin Drum, Chick-Fil-A Fries!!  Ugh!  I've got to stop this take-the-weekend-off mindset I've developed over the years that I've tried losing weight.  

However, I am thankful that I held as much ground as I did - still down 15 pounds!  But just think of how much more I might be down if I hadn't been bad!!

Down A Little More...!

Today's Weight - 212.1 (Down 0.4)

Nice to be down a little more!  I was afraid that my late-night snack attack might have cost me.  I had a cereal bar and some mandarin oranges (and, of course, coffee!) for breakfast, a Chick-Fil-A chargrilled chicken sandwich for lunch, and a Lean Cuisine french bread pepperoni pizza for supper, and that wasn't until about 8pm!  Then about 10:30 or 11, I was HUNGRY!!  I should have gone to bed, but instead, I made a bag of "healthy" popcorn, and had a glass of sweet tea!!!  At least I resisted the urge to go to McDonalds and get a Big Mac, fries, and a coke!!  

 

Miraculous!

Today's Weight - 212.5 (Down 0.2)

After eating dinner out at Mambo Jambo!!!, it is nothing short of miraculous that my weight is not only not up two or three pounds, but it's actually down!!!!  So now I have lost 15 pounds!  I did fine yesterday, until dinner (except that I didn't exercise), and I guess at dinner, I did better than I used to do.  I drank only water (I really wanted a mojito!!), and had fish with a lemon-caper sauce - and a couple of small pieces of fried plantain.  Oh, and garlic bread before dinner and tastes of everyone else's food!!  Not great, but it certainly could have been worse.  I was so full!!!  It was delicious!!  And I'm not any heavier today!!! 

YAY!!!!!!

Today's Weight - 212.7 (Down 2.3)

OOOHHHH  YEEEAAAHHH!  I did feel better yesterday after getting out and getting some exercise!!!  And I ate dinner before six!  And I lost 2.3 pounds!!!!!!!  YAY!!!!  My new low!!  IT FEELS SO GOOD!!!!

Kinda Bored....

Today's Weight - 215.0 (No Change)

Just starting to feel a little apathetic....  I need to get out and exercise!  I know I will feel better then!  I already feel better just thinking about it!  Just now eating breakfast (at 11:09am), although I had a cup of coffee before taking the kids to school.  Breakfast (which will also serve as lunch) is a deli ham sandwich on whole-grain bread, with dill pickle and a tsp of olive oil mayonnaise, with ice water and another cup of coffee.  I will plan to snack on some fruit if I get hungry in the afternoon, and then have another sandwich or a meal bar for early dinner (no later than 5:45pm), and fix frozen pizza for the kids!  If I exercise, that should end up being a good day!  :)

Wahoo!!!

Today's Weight - 215.0 (Down 2.2)

Yay!!  A new low, and only 7.5 pounds to go til I reach my next ten and get my haircut!!  It feels so good!!  Yesterday, I had a "diet" bar for breakfast, with coffee and water, and for lunch I met Joy and kids at Genghis Grill for her birthday!!  That was aLOT of food, and although I ate only a little more than half my bowl I was very full.  In fact it did me for the rest of the day!  I had a diet coke with lunch, and water the remainder of the day.  No exercise yesterday;  got to fit that in today.  Yay!  What a great start to my week!!

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!

Today's Weight - 217.2 (No Change)

Incredible!!!  I cannot believe I didn't gain a TON of weight over this weekend!!!  I was so bad.  So I am very encouraged about this week, even if the weather does return to winter.  Spring is still only a few weeks away, and I'm not nearly as "backslidden" as I feared I would be.  I was prepared to be back up over 220.  I ate a ton of potato chips with dip, a piece of strawberry cake, the remains of the fudge, Friday's!  two rum & cokes and half a beer, cokes, tea, Longhorn!!!!!  Now you see why it's so unbelievable that I stayed the same weight!!

So today, back to work!  And I'm glad to be where I am!

>:| Disgusted!

Today's Weight - 217.2 (Up 0.9)

I'm so disgusted with how ridiculous it is to be good all day, then eat just a little too much too late, and the next day, I've gained weight back.  I walked more than three miles yesterday (and the day before), and did great at eating - until dinner, which was too late, and again, I had a second serving I shouldn't have had, and snacked on the chicken that was ready while I was waiting on the other food to get ready.  Ahh, I also had some chips and salsa - forgot about that.  Well, ok.  I guess it's back to eating before 6pm, no matter what everybody else does.  I will try to do that over the weekend and see how it goes. Grrrrrrrr.

:p

Today's Weight - 216.3 (Up 0.7)

Well, I figured it might be up some, because I ate too much at dinner, and it was late.  I fixed salmon in this delicious salsa, that I had tried at Publix, and it was SO good!  I had a small second serving, plus I "tasted" quite a bit before it was all ready.  I had cereal with skim milk for breakfast, a Subway sandwich WITH Lay's Baked BBQ chips for lunch, and snacked on few pretzels in between lunch and dinner.  Drank water, coffee, and Coke Zero.  Also walked three miles at Central Park with Joy and Joanna.  So, today I must keep up the exercise, and eat better.

Moving In The Right Direction!

Today's Weight - 215.6 (Down 0.9)

Yay!  I've hit a new "low"!  Now I'm almost two pounds into my next "ten"!  Yesterday I worked out for about 40 minutes on the Wii, and I had two cups of coffee, a sandwich, and two boiled eggs.  I should have eaten again, but I wasn't hungry, so I didn't (which made sense).  But last night I didn't feel very good, and I did not sleep well!!   I had my second cup of coffee around 5:30, and it seemed to keep me awake, and make me feel shaky.  So I think I will eat more regular meals today.  Plus I should be able to go to the grocery store and get FOOD for DINNER!!!  Hooray!

Off to wake up the kids, make coffee, and begin another great day!  :)

OH YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today's Weight - 216.5 (Down 2.4!!!!!)

YES!!!!!  I am so excited!  Yesterday was a GREAT day!!!  It was beautiful and sunny, and warm!!!!  Joy and the kids and I walked four miles on the greenway, and it felt SO good!  We ran short distances two or three times, we got some sun, and it was so nice to be outside!!  

All I ate yesterday was a big piece of cake in the morning (Julie's strawberry birthday cake) and Subway for an early dinner.  One cup of coffee in the morning, and water the rest of the day (a little diet coke for dinner).  So I know I can't do that every day.  Yesterday it was fine.  And SOOO gratifying to be down that much!!  Now I only have 0.4 pounds more to go before I'm back at my "low", and I'm already a pound down on my next "ten", so nine more to go til I get my haircut!!  WoooHOOOO!!!!!!

Spring Is Coming...!

Today's Weight - 218.9 (Up 0.9)

Disappointing.  But shouldn't be surprising, as I had fudge, potato chips, and probably ate a little too much several times over the weekend!  So actually, I am thankful that it didn't go any higher.  I would be SO upset if I was back up in the 20's!!

So time to step up the pace today, and hit a new low this week!  :)

Maintaining...

Today's Weight - 218.0 (No Change)

I didn't lose any since yesterday, but neither did I gain any!  I'm off for the weekend, see you on Monday! :)

Nice Start To A Nice Weekend!

Today's Weight - 218.0 (Down 0.5)

Hooray!  Down another 0.5 pounds!  Now I have only another 1.9 to lose to catch up to my "low", which I reached back on Jan. 25, and only half a pound to reclaim my first ten down.  Slow progress, I know, but the key word here is progress!
I might have lost more if I had followed the plan I had as of my last post, but alas... I did not.  I did wait until the kids got home, but we went first to the grocery store - actually, first we went by Chick-Fil-A, where I got the kids a snack, and me a small cup of fruit and a water.  And those fruit cups are small.  I started making dinner as soon as we got home, but it was seven before it was ready and we could finally eat.  I made spaghetti - plain sauce for the kids and veggie sauce for the adults.  (Homemade, not jarred).  I had only a very small serving of pasta (about the same size as Ella's!) with more veggie sauce, and I used a small plate and had only one serving.  So I am thankful that I still went down instead of up!  :)  I really want to eat earlier, and only have water after 6 or 6:30, as a general rule. 

Adding Some Strength Training

I just did 30 crunches, 30 scissor-kicks (thirty doubles, not fifteen doubles), and 30 leg lifts each side.  Proceeded to to 15 push-ups (how sad, push-ups used to be my favorite, and I was quite good at them!) and 30 jumping jacks and 30 squats.  I know those numbers are low, but for me, coming from doing NOTHING!, they are a good place to start.  I will increase reps as I get better.  Already I'm up to 30 from my previous 25 a couple of days ago, and I did add the push-ups, even if it was only 15 (and they were pretty shallow!).  I will look forward to reporting better numbers in the next few weeks...  :)
For breakfast I had a bowl of Quaker Oat Squares with milk, coffee, and water.  I had a snack around 11:30 of dried apricots, and haven't needed lunch yet.  I'll probably wait 'til the kids get home, and make it an early dinner!

Another Beautiful Day!

Today's Weight - 218.5 (Down 0.6) 
Yay, down another 0.6 pound(s) today!  Now I only have one pound to (re)lose to get back to where I can begin on the second ten.  And it is beautiful outside!  It's not beautiful as in gorgeous, warm, spring or summer weather, but there is snow on the ground and all over the trees, and the sunrise is painting it all a very pretty array of pastel colors.  AND it's supposed to be WARM again this weekend!  Close to 70 by Sunday!  YAY!!!

Satisfying! :)

Today's Weight - 219.1 (Down 1.1)

Good results are more satisfying than eating junky food!  I was down 1.1 pound this morning - back under 220, and now only three pounds to lose to get back where I was before!  (Grrrr).  That's better than the more-than-four I had to lose as of yesterday.  I forgot to add, last night, that in addition to walking and running the stairs, I also did 25 each of crunches, scissor kicks, and leg lefts (25 each side).  I know, 25 is pretty gimpy, but so am I (at the moment).  It was so surprising (not in a good way) how difficult it was to finish 25!!  when I used to do 100 reps easily!  So as I (re)build more muscle tone, I will increase repititions.  I didn't even try push-ups last night!!  I'll add them maybe today.
Enjoying my morning coffee, getting ready to take the kids to school, and anticipating another great day!  Thank you, Lord!

Glad To Be Back!

For lunch, I had a deli turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread with a tsp of olive oil mayo, and ice water.  I had a snack in the mid-afternoon of a small fruit cup from Chick-Fil-A, and for dinner, some fresh steamed broccoli and some of Julie & Phil's grass-fed steak.  Delicious!  Also, I went to Central Park with Joy and kids and we walked two miles, and ran down and up the stairs twice.  It feels good to be going in the right direction again!  :)

Fresh Air!

*deep breath of fresh air*  Well, it is nice to be back!  It's nice to breathe again.  I've got to look back and see when my nosedive started, and see how long I kept spiraling toward the ground before pulling up.  I do like roller coasters, but I'm getting really tired of this one - the one that is my life when I live by sight and not by faith.  Or when I'm premenstrual or menopausal, whichever this is.  This plummet wasn't begun by any event, and neither was my pulling out of it.  So I'm trying to figure out what physical factor, if any, plays a part in my ups and downs.  Cycle?  Diet?   It is really frustrating - when I am covered up in my little cloud of despondency I am of absolutely no use to myself, my family, or society in general, not to mention my Father.

I am up 4.1 pounds from my "low" of 216.1 (I know - sad, right?  That 216.1 would be a "low" for anybody!!  But it's better than where I started, and it's better even than where I am right now).  So I have some recovery to make before I can progress.  Charming Charlies is just waiting... with all that gorgeous turquoise and royal blue and pink and yellow and orange - colors of summer at the beach!   And I want to get to that next level, and compare measurements and photos with the ones I already have.  Plus I get a haircut when I reach the next "10" - but now I have 12.7 pounds to lose before I get there, to make up for what I've gained back since losing the first ten.  (I lost 1.4 pounds more after the first ten, before I started going in the wrong direction).

So today, I am starting out by avoiding the cinnamon rolls I made for the kids' breakfast, and having a bowl of somewhat-healthy cereal instead, with my usual cup (or two) of coffee, and water.  Over the weekend, I drank Cokes, and sweet tea, and ate all kinds of fattening things.  And it didn't make me feel any better!  It just made me fatter!  Which actually made me feel worse.  I don't know if the relatively small amount I've lost made any difference, but I did sleep better than I have the past several nights, when I was eating right.  That is more powerful motivation than Charming Charlies.  And the fact that I'm being a terrible steward with all God has blessed me with, by letting myself get heavier and unhealthier.  That should motivate me the most, and if it doesn't, I need to re-evaluate my priorities.  All of my fears for the future (that definitely play a part in my depression) can be laid to rest when I am living in obedience to God.  He has always taken care of me!  Why should I doubt Him?  He is always faithful, never changing.  Very unlike people.  I want to be more like Him.  I want to be faithful, and unchanging (at least as far as a mortal body can be - I mean, I am getting older - nothing I can do about that!).  So I'm going to seek His help, and (try to) live in the light of His countenance, and He will help.  I can't do it without Him.

Ugghhh

Today's Weight - 220.2 (Up 1.1)

I am SO tired of this black cloud!  Today is Tuesday, and I have been bad all weekend.  I was up again on Saturday morning, and then the rest of the weekend and Monday were just out the window.  So this morning I was up another 0.7 pounds (I didn't get on the Wii again since Saturday, until today).  So that's a total weight gain of a pound over my foodfest weekend.

Day Thirty-one...

Today's Weight - 219.1 (Down 0.3)

Down another 0.2 pounds this morning.  I am grudgingly trying to behave today, but I'm not all that excited about it.  It's just a little easier, since I went to the grocery store and bought some food that I can eat without feeling guilty.  Not that I've been suffering much guilt - just food that I can eat and still possess some hope of continuing to lose some weight, albeit a very little bit at a time.

Relief!

Today's Weight - 219.4 (Down 1.1)

Yay!  Down 1.1 pounds!  More later...

Shaky...

Today's Weight - 220.5 (Up 0.7)

Not too great for supposedly being back on the wagon.  The only meal I behaved at yesterday was lunch.  I did control my between-meal snacking.   But I made lasagna for dinner, and of course I ate too much, and too late.  To complete my failure, I also drank sweet tea.  So this morning I was up another 0.7 pounds.
But still, my two favorite pairs of pants are literally falling off me, and I can now wear the jeans I couldn't before.  So my work hasn't been rendered entirely fruitless.  And it should be encouraging enough to keep me going.  I'm going to try again today.  I just hate feeling so sluggish.  I get out of bed and I feel blah!  During the three weeks that I was doing well, I got out of bed excited to begin the day!  This is just ridiculous.  Stop it!

Hello again!

Today's Weight 219.8 (Up 2.4)

Well, my miserable little vacation is over, and I'm back.  I don't know if it has anything to do with my cycle (which is so unpredictable now in my old age!) or not, but I fell back into despair, and just quit trying to do anything.  But how stupid and senseless!  That stretch (that I've recorded on here thus far) is the longest stretch of "feeling good" and hopefulness I've had in a long time.  Why would I give that up?  I won't!!  I refuse to just lay here and let this gloomy cloud of misery cover me up again.  So here I am, and by the grace of God, I will persevere.  I want to run the race with endurance!!  Not lay down in defeat!  

Yesterday morning (Monday), I got on the Wii and my weight was up 1.1 pounds.  And I ate and drank just whatever I wanted yesterday.  (I didn't feel good).  And again today, I was up another 1.3 pounds!!  And then I ate three cinammon rolls (which I had made for the kids' breakfast).  

But starting now, I want to get back to drinking water, eating healthy, and caring.  It's good stewardship.  And the older I get, the less I can afford to be a poor steward with the life and health God has given me.  Actually, I could never "afford" it.  So I'm running after that wagon, and I'm going to get back in.

Brief Leave of Absence

Today's Weight - 217.4 (Up 0.7)

Not doing too great - yesterday, to celebrate Joseph's birthday, I ate TOO much, including cake, and I drank sweet tea.  This morning I made cream tuna for him - his favorite breakfast!!  I am not giving up - not at all.  I am just chilling for a couple of days, and will take it back up in the next day or two.  I was up 0.7 pounds this morning.

Sun's Shining Today!

Today's Weight - 216.7 (No Change)

I am so glad the sun is back out today, as I seem to get as gloomy as the weather has been when the grey clouds hang around too long.  I am feeling much better today;  I'm trying hard to get into new (hopeful) habits, and leave behind the old (hopeless) ones.  And I feel like climbing back on the wagon today.  Not jumping back on, like before, but climbing in like an old person.  Maybe in a few days I'll feel like jumping again!
This morning my weight was the same as yesterday - a fact for which I am thankful, since I ate rather poorly last night, and didn't exercise at all.  This morning, I've had two cups of coffee (stevia, fat-free creamer), water, and Quaker Oat Squares (Cinammon) with skim milk.  And I feel much more upbeat today than yesterday, so I should burn more calories throughout the day, cleaning and stuff, instead of staying in bed!

:/

Stupid day....  the same old dreary, grey, dark, cold clouds are hanging over my head again, and I can't get rid of them.  I just wanted to stay in bed all day, and when I feel like this, I don't really care about anything.  Nothing will ever be any different, anyway.  *Sigh*

Well, I hope tomorrow will be a more cheerful day.  I did okay for lunch - tuna sandwich, water.  For dinner, I had four pieces of Tombstone pizza, and SWEET TEA!!  Because I felt like it. 

Bleh..

Today's Weight - 216.7 (Up 0.6)

Ate too much yesterday, and was up 0.6 pounds today....  Well, I'll try to take that off today!
Yesterday, I had Cinnamon Quaker Oat Squares with milk, water, and coffee for breakfast.  Around noon, Joy called and wanted me to go to the Mall of Georgia with her, where I discovered my FAVORITE STORE EVER!!!!!  Charming Charlie!!!  So, after my haircut (which is the next reward I set for myself), every ten pounds down will be celebrated with a trip to Charming Charlie!  What a fun store!!!  Jewelry, hair accessories, purses, shoes, even some clothing, all kinds of accessories! in every color imaginable!!!  Anyway, at the mall, I got a Buffalo chicken wrap at Great Wraps - I chose grilled chicken instead of battered and fried, NONE of the delicious curly fries I used to love, and water, but still, it was more food than I should have eaten (even though I didn't eat quite all of it!).  Then for dinner, Julie made this most-delicious Swedish meatballs in a spicy cream sauce, with quinoa (not sure if I spelled that right, but it's a grain with more protein than most grains have, and very good!) and broccoli.  And it was late, and I ate two servings (at least the second one was small!).  Oh yeah, and another cup and a half of coffee while we were making dinner!
So today, I need to tighten up and eat less, and earlier (this evening).  It's too much fun looking ahead to shopping at Charming Charlie in a few weeks!!!  :)

Delicious!!!

Today's Weight 216.1 (Down 1.1)

Wow!!!  Down another 1.1 pounds!!!!  Oh yeah, it is so worth it!!!  And it's not like it's been difficult either - no painful self-denial, definitely no iron will!!!  It's just fun to see the weight go down, it's great to (already) feel better, and it's going to be incredible to reclaim what youth I have left!  :)  I got up earlier this morning than usual, so I had time to do thirty minutes of working out on the Wii.  Now to get the kids up and ready for school!  Looking forward to another great day!  God is so good!

Feelin' Groovy

To celebrate losing the first ten pounds, today I got a spa pedicure!!  Oooooh, so nice!  My feet look like I'm fairly young again!  And the warm water, bath salts, hot towels, and lotion massage felt so-o-o good.  Not to mention how cute my pretty pink toenails look!  :)  In addition to the pedicure, I also got my eyebrows waxed.  Now I've had that done once before, and it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd always imagined it would be, so when she offered to wax my upper lip (yes, I am hairy all-freaking-over), I thought, "Why not?"  Well, I'll tell you why not.  It hurts!  Screamin'ouch!!  I'm sure when I left, people were all wondering if I'd been up on the mountaintop with Moses, since my face was glowing all over like a nuclear reactor.   But seriously, it was altogether very nice.  I felt all girly all afternoon!  :)  And the lip wax wasn't really all that bad, but it was definitely worse than the eyebrow-wax! 
I had a bowl of oatmeal with real maple syrup, coffee, and water for breakfast, and a sandwich - whole grain bread, mayo, deli Buffalo chicken, dill pickles - with pretzels for lunch.  Lunch was pretty late, so after having a snack right before 6pm of canned apricots and pretzels (and another cup of coffee!), I decided to forego dinner, and just drink water the rest of the evening.  Hopefully, I will be down a little more in the morning!!  It's been a fun day!!!  Losing the weight, in itself, is rewarding, but treating myself to some little "reward" every ten pounds, and seeing the difference in my measurements and the photos every ten pounds, makes me all the more excited and motivated to lose the next ten!!!

Weekend's Over!

Today's Weight - 217.2 (Down 0.2)

Time to kick it in gear!  This morning I was down 0.2 pounds.  Not alot, I know, but at least going in the right direction!  :)

Day Nineteen!

Today's Weight - 217.4 (Up 0.5)

Yesterday I did well until dinner.  So this morning, I was back up half a pound.  But my net weight loss is still over ten pounds, so I am glad about that.  I did fairly well for a Saturday, given my propensity for "taking the weekend off".  For breakfast I had leftover spaghetti - one serving on a small plate, whole-grain pasta (only a small amount), and lots of sauce, plus a piece of whole-grain bread.  Lunch was a salad - mixed spring greens and baby spinach, mandarin oranges, cheese, and red wine vinaigrette.  I was content enough, having snacked on pretzels in the afternoon, to just skip dinner.  But Catherine and David came over, and I cooked taco stuff for the kids.  At first I held out, but I ended up having two crunchy tacos, and a some nachos (Doritos with meat, beans, salsa, cheese, and sour cream).  AND I drank a Coke!  So, that meal was a total departure from any kind of disciplined lifestyle.  But I enjoyed it, and actually, I would have eaten even more, if I hadn't exercised some restraint.  (In the past, I would have eaten one or two more tacos, or more nachos, and probably had several Cokes over the course of the evening).  Overall, it was a fun evening and I have no regrets!  But today I plan on eating light.  And tomorrow, it's back to business!

New Measurements!

 Today I'm going to post my beginning measurements and beginning photos side-by-side with my ten-pounds-down measurements and photos.  Hope you can figure out the photos (I am having SO much trouble with this photo-manager!!!).  The newer pictures are not a whole lot better, but I can actually see some improvement.  My old and new measurements, in inches, are:
Bust              (49)                 47
Waist            (47)                 44
Hips              (50)                 49
Thigh             (28)                 27
Calf             (17.75)            16.25
Upper Arm  (15.75)            15.5
Forearm        (12)                10.5

Starting Weight

Ten Pounds Down

                                                                                                                 

Starting Weight

Ten Pounds Down

Milestone #1!!! I Made It!

Today's Weight - 216.9 (Down 1.1)

I hit the first of about nine milestones - I have (finally!) lost the first 10 pounds!!  Yay!!!!   I was down another 1.1 pounds this morning!  So on Monday, I am off to get a spa pedicure!  I love moving down to the next "decade" - it makes you feel like you've really made progress.  And when you have lots of weight to lose, like I do, thinking of it in "tens" makes it sound more feasible.  The first one's gone, now only eight more.  I can do that!!             
Yesterday, I skipped breakfast, and met Joy and Charles and kids at Chipotle, where I had a burrito bowl - no tortilla.  I had barbacoa (the spicy shredded beef), rice, black beans, salsa, and guacamole - and ate almost the whole thing!  Which was too much!  I planned on not eating any other meal that day, because lunch was so much, but that didn't go over too well when I got to the new Kroger and saw the nice sushi bar they have there!  So I bought a roll of sushi and ate the whole thing - eight pieces!  And then I had a burger for dinner!  (at least I didn't have cheese!).
But even so, I still lost 1.1 pounds - maybe because I finally stepped up my metabolism by exercising a little.  Thursday I did about 30 minutes of Joy's workout, and Friday Joy and the kids and I went to a park near her apartment and walked (after Chipotle).  Only about a mile, but that's better than nothing!  And my legs are still sore from her workout video!
So I plan to have a more disciplined weekend than last weekend turned out to be.  And this one, Lord willing, will be shorter!

Week Three Thus Far... :)

Today's Weight - 218.0 (Down 0.7)

Yay!!  Down another 0.7 pounds!  For lunch yesterday, I ate a salad - mixed spring greens, mandarin oranges, and some cheese with red wine vinaigrette.  And I didn't eat dinner.  (Lunch was pretty late).  Drank only water and coffee.  I worked out (Joy's video) for about 30 minutes.

Blah Humbug!

Such a grey, dreary day!!! It's hard to get excited about anything, or believe that spring is coming, or want to work out. Still, I am going to persevere through the tough spots.
I had two tiny sandwiches for breakfast - the bread in this loaf of whole-grain Italian was very small on each end! - one was deli roast beef, the other deli chicken. Hopefully, that will be my biggest meal of the day. In fact, it was filling enough that it's after 2, and I'm not ready for lunch yet. Maybe the 2nd cup of coffee helped!

Man-Made Plateau (er, Woman-Made!)

Today's Weight - 218.7 (No Change)

I didn't gain any weight yesterday! But neither did I lose any! I stayed just the same. (Except for my hair color!! ;) ). So maybe today, I will see what adding a workout does to my routine!!!! It is high time to kick in the exercise! I'm just about to go fix a sandwich for breakfast - already had a cup of coffee!

Two Weeks Down, The Rest of My Life To Go

So, in two weeks, I am down 8.8 pounds. That is SO much better than being 8.8 pounds heavier!! Better than being the same weight I was. I am so looking forward to feeling healthier. Most of the time I do, already, feel better. I still have migraines, but not so many. Today, I had oatmeal with (real) maple syrup, coffee, and water for breakfast. For lunch, a tuna sandwich (tuna, olive oil mayo) on whole wheat bread, with water, and for a late afternoon snack, some tropical fruit salad (canned - no syrup, only fruit juice). Then spaghetti for dinner. Small plate, light whole-grain pasta, lots of high-veggie, high-protein sauce. Unfortunately, I had two servings. But they were small servings! In the past, I would have had two large servings, on a large plate! And I drank water, instead of tea! So, I am not expecting to see really great things on the scale in the morning - my bigger meal should have been earlier in the day (we didn't eat until around 8pm). But neither do I expect to have gained much back! Either way, I plan on staying on course.

Yippeeeeee!

Today's Weight - 218.7 (Down 1.1)

Yay!! Down another 1.1 pounds!!!! That's a total so far of 8.8 pounds!!! Almost nine pounds, which is really close to TEN pounds! at which point I get to go get a pedicure! I'm so thankful I did well yesterday. Now to add exercise to the regimen today.

End of Day Fourteen!

Well, I did fairly well today, for all I felt so blah.... Seems like on grey, dreary days, I just can't get hyped about anything. Still, I ate fairly well. For breakfast, a tuna sandwich - tuna and olive oil mayo - on whole-grain bread, with water. Same for lunch, with some pretzels. For dinner, I had one of Julie's MOST DELICIOUS enchiladas! With water. I did have two cups of coffee - stevia, fat-free creamer. So pretty good, intake-wise. I just need to add the OUTPUT! I haven't worked out in days!! I think Joy is planning on coming over tomorrow, and if it's nice out, we'll go walk. If not, hope she'll bring her video! :) Buenos Noches!

!!Extended Vacation!!

Today's Weight - 219.8  (Up 0.2)
Well, I have had a long weekend of retreat, and now I'm ready to get back into the game! On Sunday morning, I weighed in - after my splurge at Golden Corral the night before! - and I was up 1.3 pounds. Big surprise. I skipped breakfast, because I was in a hurry as we were trying a new church. For lunch, I had a deli chicken sandwich on whole-grain bread, with a tsp of mayo, some greens, and a little red wine vinaigrette. Same for dinner, with the addition of some pretzels and a few bites of Jenny's tuna salad (tuna and mayo). Water, one cup of coffee. So when I got on the scales Monday morning, I was down 0.9 pounds! However, Monday came completely undone. I was so glad to be down almost a pound that I was gung-ho about being tight and disciplined, but alas...
First, Zeke went by Chick Fil A on his way over here (we went to visit Josh in the am), and brought everybody breakfast, so I had a chicken biscuit. (I am thankful that he bought breakfast for us all!! Especially as I had very little money). I had about four ounces of Coke and a handful of Chex Mix with Jenny around noon. That was all I ate until about 6pm, when, stranded beside a McDonald's with Joy and Joanna and Isaac and Addy, while we were waiting on Johnny to come help us change my flat tire, I ate a BIG MAC. And a few fries. At least I didn't eat a whole large fry by myself, and I didn't have a coke. But then, when we finally got home.... As we came in the apartment, the smell of Julie's enchiladas was enough to melt the will of an iron giant. So yeah, I ate. Too much. In fact, I didn't feel so good afterwards, and that reminded me of how unpleasant it really is to overeat.
Nevertheless, when I got on the Wii this morning, before taking the kids to school (rather, Jenny to school - Joseph is taking another day to recoup), I was down! another 0.2 pounds!! I am so thankful. After yesterday, I could have been up two pounds. So, all-in-all, after my awkward long weekend, I'm up 7/10's of a pound. That's really not too bad, considering. :)

Day Eleven

Today's Weight - 219.6  (Up 0.5)

Well, day eleven looks kinda like a vacation. First, when I weighed in this morning, I was up half a pound. I wasn't too discouraged about that, knowing that 1)I ate too much and too late last night, and 2)Weight easily fluctuates by that much daily, so the real test is whether I am down week by week. I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast, then went to see Josh. I bought a bag of chips from the vending machine to share with Josh and Jenny, and I ate three or four. Also bought a Coke, and drank about 4 ounces (out of a twenty-ounce bottle), then gave it to Jenny. I bought those particular items, instead of a Diet Coke and some snack no one else would like, with Josh and Jenny in mind, and I did not refuse to share some with them - I just kept it minimal, so I didn't waste too many calories on junk. Skipped lunch, and for early dinner, we went to Golden Corral! I had promised Joseph that when he finally felt better, (after having had a bad case of the flu all this week, and losing more than seven pounds in less than a week!!), I would take him to Golden Corral to try to catch up! I did this deliberately, not because I was throwing in the towel - and I do not feel guilty. I told you I was going to be real. There are times when I'm going to eat things that I shouldn't. And then I'm going to go right back to eating better, because I feel better when I do. And the rewards are so worth it! So no apologies, no beating myself up. I drank Diet Coke instead of regular Coke - I usually get three or four refills when I eat out, and with Coke, the calories really add up. So there's several hundred calories that I successfully avoided. I also didn't eat as much as I normally do at Golden Corral, perhaps because I couldn't hold as much (not because I have an iron will and was denying myself the pleasure!). So I definitely don't expect the Wii to tell me anything really good tomorrow morning. But that's okay - as long as I don't give up, like I so easily have done in the past. It's time to just start eating better, period. I like healthy food anyway, so it's not like I'm being a martyr. Every once in a while I'll eat something less healthy. That's life. Then I'll eat healthy again, instead of quitting.

Day Ten

As day ten closes, I'm a little uncertain about how tomorrow morning will look... I ate pretty healthy - a bowl of cereal at breakfast, with juice, coffee, and water; at lunch, I had a Subway sandwich on whole wheat, lean meat, lots of veggies, and fat-free red wine vinaigrette; for dinner, I fixed boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins, whole-grain rice, and steamed vegetables. Drank only water, oj, and coffee. But I had a little more of the chicken, as I was putting away the leftovers! And it was late. Also not good. I only worked out today for about 20 minutes. So, I'm not going to expect to have lost any weight today, especially considering the four pounds that came off so easily in the last two days. But I'm very satisfied with my improved food habits! The chicken, veggies, and brown rice were better choices than, say, chicken-and-rice (with mayo and cream of chicken soup, and the white rice cooked in the fat-full chicken broth!). And the sandwich at lunch was better than a burger and fries! Plus, water instead of sweetened drinks. So I'm still on course, whether I've lost any weight today or not! And for that, I am happy. :)

A Great Beginning...!

Today's Weight - 219.1 (Down 2.0)

DOWN another TWO POUNDS!!!!!!! Yesterday was a good day!!! And I didn't find it difficult at all, although I felt a little snack-y last night - but I successfully avoided the temptation, and now I am so glad! That's a total of 8.4 pounds so far, in nine days!! Yay!! (If only it could always be so easy!!). But even when it's not easy, it is so worth it.

Day Nine!

So, day nine closes with me feeling SO much better, after a several-hour trip out of the house!! For breakfast, (before leaving), I had a deli chicken sandwich on whole-grain bread, with cucumbers and a tsp of olive oil mayonnaise. Then Jenny and I had lunch at Chick-Fil-A - I had a grilled chicken sandwich - grilled chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, and pickles on a whole-grain bun, and diet coke and water. Then several errands, including getting the tag for my new car and the grocery store, kept us out long enough that we were glad to get back home again. For dinner, I had another deli chicken sandwich, with cucumbers and a tsp of olive oil mayonnaise, and water. I think I only had one cup of coffee today.
And I'm happy!! It was so nice to get out again!!

Whew! What a Relief!

Today's Weight - 221.1 (Down 2.0)

Patience and perseverance paid off!! I was down two pounds today!!!! Yay!!!!
I didn't do any exercise yesterday, and I ate too much at lunch, but the rest of the day I did pretty well. I didn't throw in the towel!! So today, I will try even harder, and fit in some working out.