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.

Day Eight....

Tired, tired, TIRED of being stuck at home!! I did eat better today than I did yesterday, but I'm feeling pretty blah. I had one bowl of cereal for breakfast, instead of two (like I had yesterday!), for lunch, I did cave and had four pieces of pizza.... (But they were microscopic!!! Well, pretty small, anyway). For dinner, one bowl of soup, instead of several, like last night. I snacked on a little popcorn in the afternoon. Water, and two cups of coffee. I guess we'll see in the morning. Except for the pizza at lunch, it was a pretty good day, intake-wise. As far as output, I did nothing. I weighed in on the Wii Fit, but I didn't do anything more than the balance tests it gives for my daily "Body Test", so I don't know how things will turn out. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day!

One Week

Week One is over, and overall, it has been a good week! I am 4.4 pounds lighter than I was a week ago! And as the weather improves, I will add more activity to my daily routine, so that will step up my metabolism a notch. In the meantime, when I am over this stupid cold, I will start using my exercise videos to workout. (Right now, my lung capacity is low).

So week one was a successful week! Now I'm going to work towards another successful week, and enjoy the healthful benefits I will reap!

*Sigh*

Today's Weight - 223.1 (Up 1.3)

Oh well, I knew it was going to happen sooner or later.... I was up 1.3 pounds. I knew I ate too much, all day yesterday, and last night, after my last post, I ate half a bag!!!! of dried apricots!! Also, I am just coming up on that delightful time of the month, which normally makes me a little heavier temporarily, and might also account for my extreme hunger throughout the day yesterday. I really think boredom had something to do with it too. I've only been out once since Sunday night, and today's Wednesday. So, I can't throw in the towel, but just persevere through the hard places. I knew they would come.
For breakfast, around 11:30, I had ONE bowl of cereal (Cin. Quaker Oat Squ), with milk, a cup of coffee (stevia and fat-free), and water. So far, so good. Now, for moderation the rest of the day. And patience.

A Fairly Successful Day...? I Think...?

For breakfast, I had two bowls of Cinnamon Quaker Oat Squares, with milk, and drank water. For lunch, a sharp cheddar cheese sandwich on whole-grain bread, with a small amount of olive oil mayonnaise. I snacked in the afternoon on pretzels and healthy popcorn, and for dinner had delicious chicken and vegetable soup! During the course of the day, I also had almost two cups of coffee, with stevia and fat-free creamer. Water was the only beverage I had all day.
So that sounds pretty good, but I really snacked more than I should have, and I had alot of soup at dinner. I was just hungry today!! And I think I'm getting a slight case of cabin fever, since we are still snowed in, so I was bored all day. Well, we'll see what the Wii says in the morning!

Day Seven

Today's Weight - 221.8 (Down 0.4)

Down another 0.4 pounds! :) So far, only water to drink. I did around 33 minutes on the Wii Fit Plus. More later...

News Update...

At approximately 2:45 this afternoon, an unfortunate incident occurred in the kitchen. As I was putting away the leftover hamburgers, it became apparent that one of the burgers would never reach its destination. Yes, I ate another hamburger! At least this one was plain - no bread or ketchup! Also, it was necessary to have another cup of coffee to get me through the afternoon. (I am so glad I bought that Stevia and fat-free creamer!!)
Ah, well, I am no nearer to giving up than I was before. It will just take another little while to get to my destination. But that's okay, because getting there is a pretty exciting ride!

Day Six!

Day six, down 5.4 pounds.... not too shabby a start! And it hasn't been difficult at all! I don't feel like I've been depriving myself. Rather, for the last several years, I have deprived myself of health and happiness. Considering all of the healthy foods that I love (veggies, fish, grilled chicken, fruits), it could hardly be said that I am on an unpleasant regimen of food. And I like exercising - especially the Wii Fit games and dancing! :)
For lunch, I had a burger (on a bun!), very small amount of ketchup, mustard, and dill pickles, and a handful of pretzels, with water. And another cup of coffee, with stevia and fat-free creamer.

WoW!!!!!

Today's Weight - 222.2 (Down 2.0)

So incredibly COOL!!! Not only is it cool that we got seven inches of snow!!!! (and the kids were out of school!), but I also lost another TWO POUNDS!!!!! This morning, when I got on the Wii, I was down another 2 pounds!! This is a joyride! I'm likin' this!
For breakfast, I had a cup of coffee, with Stevia and fat-free creamer!, and a bowl of Cinnamon Quaker Oat Squares with milk, and water. I'm also drinking lots of water throughout the day.
:D

Day Five

For breakfast, I had two or three scrambled eggs with onions, a cup of coffee, and water. I missed lunch, as I was picking up my new car!!! :) After grocery shopping, I snacked on some fruit and pretzels. For dinner, I had a hamburger, on the bun, with a very small amount of ketchup, mustard, and dill pickles. Drank water all day. I think it was a pretty successful day. At the store I bought some Stevia sweetener and fat-free coffee creamer, healthy snacks, and lots of fruits and vegetables.
I'm pretty psyched about losing weight and feeling good again!

Thankful

Today's Weight - 224.2 (Down 0.2)

Well, when I reluctantly got on the Wii to weigh in this morning, I was pleasantly surprised that my weight was down 0.2 pounds! That makes a total of 3.4 pounds. I know that is a very small amount of weight, considering all I need to lose, and I certainly don't see where it's gone!, but I am pleased with slow, steady progress. It encourages me to continue! Even if I stay at this slow pace, it won't take long to see results!
So far today, I've only had water. I'm about to have a cup of coffee, and maybe make some scrambled eggs, or a piece of whole grain bread with natural peanut butter. I've got to go to the grocery store shortly before we get snowed in!! :)

Detour...

Today's Weight - 224.4 (Down 0.7)

Taking the scenic route today...
I knew that Mom and Dad were coming over and bringing THE BEST Cuban sandwiches anybody ever ate, and strawberry birthday cake, for mine and Dad's birthdays, so eating both of those was totally premeditated. On the bright side, I only ate one piece of cake, and also, when I got on the Wii this morning, I was down again, another 0.7 pounds, making a total weight loss so far of 3.2 pounds. I did about 15 minutes of Wii Fit Plus, and about 20 minutes of Joy's COOL strength workout video.
On the not-so-bright side, I caved a little, and ate TOO MUCH of the Cuban sandwich deliciousness, both for lunch and for supper. Also, I drank probably 8 to 10 ounces of sweet tea!! In the mid-afternoon, I was hungry, and I ate two cinnamon and raisin English muffins with about a tsp of butter. I consider the English muffins and the tea my unplanned fall off of the wagon. The cake and Cubans were all part of my plan.
Still, in the past, when I've had a "bad" day and consider that I've "blown it", that would be the end of my attempt, and yet, here and now, I am not discouraged; I am not giving up. I just had a very relaxed day, and will tighten up again starting tomorrow. I have not felt as good today as I have for the past several days, and perhaps that is because I ate so much junk. I don't like feeling yucky, or my arms going numb several times during the night, or my hips hurting or knees hurting. Instead, I like riding roller coasters and doing cartwheels and going to the beach and going dancing and ridin' solo!! So wagon, wait for me - I'm getting back on!

Day Three

Towards the end of the day, I'm starting to feel like falling off, a little. I'm tired, a little draggy from this dumb cold I've had, and hungry! Still, I think I've done pretty well. Most of the time, when I start coming down off of my "high", I just give in and eat whatever I can find. Today I did not. For lunch, I ate spaghetti sauce, no pasta. I did have two servings, however, because I was HUNGRY! For dinner, I had a 6" Subway sub on whole wheat - meat, lots of veggies, and non-fat viniagrette, and part of a Diet Coke (or Coke Zero, whatever the difference is). Also, another cup of coffee to get me through the afternoon (with creamer - the only way I drink black coffee is with dessert, which would kind of defeat the purpose).
So, altogether, I feel like I handled the day and its challenges pretty well. Usually, I would have caved and eaten even MORE than I usually do, just to be perverse. And I didn't cave! That in itself is a huge success. :)

Yeee-Haaaaaaaaa! ;)

Today's Weight - 225.1 (Down 2.0)

Yay!!!! When I got on my Wii Fit this morning, (the only scales I have), I was down 2.5 pounds - that's in just two days!!! I know, I know, weight easily fluctuates that much day-by-day, depending on whether I'm retaining water, especially being female, and other factors. But I have done so much better for two solid days than I have for months.
I worked out on the Wii Fit for 30 minutes (yesterday, it was only about 20), and actually got hot and sweaty! Afterward, (about 10am), I had a Tbsp of natural peanut butter on a slice of whole-grain bread, and water. (Earlier, before excercising but AFTER weighing in!, I had a cup of coffee - regular sweetened creamer, but only about a Tbsp).
I AM ENCOURAGED!!!!
THIS IS FUN!!!!
THERE'S NOTHING DIFFICULT ABOUT THIS AT ALL!!!
YOU GO, GIRL!!!

Successful Day Two! :)

So, day two ends successfully. At lunch, I had a lean deli chicken sandwich on whole grain bread, with olive oil mayonnaise - and water. I was still a little hungry, so I ate two ounces of sharp cheddar cheese. For dinner, I (again!) had leftover spaghetti - more meat/veggie sauce than pasta. No cheese, no bread. Water. So, all-in-all, a good day! At each meal, I ate healthier than I have in the past, by using whole grain bread, mayo made with olive oil (half the calories, half the fat), water instead of tea, I ate less than I used to, and I avoided in-between meal snacking. I also avoided sweets. Oh, and I did Wii Fit Plus for about 30 minutes. I call that a successful second day!

Day Two

Today's Weight - 227.1 (Down 0.4)

For breakfast, I had - - a Chick-Fil-A spicy chicken biscuit! Sorry, I wasn't going to turn it down after making my reservation a month ago for a FREE one! But, the good news is that I had a diet Dr. Pepper and water instead of Coke, and no hash browns. So see? It's still an improvement! That's my goal here - I'm still going to be real, and eat out every once in a while, and eat dinner with everyone else. I just need to eat less, drink water instead of sugar beverages, and avoid, as much as possible, the worst choices in side dishes and go for the leaner ones.
My weight gain has been such that I actually have trouble sleeping at night, because whatever side I happen to be sleeping on goes numb after awhile, and I have to switch sides. In the morning, both of my hips hurt (from so much weight on them while I sleep). The numbness in my arms makes it difficult to sleep. And getting around during the day bothers my knees a good bit. So there will be some additional benefits to losing weight. Better sleep, less pain.

Meals Day One, and Measurements! :o

I'm pretty satisfied with how I managed my intake today. For lunch (almost 3pm) I had leftover spaghetti. One serving instead of two, on a SMALL plate instead of the usual big one. Water instead of tea. Light on the pasta and heavy(er) on the sauce, which has protein, low fat, and lots of vegetables. I decided to forego the parmesan cheese. For dinner, around 7:30pm, I had two pieces of Tombstone Pizza, instead of my usual three or four, and water instead of tea. Yep, there will be times that I make Tombstone pizza for supper, and sometimes I'll eat two pieces, and maybe sometimes I'll eat a diet bar or salad instead. See, what this is all about is NOT "going on a diet", but changing the way I do food. Less instead of more. It's enough! And water instead of sweet beverages. Gradually I want to switch to more whole foods, few "convenience" foods, few casseroles, whole grains, and limited sugar.
And now for the measurements....
Bust: 49"
Waist: 47"
Hips: 50"
Thigh: 28"
Calf: 17.75"
Upper Arm: 15.75"
Forearm: 12"
Chins: Like, three
I wear a size 20 pants, and an XL, or even 2X shirt.
Not a pretty picture. But let's see what we can do about that, shall we?

Round Two...

Today's Weight - 227.5

Well, here I go again... Day one of round two. Here goes....
I began the day weighing in (on my Wii Fit) at 227.5. It could be worse, considering all the high-fat, high-calorie, high-carb foods I've been indulging in, and the absolute lack of anything that could be considered exercise.
I had a cup of coffee, with sweetened creamer (NOT fat-free) around 9:30, and finally ate "breakfast" at 11:30 - one tuna sandwich, on whole-grain bread, water, and orange juice. Yes, the tuna was made with regular mayonnaise and sweet pickle relish. But considering that I usually have TWO sandwiches, using the whole can of tuna, and on white bread, and drink at least two glasses of sweet tea, this is an improvement. I will make some changes in the mayonnaise, and the coffee creamer, but I had to use what I had on hand. At least this meal was a step in the right direction! A baby step.

OMG!!!!

Oh. My. Gosh. How did I get this way?!?! This is just sad. So, every time I drop a pants size, or notice some improvement in my shape, I will post a new photo, alongside this one, so my progress will be visible. Every time I am hungry, or discouraged, or tempted to eat something I shouldn't, I will look at these pictures!