Weighty Matters

and I especially hate them when I'm trying to lose weight..... gained 1.2 (again). But I also consider that (as my leader said), "Life happens!" Three birthday parties/dinners, all with free desserts. I tasted little bits of them, but did not eat the whole thing. That was an important change -- a year ago, I would definitely have eaten the whole piece of streusel! And losing 5.8 last week probably made my body put on the brakes. So how am I going to get through this? I think my "consistency instead of intensity" for exercise has got to be tweaked. I've been working on the consistency, making sure my heart rate is within target, etc. I think I'll go back to what was working for me. And, I can also shake it up so I'm not always just on the treadmill. I like the bike, but I can only go about 15 minutes at a time. So I am thinking that 15 minutes for a "warm-up" then lifting weights, and then another 15 for additional cardio. And of course, sti...

Because when I do, I lose over 5 pounds!!! This week, it was 5.8 for a total of 57 pounds even (in 23 weeks). That's just short of 2.5 pounds per week. I am thrilled by the changes in me -- not only the healthy eating habits; not just the exercise (and getting up early to do that!), but the obvious changes too: the smaller sizes (slowly getting smaller, but getting there) and the changes in my appearance. And I am more confident as well. My self-confidence was in the can a few years back, and over the years, I have worked hard to build it back up. The weight loss is like adding a rocket booster to an overhauled sportscar. What was once a rusted-out tin can is now looking better and better each day. Amazing what a little maintenance does. To everyone who is sharing this journey with me, I love you and am so grateful for your support and love and concern and your cheerleading. Your support is invaluable!

Apologies first for not updating until now. I went out of town Friday and just returned. I had a minor setback last week. I gained 1.2 pounds. But in my defense, my schedule was all thrown crazy -- went in very early (as in 5 AM), and that threw my normal routine all to heck. Meals? Forget it -- my "lunch" break was at 9:00 AM instead of 1:00 PM. Exercise? Only once during the week -- not my usual 3 times. And silly me, I actually ate a full meal before stepping on the scales. Normally, I go straight from work without eating and grab some grub on the way home. Doofus thing to do! BUT, this is not a defeat. I am determined to lose the weight I regained this week, and to move forward. Oooh Rah!!!

So yesterday, I went shopping with the gift my coworkers gave me and added a little of my own to it. I got enough new pants to last me through the winter -- just in time to buy new ones for spring (at least that's the plan), a suit jacket for one of the pants, a few shirts, and a lot more confidence. Because I have lost two pants sizes. Okay, really probably closer to 1-3/4. The pants are a little snug, but the size in between was way too loose -- waist, length, everywhere. So a little snug won't be bad, and over the winter, I'll be losing more weight anyway. What a boost! I had no idea that it was that good. And of course, my shirts are a size smaller than I used to wear too. That part is just as sweet! This could make me enjoy clothes shopping..... :)

Today, I had another fitness meeting with my trainer for Wellness Works (through the Y). She and I discussed where I'd come from, where I am going, and what I want to do. One of the things we discussed was consistency versus intensity. Most people do not realize this about me, because I mask it very well. I am a very intense person. My amps go all the way to 11. Part of that comes from being a large person all my life and always feeling that I had to do things better, faster, more fantastically, because I had more to prove to people: that fatties aren't lazy, etc. So while I look all meek-n-mild and sweetness-n-light on the surface, trust me: the intensity and drive lurk underneath and fuel everything. So for the last few weeks, I've been doing a treadmill pace of roughly 22 minutes/mile (around 2.8 MPH) -- NOT what I want. I would love an average pace of 17:30 (around 3.5ish). At the same time, I am very cognizant of what my target heart rates are, and am trying to stay wi...

I'm down another 1.4 pounds this week for a total of 52.4 pounds. I am definitely going to celebrate, because every loss is a step closer to my goal -- and because I wasn't sure if I'd have a loss this week. I figured that with the huge loss from last week, I'd probably bounce back with a gain. And I'm within guidelines, so that's a bonus too. *** And I have got to share this story with you -- if you haven't heard it already. Monday morning about 9:30, I watched as my coworkers gathered around my desk. I had no idea what was going on....... Finally, one of them spoke up and said, "We are so proud of you, and all the weight loss you've accomplished so far, that we wanted to get you a little something." Inside was $50 in cash -- a dollar per pound so far. And the instructions to buy myself something new that would fit just beautifully -- not to spend on groceries, or on gas, or anything else but something new to wear. I nearly cried. I was comple...

Yes, you heard me!!!!!! I lost 5.6 -- FIVE POINT SIX -- pounds this week. Totally shocking, completely unexpected, and it puts me at 51 pounds gone EVEN. FIFTY-ONE POUNDS!!!!! I cannot believe it! I don't recommend losing this much weight in a week (especially this far into it) -- nor do I recommend what I did this weekend to lose that much weight (having so much fun I actually forgot about eating!). This week I'm sticking to plan, and we shall see what happens. But for now -- I'm loving it!

I don't know how I did it but I managed to lose 3.6 pounds this week, for a new grand total of 45.4!!! Okay, actually I know how I did it -- just stayed on track, made sure to exercise properly, and even enjoyed using a point or two from the weekly 35 (something I rarely do). But I never imagined it would be 3.6 pounds this week. I would have been happy with even one or two. Oddly enough, we talked tonight about keeping the process at a slow simmer instead of a rolling boil. I don't want to drop 10 pounds in a week, but I do want to maintain steady progress. Right now my average is about 2.2 pounds per week, and that works well for me. Anywhere between 1.5 and 2.5 is something I am happy about. I am grateful for the smaller losses too -- I've learned to be happy with the less-than-a-pound losses, because they are steps toward the overall picture. But WOW! I am very thrilled with this week's loss -- completely unexpected and totally enjoyed!

Yahoo! I lost another 1.8 pounds, for a total of 41.8 pounds in 18 weeks of dieting! I am so glad that it turned out to be a very good week. I was remarking to a coworker that I've reached a point where I can't really tell how the week is going to go. Last week felt about the same, and yet I only (yeah, "only") lost 0.4 pounds. Hmm..... I've also inspired a couple of coworkers to join WW. It's good because we're all going to band together in this. We've been sharing tips and ideas, and now we can do even more. She goes to a different meeting place and day from me, so that works well. *** I do get asked on occasion why I pay money to go have someone weigh me and to spend 30 minutes in a motivational meeting. One word: accountability. I know myself well enough to know that if I didn't have someone else watching my progress and watching over me, I would cut myself so much slack that I would not be successful. I am blessed to have a buttload of "a...

but 0.4 pounds was all I needed to reach 40 pounds even. And that's exactly what I lost! I am so thrilled and so happy -- and while I would have loved a larger loss, I will take every ounce I get (or in this case, all 6.5 of them!) So what does this mean? Well first of all, it means I will be getting my happy rear to the nearby music shop and buying Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs and lulling myself to the dulcet tunes of Mr. Clapton et al. It also means I have succeeded to a 2nd goal along the way. I am also within a few pounds of a good percentage of my ultimate goal. The cool thing about all this is that I'm still eating normal foods. I still eat pizza (albeit Lean Cuisine, but it's pizza). I still eat Chinese (in moderation). I can even indulge in an occasional glass of wine. I still eat chocolate, and chips, and popcorn -- I just watch what kinds I eat and how much. I know what to look for, and what to ask the waiter, and how to prepare foods well. And today, I wa...

The weekend went better than expected. I went to another work wedding, and this time, allowed myself to enjoy part of the feast. And I still did way better than I thought! But this morning.... well, I had gotten up early to go to the gym. As I was coming back down in bed, to move toward turning on the lamp on the nightstand, WHAM!!!! I bonked my head on the corner of the nightstand. Hey, you try being an accurate judge of distance at 5:30 AM without your glasses on. No bleeding or other problems, but it has been a sore spot all day. So I figured rather than go to the gym and end up in the hospital -- you know, subdural hematoma or some other thing -- I just thought, "I'll go Wednesday instead." And I'm gonna need to go tomorrow -- I am out of sync and I really feel it. Holidays are nice, but BOY do they throw your schedule all off, especially when the gym is closed. Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

Another 1.8 down. YAHOOO!!!!! I was just-this-close to hitting 40 even ... 39.6 pounds. My coworker was like, "Round up, girl!" But I can't; that would be cheating. By golly, I will have it by Monday. Yes, I will. And I'm still going to the gym regularly. I want to try to stretch it to four days a week, so that will include one day on the weekends, probably for just cardio (if nothing else). I figure that's one way to keep things going. Success is good -- and I'm enjoying what has happened so far! Onward and downward!

that I joined Weight Watchers. And to commemorate this milestone, I was given the "perseverance" charm -- a pair of hands in applause with "16" etched on there. I just need a gold chain to put it on. And I lost another 3 pounds even, for a total of 37.8 lbs. That's a pretty good weight loss, and gets me back on track for "Laboring for 40." However, let me give you a small caveat: I don't recommend the Migraine Method of weight loss (being just too damn sick to eat). I had a hellacious migraine Sunday evening that stretched on into Monday. I remember waking up starving somewhere around 10:45 Sunday night -- I had been asleep for about 3 hours then. I still had 15 points left over, but I satisfied my hunger with 2 pieces of dry white toast (which was all I really wanted anyway). Oh yeah, and a teensy Weight Watchers candy bar. How warped is that? So I ended up with a 10 point deficit for that day -- really 14 if you take the earned activity points i...

Weight Watchers does carry some foodstuffs at the meeting locations and their smoothie mixes are a good buy. It's a little pricey compared to Carnation Instant Breakfast (for example), but very versatile (recipes for other things are included). So with a little experimentation, here's a recipe that I had earlier today. It's a hearty 5 points, and worth every slurp! Mixed Berry Smoothie Serves 1; 5 points 1 cup fat-free (skim) milk 1 WW French Vanilla Smoothie packet 1 cup frozen unsweetened berry mix Put in blender and blend to desired consistency. I usually hit puree, aerate, then liquefy. You will have a milkshake-consistency smoothie that is delicious -- you get 2 servings of milk (yahoo!) and one fruit (maybe two?). YUMMY!!!

Another 1.4 pounds lost!!! HOORAY!!!!! It does make "Laboring for 40" a little more interesting to work toward. I need to lose 5.2 in 17 days. I can do it. It just means I work a little extra harder. It can be done! I can do it!

A lot of people -- both in the 3D world and online -- have asked me to share my secrets for the success I have had so far. So here they are, along with a few helpful tips: Bringing snacks to work helps a lot. Usually it's a piece of fresh fruit or a ziploc with baby carrots, a couple of bags of the 100 calorie pack stuff, maybe some hummus to go with the carrots (or Wheat Thins, if I pack those), maybe some yogurt, etc. Those 100-calorie packs are lifesavers. They're a little expensive, so you can use other stuff -- for example, Triscuits. You can have one serving (6 crackers), and it's more than 100 calories, but it's also really filling. I will put 6 in a bag along with some lowfat cheese, and WOO HOO! it's a party! By the way, those are the regular Triscuits -- with the reduced fat ones, you can have 7 for a serving. I'll stick with 6 and a little extra flavor! I have breakfast every day. If it's a home breakfast, my favorite is a bowl of Kashi GoLean c...

As I mentioned in the previous post, my "assignment" this week was to eat a favorite food that I'd not eaten since starting the program. I had mentioned lasagna in class, but then by the weekend, I had a craving for the Chinese spareribs. So Sunday, I sat down with the dining out guide and came up with a plan: a small serving (1/2 to 1 cup) of boneless spare rib pieces (around 6 points), a cup of rice (another 4) and some vegetables (2 points for a cup). Okay, that was manageable. I ate a little less that day for lunch and breakfast, and even skipped my midday snack. It worked out even better. I am a doofus, and accidentally picked the bone-in ribs -- and two of those were only 4 points. One cup of vegetables was a quarter of what they gave me -- so I upped that to 2 cups (for 4 points), and the rice. All told, the same 12 points. AND I had enough leftovers for lunch on Monday. MMMMM! They were just as good the second day! So armed with this information, I plan to enjoy s...

and loving it! Another 2.4 gone this week for a total of 33.4 pounds gone in 13 weeks. My God. That's an entire Thanksgiving feast for 20 people -- and I had been carting it around on me. There's plenty more where that came from. Last night, we discussed our favorite foods -- and what we've stopped eating. So this week, our "assignment" is to eat one of our favorite foods that we've sworn off, but find a way to work it into our points. I mentioned that I love Italian food -- anything loaded with cheese and meat sauce and pasta and.... I'd better shut up while I'm ahead. But I think I will eat some of my favorite Chinese dish this week: barbecued spareribs. Normally I get the boneless ones -- already chopped up off the bone. And I usually get steamed rice with it anyway. Fried rice is okay, but you get tired of it. They used to have brown rice (which I dearly love) but people in my hometown weren't too impressed by the offering. So it's how to w...

YES! I did it! I lost 3.0 pounds this week for a total of 31.0 -- and since it is similar to what I had weighed at the gym, I'm counting the "30 by the 31st" as a success. Next up: "Laboring for 40" -- 40 by Labor Day. I figure that's 4 weeks for 9 pounds, which is very manageable. I'd like to say it just gets easier and easier -- and sometimes it does. But there are times I'd run you over for a Godiva bar or (worse) a bunch of breadsticks. Believe me when I say there is an enormous amount of self-control involved here. But that's part of the whole process -- being in better control so that I don't get out of control again!

I did achieve "30 by the 31st"!!! I went to the Y this morning, and used their scale -- which showed a 3 pound loss. So that's 3 in 3 days. Nothing is official (at least not in my book) until Thursday, but right now, it's looking pretty good. And I'm counting it! Tonight, I was doing a little measuring, and am pleased to know that I'm losing inches. I should have done some measuring at the very beginning, but at least I can start now and re-measure another 12 weeks down the pike. These little things are good encouragement for the long haul.