Weighty Matters

Another WHEW! moment at weigh-in --- down another 1.2 for a total of 166.6 gone! I did tell the leaders that I wish I could have another 5-pound loss week. I know that's probably not in the future anytime soon, and I'm far from discouraged. I will take every loss, including when it's (ahem) "just" one pound or so. But sometimes it does feel a little .... well, let's just say I enjoy those weeks when I'm working it, and I know it, and it shows on the scales. But again, I'm not discouraged. And I know the going will be much slower as time goes on. I'm rethinking that December 31 time-goal. I will be happy with "by next Easter" to hit goal. There's no stopping me, just revisiting the framework.

I was really sweating this week's weigh-in. I stuck to points. I exercised 4 days (not quite up to my 5-a-week plan, but getting there). Water? Drank TONS of it (as regular water, hot tea, hot cider, Emergen-C, Crystal Light, you name it) over the last two weeks. Veggies & fruits? Check -- usually more than the 5 recommended servings. All the other stuff? Got it. But it just didn't feel like I was working it ..... it's hard to explain. This morning, I checked on the home scale before leaving work. There was a nice loss, so I figured that was a good sign. A couple of weeks ago, on Thursday morning, it was 6 pounds down from my previous total -- and by evening weigh-in, that translated to 3.4 pounds. This morning, it was a smaller loss -- about 3 pounds, so I was thinking about 1 pound total. It was 1.4 lost this week. WOO HOO!!!!!! There was a huge sigh of relief; I was quite happy. Ahhhhh indeed!

I maintained this week. Color me quite happy -- it was a crazy, crazy week at work! Two people out with the flu in my department, a third with a sinus infection and yet another who was out with a back injury. Good planning saved my rear end a couple of times during the week, so I was quite happy to have maintained. In good news, I went shopping today and found a pair of Levi's that fit like a glove. I haven't worn Levi's since childhood. They sure weren't available in plus sizes when I was in high school and college, but they are now. And I tried on another pair of another brand in the same size, and they were actually too loose in the waist -- just enough that it was noticeable. Tomorrow, I plan to spend some time doing some cleaning out. I had planned to clear out more of the clutter of my old clothes that don't fit and now's a good time! WOO HOO!

I was in the grocery store picking up a few necessities: fresh fruit (amazing how quickly that goes!), boneless skinless chicken breasts (a staple of my freezer), and a couple of other little things. While I was in there, I saw my doctor's wife, who's known me ever since I was born. She barely recognized me, and said, "If (she named my cousin) hadn't been telling me how you were doing, and I didn't know you'd lost so much weight -- well, I swear, I wouldn't have known you." THEN coming out of the store, I had just returned the buggy to the outside corral, and I heard, "Nettiemac?" Me: "Yes!" (I didn't recognize the person at first). Him: "Nettiemac Real-last-name?" Me: "Yes!!!!" (like, who else would it be?) It was my former neighbor. I hadn't seen him and his wife in about 5 years. He couldn't believe it. He said, "Oh my God. I only thought it might be you because of the car tag!" I've ...

Last night, I stepped on the scale at weigh-in. I was fairly confident that I had lost SOMETHING, just wasn't sure how much. Our WW scales at home that morning had me down 6 pounds from my previous weigh-in. Turns out it was 3.4 pounds down, putting my total now at 164 even. I have 79 to go. That also puts me over two-thirds of the way to my goal. It is hard to believe. I never imagined life like it is now. Honest. I didn't. I know that sounds like something straight off a commercial for an addictions center, but I swear, it's true. At the very beginning, I had no idea where this would take me or how successful I might (or might not) be. I would not have imagined enjoying exercise -- walking at the office or taking my dog for a walk, even standing for long times. I never thought I could grow to love different kinds of vegetables or find that I enjoyed certain foods. I never imagined I could push a plate away with food still on it and say, "Nah, I'm done" or ev...

In the winter, it's so hard to find good quality fresh veggies that don't cost a fortune. Just yesterday, I paid two bucks for ONE green pepper. Normally, in the summer, those are 50 cents each. That's the price to be paid for eating out of season, but dadgum! So I turn to frozen bagged or boxed veggies. For months, I have been using the Green Giant Just for One broccoli/cheese sauce trays -- very tasty, and only 1 point per tray. I've also been using the Birdseye SteamFresh Singles for the supersweet corn. Oh so good, and again, only one point per bag. But there are times I want something more than just the standards: broccoli, peas, carrots, green beans, corn, etc. I love French-cut green beans but usually I can only find those as canned. UNTIL --- I found Cascadian Farm Organic French-Cut Green Beans with Toasted Almonds . Two servings per box and only 1 point per serving (a generous 2/3 cup). Not only is it delicious just for the green beans alone, but you get the a...

And on the last day of the month! I lost another pound even to reach (and exceed) my goal. My goal was to hit the 160-gone mark by the end of the month -- and I did it!! With that, I have now lost 160.6 pounds --- just 82.4 more to go! It's going a little more slowly because I'm not exercising every single day. It does make a difference. January has had butt-cold weather and not having "insulation" doesn't help. We know fat insulates us from many things -- but one of the good things about fat is that it DOES act as a physical insulator. Now that I don't have as much, I stay cold. And when I'm cold, all I want to do is hibernate. Today -- cold, cloudy, and horridly windy. No way was I walking on lunch hour! I need to step up the biking at home. Just make myself do it more often. I know I slack up and 3 days of exercise isn't as beneficial as 5. So my goal for February is to exercise at least 5 out of the 7 days for 30 minutes at a time. AND to do the w...

goes the progress. I lost another 0.8 pounds this week, and I'm proud of it. I didn't get to do as much exercise as I wanted this week, so I'm especially glad I had a loss! So slowly, steadily, and surely I will keep moving forward. A new week is here, filled with new opportunities. PS: If you can, get the updated WW 2008 Dining Out Companion. Lots more restaurants, and a few surprises. My beloved "Skinny Chicken" at Macaroni Grill? Went from 5 points to 6 last year, and with a revamping is now at 8 points -- yes, EIGHT points. YIKES!! Guess I won't be getting that very often.

I missed Thursday's weigh-in because it was a snow day. I didn't get into work, and there was no way to make the meeting either. So I waited until Friday morning. I ate breakfast first (mistake #1). I had on a bulky sweater because it was cold (mistake #2). Hey, at least I didn't wear jeans (did bring them with me to change into, but didn't wear them). Give me a few points there. I stepped on the scale --- and lo! only a 0.2 pound gain. She asked me to take the sweater off, and I said, "well.........." (they laughed). I knew better. I knew to wear thinner layers to weigh in. I knew not to eat breakfast first. So I probably really had a loss. Dang it! So, all in all, a good week. No complaints, and we'll keep on truckin'!

Another 2.2 pounds gone -- 159.0 TOTAL!!!! And 84 more to go. That's it. I'm happy and amazed, and just glad to see things progressing well!

This was me, almost 3 years ago, on St. Patrick's weekend in Jackson, MS (I'm on the left, my best friend on the right): And this was me just before Christmas, 2007 (picture taken by our marketing director): And THIS is the reason I say that if I can do it, anyone can.

51 weeks to go on the timeframe I set to reach my ultimate goal. I lost 2.6 pounds this week (total: 156.8), so that means 86.2 pounds to go as well. I know that setting such a goal could mean trouble -- it's an average of 1.6 pounds to lose per week from now until December 31. I know a lot of weeks are not going to hit that mark -- some will exceed, some will be far short. But give up? NEVER. No matter how long it takes. The important part is that I stay focused. That I not beat myself up and quit. I've come too far and worked too hard to get where I am. It's that same intensity and determination that will keep me going. And for all those who are doing something to improve their health, well-being, and eating plans in 2008, GOOD FOR YOU! I wish you every success!!!! YOU CAN DO IT! I promise you!

This week, I was up 0.2 pounds. Oh no, oh my, whatever has become of me! Right -- pretty much anything within a half-pound is maintenance to me. So I am happy. If I figured it up right, since Thanksgiving, I've lost about 6 pounds. That is not bad at all!!!! *** For years, I've had a recurring .... can't really call it a dream, because I'm not actually asleep yet when it happens. It's usually one of those last things that flash through my mind as I'm falling asleep. It's me, running (for my health, not running for my life). Me? Run? Right. As Daffy says, "Ha. Ha. It is to laugh." But there I am in the dream, running -- happy and enjoying it, and usually there's music there to push me along. Most of the time, it's "Running on Empty." Guess that part of Forrest Gump took hold in my brain. The odd part is that I'm running in slo-mo, not at all synchronized with how fast I'd actually have to run to keep in tempo with the song...

I stepped on the scale tonight. Honestly, I was just hoping for something within a pound -- gain, loss, pure maintain, I didn't care. After all, I'd had a piece of completely TDF Tres Leches cake at my boss' graduation party. It's a great treat, and it all depends on which recipe you use -- 5 eggs or maybe 9. Eagle Brand or just regular ol' Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut. The one recipe I saw which even offered a calorie count came out to EIGHTEEN points a piece. God almighty. But it was divine, and it was a very rare treat. And today was our catered Christmas luncheon from a nearby bakery/catering place. They are fantastic. Oh holy Moses -- ham, Greek chicken, corn, green beans, macaroni & cheese, scalloped red potatoes, fruit bowl (cut melon, apples, grapes) .... and their famous cakes. The receptionist tonight said, "Well, you went up a little....." and gave me my figure. Not great, but I could live with it. Then I sat down and looked at my figures ......

Last night's weigh-in was a loss of 0.4 pounds. I will take every stick of butter or so that I can, so I will not complain, fuss, moan, groan, or otherwise think negatively. It is a loss! My only problem right now is a kind of boredom with what I'm eating. I've done a little more brown-bagging these last few days because I'm just so tired of what's before me. It's funny -- for years when I worked in a little town with so few options (and so few healthy ones at that), I used to think how nice it would be to work where there were so many places to pick and choose from! Oh my, wouldn't that be bliss???? And with an unbelievable plethora of restaurants around me, I am bored. Granted, I stick to a small number of them and generally get the same things .... Subway, Wendy's, Chick-Fil-A, Bojangles, Sprouts, occasionally Quizno's, but everything else is just trouble. I don't know points totals, and I'm usually not that interested in trying to figure ...

Okay -- I am not sure where things went crazy, but we seem to be back on track. I lost 6.8 this week -- so now it seems that everything is rolling again, and good to go. It puts me back over the 150-lost mark (152.2 to be exact). AND I reached my holiday weight loss goal a little early! But this is no time for either slacking or for self-congratulation. The way things are going, next week's weigh-in could show at 5 pound gain. I'm doing everything I possibly can to avoid that scenario. Lyn, one of my fellow meeting members, and I are challenging each other to do some weightlifting. I failed miserably this week, mostly because I couldn't find my stupid dumbbells! So find them quickly I must -- because I need to get back to toning. I've noticed the flab creeping back on, especially since giving up the gym membership. I need to find a way to stop that. Anyhow, I'm proud of myself for this loss ... cautiously optimistic about the future ... and working hard to keep thin...

but you really do "take the good, you take the bad." The bad: apparently either last week's scales were REALLY messed up, or I had one hellaciously horrible week. I'm leaning to the scales, because there's no damn way I had that bad of a week. I stayed within points -- even with a birthday party. Turns out that according to tonight's weigh-in, I gained back most of what I lost last week. That has never happened before, and I'm not sure how it happened now. Whatever -- this is a new week, a new start, and I will lose it (and more) soon. I am truly determined to make it happen; this is only a minor development. The good: Debbie (my leader) had gone to a regional leaders meeting, and gotten an award for having a member reach the 100-pound mark within the year. She gave it to me! So woo-hoo!!!!! I have a cool new necklace, to commemorate one of the goals I have made. This week's challenge is to set a goal for the holidays -- whether to lose, maintain, ...

Since my WW branch was (obviously) closed on Thursday, I went to this morning's 8:30 AM meeting and weigh-in. I stepped on the scale and the receptionist said, "Girl, I don't know what you're doing but you're doing it right -- you lost 4.2 pounds this week!" Then she said, "Ohhhhh! That puts you at 149 even. We can't have that -- take the sweater off and your glasses." Another pound there (for a total of 5.2 pounds). That means: I have lost 150 even as of this morning. Now granted ... that was on a totally empty stomach, first thing in the morning (when I usually weigh in at 6:30 PM with a small snack a couple of hours before that). BUT I'LL TAKE IT! What was really nice was it wasn't my regular meeting or leader, but Dave (that meeting's leader) could not have been prouder. He had me come up to get my 150-pound prize, and the entire meeting gave me a standing ovation. I started crying ... first time I did that when getting a reward. ...

Another good-chunk loss, followed by a slight gain. It was only 0.4 pounds so I'm not worried at all. And yes, I should have gone to the potty before I stepped on the scale, but I didn't think about it at the time. Oh well, the best I might have done is 0.4 the other direction. Not bad, but I'm not going to sweat a whole half-pound. It just makes hitting 150 by year end a little more interesting and challenging. And I'm going to do it. I am dead determined that I am going to do it. If it means I have to walk Maddox in a 40 mph wind at 9:00 PM, I'm going to (except for Thursdays, WW night). I am going to make it work.

Last night, there was a going-away party for my boss. A lot of my coworkers were there, as was the boss' wife (who is young, very pretty, and thin as can be). She was RAVING about my weight loss, and so were all my coworkers. Now these are the people who see me day in and day out. They have watched the changes I've made, and have been so incredibly supportive that it's just unbelievable. And they were showing me off to their spouses and S/O's and usually like this: "Come here, come here. Okay, now tell (Name) just how much weight you've lost. Doesn't she look amazing? She is one of the most determined people I know." And they're right. It has taken a lot of determination, stamina, and willpower. I went into this process realizing quick fixes were never going to fix the problem. I needed a long-term solution, not an overnight miracle. People asked, "Is it hard?" And I usually reply that it's not easy but it is worthwhile. I confess --...