Continuing the weight loss

Well here I am at week...hmmm....25? 24? and I've had some great success! I lost 3 pounds this past week which brings the total loss up until this point to 38.4 pounds. I am now seven pounds from my goal. 7? Holy COW!!!! 7 pounds! That's such a small number compared to where I started. I definitely can do this. I've learned so much about myself and improved my food and weight loss outlook so much over the past half of a year. Some highlights?

• I need accountability. I will probably have to continue my tracking in some way forever. I have made this a part of what I do every day and there's no reason to stop.
  
• I eat emotionally. Some people eat to live, others live to eat. I'm a live to eat who has to stop doing that. I need to think about why I eat everything I eat. I don't expect to change my makeup, I just need to continue other coping skills. I have friends who don't eat when they're stressed. Not a problem I'm familiar with...I eat when I'm sad, mad, celebrating, excited.
• I need to concentrate on filling, healthy foods whenever possible. WW lets you eat any foods you want, you just have to count the points and in previous attempts, I tried to eat the unhealthy things and count the points. There's nothing wrong with eating cookies and milk all day, is there? I counted the points. What's the problem? The problem is I'm not staying healthy, I'm not getting the nutrients I need, and I'm not staying full and satisfied between meals. I get that now. THIS time, I've addressed that issue.
• I have to stop seeing myself as a fat person. I don't see myself as attractive and adding weight to that just gives me a reason that I'm not attractive. I can always point to the scale and say, "Oh that's why I'm not pretty...I'm fat".
• I CAN lose weight! I can no longer use the excuse that it's too hard and I must have a metabolism problem. I don't. If I put the effort into planning and tracking, I can do this.
• I don't want to die young. I always thought that I'd have time to think about losing weight later. Why wait? It will only get harder and harder to lose the weight. I don't want to wait until I HAVE to lose it for some health reason. Now I can do it on my terms.

The journey (and the blogging) will continue. The emphasis may change. For example, the big summer trip is coming up right around the corner, and the job search and school continue. My Grand Adventure goes on every day. I am truly blessed.

Stay tuned.
Less later,
Laurie

Ramble and rant?

So the weight loss continues. I've lost 35.4 pounds total at this point. Last week was a 2.6 loss followed by this week's .2 gain, but I'm still the right direction overall. Lots of factors went into the weight gain and I truly don't expect to repeat it this week. Factors? What factors? Well, when you go to WW, or I'm guessing any weight loss plan, to weigh in, you wear your weighing "uniform". That would be the closest thing to naked that you can legally go out in public in. Thin shirt, no shoes or socks, shorts...whatever, it's one step up from stepping on the scale right before you'd get in the shower at home. You also do the same thing every week for consistency...i.e. if you don't usually eat before you weigh-in, empty bladder, bra-less, whatever your choice, you do it that way every-time. This time I mixed it all up! It wasn't 7 days between weigh-ins, it was 4. I had lots to do that morning, so I ate before I went. My final destination meant I had to wear a real outfit. Really nothing I did was normal, even for me! Thank you for playing, better luck next week.

That was the ramble. Now it's time for the rant.

I really don't understand mean people. I'm a kind, considerate, compassionate person. I never go out of my way to hurt anyone's feelings. I try to abide by, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all". I'm working at a school where caring and consideration are supposed to be hallmarks of good character. So tell me, why someone (a co-worker in the same school) would use the guise of concern for my future to take the opportunity to tell me about the string of highly qualified people coming in to interview for the job I was hoping to get? "Oh Laurie, what will you do? Will you stay anyway? You could work for them. Did you know there were at least 10 people in the past 2 days? I didn't see your name on the interview list--why is that?" Just SHUT UP!

I'm not on the list because the position isn't open to everyone yet. It's only open to people whose jobs this year are going away (RIF--no, not Reading is Fundamental). Yes, I'll probably still submit an interest form, but I really don't hold out much hope for the position at this point. The person they'll likely give it to is in my class, but she's been doing the position for the past 2 years. She is smart, tech savvy, dependable, and trained. I actually told the principal about her. Yes, I know you were interested in the job. You've told me that often over the past school year. "I thought going to school was going to guarantee the job? What a shame you wasted your time."

No, it wasn't wasted. I'll continue going to school, continue doing my job, interviewing for every similar position that opens up in the next week, and I will be IMPRESSIVE! I have the training, the attitude, the drive, and the desire. You, on the other hand, will always be the petty little, mean-spirited, untrained, bossy boots, pain in the butt, two-faced, moody person that you've been since I met you 2 years ago. You may be able to bamboozle your way into the hearts of some, but those of us who get to see the real you will see through you and take comfort that the Universe/God/Karma do balance life out eventually.

Ahhhhh, that felt good! I was tired of the tears. A plan is so much better.

In review...weight loss? Good. Mean people? Bad. I have about 10 pounds to go until I reach my goal. The cooking is still fun. There are only 9 more days of work/school for the kids left. I'm feeling great! Looking forward to a wonderful summer. And I've posted a new weight loss picture in my cute J.Jill pants from Goodwill in the smallest size I've worn since getting married!

The Adventure continues! Less later,
Laurie

Too long since my last post...

I realize that it's been more than the usual weekly timeframe since I last posted...my humblest apologies. I know it's a tired and old excuse, but I just got busy. I did stay on track though and have now lost 32.4 pounds! And I weigh in again today.

Planning is still key for me. Especially with all of the end of the school year activities that are going on for all of us. Crazy busy doesn't even start to describe it all. Camping, scouting, symphony, music lessons, scholarship competitions, work, parties, award assemblies, school, visitors, and the typical stuff that goes on every day for everyone make for a very hectic schedule. Hectic schedules can lead to unplanned eating which, for me, almost always leads to quick and easy bad choices. A little preparation and planning can go a really long way. I also make sure that I hold myself accountable with the food tracking, and that combination has made the difference. I'm shopping according to lists based on menu plans that I still make a week ahead. There's always room for a little improvisation, but a firm foundation means that won't throw my weight loss for a loop.

I think I'm going to set my goal today with my group leader and I'll talk about that next time.

Less later,
Laurie

A smaller marshmallow? And a travel plan.

OK, I've lost 28 pounds and gained confidence in my ability to do this long term. When I went to the WW meeting Saturday though, I heard something I'd always known, but it sunk in for the first time. If you lose weight by just managing food and not exercising, you go from being a marshmallow to being a smaller marshmallow! I mean really, why didn't I think of that? Oh yeah, I don't like exercise. I have noticed that as my body ages, even when I lose weight, things jiggle more than I would like. Having said that I don't like exercise however, doesn't mean that I don't do it. I hit my 10,000 steps a day, do the occasional jaunt on my elliptical machine, have ridden my bicycle for exercise, swim (now that the pool is up to temp), but I'm gathering that it's not enough. I'm going to have to add something to my routine to help firm up my marshmallow-ness.

Enough about weight loss! On to entertainment. This blog started last year with my planning our nearly 8000 mile round the country trip. And since the school year is coming to a close, it must be time to hit the road again. This year's adventure? The Pacific Northwest.

We (this year Chip's on the WHOLE trip with us) will head to San Francisco, Oregon, and Napa. We'll take side trips to Seattle, Mt. St. Helen's, Crater Lake, and more! It's a work in progress and we'll unfold the details as we go along. Yes, we're driving again, this time in a minivan. More room for the kids should make it a little more enjoyable from their perspective.

Having read the cyber-warnings, I guess this is the point where I'll let the criminals know that we will have the house being watched, so don't bother.

It looks like the kids and I will add a trip east right before school starts again. More on that later too.

I've got to get ready for work, so I'll sign off now.

Less later!
Laurie

26.4, 26.4, 26.4!!!

Sorry for the delay in posting, but Easter happens!

I weighed in on Friday morning and found that I had passed 25 lbs and have gotten to 26.4 lost. I feel fantastic! I'll have to buy some clothes shortly, but am living in baggy bottoms for now. I've shrunk back down into some of the clothes I'd outgrown, and then through them.

I'm doing more minutes on the elliptical, have some sense of control over my food choices, and try to be diligent with my tracking and planning. That is still key for me. If you get to lunch and have already lost sight of the food for the day, there's nowhere left to go. But you also have to keep it in perspective. If you mess up and over-do, you don't throw in the towel, you say, "What are you going to do next?".

I wish I had taken some body measurements when I started, but I couldn't bring myself to see those numbers. They were worse for me than the scale.

My goal keeps moving. Originally, I thought 25 would be where I wanted to be, but now I'm there and I acknowledge what I've accomplished already, but I'm not there yet. I'll see what the next 10 feels like and decide where to go from there.

Less later!
Laurie

Day 6, week 11 - It had to happen sooner or later

Yes, not only did I not LOSE any this week, but I GAINED 1 pound. My elusive 25 pound landmark stays out of range for another week. I'm keeping it in perspective however. I mean, one pound could be the difference between riding my bike to the previous meeting and driving to this one, or the salty food I'd eaten causing water retention, or the allergy medicine I started taking...who knows? I DO know that I stayed with the plan, and that the plan works, so I'm not going to lose focus over a pound.

I will say that tracking and measuring is crucial! Portion control was the topic this past meeting and the timing couldn't have been better. You start measuring the yogurt and getting exactly a cup, then you move onto just putting it in the bowl and saying, "yeah, that looks like a cup" and every now and then you need to check yourself. I'm actually pretty good with the cup, but the tablespoon still misses the mark. That's one of the most important ones for me, because IF the serving size is measured in Tbsp, then it's probably a higher point value item so accuracy is critical.

Spring Break was a lot of fun. We tried to do one "fun" thing a day. They each had a friend over, we went to the movies, the Lego store, the chocolate candy factory, and since they cleaned their rooms and their bathroom before the break started, I didn't have to ask them to clean while they were out of school.

Here's hoping the scale reflects my attitude this week!
Less later,
Laurie

Day 3, week 10 - What a great week!

Let's get the numbers out of the way first. I lost 3.8 pounds this week, bringing the total to 24.2 pounds in 10 weeks!

Today is the first full day of Spring Break. It's been busy, for sure. I started the day riding my bike 5 miles to the weigh-in and then back again. For someone who hasn't ridden further than 2 miles in the past few years, 10 is making my backside quite sore. Also, my hips and knees have been hurting since I got home. Apparently, I'm not as spry as I used to be.

After that, I spent time cutting a new solar blanket for the pool to get the water in the pool to a swimmable temperature.

Then it was time to help the Brownies do their service project by walking around a neighborhood park during a festival to pick up trash for three hours. Not all that strenuous, but my endurance was tested after the exhausting morning I had.

But think of all of the activity points I earned! It allowed me to have two chicken enchiladas, some tortilla chips, and some GS cookies for dessert when we got home! There's an improvement to Weight Watchers I like a lot. It used to be that, regardless of the amount of exercise you did, you were limited to 3 points maximum for activity points. This is so much better.

Speaking of GS cookies, I have definitely been eating too many of them. I've stayed within the points, but instead of healthy stuff, I've been eating the cookies...not exclusively :), but more than I should. I'll be done with them soon. The cookie sale is now over! I have some paperwork to do, but it's over for 2010. Of course, I bought enough to freeze so they'd last. I just have to forget they're in the freezer and I'll be fine.

I'll sign off for now, and promise to try to eat more fruits and veggies this week, and get some more exercise in. Plus, we'll have some fun this week too!

Less later,
Laurie