Welcome Spring!

It's the first day of Spring!!  And it's over 80 degrees outside here!  Very strange for us, but welcome all the same.

With the warm weather comes thoughts of bathing suits.  Not a happy thought for me, though I suppose I should be proud that I'm losing the weight even though I'm not comfortable in a bathing suit yet.  I hope that will come! 

I guess we need to go ahead and get the pool ready for swimming.  With the warm weather, I expect we'll be swimming a whole lot earlier this year. 

Also with spring comes gardening!  We are planting lots in our garden this year.  Hubby has been working hard on getting it all ready.  We will plant turnips, green beans, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers and more!  That will help making healthier dinners a lot easier (and easier on the budget too!). 

I'm wearing capris today - white legs and all!  Kind of exciting!  And as I lose weight, I'll be needing new clothes, so I'm looking forward to when I drop some sizes and can go shopping!

BUT, I don't feel like I'm losing any inches these days.  The scale is pretty good, though!  Still haven't broken 200, but I'm thinking it might happen this week!  I still think I should be seeing a lot more changes than I am.  A little bit frustrated, but who can be too upset with weather like today!  And I know it takes time.  I just don't have to like it!

Another fun thing about Spring is grilling out!  It's a great way to cook without having to add in extra oils and such.  I am going to get some boca burgers and see how they taste on the grill!  I love grilled foods and am so looking forward to enjoying lots of it! 

And, speaking of food, tonight I am going to be attempting to make a "light" version of chicken enchiladas.  Not sure it will be any good, but if it is, I'll post the recipe!  I guess it's obvious that I like Mexican food, isn't it?  Keep your fingers crossed on this one!

In other news, my third child has gotten the go-ahead from the knee surgeon to be able to exercise again.  In fact, she will be starting physical therapy on her knee soon.  She wants to start walking with me, which will be another add-in to my exercise, which should help me too! 

I have gone up another 10 lbs on most of my exercises on the bowflex.  I feel good, but I sure do feel like I should have more to show for all this hard work.  Then again, since I'm over 40, I get it.  I know being older causes things to take longer, but it gets so frustrating!  I'm doing all these good things! 

Well, I'll keep doing all that I'm doing.  Maybe I'll be surprised when it comes time for more pictures and measurements to be done.  I sure hope so!

Survived the Weekend.

Well, I made it through the weekend! 

It wasn't the best of choices, but it didn't kill me either!  And I'm raring to go this morning at the start of a new week!  Rode the bike for over an hour, did my reverse crunches, leg lifts and butt crunches this morning!

Have to try and find time to do the bowflex at some point today, which will be difficult given the work schedule today. 

I had gotten down to 201.8 last week (as the lowest of my daily fluctuations) and I'm hoping I might break the 200 barrier this week!  That would be amazing!

So, I'm back on track and very focused and determined this week!

I feel pretty good, even given the date night food and the two college kids being home.  We had a fabulous St. Patrick's Day and I enjoyed some of everything, but didn't go overboard, so I think I came out well!  We even took the kids out to eat on Sunday and I did alright there, too!

I really need to find a way to add something else in to my exercise routine.  It's so gorgeous outside this week that maybe I can find a way to get to the park and walk.  I'll have to really think hard on that this week and take ACTION. 

I am not losing the inches as fast as I would like to.  Some of my friends' blogs show just AMAZING results so much faster than my results are coming along.  Then I remembered that I'm old, so that's probably the reason for it.  Once you hit that 40 mark, EVERYTHING slooooowwwwwssss down. 

So, all I can do is try not to get discouraged and pump up my exercise and see if that helps!

What is changing, though, is my belly.  It is shrinking!  I can actually tell that, even if everything else seems to be going slowly.  I can tell the changes in my waist and feel the muscles that are forming under the fat that is slowly melting away.   I will just keep it up!

I'd like to hear what everyone else does when they feel like their progress is going too slowly.  How do you keep up your determination and spirit?

Part of my determination comes from my sheer stubbornness (I'm sure Hubby will attest to that!)!  So, I'm going to go out there today and be stubborn and successful!

Have a great day!

Weekend Woes?

Here we are at the weekend again!  And it has been a long and exhausting week.  Luckily this weekend has lots of fun (though also, work) planned!

My older kids are coming home from college to celebrate St. Patrick's Day,  hubby and I have date night again tonight - 3 Fridays in a row!! (That rarely happens). 

But therein lies the problem.  We celebrate St. Patrick's Day with FOOD!  We will have corned beef brisket, bubble and squeak, green deviled eggs, shepard's pie, and shamrock sundaes!  I have added in a potato soup and a fruit rainbow this year - both of which are low calorie.  So by planning, I hope I'm able to eat those things and less of the fattening stuff.

And of course, date night, as I've discussed before.  Alcohol and Mexican food.  I think I can handle that though, as well.  I've scoped out the "good" choices and I hope to be able to keep to those this evening, so it might not be bad.

Still, I've done so well this week that the weekend worries me.  There is less structure to the weekend, so I'm open to being blindsided by my monster who loves to creep out and provoke me into savage eating fits. 

I will just enjoy the time with my family and hope that I am strong enough to fight off the beast!

I'm down another pound today!  I've lost 10.2 lbs now!  Not as fast as some other bloggers I've been reading, but still an accomplishment!  I haven't been this weight since December of 2008!  Pretty exciting stuff! 

And I know that a few days of eating less than great choices won't kill me, but I sure hate to go backwards when I've made such progress. 

Weekends are always tough. 

Plus I have to prepare for a big work thing on Monday, so I'll be working as well.  Frustrating, which might lead me to some emotional eating ...

At least I know in advance that there is a potential issue here and I can face it head on and hope I'm strong enough to take it on.  And if I'm not, I'll just exercise a bit more to make up for it and get back on track come Monday!

Priority, Planning and Organization

Priority, Planning and Organization.

Before 1-2-12, I had tried "diets" and trying to "eat better."  But after four kids and a high stress job, it just never happened.  I could never stick with it.  Life got in the way.  Nothing worked.

And I realize now it is because I never gave my health priority.  In fact, I never gave myself ANY type of priority.  It was always about the kids, my hubby, my job, the house, the bills - I came in dead last.

This time is different.  This time, I've made "me" a priority.  Sure, I'm dealing with the guilt over that - who doesn't?  We all tend to put ourselves last in the list of things "to do."  Everyone else is more important.   I think a lot of us have that issue.

My New Year's Resolution wasn't actually to lose weight.  It was more of a "I need to pay more attention to myself" type thing.  My health is not good.  I have high blood pressure and I'm on medication for it.  The doctor tested me for diabetes because of my weight, but luckily I am not diabetic.  Still it was a wake up call.  My youngest is six and I want to be around for her to grow up and have kids of her own.

So I decided 2012 was "me" year.  What this meant is that I MADE myself make time for myself.  My first order of business was to figure out how to add in exercise.  I wasn't ready to tackle the food issue - I love food too much, so I couldn't hit that one right off the bat; it might have cause me to fail right there.  So instead, I  focused on exercise.  But how?  When?  I work full time (plus some!), have four kids, a husband, three dogs and three cats.  How in the world was I supposed to find time?

It wasn't easy.  What it took was planning, organization and prioritizing.  Clearly, I had to take time from somewhere to add in exercise.  So, I took it away from sleep. 

I get up an hour+ early to ride the stationary bike.  Since I planned it in, and since it didn't take time away from my kids, hubby, work, etc, I find I can do it!  And I do do it!  I started on 1-2-12 and I've done it just about every day since.  I ride for 45 minutes to an hour.  And during that time, I read.  Score two for me!  Exercise and pleasure reading at once - two "me" things!

Then I added in weight lifting. This one did require I take some time away from my day. I eat at my desk, so that saves time there. I discovered that I can lift weights right before my daughter's bus comes so I have time to work out and then get down the street to get her off the bus. There was some trial and error in working that in to my schedule, but with planning and organization, I found the best time and I now do it every other day.

More planning came into play in working on the food.  I finally had to tackle that issue.  Losing weight really is important to regaining my health.  So, I now research the meals I plan for calories, fat, etc.  I make a weekly menu and a grocery list from that menu.  I plan in snacks and lunches and breakfasts so that I am able to keep on track as much as possible.  My hubby does the shopping so I am able to take the time to plan the menu.

You can even plan for a future obstacle.  Say you know you are going to have to work late one night.  Plan for it.  Plan for the gang saying, "let's go get a drink" after the meeting is over.  Plan for being starved.  If you think about it, you can come up with something that will work for you.  Maybe eating before the meeting.  Maybe budgeting in the calories for those drinks so you aren't blind sided by it all.

This is why I think it's working this time.  I've lost 10 lbs since 1-2-12.  And I'm still here, still committed, still making "me" a priority.  I still have lingering guilt about focusing on myself, but in the long run, by focusing on me, I'm focusing on my family since it would be hard on them if I died due to health issues.

With planning and organization, we can overcome the obstacles that block us.  Where there is a will, there is a way, and right now, I've got the will!

So, we need to make ourselves a priority.  We need to plan out our exercise and diet.  When we have a plan, there is a better chance we can stick to it.  So face your obstacles and plan a way around them!

You can do it!

Emotional Eating.

Emotional Eating.

I am an emotional eater.  Food makes me feel good when I feel bad.  It makes me joyful when I'm happy.  I celebrate with food. 

And I have to now find a way to deal with this.

The hardest is the need to eat when I feel bad.  There's nothing like a Reece's peanut butter cup when things are awful and I feel down.  So, I have to find some other way to meet that need without resorting to food.  And that's hard.  There are very few things that can be as quick a "pick me up" as a peanut butter cup!  What could possibly substitute for that?

And I really have no answer to that.  Yet. 

I need to investigate what it really is that triggers the need to eat when I'm depressed, stressed or just plain down.  And then figure out something that I can do to appease that need when it is triggered.  Maybe a nice long bath with a nice book would be one way to handle it.  Though that takes a lot more time out of my day then popping a peanut butter cup in my mouth.

Or, maybe it's okay to go ahead and have a peanut butter cup.  Instant pleasure.  And if I only eat one, then that's not a waste of calories.  So I can allow some emotional eating, but I have to be careful.  And let's face it, it's not easy to be careful when you are an emotional/hormonal disaster.

At least I recognize the issue.  That's part of a solution all by itself.

The celebration with food is also hard.  For instance, every Saturday during football season (Go Georgia Bulldogs!)  I make "football food" for everyone.  We all look forward to it, revel in it and just really enjoy it.  Dips, chips, wings, ribs, poppers, you name it, I make it.  It's a happy family time.

This one isn't as hard as the emotional one.  I can make foods that are healthier than the glop I've made in the past.  I can make "lighter" versions of those foods, too.  And I can make less than I used to (I used to make enough for an army).

We also always have a Fiesta on the last day of school.  Another celebration with food.  I can plan better choices there as well.

Maybe that is the key.  With Celebration eating, I have control because I can plan those things (as long as I'm the host).  Planning.  I can overcome the problems by planning through them.

Emotional eating isn't really something you can plan for.  You don't know when you are going to have a bad day in advance.  Maybe diversion is the key there.  There has to be something else I can do to relieve my stress/depression/hormones or whatever it is that sets off a bad day.  Wine is nice, but there you go with the empty calories again. 

There has to be some non-food things that can make me happy.  Like, I like to fly kites.  But it's not like I can do that after a long day at work.  I like to read.  I like to blog.  Actually, that may be the thing for me.  Whenever I have a bad emotional time, I need to get on the computer, visit blogs and blog myself.  Inspiration and strength is but a few keystrokes away.  Plus the computer isn't in the kitchen, so that's a plus!

Any ideas would be welcome.  This will be something I have to contend with for the rest of my life, so it will be nice to hear what other people do to avoid emotional eating. 

The war on fat.

I was just over at Blog to Lose where I often go for inspiration and support.  A girl there was so upset because she has been working hard and the scale just isn't moving.  One of her friends told her it was going to take as long to get off as it did to put on.  Freaked her out.

I reminded her that during that time she didn't work hard and intently on GAINING the weight, but right now she IS working hard on losing it.

What she is experiencing is the mental part of the war on fat.  It's a constant struggle, and it often comes out of nowhere to blindside you when you least expect it.  It causes the self-hate talk to bubble up and over and threatens to dissolve even the most argent of willpowers and intent.

During these times, we need to gather support from our friends, forcefully stop the self-hate talk and move on.  We can get through those moments.  It may not feel like it right then, but we can do it.  I like to go back to my inspiration page and read through the quotes that made me feel good and strong.  I like to read other blogs and feel inspired by what others have done on their journeys.  This isn't going to stop the mental battles we have to wage, but it will help us get through them, to conquer them and to move on in the war.

And some battles we lose.  Sometimes the mental stress causes us to buckle and we fold up like well worn map.  We might binge or splurge or make other not-so-good choices.  But you know what?  That's okay!  It's going to happen!  Get back up tomorrow and get back on track!  One weak moment isn't going to kill you.  In one weak moment, you aren't going to gain back the 10 lbs you lost and all the hard work you've done.  Get back on that horse and charge!

These are the times that we need to think back on what started us on our journey's to begin with.  Re-focus on those reasons.  Remember the excitement you felt when you got underway in this war, the pride, the hope, the determination.  Rekindle that!

If you have taken pictures along the way (as you really should to help SEE what you've accomplished) this is the time to pull those back out and look at those "before" pictures and your current ones.  Look how far you've come!

I like to also look up low calorie meals.  I have to admit, I'm a food junkie, so when I'm feeling frustrated with my progress, I like to find recipes for low calorie comfort food.  Tonight, for example, I'm doing a crock pot roast.  The roast is only 240 calories for 4 oz.  I'm cooking it in beef broth, which only has 15 calories in an entire cup.  It is going to be fall-apart delicious!  I'll make mashed potatoes and use chicken or beef broth in it for flavor and then maybe some green beans.  Talk about comfort food - and low calorie too!  I guess I need to post that recipe on the recipe page as well...

What I'm trying to say is, we are all going to battle ourselves during our war on fat.  Some battles we might not even win, but that's okay.  We WILL win this war. 

When we find ourselves doubting ourselves, switch that point of view to something more constructive.  Okay, so we are upset because the scale has stopped moving.  Let's look back at what we've done over the last week and see if we can find out WHY.  Let's observe our habits, not judge them.  I got that advice from the 52 Weight Loss Missions.  Stop judging.  Start investigating WHY and fix it!

Today was actually a rough day or me this morning.  I didn't have any trouble getting up and on the bike, but I was only on for 10 minutes when I was looking at the clock thinking, "OMG - it's only been 10 minutes???  I'm never going to make 50!!"  It was awful.  I struggled and fought to make 52 minutes this morning.  And then got off and did my reverse crunches and leg lifts and I felt like I was done for the day and needed to go back to bed until tomorrow.

But I dragged myself out of bed, got the kids on the bus (one is home sick with the flu, however ... I can't wait for that one to hit me) and made it to work.  I was still all down until I went to the Blog to Lose site and started reading and commenting ... then I felt better. 

So, get out there and fight your battles!  You can do it!  Use the tools at your disposal!  Tomorrow is another day!

More food ideas.

Ok, so dinner last night was another fantastic low calorie meal out of the Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet cookbook!  Really tasty and only 244 calories for a whopping cup and 1/3!  I'll post the recipe on my recipe page.

And I also got looking at other low calorie things!  I found that Old El Paso foods aren't too bad - even though they are Mexican food!



That's pretty amazing - 80 calories for 1/3 cup.  You add that to a tortilla (which can range in calories from 52 for a corn tortilla to 159 for a large flour tortilla) then that's a pretty hearty low cal meal right there!  And you can add chopped tomotoes, peppers etc which won't add much in the way of calories but adds a lot of flavor and texture.

So, really, there are lots of choices for us out there if we are counting calories.  We just have to do the research and find them.  Or I can do the research and post them here for you!

Yesterday was a lot better day for me with my choices.  I did well during the day and then ate the yummy dinner that was only 244 calories - and that was a whole meal!  A fully satisfying meal for 244 calories.  Unbelievable.

Tonight I'm making my ham and bean soup since work is going to be crazy.  So I'll have my 118.5 calorie dinner tonight (though I bet I will eat more than 1 cup - which is okay - even 2 cups is only 237 calories!).  So maybe this week will be a great week!

I will keep you posted!