I'll Be Back

So, I'm off to Virginia for my mother's 75th birthday!  I may or may not have access to my blog there, so I wanted to just let everyone know where I am if I can't blog!

I hope to post pictures of our dinner when I get back!

Stress Eating

I can't decide if this week is just going to be a wash. 

I made a healthy dinner last night - grilled boca burgers, baked fries and salad.  But I ended up eating three huge helpings of the salad!  With ranch dressing!  I didn't eat the boca burger, but I did have some fries.  I just couldn't stop going back for more salad.

Okay, so salad isn't a horrible thing to binge on, but still.  THREE helpings?  Really?

It's all about the stress.  So much is going on this week and I'm scrambling to figure out how I'm going to manage it all and I just couldn't stop myself from eating.  I'm sure the scale is going to creep up this week.  Especially with lobster and prime rib staring me in the face this weekend!  And eating while on the road - fast food joints, no doubt.  And I won't have my bike when I'm out of town ... ugh.

Well, today I'll get my exercise for sure.  I've already done my bike riding and I've got a ton of shopping to do to get ready for the trip this weekend so I'll be running around all day.  And I will be doing the bowflex at some point, so it will be a good exercise day.  Now if I can just manage not to eat ...

You'd think that now that I'm on a nice steady routine that my beast wouldn't ever come out any more.  But it's still there, just waiting for a weak moment to jump out and scream, "EAT!!!" at me. 

Well, today is all about trying to just a little better than yesterday.  I think I can do that.  Today isn't going to be as stressful as yesterday.  Of course, I tend to stress myself out, so it's possible it will be ...

At any rate, I can focus on all the things I need to do and hopefully that will keep my focus off the food.  I will make it through this week.  And things will be so much simpler once the kids are out of school - which is only 22 days away. 

Anyone have any tips on what they do when stress happens?  I could use some help this week!

Busy Week

Oh, this week is a mess!  So busy!!  I hate not having time to blog!  It makes me feel incomplete.

Things are going okay.  I gained back some weight (probably due to my taste testing of the drinks for my mom's 75th birthday!) so I'm not too happy with that, but it will come off eventually.

My next hurdle is this weekend.  I am going to my mom's for her birthday party and we are going to have lobster and prime rib and all kinds of goodies.  And I'm going to enjoy them all in moderation, but I know I'll be up again in weight from that.

In other news, the new pants I bought for work are already falling off me.  I kept having to pull them up today at work.  Maybe I'm losing inches.  I sure hope so!  I'll measure again next week, so we'll see then!

I've got to post my April graph for my weight loss.  It looks like I lost 4.4 lbs over the course of the month.  Not bad.  I wish it were more, but I'll take it!

Well, I don't have time to stay and chat, but I'll try and come back tomorrow and actually write something more in depth!

Weekend Food and Fun

This weekend is going pretty well! 

Last night I made sliders out of cube steak that I grilled.  Fun little dinner!  I made the baked french fries and a big salad with the spinach and lettuce from our garden! 

The only problem with yesterday is that I was experimenting with champagne cocktails (I'm trying to come up with a signature drink for my mom's 75th birthday) so I added in a bunch of calories there, but it sure was fun!

Tonight I'm going to make shish-k-bobs with both chicken and beef.  I'm also going to have veggies and fruit: mushrooms, peppers and pineapple all grilled!  It should be tasty! 

We also worked on the pool and got it up and running, so the kids will be happy with that!  The water is still cold, but the weather is going to be near 90 degrees today so they might actually go swimming today!  I might do that myself!

Why is it that during the week, I have a horrible time getting up and on the bike, feeling like I could sleep forever, and on the weekends, when I have a chance to sleep, I wake up and can't get back to sleep??  I actually gave myself a headache this morning trying to make myself go back to sleep.  The dogs woke me up at 3:30 this morning and I had a fitful time trying to sleep after that.  I'm sure come tomorrow morning, I'll be sleeping and won't want to get up to ride the bike!  Oh, well!

In other news, I am down another size!  My clothes were just feeling loose and I was feeling frumpy so I decided I would go and pick up a few more capris so I would have something to look decent in for my mother's birthday party next weekend.  Well, no wonder my clothes were looking frumpier!  I'm down another size!  Felt pretty good!

Hard to believe I've been on this journey for almost four months now.  I'm really proud of myself for doing it this time.  It's not a fast journey, but I think I'm doing it the right way this time, and it seems to be "sticking" so I feel pretty good!

Hope all of you have a great day, too!

Accountability

Accountability is important in weight loss.

Accountability to ourselves and to others is key in losing weight and getting healthy.  It would be great if accountability to ourselves alone were enough, but it isn't.  Let's face it.  There are times when our inner beasts are stronger than the honor of our accountability.  That's when we need accountability to others.

Blogging is my accountability. 

Yesterday, I didn't have a chance to blog.  I had too much work to get done and I just couldn't find the time to blog.  And I fretted about it.  Which is a good thing.  It actually kept me on track knowing that I have to come back and make an accounting to you guys.  Knowing that some of you came looking for my blog and didn't find a new post kept me thinking about my food choices even when I couldn't blog about it.

And it's a daily accountability that really helps me.  If I slip and gain weight, I have to come tell you guys about it publicly.  Mortifying.  It's a definite aid in my weight loss journey.

I think that may be why weight watchers type programs are so successful.  It involves others and accountability.

We have to own up to our failures.  Which could be deadly in some situations:

Okay, so not deadly, but really, the fear of having to admit failure is a strong incentive to keep going.  And I need all the help I can get on this journey.  Especially on the days when my inner beast is saying, "It's okay to eat that, really!  Eat it!  Eat it!"  It might be accountability that keeps me from giving in.

By partnering with you guys, I have given myself power. You have given me power.  Weight loss is not a journey that one can survive alone.  At times, we all need help to make it.

So, thanks to all of you for being my Darth Vader of weight loss.  I couldn't do it without you!

Not Obese - Just Fat

Woohoo!!  I am no longer obese according to the BMI indicator on the WebMD I use!  Now I'm just fat!  Yay!!  Lol.  I never thought I'd see the day when I was happy to be fat!

I'm down to 195.6 today.  Feel pretty good except for my dern allergies.  My eyes are killing me, which make looking at the computer screen a bit trying today.

I've been eating well this week.  Did the whole menu planning thing and Hubby did the grocery shopping so I should be able to stay on track.  Might have date night on Friday night, but we aren't sure we can work it in yet.  The youngest came home sick today from school and work is crazy, so we'll play it by ear.  If not, I have a good meal planned.

I did find out my B-12 levels are still low.  So now I have the choice of taking shots (Ack!) or taking 2000 units orally.  I think I'm going to try the oral vitamins first. 

My blood pressure is doing fine!  The doctor says soon I might be able to lower my dosage.  As I lose weight it will drop, so I need to monitor it and keep him updated.

My clothes are really feeling loose.  I feel like I'm on an even keel at the moment - cruising along with the weight loss!  Pretty exciting!

Just a short and sweet blog today since my eyes are killing me!  Hope all of you are having a terrific day!

Living By the Rules

I'm not so good with rules.  I was always the kid who couldn't help but push those limits, test the rules by bending them almost to the point of breaking, and, yes, sometimes, just snapping the dern things in half right off the bat.

So trying to set "rules" to dieting just won't work for me. 

But really, we do need some basic rules in order to lose the weight.  We can't keep doing what we were doing or we won't get the change we are looking for in our journeys.

1.  The first rule would have to be tracking.  We honestly don't have a clue how much we eat and even WHAT we eat all day if we don't learn to track it all.  It's so surprising to see it all when you have to write it down.  And that's the beginning of learning how to lose the weight.  So, to see just what we are doing and what is causing our weight gain (or at least the lack of weight loss), we start to track what we eat.

From the tracking, we learn just where we are going wrong and can then analyze it and fix it. 

2.  The second rule flows from the first:  portion control.  We have a list of what we are eating because we are now tracking it all.  Clearly, by cutting back on our portions, we can make a difference.  Because, believe me.  I'm not one who can cut out certain foods.  I can't cut out sugar.  I just can't do it.  And if I try, I'll end up blowing the diet.  It's not something I can do for life, and I'm in this for the long haul.

So by eating the foods I normally eat but simply watching the portions, I can make a difference.

3.  The third rule would be:  make changes slowly.  When we jump into a diet trying to do it all at once, it becomes overwhelming.  It is best to make small changes at a time.  We aren't in a race here.  We are looking to get healthy and stay healthy for the rest of our lives.  That doesn't happen over night.  So make small changes.

4.  The way to do this is with rule number four:  planning.  The first step might be simply to replace all sodas with water.  Do that for a bit until it becomes second nature.  Next, maybe add in an exercise, even something as simple as taking the stairs at work rather than the elevator.  Plan it out.  Figure out what changes you can do and want to do (and are willing to do) and implement them over time.  Having a plan makes us feel productive.

5.  This brings us to rule number five:  exercise.  This is a hard rule because not everyone has the ability to do all forms of exercise.  I have bad knees, for instance.  So I can't do anything that might require me to be remotely agile ... or athletic ... or coordinated.  Each person is going to have to find an exercise they can not only fit into their schedule, but one they like and will be likely to do.  For me, it is riding the recumbent bike and weight lifting.  No knee issues with those.  For some people, running is key.  For some, walking.  The point is, there is some kind of exercise that you CAN do and that you will actually ENJOY doing.

Even though you can lose weight through eating modification alone, it's not the best way to become healthy for life.  Your body needs exercise, so you are going to have to figure out a way to do it.  Trial and error will help as well.

6.  Rule number six would be to choose your calories wisely.  The key to long term success is to not be deprived.  No one can live a life of deprivation for very long and remain happy.  So, yes, you can have that piece of cake if you really want it.  Just remember those calories, log it in so that it's tracked and then make better choices the rest of the day.  There are days when I could take or leave something, and if I can leave it, great!  That saves calories for something else later on.  Just think about what you are eating.  And just because you make a choice to splurge a bit, don't beat yourself up about it.  You thought it through, you decided it was worth it, and that's all there is to it.  Move on and choose wisely later.

7.  Another important rule is:  do NOT skip meals.  It is so bad for you to skip a meal. It messes with your metabolism.  It makes you feel hungry which then leads to potential binges.  It is totally counter-productive to healthy living.  Eat.  Just think about what you eat.

8.  The last rule would involve support.  You might have family and friends who are very supportive.  You might not.  If not, then blog.  There are a ton of great people out there who will support you and get you through the tough times, and blogging can connect you to them.  Everyone needs support now and then.  Everyone is going to have a tough day and will need someone to help them stay on track and remind them what they are on the journey for.

There are lots of ways to implement these "rules."  You can do like I do and make "light" versions of your favorite foods.  I'm a foodie.  I do not deny it.  I like the rich decadent foods so I find a way to make them "lighter" so I can choose them and still lose the weight.

And really, I don't consider these hard and fast rules.  I don't do well with rules ... let's say they are more guidelines for my journey to a healthier me.  If I think of it that way, I might resist the urge to break them!