I Feel the Need for Motivation.

I'm doing pretty well and seem to be on a cycle.  I do very well during the week and then gain some on the weekend.  It's the same every week.  I don't seem to be trending down any more but am holding steady.  That is not acceptable so I am in need of a motivational page today.

                                                               

Ok, I feel better now.  I am motivated!  I'm going to rock it this week!  I can do this!

My next challenge?  My birthday is this weekend.  So, I need a plan.  I think I will work out longer than usual this week and this weekend.  The football game isn't until 3:30 p.m. so I can workout in the morning on Saturday.  I don't have anything planned for Sunday morning either, so I can workout on Sunday.  Maybe the extra workouts will make a difference!

It's worth a try! I can't become complacent with this "holding steady" cycle.  I want to lose it!  I want to tighten in!  And doing what I've been doing isn't going to get it done!

I'll keep you guys posted!

Anniversary

I had a blast for our 28th wedding anniversary!  We had a lot of fun in the cute town of Helen!

I started off the weekend with one of these from Survivor restaurant (a wonderful little place!):

And honestly had waaaay too many of them over the weekend!  But it was wonderful!

Had some good food too - a chicken chowder from Mully's Nacoochee Grill (fantastic restaurant if you head to Helen, GA):

We stayed in a cute little cabin because the hotel we usually get was booked solid (it's Oktoberfest - and it was the opening weekend):

And we ate most meals out and spent Saturday afternoon at a local bar (The Troll Tavern) watching the Alabama game (we are GA fans but we sure would like a chance at a rematch this year, so we were Alabama fans for the weekend)!

But it took a toll on my health, for sure.  My body does NOT like the fatty foods any more.  I guess that means that it's gotten used to the healthier fare, and that's a good thing!  But I felt just yukky by last night from all the fried and fatty foods I ate.  I feel much better being back on my usual diet today!

I'm a bit up in weight - 197.8 this morning.  We'll see if it comes back off again as quickly as it usually does.  

I did ride the bike this morning for 53 minutes and I hope to get in some time on the bowflex today.  I need my strength for sure.  I took a fall while on our little trip and my arms weren't strong enough to catch me so I ended up with bruised knees and my face actually hit the ground.  Wasn't fun.  Of course, that's what I get wearing high heels while I'm still 50+ lbs over weight.  So, I'll work on the strength training!

Hubby is going out of town this week which actually helps me in the weight loss department.  I can eat "diet" food and not be tempted to eat the meals I make for the kids.  When he's home, I tend to make bigger meals and I can't help myself but to eat more than I should.  Working on portion control this week!

At any rate, I wanted to update everyone on our trip!  Now my only challenge is football food again this weekend ... oh, and my birthday coming up on the 28th ... 

Seems there is always a challenge just around the corner.  I guess I need to figure out how to deal with them, because that's what life is - challenges and lots of corners!

Priorities

I think I'm having priority issues.

So the birthday weekend actually went fairly well.  I did gain a bunch of weight - ate lots of cake, drank a lot, had football food, but the portions were okay and the weight was mainly water weight as it came right back off again.

You'd think that this weekend would have been better since we didn't have the birthdays and all, but for some reason, I ate MORE.

Clearly I must not want to lose weight as much as I think I do.  If I did, I wouldn't be making choices to eat so much!  I mean, if I REALLY want to lose the weight, why is it so hard to make the right choices??

I'm guessing it's my priorities ... which apparently change from moment to moment.

It's like I see a chicken wing and my brain just snaps and decides that losing weight isn't all it's cracked up to be and that that wing sure does look tasty.

I'm on a little roller coaster.  I do very well Monday - Friday and then Saturday and Sunday just kill me.  So I gain weight over the weekend and then lose it all back down by Friday and then gain it all back again.

So how do I keep my priorities on track?  It's an honest question.  I really don't know.  I'm not doing it, so I clearly don't have the answer.

The good news is that there will be no football food this weekend.  The bad news is that this is because it is our 28th wedding anniversary and we'll be out of town - eating and drinking!  Which isn't really bad news - it's a wonderful celebration and I'm looking forward to it!

But I really have to wonder, is eating REALLY a higher priority than losing weight?  Really?  Apparently I seem to think it is since I won't stop.

I guess all I can do is try and take it one day at a time.  I know I can do well during the week, so I'll do that.  I'll face the weekend when it gets here and we'll see where my priorities are at that point.

Thought for the Day.

I have a lot to write about but no time today - I'm off to court in a few.  I just wanted to leave you guys with a cute cartoon I saw.  It made me laugh.

Have a wonderful day ... I'll be back later to fill you in on my challenges with the birthdays, football, etc ... oh, and my new challenge of our 28th wedding anniversary this weekend!

Ending the Month Down 2 lbs

Well, I started the month at 197.4 and this morning, I am 195.4.

In between it was quite the rocky road with lots of ups and downs.  I've posted my weight loss graph for the month so you can see all the fluctuations.

I did pretty well overall this month.  I've been consistent about riding my bike and I've done fairly well on the bowflex and total gym.

Things have also calmed down considerably since the beginning of the month so I feel very relieved about that.

My challenges now will be the birthdays and the football food.  I tried making "healthy" football food last year and it just didn't work out.  So, this year, I'll make my usual fare and just try to eat smaller portions - which will be easier if I don't drink the alcohol ... but really?  Football without alcohol?  Not so sure I want to go there!

At any rate, my bike riding seems to have returned to being a "habit."  Which is fantastic.  It makes a huge difference when I can do that every day and not even think about it.

So, I will just keep up what I'm doing and report in!

Feeling Good Today.

I feel great today!  Not sure why, since I'm actually up a pound.

I had a great bike ride this morning - went 56 minutes and really worked up a good sweat.  I will do the bowflex today - am still sore from Tuesdays.  I didn't get to do the total gym yesterday because of court, but I still feel good since I did the bowflex (and am feeling it!) on Tuesday, so the week is still going well.

I figure the pound up is just a normal fluctuation and I'll be back down tomorrow.  I handled the food fairly well yesterday.  I ate small portions, though I did drink 2% milk with dinner instead of my usual water.  I really wanted milk for some reason.

I'm optimistic today.  I feel like I'm doing well and am on the right track.

Part of that may be because I'm organized for a change.  I'm ready for the birthdays this weekend and have everything planned out and ready for the football games and the birthday party.  I always feel better when I have a handle on things.

I'm enjoying my workouts and I can feel changes in the way my clothes fit.

Plus there's been a little nip in the air in the mornings - it's starting to feel like Fall might really be coming!  I love Fall; it's my favorite season!  I always feel energized as the air turns a bit cooler.  It's still hot in the afternoons for sure, but I'm feeling hints of the coolness to come!

Also all the kids seem to be settling in to their schools.  It helps me feel better when I know they are all in a good place.

I hope all of you have a wonderful day!!

Still Doing Well.

I seem to be on the right track!  I dropped to 195.4 yesterday - woohoo!  I'm back up to 196.4 today, but I like the fluctuations that have that down tendency ... feels good!

This week's challenges will be:

Daughter number 4's birthday (she wants Dave & Busters) and strawberry cake
Daughter number 2's birthday (tacos ...) and chocolate cake
Football on Saturday - lots of football food (smoked butt, ribs, wings and dips)

Hopefully I will be able to control myself!  I think the key is to keep on exercising!

Which I haven't done since Thursday - I got a bladder infection and haven't felt well, but I'm much, much better today, so will start back up again!

I feel like I may be losing some inches as well - clothes are fitting more loosely.  I sure hope so!

So I will be good on the days that I can and try to control myself on the days that I can't.