Does anyone still read this?

Surprised!

As you should know (from my comment on Devins post) I have been really sucking lately! I don't think there is a nicer way to say that... I've been slacking. Not exercising, not drinking my water, and not paying attention to what/when I'm eating (like snacking without thinking in the middle of the day)... I was too afraid to weigh myself but I did sometime after I posted and I gained back 2 pounds. I managed to exercise 3 times last week... except they were all on the same day! I did 20 min on the elliptical, then did (or tried to do) a ab video segment (there are 3 segments on a video), and then did a 2 mile walk video! I don't know what got into me!! But that was it for the whole week, darn! If I could have kept that up... This week I have only logged in one time on the elliptical but it was for 40 minutes! That was yesterday, I was going to today but I worked so I couldn't (I'm cleaning my old bosses house with my mom 1 day a week), but I would like to think that it counted since it was 5 hours of hard labor. Anyways I got my water in today!! And yesterday it has been so stinkin hot out! I did finally take a deep breath and weigh myself today and .... I lost 4 pounds!! (6 if you count the 2 I gained back, but I am just counting from where I started.) It is getting hard to remember all the half numbers and stuff, but it isn't like I am going to write my weight down and just stick it in the drawer!! I'm down 9 pounds total!! I don't know where that number came from, what a total surprise to me! Granted it is almost embarrassing to say I've lost almost 10 pounds... I would think people would look at me and be like she weighed 10 pounds more that what she is now, Jeesh~! (I am still positive it all came from my boobs!) I'm rambling... sorry!

First of all:

Julie: I am so proud of you! Three pounds down, and a great attitude to help you keep on going! Keep it up....and don't let Ande talk you into anything... *grin*

Second....

My sister in law sent me this today, thinking it would be appropriate for our blog. I'm inclined to agree with her!

Take heart ladies!

We've been doing it all wrong for years!!

This should yield much more pleasant results!

The CORRECT way to weigh yourself:

Lost another 3 pounds

Well, I ended up cancelling my trial subscription to Self Help Works. It ended up being a little too "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me" (remember Al Franken's character on Saturday Night Live??) for me.

I have been drinking oolong tea (it's quite good!) which is supposed to help one lose weight. I don't know if it actually does, or if it's giving me a placebo effect, but I have lost about 3 more pounds.

WHOO-HOO!!

Still having a bit of a hard time with Ande wanting to eat junky snacks around me, the worst of which is Starbucks - because I LOVE my White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream...

Stay away from the Starbucks...Stay away from the Starbucks....(my new mantra!! LOL)

Well, girls......

I have made it.

I have lost the 12+ (actually 13!) pounds that I wanted to lose. And today, I wanted to offer a little encouragement:

IT IS WORTH IT.

Taking the weight off was really tough. It was tougher that I thought it was going to be actually, because the weight didn't come off nearly as fast as I thought it would, but I am so glad that I stuck with it for 13 weeks. I met most of my personal goals, including being in a cute new swimsuit in time for swimsuit season; being back in all of my pre-children shorts and dresses (that one feels the best, I think!); and toning my arms and legs and tummy area.

It was really, really hard. But I am soooooo very glad I stuck with it.

And, the best part: once I got to my goal weight, I could actually breathe again. And what I mean by that is, I am able for the first time in a long time to eat pretty normally. Now that I am not actually trying to lose weight but only to maintain where I am at, I am still exercising, and I am able to eat quite a bit more than I was before and haven't gained anything back! It is great. I am able to enjoy pizza and some sweets (definitely my ice cream! But, Edy's 1/2 the fat, of course. :-) What am I, crazy?)

It is worth it. The hard work will pay off. Be consistent. Stick with it. You will love yourself for it, I promise!

Alright, that's IT!

Okay, so I have NOT been motivated at ALL to eat better or exercise. Not one bit. Needless to say, it hasn't boded well for my weight. As a matter of fact, at one point this week I weighed myself and was 8 lbs MORE than when I originally said I wanted to lose weight. CRAP! Are you KIDDING me??? I know it's my own fault, but geez!!

Now I am motivated. The last couple of days, I have been writing down everything I eat and have been drinking more water. I also got on a site called Self Help Works and have a trial membership in their weight loss program. It's got ideas for what types of foods to eat at each meal, and there is an audio program that goes along with it. I'm not due to start the audio part until Sunday, so I'll let you know what I think of it.

My motivation has helped, as I am now only about 4 lbs over what I weighed when I originally started. Now if I can just get myself to exercise. I did tell Ande last night that we need to get my treadmill out of the basement and maybe put it (and the TV, which is currently sitting in the garage) in our bedroom so I can watch a movie or something while I walk on it. I also tried out elliptical machines last night at a couple of stores while Ande looked for some new basketball shoes. After trying a few of them, I was like that lady in the movie Napoleon Dynamite - "I WANT THAT" Guess Ande's gonna have to work some OT so he can buy me one!! LOL

So anyway, I just wanted to "confess" to you all that I haven't been diligent in my attempt to lose weight, and I want you ladies to hold me accountable!!

P.S. Read my blog post about what Puckey said to me last night by clicking here.

Question

Does the fact that I bought a box of the 100 calorie packs in chocolate cupcake cancel itself out because I ate 3 packs in one sitting? I couldn't help it - they were good AND I'm on my period. Total chocolate craving.

Oops!

My bad! I read the number of steps I did, not the calories I burned! I knew 725 seemed like a crazy huge number!! I actually burned 75 calories yesterday.

So far today I have done 35 minutes, which equals 2819 steps, and 282 calories. Not bad.

Well THAT sucked!!

I purchased a used elliptical today and I just got off of it. Exercising really sucks! :0) I was only testing it out because I didn't want to get all sweaty before bed, but I put in 10 minutes and it said I burned 725 calories!! (...and I did get a bit sweaty) Here's hoping for at least a pound weight loss this week!

I have my show I like to watch during the day (the horror, I know) so I am hoping to use that time (I don't think I could do the whole time, we might have to work up to that!) to exercise. Maybe that way it won't seem like such a chore... My girls really like playing on the elliptical (Kylie is actually pretty good too! I'm surprised her legs can fit over it!), I pretty sure I am going to have to fight them for use of it! :0)

My heart rate was over my target heart range (no surprise there), so what's your thoughts... do I slow WAY down (I wasn't going that fast to begin with) so I stay in my range and supposedly burn more calories, or do I just chug away where I am regardless of my heart rate? Does it really matter? (I only have the hand grips to measure my heart rate, I don't know how accurate they are...) I've heard that if your heart if pumping too much your body is just working on it pumping and you aren't burning... is that a myth?

One more thing... what are your thoughts on eating? Do you only eat when you are hungry or do you eat small amounts many times a day (5-6) to keep your metabolism form slacking? I know people who believe in both, and I don't know if either way is better.

Are you SERIOUS?!

So this week was pretty much the same as last week. I lost half a pound both weeks (woo freaking who!) I guess it is better than gaining, but half a pound come on! It takes a long time to get back to where you want to be when you are only losing half a pound at a time!

I've kinda been slacking when it comes to exercising. I have 2 great videos, but finding time in the morning is hard and I don't want to get sweaty after I've already showered. On the downside the videos have been hurting my knees, when we were dating my husband and I were riding our motorcycle and we were hit by a pickup truck . Ever since then my knee acts up every once in a while, and the videos seem to irritate it. I have been looking for an elliptical on ebay and craigslist with no luck so far.

It has been a bit warmer over here and I took the kids for another bike ride, the hill was still horrible! I really need to find a better place to ride, I swear I almost died!

I have been eating lean cuisine panini sandwiches for lunch, eating something pre-portioned works well for me. I actually find that I am getting full before I am done with it, so I have been splitting it with my son. I'm still working on dinner, I'm trying to eat less, but it doesn't seem to do much which makes it very hard to keep up! I am eating slower now which means I am feeling full before I have consumed a ton. My daughter got a free pizza certificate from her school so we went there last week. I am so proud of myself for only eating 2 pieces of pizza (minus the bit I shared with Brody), I actually felt full and I sat there watching everyone else eat. Usually I would have crammed down another piece because it was good and we don't get it all that often. Here's hoping for a better week next time...

How time (doesn't) fly

Why is it that 20 minutes goes so unbelievably fast when you are blogging.....

and so unbelievably slow when you are exercising?

Ugh!

You guys are the best.....

I knew there was a reason for this blog....you guys just encouraged me sooooo very much, miss Julie and miss Julie, and I wanted to publicly thank you for it!

What an awesome blogging team to be working together with....I am going to pick my head up, not freak out if I eat one or two things that I am 'not supposed to', and keep doing what I am doing, because it is (hard, but) working!

THANKS you two!

Struggling

I've been doing so good (lost eight pounds so far!), and the last few days.....I'm struggling.

I am just wanting sweet stuff. Cookies, candy (specifically chocolate) brownies. I think that I have gone so long depriving myself of this stuff that I just can't stand it anymore! That is not good. I am wanting to do the lifestyle change thing, not just a temporary weight loss thing, and that means that junk is out the door for good. But it is really hard.

It also could be that I have POUNDS of Easter candy lying around.

What is it they say....if you don't want to eat it, don't have it in your house? Or maybe 'they' don't say that....It's just me that does?

Well, that is part of my struggle. Too much JUNK around this house. I am going to have to go thru and purge all of the candy. Or at least, maybe I could have my hubby hide it from me?

I need some encouragement today.

We're getting somewhere.... S L O W L Y

I'm down another pound and a half... which brings my grand total to 3 pounds (I think). But considering I gained weight right after I started trying to lose I guess I am about back where I started. I was hoping that I would have done a lot better than that since I was flat on my back sick for 2 days and hardly ate a thing. I guess you need to be sick and puking to lose weight!

We had one warmish day and I took the kids for a bike ride, this is the first year that I have had a bike, trailer, and baby seat. I was SO excited about taking them for rides until I actually did it once, I realized that I am pulling almost 100 pounds behind me!! Holy cow! There aren't sidewalks where I live and my road is kinda busy so I rode down the road and turned into a newer subdivision, I thought it would be the perfect place to ride till I had to make it up the hill on the way back home (it was a little, but VERY hard hill!). Hopefully it will get easier as I keep riding, maybe I'll try to ride when my oldest is at school so my load will be lighter till I am more used to it!

Blog changes

Hey guys,

I am experimenting a little with HTML and template stuff. I hope none of the other three of you mind, but I am using our weight blog as a guinea pig. I promise to return it to it's normal state soon (unless you really like the new look!)

Looking for input

I am on a desperate search for low calorie, tasty, sweet-tooth-satisfying snacks.

Ones I have tried that are good:

• Yoplait light yogurt--key lime pie and lemon meringue pie are both very good, and surprisingly taste a lot like the real thing
• 100 calorie snack packs--the chips ahoy ones are very good--I also bought the Oreo ones, but haven't tried them yet
• Edy's light ice cream--the BEST, and you would never know it is light!
• York mini peppermint patties--only 50 calories and one fat gram apiece!

Okay, now it's your turn.....I'm challenging you, if you are a reader of this blog, even if you have never commented before, to leave at least ONE yummy, low-calorie snack in the comment portion of this blog! (My scale thanks you in advance.)

Progress report

Well, I am changing my strategy a bit.

I have been doing really well on exercising, doing about 20 minutes of cardio (my gazelle) and at least 30 minutes of Pilates each day, 6 days a week. I've also really been watching what I am eating, though last week I wasn't quite as "nazi-esque" as I was the first 2 weeks! The first week, I lost three pounds; the second week, I lost two pounds, and last week I lost one pound, for a total of 6 that I am down so far, which I am really excited about!

MORE importantly, I am noticing that my body is changing TONS. (My clothes are fitting so much better--and I'm wearing things I haven't worn in two years!) And that is where the change of strategy comes in.

My husband and I have figured out that most likely, I am putting on muscle with the toning stuff (Pilates) that I am doing. Which is great, except for the fact that muscle weighs more than fat does. Which means, the scale isn't going down as fast as I would like it to.

Here is the new plan:

I am going to start doing a little more cardio (at least 30 minutes per day) and a little less Pilates--concentrating on burning the fat that I have more so than building new muscle. I do want to build that muscle, and have nice, toned, lean limbs, but I want it to build gradually so that the scale actually shows all the effort I am putting into this!

Now, make no mistake--I do believe that there will be a point that I plateau, and the scale won't go down any further without me having to take drastic measures (like, exercise 3 hours per day or eat nothing but water and rice cakes). Let me say right now, I am NOT willing to do either one of the afore mentioned things. I will not let the 'goal of losing 13 pounds' be the guideline by which I do everything else. I will not let the conquest to a thinner body completely take over my life. The scale may never show the progress that I orignially intended for it to show.

And part of the new plan? To be fine with that. And I am.

Let me just say, I have not let up any of my determination. I will continue to watch what I am eating like a hawk, and exercise regularly. I am just as strong as I was three weeks ago, but my perspective is just a little different.

The goal here is to be happier with my body, to look better in (and out) of my clothes, and to be healthier. When all of that happens, I am going to be thrilled, whether or not the scale says 'that certain number' that I hoped it would when I started out a few weeks ago.

A little humor...

Fortunately for me, my husband has a good sense of humor. It's a little risque', but we're all adults here...

Last night Ande mentioned the fact that sex is a good workout. I said, "You're right - but if I'm supposed to work out for an hour every day, what am I supposed to do for the other 58 minutes?"

He totally cracked up! Of course, this is the same guy who said THIS as well...LOL

Week 2

Didn't lose this week...but I didn't gain. And figuring in that I went to a fundraiser last night with some DELICIOUS food, plus went out to eat a couple of times during the week, I think I did alright.

This week, I do need to buckle down and get serious again. I liked seeing the numbers go down on the scale last week, and want to continue that trend...

Hope you all had a great week!

Something significant

Well, I had a major moment this morning...


I went to put on my bra (sorry for TMI) and I noticed something wasn't right.

It was too loose!

I HAD TO MOVE IT BACK TO THE NEXT SET OF CLASPS!!!!

Major milestone, and YAY--I am excited!!

5 pounds down, and I can't wait to get the rest off--just had to share and hopefully encourage all of you!! We can do this! I'm off to go exercise now....