one year later

Time to reevaluate... It has been one year now. I lost 5 pounds... UGH. I went back and forth and back and forth, and maintained somewhere around 7 pounds lost.

Anyway, I am starting over. For reals. My goal is to lose 22 pounds this next year. It's totally possible.

the withings scale

Mike bought this fancy scale a while back, and I thought it was ridiculous. Now I actually appreciate it. It is called the Withings scale. It syncs with the computer ... Fancy! On your account, you can have several profiles for all of the people using the scale. When I weigh myself, my weight automatically gets synced to the Withings site AND the Withings app. And now it also syncs with the myfitnesspal app. It's pretty handy! The funny thing (or maybe it should be the embarrassing thing) is that Mike and I weigh close to the same number right now, and the scale keeps getting confused between the two of us. This morning it did something brilliant and actually asked me who I was. Seriously! After it calculated my weight, it showed this split screen with my name and Mike's name. Then it had a little foot that flashed from one side to the other. I stood on my right foot and it registered the weight as mine. Too funny!

I have been very frustrated lately though with what I see on the scale. My weight has been fluctuating like crazy lately, like within a five pound range. I seriously weighed 181lbs yesterday, and today I weigh 176.7lbs. It drives me crazy. I would love to stay under 180 and keep going down, but it more often than not shows me over 180. On those days I quickly step off the scale before it registers the weight. Ha! Then I get depressed and want to quit. Somewhat sporadically I have that random day where it's a good number under 180, and I take it! (yes, i have moved past not revealing my true weight. who cares anyway?) So, I guess the moral of the story is that I should push forward and continue what I am doing. And probably add in some exercise. :)

At any rate, it has now been five weeks, and I have supposedly lost 7 pounds. I'll take it.

And I am actually right on track with that original goal to lose 10lbs in 10 weeks. How about that? Ha!

counting calories

My oldest son starting using the My Fitness Pal app about five weeks ago to count calories. I was still doing Weight Watchers, but not really doing Weight Watchers. I was paying $18 a month and not getting much for it. It was time to try something new. He was pressuring me to count calories so we could be on the same system. I don't know what clicked in me, but one day I decided to just do it. Best decision ever!

I have been counting calories for almost a month now, and I have lost five pounds. It has been incredibly easy. And this is without much exercise. Ideally I would exercise as well, but my life hasn't been ideal this last month. Hahaha. Collin has lost 25 pounds in five weeks. Wow! We are both very pleased with our progress, and excited to keep going.

not so good

do you want the good news or the bad news . . . or the even worse news?

the bad news is that i don't have 10 weeks for my 10 week challenge. we are leaving a week early. that's not really that bad.

the even worse news is that i haven't lost anything these two weeks. i haven't been trying hard enough. tracking somewhat, and totally going over my points. and i exercised like twice.

the good news is that my son collin started exercising and counting calories, and has lost nine pounds in one week. NINE POUNDS!!! that's pretty awesome. he is inspiring me to do better.

10 lbs in 10 weeks

Last week was not a good time to start my new challenge, so I am starting this week... before I gain everything back that I lost! So, here we go...

The plan is to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks.

Wish me luck!

change is afoot

Yikes, people! I am in serious danger of starting back at square one! NOOOOO!!!!! This cannot happen, so I must take control. Sedona was AMAZING. (Check out my other blog on the sidebar if you want to read about it.) We walked and hiked a lot, and we also ate a lot. I think I gained three pounds.

SO, I have decided on a new challenge. This one is more short term - 10 pounds in 10 weeks. What do you think? Part of this challenge is to stay within my points limit when I am away. WOW. That will definitely be a challenge. I am going to start this challenge next Friday (to give me a chance to regain some ground after this last trip), and it will end on July 26th. Ooooo, that's my brother's birthday... Anyway, I do have a few trips in that time period: Lauren's college orientation in Boston June 10-11, Williamsburg with the kids June 24-27, New Hampshire with the family July 4-7, and Palmyra (to finally see the pageant again) with a Niagara Falls bonus July 19-21. Four trips in ten weeks. If I take a break for each of those trips, I could seriously gain back everything I lose. The only way to do it is to stick with the plan the entire 10 weeks. Instead of taking days off, I will only splurge on a meal or two when we are away. That should work out better.

Hmmm ... Can I lose three pounds by next Friday so that I start this new challenge with my original 7 pounds already lost??? Hahahaha!!!! I will try. :)

I did exercise this morning!


p.s. Why do people always spell lose as loose? Your pants are loose (if you are too skinny for them. which i am not. but that is beside the point.). And you want lose weight. Is that so hard? These are the things that drive me crazy!

end of the 6-month challenge

Last week was a very depressing week for me when reality set in that it has been six whole months and I didn't accomplish what I set out to accomplish. I didn't even get close! The goal was to lose 30 pounds. Halfway through the challenge I changed it to 20 pounds. The most I lost was 12 pounds. That would have made me really happy!

But the final result was a mere 7.5 lbs.

So, I guess it really just was the last two months when I lost control. Such a sad story.

So, I lost 7.5 lbs. That's better than nothing! I'll take it.

And when we get home from our anniversary trip in Sedona, I will set a new goal and start anew. Sounds like a plan, Stan.

forever fat?

It has been a month since I posted anything on this blog. TWO months since I lost any weight. In fact, I have actually gained a little. Which makes me wonder...Will I be fat forever??? Maybe I'm just doomed to be a fat person. It is so HARD to lose weight. And so EASY to gain it back. If I could just stay at home and have a boring life, I would do better at sticking to my plan. But, darn it! My life is full of too many exciting detours that include great food!

I have gained a little back, but not all of it. And we go to Sedona in 10 days. Yikes. It's obvious now that I won't have lost that original goal of 30 lbs. I was ok with that. Not even the new 20 lb goal is attainable at this point. That makes me sad and disappointed. I had the time. I could have done it. But I didn't. 

So now I am making a last ditch effort before we go to get to that point of having lost 10 lbs, and maybe a pound or two more. Then I won't be a total failure. I was so good yesterday (the day I started). It's only 10 days. I can do this. I will be good. 

back on the wagon

This is getting serious. How will I ever reach my goal if I keep taking these "little breaks" here and there? I gained 4 lbs, since my break-through weigh in. Was that three weeks ago? It must have been. I did alright when we went to Virginia, but then I lost all control on girls weekend in San Diego. And I didn't get back on track this last week that I have been home. Now is the time to do it. Do or DIE!

I already exercised this morning and had my protein shake. It's a good start. Let's hope I can get rid of that extra 4 lbs this week (haha) and get back to losing weight.

week 16: -1.7, 11.7 lost, 8.3 to go

Hold on to your butts, people . . . THE 10 POUND BARRIER HAS BEEN BROKEN!!! I have been very frustrated sitting at the same weight for three weeks. Last week I said to myself, "FORGET IT!" Not forget it completely, but I decided to not post anything and not weigh in. I have been exercising and kind of tracking my points. But I really just needed to stop obsessing over it.

So I did.

And I finally lost weight.

1.7lbs!!!!

The End

p.s. i weighed in today because tomorrow we leave for a long weekend in williamsburg. it will involve lots of walking to make up for some yummy food i know i will eat. i'll be good though. i promise.

week 14: 10 lost, 10 to go

Soooooo... I haven't lost weight in two weeks. It is very aggravating. And I'm kind of sick of trying. That's pretty much how I felt this week. Hopefully I can get back on track and back in business this week.

The good news is that I have actually lost inches!

(and i can't wait to look like this person in the pic)

Let's break it down starting with the not so impressive,

and then working our way to the most impressive:

ARMS: nada. zip zero. ok...
BUST: -0.5 inches overall. oh, how i can't wait for this # to go down more.
THIGHS: -1 inch overall. This is actually impressive because I just lost that inch
    in the last month. Go figure! I had no idea I was losing inches in my thighs.
WAIST: -2 inches overall. I love this number.
HIPS: -2 inches overall. One of those inches is from the last month! That alone
    makes me SO happy. Who wouldn't be happy with that?
PANTS: -1 size. This one feels huge to me. And I am thrilled. I am most definitely
    down one size, and feeling very comfortable in it. And I'm not going back!

3 month mark: 10 lost, 10 to go

I AM SO FRUSTRATED.

FRUSTRATED.

I hate weighing myself, and I hate the scale.

UGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!


Thank you for listening... I needed to get that off my chest. SO, I have gotten into this very unhealthy habit of weighing myself everyday. Ever since Christmas, I have been freaking out about not losing weight. Now that I think about it, that's probably why I'm not losing as much weight. Well, anyway, my weight fluctuates a lot every day. Like within a two pound range. This week the scale is saying that I gained weight. For reals. I'm telling you right now that I don't believe it. I did the same thing I did the week before when I lost two pounds. How could I have gained??? It's so stupid. I'm saying my weight is the same as last week. The same dumb 10 pounds lost.

Now, losing ten pounds really isn't a dumb thing. I have to stop being so frustrated. I should have lost 15 pounds by now, according to my original goal, but 10 is still pretty spectacular. This is why I have decided to adjust my goal. I am literally losing my mind and feeling so fat because I am not where I wanted to be. I can't move forward like this (especially when stress adds to my shoulder acting up, and it has been really bad the last two months). I have lost 10 pounds. I have gone down a size in my pants. I should feel good about that.

Thus, the new goal: Since I have lost 10 pounds in three months, I am going for another 10 in the next three months. We have to be realistic. I think I'm over losing 30. It's ok. Losing 20 would be amazing. And what if I kept it up? I could lose 40 pounds in a year! I'll take that any day. This is what my new chart looks like:

Wow. This month was lousy. WHATEVER.

Onward and upward!!!!

My goal this week is to NOT step on that scale until Friday. I will exercise every day and be really good, and feel happy with whatever the scale shows at the end of the week.

The End

week 12: -2.2, 10 lost, 20 to go

I FINALLY DID IT!!!!

A few weeks late, but I finally lost 10 pounds.

I was so angry last week that I decided to do whatever I could to make this week count. And it worked.

So now I have 20 pounds to go. In 13 weeks? Eek. I don't know about that. But maybe I could lose another two pounds this next week. Let's go for that and then see how I feel. :)


Here is where I'm at:

Forget blurring out the numbers. I really don't care anymore. Fat is fat! SO, I reached my 5% goal. Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah! I get a star for that, and a star for each of the 5 pounds I lost. Yay, me! My next small goal is 10% which is five pounds away from where I was when I lost weight in 2008. How did I get so fat?? (don't answer that)

The biggest news of the week is that I officially moved down a size in pants. All of my fattest pants are GONE. Good riddance.

forty minutes

(exercising in the basement) 

If I don't lose weight this week, I just might crawl in a hole and die... I have made a serious effort! You might need to sit down for this -

I bumped up my exercise to FORTY minutes!

I did 30 minutes on the elliptical last Saturday; and then 40 minutes Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Today I did 20. That is major. And I've been sticking to my points pretty well.

This rut I am in is really starting to get to me. Things had better change this week!

week 11: -0.2, 7.8 lost, 22.2 to go

I don't feel like talking about it.

happy update

• it looks like i am actually losing weight this week!
  
• i hate, hate, hate exercising. but i do it anyway!
  
• i wore a pair of pants this week that are one size smaller than what i normally wear!
  
• it might be possible to catch up with my goal!

week 10: +0.5, 7.6 lost, 22.4 to go

Today is a tragic day in the journey of my weight loss. I have lost momentum, people! I am in serious trouble!!!

The "Weight Tracker" is so nice and encouraging. Yes, gaining is normal. And, yes, it happens for a reason... Like PURE LAZINESS!!!

Boy, do I need to get my butt back in gear. I was supposed to have lost 11lbs by this week. Instead I have lost 7.6 pounds. That puts me 3.5 pounds behind. Ugggggggggg.

I know what I need to do. I just need to do it. This week was a very lazy tracking week. I actually did exercise, but not enough. And when I did exercise, it was very lazy exercise.

You can see below what my week looked like:

SHAMEFUL. I must do better.

2 month mark: 8.1 lost, 21.9 to go!

The title of this post should be "ok, so... WHATEVER" instead of a normal boring weigh-in number. NO, I did not meet my 2-month goal. I've lost 8 lbs in two months instead of losing 10 lbs. WHATEVER! I am a little disappointed, but at the same time I am really proud of myself. Losing 8 lbs isn't something to be ashamed of. It's EIGHT POUNDS! That's more weight than I've lost in 5 years! So, I am very happy with it.

This is what my weight loss chart looks like on Weight Watcher's website:

I love the line that goes down and down and down. That is what is most important. I am consistently losing weight. And I am very close to my first goal. Fun! AND I have lost two inches in my waist and one inch in my hips! My measurements have not changed in the other areas... I guess those will change as I lose more. I have totally noticed the difference in my waist as I am now wearing a belt I bought a couple of years ago that was too small. When I first put it on a few weeks ago I was using the first notch. Now it is on the second notch. That's a fun indicator!

This is what my personal chart looks like:

I have to give myself a break because of certain events and holidays, but I also have to jump right back in. I have NOT been as good as I could be! I only exercised three times this last week, and I wasn't so great with tracking. And I had a MAJOR nachos meltdown TWICE on Wednesday. Yikes! I have the rest of January, all of February and the first week of March to get down to business. I can work really hard and get it done. And then on March 7th at my four month mark, I am taking off for Girls Weekend in San Diego. Do you think I will have lost 20 pounds by then? I can't even imagine! If I'm not at 20, I know I will be close. Here's to some hard work ahead of me. I am doing it!!!

week 8: -0.6, 7.8 lost, 22.2 to go

Can I lose two pounds by Friday?? Yikes.

readjusting

I have made a huge decision - I am adjusting my timeline ever so slightly so that my second month contains five weeks instead of four. This of course is because of Christmas. It's just not fair to throw Christmas in there! But then I am also adjusting it by one week (and this is the main reason) because my monthly weigh in date is falling exactly on a day in the month when I least want to weigh in! It really is a win win situation all around to just add in an extra week. I haven't weighed myself for this week yet. That might happen tomorrow, or Monday at the latest. But next Friday will be my two month weigh-in date. I am still not expecting to have reached the 10 pound goal, but I am hoping to be close. I have to work hard this week!

christmas vacation damage

We went to California for an entire week for Christmas, and we did eat some pretty good food. I want to say that I enjoyed in moderation. I think I did. But then maybe I didn't ...

So, what's the damage??? I was thinking I probably gained five pounds. But then my pants fit the same. And I don't feel any different. I did actually weigh in this morning even though I ate Outback last night at 10pm when we got home, and this is the worst time of the month to weigh myself... and it showed that I gained 3 pounds. Not bad! I don't think I really gained 3 pounds. It has to be those two factors previously mentioned, so I am very encouraged for Friday's weigh in. I already exercised this morning, and am back to tracking and in control. I am not expecting to get down to the 10 pound loss I'm supposed to be at. I will be happy with anything below my weigh-in number before Christmas, and then I can make up the rest later.

So... Let's do this!