I Ate Half a Pizza!

You should have seen the looks I got from that comment when I was at my weight support group on Saturday! I must preface this by saying I used to eat a whole pizza before I started changing things. These are not pizzeria pizzas. I am referring to the frozen ones you get in the grocery stores.

I love pizza. I have been trying for months to create a pizza that not only tastes good to me, but that is within my comfort range of calories, fat, and volume. You can eat most any pizza if you limit yourself to one slice. I just haven't gotten to that point yet.

I tried using pita bread, burrito wraps, and tomato basil wraps as the crusts for my concoctions. None of these were very satisfying. I tried finding a frozen pizza that worked and until I found the Krogers Thin Crust Margherita pizza, I had been unsuccessful. This pizza's serving size is 1/3 of a pizza! I added veggie toppings that I personally like and oh my, this was good! I figured out the calories in half of the pizza too. I cut the frozen pizza in half, re-wrapped the other half and put it back in the freezer before it thawed. This way I can load all my toppings and have a half pizza that really satisfies me! I then have the other half saved for the next time it is pizza night!

Most pizza still is not all that healthy for you, even mine. I would not say to eat this every night as it still has a lot of sodium in it, but it sure was handy! My family has their own real pizzas with their meats and such, at the same time I have my special one. I no longer feel deprived when joining them! Perhaps someday I will be more comfortable with one slice, but for now, this is an option that works for me!

I had loaded the most recent pizza I had with slices of portabella mushrooms, onions, and the like and even added a quarter cup of no-fat Kraft mozzarella cheese! For half a pizza it was 475 calories and had 18 grams of fat. Yummy!

One of the secrets to finding a healthy base pizza to start with, is thin crusts. I see there is a Newman Thin Crust Margherita pizza out there now too. I have not seen it in my stores yet, but will definitely check it out when I do.

I am very motivated to keep on track this summer while my exercise time is constrained by having a young child home from school. I have accomplished a lot over the past seven months. I have:

• Gone from 291 lbs. to 236.8 lbs. (down 54 lbs.)
• Chest 53" to 43" (10" difference)
  
• Waist 50" to43" (7" difference)
• Hips 54" to 47" (7" difference)
• Thigh 29" to 26" (3" difference)

I don't want to gain a pound or an inch back! I am working on the second half of my weight loss journey and this will be harder than the first half. But I do NOT want to backslide! This has been too much fun; fitting into new clothes, having more confidence, and helping encourage others has been a blast!

I also found an outdoor pool, that had a reasonable rate for both my son and I, to use this summer. I can use it four days a week and it is also good to pry my son away from the computer a bit. I can go to the gym on the weekends and on Wednesdays my son will go to see the children's programs at our local library while I sneak in 45 minutes of circuit training at the gym too. I got it covered!

PHEW! I wrote a lot. This entry was hard for me to do for some reason. I just couldn't get started and it isn't as witty as I would like. Maybe next weekend will see more wit and pictures!

Enjoy your week and be kind to yourself!

She's Gone Batty

Why DO they call those underarm flaps, bat-wings??? I think that is rather insulting to bats, don't you?
Have you seen any of these shows:
"Heavy"
"The Biggest Loser"
"Extreme Weight Loss"
I've seen all three of these shows since I started working on my lifestyle changes. I have been very disappointed. I really wish they would share more helpful ideas, along with the sensational weight losses and contests. I guess that doesn't make for good television ratings though. Here are my notes on all three:

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Didn't they have more of the 'how-to do tips' during the first few seasons? These days, I watch The Biggest Loser to get a tidbit of motivation here and there. What comes to mind from this most recent season was the talk Jillian had where she parroted back to Hanna (or Olivia?) what they used to say to themselves about not being deserving or good enough, etc. I also loved the challenge where they had to carry the weight they lost. I am sure there were other bits I took away from the shows, but overall, I don't like the unrealistic approach of losing so much weight so fast and having to commit to hours and hours in the gym to stay thin.

HEAVY: I liked the earlier episodes better than the later ones. I got more out of this show than the other two. I feel like it was more personalized and was addressing not only the exercise, but the foods, and the mental work to become thinner and healthier. I also think the weight losses were more realistic. Of course I wish I had the money to go to those resorts! Wow!!! Again, I felt the earlier episodes were better than the last ones were, when they changed to the second health resort.

EXTREME WEIGHT LOSS: Big disappointment. I didn't mind the weight loss goal setting. Some people I know have said they had issues with that. They thought the girl was being asked to lose too much, too fast to win a prize.

All I kept hearing in my head were ALL the bribes my father tried giving me in order to get me to lose weight as a young girl! (they didn't work then either) Then the girl on the first episode made the comment that she was working out 4-5 hours a day!?! You couldn't do that if you were on your own and had to hold down a job could you? Maybe it would work if you had oodles of money so that you didn't have to worry about living expenses.

I was dumb-founded at the part about her getting surgery for excess skin removal before she was done losing the weight. The only reason I heard for this was that they said it was because she was chafing. I just think it was too soon for her to have that done. Pass her some Gold Bond powder for crying out loud!

IF I were to lose that much weight, I would hide my flappy little arms until I proved I could keep it off for a while, before spending the money to have it surgically removed. She was in her early 20's for crying out loud! HER skin will shrink back. I will watch a few more episodes to see if they get any better.

COMMENT: Just as an aside...In my 20's (1981) I had gastric bypass surgery and lost almost 200 pounds in one year. Skin does eventually shrink. Now, in my mid-50's I am losing the weight that came back on when I got pregnant, a year after that surgery. I had three (wonderful) kids in five years and gained about half the weight back. I was stuck at 270-280 for 20-some years. As of today I have lost a little over 50 pounds since November and can almost fly like a glider squirrel because of the skin flaps under my arms!
My old skin won't shrink as much as a younger woman's would and I plan to just deal with it....unless maybe...if I win the lottery...then I might consider some tucking here and there! lol

24 Steps

That is how many steps it is from the first floor to the second floor at the center I go to. There is a landing in the middle, so you can rest on your way up. There is also an elevator you can use.

When I first started this journey, not only could I NOT go up those stairs, I could not go DOWN those stairs! My knees and balance were so out of whack that I had to have a death grip on the railing to hold me up on the way down.

Within a couple weeks though, I could go down those steps. Within a couple months, I could go up them. I would pull myself partially up by using the railing but I was taking the stairs.

Now, I can go up those 24 steps, right up the middle, no extra help needed! I still hold the railing going down the stairs, just because I don't want to have a misstep and fall! I think that is kinda neat to have accomplished this!

Another thing I have noticed is that I have little bump muscles in my arms now. They are not a body builder's muscles, but they ARE muscles!

Sometimes, when I walk down the hall in our house and turn the corner I catch a glimpse of myself in the full length mirror there. "Who IS that woman?" It can't be me because that woman is thinner than I am. I smile and walk on. What a nice reward to give myself permission to like that reflection in the mirror again.

Do something kind for yourself today. Whatever your triumph, big or small, give your self a pat on the back or an atta-girl or atta-boy! Don't give up. We're getting there, one step at a time.

Fluffy is Okay

There is a comedian that is quite heavy and his famous saying is "I'm not fat, I am fluffy!" I am not a huge fan of the comedian, but I sure like saying fluffy instead of fat!

Obese should be a four letter word too. I hate the negativity in the terms associated with being overweight. Don't most people who are fat, (excuse me, I meant to say fluffy) already beat themselves up over their weight issues? Is it because we are so sensitive to our weight that when we hear the words we take them to heart too much?

Fat, obese, overweight, plump, chubby, stout, portly, tubby, flabby, pudgy, piggy, heavy, chunky, hefty, XXX size, plus size, queen size, big girls, and more...all words, just words! But they can really affect us, can't they?

We give too much power to others and to words others may use. We should NOT be using words like this in our own brains either. We don't need to beat ourselves up any more than we already do!

These are the facts: I am over 50 and I am fluffy. I choose to say fluffy because I don't need to beat myself up over this weight stuff!!! The word fluffy makes me smile. Life should be more about smiles.

Are you fluffy too?

And I didn't Give Up!

The dark mood has lifted and I am doing okay today. I still am going to explore ways to stave off these feelings, as I am sure they will come to haunt me again!

I made it to the center to exercise this morning and have a very good, very healthy supper planned. One day at a time...one day at a time.....

Try, try, again...

I just realized that I now have less than 100 pounds to lose to be in the non-obese range! According to "the charts" out there, I should weigh around 150 pounds, give or take about twenty pounds. You may have noticed I have a 100 pound goal right now. That goal will get me to 191 pounds...41 pounds above 'normal' and only 21 pounds above a healthy weight.

I was down a little over a pound and a half this week. I should be rejoicing. For some reason I am not. This whole week has seen higher calories and fat. I am averaging around 1000 calories a day and 21 grams of fat. The previous weeks have been less than these numbers.

I took one of those silly quizzes that says I am food obsessive. I am afraid to not be this way. I will be trying to find answers on how to deal with this, this week. I recognize the old tapes trying to start running that lead to quitting. It IS a good thing that I gave away my big clothes. I can't afford to get fatter again!!!

Being Chicken

Yummy! This was lunch today. Starting with the base...the salad plate I use is a fun design that makes you smile right from the start! (I think having fun dinnerware is a great thing!) I then added more color by tossing in a couple handfuls of mixed greens. On top of it all is a mixture of diced chicken, sliced black olives, grape tomatoes-cut in half, chopped green peppers, chopped sweet Vidalia onions, and a little Miracle Whip Lite dressing. (It is amazing how far a tablespoon of dressing goes!) I also added a little seasoned salt and dried celery flakes. mmm mmm mmm!

My salad dishes are almost as large as a dinner plate. They have a bowl shape and hold a LOT of food! I love having this huge meal with no guilt. It has about 225 calories and six grams of fat. It is also very filling!

I am still learning about foods. It is a never ending education for me. This is the part of this lifestyle change that I detest most. Well, at least today I detest it most-est!

Something else that bugs me, is that once I start eating, I want to keep eating, even when full. It is like a feeding frenzy!!! What am I? Part shark?Sometimes I am afraid to try to eat breakfasts because I will use up calories and then overeat by the end of the day! I hate, HATE, HATE, having to think about food ALL the time! Will I have to write down everything I eat, all the time, for the rest of my life? I ain't gonna. No-sir-ree-Bob! I do not have the alternative answer to this yet, but it will be a cold day in H-E-double toothpicks before I will write down everything I eat for all the rest of my life! But this is a maintenance thing that will be addressed when I arrive at the end of the weight loss part of my program. As I have already told you, I invent things to worry about and today was the day to worry about something that doesn't really need to be worried about for a long time yet.

The thought I want to leave you with today is why I am writing this blog and sharing it with total strangers, as well as a number of people who know who I am in person. Yes, it IS a self-serving thing to do. By sharing my thoughts, fears, feelings, worries, successes, ups, downs, and the rest, I truly hope to help out someone else on this journey. By sharing all this, I also keep motivating myself more. So I AM being selfish by sharing my journey, but I really do hope I can help too. Fair trade? I think so. I don't want to hide my journey this time. I don't want to be a chicken anymore! Come on! Be brave with me and let's go cook a chicken for supper tonight. No frying though!

Wednesday Thoughts

When I went to bed last night, I was saying to myself that I was tired of swimming and that the weather is so extra nice this week, that I was going to walk today. So, I did!

I walked for about 40 minutes and went almost a mile and a half:

I took a new route for variety. I will go for a shorter walk this afternoon and then back to the pool tomorrow. I haven't watched all of "The Biggest Loser" from last night yet. I did see the part where they had to carry the weight they had lost. That really strikes me. I know I mentioned the 40 pound bag of dog food I carried into the house a couple weeks ago. I don't know how I carried that weight on my body. No wonder my knees and back feel so much stronger!

Pasta tonight. I take mine without meat and with portabella 'shrooms. I like 'shrooms. I hope you are having a great week! Go for a walk!

Motivation, or Lack-There-Of

For most of this week I have been in a funk, regarding my program. (I hate calling it a 'program' because this is a lifestyle change, not a program!!!) Whatever you call it, I have been in a dark, worrisome frame of mind when thinking about how this is all going to work out. In fact, if I had a suck-o-meter, it would almost be in the red zone.

I am a chronic worrier. According to my husband, I make up 'chit' to worry about! I also suffer bouts of depression, which I think is a normal thing for most humans. My brain will often fill up with such thoughts as:

• "How long can I keep this up?"
• "Will I keep doing this 'program' for the rest of my life?"
• "Will I keep losing weight without changing the way I am eating and exercising right now?"
• "Will I start gaining weight without changing the way I am eating and exercising right now?"
• "How will I EVER stay motivated to do this for the rest of my life?"
• "CAN I do this for the rest of my life?"
  
• "Is it ok to eat a bag of rice cakes after 8pm?"
  

On and on, I can make myself dizzy with worry. To what end? I mean, come on! It will either keep working, or it won't. I AM down over 40 pounds and that is GOOD! If it stops working, I can change things around at THAT time. I don't need to waste so much energy on worrying about the "what-ifs" right now!!!

Why do we beat ourselves up over this stuff? I am so tired of living with a weight problem. It takes up so much time in my life. I obsess over it and then worry about obsessing! If I don't pay attention to it, though, won't I just get fatter again? (What do skinny people obsess about?)

I have a love/hate relationship with the "The Biggest Loser" show on TV. I don't buy into losing 100+ pounds in just a few months. I know I will not workout/exercise for hours and hours a day, for the rest of my life. Their program just seems unrealistic to me. I do watch it though. I watch a lot of shows that talk about weight issues. I also read books about diet, exercise, and motivation. From each, I take nuggets of information. I might find some inspiration or just a simple tip to help me with my quest.

Anyway, this season of "The Biggest Loser" is coming to an end. Last week's episode had the contestants being 'tested' by the trainers. One of the tests had Jillian doing some role playing with the contestants. It really struck a chord with me. Jillian was mimicking all the negative comments the contestants had made to her over past weeks. Some of those comments could have been made by me!

• I feel like crap.
• No matter what I do, it isn't good enough.
• I am always second best.
• I am selfish for putting SO much time and effort into this.
• I've lost weight...so what?
  

The contestants then had to come back with a positive response. They recognized that their past negativity was a form of self-victimization. If you play the victim in all this, it is easy to give up because it is not YOUR fault! It is the fault of your genes. It is the fault of your parents. It is the fault of food companies. It is the fault of your income situation because you don't have enough money to buy yourself a trainer, a gym membership, diet foods, therapy sessions, liposuction, gastric bypass surgery, or whatever you think you cannot have, to make this work!

I've said in a previous post that I knew I would have to do the homework to make things work this time. I hate it! I don't WANT to think about what I am eating every time I put something in my mouth. I don't WANT to think about having to fit in an hour of exercise every day. Until I have that hour done with, I obsess about getting it done. "If I don't get that exercise done now, I might not get it done later!"

Is this what I will become? Forever obsessive about this eating and exercising? How DO skinny folks do it? How DO people who've lost weight and kept it off forever, do it? Are there such people out there, for real? How MANY times do they lose and gain before they conquer fat? I have quit smoking. I have done it several times. I have gone 10 years or more between quitting and starting and quitting again. Is that what I have to look forward to with the weight issues?

Why do we find it SO hard to give ourselves credit for what we HAVE done? In my case, I AM exercising, eating better, and still trying to resolve issues that might have stopped me from success in the past. (whatever that measurement of success ends up to be when I get there) Sometimes we HAVE to be selfish in order to make this work. To take care of ourselves enables us to take care of others. This especially resonates in women who generally are the caretakers of the family. We give and give and give and forget to give to ourselves too!

If you lose motivation, recall WHY you started this all in the first place. ("this all" can be anything you are trying to accomplish) If you lose motivation, write down all the positives you can about what you HAVE done. (easier said than done, but do it!) If you lose motivation, get therapy! ????WHAT!!!!??? Yes, I said therapy. Can't afford it? Neither can I. However, MY therapy is allowing myself to do something I really love doing. I not only allow it, I enjoy it. I wallow in it. I embrace it. I do my fabric therapy and always feel better!

When was the last time you felt exhilarated or happy about something you've done? (It could be something simple like smelling spring flowers or something more elaborate like a ski trip where you zoomed down the mountain on a snowboard.) Now think how you felt when you did this thing in your life that made you smile. Give yourself permission to feel good about something. Feel those positive endorphins rattling through your body. Wrap your arms around these feelings. Look in a mirror and tell that image about whatever this experience was that made you feel so good.

Now notice: What is your body language doing? Are you animated? Are you smiling? Is your body alert? It is hard to be hunched over and all sad when you are talking about a positive experience or feeling! Take this feeling with you as you go about your business. Remember what you have accomplished already! We have to learn to be our own best friend sometimes. The only thing we get from beating ourselves up is bruised and it don't feel good!

I was 'only' down a bit less than a half pound at Saturday's weigh-in. GASP!!! Doesn't that just bite? But you know what? I am giving myself a gold star for hanging in there and as soon as I send this off to blog-land, I am going to do some gardening and plan to go for a short walk later...even though this is my day off. I give myself permission to take Sunday's off and rarely do I just sit and vegetate in the house. See? A lifestyle change really does make changes in my life!

Inching Along

I realized that I am about halfway to my goal weight. I have changed my goal weight around a bit and finally settled on a one hundred pound total weight loss. This will be my FIRST goal. If I make it to that goal, I will see about setting a new one. I am still very unsure of my success in the long run.

I lost another two pounds at Saturday's weigh-in. I started my third food and exercise journal last week too. I decided that I need this 'crutch' for now. Why mess with something that is working so well?

Here is the first journal I kept:

Remember when looking at this, that the calories per day have the calories burned during exercise, subtracted from the food calories taken in. I did this the same way in the second journal. In the third journal though, I am writing down the actual calories and tracking the exercise separately.

Since I have something going on tomorrow, I won't make it to the center to exercise. Because of that, I went out for a mile walk today, before the heat set in. Even my son and husband tagged along!

It is also Mother's Day today. The 'guys' are taking me out to dinner. I have not decided just where yet. I feel good about knowing how to make good choices when I do order something at a restaurant now! The confidence in making better choices is definitely improving!

I am reading through some new books that I hope to share with you soon! I hope you all have a pleasant Mother's Day too!

An Even Keel

I am now researching. I am wading through so many books, web pages, and informational sources, that my head hurts. I knew it would come to this!

If you have dieted for any length of time, or tried dieting many times in the past, you already know there are gazillions of diet books out there. Some of you may have attained a goal weight, only to put it back on, and then some! What is missing?

Let me ask you this: How many books are out there that talk about successful weight maintenance? Dieting is easy, but LIVING the life...where are THOSE guidelines?

My plan, all along, has been to stylize my new life around a way of living that will help me feel better. Part of feeling better is to not be so blasted FAT! My weight is coming off slowly because I am making lifestyle changes that I think I can live with for the rest of my life!

But tell me...where ARE those books that guide you as good as the diet books do? We all know. It is because there is more money to be made in selling the next best diet shortcut than there is in selling the truth about how this all works in the real world and works for the rest of your life! It is all about learning how to keep an even keel on your lifeboat! Anyone for a swim?

Join Me for Lunch?

Two tidbits for today. First, use fun dinnerware when you eat! The more you pay attention to your plate, the more you are aware of what is moving from that plate to your face!
Second, to slow down your eating, use chopsticks! Never have used them before? No problem! I never had chopsticks until I was 55 years old! I kept at it and have now gotten the hang of it! I can't catch a fly with them, but I usually can keep the food under control from bowl to mouth.

Give new things a try! You might be surprised at what you can do and the changes you can make!

LOSE 40 POUNDS IN ONLY A FEW WEEKS!

SHERRI SHARES HER MIRACLE DIET PLAN WITH YOU!!!

I HAVE lost forty pounds now. It seems like it only took a few weeks. I am amazed at how many books and programs that are out there that talk about this particular milestone! I had a hard time coming up with a photo to use. I finally settled on this one:

If you've ever lived on a farm or even visited one, you might have seen these mineral blocks out in the pastures with the cattle, sheep, or horses. There are ones made out of salt too. I think some deer hunters set those out, as well as the farmers that have them out for their animals.
I used to live on a farm and have had to tote many of these blocks out to the middle of a pasture. They are HEAVY! And I have lost one of them since November! Please, DO NOT help me find it!!!

DEAR DIARY: LAST SUNDAY: At yesterday's support group (for those of us who are trying to lose weight), our fearless leader, Robert, asked us how we became motivated to begin this process and then asked how we stay motivated. I was surprised that I had not thought of this recently. I struggled to put it into words.

For me the impetus to start was the time I got on the scale a few months back and saw that my weight was only nine pounds away from hitting 300. That question was the easy one for me to answer. I was getting WAY too fat!

Trying to put into words how I stay motivated was harder. That very day this question was asked, was a day that I was struggling to keep myself motivated! I didn't feel like being there. I am still struggling with motivation today, four full days later!

Some things that have kept me motivated are the support I get from my family. They put up with new foods and ways of eating. They also celebrate the pounds lost and console me when the plateaus hit.

I have been able to shop for some new clothes. For many years now, I have been in sweatshirts, tee-shirts, and sweatpants. I am now shopping the thrift stores and getting some really cute and flattering clothes, without the expense of new. I keep changing sizes, so totally new clothing doesn't make much sense right now.

I also shop the thrift stores for books. I have two that I am currently reading that have motivational writing. I have gotten low-fat cookbooks there too. Having resources like the support group, a good array of books, and the internet has really helped. I can now recognize when I am starting to struggle. I am fighting the urges to give up!

I had a three pound loss last week. That is huge for me! You would think that would keep me motivated too! For some reason though, it is not helping.

DEAR DIARY: WEDNESDAY: YOGA I tried yoga today for the first time. It was depressing. I expected to have trouble getting down to the floor and back up again. I thought I MIGHT have knee issues. What I didn't expect were the wrist issues, and the blood flow to the head making me dizzy, and being put to shame by the seniors in there that are really supple! I am the fattest one in a room of 20+ folks.

Since I spent money to get the yoga mat though, I am resolved to go back again next Wednesday. The teacher is a real sweetheart. She says to do what I can do and not to worry that I cannot do what everyone else is doing. I know I am limited. I also know it is working parts of me that are not working in the pool! Though yoga isn't an aerobic exercise, it IS exercise and makes you break out in a sweat!

For some reason, I didn't think my yoga session was good enough for the day. I ended up and walked 1.3 miles in less than 30 minutes. It hurt! I was exhausted! Is that because I did the yoga that morning? Hmmmmmmm, I wonder? I also walked the 15 minute walk to and from my son's school this afternoon. I just measured that on Google Maps and it is .7 of a mile! That means I did a total of two miles! I have impressed myself!!!

DEAR DIARY: THURSDAY: I forgot to mention that at the end of yesterday's yoga session my phone started ringing. Everyone was doing a quiet meditation that is done for several minutes at the end of class. All of a sudden you can hear crickets and frog chirps...my phone ring tone. It had several of the other people in class, laughing. I did NOT admit it was my phone though! As everyone was leaving later, the instructor asked what were folks talking about when they said they heard crickets? I had to admit that it was my phone ringer. She thought it was funny!

This morning I made it out the door and down to the center to work out in the pool. I am a little stiff and sore from the yoga class! I REALLY noticed it in my belly. I feel like I have done a bunch of sit-ups! It was a pleasant surprise to realize that the yoga DID do some good. I WILL try it again, next week!

I stayed in the pool for an hour and forty-five minutes today. I really tried to make use of the water resistance and to work hard in the pool. This afternoon I will get my son from school. That will add a half mile walk to the mix. No wonder I am still kinda losing weight!

One last thing today. I bought a 40lb. bag of dog food for our dogs. I could barely lift it into the car and then from the car to the house when I got home. It dawned on me that this is how much I have lost already!!!

DEAR DIARY: SATURDAY: So, what IS my secret? How did I lose over 40 pounds? I will now share my secret diet no fail plan with you! It was the D&E Plan! The D&E Plan is a simple one. Anybody can do it! All you have to do is be aware of what you eat and how you eat. You also have to move around, like when exercising. I bet you can do it too! Try the D(diet) & E(exercise) plan along with me and just see the amazing results you will have too!!!

Becoming a Guru?

I am trying something new this week. I like to post on the weekends. I have often had thoughts about things during the week though, that I would like to share. This week, I have taken notes and hope to make this posting more .... more.... um....more better? I think I will go with that. This posting should be "more better."

Tuesday, April 19th: We are about to get hit with yet another storm. It is a wild spring here in central Arkansas! It should be gone by morning though. I plan to walk tomorrow morning. I have been going to the center to swim and then running errands after. Trouble is, I have been doing too many errands after working out! I stay out for hours and get so tired that I can hardly function for the rest of the day!

I worry about the upcoming summer. Will I stay on track? Will I keep walking and going to the pool? Can I keep motivated to keep the eating under control? At least I am pre-planning it all. I also keep telling myself to stop 'fressing' over all these details!!! I have two more months before it becomes an issue! I also have already thought of several different answers to problems that have not happened yet. I will not use this worry business as an excuse to stop doing what I am doing!

Jamie Oliver is on TV again. This time he is in LA, trying to re-vamp the school food system there. He also has been trying to convince a fast food restaurateur to change his menu to have better quality foods. Jamie shows the owner his version of a hamburger that is healthier and doesn't cost more to buy. The burger was 430 calories. I know regular burgers at fast food places are higher in calories and fat, sometimes in the thousands of calories, but 430 does not sound like it is that much healthier. I guess he used hamburger that was 10% fat. So yes, it is considered healthier, but still, would you go to a fast food place, thinking you could get a beef hamburger that was healthy for you?

I like Subway and Taco Bell myself. They not only have a good selection of healthier meals, they make it EASY to figure out what the better choices are on their in-store menus! I was starving while shopping at WallyWorld the other day. This one has a McDonald's in it. I eyed the menu from the checkout line, thinking they MUST have something healthy on their menu that I could eat? I am sure they do, but it is not easy to find. I passed up their food and made it home to my 'safer' choices.

April 20th, Wednesday:
I thought I should change up my exercise and walk again. It was a very nice day to walk. I did 2.4 miles in less than an hour. That is almost two and a half miles!!! Did I REALLY do this???

A few days later I challenged myself to walk in the heat. It was 80° outside. I melted, but I did it!

Saturday: April 23rd
I lost three pounds! I am officially over the 40 pound loss mark now. I have 75.8 pounds to goal weight. I wonder if I will ever make it?

I came across these in the store next to the rice snack cakes the other day:

They are SO good! When I get the urge to have a chip, at least I can reach for something like this. Even if I ate the whole bag, it wouldn't be nearly as bad as just a single serving of 'normal' chips.

Next week I plan to try Yoga for the first time ever. I am not the Yoga type. Am I becoming a Guru for others now? Will there be followers of this blog? I don't know if that would be a good thing or not!
If you've read this far you must not have better things you could be doing! Did you wonder about that first photo at the beginning of this posting? That was me, back in California. I weighed about 280 in that photo. I was going to try to lose weight then too. That was seven years ago! (it didn't work)
I have spent SO much time trying to lose weight. Why is this time different? Will I be able to keep doing it? Let's find out! See you next week!

(NOTE: This was published yesterday but the date shows the first day I started adding information to it. I will edit my postings in a different way next week, so as to reflect the actual DAY I posted, not the day I started posting)

Chewing the Fat

I stumbled across a book at the second hand store the other day, that I am actually enjoying! It is "From Fat to Fit" by Carole Carson. It turns out she has a whole website of stuff for those of us trying to gain control of our lives and to live better. So far I like her style. She is close to my age and I like reading about someone I can identify with.

I know it is somewhat unfair of me to say, but her website is somewhat of a turnoff for me. There are SO many other websites out there that a person can look at! I get tired of the commercialism of it all. I don't know if Ms Carson's website is one that is a money raking deal or one there to really try to help out folks, or both. Eventually I hope to explore her website more and I will let you know if it is 'one of the good ones' or not! It does appear to have a lot of possibilities though!

I am half way through her book. This covers the first 16 weeks that she tackled her weight and fitness issues. Although she lost the weight rather fast for my taste, she DID share a lot of the ups and downs she had had. I can relate to that. She is a tennis nut and really enjoys that sport. I cannot relate to tennis, at all!

I am at the part of her book where she talks about maintaining her weight and fitness level. One thing I got out of this part, so far, is that we are all only an injury away from disaster! It takes a long time to recover, especially at our older ages. However, if we remain as fit as we can, we WILL recover faster and better than we would if we were couch potatoes.

In other news, I had lost almost two pounds between last Saturday to Thursday and then gained back part of it by Saturday. I know, it really doesn't pay to get on that scale too often, but I just can't resist! I ended up and officially lost .2lbs. Whoop-dee-d0. hahahaha Hey, at least it IS a loss!

I am almost at the end of my second ten weeks. If I reach my goal, I will be a hair's breath away from the 240's. I have two weeks left and less than three pounds to go to hit that goal.
Next week starts a whole new chapter as The Mister starts a new job. This means a scheduling change for when I can go to the gym and pool. I should be able to go more often! I will keep you posted.

Bye for now, gentle readers! See you next week.

Back at it!

I usually do not exercise on Sundays, taking the proverbial 'day of rest' and all. Since I didn't have a weight change this week and have been feeling like a slacker, I thought I would make today an exception. I ended up and went for a walk this morning, before the temps went up. I did 1.3 miles in 25 minutes:

I ran for 275 feet! That is what this submarine is in length...well at least close to it!

I even tired out Ziva and she's young!!!

I feel much better for having done this. I hope my slump is over for a few days now. We shall see!

Problems this past week:
1. Feeling tired and lethargic, possibly due to higher outdoor temperatures
2. Finding out that I did a MAJOR miscalculation on the calories and fat grams in my favorite fake cheese. I could have had real slices of pizza for what my healthy pizza ended up being. I had 30 grams of fat when I thought I had 9. THAT is a HUGE mistake!!!
3. Feeling my exercising isn't vigorous enough or long enough. I don't want to do more than an hour a day!!! (whine whine whine)

Today I get back on track. I will have half the size steak I normally eat and will have a bigger salad than I normally have. I might do without the potato or fries too. I already feel better, just for having gone out and walked already today!

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Sluffing Off

I know it is spelled sloughing, not sluffing, but I like spelling things wrong, on purpose...especially when I am trying a play on words for my blog titles!

I have been sloughing off on my 'program' to self improve. Although I am still losing weight, I am also not working quite as hard as I was a few weeks ago.

Yesterday I did my normal 75 minute workout in the pool. I know a problem many have is that they go in the pool and chat instead of work out. I DO try to keep moving hard when chatting, but I know I am not really doing a hard workout.

For some reason, I have been tired lately. I wonder if the mini rice cakes at night are really NOT that good for me to snack on?
Although they are low in calories and fat, I am often allowing enough calories to eat the whole bag! That is 330 calories and 1.5 grams of fat. They taste too good to be good for me, especially after 8pm. Once the last of these bags is gone, I think I will not buy them for a while.

Because I have been a bit tired and not real motivated, I popped in to check my weight yesterday, after my pool workout. I had gained a pound. It didn't surprise me. I am not counting it though, because Saturdays are my weigh-in days. We will see what happens tomorrow on the scale!

With all the lack luster feelings I decided to try to do something extra special today. I made myself walk. I managed to get 2.2 miles in 50 minutes. I will walk to get the child from school this afternoon and that will bring me to just over an hour of walking for the day.

It was only 68° out this morning, but the humidity was high. I broke out in a pretty good sweat! I am glad I did it though. Yeah ME!
Off to shower now. I have a lot on my mind this morning, as my son is now a full fledged Marine! I can't wait to hear from him! Semper Fi!!!

Arrrrrrrrrr!!!!

This little guy is either showing his teeth cuz he just got back from the dentist, like I just did, OR he is shouting out that more weight has dropped off! Either way, he was cute and pink and belonged on my blog today!

Sunday Morning Walk

I've been struggling again. Last week I gained .4 pounds. It really isn't much, but it sure isn't the way I want to go! I hope this is more of another plateau rather than I have to ramp up my exercising even more! Of course there is so much other 'stuff' going on in our lives, that I am still amazed I haven't given up totally!

I did walk for two miles this morning. It is supposed to get up into the 80's today! It took me 45 minutes to walk this far and if I calculated it right, I was walking at a good clip of 2.6mph. I broke a good sweat and was huffin' and puffin' so I am sure it did some good!

I know Ziva was tired out and is sleeping already! It's a dog's life! hahahaha

I Can See for Miles ....

It has been a while since I have done a long morning walk. I need to change things up a bit or my weight loss will grind to a halt! I am already thinking I have hit a plateau again. I won't know until tomorrow though. Of course, Ziva was right by my side the whole time.
Wow, TWO miles? ME??? Wow....