New Year

So, it's a new year and I've made some resolutions about getting healthier.  As always losing weight is at the top of the list.  This year though I'm doing it a little differently.  Usually I jump in with both feet into exercise and dieting and I lose a lot of weight the first couple weeks and then I fall off the wagon and gain it all back. And sometimes more.

So this year I'm making small but steady changes in my diet and exercise levels.  I'm hoping that with small gradual changes I'll be able to stick to them and not fall back into my old habits.  So far I've stuck with the changes I've made for the first and second week and have managed to lose 6 pounds so far. 

I still have a long way to go but I hope with small changes and consistancy I'll get there.  For those of you playing at home that means another 75 pounds I want to lose.  I've broken it up into smaller goals s I don't get overwhelmed.  The first one is 15 pounds, the next is 10.  Once I break those barriers I think I'll be headed the right direction.

October 1

So I haven't posted in several days, but this time it isn't out of shame that I haven't been exercising and eating like I should.  okay, okay, so the eating part isn't perfect, but I have been exercising.  And I'm down 10.4 pounds.  And I've maintained that for 5 days.  For me, losing 5-10 pounds is easy, but i usually gain it right back.  Not this time.  I'm tired of losing the same 10 pounds over and over again.  I am a woman on a mission. 

Sept 24

Good workout day today. Got up and did one of my walk aerobic tapes.  Ate healthy today, chicken tortilla soup with black beans for lunch and teryaki chicken with rice and green beans for dinner with sugar free jello for dessert.   Took a mile and a half walk after dinner. Took me 26 minutes.  Not bad I suppose, but not good either.  My goal is to be able to do a 5k in less than 30 minutes, so I need to double my distance and half the time.  So, I wonder how long that'll take me....

Sept 23

I don't know how I managed to go two weeks without posting.  Not a lot has changed in the weight loss world.  I hadn't worked out in a while and not really watched how I was eating while I was sick with yet another sinus infection.  I am finally feeling better again and back on track.

Worked out today for the first time in a couple weeks.  I got up and rode 12 miles today on the stationary bike.  took me less than 31 minutes.  Not bad, not bad at all if I say so myself. 

Ate pretty healthy today too.  Cup of steak n shake chili for lunch and homemade bean burritos for dinner.  Am more determined than ever to get this extra weight off before I go see my folks in Myrtle Beach in a couple of weeks.  12 days to be exact.  I am so excited to go see them.  It's been over a year.

Had a nice weekend.  Got to see Kelly for a while.  Watched a movie with Michael.  Caught up on some housework. the weekend is just never long enough.

Sept 10

Had a great weekend with Michael.  Lovely date night on Friday, went to a wedding and reception on Saturday and drove to Anderson on Sunday and saw the kids, had a nice lunch with Kelly, and Michael fixed her scooter again. 

Have decided to stop weighing in every morning because I'm tired of letting the scale fluctuations determine if it's going to be a good day or a bad day.  I am worth more as a person than a number on a scale.  And while I'm trying very hard to get that number lower and in turn to be a more fit and healthy person, basing my self worth on whether or not I've gained or lost seems rather silly.  It's natural for bodyweight to shift up and down on a daily basis.  So I've decided to only weigh in on Fridays.  So far I made it the weekend without stepping on.  lets see if I can go the whole week without peeking.

Had a productive morning workout.  Cranked the tension on the rowing machine up to 5 and did 10 minutes on it without keeling over and dying.  Planning on taking a walk when I get home with Xandra after work/school and then riding 12 miles tonight.  we'll see if i manage to stick to that too.  Anyway, off to work, post more later.

Labor Day

Being Labor Day and all I'm sure I should take the day off from posting but I've had the last several off.  Besides, I have discovered something wonderful and important...I have found the solution to war and poverty and  inequality...stuff yourself silly with all kind of unhealthy food...What?  Wait? You mean eating like that doesn't solve problems? but, but i've been doing that for years to get through bad stuff.  really? hasn't solved a single problem?  No, I suppose it didn't help after the divorce, just made me fatter and unhealthier and made me like myself less.  No, didn't help me feel better after getting cheated on...just made me think he must have cheated because I was so fat and disgusting.  Didn't help after my grandma died...just made me worry about my own health more as I stayed moorbidly obese. 

Actually, eating junk hasn't really made anything better in the long run.  Guess I go back to the drawingboard on this one.

Aug 26

So yesterday was my cheat day.  And I enjoyed it.  Sort of...  By that I mean I ate some stuff I really felt like I'd been craving.  Way more carb heavy food that I allow myself on non-cheat days.  Way more sweet stuff.  And yet at the end of the day I didn't feel satisfied by it.  I actually felt full and kind of bloated and bleh.  I'm not saying I'm not going to have cheat days.  Heck, we all need permission to have things now and then or we'd go nuts.  just saying I feel better physically when I don't cheat, so I think my next cheat day will be limited to a few special things I just can't live without, in reasonable portions.

Even after my cheat day I'm down 9 pounds since last Sunday.  I know that seems like a lot in a week, but prior to last Sunday's weigh in I had had about a week long cheat day and my legs were really edematous.  So a lot of that is water weight.  Still, 9 pounds is 9 pounds and I'll take it.  Am feeling better overall.  I'm down 45.8 pounds since I first began this weight loss journey and I have about another 70-90 that I'd like to lose.  Slowly but steady though.  If I keep doing what I'm doing I know the weight will come off.

Speaking of doing what I'm doing, today was the best ride on the sationary bike yet.  Set it to program 5, which is one that runs level, then climbs steadily, then drops off and rode 12 miles this am.  Took me 29mins and 18 seconds, beating my previous best by 12 seconds.  I was indeed hot, sweaty and thinking I was going to die, but I pushed through.  The exercise part is still hard for me, but at least I am really getting into a habit of doing it.  I actually feel better on days that I work out.

I was reading another weight loss blog yesterday and I saw something that just summed things up for me rather nicely.  Basically it said any step you take backwards is just another step you have to take forward the next day.  I have enough steps forward to go without going back any.