Longevity

Can you sit down on the floor and get back up without touching your hands, knees, legs or arms to the floor?  And can you get back up without doing it either?  Apparently that's a pretty good indication of health according to some Brazilian researchers.  So, of course, I had to try it and I'm happy to report I can do it!  I can also feel it really working the thighs to try and do it so it might be a good new exercise, hehe.

Random Brain Dump

Current Weight: 157.6
Lost so far: 52.4
Pounds to go: 2.6

For just one day I did see 155.6 on the scale but I was terribly dehydrated so I don't think it counts, haha.  However, I am making progress and reaching my goal by Christmas is still well within my grasp.  I have my arm workout tonight along with the elliptical and Zumba tomorrow. 

We're getting in to the final stretch before Christmas and all of the candy/cookies are starting to make their holiday appearances.  It helps that the group at work is being as health conscious as I am so there is a lot less than we've had in previous years, which makes it significantly easier. 

On a final note, I still can't decide about buying a treadmill.  Last year we got the elliptical which both husband and I use.  However, running on the elliptical does not translate to being able to really run and I've thought that I might like to put a treadmill in the guest room and alternate which machine I use.  Thoughts?

4

I tried on a pair of size 4 jeans today and they fit pretty good.  I was shocked to fit a 6 a few months back but a 4 I had not thought I'd ever put on.  Of course in everything but jeans I still wear a 6 and it fits just right (dresses, skirts, etc) but for the Levis that's pretty cool as the largest pair of Levis I have worn was an 18 (and for a little while even those were too small).  So anyway, today felt pretty good.  What makes you happy today?

Lighten Up

This is more of a note to self kind of post but I thought I should share this in case you find yourself in the same place.  I've been beating myself up about my perceived lack of progress.  The thing is, I MADE progress.

I am way too hard on myself, haha.  So last week I did beautifully and followed the plan perfectly.  Drinking enough water, as you know, can flush out extra water weight and last week my lowest weight dropped to 156.8.  That is my lowest weight in more than a decade.  Today (and for the last few days) my weight has been 158.8ish and so that's up two pounds which I was annoyed about but I also haven't been drinking the water.  For the last few months my average weight was 160.5 so I'm down a pound and a half on my averages and yet I'm beating myself up that I'm not at my lowest weight number?!  Ugh, I drive myself nuts.  I have to remind myself that I made great progress and, if I follow the plan again just like last week and I follow it again next week, I will see that goal number of 155. It's important to follow the trend of the averages and NOT the day to day amounts.

So Far, So Shiny

I realize it's only a few days in but I'm happy to say that I'm sticking to my goals.  Last Christmas I set out at 210 pounds to lose 50 pounds and get to 160.  I achieved that some months ago and revised my goal to 155 so that I would be smack dab in the middle of the "healthy" range of BMI.  Of course, BMI doesn't mean a lot once you get into a good weight but I wanted to be able to say I made the original goal, that I finished something. 

Once I'm in the range of 150-155 then I'm in happy maintenance mode (that will be about 18-21% body fat at that weight).  Since it's down from where I am now and most of my remaining fat is on my hips, thighs, and bottom that will probably drop my pant size again and I'll wear a 4/6 instead of 6/8 (Jeans are usually at the smaller size, everything else at the larger).  I thought about that last night and it kind of blew my mind.  Even in high school I don't remember ever wearing a 4 or even a 6.  I always bought clothes at a 7/8 size back then. 

I've always assumed that people who are tall can't wear a 4 or smaller because those sizes are for shorter girls (who I would expect have narrower/smaller hips since they are shorter).  I have absolutely NO desire to see a size 2 or to regularly wear a 4 as I think I would look just awful at the weight required to do that but it's pretty cool to think that a 6 could be a new normal for me.  I have a trip scheduled for Oregon down the road and I look forward to some shopping (no sales tax!) with my sisters.

Holidays

Current Weight: 157.8
Lost so far: 52.2
Pounds to go: 2.8

I managed to survive the holiday without any gains.  I was very good the week leading up to Thanksgiving and have been very good since.  ON Thanksgiving, however, I was not terribly good but I planned it that way.  I decided to enjoy the day with family and loved ones and just enjoy the food and drinks and not worry about it overly much.  I ate very healthy that morning and for dinner I just ate what I felt like.  Oh, the stuffing!  And the gravy!  The next day I was up a few pounds just from all the salt, haha, but being religious about my water intake since has seen that go back down.

Now as I look ahead at the weeks ahead of me and all of the celebrations coming up I still would like to hit my goal of 155 in the month of December.  So here's my plan:  eat really well during the week, exercise at least 30 minutes every day (in addition to Zumba on Tue/Thur), no alcohol during the week.  On each of the next 4 weeks I have 1 special party or dinner so during that party I will do the same as Thanksgiving.  Eat very good the day of and then not worry too much about dinner (my stomach is smaller now anyway so it will only hold so much).  I'll drink my water like it's going out of style.  I can have dessert during the party but just one. 

If I do handle these parties/meals like I did for Thanksgiving then I believe that I can hit my goal by the end of the month.  That goal has become so tantalizingly close and I'm really excited.  I have not weighed that little since high school so that's kind of awesome.  I know the scale number is just a number but this is a goal I have been trying to get back to since I was 19 (14 years) so it's a great feeling to be closing in on it.  Once I hit it then I can get back to caring more about body fat percentages (working on 18-21%) than numbers on a scale.

On Thanksgiving my cousin-in-law gave me a pair of Miss Me jeans she ordered off ebay that turned out to be the wrong size for her and I am SO close to fitting them, literally just a few pounds away.  I really owe her because these jeans are just beautiful (I have never owned stylish/trendy jeans, just my Levis).  If they were regular mid rise jeans I would already fit them but they are low-rise (the first pair I've ever had) so my love handles need an inch or so trimmed off for them to fit perfect.  I think I may be good by the end of the month to wear them because they are really really close.

Anyway, so that's my overdue update.  How are things moving along for you?

5K postponed

So on Thursday I was diagnosed with Exercise Induced Asthma (EIC).  I've had this for years but it never occurred to me that it was asthma.

~ I got a lot of phlegm build up with heavy exertion (including running more that 1 mile)
~ Doing really heavy exertion (pushing a car for the woman that ran out of gas, sprinting to my car when I'm really late) will always make me cough for 10-15 minutes, longer if it's cold outside
~ Pushing myself on the treadmill (6.5 mph instead of 5.5) makes my throat close up and I have to back off.

The first two I thought were normal if it was cold and if maybe I just wasn't drinking enough water.  But no matter how much water I had beforehand it never actually changed.  The last one I thought was what was normal if I was trying to do more cardio wise than I was ready for (figuring I was in terrible shape).  Turns out that while I should have been breathing harder I shouldn't have felt my throat getting tight.  I finally googled "exercise causes coughing" and found several links suggesting asthma, which the doc confirmed.

So I am now the owner of a shiny new inhaler.  Doc said use it 15 minutes before I exercise and I should be good to go.  If it doesn't work, come back in a month and we'll see if there's more we need to do.  So yesterday I tried it out with the elliptical.  Previously I did 55-60 rotations/minute and yesterday I was doing 70 like it was cake.  It's amazing what breathing can do for a difference.

Unfortunately Sunday was supposed to be my 5K but since I haven't had a run without issues yet and because it's colder suddenly, which seems to set me off, I'm waiting.  I will be trying my inhaler with my 1 mile runs this week and see what changes.  If that's ok, I'll try a 3-miler next weekend.  I just felt that realistically I hadn't had the time since Thursday to get used to how this is going to change things and I want to be ready.  There's usually a Turkey Trot 5K at Thanksgiving so that's probably an ok time for me to jump in.  I'm kinda bummed but I think I made the right choice this way.

Down Again

Current Weight: 159.6
Lost so far: 50.4
Pounds to go: 4.6

I have been slacking for a month.  Maintenance has been pretty easy but I felt so overwhelmed with everything else (work, kids, etc) I just didn't want to focus on those last 5 pounds at all.  Two days ago the motivation finally came back in and we're going again so even if this goes slow, maybe by Thanksgiving and definitely by Christmas I can do this.  Today a new low number is on the scale so I'm on my way.

Original Weight Goal

Current Weight: 160.0
Lost so far: 50.0
Pounds to go: 5.0

I have officially lost 50 pounds! You may remember that my original goal was 160 pounds and I'm so proud that I've hit it.  I revised it a few months ago to shoot for 155 and a 21% body fat (on my way) but this first goal is a number that I have not seen since 1998.  Yup, 15 years!

I went from here:




To here:


In 9 months I've gone from obese to fitter than I've been in 15 years. I can chase down the dog when it escapes out the front door and not have to use the car to catch her anymore. I can run alongside my kids while teaching them to ride their bikes. I can hike 10 miles and enjoy it. I'm going to do a 5K in a month. I am so stinkin' happy today.

That's Funny Right There

Enjoying a few laughs today, thought I'd share:

Read the first review about his "danglies looking like an elderly rastafarian".  I actually had tears on my face.

The mom and dad rap.  Mom is the bomb.

Cinnamon challenge.  My kids decided to try this after seeing the idea on Nickelodeon (iCarly?  not sure which show anymore...).  Anyway, they ended up in the backyard with the hose in their mouth trying to get it out and then we looked up videos online and found this one that was almost as funny.

And since her cinnamon challenge was so damned funny we watched a couple more of her videos and this one made us cry again.

Seen a good one lately?

Serratus Anterior. Who knew?

My sad tiny little muscles are hurting today, thanks to the physical therapist who I both love and hate. I really didn't know that there WAS a muscle there, that's how tiny it is, haha. Oh well, this time next month the serratus anterior is going to be awesome and I'll have to find a new muscle I didn't know I had.

PS. planks suck. Just sayin'

Happy Friday!

Body Fat Goal

I made my first body fat % goal of 24%, which just slides me into the "fitness" category.  I just squeaked in at 23.99%, hehe, but I made it.  My next goal is to shoot for 20% which sounds like a lot but it's only a few pounds (155 pounds) so it is challenging but doable.  We're going hiking Thur and Fri morning on the usual 4 mile hike and on Saturday I have a 10 mile hike planned.  Somewhere I want to squeeze in trying out the p90x yoga that my physical therapist recommended so maybe I'll do that on Sunday?  Anyway, I'm doing my little celebratory dance today over my goal and I'll have to come up with a little reward of some kind.  Maybe some new jeans are in order?  Hmm...

Tired

Current Weight: 162.0
Lost so far: 48.0
Pounds to go: 7.0

I stalled a bit this week.  I've been going to physical therapy for my hip numbness and it turns out that my left hip (specifically the ilium) is tilted funny in comparison to my right, creating numbness as the sacroiliac joint pinches a nerve.  My biggest problem there is that I have no core strength, like really none, so we're focusing on that along with weekly adjustments to keep pushing that hip back where it goes.  Since I don't have much core strength my hips are not being properly supported when I run and it results in sideways force instead of mostly forward force like I want.  I'm hoping that as I strengthen those muscles it will have the added benefit of speeding up my running since I will stop wasting energy on so much sideways motion.

The only trouble with physical therapy is it really makes me sore when I'm adjusted.  She moves things around on Thursday and until Saturday morning I'm kinda useless, which puts a bit of a damper on things.  Not just the original hip but my other hip gets sore as it starts taking up the work it was supposed to do in the first place and my back and shoulders as well (my spine is also a tiny bit out of alignment and we're working on that as a secondary issue).  I just ache and then I feel whiny. 

This Sunday I did manage to get my butt out the door for a run but I just wasn't feeling it.  I went for 2 miles and called it good enough for the day.  Tonight I'm going to work on the core exercises and tomorrow I'll do Zumba and run again.  I just hope this achy crap is a faze that I can see the end of soon.

Happy Monday!

Progress Pics

Current Weight: 161.4
Lost so far: 48.6
Pounds to go: 6.4

Okay, so, I'm not quite at 160 yet but it's close enough that I'm gonna put this out there.  After my daughter was born, the photo on the left was taken.  On the right is me now.  In 2004 I was at my highest weight ever of 240 pounds.  This last Christmas I was 210 pounds.  Now, 8 months later, I'm almost 50 pounds under the Christmas weight, and *80* pounds under my highest ever weight.  In the second picture I have also just conquered a really hard hike that often included extremely steep angles up the hill.   I'm still working on the body fat percentage but I am so happy weight wise with where I am at.  It's exciting to see how far I've come and I really feel like we can do anything we want to do, if we *really* want to do it.

5K Practice

Current Weight: 162.6
Lost so far: 47.4
Pounds to go: 7.6

I did a 3 mile jog/walk this weekend to see how that 5K in October is gonna feel.  And...  I have a long way to go in order to be able to keep up a jog the whole way.  I finished in 40 minutes, so about 13:20 a mile on average.  I did it again on Sunday and next weekend I'll do it again.  In the meantime I will continue to do my one mile on Tues/Thur and hopefully between that, hikes, and Zumba I will be in a little better shape and ready to bring that time down a little.  That's the plan anyway, hehe.

Body Fat Calculators

Current Weight: 164.2
Lost so far: 45.8
Pounds to go: 19.2

 Well, my weight is still up a little but it's better and, more importantly, the measurements fell.  So, it seems I've got a little new muscle and less fat.  On that note, I *hate* the body fat calculators that use tape measurements, so freaking inconsistent.  When my measurements were taken by calipers the first time it came out as 27.4 and the calculators said 26.66 (this one) and 27.5 (this one).  I figured that was actually pretty close and so those might actually work well enough in between caliper measurements to see how I'm coming along. 

Then I lost a few inches/pounds and now it's all wonky and they are irritating me.  Now the first one says 26.22 (so not much change) and the second one says 24.7, a 3% drop.  I looked at a few others and actually got measurements anywhere from 4.5% (ha!) to 70% (OMG).  I went back to the first one, that had me in the 26% range, and looked to see what would have to change to make that number go to 24% and it said I would have to drop almost 5 inches off my waist and 10 inches from my hips.  At a 23 inch waist and 28 inch hips (not sure if that's even *possible* at my height/hip bone width) or at a 20 waist/30 hips I think I'd look pretty damned gross.  So that calc sucks.  But the one that was closest (27.5 was only off by .1 the first time) says that I've gone down almost 3% in 4 weeks which also seems unrealistic.  I guess I'll just have to wait for the caliper checkup in a couple of weeks.  In either case, I seem to be making progress, so today is definitely a better day.

How's your day going?

A Down Kind of Day

Current Weight: 166.2
Lost so far: 43.8
Pounds to go: 11.2

This weekend was really hard for me.  I went on a hike on Saturday and it was beautiful, we hiked for 10 miles on the Tahoe Rim Trail.  My legs were sore but up to the task and it was a really lovely morning hike.  Then on Sunday I stepped on the scale and it was up 3 pounds in one day...  In my mind I know that it's because I worked my muscles really hard and that makes muscles retain water.  I KNOW that but it's still depressing as hell and yesterday I had a very frustrated cry that it just feels like I'm not really making progress any more.  I have ran, hiked, or been on the elliptical almost every day for 3 weeks now while still being very careful about what I eat and I weigh more right now than when I started and it's not just gaining muscle/losing fat because my measurements are not changing.

Just typing that I want to cry all over again.  I know that I can't gain 3 real pounds in a day and water weight is all it is but when you're retaining water it just looks different in the mirror and I feel like a failure.  Then I think well, I'm still down 44 pounds from last Christmas, how is that a fail?  But I just can't kick that feeling.  And what's worse is that since I'm now in the healthy BMI range, and I'm not technically "fat" anymore, I feel like I don't have a right to feel frustrated about a lack of progress.  Skinnier girls aren't supposed to cry about being fat, right?  It's just that I want to be able to run a marathon.  I want my thunder thighs to finally look like they have muscles and not just jello on them.  I want to be fit and healthy and not just "skinny".  Skinny isn't good enough without fitness. 

I'll keep plugging along but I'm really struggling with some self doubt right now.

Lake Tahoe from the Tahoe Rim Trail

Lake Tahoe from the Tahoe Rim Trail

Washoe Lake from the Tahoe Rim Trail

New Low

Current Weight: 163.2
Lost so far: 46.8
Pounds to go: 8.2

A new low number on the scale today, yay.  We've done a ton of hiking this week and my bottom is definitely feeling sore from it.  I guess that means progress so I'll totally take it.  I might get another hike in tomorrow but it depends on how some other things line up.  If not, I'll try to get on the elliptical again or something to make up for it.  I am going to shoot for 3 pounds over the next 4 weeks, which is a little aggressive, but I think I can maybe do it. 

Oh, just to show you the crazy ass trail we've been hiking, here it is.  That little red circle holds two full grown adults to give you a little perspective.  That trail is *steep*.  We hiked that one on Wed. and Thur. and then on Thur, instead of walking down it, we RAN down it.  Even more crazy but you feel on top of the world for the rest of the day from that exhilaration.  Happy Friday!

Switch Back, Take 2

Current Weight: 164.4
Lost so far: 45.6
Pounds to go: 9.4

Well, I finally hit a wall today. Up until now I've been pushing harder and harder and nothing was making me sore or really tiring me out.  Sounds good in theory because it means I'm much stronger but that also means I'm not making much progress.  So this morning, instead of the usual hike, we turned and headed up the much harder switch back trail.  There are 7 switch backs in total, from the first one that's a killer, the second that is nothing, and the others that fall in the middle somewhere.  I made it up the first one.  I know that doesn't sound like much but really that one is the monster with some killer inclines.  The last time I tried it, I didn't even finish the first one.  Today I finished it and then we headed back down.  And now I am still not sore but I am SO tired.  My muscles could totally keep up but my heart was pounding and I had to stop to catch my breath a lot since I'm just not used to that level of incline/cardio.  Tomorrow I will push it further, probably the first two since the second is much easier.  I'll bring my camera this time so you can see it, too :)

Going Down

Current Weight: 165.0
Lost so far: 45.0
Pounds to go: 10.0

The number on that scale was at 164 and it's been flirting with it but not passing it.  By the end of the week that number is going to hit 163.  Period.  Today I hiked 4 miles, went to Zumba for an hour, and ran on the treadmill for a half mile.  If required, I will do that every day this week to get that down :)  Yes, I know I am a cardio queen at the moment.  For the next 3 weeks that will not be changing either but after that (my next body fat % check) I will add in some type of weights to switch it up.

If you wanna get leaner, you gotta get meaner!

Broken Plateau

Current Weight: 164.0
Lost so far: 46.0
Pounds to go: 9.0

I finally broke the plateau.  I've been floating that weight for about 2 weeks now so it was SO nice to see it fall this morning.  My mile time is slowly shaving down, now it's about 11:30.  A little at a time and I will get it to 10:00.

11:40

Current Weight: 165.0
Lost so far: 45.0
Pounds to go: 10.0

The pain while sleeping on my left side is getting better as the angle I sleep at is adjusted a little now.  I liked the old way better but at least it stopped hurting.  A friend showed me how to pop my hip (like you would pop your knuckles) and that helps a little bit with the numb sensation.  It keeps coming back but I haven't laid off on exercise either so I guess I get what I work for (or rest for, as the case may be).  My doctor appointment is on Monday but I may end up needing to talk to a chiropractor about this one.

In other news, my mile time is down to 11:40 which is about 2 minutes off of what it was originally.  I'm still shooting for 10 minutes with longer distances and I think that so far it's pretty good progress.  I'll have my next body fat measurement on Sept. 11 and I'll get to see how the work is paying off.  I've heard that if you are really dedicated you can go down .5% a week but I'll be thrilled with 1-1.5% over the 6 weeks.  Since my measurements are going down but my weight is not I think I'm headed in the right direction.  On the other hand, I'm still a total newb at this so we'll see how it goes.

And, going off on a tangent, I had the oddest comment yesterday.  I'm down to 165 which, for me, is a BMI of 23.7 and a body fat percentage at 27%.  So I'm in decent shape but not fantastic shape.  Ideally I'd like to be around 155 (BMI 22.2) with 21% body fat which is possible but will take some work and time (the 21% being more important than the 155, depending on added muscle).  But yesterday someone made a joke about me being anorexic.  I realize it was a joke but behind every "just kidding" is an element of what they really think.  My goals are healthy and eating as an anorexic will NOT get me to my goals.  The person who said it, though, is in good enough shape to know that so I just don't understand.  Maybe she thinks I weigh less than I do or my body fat is lower?  At my height (5'10") I do carry weight pretty well.  I guess I'll try not to let it bother me so much as I know my goals are healthy and I'm working with someone at the gym who also thinks my goals are in the right place but I think I need a thicker skin.

Body Odd

Current Weight: 166.6
Lost so far: 43.4
Pounds to go: 11.6

When I first started on this journey towards a healthier me I was, of course, in awful shape.  Some friends of mine had a regular hike that was about 4 miles and I started going with them.  Around the top (2 miles in), I started to feel pain in my left hip area that felt like I had slightly pulled something.  I figured I wasn't used to hills so that was probably the cause of it and since the pain went away and eventually stopped happening it was safe to assume that building the muscle up fixed the problem. 

Fast forward to now.  I'm much lighter than I was then and I no longer get that pulled feeling but now I'm having other issues.  For the last 2 weeks I've noticed more discomfort when sleeping on my left side (I usually switch back and forth between sides throughout the night).  I thought it was because the hip stuck out more and maybe it made me uncomfortable because it didn't have as much padding?  I wrote it off a bit.  But off and on for the last 2 days my hip has gone completely numb.  Today the numbness is even radiating sideways into the pelvic area.  I did go for a short run this morning (15 minutes of walk/jog alternating) but prior to that I had not exercised for a few days so that wouldn't explain yesterday's numbness. 

I made an appointment with the doctor for next Monday so maybe I'll find a solution.  A friend of mine said that it may just be that while running my strong right side can do the exercise but my naturally weaker left side isn't up to the task yet.  He thinks the problem will likely resolve itself over time as I get more used to the routine of running.  Thoughts?  Anyone experienced this before?

Feeling Good

Current Weight: 165.6
Lost so far: 44.4
Pounds to go: 10.6

The scale is flirting with the last 10 pounds again.  Maybe tomorrow I'll get lucky with some movement?  Hmm, time will tell I guess.  I'm really feeling like I'm kicking butt right now and that's a nice change.  I've run a mile twice this week, hiked 4 miles twice, gone to Zumba twice, and hit the elliptical once.  That's 7 workouts recently and the week isn't quite over yet and I've got to tell you that is something that I *never* thought I would get to.  I had embraced a diet change and some exercise but so far I have done every workout because I wanted to.  Not because of the weight loss benefits (though it is a nice bonus) but just because I was feeling it.  So I'll tell you from experience, the self motivation does get easier.  If you start out slow and stay away from burning yourself out, you will eventually feel like you're on the top of that mountain.

12 minutes

Current Weight: 166.0
Lost so far: 44.0
Pounds to go: 11.0

Today after Zumba I hit the treadmill in the Fitness Center.  I am down to a 12 minute mile so far.  My short term goal is to be down to 10 minute miles in the next couple weeks and then work on being able to maintain that for longer and longer distances.  I'm hoping that since I had already done Zumba today and I was a little tired that next time I'll beat 12 when I'm starting with the treadmill.

Tomorrow morning is my 4 mile hike and then we have plans this weekend with friends so I may not get another shot at the treadmill till Monday.  We'll see.

Building Endurance

Current Weight: 166.0
Lost so far: 44.0
Pounds to go: 11.0

No weight changes to report but that's fine by me as I'm not really trying too hard on weight loss at the moment.  I'm trying to lower my running time and be able to run 3 miles without stopping and that's gonna take some focus for a while.  It will probably also add some muscle so I'm hoping to at least balance the amounts (add muscle while losing fat for a net 0 or net loss) but as long as I don't hit 170 it's fine for now.  I can keep going without stopping for about 20 minutes so far, not too bad.  I'm still super slow but the duration is increasing.

Also, I discovered a new muscle in my leg that isn't covered by fat anymore so wahoo!  I'm also adding some more inner thigh workouts to build up that muscle a bit.  If the fat there is gonna be stubborn and not go away then it's at least gonna have a solid foundation.

13.5

Current Weight: 166.0
Lost so far: 44.0
Pounds to go: 11.0

So today I started training for a 5K in October.  My very sad starting time is 13.5 minutes for a mile.  Sigh, well, I guess there's no where to go but up and it's as good a place to start as any.  Onward!

I'm gonna do it!

Current Weight: 166.5
Lost so far: 43.5
Pounds to go: 11.5

Remember that 5K I mentioned a few weeks ago? Well, I'm gonna do it.  Yup, I said it (and scared myself by saying it).  I'm going to start the Couch to 5K program this week and I'm going to voluntarily run...

Also, I met with the fitness center coordinator at work today to do a body fat test.  Yup, 27%, just like I thought based on measurement calculators.  So, doing the math = 168.5 (after breakfast/hydration weight) * .27 = 122.5 lean mass.  Well, close enough anyway as the test can be a few percentage points off (calipers) but we'll assume it's correct for now.

Obviously, losing muscle is not on the options list so if I want:
24% body fat that's 122.5/.76 = 161
21% body fat that's 122.5/.79 = 155

My goal of 155 is still potentially realistic but I'd have to be in pretty good shape to do it (less than 21 is considered Athlete, 21-24 is Fitness, 25-31 Average, etc).  She explained that in order to do it I'm going to have to shake it up somehow as 2x week Zumba that got me here (love that class!) is probably not enough by itself to get me where I want to be.  Hence, committing to the 5K that I've been thinking about. 

6!

Current Weight: 166.6
Lost so far: 43.4
Pounds to go: 11.6

Just for a joke last night I thought I'd try on the size 6 Levis at the store since I'm regularly wearing the 8s now. I figured they would zip up since it's only one size down but that they would have a super muffin top.  But they didn't.  Oh, there is a little one, yes, but I think in about 5 pounds they'll be perfect.  So my joke ended up being a purchase.  And now they are hanging in the closet where I will see them each morning, my next motivational clothing item.  I can't believe I'm getting so close to my goal!  What is shocking to me is that I have never worn a 6.  Ever.  Even in high school I was an 8.  I've just assumed all this time that I'd be an 8 when I was at my goal weight so I'm still wrapping my head around this one.

Haha, and my weight has all 6s in it, too.  I guess today is just a 6 kind of day.

Sizing

I watch my weight constantly but once a week I bust out a measuring tape to log my progress and today I was looking at how far I've come. 42 pounds and so many inches.

Where	Start	Now	Inches Lost
Thigh	27.00	23.25	3.75
Hips	45.50	40.50	5.00
Waist	33.50	28.75	4.75
Chest (band, not bust)	35.50	32.25	3.25
Upper Arm	13.50	11.75	1.75
Weight	210.00	168.00	42.00 Pounds

Not bad for 7 months. I'm expecting to get to my goal sometime in late Sept/early Oct and it's exciting to realize it's not that far away. Happy Dance!

Run a 5K?...

Current Weight: 168.4
Lost so far: 41.6
Pounds to go: 13.4

I think my progress has gotten to my brain and stolen coherent thoughts.  I've always said that if I'm running then anyone who sees me should run, too, because I'm probably being chased by something.  And yet, today I find myself thinking of the possibility of running a 5k.  Specifically, this one to start with as it's a good 14 weeks away and I'd have time to prepare and, just for the fun of it, it's run in costume.  On the other hand, perhaps my brain is lacking oxygen...  I think I'll sit on this thought for a week or so and check back with you.

The Good and The Bad

Current Weight: 169.6
Lost so far: 40.4
Pounds to go: 14.6

Well, that 6 I saw last week lasted for one day and then it bounced back into the 170s.  And THEN I went to San Fran for the weekend and decided (ahead of time and not just as a craving whim) that I wanted some San Francisco style pizza.  Yum.  The trip had some great parts (family visit, warship tour, Ghirardelli sundaes) and some really sucky (husband's wallet and phone stolen by pickpockets and then he got food poisoning).  All in all, glad to be home, everyone is well again and I'm being good again since Monday.  As a reward, the scale hit the 160s again and this time I plan on keeping it.

Happy Wednesday!

Holy Crap, That's a 6

Current Weight: 169.6
Lost so far: 40.4
Pounds to go: 14.6

I broke a 10 pound milestone and there is a 6 on that scale.  I now have less than 15 pounds to go and only one more 10 pound milestone.

The only downside to all of this losing is that I was aiming to not buy new clothes since I could fit into all of my old clothes.  But...  the smallest size I own fits now.  Right now.  I have one dress in my closet left to shrink into but it's my senior prom dress so I can't really wear that all that often.  So when I hit goal I am going to have to go shopping.  I'm still wondering what size that will be then because I think it's a small 8/large 6.  I guess it will be a surprise!

Have you hit a goal recently?

What Started It?

Current Weight: 170.6
Lost so far: 39.4
Pounds to go: 15.4


How did I decide to lose the weight and mean it?

All the little things added up, I guess.  Several years ago, after my 3rd child was born, I lost 80 pounds in 7 months.  Over the time since then I have put back 50 on, slowly.

Tagged Facebook pictures are often awful and I knew I was starting to look fat again but I kind of brushed it off that they were from a bad angle or whatever.  There were more of them than there used to be but I didn't see that fat girl in the mirror yet.

Then a friend at work, meaning well and kind of sticking his foot in his mouth, said that he noticed that since I got married I was going with the 'fat and happy' path.  I think he felt bad once he said it and I tried to take it in stride but it did kind of sting.

One of my sisters lost a lot of weight recently and told me that my original weight loss was her inspiration and here I was, fat again (though at least not as fat as before).

I went out to a lovely fancy night with several friends and their spouses last November and all of the girls are tiny girls and I was the 'fat friend' in all of the pictures, which was completely mortifying.

Then I weighed myself around Christmas and the 200+ number became 210 which tipped me into 'obese' instead of 'overweight'.  And the straw broke the camel, all of the little things added up.

I've almost taken off 40 of those 50 pounds I put back on.  Now I'm going for those last 10, +5 more for good measure and I've learned that it's not enough to take it off.  I have to change how I live and eat after I lose it or 8 years from now I am going to be doing this again and that's not okay.

What was the moment for you?

Increasing the Goal

Current Weight: 171.0
Lost so far: 39.0
Pounds to go: 16.0

Feeling really great today about where I am and where I'm headed.  I've been talking about changing my ending goal to 155 instead of 160 and I'm making that official.  My tracker on the side of the page and my "Pounds to go" will reflect that from here on out.  So, the number went up but that's okay.  It's still under 20 pounds left so it's hard to feel bad about that.  Hope you are having a great weekend!

Calorie Count

Current Weight: 172.0
Lost so far: 38.0
Pounds to go: 12.0

Today is day 5 using caloriecount.com and I'm really liking it.  Not only is it helping with my food logging but it is also encouraging me to exercise a bit more (I don't like have *nothing* on the page at the end of the day) and also with drinking more water since it serves as a good reminder. 

The only thing I don't like is that when I access the site from my android tablet it won't let me use the full site and also glitches on letting me use the mobile site and it makes me use the app.  Boo.  I have a 10" tablet and use my home internet connection so there is no reason I shouldn't use the regular site and I can see way more information than I can on the app.  So that part sucks but otherwise it's a good site.

Are you trying any new tools lately?  What do you think of them?

Motivating

I signed up for caloriecount.com with a friend of mine and we are also messaging each other on Facebook for extra motivation.  I kind of like having a food log that isn't scribbled in a notebook (how I usually do it) so I think this will be very helpful.

I spent a lot of time yesterday on mybodygallery.com figuring out what weight I want to settle on for my height.  If you haven't checked it out yet, that site is something to go see.  Anyway, I think 160 will make me happy with my weight and 150-155 will make me ecstatic with it, so somewhere in there-ish is good, varying by how the muscle/fat ratio is looking when I get there.  There are also cautionary tales on there of girls who are 5'10" and 100-125 and it scares me to see those.

Losing Inches

Current Weight: 173.8
Lost so far: 33.2
Pounds to go: 13.8

So I'm only down 2.2 pounds in the last *3 weeks* which was starting to bum me out but today I took measurements and I'm also down 1.5 inches on my hips (to 40.5) and a half inch from my waist (to 29.5).  Clearly I'm losing some fat and gaining some muscle.  I still can't fit my tight pair of 10 jeans but my regular 8 jeans fit and my regular 10s are getting a little big.  So, I'll take my victories where I can get them.  Today is a good day.

Pluggin' Along

Current Weight: 173.8
Lost so far: 33.2
Pounds to go: 13.8

I'm almost back to our weigh in day so that's a good victory for this week.  The morning hikes are getting a LOT easier than they were and I'm able to go faster.  In Zumba I'm just as tired at the end of the class but I can follow along better and I'm certainly more energetic and getting more exercise than I used to.  So, yay for some progress.

Better Day

Yesterday I was having an off day.  I kept focusing on how far I have to go instead of how far I've come.  Yes, there's still more weight to lose, more days of calorie deficits BUT I've lost over 35 pounds this year.  THAT is what I should focus on because if I can do that then I just have to keep going and carry on and I will reach my goal.  I think I can, I think I can...

Photos

We all have those photos that someone else took that are unflattering.  Doesn't matter how skinny/fit/pretty you are, those photos exist.  I don't usually take photos of myself (hard to do without a mirror) so I went looking back at photos I was tagged in on Facebook so I could a before/after and yup, there were those awful pics.  What's odd, though, is the pics that were NOT "bad pictures".  I looked at several otherwise decent pics and thought "wow, I was fat" but then realized that I never felt all that fat and right now, 35+ pounds lighter, I don't really feel much different.  Was I too easy on myself then?  Too hard on me now?  I don't know.  Certainly it's possible that I will feel differently in the coming months as I lose a few more pounds and get used to this changed body but today I still feel like that same physical me that I was. 

At that time I thought I looked pretty good but now looking at them I think I looked fat.  I was kinda pretty fat, but I was fat.  So...  I thought I looked good but I didn't really (in my current opinion).  Well, I think I look good now but if I was wrong then?  I don't know, maybe I'm over thinking this.  Hard to motivate myself when I can see a difference but I'm not feeling one (isn't it supposed to be the opposite that is usually the problem?).  Sigh...  I guess it doesn't help that the swimsuit that fit me last year still fits now and I don't even know how that's possible.

Self Challenge

Current Weight: 175.4
Lost so far: 34.6
Pounds to go: 15.4

Yes, I am up 3 pounds over yesterday.  We took a day off from the every day of being good and since I am down over 35 pounds I'm ok with getting a couple back.  Mostly it's probably water weight tied to that many carbs and the upcoming cycle, along with just the weight of the food itself because no one can gain 3 'real pounds' in 1/2 a day.  In any event, I am back on my better habits today and the number can start falling again.

Okay, so Biggest Loser is over and I need motivation again. So, I'm going to try a 2 week challenge against myself.  If I complete it (meaning I do the exercises specified for each day) then I get a little money to go shopping for a cute pair of shoes or a pair of jeans.

I found this list from Prevention magazine (found it on Pinterest, of course) and it's worth a shot so here we go.  'A Days' are M/W/F and 'B Days' are Tu/Th/Sa.  Since Zumba is on Tu/Th I will substitute that for the cardio on those days.

What are you challenging yourself with right now?

Biggest Loser Completion

Current Weight: 172.8
Lost so far: 37.2
Pounds to go: 12.8

First off, at 5'10", I am finally in a healthy weight range.  Woot!



We had our final weigh in today for our Biggest Loser style competition.  I took third place with 20 pounds lost and at that amount I am SO okay with third.  One person lost 33 pounds (15.86% of body weight) and the winner lost 29.25 pounds (17.00% of body weight).  My loss came in at 9.87% of body weight.  All total, between the 6 participants, we lost 108.25 pounds over 8 weeks and EVERYONE who participated lost weight of at least 6.5 pounds.  Go team!

Now we will move on to our "Biggest Maintainer" contest.  Over the next 2 months we can lose or maintain but we cannot gain, weighing in on August 21st.  Anyone who does gain will owe a very steep $100/pound.  Luckily, I am still aiming to lose another 13 pounds or so and I want to have lost it by early August, which makes this a little easier for me to stay motivated.

1 Year Ago

Current Weight: 173.2
Lost so far: 36.8
Pounds to go: 13.2

One year ago I pinned this.  I didn't start then but a few months later I did and I am SO glad I did.

Holiday!

Current Weight: 174.2
Lost so far: 35.8
Pounds to go: 14.2

Today is National Martini Day AND it's World Sauntering Day.  I say we make a couple martinis and practice our saunters.  Sounds like a fun party, hehe.

Wanna see what other fun holidays (like 'I Forgot Day' on July 2) are coming up? Look no further!  Here you go.

BBQ

Current Weight: 175.2
Lost so far: 34.8
Pounds to go: 15.2

So, no change in weight this weekend but, since I ate a LOT of steak, it's probably best as the only movement would probably be up, haha.  We went to a friend's for a BBQ and it was great.  What was your weekend like?

Progress

Today is a very good day.  I noticed in the mirror this morning that I actually have a jawline again, my double chin disappeared, AND all of my size 10 dresses/skirts fit.  The 10 jeans don't fit yet and the scale didn't budge, but still, it's big progress for me.  So yay!  What progress are you celebrating today?

Gotta Move!

Current Weight: 175.2
Lost so far: 34.8
Pounds to go: 15.2

Today was another first on a list of things I never thought I would say/think.  I realized that I'm feeling cranky because I haven't exercised.  How did that happen?!  I actually realized I was feeling crummy and I needed to go get some exercise so I could feel better.  I *wanted* to exercise.  Yes, I know that lots of people think like that and it's very common but just never thought I would ever be one of them, lazy ol' me.  Anyone else surprised the first time they felt that?

Whatever Motivates You

So, as an additional motivator, I thought I'd make a chart in Excel to show how far I've come and where that trend is heading. The first chart is all of my progress since I started this blog in January. The second is how much progress I've made since our work competition started. If I can keep my current progress trend going, I should reach my original goal of 160 in mid-August. I am SO glad I joined the competition as it's given me just the kick start I needed!

Sometimes just knowing how much you've accomplished is enough of a push to keep you going. What are you doing to motivate yourself or to see how far you've come?

Play List!

As promised:

My Current Workout Playlist (plays on random)

Adele - Rolling In The Deep
Alexandra Stan - Mr Saxobeat
Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)
Britney Spears - I Wanna Go
Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe
Cee Lo Green - Forget You
Christina Aguilera - Fighter
Daddy Yankee - Rompe
Don Omar - Taboo
Elijah King - Quitate La Ropa
Gloria Estefan - WEPA
Jennifer Lopez - Dance Again
Jennifer Lopez - On The Floor
Kat DeLuna - Drop It Low
Kat DeLuna - Run The Show
Kat DeLuna - Whine Up
Katy Perry - Firework
Katy Perry - Hot n Cold
Kelly Clarkson - My Life Would Suck Without You
Kelly Clarkson - Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)
KT Tunstall - Come On, Get In
KT Tunstall - Fade Like A Shadow
Kumbia Kings - Boom Boom
Lady Gaga - Born This Way
Lady Gaga - Judas
LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem
LMFAO - I'm Sexy and I Know It
Maroon 5 - Moves Like Jagger
Nicki Minaj - Super Bass
Pink - So What
Pitbull - Give Me Everything
Pitbull - Hey Baby (Drop It To The Floor)
Pitbull - International Love
Queensberry - The Song
Regina Spektor - Dance Anthem of the 80s
Rihanna - SOS (Rescue Me)
Sean Kingston - Fire Burning
Selenz Gomez - Love You Like A Love Song
The Black Eyed Peas - Boom Boom Pow
The Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling
The Black Eyed Peas - The Time (Dirty Bit)

More Music

Current Weight: 176.2
Lost so far: 33.8
Pounds to go: 16.2

So I have about 30 songs on my workout list at the moment, which hopefully I'll have posted for you tomorrow.  But today I found a site with another great list that I thought I'd link here, just in case you are looking for some inspiration.  Find it here.

Start to the weekend

Current Weight: 176.4
Lost so far: 33.6
Pounds to go: 16.4

I read on a few sites that green tea, more omega 3, and drinking more water can help speed up metabolism.  The water I'm positive is true, the other two can't hurt, right?  So this week I've been taking those each day and I do see more weight loss than I have in past weeks so maybe it works.  Maybe it's also a placebo effect but either way does it matter so long as it works?  Have a lovely weekend!

Music

Current Weight: 178.2
Lost so far: 31.8
Pounds to go: 18.2

Saw the scale go down, yay!  I bought some of the music we use in our Zumba class so I can use it for my elliptical workouts and walks.  My patience for working out lasts longer with music so this will be great to have.  I asked the instructor for a list of the music she uses since most of them I don't normally listen to and had never heard and she was really great and emailed me screenshots of her iTunes so I could hunt some down.  So now I have about 25 new songs to add to my rotation.

Aiming for a size 8

Today I bought a pair of size 8 Tall 515 Levis.  At almost 5' 10", my goal is to fit them.  SO, to make sure I have the motivation, I ripped off the tags so I can't take them back.  I don't want to waste good money now, do I?  At slightly less than 180, I am currently in a 12 comfortably and I can button the 10 and the 8 but they both come with large muffin tops that should not be seen in public.  The last time I wore an 8, I was 18 or 19 years old so that's about 15 years ago, before having 3 kids.  My weight goal right now is 160, about a 50 pound loss all total, but I am technically going to go until the 8s fit well which I believe is somewhere around 155.

Motivation Picture

A great motivator for me is to remember what I looked like once upon a time and to see how far I've come.  This picture was one of the few times my camera was turned on me and I remember being horrified that this is what other people saw when they looked at me.  I was 240 pounds and had recently had my third child.  THAT DAY I started walking at lunch time, every day.  Each day I got a little further in the time I had but I always walked for an hour.  At first I could hardly do much distance at all and it was flat ground.  By the end I was hiking to the top of the small butte near my office and back down in that same amount of time but it happened gradually (the first time I walked to that butte I got as far as reaching the bottom before I had to turn around at 30 minutes, much less getting to the top).

The first time around I lost 80 pounds in about 7 months.  But I did some of it wrong :(  I walked an hour 6 days a week (smart) but ate too little in order to lose it faster (dumb).  I really screwed with my body and it bit me in the ass in several ways, the worst being what it did to my cycles.  This time I'm trying to be a little nicer to my body so I don't hit those ugly road blocks again.


Eventually, I ended up gaining about 50 pounds back over the next several years and last Christmas it hit 210 pounds.  The main reason for that is that I just stopped putting in the exercise and after I got married I started eating too much.  I ate lunch with my husband (I never ate lunch before because I had larger dinners) because he was hungry and wanted company but I didn't make my dinners any smaller.  It happened in such small amounts (5-7 pounds a year) that it took a while to hit me what was happening but when I ran across this picture I knew I never wanted to be there again.

So here I am, back under 180 and still falling.  I'm aiming for about 155-160 (The counters are based on 160) and I plan to be there sometime in late July/early August.  But this time I have to keep the activity going.  No, it probably won't be quite as intense as it is now but it won't stop either.  I'm always going to have to be more active than I was but that doesn't scare me like it did 6 months ago.  Now I can actually look forward to it a little bit.  Hopefully, if you are on the same kind of path, you will be hit that place where you can look forward to it as well :)

Thoughts and achievements

Current Weight: 179.0
Lost so far: 31.0
Pounds to go: 19.0

This morning I went on a hike.  I've done this hike before and it usually took me about 1.75-2 hours.  I had to stop multiple times (3 or 4 short breaks) to do it, but I'd finish it.  The last time I went was about a month ago since I can only do it every other week but two weeks ago I had family in town and didn't have the time .  Today I did it in 1 hour with NO breaks!  Yay!  Last week I bumped Zumba up from once a week to twice a week and it is really paying off in terms of leg muscles and cardio endurance.

As we were walking back down from the top I was thinking about something I read last week.  A couple of articles were about picking an exercise that you like and doing that rather than just commiting to "exercise just because" even though the type you are doing is BORING.  The thought is that it's easier to do something that you actually like.  But, here's the thing:  If you told me 6 months ago that I would hike for an hour, ride my bike 20 minutes to work, do Zumba at lunch time, ride my bike home, and STILL have energy and the desire to take the dogs for a walk I would have laughed in your face, for multiple reasons.  Here's what my whine list would have looked like 6 months ago and where I am at today:

1.  I. LIKE. MY. SLEEP... PERIOD.  Get up at 6:30 to go hiking before work?  HA!  But I do it now and I like it. 

2.  Ride my bike to work?  That bike seat hurts (and yes it's a gel seat but it still hurts) but it has gotten better and the ride has gotten easier. 

3.  Zumba?  Doesn't that involve dancing?  My no-dancing-talent self didn't even own a sports bra and nobody wants to see my fat ass jiggling around!  Guess what?  Most people there aren't that great and the instructors are very nice girls and they encourage, they don't laugh.  Buying a sports bra to wear a couple hours a week didn't kill me and Zumba won't either.  It's actually kinda fun and the person laughing is me because I'm having fun.  I even signed up to do it twice a week instead of just once starting last week.

So, yes, you should pick an exercise that you like to do so that you will be more likely to keep doing it BUT you don't always know ahead of time that you will like it and just because it sucks now you might like it later.  So start small and try to keep an open mind.  If you hate all forms of exercise then start with walking because it's the easiest.  As you get better, add some uphill or stairs.  But as it gets easier, considering trying out some new things.  You don't have to commit to doing them a lot, just commit to trying it 2 or 3 times.  After that third time you might like it a whole lot more (Zumba became fun the third time for me after I started figuring out what I was doing).  Most important, HAVE FUN!

30 pounds

Current Weight: 179.5
Lost so far: 30.5
Pounds to go: 19.5

The 30 pound mark has been passed!  Wahoo!

The kids have tried some new foods for them this week. Red bell peppers, cauliflower and watermelon.  Of course they hated them all because they ALWAYS hate new foods but some seem to have more hope than others as the red peppers didn't even slightly go over well.  I think next time I will try those as a Roasted Red Pepper soup (had some last week and it was SO good!).

I'm going to try carrots on them again this weekend (they have not warmed up to them much) and see what they think of glazed carrots.  They are sweet and not real healthy but once I get them hooked it's easier to start cutting the sweet back a little at a time.  We did something similar with butter and peas/green beans and now they prefer them without butter.

I also swapped the kids usual 'fake' wheat bread, meaning it was made with enriched flour, for the real stuff.  I always eat the good wheat bread and I never give my kids white because my mother once pointed out that if I have always given them wheat then I won't have to fight them to make the switch later.  So when I make them toast or anything where the bread is covered I've been giving them the good stuff so they can get used to it without freaking out about the 'extra bits' in it.  Mean old mamma :)

Quickly

Current Weight: 181.5
Lost so far: 28.5
Pounds to go: 21.5

Not a lot of time today but I wanted to get my numbers up.  I did pretty good this week considering I had a cheat dinner and also had sweet potato fries yesterday (yum).

All Better

Current Weight: 182.5
Lost so far: 27.5
Pounds to go: 22.5

OK, pity party over.  I got my butt on my bike last night and when I got home I cranked up the music and had a little dance party while I cleaned the house.  And for the rest of this week I am riding my bike to work and home again to get in a little more exercise.  It's hard to have a pity party while listening to music.

Take Heart

Current Weight: 183.5
Lost so far: 26.5
Pounds to go: 23.5

So, I'm fighting against the ease of psyching yourself into failure.  Blech.

I went a few days with no changes despite being really good on diet and excersise.  I hoped that it was just water holding on or something and then on Saturday morning 2 pounds just fell off.  It stayed off Sunday and then suddenly came back on Monday.  It could have been water lost/gained, idk but now there has been no total change in almost a week and it's frustrating.  Any thoughts?

Current Weight: 184.4
Lost so far: 25.6
Pounds to go: 24.4

I'm afraid my blog isn't terribly exciting but since only spammers seem to visit it, that's ok :)

Last night I made chicken quesadillas for the kids (plus veggies, of course) and for myself I used some of the baked chicken, melted a little cheese over it, and served it with the salsa. Makes for a pretty light dinner but oh so yummy and, even better, I didn't have to make something seperate just for me when I made the family dinner. Woot!

Half Way There!

Current Weight: 185.0
Lost so far: 25.0
Pounds to go: 25.0




HALF WAY!! I have hit the 25 pound mark and I am now half way along to my goal. It's so motivating to have gotten this far. This morning I did another zumba class and I will probably try to fit a walk in later tonight. Go go go! :)

Overdone?

Current Weight: 186.0
Lost so far: 24.0
Pounds to go: 26.0

Wow, I'm tired :)  Two of us in the work group have joined a Tuesday Zumba class (fun but hard) and then yesterday I took the kids and dogs on a 1/2 mile walk, took a short walk with a coworker, and still hit the elliptical last night. And then, this morning, because I hadn't hurt myself enough I guess, I did a 3 mile-ish hike up the Galena ridge at 6:30 in the morning.  Yup, that was a little much.  Climbing up the stairs on my house was even hard after all of that, haha.

But what a view!!
 

Day 1, Week 1

Most of the team (7 participating) ate a big lunch and swigged a lot of water before the first weigh in to give them some advantage. I ate a small lunch and did have a cup of water but I didn't want to go crazy with it. So my afternoon weight (which we all know is more than our morning weight anyway) is 192.5. And.... GO! 8 weeks to go and I'm aiming to lose 20 pounds (2.5/week since they say that's about the most you should lose and still be healthy). C'mon 172!

Competition

We're going to do an office round of a Biggest Loser style competition. It looks like there will be 6 of us participating to win. We will weigh in this Friday and then again on June 21st, all using the same scale. Whoever loses the most by percentage of original body weight, wins. So, losing 15 lbs. counts more for the person who weighed less to start with than the person who weighed more. Several of us eat lunch together and often dinner and we hang out together on weekends and evenings so we'll be motivated to watch what we do since we are all in. And the motivation of trying to beat each other will push me so that helps, too. Can't wait to start!

90 Days

I'm struggling a little with losing the weight and I think the biggest reason is I don't have a hard date I'm working towards. I lost weight once several years ago knowing that I had to lose it by my sister's wedding since I'd ordered the bridesmaid dress to fit the lower weight. This time, there is no event coming up and I'm having some motivation troubles. Well, I have 30 pounds to go, so I'm going to try making a 90 day challenge out of it. Luckily, there are no more birthdays for any of the kids or anything in the 90 days so it's a little easier to not get tripped up AND we are trying to pay down a few bills so we're trying to not eat out much anyway, which will help. So, starting today I am at 189.0, 29 pound to go to 160. Check in with me later this week to see how it's going!

20 Pound Mark

Current Weight: 188.2
Lost so far: 21.8
Pounds to go: 28.2

It's going slow but it's still going. :) I've crossed the first 20 pounds and I'm almost halfway to the goal and I ALMOST fit into the next jean size. Another 3 pounds and I think I can fit into my size 12 jeans.

Slow and Steady

Current Weight: 190.4
Lost so far: 19.6
Pounds to go: 30.4

It's going slow but it's still going. :)

Getting the Mindset

Current Weight: 192.0
Lost so far: 18.0
Pounds to go: 32.0



One of the biggest things for me that determines if a diet can be successful is how I feel about myself and my body. If I'm not comfortable in my own skin, dieting fails for me, 100%. But once I can say that I would like to be smaller but I'm good with how I look then it becomes so much easier to stick to it. I don't get defeated by the days that don't have progress whereas before I would think that one day that is off equates to failure. All those days really mean is that I have to be better at staying on track tomorrow.

Food Choices: Red Pepper and Ham Salad

Current Weight: 193.2
Lost so far: 16.8
Pounds to go: 33.2

I will NOT eat something, no matter how healthy it's supposed to be for me, if it tastes like crap. I'm really picky about salads especially, because I don't like any kind of dressing. Occasionally I'll use a little squeezed lemon on my salad but usually they are dry. It's healthier but it's also really boring that way so if I can find toppings to spice it up with I'm so much more likely to actually eat it.

One of my favorite salads is Red Pepper and Ham. It's really fast and healthy but also tastes good. A little chopped up Red Pepper, chopped up ham (even lunch meat works), a little low fat cheese and lettuce or spinach. So good.

Better than I Thought

Current Weight: 194.6
Lost so far: 15.4
Pounds to go: 34.6

Well, once again it seems that my last weigh in of not-much-progress was just a water weight thing because today I'm down a couple of pounds which would otherwise just not be possible. I've passed the 15 pound mark.

Salads are definitely saving my butt on diets. As long as I can make them taste decent with ham or turkey, red peppers, a *little* cheese, whatever, I can eat them a lot. It's a big calorie saver that still satisfies hunger and cravings.

Tip: Miniature candy bars can fill a chocolate craving nicely without being too bad for the diet as long as you can make yourself stick to just one or two.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Current Weight: 196.6
Lost so far: 13.4
Pounds to go: 36.6

Still going down but slow. The Super Bowl parties don't really encourage very healthy eating but I did mostly stick to veggies and a little cheese so it wasn't too bad. Back on the horse in seriousness today, let's see how it goes.

Check In Only

Current Weight: 196.8
Lost so far: 13.2
Pounds to go: 36.8

Signs of Progress

Current Weight: 198.0
Lost so far: 12.0
Pounds to go: 38.0

Tip: Remember that losing weight is NOT the only sign of progress on your diet.

Well, today is not a weight loss progress today, still at 198.0. I did eat right and exercise yesterday though, so I'm hoping that it's water weight and I made progress I just don't see on the scale yet. Anyway, today is a day where I look for progress in other ways to keep me motivated. I measured myself and I've lost a couple inches from my hips, thighs and stomach and smaller amounts from my arms so I can see the progress there. Also, I went for a walk today and the exact same walk that used to just kill me on the uphill parts was almost easy today which means that some of that weight that didn't go away is at least converted from fat to muscle. Big yay for that!

So if you too are dieting, remember that not losing weight doesn't mean it's not working. It just might be progress in other areas.

Still going

Current Weight: 198.0
Lost so far: 12.0
Pounds to go: 38.0

We went to Vegas this weekend. I've never been there, despite living in Nevada, so we made a 4 day trip of it with some people from work. So much fun! I was pretty good diet wise and maintained through the weekend, despite many delicious temptations. Though to be honest I didn't avoid them all, just had smaller amounts, because who wants to go to Vegas and skip the fun? I also got a few purple extensions in my hair. I didn't want to color my hair and this is a good temporary way to play (love it!). So I'm only down a tiny bit from last week, about half a pound, but that is still progress and I'll take it.

Food Choices: Healthy Chicken Nuggets

Current Weight: 198.4
Lost so far: 11.6
Pounds to go: 38.4

Progress for the weekend was a little slow as one of the kiddos had a birthday party and the cake was too yummy to pass up but I did stick to just a little piece. Mostly it was a weight maintaining weekend but at least I didn't gain. We tried these Healthy Chicken Nuggets on Friday night and they are really good. The kids all wolfed them down (in part because we let them eat with toothpicks and dip) so we will be making these again many times.

I found this one on pinterest, the original idea and the recipe are here.

Food Choices: Banana Milk Smoothie

Current Weight: 199.4
Lost so far: 10.6
Pounds to go: 39.4



When I'm really hungry and need something small but filling I put half of a banana and a cup of milk in the blender. The smoothy is naturally sweet from the banana and incredibly filling. Usually this will be a breakfast choice but it's also good for a snack sometimes depending on how the day is going.

Broke 200

Current Weight: 199.8
Lost so far: 10.2
Pounds to go: 39.2

Well, I've hit the first of 5 Ten Pound Marks! As of this morning I my weight starts with a 1 and not a 2 so yahoo!

To recap, here is where I started at 210:



And here is where I am at 199.8. About 40 pounds still to go but I am 20% through my goal.

New Scale

Current Weight: 200.8 (old scale 201.6)
Lost so far: 9.2
Pounds to go: 40.8

Yesterday I bought a new scale (which is why today's weight has two numbers). I had this one which costs about $10 and it has become very inconsistent. Weighing yourself two times in a row is probably going to give you different numbers, as much as 2 pounds apart. What I have been doing, therefore, is weighing myself 2 or 3 times and averaging the number, which is pretty frustrating.



So now I've bought this one. It's still not a terribly expensive one ($27) but has some pretty good reviews on it's consistency so I decided to give it a try. So far, and mind you I've only had it one day, it does seem to be much more consistent. I'll let you know how it does down the line.

Food Choices: Apples

Current Weight: 203.2
Lost so far: 6.8
Pounds to go: 43.2

To replace desserts I've been using apples to fill my sweet cravings. I haven't tried this first idea yet but it looks delicious!



Found on Pinterest, idea originally from here.

This next idea I've tried and it was so yummy. Now that I've started my diet I decided to try just frying the apples on my griddle with cinnamon without the pancake batter and it's still really good.



Found on Pinterest, idea originally from here.

Food Choices: Red Pepper and Egg

Current Weight: 203.4
Lost so far: 6.6
Pounds to go: 43.4

Idea found on Pinterest, original source here.



One medium red pepper
One egg

I used one round to cook the egg in like their picture shows. I chopped up the rest of the pepper and lightly cooked it, too and used that to soak up the yolk instead of bread since bread and diets (for me anyway) don't mix. It's filling and it was less that 150 calories (about 100 for the egg, less than 50 for the pepper, both cooked on a griddle with NO butter or oil). If you have large eggs make sure you cut the pepper a little thicker so it can contain it all.

Starting the Record

I stepped onto the scale and read 210. At 5'10" and with a BMI of 30.1 I was officially obese. I shuddered at the word.



That was a few weeks ago. We bought an elliptical (my treadmill finally died) and started a diet. This morning I weighed in at 203.5.

I did not make a New Year's resolution to lose weight because I don't make New Year's resolutions. They fail to often and I never make them for anything. We've been talking about making this change for a few months and that number was my motivator to finally do it. 210.

I did make a decision that even though my clothes were getting tight I will NOT buy new ones. I have a full wardrobe of smaller clothes and I have decided to wear those instead, though it will take a few extra months to get there. I'm aiming for 160 lbs, which for me will be a size 10. As a bonus, I already have the clothes so it will be like going shopping without having to spend all of the money!

I know that my health is important, but I need to make sure my willpower can stay strong. So, as an extra incentive to myself (and since I won't have to spend any money for my regular clothes) I am allowing an extravagent purchase when I reach my goal. I want to have a beautiful dress for a gala that happens in November but the dress that I am in love with is so expensive I would otherwise never buy it ($500!!). I am not allowed to order it until my scale says 160, no cheating.



Opposite the usual advice, I live by my scale. If the number goes down, I feel relief at seeing it fall, even in the smallest amounts. If it doesn't, I use that as a motivator to work harder today than I did yesterday so that tomorrow the number will move. So I will post my weight every day to help keep me in check. I will also post any good food ideas that work for me as I find them in case someone else is interested.

Wish me luck!