Part Success, Part Failure

I'm back! Had a pretty successful weigh-in on Friday morning of 237.8, so I'm down 3.2 lbs for last week. I'll take that! I just have to stay on track.

This weekend was tough. Our Single's group at church had a retreat to one of my favorite places in the world...

Source



 Charleston, SC! I love that city, but it is extremely difficult to eat healthy! I pretty much ate whatever I wanted at every meal except breakfast, but I did track ever single bite I put in my mouth. Plus, we did a ton of walking. So, I count it as a half-success. :)

I am back on track as of tomorrow, though. In fact, I'm about to head to bed so I can get up in the morning to either work out or study. (Not sure what exactly my schedule for tomorrow will be yet.) This week I am moving my measurement and weigh-in day to Thursday because of  late meeting Thursday night that will involve a heavy meal. Needless to say, I have to get on the ball with my workouts!

Back on the Wagon…Again

Wow…it has been a long time since I’ve been on this blog! I honestly got off track for a while. Ok, no lies here, I totally fell off the wagon and then got run over. My high weight was 244 (around July/August). Although I haven’t lost much, I haven’t gained any either. I guess that is something to be thankful for!  

 

Downside, according to my blog, I am up about 15 lbs from last December. Holy. Cow. I had no idea I had gained that much in a year. No wonder my pants were all tight! No matter, I am back in control. I’m using MyFitnessPal to count my calories and doing Wii Zumba to get my cardio in.  Let me tell you, it’s a serious workout! Wearing my HRM, I usually burn about 250-300 calories for a 30 minute session. In addition to that, I try to do some kind of strength-type exercise nightly. (Arm weights, ab work, etc.)

Crazy Workout!

More good news? I’m already down 3 lbs from my highest weight, to 241.0. My “official” weigh-in day is Friday (even though I’m weighing in everyday just to keep track) so I will know how I’ve done this week then. I can tell you, though, I am already feeling 100% better than I did last week. My clothes fit better as well, although I know it will take a while to drop a size. I’m just happy I’m back on track again. I’m taking measurements every two weeks, just to see how those go down. Sometimes my weight decides to hang around, so I’m hoping those will keep me motivated.

 

I’m heading to Charleston this weekend with my church single’s group, so I’m hoping I can stay on track while I’m there. I don’t think I could have picked a worse time to get back on track, but I’m determined to make it happen this time!

A New Journey

Well, I totally and 100% fell off the wagon for about a month. I haven't been tracking, going to WW meetings, or watching intake whatsoever. The holidays KILLED me. However, I got my card in the mail inviting me to come back to WW with no fees, so I think I'm going to go. I know I'm up about five pounds, but if I don't go back I'll just keep gaining. It's just so frustrating.

Anyway, tomorrow starts the new journey for me on WW PointsPlus. I really enjoy this plan, so I'm hoping it will come together for me. I have a lot of goals this year weight-wise, and I just have to get back in the mind-set to accomplish them all.

My plan for tomorrow? Go to Weight Watchers, go by the YMCA & get a workout in, and then go to the grocery store and stock up on healthy food. (I'm going to work on my grocery list today). I know this is going to be tough, but I really think I can do it this time. I just have to stay focused and committed. I'll let you know how WI goes tomorrow!

This morning's WI: 226.2! Down 3. I know, it's water weight, which means my weigh-in yesterday was probably a little higher than my actual weight. But still, it's nice to see the numbers go DOWN.

I did get all my healthy guidelines in yesterday AND got a "workout". It wasn't my usual gym workout, but I moved for 30 minutes so it's a step in the right direction. I could tell I'm more out of shape than I was; I got winded just doing the step on the WiiFit! Got to get back in the habit of working out more...

Food so far!
Breakfast (8 am): EggBeaters Cheese & Chives (1/2 c.), Arnold Bagel Thin, WW Cream Cheese, Canadian Bacon (2 slices), 1% Milk (1 c.)
Lunch (12:45 pm): Raw Spinach, Fat Free Croutons (6), Herb Feta Cheese (1/4 c.), Grape Tomatoes, Ken's Lite Creamy Caesar Dressing (2 Tbsp), Original Vegan Boca Burger
*Updated*
Snack: Fage 2% Strawberry Yogurt
Dinner: Veggie Chili (2 cups), Hungry Girl Corn Muffins (2), Fat Free Sour Cream (2 Tbspn), Fat Free Cheese (1/2 c.)

I got up early this morning and made some veggie chili I found here. It looks (and smells) delicious, so hopefully it will be tasty! I'm also going to make some low-cal corn muffins I found on the Hungry Girl website. We've been running back & forth to the hospital with my Granddad, so my parents are super stressed and tired lately. I thought a hot dinner when they came home is probably exactly what they needed.

Gotta get back to studying! Just wanted to check in. Update later!

*Update*
So the veggie chili was AWESOME. Everybody loved it and I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow! I was super proud. The corn muffins were good as well. It was a great supper and super easy. I will definitely be putting that one in the books for the future.

I'm pretty proud of myself b/c I went to Starbucks tonight (my loovvvee) and instead of my usual, super fattening Gingerbread Latte, I got a Zen Green Tea. Now, I'm not going to be giving up my lattes...just cutting back. I don't like them with nonfat milk as much and I refuse to give up something I like so much. But there will definitely be more moderation! :)

I think that's the key to being healthy. Denying yourself things will never get you anywhere. You end up just craving whatever it is you want until you finally give in and eat WAY too much! (At least if you're like me! haha) If you practice moderation and give yourself smaller portions of what you want, you will get past the craving! Anyway, that's my rant for the night. I'm about to head to bed! Another day down! :)

So. Updated stats. They make me kind of sad, but I knew I was up a good bit! And it's definitely motivation to start watching what goes in my mouth. My scale said 229.2 this morning, which basically means all the weight I lost before is back. Now, some of it is muscle this time, b/c I did gain some while I was working out hardcore. But MOST of it is just excess calories, pure and simple.

However, today's been good as far as eating! This part will boring to oh, say, 99.9% of people, but it helps me stay accountable and it's MY blog...so just skip it. :)

Breakfast (8:00 am): Nutrigrain Low-Fat Waffles (2), Mrs. Butterworth's Sugar-Free Syrup (1/4 c.)
Snack (10:30 am): Fage 2% Strawberry Yogurt
Lunch Pt. 1 (12:00 pm): Kashi Pasta Primavera
Lunch Pt. 2 (1:00 pm): Mushrooms (1 c.), Olive Oil (2 tsp)
*Updated*
Snack: Banana, large
Dinner: 1 Slice Kashi Veggie Pizza, carrots/celery, Ken's Lite Creamy Ceasar (2 Tbsp)
Snack: WW Giant Fudge Bar, Laughing Cow Lite Swiss Cheese Wedge

Workout: 30 minutes Free Step on WiiFit

So that's my up-to-date food intake. Of course, it will change in a little bit, b/c I have a banana for a snack. But I'll try to update it later. I always do fine until dinner. I'm going to have to stick to my guns tonight and not eat like a horse. I've just been hungry lately; I think I have to retrain myself to eat better.

Anyway, I'll try to get on later and update my workout stats and rest of my food.

New Start

Wow. Um. Hi?

It's been a while. I kind of got off the bandwagon for a while (ok, for a few months) and I'm really trying to get back on. This is kind of my MO, but I really hope this time I'm going to stick with it. WW is starting a new plan this week (I'll get it Saturday) and I'm planning on fully committing AGAIN to the program.

For real this time.

My clothes still fit, but they're tight. I like to be able to breath in my pants. My tummy has a little more excess around it than it used to. I haven't worked out in months. My face is breaking out from the bad choices I'm making. I'm sluggish and tired. So ask me WHY do I continue making these poor choices? That's what they are, no matter how much I say "I don't have any will-power" or "I just can't change." I can change. I'm just choosing not to.

I'm making that change TODAY.

There's no need to make a list of "rules" or whatever for this. I'm making a life-style change. Choosing healthy, nutritious foods over fattening, greasy foods. Eating at home more than eating out. Will I set goals? Absolutely. I'm not going to set "weight-loss goals" however. These are going to be health goals. I don't care near as much about being skinny (b/c honestly, I never will be) as I do about being healthy and fit. Toned. My goals will be weekly, and I'm going to put updates here. I'm not promising daily updates, but I will update at least once a week.

This is hard. I'm going to be brutally honest with myself and the interwebz. I don't like to put my sizes/weight/whatever on the internet; what if a guy I want to date finds this blog? Well, if he doesn't like me just because of my size, I don't have time for him.

I didn't weigh this morning (I haven't weighed in a few weeks) but I will update all that tomorrow. For now, here are my weekly goals. I think 5 is sufficient.

1) Get in ALL healthy guidelines for the rest of this week. (Tuesday - Saturday)
2.) Work out at least three times.
3.) Only eat out two more times.
4.) Get at least eight hours of sleep a night.
5.) Read one health-related book (informational)

I know the last one is weird, but I like to have as much info as I can on health and fitness. What I think is healthy might not actually be scientifically right. That and I'm a huge nerd. I've accepted it. :D

Well, today is Day 5 of my “Veggie” experiment and I have to say it’s going beautifully! I honestly haven’t missed meat one bit. I haven’t been working out this week due to studying, so we’ll see how I do next week when I add exercise back into the equation. Hopefully I will still be as perky and chipper as I am this week! :D

WI for the Day: Down to 215. Only a 0.8 lb loss, but I’ll take anything! I’ll be totally honest, I’m getting to a point where I’m happy with my body. Sure, there are still things I want to tone, but I’m really considering next week putting the scale up and see how I do. I want to be comfortable with myself no matter what the scale says and I think to do that I need to get over the obsession with my weight.

Another point is, how can I encourage my friends and other women my age to be happy with themselves if I’m not? A little hypocritical, eh? So I think next week (starting Saturday) I’m going to focus on weekly WI’s (since I do love Weight Watchers) and how I feel versus what the silly scale says every single day (and sometimes night!)

So that’s my thoughts for this morning. I’m just taking it one day at a time. I even have on my bracelet from Jen's website to remind me!

Anywho. The schedule for today is more of the same. Lots of studying and working. Oh, how exciting life is when you’re a CPA candidate! :D