Wash Rinse Repeat

 We all know, that consistency is the key to success.   Wash Rinse Repeat....over and over and over again until you reach your goals.  But what about the wrong kind of consistency?   Wash Rinse and Repeat can also be extremely harmful because consistency with something that is not beneficial can and will create problems.

That is exactly what I faced this past week.   I didn't set any clear cut plan and instead went to follow my loosey goosey plan to get things under control. I still hold firm with my loosey goosey plan to reduce calories but not to start fanatical about it.  It should have gone swimmingly well. However it didn't and I honestly consider myself incredibly lucky to have even pulled out the maintain on the scales.    So what did I do?  I messed up my lunches, in terms of calories.

 So what has typically worked for me is for me to plan on one full meal a day.  This is the meal that I cook for us.  (This week we had lasagna, chicken sandwiches, fish and chips (well I had leftovers that night since I don't eat fish), and pesto chicken.  Nothing out of the ordinary....but full meals...including veggies and whatnot.)  For the other meals in each day what I have found that works for me is to eat a lighter meal....honestly more snacky than anything else.  (Lots of fruits and veggies, cheese, etc)  This has ALWAYS worked for me.  It is just how I have found a way to manage my calories (or points when I was WW).   That works for me on a typical day (I will eat more for lunch if we are hiking or biking or doing something really active).  

This week I defaulted to what I WANTED to eat for lunch instead of what I knew was healthy for me.  I ate leftovers every day.....normal sized servings of leftovers!   I didn't follow the routine that has typically always worked for me and I did it  day in and day out. Yet I expect changes to occur.  Changes can't occur if I am not being the change. 

So yeah, I did a wash rinse repeat of old habits this week......and I consider myself lucky to have escaped the week with a maintain!  

 Halloween was fun.  Zoey of course looked smashing in her costume!

 

And of course I rocked out my costume.....I was a domino.  Actually all of my coworkers were dominos....but here I am as a domino! 

My loosey Goosey Plans for Weight Loss

 It has been about 10-12 days since I decided to take control of my weight issues and actually do something about it.   I didn't make any huge vows to start big and drop my calories to a certain level.  I didn't make any great plans to exercise for such and such length of time.  I didn't even promise to drink a specified amount of water.  I simply said that I was going to work to track my food and come what may. 

That is what I did.  I tracked my food.  Period. The end.  I did nothing else to further my weight loss.  I was just bluntly honest with my tracking (including the cough drops that I inhaled like candy due to this never ending cough).   I simply tracked my food.  Now historically speaking, I do tend to tighten the belt with my calorie intake when I am tracking.  That is due to a combination of being cognizant of what I am eating  but also the feeling of not wanting to have to admit what I really ate.  I am sure that happened this last week.  And I will say that I dropped 2.1 pounds.   A victory because any loss is a victory.    

My weekend was only so so in terms of my eating.....but I tracked it.    With that said, I know that it is time to tighten the belt so to speak.  It is time to roll into phase two of making small changes in my habits to enact a change within my body.    So what change will it be this week?   Water consumption?  Exercise?  What shall it be!

I would love it to be exercise, however I am still battling this crud that started about a week and a half ago.  The dry hacking cough is now a wet loose cough that produces nothing and just rattles my chest.  (Yeah, so much fun....note the sarcasm!)  During this weekend I was outside doing a few things in the yard such as carting lawn furniture to the shed, pulling tomato cages and trellis' from the garden and dragging in hoses.......basically winterizing the yard.  I noticed that while I felt fine (other than the cough) when I started doing the work, after a bit of anything more than a simple walk (anything strenuous) that my  chest would tighten up and hurt.  (Which is honestly no wonder with all this coughing and hacking that I am doing).   So exercise is not really in the cards for me right now.  I will continue my daily walks with the dog....and maybe even throw in one on my lunch break here and there (which I do on occasion.),  But exercise, not a focus at the moment.

Water?  Should it be water?   Nope, I am letting that one evolve on it's own.  

Instead of those things, my next focus will be on lowering my calories.  Like before I am not vowing to eat at a certain level of calories.  I am not promising to never have cake.  I will not be attesting to eating a certain amount of fruits and veggies or upping my protein into the stratosphere.  I am not promising anything.  I am just saying that it may be time to make an effort to reduce my calorie consumption and to eat as nutritiously as possible.   

Yes, I know that my plan is extremely loosey goosey.  I know it's crazy and unorganized.  I know that it's not scientific.  But I know that it's what I need at the moment.  I have been writing this blog for almost 20 years.  I have made the vows and the promises over and over for years upon years.  And it hasn't worked.  I have studied and practiced the art form of weight loss for those same years (longer really, because I was working on weight loss before I started this blog)......so I know what needs to be done.  I have written scads of words about it.  I have even posted videos for years  on youtube about my weight loss efforts.  Yet I have struggled for so many of those years. (I have also had victorious years and posts thank heavens.)  But the promises.  The challenges.  The goals.  The plans.   They haven't worked in recent years, so it's time to do something totally different.  It's time to  throw out the guide and do something totally different.   And here we are...it's time to be loosey goosey. 

I have been utterly lax with taking pictures of my days and life, so there is no picture to accompany my loosey goosey post.  So I will leave you with a pictures of my Goofy Gus, otherwise known as Zoey, our dog!

9/19/2025  Her 3rd birthday

 

 

Lazy bum sleeping on the couch

Staring me down

 

Weigh in #9 for 2025

 9 weigh ins completed for the year 2025!   I have to be honest though and say that I have mixed feelings about it though!  It's kinda like the common thoughts that wow it's been 9 weeks  already, where has time gone but in the same breath thinking 9 weeks, it seems like a lifetime ago!   That is how I feel about the weigh in.  I have two totally conflicting emotions in regards to my weigh in. 

Let me just put it out there right now.  I lost 0.4 pounds this week.  I am not looking a gift horse in the mouth.  A half of a pound is fantastic!  It's a loss.  It's incredible.  But....shouldn't it be more.  I mean, I am working my tail end off with exercise.  I have tracked my food religiously and kept within my set boundaries.  I have drank my water.  I have done incredible (Thank you 75 Hard)!    

And that is where the divide lays.  I am tickled.  I have lost just about 10 pounds this year.   Yay.  10 pounds gone!  I am all about celebrating the loss of those 10 pounds.   That turns out to be just over a pound a week.   I'll take it!  Gladly!   Any loss is a win.   But at my weight, which is currently at 264 pounds, I should be dropping weight like mad!  It should be a whole lot more than this weeks measly half pound.  It should even be more than the 1 pound average that I have been posting.  It should be flying off of me so fast that people around me should be ducking to avoid it!  But it's not. 

I had recently talked about adding more protein into my daily diet.   Protein is more difficult for me because I am not a huge fan of meat.  I don't really like eggs. (Well, I like eggs...but they have to be hidden within a delicious cake or a soft gooey cookie!)  Protein is difficult for me.  In a quest to add more, I turned to 'products.  One of those products was a protein pancake mix.  Great option, right?  Except that I was forgetting that carbs are a kryptonite for me.  I love them....once I start I can't stop!   And even worse, I know for my body that I can't indulge complex carbs (pastas, white potatoes and breads.....including pancakes) more than one time a day.   I loved every last morsel of that box of pancake mix.  And when it was done, I still had some pancake syrup here at the house so I just made my own from scratch.   Bad bad bad.   I recognized the pitfall and didn't buy another box of pancake mix nor did I buy more maple syrup! 

 While I was super focused on the protein my calories slipped upward.  I know from experience that I don't lose weight at 1500 calories.  I lose weight when I am between 1200 and 1350.  Yet I was eating my protein with wild abandon and ignoring that wee little fact.

So where does that leave me?    I need to get back to basics.  I need to get my calories back down to the level where I know I lose.  I need to limit my carbs (goodbye pancakes).  And for my body and for my AGE, I need to keep my protein levels higher.   I will keep the protein higher by adding in protein bars (which I had already started)  but also by doing something I swore off years ago.   What am I talking about?  I am talking about yogurt.  Years ago (wow I was still at the bank so more than 10 years ago) I wrote about how I was not going to eat foods that I don't really like simply because they are 'good for me'.  I can't find the post at the moment, but I remember sitting eating a cup of yogurt. (It was a weight watchers brand yogurt that I had picked up at the grocery store....do they even still make those things?)  As I shoveled the yogurt into my mouth I thought to myself "man, I really don't like this" and at that moment I made a decision to stop eating something that I don't really like just because it is 'good for you'.      Well, I am backtracking.  I would rather eat some yogurt versus meat!    So Yogurt it is!  I will be buying a weeks worth of yogurt and seeing how that goes.  Will it last more than a week?  I am not sure, but I'm going to give it a go!  

Bring it on

 My official weigh in this week was not kind.  I gained back all that I lost last week!  I don't know how!  Seriously, I have no clue!   I have been forced to look deeply within myself.   I am following this 75 hard challenge to the tee and I am not losing weight.  There is a huge problem with that.  

I can't blame not losing on lack of water consumption. I can't blame it on lack of exercise.  I can't blame it on calories because I've been eating within my caloric range.  No, this challenge has forced me to look deeper because something is wrong.

I sat out to compare two weeks. One where I lost and the next where I gained.   Here is what I found.

 

So you can see that my steps and my calories were pretty close to each other, so those couldn't be the culprit.  Also similar was my carb, fiber and cholesterol intake.   The differences came into play in terms of protein, sugar and fat.    

 So that is where I am focusing my attention.   First on protein!   I'm really working to get my protein to 80g each day.  When you don't really care for much meat, that is difficult!  But if I want to see change, I need to change.  So bring on the protein!

I was surprised

 Part of the 75 Hard challenge is to set up a diet plan for yourself and follow it religiously.   The term diet does not mean a diet in the negative weight loss connotation.  The rule to set up a diet plan is just saying to set up an eating plan for the time frame.   It does not have to be a plan that will encourage your body to lose weight.  It could be something as simple as limiting how much soda a person drinks, or cutting alcohol or going sugar free.  Anything!  I have one follower on my youtube channel that decided to do the 75 hard along with me and for her diet plan she simply made the rule that she has to track her food each and every day.  It doesn't matter WHAT she eats, she just has to track it. Sure she is trying to keep it under a certain caloric goal, but her plan is to TRACK.    For me though, I decided to set up a diet plan that would 'encourage' my body to lose weight.

I decided that my goal would be to stay under 1500 calories!   I could do that, no problem right?    Well let me tell you, at the beginning it was tight!  But I quickly settled down and got used to eating the fewer calories.  And the first week or so I lost big....I lost 5.5 pounds!   And then I hit a week where I actually gained! I gained 1.5 pounds!  What in the world?   I was working out, religiously.  I was drinking my water, religiously.   I was keeping my calories under 1500, religiously!  There should NOT have been a gain!  Yet, I was staring at the scales and seeing a gain!

I knew that something was dreadfully wrong so I looked deep and here is what I found.

1. I remembered that I typically do not lose at the 1500 calorie mark.   I tend to lose at 1400 and below but my calorie count that week was always JUST below the 1500 mark!  Yes, that seems low.  HOWEVER, I do not weigh my food all the time.  I do it here and there to 'recalibrate' my portion sizes.  But I don't do it all the time.  So I look at it as the lower caloric goal is my trade off for not having to be anal and weigh everything!  Plus, I share my food with pets.   Just this morning I had a banana and some peanut butter.   The dog ate a bite or two of banana and some of the peanut butter and the bird got a slice of banana and some peanut butter!    So my figures would be all skewed should I be weighing my food.  So I just figured out through trial and error where my calories need to be for my non weighed and animal shared meals.   (And man, now I feel guilty because I didn't give the crabs anything!) 

2.  Carbs.  I love them!  OH my word to I love my carbs!   However, I have long known that my body does not love carbs....or rather maybe my body loves carbs a little too much and those carbs stick with me! I have found that I can handle one serving of a complex carb each day.  That means ONE serving of a bread or potato.   Not two...not three.    In that week where I gained 1.5 pounds I was eating an undue amount of carbs.   Ok, maybe undue amount was a bit overdramatic, but I was eating  more than the one serving that my body 'allows.'    

So I was totally able to identify what the problem was that had led me to gaining weight that week and I vowed to make the changes for the upcoming week.  However.......

Yeah, the changes didn't happen.  I was drawn to the kitchen where I made homemade bread.  Then I made homemade English muffins.   And if that wasn't enough I then made homemade pretzels!  Of course I ate some of my baked goods!  Of course I did!   I was out of control!   Until I realized what was happening.  I was drowning in grief.   I was coming up on the first  anniversary of my mom's  death and subconsciously I had sought out comfort.  (You can read how I managed the week after her death and see a picture of my mama here.)  Comfort for me is baking.  Comfort for me is carbs.  In my grief as the anniversary approached, I was drowning myself in both.

I am proud to say that as soon as I realized what I was doing that I was able to turn it around.  The baking and carb-fests ended and I got back to the basics.    I weigh myself daily and I had seen the scales slide upward during those few days of grief laden indulgence.   I HOPED to turn it around enough to show a maintain on the scales for my official weigh in day (which is currently set at Wednesday).

I was SO surprised to step on the scale on Wednesday morning.  I didn't maintain.    But I didn't gain!   I actually LOST weight!   I lost 3.1 pounds!  I lost enough weight that I recouped my 1.5 pound gain from my official weigh in the week before AND added another 1.6 pounds to that loss!   GO me.

So a few things that I learned from this:

1.   The calorie thing that I talked about earlier in this post really does hold true.

2.  Carbs are the devil....for my body.  But thank heavens I CAN indulge once a day!

3.  Diet soda.........I'm not sure if this is a coincidence or not....BUT, when I turned things I accidentally stopped drinking my diet soda in the evenings.   My plan has been to drink water during the day...and if I am done with my required amount of water at the end of the day then I can indulge in a glass of diet soda.  When I turned the ship around in terms of my eating, I somehow just stopped getting my glass of soda.  IT was accidental really.  I was just not finishing my required (for the 75 Hard challenge) water early enough to allow myself that glass of diet soda.  Could the diet soda be part of that amazing weight loss (because seriously....  I officially lost 3.1 pounds, but in reality I had gained an extra pound before I turned it around....a pound that never was counted in an official weigh in.   WE are talking substantial weight loss in just a few days.  Coincidental?   I am not sure....but stay tuned, I will be keeping an eye of it!  

75 Hard: Week One

 This may be a record for me on recent challenges and attempts at a restart, but I actually made it through the first week of the 75 Hard Challenge!   I will take that as a win!   Seriously, how many times have I babbled on about a new plan and then failed to get past the first week!  So I'll take 1 week as a win!   You can read more about this on my recent post. 

The Challenge Rules

     1.  Follow a Diet Plan

    2. Exercise 2 times a day one of which HAS to be outside. The indoor workout HAS to be 45 minutes or more.  The outdoor one is preferably 45 minutes or more but I can be as short as 30 minutes.  (Altered from the original 75 hard which is two 45 minute sessions)

    3. Drink 64 ounces of water (altered from the original 75 hard which required 1 gallon of water)

    4. Read 10 pages of a non fiction book daily (I read digitally and have no pages....so I am aiming for 10 minutes a day)

    5.  Take a progress picture each day

But lets talk about the particulars of each day! 

Day 1of 75 Hard

I nailed this day. 100% slayed it!   For my indoor exercise I completed 45 minutes on the exercise bike.  I didn't ride like a bat out of hell, and my butt was so incredibly sore but I finished those 45 minutes like a champ!  My legs were a bit wobbly when it was done, but it was done with a smile.   It snowed all day and we ended up with about 6-8 inches.  It was still snowing toward evening, but I went outside and shoveled for my 45 minutes of exercise.  (Luckily we only got another half inch after I shoveled so I didn't have to redo much, just swept those areas.)  I felt like I was drowning but I managed to get my full gallon of water down my gullet and my calorie count was 1354!  For my reading, I started the book "The Diet Trap Solution: Train your Brain to Lose Weight and Keep it off for Good".  (Amazon Link)   It was a great start!

I started this on a whim and while I was determined, I was totally skeptical about the chances of my success due to my many failures!

Day 2 of 75 Hard

The snow had finally stopped and it was time to shovel ourselves out.  I manned the shovel, Jason used the snowblower. I went out two times and each time was just about an hour of shoveling (56 minutes and 51 minutes).  I am counting shoveling as my exercise.  I drank about 80 ounces of water, which is a win,  I continued reading the same non fiction book and I had 1446 calories.   For some reason I was just hungry. (Or maybe I imagined myself hungry, whichever the case may be.)  But even at the 1446, I was still under my goal of 1500!  So a win!

Day 3 of 75 Hard

This day took planning and thought.   I went into my mom's to work on painting the house with my brother.    I  didn't know what lunch would bring, so I tried to keep my breakfast lighter and spent some time looking at my dinner plans to see how much I could shave off of my dinner to create more calories if needed.  Therefore, when I did go out to eat for lunch with my brother, sister in law and two of their kids, I knew exactly how many calories I had available for lunch AND how many calories I could squeeze out of dinner.  (It was Taco Tuesday at our house and I swapped my meal from Tacos to a taco salad  which used less meat but more salad stuff.   Calories saved.  I also crunched up 2 taco shells instead of 3.  Calories saved.   And I also only ate 1/2 cup of the rice dish instead of 1 cup!)   I also intently looked at the menu when we arrived at the restaurant (thank heavens they had the calories listed on the board, it made it easier than pulling out my phone) and I chose wisely.  And honestly, was probably happier with my options than had I gotten the traditional burger and fries!  I ended the day with 1493 calories.  I did not finagle the numbers any more than making the above adjustments.   After I got home I went in and made the adjustments that I had planned and it came to 1493.   Squeezed that one out by the skin of my teeth!  I did drink a diet coke whilst out at lunch, but I pounded the water the rest of the day and got my required water done!

I also had to plan and think about my exercise and work to get it all done before I left the house at 9!   The planning of the exercise was the easy part.  It was the temps outside that made it yucky!  The outdoor temperatures took a nose dive and it was COLD.  I was dreading my 'outdoor' exercise!   I did it though.  I was out tramping around with the dog and my toes were frozen but I marked off 30 minutes outside!  I also got my indoor workout checked off by completing two different workouts back to back.  I did half with Body Groove and the other half with Zumba Sula.  I continued reading the same non fiction book and ended the day with a win!

Day 4 of 75 Hard

Day four was another day where I had to work on planning a bit more.  I had a lunch date with a friend and I wasn't sure where we would be going pretty much the last minute.  But knowing that, I did two things.  I had a simple banana for breakfast and for dinner I planned to make a meal that I do not eat but that Jason loves!  I knew that I could fill up on veggies and whatnot if I didn't have the calories for more. And if I did have the calories, I could make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (the ultimate sandwich) or a grilled cheese (second ultimate).    I also wanted to get my exercise completed early because my friend and I hadn't seen each other in ages and we expected to spend a few hours together catching up.    Therefore, by the time I headed out to meet her for lunch I had already completed 30 cold minutes outside with the dog and  45 minutes of cardio with the youtube channel, CDornerFitness.  I had taken my daily picture and read my 10 minutes of non-fiction.  The only thing I had left to worry about was drinking my water and eating within my calories. 

I ordered water with my lunch which helped me not get sidetracked from the water goal.  I  had them refill it three times.....so that on top of what I drank on the way to and from lunch and what I drank at home made getting my water to be a cinch!   The food.   I ordered a breakfast meal (we were at a diner) and carefully calculated and managed my calories the rest of the day. I ended the day at 1338 calories.   YAY!  Four days of success, can I really manage to do this?  It was at this point that I started to actually believe that I could do this!

Day 5 of 75 Hard

This was a day of just blah.  I was tired so I didn't do my indoor exercise at 5AM while Jason was in the shower.  I did get my 10 minutes of reading in during that time.  However, no exercise.  I told myself, that I had no plans the rest of the day so I had 'plenty' of time to get it done.   I settled in for the day and it would have been bad, but Zoey wanted to go out and play.  So I bundled up and out we went for our 30 minutes!  It was still earlier in the day so it was still cold!  (Although the temps are rising!)  Time kept passing the dog was sleeping so soundly and well, indoor exercise........................

Indoor exercise was done literally minutes before Jason got home from work at 6PM!    But I did it!  

I planned my food for the day and worked out my calories and I eat exactly what I had planned which equaled out to be 1354 calories.   Water was tough.  I was feeling super lazy all day.  So when I settled into the recliner and realized that I had forgotten my water in the kitchen I didn't feel like getting up......and I didn't get up for a few hours.  So I found myself at 1PM with having only drank 16 ounces.  But not to worry I may have been guzzling water at the last minute, but I finished it!  (I finished literally at the last minute, as in I was standing in the kitchen guzzling the rest and then went straight to bed!)

Day 6 of 75 Hard

One would think that I would learn my lesson with the water!   And I did, somewhat!  I remembered to take my water with me to where I was working.  I spent the morning on the computer doing some stuff that is required of my by the unemployment office, looking for jobs and whatnot.  It comes around to about 12:30 and I realized I had not taken a single sip of the water that I took with me.  That means that I only had drank the 16 ounces of water that I drank with my breakfast.....the one that I put my Trace Minerals into. (Amazon link here....seriously, this stuff is amazing!)

 I also learned the lesson and I got my indoor workout completed at 5AM.  I did my outdoor workout at about 8AM (with the dog of course) and I was doing great!   

There is nothing too exciting about the day.  I checked everything off the 75 hard list and rolled through my day like a champ.  I ended the day with 1379 calories.  So I was happy with that!

Day 7 of 75 Hard

It was Saturday, but Jason had to work so it felt like a week day.  That means that we were up at 5AM and I didn't let the fact that it was a Saturday derail me.  I got that 45 minutes of my first workout completed early!  By 6AM I was on the couch reading.  I read for a while on my non fiction book that I chose to start my 75 hard challenge.    I read that until Jason was leaving for work.   I got outside and got the dog walk and some time outside with me walking and moving to knock off another cold workout. (Dang it has warmed up but I was still cold!)

This day I actually sipped at my water all morning and therefore didn't hit the afternoon with very little water consumption under my belt!  I had a plan to get my water done early so that I could enjoy some diet soda in the evening, because I've been so behind the last few days that I haven't been able to enjoy that treat and I wanted it tonight!  I finished my water right before dinner so I was able to pour myself a glass of diet soda!  Woo hoo!  (And yes, I realize how lame it is to reward myself with a glass of diet soda, but them's the breaks!)

I kept my calories in check for the day and I feel like I had a fantastic day food wise!   My calorie count was 1297 so I was spot on where I wanted to be!  Go me!

Reflections on Week One of the 75 Hard

I was hopeful, but still skeptical at the beginning of the week.  But as the week progressed I started to feel a bit more confident that maybe, just maybe I could do it.  I started to think that maybe I could make it to day 75 and complete this!  In fact,   I actually feel a bit disgusted with myself for making the adjustments that I made.  I feel, well....  I feel guilty!  I feel guilty for lowering my goal from 1 gallon of water to the 64 ounces.  I also feel totally guilty about lowering that second workout to 30 minutes.  I feel like I am cheating!   However, I know that had I not made the changes, I probably would have missed the water by day three if not day two.   Furthermore, there is no way I would have made the 45 minutes outside in that un-heavenly cold!  So while I feel guilty, I know that I made the right decision in my alterations.  

I have been sleeping SO much more soundly. I have had next to no instances where I wake up at 2 in the morning wide awake and unable to get back to sleep.  I won't lie, I have woken up here and there but I'm right back to soundly sleeping in minutes if not seconds.   There was one day where I woke up and I honestly thought that I was going to be awake the rest of the night.  However, the next thing I knew the alarm was going off and I was waking up!   The issue?   Jason says that I have been snoring a lot more than normal this week.  He has tried to tell me that the dog kept coming to the bed to check on me and that the dog finally gave up and left the bedroom!  I have also been roused from sleep a few times while he is bumping me or whacking the bed to try to 'reset' me.   Is the snoring related to the 75 Hard?  Who knows!   We were talking about it this morning and I laughed and said this is the best I've slept in YEARS.  Maybe I'm just so sleep deprived from years of issues that I'm sleeping so deep that I'm snoring.   OK, I know that is not it!  But that is what I told him! 

I found myself wanting to dance a little, wiggle my butt a little and just move a bit more after my exercise.  Not every day, there were one or two days where I was just tired.  But most days it kinda rejuvenated me!  It kind of gave me a pep in my step!

So there you go....week one in the books.   Week two?   Ready.......Set....Go!

Week recap

I woke up this morning and felt immediate happiness!  I was sure that it was Saturday and that it was a relax day!  But then reality set in.  Oh well...tomorrow I can wake up with the bliss of freedom!!!  

So, since it if Friday, it’s time for a weekly recap!

As for my monthly goals...how did I do this week?

1. Tracking every bite of food I eat-   Success.

2. Money into savings-  Success

3. Weigh less-  This is not exactly a success but I’m not calling it a failure yet. (More on this in a bit.)

4. Be more active/exercise at least theee day’s a week -  Success.  well my weekend knocked out two days, but I have managed to walk on my lunch break 3 of the last 4 days.  So a huge success (even if the after work exercise hasn’t begun!)

5. Keep my calories within a specific range for at least 6 days a week.  Success!  I managed this. One day was borderline close and one was over...but I squeezed it out!  (more on this in a moment.)

6.  Step count an average of at least 5k steps a day. I was over that every day except the day that I didn’t walk on my lunch break.

Proof of a lunch time walk!

Weight

My body did the same old routine.  I was so careful over the weekend.  I ate healthy.  I watched every bite. I was so good with my water, and my weight still jumped up on Monday. This has been happening for a while so I didn’t panic. I stayed within the three pound ‘acceptable’ range that I am ok with.   But it is still frustrating.  I expect it to drop significantly tomorrow.

Calories

On Thursday I arrived in the training room ready to start the day with training (I’ve been training new hires). One of the new hires brought in donuts!  I looked at those big wonderfully delicious looking donuts all morning! I wanted one soooo badly!  Oh heavens I could taste the glaze!  My lips could feel the chocolate!  Ohh the sprinkles too, I could taste it all!  But.....I didn’t take one!  I didn’t even take a bite!  I stood strong!

But the willpower to resist took a lot out of me.  After a morning of resisting, the thought of settling for a banana, kiwi and cheese lunch while I walked was very distasteful! (If I walk on m lunch break my meal must be highly ‘portable’ as I only have a 30 minute lunch break and the lake takes about 20 minutes to walk around...and of course I need a few moments to use the bathroom and whatnot!). I just couldn’t settle!  I went to the cafeteria and got a turkey sandwich from the deli line...with lots of greens and vegetables!  I did cave and get a bag of chips (I looked at the calorie count and got the lowest calorie count bag there!).   I was fine with that choice.  It was still better and more nutritious than a donut...and probably a lot less calories than that oversized donut!   But...it caused my calories to be about 100 over my top end limit (Which is 1550 calories for the day).    And that my friends is the reason I didn’t manage a straight 100% success on the walking/exercise AND the calorie count.  

If we look at my calorie count we can see how well I really did!

So we can see that I had some days that were right on the borderline...days like Sunday.   But Lets look at the graph that adds in my exercise...

So we can see that the day I called ‘borderline’ was in reality no where near being borderline!   It was only the donut day that I was slightly over!!!

So all in all I am going to count this week as a success.  Even though my weight hasn’t dropped (yet).  I made some very good strides and lived a healthy lifestyle this week!  I moved more than I have in recent months and I ate well.  A win!

Slaying the beast...day three

Here we go!  Halfway through the week!  Lets get this show on the road and make it to the weekend!   I will say that I am looking forward to the weekend!  Sadly, it is just a normal short weekend and not a longer one like last weekend.  But that’s ok.  The weather is supposed to be FANTASTIC and we have some ideas of how to utilize that fantastic weather. (Amidst the normal errands and chores!)

It is day three of the new month.  I came home all fired up to absolutely slay the beast of obesity this month and show a victory.  (Or at least make positive inroads to slayong the beast, because it will take me multiple months!).  I vowed to hit the month hard from day one.   I had plans!

I have not hit it as hard as I would have liked.  BUT, I have not gone on a binge or anything. 

Exercise…..this one has not started off strong.  I did NOT walk on my lunch break.  I also did NOT walk or run or ride my bike after work like I had planned to do (my mind comes up with all sorts of fantastic plans for activities!)    It was cold!   That kept me from my lunch walks.  It also made me get home and just curl up under a blanket (ok maybe it wasn’t that cold) and stay inside.     The weather is turning though and it is supposed to be in the mid 60’s at lunchtime today.  I am heading out!   It should also still be pretty nice when I get home.  I PLAN to get out after work tonight.  A walk?  A bike ride?  A run?  I don’t know what yet.  Some of that will depend on Jason.  If he wants to ride or go for a walk that will be the activity I do.  If not, I am VOWING to run!     With no lunch time or after work walks, my step count for the first two days is woefully lacking.  And yes, I am so embarrassed to admit that my goal for the month is only 150,000 steps…that is ONLY 5000 steps a day.  Even more embarrassing is the fact that I am so sedentary at this point that getting 5K steps a day is a stretch.  I am currently running 3500 steps behind after the first two days.    But with nicer weather  I should be able to catch up quickly!

Eating……I haven’t done too badly on this one.  I have remained within my goal range for my caloric intake (I aim for between 1200 and 1550 a day).  I have been closer to the top end of the range both days, but I’m ok with that.  I know that I need to work on getting my calories toward the lower end at least a few days a week.  But in the meantime, I’m happy with where I’m at.

Water Intake…….I did fabulously over the weekend.  I have struggled these first two days of the month.  Today is the day to change that also!  

Weight…..My weight isn’t too bad.  I was happy with where I was at the beginning of the month (in comparision to where I was mid month in March).   My weight has shifted up a bit the last two days.  That however could be also caused by the lack of water consumption.  I have woke up both of the last two days thirsty…which is historically not a good sign for my weight.

April is here……It is time to slay this weight and get my life…my healthy living life back on track!  Next time I’m at the beach I am going to be fit!!!  But for now I will treasure the memories of this last trip!!!

Friday: brrrrr winter is here

What a week!!!  It wasn’t a bad one, thank heavens... But it sure was crazy!!!   It sure ran the gamut in terms of what happened.  So without further ado, I give you my recap of the week.

Workouts

I started off Monday still reeling from my weekend of being sick.  I decided to put my newfound early morning workout routine on hold until I was fully recovered.  I did not call off of work.   I trudged into work.  By the afternoon I was really dragging!  But I made it.   Because it had been so rough to make it through Monday afternoon I decided to not workout on Tuesday morning also.  Part of me wonders if I didn’t make that decision more out of ‘I don’t wanna wake up early’ versus ‘I really don’t feel right yet.”  But regardless, I am ok with my decision.  On Wednesday though...no excuses!  I got up and did my 25 minute workout.  It’s not super intense...but it’s at least something!  I received an email on Wednesday from my good friend Julie (she lives about 8 hours away from me...we primarily communicate through email...occasional texts and visits every once in a while...rare visits sadly enough).  She just happened to mention the fact that ‘luckily my fit bit alarm went off and that woke me up’.  I had a lightbulb moment.  A Fitbit alarm???  I imagine that at some point may have known that I could set an alarm on my Fitbit .(Amazon Affiliate link)..but then again...maybe not!  Either way, an alarm on my Fitbit  would eliminate my guilt at the loud alarm going off and waking both Jason and I up when it only needed to be me sacrificing sleep!!  Let me tell you...it worked like a charm!!  Yeah, he stirred when I slipped out of bed...but he didn’t total wake with the rousing alarm!  So yes...on Thursday I worked out too!    

This week I added in weights and some arm work!  I also got smart and threw my headphones on and listened to music to help pass the time on the stair machine thingy!  This weekend I may look into my supply of DVD’s and add in a video or two!  Anything to keep it fresh and different!

Work

I did some more training this week.  On Tuesday and Wednesday I worked with some reps in Indiana to train and prepare them for the next step in doing this job.  They are definitely on the fast track of learning everything.  Necessary since they are taking over my position.  Sometime  in the next month or so I’ll be the one learning a new position (my team’s work is being moved to our Indiana site and I’ll be on a new team.).  

The discontinuation calls continue.   These are calls regarding the end of the assistance program for one of the medications that I support.  Some of them are difficult...which we expected....after all we are taking away the free medication that people have been receiving...and it is a life saving medication! But let me tell you though...I’m amazed.  Simply amazed.  A few times a day I get the call and someone is obviously upset about this change...and worried.  But then they still stop to say ‘thank you for the medication that you HAVE given me for free’. I didn’t expect that at all...and even though it’s only a few it does restore faith in the human race.

Eating

My eating was pretty good this week.   I never went crazy.  I never binged.  I stayed steady. My calories were pretty well in line. 

I thought I tracked over the weekend..but I apparently didn't...I have since gone back and done so and my calories were in the same range.

I have my goal on myfitnesspal set to have me lose 1.5 pounds a week...and as you can see I come in below that goal....so I SHOULD be losing!!!!

Weight

I’m holding steady within the same 2-3 pounds.   Grrrrrr!  I don’t want to go lower in my calories...but it seems I’m going to have to.

Weather

Welcome winter!   I didn’t get any good pictures of our first snow...I left home on Thursday morning right as it was starting where I live and drove straight into the storm.   I made it to work with out much fuss...and I was inside all day and missed the bulk of the snow.   I commutes home in the aftermath and continual rain -and ice.  Jason was sent home from his job...they closed down...lucky boy!!!   He sent me this picture taken from the couch at about 10:30 when it was just getting rolling.

Our area got about 4 or 5 inches...but then the temps rose a bit and the rain helped melt the snow.   We are still in the clean up and residual ice from all the snow and rain stage.  But we weathered our first winter storm.

Overall I would say that the week was an ok one. From sick to health.  From 60° to winter storm.   Exercise....no exercise.   Just a total crazy week of opposites!  I didn’t have any great success in my weight loss...but I will say continuing on with the exercise instead of not restarting is a huge victory!!!!

100 miler

II went to dinner with some friends last night.  It was a perfect dinner of girl chit chat and girl giggles.  Just perfect!  What was not perfect?  We ate at a restuarant that I have been craving for SOOO long.....and well, I caved and had the artichoke/cheese dip  for an appetizer AND my normal favorite sandwich.  And yes, I ate it all!  I didn't feel stuffed...so that is good at least!  (and my calories from breakfast and lunch were low!)

A while back I heard about a challenge that the city/county that I live in was trying to implement.  It was called the Hub City 100 miler.   At first thought I was thinking "NO WAY"  I am not going to participate in a 100 mile race.  Endurance racing fascinates me, but not enough to actually do it!  I'm not nuts!  Well, maybe I am, but not I am DEFINITELY not at the stage of wanting to participate in a 100 mile run.   Out of curiosity I looked into the information about the 100 miler.   It is actually a 100 day project.  One mile a day.  Hmmmm.  I contemplated but decided at that point to forego it.  It was kinda loosely run, operating on the honor system and I have been in challenge groups where you KNOW the people are cheating and it really grates upon my nerves.   I walked away and didn't give it another thought.  

I didn't give it another thought until I was flipping through the What's NXT publication looking for any interesting activities in our area.  Yup....there it was the 100 miler, a full page of information. I couldn't help it.  I looked and I read and I pondered.   The 100 miler had officially began on the seventh and it was already the 8th.  I wasn't worried.  It was set up for someone to do 1 mile a day but the rules were quite specific that you didn't need to do one mile each day, the only goal was 100 miles for the duration.  Piece of cake.  Between hiking and running and normal walking (as I"m planning on walking with Sherry on days when the weather is cooperative) I would easily make up the missed days.  Some of the prizes looked quite neat.   It was only $10 to join (the non-tee-shirt option) and I figured it gave me a chance to win some cool prize and it gave me the motivation to put some miles on me.  

I shouldn't have ANY problem getting my miles as this actually goes through the beginning of April.  On April 2 I will be running the Cooper River Bridge Run...so there is a neat 6.2 miles and I have vowed to run this one....and maybe even beat my previous PR for a 10k.  That means that I will be training in the upcoming months.   Woo hooo!  

So I'm in.....One more way to keep me accountable.  :-)

And woo hoo!   Krumpes just announced the date for their 5k!! (I looked yesterday and couldn't find the date and this morning it was on fB!)

Only two days

So I’ve struggled in the last two months. Plain and simple, July and August were NOT good months for me in terms of weight loss.  The GOOD thing, is that I managed to maintain within a 5 pound range.  That’s actually an AWESOME thing now that I really stop to think about it…in previous months  I would have gained 10 pounds in that time frame especially with everything that has been going on in my life. However, my weight is sitting at about 212-215.  That is NOT where I want it to be. That is STILL in the obese category. I have to make it to a few pounds under 200 to be considered simply ‘overweight’.   I have a long way to go. 212-215 is NOT the end of the road.

I am struggling.    I am at a cross roads. I’m trying to get accustomed to the restrictions that my sore foot impose, the weather restrictions that are forthcoming and of course my schedule and responsibilities that impose their difficulties into my exercise routine. But more importantly, I have to get my eating under control.  I’m not being ‘bad’  but I’m not being as strict as I need to be in order to really lose this weight!

So as I was walking with my friend Sherry last night I suggested a challenge for us. We will be walking again on Sunday morning.  That means we had two full days before seeing each other again. Friday and Saturday, in case you are wondering. Ha ha!    The challenge???  The challenge is absolute strictness in our caloric intake for those two days.  I aim for between 1200 and 1300 calories a day…..so that is what my challenge is, staying within that range for the days.  Seriously…it’s just two days.  Who can’t do something for two measly days???? 

Small increments.  I’m not looking at the big picture (although I could be back at my all time low weight of 180 by Christmas…..lol) I’m looking at small increments of time.  Saying that I’m going to be ‘good’ for the next four months is a huge undertaking.  But I CAN say without a doubt that I can do this for the next two days.  Come Sunday, I’ll be back with another mini challenge/goal.

I lost pretty much the first week of the month with the patio project...so I'm aiming for 150 miles this month!  :-)   5.22 in thus far!!

Who'd have Thunk?

Todd and I were both off yesterday afternoon and we spent the day running errands and trying to get everything we need for some of the big 'projects' that we hope to complete very soon.  (Some shelves, a raised flower bed, and the biggie...a patio...which includes getting the hot tub into place on the patio and getting it wired and running).  We ran around in the rain and had a good day.  We debated long and hard about where to eat for lunch.  We eventually decided to go to a place that we hadn't gone in ages.  However it was a place we remembered well, you see in our 'I don't care' stage which coincided with the 'mega chain restaurants are good' stage we ate there a lot.   Yes, we decided to go to Uno's.  I sat down and got the salad and quickly decided on an individual cheese pizza.  Nothing major right?   I was hungry so I'll freely admit that I ate my whole portion.   Do you see where this is going?   I of course didn't even THINK to put my calories into myfitnesspal until I had a break in the activities (which means I was sitting in the car waiting for Todd for some unremembered reason).   I put the meal in.....and it was a good thing I was sitting down!

The individual deep dish tomato and cheese pizza is 1750 calories.   That did not include my salad!   Holy freakin' cow!   Seriously?   I aim to eat 1200 calories a day......combined for the WHOLE day.  I just not only blew my daily calories in one meal but I had gone over my calories by well well over 500 calories!   And of course, I had eaten breakfast and seriously...it was noon when I ate, I KNEW that I would be eating dinner.  Come on now.....     Oh, and we had already stopped at Sweet Frog for a little cup of frozen yogurt so I couldn't drop that from my calories to try to keep my caloric expenditure as low as possible.

So how did I handle the rest of the day?  I still ate dinner.  I couldn't skip, that would have just set me up for failure today.  I chose to not beat myself up over it.  I made a mental note to not do daily weigh ins until Saturday.  I chose to move on....accept what was done.  Accept that life happens and move on.   This is life and I'm LIVING it!

In other news.  I am 23 miles from making my mileage goal for this month.  (Thanks to a ride on the exercise bike last night......I don't get as good of a workout on the exercise bike at home.....and I feel  a bit like I'm cheating when I ride it...but it is still miles.....it is still movement....and I"m counting it!!  And oh yeah, I HATE riding inside!)   As soon as I hit the publish button on this post (or very soon thereafter)  I'll be changing my clothes and heading out on the bike.  I"m hoping to get at least the same 13 miles that I did the other day....that would put me at 10 miles left.....I'm supposed to walk at work with  a coworker on my lunch break...so there will be about 2 miles....and I'm scheduled to go walking with Sherry tonight.  We go anywhere from 2 miles to 5 miles....but typically about 3.  So I could conceivably end my day with 5 miles left! 

update:   I just got back from my ride.  19.29 miles in the hopper.  If my scheduled walks go off at the projected mileage I could finish this TODAY!

My body thanks me!

I would like to thank the people that have commented on my blog of late concerned about my well being.  I would like to say that I have been doing this for quite some time.  I started and continue under the direction of my doctor. They both know exactly what I have done and am doing to lose weight.  I also started under the umbrella of Weight Watchers.  While I no longer calculate and track according to weight watchers points, their guidelines are still deeply embedded in my mind.  I have compared the calories to points and even though I have ‘forsaken’ Weight Watchers, my eating runs right in line with what I would have eaten should I be counting weight watchers points.  Which is a proven system and greatly approved by doctors…in fact many doctors recommend using weight watchers because it is a healthy approach…nothing fanatical like fasting once or twice a week just to lose weight (I actually worked with a gal once that took the fasting to the extreme…she fasted the whole work week and only ate on weekends…NUTS…personally for anything other than religious reasons, fasting is an unhealthy practice even if only for a day) or eating only cumquats for every meal.  (What the heck is a cumquat!) or something crazy such as only eating foods that begin with the letter S. (don’t lie, you are thinking about what foods you could eat that start with S!)  Anyway, I digress….. I have been doing what should be done!

My blog is more of a touchy feely blog…emotions about weight loss, celebrations and struggles.  I like it that way……but not today. I’m going to go scientific and a bit mathematicl on you……

 That said, I have heard the concerns and I wanted to verify and double check my numbers and figures.   I even included websites for my research for the most basic of information….just because that’s how I roll (damn overachiever that I am).   LOL

 The first thing I looked at was how many calories I need to eat a day to maintain my weight.  I found this table first…

Gender	Age (years)	Sedentaryb	Moderately Activec	Actived
Child	2-3	1,000	1,000-1,400	1,000-1,400
Female	4-8 9-13 14-18 19-30 31-50 51+	1,200 1,600 1,800 2,000 1,800 1,600	1,400-1,600 1,600-2,000 2,000 2,000-2,200 2,000 1,800	1,400-1,800 1,800-2,200 2,400 2,400 2,200 2,000-2,200
Male	4-8 9-13 14-18 19-30 31-50 51+	1,400 1,800 2,200 2,400 2,200 2,000	1,400-1,600 1,800-2,200 2,400-2,800 2,600-2,800 2,400-2,600 2,200-2,400	1,600-2,000 2,000-2,600 2,800-3,200 3,000 2,800-3,000 2,400-2,800

 The table is just a general idea of where you need to be and that wasn’t good enough for me, I wanted specifics.  THUS, I went to  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/245588.php   where they have a nifty little calculator that figures up your base metabolic rate.  I figured up my base rate.  For a sedentary lifestyle for me that is 1764.  This second website also then has you add in your lifestyle.  I do pretty heavy intense exercise 6 times a week.  So I adjusted my base metabolic rate according to the instructions on the website…which took me to 2206.25. (wow….it’s only 6.5 calories off of the table….I guess I didn’t need to do all the double checking on the second website).  So that is the amount of calories that I need to eat to MAINTAIN my weight.

However, we all know that I’m not in this to maintain my weight at this point. (although knowing those numbers will come in handy in the future!  J   I’m in this to LOSE.  I have always been told by my doctors and weight watchers that 2 pounds is the most that you should be losing on average each week.  Everything else is to much.  But for the sake of this post I decided to add a website showing this figure as the acceptable.  http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-strategies/ask-diet-doctor-losing-10-pounds-week-safe So for the sake of argument I’m aiming at 2 pounds loss a week…average. 

So how do you lose 2 pounds a week?  Really weight loss is just like a budget.  Deposits versus withdraw.  Your deposits are what you are eating….your withdraw is what your body is spending to keep you moving (Stop laughing, you thought I was going to say your withdraw was what you leave in the bathroom….I’m SOOO not that crass…..ha ha ha).   It’s a budget….calories in versus calories out.  Just like your financial budget.  If you want to save money you have to spend less money than you earn.  Likewise, to lose weight I have to eat less than I burn.  So it is common knowledge that there it takes a deficit of  roughly 3500 calories to lose a pound.  http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/how-many-calories-does-it-take-lose-one-pound  So if I want to lose the max recommended poundage each week, I need to cut my calories by 7000 each week.  (simple math…3500 plus 3500 equals 7000).

So let’s do the math….I need to cut my calories by 1000 each day in order to lose 2 pounds a week.  7000 calories divided by 7 days of the week equals 1000.   If I could draw a line in this blog post I would draw a line back to the paragraph about the base metabolic rate.  I can’t, so you will have to remember… my base metabolic rate is 2206.5 (at my current rate of exercise).   SO for me to lose 2 pounds a week I need to cut my calories down to 1206.5   Guess what?  I actually right now aim for 1250……I’m dead flat on with what I am aiming for to eat…maybe even a bit high.  

Is this plan perfect and fail proof?  No!  Some weeks my body doesn’t lose like it should.  It is not a given that I WILL lose 2 pounds.  This plan is just a theory, a base.  It’s based on science. It’s approved by doctors, trainers (yes, I’ve had fitness professionals recommend it), this is actually what Jillian Michaels expounded upon in her first (I think first) book and if you match up the calories with points that weight watchers uses it equals about to be the same. 

I work the plan better than most. .  I don’t fill up my calories with empty calories.  Fast food, junk food, etc etc is not part of my diet.  I will admit to some nights splurging and having a ½ cup of ice cream or some other sweet snack…SOME nights I said, not every night.  However, the bulk of my calories are filling, healthy nutritional foods.   They are foods that fill me up and leave me feeling satisfied all day long. 

Ok, that said.  I do not drop down way low in my calories.  I do not have days where I only eat 600 or 700 calories.  That is way to low and totally unhealthy.  I eat a balanced diet and actually feel full and satisfied throughout the day.  I eat healthy natural filling foods.    I do exercise a lot.  I exercise because right now it is the outlet for my stress.  It is where I drown my sorrows. 

I track everything I eat.  I won’t lie about that. However, I am not anal about measuring and counting.  Every once in a while I will measure just to make sure that I am on target, but I do not want to be tracking nazi.  I want to live my life.  So in reality, I KNOW that when I say I’m eating 1250 calories that I may, just may be eating 1300 or 1400.   It’s a trade off for me……I track, I exercise lots but I don’t worry so much about measuring every morsel of food that goes into my mouth.

As for the amount of exercise I do…..I average between 1 hour to 1.5 hours a day (mostly about 1).  It is MY time.  Its kinda scary because I am finding that I LOVE it.  I am exercising not because I have to….or because I need to. I’m doing it because I’m happy with myself when I do.  For the first time in a long time I feel as if I’m doing something GOOD and RIGHT.  It clears my mind from all the negative stuff that swirls in my  mind all day.  I do it for ME.  I miss it when I don’t do it.  I daydream about the liberation that exercise brings me….and the way my body feels when I complete a hard workout.  That sense of pride is indescribable.   That said, I’m not pushing myself to the brink of disaster.   I take a day of rest and allow my body to rest.  Sometimes my body demands an extra day of rest and you know what?  I allow it.  Generally speaking, we are under-using our bodies by a long shot.   Our bodies are capable of so much and we are not even coming near reaching our bodies potential.    I thought for a long time that if I exercised heavy and intensely that I was going to hurt myself.  That’s not the case.  I’m eating healthy foods that fuel my body.  I’m not starving myself (in fact, if you could see how much food I do eat…lol).  My body responds well.  I come home from a run and I’ve got more energy, pep and vigor that if I didn’t.  My body thanks me!