Weighing in

Christmas was nice, but I suppose HERE comes the bah humbug!

This week was a gain of 1.4 pounds. BAH HUMBUG! LOL!

Normally there is something specific that I can pinpoint, but this week I really can't. I think it was a combination of not working out as much as usual AND eating things I don't normally eat. I don't think I did any sort of workout until Monday because I simply didn't have the time, plus we had so many rich and sweet foods that I don't normally have. All of that added up to over a pound, I suppose!

Since Christmas I've gone back to much more typical eating. Except today, when I made my Memaw's dumplings. Which I refuse to regret!

I was hoping to be about 7 pounds lighter by January 1. Alas, I don't think that's happening. But it's all good. I'm still in it!

Onward and downward! :)

What 50 pounds looks like

Taken January 2009. This was my "this is it; I've had enough" moment. When I weighed in for the first time the next morning, the scale showed 237 pounds.

Taken the month before, at Christmas 2008. I wasn't ready to face reality then. Why a month made a difference is beyond me.

Taken the first weekend of December 2011. The scale has been sitting right at 187 (give or take a pound) since October.

Taken Christmas morning 2011. 

I'm not finished. Not a bit. I still have at least 40 pounds to go. But now that I'm this far, I'm realizing just how much work I've done, and looking through those old photos just solidified that. 

A friend who has lost over 100 pounds commented not long ago that she didn't want anyone to see her old photos. Ever. I considered that, and I've decided that I need those old, horrid photos. I hate them, but I do feel that I need them. I want to be able to look back and say that it IS possible to overcome those previous years of sloth and gluttony. It's just a matter of deciding to do so and educating yourself on how.

Weighing in

I've lost 50 pounds over the 18 months. Yes, I know it's slow, but it has been a real learning process for me. And now I really can say that I fully understand when someone says it's just as much about the journey as the end result.

My little scale-step this morning put me up by .2 pounds. And I'm totally good with that!

Today, I can really tell how far I've come. Last year I don't remember even thinking about weighing in, calories, energy expended. Not during the holidays. This year, it is on my mind daily. I don't obsess over it, but I do consider it before I eat anything.

This week we'll be having our 12th annual Christmas Eve Mexican Fiesta, then our usual Christmas feast. I honestly don't think I will be able to focus on exercise very much until after Christmas Eve. And I'm a baking fiend right now! The cream cheese filled snickerdoodles are a sincere temptation. Cream cheese is like kryptonite to me! I'm hoping that we have hungry people at the party and they eat all of the goodies.

Right now it's hard for me to put in the proper exercise time, plus get ready for our Christmas Eve fiesta, plus do schoolwork, plus do our volunteer work, plus do family activities .... Maintaining is a perfectly acceptable course of action for me right now!

After Christmas though ... watch out!

Onward and downward! :)

December goal

Yes, I realize we're halfway in already. I've been thinking about this for a few days, but I haven't done more than think about it. Suddenly I've realized that this month in particular should have a goal. It is easy to get distracted with all of the busy fun and not remember that I need to focus on my personal goals.

My goal for December is to walk 110 miles.

So now it's out there. Lofty? Perhaps. My highest walking month to date is June 2011 at 104 miles. In June I could walk outside (comfortably!) and get a little additional exercise in. Now I really can't, not when it's 29 degrees out there. And in June we weren't doing schoolwork for several hours a day.

But at mid-month, I've already walked 55 miles, so I think it is not an unreachable goal. I'm going for it.

Anyone want to join with a goal?

Weighing in

This week was rough. It really was. Not only was I baking cookies, but we also went to a birthday party where I succumbed to the temptation of focaccia bread. I'm not proud of it, but I did. And since then I've been working myself almost double-time to make up for it. Then to top it off, we had a Christmas party the very next day -- at a buffet!

So when I stepped on the scale this morning and saw a .4 pound loss, I was thrilled!!

I was telling a friend just yesterday that I am almost not even concerned with losing right now, during the holidays. I just don't want to gain!

After the birthday bread debacle, I decided to set some rules for myself before heading to that buffet.

1. No cream sauces. This is easy because (for the most part) I'm not a fan. I do like gravy on potatoes though, so that's really where that fit in.
2. Whole foods only. The biggie. If it is in its whole form, go for it. If not, exercise caution. I ate steak, green beans, cooked carrots, and a small helping of mashed potatoes. And of course, a salad. The green beans were sauteed and the carrots were buttered, but I am pleased with how I managed. 
3. Eat mindfully. Be aware of what's going on the plate AND what it offers me nutritionally.

To be perfectly honest, those last two are how I eat every day. I just haven't been that careful at going out because we don't go to those sorts of places often enough for it to matter. Except now it seems as if everything matters, quite a bit, so I can't use my usual strategy of "anything is all right in moderation."

So here's to another fit week, navigating the calorie pitfalls.

Onward and downward!

Weighing in

Whew. Just whew. The past week was significantly better than the previous one, and I am pleased (and -- to be honest -- relieved) that it showed on the scale.

I lost 2.8 pounds this week! While that doesn't completely eliminate last week's incredible gain, it did take out a sizable chunk.

What makes me feel even better about that loss is the amount of time I've spent making treats in the kitchen, specifically sausage balls, lemon squares, and pumpkin muffins. And I admit it: I did snack! I snacked more than I should have. I had sausage balls for breakfast one morning! But after that bit of indulgence, I put the sausage balls in the freezer (for our Christmas Eve fiesta), gave away over half of the lemon squares, and ... well, I am just restraining myself on the muffins.

Now for this week: I will be in the kitchen again, still baking. That can't be helped. However, this past week has made me realize that I need a plan for getting RID of the excess because that availability is what hurts me. I have enough willpower not to get the sausage balls out of the freezer, but not so much that the ones on the counter don't call to me. Over the next week I'll be making date balls, candy kisses, and peanut butter fudge, all of which can be frozen -- and will be as soon as possible!

Onward and downward!

Today, I

• ... feel in control.
• ... miss my dad so much it hurts.
• ... made lemon squares. They were delicious.
• ... refuse to be worried about tomorrow's weigh in. Whatever is, is.
• ... was surprised by how much my children have learned through witnessing MY journey.
• ... am worth the effort.