Slack

I'm being slack in so many areas of my life that I am beginning to feel overwhelmed with the amount of stuff I need to do in order to catch up.  I'm in charge of, responsible for and obligated to too many things.  I know it, but I don't really think there's much I can do about it.  I obligate myself for fear that if I don't do it, it won't get done.  But in reality, because I'm doing it, a lot of my own stuff doesn't get done.  This is totally un-weight loss related, I'm just venting.

On the upside, I stood on the scale this morning (just for fun) and I'm down to my pre-Carson weight... 167!  Now on to pre-Jonah weight... many pounds away!  We passed pre-Caden weight a while back.

4/24 but I still did it!

I am now officially out of the 170s!!  As of this week's weigh-in, I'm at 168.8.  That's exciting.  I'm noticing though that being under 170 has made me less conservative with my eating.  I need to nip that in the bud!

On Monday, I enjoyed my fourth dessert of the year--fudge brownie caramel swirl (or something like that) ice cream.  Yum!!  It was free with dinner Monday night so I took advantage.  There's no way I could've eaten more than that, though.  It was so rich but it packed a lot of good dessert into one small space--ice cream, brownie and chocolate and caramel goodness all in one!

I'm not, however, doing so well with my new resolve against laziness.  I'm doing less sitting but no more focused exercise.  Hmm... I'll keep working!

LOSER

I AM A LOSER THIS WEEK!!!!! :) I never thought I would be so happy to say I am a loser, but I have lost a POUND~ Yep a whole pound!!!! Wooo-Hoooo!

Lent

The season of Lent is upon us and although I'm not Catholic, I have over the years adopted the practice of giving something up during these six weeks.  My normal Lent sacrifice is any type of sweets and dessert.  But, those are basically already gone so I've had to find something else.  I've considered a lot of things--bread, deep fried foods--interestingly, they all seem to revolve around food.  I do think I'll give up deep fried which means no fries, no fried chicken, no hush puppies and worst of all no tater tots.  And I may get rid of superfluous bread.  I'd say bread altogether, but I'm not sure I can do it.  But the one thing I've thought about and not yet made a commitment to is giving up laziness where exercise is concerned.  I NEED to exercise and this may be a way to jump start it.  I can justify not exercising when it's just me, but where God's concerned, my justifications are useless.  So, here goes people... I'm giving up my lack of exercise for Lent.  God, help me.

Steady

I have weighed the same for the last almost two months, 222. I could be upset, I could be worried, but I know I have done nothing "right" since restarting my "diet". I have eaten, drank, and not exercised since the beginning of this. I know that is wrong. I know what I am doing and what I shouldn't be doing.....

I truly believe that I need counseling, I have been through it in the past to deal with emotions and my divorce......as well as other issues that keep presenting themselves. Now, I know that I am a food addict, and I don't know how to stop it on my own. I also worry about my drinking.... I don't think I am an alcoholic, but I do think that I am teetering way to close to the edge.

I eat and I drink to deal with emotions that I don't want to confront. I am so lonely, I am so down on myself, I hate coming home alone every single night.

I have been out on the town, and met NO ONE worth anything, even though I tried. I have tried match.com and have only gotten responses looking for one night stands. I tried eharmony, only to find scam artists....

I don't know what else to do, I don't know how to make friends, let alone meet potential mates. I have a few friends at work, but no one that I truly can socialize with. All my "friends" either have husbands, kids, or other things. I am the only single one who absolutely "yearns" for something more.

I want someone to share my life with, I want to quit feeling so alone. I want to have a man that wants me both physically and emotionally.

Life (God or whatever else) has given me things in life as I have needed them, and I would not be where I am without them. I do KNOW that everything happens for a reason, but I am tired of being alone. I am tired of having limited friendships, boyfriends or even hook ups.

Life shouldn't be this hard. Yet I cannot get over the fact that if I were skinny, life would be easier. My weight is a deterrent to all men that I might meet, yet I just cannot get myself motivated.

My life is a double edged sword.......

New month, new stats...

I weighed this morning and as predicted, I missed my goal of being out of the 170s by about a pound.  I'm not complaining because it's still a loss and I'll just continue to plug away until I get there.  At this point, I've lost just over 11 pounds and am about 16 pounds from my 155 goal.  I think before I would have scoffed at a mere 11 pounds because it doesn't seem very significant over a two month period.  But, I know that slow and steady is much better than rapid and drastic so I'm satisfied.  I'm especially satisfied because I've had to change so few of my eating habits.  It's funny that now when I'm faced with dessert, I really think about it where as before I would have just shoved it in and not worried about the consequences.  Setting that 24 desserts for the year goal has made me second guess every sweet decision... is it really worth one of my 24 desserts for a moment of yum?  Usually not which is why two months are gone and I've only eaten 3 sweet things!

I haven't the time this morning to give a complete run down of stats but my current weight is 170.8 (down 11.2 from January 1) and most of my measurements are close to the same, although my waist measured at 30.25 this morning which is down a bit I think.  I'll be more accurate with my next post.  Happy March!

3/24

So yesterday I broke down and ate my 3rd dessert of the year.  No guilt and no cravings--the opportunity presented itself (I baked chocolate cheesecake squares for a thing at church) and I was told they turned out really well so I tried them... and they were  right!  I shared with the baby and since I'd (unintentionally) had no breakfast and ate a pretty light lunch, I figured, why not?  I'm happy to weigh tomorrow... I don't think I'm going to quite be out of the 170s as I'd hoped but I should be close.  Maybe a bunch of water and fiber today will do the trick!  :)

A long time

It's been a long time since 1, I have logged in and 2, have weighed. After two deaths in the family, a disappointing loss of the house, a 40 hour car trip in 5 days and lots of eating out/not sleeping, I am finally falling back into a routine.

I haven't weighed and I am not going to until Tuesday the 1st. I think that will allow me to be back to "normal" (whatever that means :)!).

I am failing miserably though. As a colleague told me yesterday, "I am a food addict" I am too a food addict. I think I need therapy. Maybe that is not such a bad idea since food is my emotional outlet.

Slow and Steady

It's weigh in day... and I'm down, which is good!  But the going is slow, which I guess is also good because it makes things easier to maintain...but it sure would be nice one of these weeks to see a big drop!
On a happy note, I made it through the chocolate holiday without consuming any!

On to the stats...

Feb. 15 Stats (original/new)               (this week/overall)

Weight:  182/176.4/174.2/172.6                       -1.6/-9.4
Measurements:
Waist:  34in/32.25in/32in/31                           -1/-3in
Hips:  46in/44.5in/44in/--                               --/-2in
Thighs:  R-- 28in/27in/26in/--                         --/-2in     
              L-- 27.5in/26.5in/25.5in/--               --/-2in
Chest: 39in/37.5in/36in/35                             -1/-4in  



If I'm going to meet my goal of being out of the 170's by the end of the month, I've got some serious work to do!! 

Emotions Run Hign

So, this past week has gone from jubilation to despair, to ho-hum..... I gained weight, I thought I bought a house, I lost the house, I got the house again, and now I am just waiting (not optimistically) for final word on the house. I found out that my family visit in 2 weeks is canceled due to the impending doom that my sister-in-law will lose her job. I have eaten quite well considering the emotional roller coaster. I also have changed my weigh in's to every other week so that I have a little more time etc and to keep the weighing from getting me do every week! :0).

Now, onto bigger and better things and hope that I am not homeless as of April 1st, as I got out of my lease 2 months early, because I thought I bought a house.

I lied.

I did not get to serve myself this weekend.  For the first time since I can remember, the kitchen staff served us.  All in all, I didn't do too bad.  They have very reasonable serving sizes and I didn't do any seconds or desserts.  Beyond that, it was a wonderful and much needed weekend off from everything that drives my daily life.  So, if I step on the scale Tuesday and the numbers aren't fabulous, I'd say it's a pretty good trade-off.

Out of Town

The hubby and I are going out of town this weekend.  The good news is we won't be eating in any restaurants... the bad news is we won't be preparing our food either.  We're headed to Laurel Ridge and staying at Higgins Lodge.  The kitchen staff prepares all the meals--which is awesome because I'll have nothing to do but enjoy the music conference we're going to but it will make controlling my portions more difficult.  At least I get to serve myself, so if I can force myself to put less on my plate than I think I can eat, I'll be in good shape.  AND I'm still deciding whether dessert #3 will be this weekend or whether I'd rather wait for another time... guess I'll wait and see what they're serving!  Wish me luck... next weigh in on Tuesday!

Well Well Well

Ok, so I weighed yesterday with Rachel, and somehow gained 5 pounds in week. I am not sure what my body is doing. I am upset! I hate this yo-yo effect and I don't know how to stop it! So, Rachel gave me a meal plan for 7 days, totally strict to see what happens. Here's hoping that something finally changes!

It's Superbowl Sunday... so?

Nothing much to report.  We'll watch the Superbowl this evening at home and probably eat leftovers from dinner last night... so I don't have to worry about trying to be social and navigate around tons of finger foods swimming in grease and fat and sugar--the things that charm me most.  I've stayed on the water and am still nagging my other half to finish the office so I can regain my elliptical.  I've eaten pretty well and feel like I'm in the groove of this dieting thing, for now.  I know that somewhere around the corner temptation is waiting like bait to hook me and reel me in but until then I'll just keep doing what I'm doing since I'm seeing results.  When I stop seeing those results then I'll reassess and continue.  So, nothing profound today... just keeping on!

Even after....

A great weekend with food and drinks and everything I wasn't suppose to do, and I am now at 219... Yep, that's 3 lbs down in a week! Finally this thing may have been jump started! I haven't been measuring, although I should, but I am waiting patiently to fit into my size 16's comfortably, that is my goal by March 1st, not so much the scale but the jeans! That will hopefully get me below 210!!! Today is a good day!

Weigh-in #2

I knew going in to this morning that my numbers weren't going to be as big as they were on my last stat update.  I'm totally okay with that--as long as they go down.  AND... they did!  :)

Feb. 1 Stats (original/w.i. 1/new)               (this week/overall)

Weight:  182/176.6/174.2                           -2.4/-7.8
Measurements:
Waist:  34in/32.25in/32in                           -.25/-2in
Hips:  46in/44.5in/44in                              -.5/-2in
Thighs:  R-- 28in/27in/26in                         -1/-2in     
              L-- 27.5in/26.5in/25.5in               -1/-2in
Chest: 39in/37.5in/36in                             -1.5/-3in  


So not a huge weight loss but decent and I'm happy with the measurements.  I find it really hard to make sure I'm taking the measurements the same way every time but I think I'm getting better at it.  I'll forge ahead for another two weeks and see if we can break the barrier into the low 170's.  My goal is to say goodbye to the 170's forever by my March 1 weigh-in.  Also in my list of goals for this month is to EXERCISE... wish me luck! 

2/24

Today I had my cake (and my ice cream) and ate it too.  It was good--not great.  What was great was watching my boy demolish his cake... funny and messy but beyond adorable.  I've been trying to balance today out a bit by drinking plenty of water because I think perhaps that's what's been wrong with me on Mondays.  I don't eat as well or drink as much water in general on the weekends and it hits hard.  However, this weekend I changed that...at least the water drinking part.  Yesterday I cleaned all day (which  will probably go down as my 200+ minutes of exercise this week) and I filled up my water glass at every available opportunity.  I had a good eating day until I fixed supper but I felt that I had earned it with all my hard work!  Today was oatmeal for breakfast, mexican (although less than usual) for lunch, cake and ice cream mid-afternoon and frozen pizza with fritos for supper.  Nothing other than water to drink though, and a lot more of it than on a regular weekend.

Weigh in on Tuesday... we'll see how it goes.  I'm not expecting the big numbers like I had on the 15th but then the second is never as good as the first is it?  Hopefully it will be enough to keep me motivated to continue, but then again, I'm not sure I need motivating--I've felt better and am pretty happy with the clothes fitting better so I think I'll keep on keeping on.

Cameron also cleaned this weekend and thankfully, I think my elliptical is almost completely uncovered!  That means that perhaps I will quit making excuses for not exercising and actually exercise!!  I'll let you know how that goes!  :)

Fantastic Weekend

I have had the best weekend since moving to Macon! Bars, food, friends, music! What I didn't do is diet or exercise and I don't blame me one bit or feel bad about it! What a Fantabulous time was had by all!!!!

Life is much more than dieting!!!!!

Blah

That is all.


No, really.  I thought the blahs were going to be limited to Monday but they've carried on this week.  I've done fairly well until suppertime this week.  Then I get to supper and eat... really eat.  Well.  Dessert #2 coming up on Sunday for my precious boy's 1st birthday party.  Happy Birthday today to him!  :)

Emotional Wreck

The last month of my life has been an emotional roller coaster. Past relationships have surfaced unexpectedly. I thought I was dealing with them head on, until today happened. The man that I have loved for almost the past 6.5 yrs resurfaced after almost 5 full months on Monday. I had made the psychological decision to be alone for the rest of my life, to not marry and the dream of having children of my own was given up. In short, life I as I currently living it, alone, with only 1-2 friends, I accepted.

Tonight, I said good-bye to Dave. Although, logically he said good-bye to me in August, tonight hit me hard.

In the last 5 hours I have cried, laughed, been told the "truth" by a friend and realized that maybe, just maybe, that what made this hard was the fact that I was finally confronting the "truth" of life.

In reaction to these emotions, I ate what I wasn't supposed to (in every sense). I have drank some beers to dull my pain. I know, looking at recent events, that I am an emotional eater/drinker. When life hands me lemons, I eat and most definitely DRINK to erase the emotional responses.

I don't have any idea on how to break this cycle. I am in a brand new place, alone, lonely, and without outlets for this energy.

A mess, is a good way to describe my psychological state. I only wish that my response to these type of events was positive and did not include eating and drinking.

Mondays suck.

Yes, I realize it is now Tuesday but if Mondays didn't suck, I would have the time to blog about it on Monday except then I wouldn't have anything to blog about because Mondays wouldn't suck!  :)

Anyway, Mondays are a downer--going back to work and all--but more than that, I feel bloated and gross all day.  It's like I have to get back in the swing of the dieting thing and my body is rebelling from less dieting over the weekend.  I did pretty well over the weekend and I am doing much better on the 1/2 part of my dieting "plan" but I still didn't do as well as I do during the week when I'm working AND I moved a whole lot less.  Perhaps its the moving and not the dieting that is making the difference during the week.  I don't know.  But yesterday I worked from 7:30-3:30 then went to the store.  I made it home around 4:30 and spent the next hour and a half on my feet in the kitchen starting dinner, loading the dishwasher, looking over homework, talking to the baby, etc.  We ate around 6 and by 6:30 I had the entire 8 and under population in the truck so I could pick up my mother and a cousin for scouts.  By the time I finished there (another hour on my feet) and got home and put the children in bed, it was 8:45.  I literally had not sat down (other than to eat) since 7:30.  Yikes.  The good news is, I suppose, is that it burns a lot more calories than sitting around and lounging on the couch as I did all weekend.

And here I go to do it all again... except today I have to battle a 2 hour staff development which means sitting on a hard round circle being bored out of my mind after teaching all day and then somehow I must survive the obligatory Pizza Hut buffet.  Did I mention that Tuesdays suck?

At least....

At least I didn't gain... I weighed in today, a day early and after I had eaten (which usually I weigh 1st thing in the am, before coffee, diet coke, water, food or really ingesting anything!). maybe that makes a difference, probably not... So, I am exactly as I was last week. 222... Ugh, but I didn't go to the gym this weekend, I did eat fairly well, but did enjoy some cold ones!

So, here we are, my first full work week of the new year. Eating is so much easier here at the office! Plus I am determined to go to the gym 4 times this week. I think that is a reasonable expectation.... I made it 3 last week.

Well...

this weekend has cruised by pretty uneventfully.  I've eaten respectably and sat at home for the most part.  We so rarely have a weekend when we don't have plans of some sort that I enjoy a good weekend of lounging and movie watching every now and again--of course, then I feel guilty for not getting anything done (like cleaning).  Tomorrow starts another work week which I hope means another couple pounds gone.  We've eaten out a lot this weekend--Liberty Steakhouse, Kimono Japanese, Mi Pueblo Mexican but I've left quite a bit of food on my plate everywhere we've been so I'm pretty happy about that.  I still have over a week until my next weigh-in and I'd like to be down at least a few more pounds from my weigh-in on the 15th.  Next Sunday will probably also bring my second dessert of the year... Carson's birthday cake!  I can't believe my littlest man is going to turn 1 on Thursday.  I'm sad that I won't quite be back to my pre-pregnancy weight on his birthday but at least I'll be closer than I was!

The weekend looms large and long

So, weekends are really bad for me! The faculty meeting in Atlanta tomorrow was canceled, so I am not going there. But sitting at home on Saturday and Sunday always spells disaster for me. I have yet to figure out, why, when I am work, I eat healthy, I exercise and everything is fine. The minute I am home, it all goes to hell. I wish I had the will power to ear right while home alone but for some reason, I just haven't been able to....

So, this weekend the challenge is on. Instead of eating, I will blog. The real test will be, can I go without drinking any beer? That is my vice and my weekend outlet, guess I need to find a new outlet! :)

Today I Can Tell a Difference!

Yeah!  I got dressed this morning in clothes I haven't worn lately and to my surprise and delight, I can tell a difference in how they fit!!  How exciting!  Not a huge difference, but a difference nonetheless so at least I feel like I'm on the right track.  Little things like this keep me motivated.

I am beginning to wonder why I didn't swear off sweets a long time ago.  Anyone who knows me knows that I always give up sweets during Lent (along with a couple other things) and I don't really struggle with it during that time because it's a promise, a commitment I've made... to God (and myself).  This has been very like Lent (at least so far).  I'm not struggling with not eating the sweets, I don't hesitate when they're offered to me, I don't crave them when I'm passing them out to everyone else... because I've made a commitment to myself.  Huh.

Off... or something.

Somehow I feel off.  I'm not sure what it is--still not eating sweets and doing okay on portion control, not snacking on anything other than fruits and veggies and still drinking a ton of water--but I feel almost like I've hit a wall.  Hard to believe after two weeks and maybe my body is just reacting to something or adjusting to eating less food.  I don't want this feeling of "off-ness" to keep me from continuing some really good habits that I've started.  Perhaps the bod is just saying, "Alright chick, time to get off your hind end and do some real work."  Who knows... hopefully tomorrow I'll be back to feeling on track.  But for now, blogging about it has been enough to keep me from eating about it!  :)

Not as bad as I thought....

Ok, today's weigh in... 222. At my heaviest in September I was 239.5, I got down to 216. I was 218 at my last weigh in December 6th. Gaining 4 pounds in a month of barely any exercise, eating whatever I felt like and drinking like a fish on vacation, I don't think is that bad.

I am back on the Paleo band wagon, and am changing my weigh in's to Mondays as that is better to keep me on track on weekends.

I don't have full measurements but will do that when I get home tonight as to track more than just the scale. We are also measuring %fat to monitor also.

All in all, better than I had thought! Gives me new purpose. I am looking for another 5 K to train for as I need to have something to work for!

Little Changes

It amazes me what  a difference little changes make.  When I was devising my plan before the new year began, I gave some thought (and actually signed up online) to doing the Special K diet for 2 weeks to help me jumpstart my weight loss.  Six pounds in two weeks and a smaller jean size sounds like a great deal.  But after I created my Special K plan online, I realized that there was no way I would survive two weeks on nothing but cereal, protein shakes and bars (oh yes, and one sensible meal a day).  It isn't my style.  I need food... food that I actually like and have chosen.  But I'm finding it's the little things that are making all the difference.

Tuesday is pizza buffet night, no exceptions.  Now, I could make up reasons to not go or I could just refuse to go because I'm dieting but that would mean less time with my family and no pizza.  I really like pizza.  So I've made little changes.  I always eat a big salad when I go but when I get to the actual pizza, I choose the smallest slices instead of the biggest and I dump less pasta on my plate (and of course, I don't eat dessert).  Water is my automatic answer to "What would you like to drink" and when we go places like Subway, I still get the combo but trade my chips with Caden for his yogurt or apples (since Subway apparently no longer allows children to get chips or a cookie with their meal).  But what I think is making the most difference is skipping the random I'm-not-really-hungry-but-I-want-something-in-my-mouth binges.

I'm still working on finding a good, dedicated workout time.  I've never done well with this but I need to if I truly want to meet my goals.  I mean, what good is losing 25 pounds if it's all still flab?  I've considered doing the Couch to 5K program... but I haven't found a local 5K to work toward yet and I think I need that type of goal to get me going.

Two Days and the Gym

I have made it to the gym, Friday and Saturday. Of course last night I went to movies, had popcorn (with butter), then out to dinner where I had fried shrimp and a beer. Oh well, I have to have my indulgences! I am off to the gym again today, trying to get my endurance back up, I can only do about 20 minutes hard on the eliptical, where I was doing at least 45 mins everyday! I am feeling better though and sleeping again so I know that exercise is my key to success!

Drum Roll Please...

Today is January 15... my first official weigh-in/measurement day!  Before I reveal my stats, let's review what the last couple of weeks have been like for me.  I've lived through PMS, TOM, a family reunion, a birthday party, two birthday dinners, 3 sets of leftover cupcakes and/or doughnuts and leftover chocolate pie, almost a week of snow days, and almost daily restaurant visits including Arby's, Wendy's, Mi Pueblo (x3), Moe's, Chili's, Five Guys, the Pizza Hut buffet (x2) and Little Richard's.  WOW.  So, I suppose I should feel like I failed on some level because I didn't always follow good dieting guidelines... but guess what?  I don't!  I ate reasonably more often than not, so when I devoured those tater tots, I knew it could have been a lot worse.  I didn't give up anything (except desserts) and I think I did pretty good overall.

So, onto the stats...  (old/new)


Weight:  182/176.6                           -5.4
Measurements:
Waist:  34in/32.25in                         -1.75in
Hips:  46in/44.5in                            -1.5in
Thighs:  R-- 28in/27in                     -1in    
              L-- 27.5in/26.5in               -1in
Chest: 39in/37.5in                           -1.5in                      

Yeah!  More than 5 pounds gone and almost 7 inches lost... not too shabby!  Could it have been more?  Probably, but I would have been hungrier, unhappier and more likely to lose control.

Now, lets take a moment and look at what I said I was going to do... and how well I am actually doing.


Parameters:
24 desserts for the year (1/24... I'm on track there!)
1/2 of what I would normally eat at any sit down meal not including breakfast. (I'm doing pretty good with this where home/school meals are concerned.  I'm still struggling greatly with this when it comes to restaurants)
More fruits and vegetables than not. (I've eaten a lot more than normal)
Healthy snacks--no more than 2 a day (I'm sticking to 1 snack as a general rule and it's been either a fruit or vegetable)
Water, always. (Definitely more water than not.  The only non-water drink I've had is Diet Coke and I've had it only a handful of times)
Eating only when I'm hungry. (Hunger comes fairly often so this one hasn't been a problem)
200 minutes of exercise a week (I've done more like 150, I think, and it wasn't generally on purpose or spread out... it's been mostly that I've been out and about on some given day and done more walking than normal.)
Weigh-ins/measurements only on the 1st and the 15th of the month. (Check!)


So, for a girl who's following a non-plan... I'm happy.  Not perfect, but happy!

Run over by the Exercise Wagon

Alright, I have PLENTY and I mean almost 80 lbs of reasons to exercise, but, I just can't bring myself to do it! I have been eating alright, until the drive thru at BK just made me drive through it... It's the start of the semester, I have been going almost non-stop since Tuesday morning. I am also house hunting so that when my lease is up here, I will be able to move closer to campus.... But, I have had time to exercise. Let's face it, my schedule isn't that tough. Mon/Wed Office Hours 12:00-1:00 Class 1:00-2:15 Office hours 2:15-3:30. So, why do you ask did I not go to the gym this morning??? Well, let's see, I just didn't feel like it, I was tired and it was cold. Tuesday and Thursday are tougher... Class 9:30 - 10:45, office hours 10:45-12:15 Class 12;-15 - 1:30 office hours 1:30-3:30 on Thursday and Class 3-4:15 on Tuesday. SO, no matter how I spin it, I have the time and I made the time with a much more hectic schedule last fall, but since falling off the exercise wagon (I think I was run over by it actually), it is very hard to get back on. I don't have anyone that will go to the gym with me, so I am stuck self motivating, and I think I used all of that up during my Doctoral Program... I am PROMISING to get back on the eliptical Friday, I have to be in the office until 6 for my Monthly Advisor on Call duties..... Friday it is, then I WILL go saturday and sunday and monday.... That should give me a good start! Plus I go to weigh in with my trainer/nutritionist on Tuesday at 8 am..... That should be interesting because I haven't weighed in a month.... Oy Vey!

Tater Tots = FAIL!

Lunch was a major fail today.  To escape being cooped up in the house any longer, we took off to Clemmons and had lunch at Little Richards.  I love LR because they serve tater tots... and I LOVE tater tots.  I ate my chopped sandwich... slowly while feeding the baby his mac and cheese and then I started in on my beautifully golden crispy tots.  I wish I could say that I stopped after a few, or that I shared them with someone, or that the restaurant didn't give me that many.  But, no.  I ate them all and I had a large portion of them (with ketchup)... and they were GOOD!

I feel a bit guilty, I suppose, except that I know that I only had a bowl of cereal before going and that I'm having a small portion of beef stroganoff for dinner with a large salad.  That's the beauty of following my own plan.  I'm not subject to anyone else's rules.  No, I didn't eat half of what I normally eat but other than that, I haven't broken any rules, eaten too many points or anything else that would normally make me hang my head in shame.  Still no sweets, and I've had enough water today to drown... well just about anybody.  This was one indulgence and I think that's okay.

Off to make dinner and pray that we actually get to go to school tomorrow... because for some reason it is so much easier to follow my "plan" when I'm on a regular schedule!

Snow Days and Back Fat

I love a good snow day.  It gives me some time to get a few minutes of exercise I wouldn't normally get.  Since the elliptical is covered in my hubby's office "stuff", I pulled out the Wii Fit this morning and put in about 40 minutes and (according to it) took off about 200 calories.  Not bad and certainly better than sitting on the couch watching extended snow coverage... I mean really, it snowed, it iced, it's dangerous--I'm not exactly sure how many times I have to hear it before the meaning actually sinks in.  It did, however, keep the Today show from airing and bored me to the point I felt I should exercise.  So I suppose, extended snow coverage is not an altogether bad thing.

As much as I love a good snow day, I hate back fat.  Now, there are a plethora of things I don't particularly enjoy about my current body but I think the back fat is the worst.  I'm not sure why.  I can cover back fat... I can't hide the size of my hips.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that I have always lived (and always will) with a larger hip/backside area.  I have not always lived with back fat and the rolls have got to go!  Most of this will be handled by losing weight but some of it has probably come with age and lack of exercise so exercise I will...

I'm a mere four days until my first stat update... I hope I don't disappoint.

We're baaack...

So, here we go again... again.  I haven't posted since sometime in May of '09 and between then and now, quite a few things (and pounds) have happened.  I got pregnant (unexpectedly but happily), had a baby (who is now almost a year old), gained 60 pounds, lost 45 pounds and am now fluctuating within a 5 pound range that is at the least 10 pounds heavier than I was pre-baby #3.... YIKES!!

At the new year, I resolved to get back to it and I actually started another blog, to which I will post a link so you can catch up (if you choose) and so I don't have to repost everything I've already written.

However, I'm so thrilled to have my weight loss partner back--even if she is 6 hours away--and am happy to get back to this blog so that we can do this together... again, again.  :)

It's Time

So, after being off the blog for a year and a half, I am getting back started! I started my weight loss journey AGAIN in September. I had gained almost 40 lbs since my last post and was 20+ lbs above my starting weight when Julie and I started this blog. It was totally unreasonable and inconceivable that I weighed that much!

I participated in a weight loss challenge on campus, lost just over 23 lbs in 12 weeks. Although this is a great start, I fell hard off the weight loss wagon during my Month long vacation from being a college professor.

I know I do better when I have someone and something holding me accountable. My goal weight is 150, when I get there, my mom says she will pay me what I didn't win in the Campus Challenge.

So, between this blog, my mom's incentive and a trainer on campus tracking my weight/fat loss every week... Here is to being back to feeling good in my own skin!!!