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!!!