Stick to it...

That's what I find I have to keep telling myself. Just stick to it.

I skipped three weeks of weigh ins in January...some for good reason, others not so much. And now the scale is back up to 199.8 which is shameful.

I have been running--training runs on Saturdays and averaging one day during the week, but I think I've been taking that for granted when it comes to eating. And eating. And eating...

Anyway--at my meeting this week after my dismal weigh in, the topic was sticking to it.

Stick to it like a stamp

Making a plan and sticking to it. Asking yourself what went wrong in previous weeks and what can you do to improve it? My leader always invites us to come up with a couple of specific ideas of what we can do this coming week to improve our habits. Then she asks--"can you do it?" And more importantly "Will you do it?"

This is an important concept in the meetings because it holds us accountable to everyone who was there the previous week. If I say I need to improve my eating patterns by choosing more vegetables with my meal, she'll ask how many I'm willing to add. I'll give my answer (let's say one extra veggie per day) and she'll ask can I do it (of course) and will I do it? And I think to myself--sure, that's easy enough and I say yes I will.

I like this because it helps plan. It helps break down things into small manageable tasks and by saying "I can and I will" puts you in control.

My leader also mentioned referencing some of the Tools for Living such as an anchoring to refer to when you're struggling with stress or facing an eating challenge or deciding whether to go to the gym. The anchor is something tangible which you can keep with you to touch or look at to focus your mind or remind you of the inner strength you have. It could be your wedding ring, or a 5lb star or something else to bring your thoughts to something you have achieved or something that makes you happy. Again, it puts you in control of your thoughts and emotions to help you get through the situation. Another tool mentioned to help you out are Positive Self Talk

Looking back on the past few weeks I have been pretty lacksidaisical about sticking to the program. I haven't been tracking, I haven't been making great choices, and without the reinforcement of the meetings to keep me on track, I have let things go by the wayside. The only thing that has been consistent are my weekend runs. But certainly I can focus more and put more effort into this journey that is going on three years. Oy. It's hard to think about it in those terms, but sometimes it hits me how long it's taking me and where I was at this point last year or two years ago. But then again, where was I three years ago...30 lbs heavier...so I definitely can only keep moving forward. Stick to it.

So...this week, I need to focus. What is on my task list?

• Get back to tracking daily: with 3 month journal
  
• Increase weekly runs to 3 total: have running bag ready to go
• Increase water intake: have water bottle on hand (as per the inspirational Kenz from All the Weigh and her FFGF Challenge)

I have had a few things going for me this week...I got a couple of fitness DVDs which I have been using. One of them is kicking my booty into shape--I'll post reviews soon. I've had three solid days of workouts with another one set up for tomorrow. And I tried a new recipe for acorn squash (part of Kenz's week one challgenge)! ...stay tuned to find out more!

Until next time

Back in...

...the Saddle
(That could totally be me...if...I rode...horses)

Good Afternoon to all you lovely friends of the blogosphere! I hope you're enjoying your day. I certainly am. I spent my morning at Bloomingdales...for work. Could it get any better?

Okay--back to the topic at hand. I am back in the clichéd saddle. I finally went running last night and it felt great. After 45 days of not doing any exerted exercise other than walking, I finally just got up and did it. And granted I probably should have started off a little slower than I did (I ran most of the 2.5 miles), I pushed through some of my usual struggles including breathing issues, side cramps and leg fatigue and I did it. And I'm going to do it again tonight. Even with the heat during the day, it cooled down nicely by 9pm and it was perfect for running. Plus my apartment was a sauna so it was actually nicer to be outside.

My energy level was high yesterday--and I was ready to take full advantage of it. If that wasn't enough, my meeting last night was another driving factor--both positive and negative.

Negative first.
I had another gain. It was only .4 lbs, but being that this was the 3rd week in a row I've gained (which has not happened to me ever since I started WW), it was a slap in the face. I need to start making changes. I can't skirt by as I'd been doing for a while with the bare minimum expecting to see results. I won't go into details about the negatives of last week because I don't want to dwell on them*. Moving forward...

The positives:
The meeting topic was about getting off track. My leader specifically talked about Plateaus, but it was entirely appropriate to what I've been going through the past few weeks--addressing why you aren't losing weight. Lack of focus, getting sloppy, monotony etc. I don't know if it necessarily enlightened me on anything, but it did reinforce the fact that I need to take control of this before it gets out of hand.

Even more helpful was after the meeting, my leader came up to ask how I was doing & we started talking about helping me get back on track. Just talking about it seemed to get me back in the momentum. AND one of my fellow meeting members came up and asked me about how I lost my weight. I have to admit I probably was a bit of a Debbie Downer because I was still a bit cranky about gaining, but I tried to give her some of my tips (basically everything that I wasn't doing for the past month). Next week I plan on being a little more helpful to her. So all of this, plus the fact that I felt like I was finally getting my head together to get back on track really helped to motivate me and give me back that positive spirit I'd been missing.

Looking back...
Even though last week didn't go as well as I'd hoped, there were some positive improvements:

• I tracked...most** of my food--on WW.com and in my work planner
• I brought my lunch every day. Home made is always better.
• I walked at lunch during the nicer days. Hey it was a start right?
• I hydrated! Boy did I ever. Bathroom trips were frequent.
• I limited TV, at least at the beginning of the week. I didn't necessarily take that time to do something productive, but even going to bed was better than sitting there mindlessly.
• I did not drink unnecessary alcohol--only on the weekend at two parties--and that was also limited.
• I started practicing a new habit (mentioned at Losing My Thighs) of putting my food down between bites to be able to savor the taste and slow down eating. When I am conscious of it and practice it, it actually works! It makes food last longer too. Point in case-my chocolate chip cookie is only 1/2 eaten 10 minutes after I started it! Chances are I won't be wanting a 2nd one.
  
• Even though I had a rough week last week, my obsessive blog-browsing got me psyched again for moving in the right direction.

*Note to self-don't fall for two-for-one deals on snacks. Like Goldfish. They're evil.
** Most of my food...weekends still tend to get lost in the shuffle. Don't know if I'll ever get past that.

So here's to a fresh week of conscious efforts to get back in the saddle and keep on riding!
Until next time

Countdown

So for the last blog on the last day of 2008, I figured I would give a little countdown of my own. A countdown of things I'm proud of. Of course they will all have to do with my weight.

10. Joining Weight Watchers in April

9. Starting this blog and writing in it pretty continuously.

8. Having lost the weight for my brother's wedding so much that I had to get my dress taken in three times. And it was still big on me

7. Being able to fit in exercise into my daily routine and keeping up with it regularly

6. Being able to sit in a plane seat and not have the armrest digging into my leg

5. Size 16 pants and I can shop in noraml clothing stores!

4. Under 200 for the first time since High School

3. Having made new friends through my weight loss both online and at meetings

2. 33.4 lbs baby - halfway to goal

1. New year, new me - feeling in control of my weight for the first time, maybe ever!

Here's to a great 2009!!! HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!!!

Until next time

I'm overweight. YES!!!

Readers delight - I am officially overweight! Hurrah!

Confused?

Well. I am working my way down. I calculated my Body Mass Index (BMI) for both my starting weight and my current weight.

My starting weight was 230.6 and for my height of 5'9", I was at a BMI of 34.0. That is obese (Class I).

Currently I am 198.8 and at a BMI of 29.4 which is overweight. ROCK ON! Obviously I still have a long way to go, but this is something to celebrate!

And thanks to inspiration from another WW blogger, a different and visual way of charting my progress.


There's this website called My Virtual Model where you can create a model which (sort of) looks like you and it's based on your weight & height and other calculations. It allows you to compare your current weight with your goal weight to see how you will appear. It also is made for you to be able to virtually try on clothes from stores, see how they (might) look and then purchase them. It's fun. Gives me something to look forward to. Being a skinny virtual character :)

Until next time

Staying in the game

Alright--I'm back down. I am almost back below that 200 mark, and for real this time!

I figured I would be down because I got in exercise during the week, some running around on Saturday and some actual running on Sunday. But you never know since I also feasted on wine & cheese and other goodies on Saturday.

I feel like today really begins my journey down to my next 10% goal of 186.8 (that was 10% from my last 10% goal I hit in July)

And because I am a dork, I have two images to share...my progress chart from WW.com
Yikes--that's a scary starting weight. But look how far I've come in just over 6 months! I mentioned before that the last few months have been slow progress, but they have been progress! And I am finally breaking that 200 mark that I've been above for so long. It's a great feeling.

Speaking of great feelings, Sunday I ran for the first time in months when I took my nephins out for a walk to take advantage of the beautiful weather. The older one was so excited that he could run without getting yelled at that I decided to jog with him. I was so surprised that I didn't feel like I was going to pass out! I could keep up with his 4 year old energy and it was almost easy! I would have never been able to do this 30 pounds ago.

So I'm staying in the game, moving towards goal, keeping myself on course. My biggest help in moving towards this goal will be exercise. If I keep it up along with keeping track of my food, I will succeed. I will survive. I will let the song that just got stuck in my head move me and motivate me to achieve my winning outcomes. And that's what this journey is all about.

Until next time