Closing In On Another Weight Loss Goal

Today I went in for my weigh in and meeting at Weight Watchers, and was expecting that a) I had gained weight, or b) I lost nothing at all. I had a stressful couple of weeks. Last week I didn't even go to a meeting because my hormones were already raging out of control and I was sure I'd break down and cry if the scale was not my friend. Well, I lost 5 pounds. I was ecstatic. This means that since I started Weight Watchers on January 4, 2012 I've lost 17.8 pounds. 


I already reached my first weight loss goal by losing 5% of my body weight a few weeks back. My next goal is 10% of my starting body weight and I have just 4.2 pounds to go. Can I do that in a week? If stick to the program, exercise, and track everything I believe I can. This means not "eating my feelings" if I have a bad day, or eat a snack because someone else is eating a snack. I know I can do this! If I lose 5 pounds I'll be under 200 pounds, and I haven't been under 200 since 2009. I lost weight before on my own. I had lost almost 60 pounds, but I slipped into old habits and gained half of it back. Not this time. I'm determined to become a lifetime member at Weight Watchers. This means reaching my goal, WHEN I do that, I get to go to meetings for free. How awesome is that?



Stay tuned for more updates! 

My Pants Are Almost Falling Down!

The time has come when I can finally say: I NEED A BELT! Yes! I hate belts, but at the moment, I don't want to invest in too many new clothes because I intend to lose more weight. I have this pair of jeans that has always been kind of loose, but now they are super loose. It looks like I have a saggy butt now, lol! I find myself constantly pulling up my pants. And it's not just my jeans, it's my slacks I wear to work. They are too loose as well. It's a great feeling. I went through my closet the other night and actually chucked some things that are too big, because I REFUSE to ever have to wear those again. 
My bras are even too big now. Eek! My girls are getting a little smaller. My boyfriend may not be too thrilled about that if it keeps happening. Ha, ha..


Just a short one today. Just a reminder, if you see me walking down the street with saggy jeans, I'm not trying to go all gangsta, I'm just losing pounds. :-)

Walking to the Beat

I LOVE music. I'm eclectic. I love rap, hip-hop, pop, disco, oldies, and country. It really depends on my mood  as far as what kind of music I'll listen to while I drive, walk or workout. 


Yesterday I was in a lot of pain from this ovarian cyst I've had for over 2 years. On a side note, I am finally getting medical care for it soon. Anyway, I had taken a nap because I was so uncomfortable and the pain had kept me from having a good night's sleep the night before. When I got up from my nap, it was once again pain that woke me. Rather than sit on the couch moaning and groaning with a heating pad, I decided to take a walk. It wasn't very nice outside. It was raining a little, so I had to wear a jacket. I took my iPhone so I could listen to music. Right now all I have on it is Michael Jackson's The Number Ones album, and the single Forever by Chris Brown. It was a great walk! I walked a mile round trip, stopping at Starbucks on the way. When I was walking back, however, it was so difficult to resist that urge to dance to the music! I found myself actually walking to the beat of the music. I imagined I was on the catwalk at a fashion show. The only thing I didn't do was do a little twirl, ha, ha! I just had a sassy strut. When I was closer to my apartment building, I couldn't resist any longer, and as I came up to the building I was snapping my fingers, moving my arms a bit and singing softly. Believe me, I wanted to say "to hell with it" and dance in the parking lot, but my fear of being watched and laughed at got the best of me. That is something I need to get over one of these days. I think that to a certain extent it is ok to worry what others think of me, but if it holds me back from enjoying or expressing myself that's a problem. Perhaps with more weight loss this confidence will come. Who knows, next time you see me I might be dancing in the street! Until then, I'll be strutting to the beat of my favorite music, and smiling.

Now THAT'S the Way to Do It!

I am so relieved! I had another day or two this past week where I overindulged and was afraid to get on the scale today. To my delight I had lost 1.2 pounds. That may not seem like a lot, but if you consider that I'm retaining water AND had gained .4 pounds the previous week it's something to get excited about. Another great thing is I lost another 1/2 inch from my waist and hips. :-)


I had wanted to participate in the stair climb event in March to help raise money for Leukemia, but I was too late registering, so now I am working on another event. It's called Everybody's On a Roll to Fight Diabetes. It will be at the roller skating rink on June 24, 2012. I plan on skating that day and close to that time will be asking for pledges. My dad has Type 2 diabetes, and I know other that have juvenile diabetes. I think it's a good cause. 


http://www.dapc.info/fundraisers.htm


Besides weight loss, I have 2 major goals. One is to become a Zumba instructor. I don't have to be at my goal weight to be an instructor, however, I'd like to get down to a weight where I'm able to keep up with the class I'm teaching. I love Zumba because it's fun and burns lot of calories. You don't have to know how to dance, you just need to move! The cost is around $285 for the Basic Instructor class. I have a fear of public speaking, so if I can get this certification, I will have to get over that fear. I know I can do this!


My other goal is to work at Weight Watchers. I'd love to be one of the team members in the reception area, or even a team leader someday. In order to work there, however, I have to reach my goal. How rewarding would it be to help people reach their goals and celebrate their success? I'd love that!


I feel like I'm back on track to success in my weight loss. I have to remember that everyone messes up now and then and NOT beat myself up so much. I WILL do this!

Playing With My Food

I've always played with my food. Literally! I take pictures of it, and take pictures of myself with it. That's just my personality.
Since I've started Weight Watchers, I've incorporated more fruits and veggies into my diet, and to make them more interesting, I do things like what you see in the picture to the left. I'm not the most artistic person, but playing with my foods is helping me enjoy them more. To add to this I have a passion for photography, so I get to take pictures of my creations, ha, ha!

This is just a short blog today. I just wanted to share the results of a big kid who likes to have fun with her food, drink and camera. 


Have a fantabulous weekend!

The Scale Went in the Wrong Direction This Week

It was bound to happen. I know that the weight loss journey is LITERALLY filled with ups and downs, but I'd much rather have "downs", meaning that I'm losing weight. Tonight at my weigh in I discovered I'd gained .4 pounds, so not even a 1/2 pound. Should I beat myself up over that? No. But am I? You bet. Why? Because I KNOW better. I know exactly where I went wrong. I did not track EVERYTHING. When you're on the Weight Watchers Points Plus plan, unless you're using the "Simply Filling" technique (I can explain another time) you must track every single thing you put in your mouth. I mentioned in a previous blog entry that I had a bad day and consumed a lot of food. That was the day I didn't track, and the scale reflected that tonight. 

I learned that not only do I need to track my meals and snacks, but every time I taste something I need to track that, too. For example, tonight when I made dinner, I tasted a couple of bites of steak that I put in my salad. I tracked those tastes, and gave each one a point. 

I'm going to stop beating myself up, brush myself off, and get back on the right track. I know what I need to do, and it's time to get back to it. This is not going to be a blog just about my journey, it will be about my success. I can do this! No, I WILL do this! 

Check out the following pics. The first is an example of playing with my food, lol. The second was dinner tonight. I made steak salad. It was pretty darn good. There was only 2 ounces of meat on it, but it went a long way. It goes to show that in the past my portion sizes were way out of control!

Saying Goodbye to My Best Friend

I knew that at some point I'd slip up and consume way too many points in a day. I had a bad day a few days ago and decided to "eat my feelings" as my oldest daughter says. I had pizza, fried chicken and these yummy delightful potato rounds called "spuds". Even as I ate the 3 pieces of VERY cheesy pizza, that was so hot it almost burned the roof of my mouth I felt guilty. Sure I was hungry, but not THAT hungry. I was stuffed after the second piece of pizza and first piece of chicken. I didn't stop there, however. I had those spuds. They were heavenly. I think that now I am paying the price. My pants are feeling kind of snug. I checked my calendar, and it looks like that time of the month will come in about 2 weeks, so perhaps I'm just retaining water.

Whatever the case, I need to stop beating myself up. I've been doing that for the past couple days. In the past when I was having a pity party I'd eat more food. This time I haven't. I'm just trying to move on from that one episode. Things happen, people slip up. I just didn't want to this time. At a previous Weight Watchers meeting we talked about how most of us are emotional eaters. That is so me. I find that when there is no one to talk to and make me feel better, all I have to do is pop a piece of chocolate in my mouth and there is instant gratification and satisfaction. The flavor doesn't last long, but the calories do! I need to remember this when I eat something that is not really good for me, or when I turn to food for "friendship". Food can't talk to me. It can't tell me that everything is going to be ok. It can't tell me to stop. Don't get me wrong, food is not an enemy,  but if I don't make the right choices and continue to turn to food as a sort of comfort it will be my enemy that could ultimately lead to my death! Now is that a friend? I don't think so. The next time I feel like the urge to eat a cheeseburger or pizza is too much to resist, and I can't find a healthier alternative, I'll pick up the phone and call a REAL friend. A friend who won't let me do this to myself! A friend who cares that I'm using my body as a garbage dump. Ha! Take that, Food! You can't be my best friend anymore. You can be an acquaintance. I hope you understand. 

I've Reached My First Weight Loss Goal!

If you've read my blog from the beginning, you'll know I started Weight Watchers January 4, 2012. The first goal set for me was 5% of my starting weight. Well, I weighed in this past Wednesday, February 1, and I have lost to date 12 pounds.When I was told I reached my first goal, I actually cried. It had been a rough week so far, because I felt that I couldn't do anything right. I was being micro-managed a bit at work and my kid just would NOT listen to me. When I learned that I lost weight during the week AND had met my goal I felt that FINALLY I was doing SOMETHING right. Getting recognition in front of such a large group of folks made it all the better. To add to all of that, I've lost 2 inches from my waist and hips. I feel the difference in my clothes. It feels good to actually need a belt, lol!

My new goal is 10% of my starting weight, so I have 10.8 pounds to go if I've calculated correctly.

I thought it was 12 pounds originally. 

Here are some updated stats:

Starting weight: 222.8

Current weight: 210.8

Starting waist measurement: 43 inches

Current waist measurement: 41 inches

Starting hip measurement: 53 inches

Current hip measurement: 51 inches

I haven't been feeling too great lately because I'm working too hard, and honestly I haven't had the energy or time to exercise. I need to find the strength from somewhere and take a walk, get on a treadmill or do some Zumba. My weight loss has been slow and steady, and I'm in no hurry, but I'll see more results when I exercise. I just have to push myself and tell myself that I'll be feeling so much better if I get my booty moving. 

I intended to post some "after" photos, but decided to wait until February 17th, as it will be a month after the first ones I took. I hope that by the time I post them, I'll be able to see a difference. 

Thanks for reading! 

I'll end with a quote someone Tweeted earlier: "Your stomach shouldn't be a waste basket". Remember that the next time you put that Big Mac in your mouth!