I did it! I met my first goal and in doing so, I have lost ten percent of my original body weight. Cool beans, eh? Oddly, (not really) only two people have commented on this weight loss and one of them reads my blog. Whether it is twenty-five pounds or fifty probably doesn't much matter except to me. I am still fat and will be for a long time. That is what people see when they look at me - if they look at me, even the people that love me. I am sure that one day, people will just look up and notice. It will seem like it just happened and will not realize what a long process it will have been. It doesn't actually matter because I REALLY don't like attention of that nature. It's just an observation.
Twenty-five pounds in nine weeks is a good average. If I continue at the same pace, it will take forty weeks to lose 110 pounds. WOW. That does seem like a long road. That's okay. Right now, today, I am happy with what I have accomplished. Only thirty five pounds to lose until I reach my next goal. I do believe that could take us into October. Blah.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
I'm still losing.............
My postings have faded to all but nothing but I haven't forgotten (or met) my goals. I did lose two pounds last week. I have been so busy running around with the girls that I have been too busy to eat, let alone blog, on some days. I used to laugh when people would say inane things like that but it's true. Instead of shoveling garbage into my mouth because I don't have time to think about it, I just keep going on with my day. (We did have steak for dinner tonight and I did eat way too much of it ....... and now I feel kind of sick.)
We have been walking to the park every morning, playing for a couple of hours and then walking the mile up hill home. It has been a great way to start our days and I think even Bubba might be shrinking her waist line a bit.
The warmer weather has significantly reduced the amount of clothing people are wearing. Whether at the park, grocery store or river, I will never understand how fatty's like myself, can feel comfortable showing the majority of their skin. Yuck! Gross! Stop it!!!!!!! It's going to make me anorexic or suicidal. Blah!
Until my next post, enjoy the sunshine, with your CLOTHES ON!!!!!
We have been walking to the park every morning, playing for a couple of hours and then walking the mile up hill home. It has been a great way to start our days and I think even Bubba might be shrinking her waist line a bit.
The warmer weather has significantly reduced the amount of clothing people are wearing. Whether at the park, grocery store or river, I will never understand how fatty's like myself, can feel comfortable showing the majority of their skin. Yuck! Gross! Stop it!!!!!!! It's going to make me anorexic or suicidal. Blah!
Until my next post, enjoy the sunshine, with your CLOTHES ON!!!!!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Wednesday Weigh-In (week 7) ~ 229
That's right! The number went up! Back off. Leave me alone. It wasn't me. It was someone else's fault ~ maybe yours.
Just kidding. I actually had a pretty good week. I'm not sure why I didn't lose any weight. My legs are sore from exercise so maybe that has something to do with it. We did go out to eat for the first time in 106 meals. I had reached my domestic limit and the Hubs saw my anguish - yes, I made sure of that. So, after church, he suggested we go out to lunch. It was a wise suggestion on his part because there was really no telling what he would have been served at home. We went to Panera which is someplace we can usually eat at for about $40.00 and not feel gross after we leave because it was so greasy. I was excited to see that they have put the calorie counts for all of their menu items right next to the prices. It may have been a bit less exciting for the person behind me because I want to read the entire menu and then I want to analyze everything that my family has chosen. I like to suggest more healthful options and they always receive those options with such enthusiasm. (more entertainment for the person behind me) I don't even need the words on the menu any more. I can just decide what to eat by the numbers in the right hand column. I ordered half of the Asagio Beef sandwich and a cup of Black Bean soup for a whopping 410 calories. It was yummy and I was much happier after I ate lunch and didn't have to clean the kitchen.
I came upon the Mayo Clinic Diet this week. I don't know how old it is but it was being marketed as though it is fairly recent. It is definitely an 'eat less - move more' sort of plan. I only read a little bit of it on-line but it talked a lot about giving up 5 bad habits and gaining 5 good habits. Of the five bad habits, I remember two, eating in front of the television and eating out. We don't eat in front of the TV except when we have a special Family Movie Night or (more often) when the Hubs and I are watching something after the offspring have gone to bed. I don't really enjoy the first scenario but I am remorse to give up the second. I'm not sure if not eating out that is forever or just for the 'kick start' during the first two weeks of the program. The good habit that jumped off the page at me, was that I need to exercise one hour a day, everyday...... even when it's raining. Hmmm. Maybe I'll buy the book or maybe not. I have the feeling I have already read the key points.
The book that I really want to buy is, Eat This Not That. I saw a copy of the one about eating out at my sister-in-law's house and loved it. Some things in it were obvious but many weren't. In fact, it was how I knew what I was going to order even before I got to Panera. I don't think I will ever eat at Macaroni Grill again.
I have my first goal of losing ten percent of my original weight by Fathers day looming over me. Four pounds and four days to go. It's not really looking very good but it could happen, right?
Just kidding. I actually had a pretty good week. I'm not sure why I didn't lose any weight. My legs are sore from exercise so maybe that has something to do with it. We did go out to eat for the first time in 106 meals. I had reached my domestic limit and the Hubs saw my anguish - yes, I made sure of that. So, after church, he suggested we go out to lunch. It was a wise suggestion on his part because there was really no telling what he would have been served at home. We went to Panera which is someplace we can usually eat at for about $40.00 and not feel gross after we leave because it was so greasy. I was excited to see that they have put the calorie counts for all of their menu items right next to the prices. It may have been a bit less exciting for the person behind me because I want to read the entire menu and then I want to analyze everything that my family has chosen. I like to suggest more healthful options and they always receive those options with such enthusiasm. (more entertainment for the person behind me) I don't even need the words on the menu any more. I can just decide what to eat by the numbers in the right hand column. I ordered half of the Asagio Beef sandwich and a cup of Black Bean soup for a whopping 410 calories. It was yummy and I was much happier after I ate lunch and didn't have to clean the kitchen.
I came upon the Mayo Clinic Diet this week. I don't know how old it is but it was being marketed as though it is fairly recent. It is definitely an 'eat less - move more' sort of plan. I only read a little bit of it on-line but it talked a lot about giving up 5 bad habits and gaining 5 good habits. Of the five bad habits, I remember two, eating in front of the television and eating out. We don't eat in front of the TV except when we have a special Family Movie Night or (more often) when the Hubs and I are watching something after the offspring have gone to bed. I don't really enjoy the first scenario but I am remorse to give up the second. I'm not sure if not eating out that is forever or just for the 'kick start' during the first two weeks of the program. The good habit that jumped off the page at me, was that I need to exercise one hour a day, everyday...... even when it's raining. Hmmm. Maybe I'll buy the book or maybe not. I have the feeling I have already read the key points.
The book that I really want to buy is, Eat This Not That. I saw a copy of the one about eating out at my sister-in-law's house and loved it. Some things in it were obvious but many weren't. In fact, it was how I knew what I was going to order even before I got to Panera. I don't think I will ever eat at Macaroni Grill again.
I have my first goal of losing ten percent of my original weight by Fathers day looming over me. Four pounds and four days to go. It's not really looking very good but it could happen, right?
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Wednesday Weigh-In (week 7) ~ 228
228.
Not really a lot to say about that. I was really hoping to see a bigger drop this week.
Losing weight often feels like an enormous amount of work for a very small return.
Losing weight often feels like an enormous amount of work for a very small return.
I'm glad that I didn't have a gain.
I'm hopeful for next week.......... and next year.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Dine-In or Dine-In?
I remember reading an article about five years ago about a growing problem with children that are involved in extra curricular sports getting fat. This obviously wasn't caused by the extra exercise that the participants were getting. No, it was caused by the fact that they ate out more........ and it was usually fast food that they ate. Whether it was dinner before or after practice, or lunch on the way to the game, they were eating on the go when they were rushed and hungry and so were their parents.
I remember the article ringing true, even though I read it before we had multiple sporting commitments, and it has entered my mind a few times over the years, as my own family's schedule has often raged out of control. Over the past few years, my family has eaten out more and more. Our evenings between the hours of 4:30 and 7:00 are dedicated to the girls' sports. Some evenings have two or more practices going on. Our days are busy and when practice comes to an end at 7:00, we often find ourselves with nothing planned for dinner, too tired to cook and really wanting some instant gratification.
Lunch isn't much different than dinner. I often find myself out with the girls, running errands and realizing that by the time I get home and make lunch, it will be almost time to leave for a practice. So, we stop and get lunch at Subway, where we enjoy too big of a sandwich with chips or worse, we do burgers and fries.
Between lunch and dinner, I was eating out about seven times a week. The Hubs was even worse off, eating lunch out every workday and usually one weekend day in addition to four dinners a week. Our kids weren't getting fat, but we were or at least we were staying fat - fat and poor. For my family to go out to dinner at an average sit-down restaurant costs us at least eighty dollars. I don't even want to try to figure out how much we were spending although I am sure that The Hubs could tell you the exact dollar amount. I'm sure that it was a ridiculous amount. Not only were we spending too much in restaurants but we also ended up having more food spoil at home because there wasn't any way to truly plan.
About six weeks ago, (when I started this blog) I decided that we wouldn't eat out any more, at all, ever, except Hallmark holidays and birthdays. I think the Hubs had urged us to cut back on the dining out many times but this had to be my decision. After all, I am the one that does all the cooking. So, in the past six weeks, I have made every meal and snack that has been consumed by my little nest dwellers. We ate out only one time on Mother's Day. No take-out or delivery either - just my scrumptious cooking.
I started with a weekly menu, that included all three meals and snacks. I pulled the recipes for all the dinners that I planned to make for the week and made my shopping list. I go grocery shopping once a week. I shop only for what is on the menu - no deviations or extra snack. Snacks have been planned for. I've learned that my family eats an incredible amount of food and that it costs my family of six plus two part timers about a grand to eat every month. Fruit alone, we go through a case of oranges, two bunches of bananas, twelve apples, three pounds of strawberries, two pounds of blueberries, two pounds of grapes and a watermelon in a week..
Most days I feel like I spend all of my time either cooking or planning what I am going to cook. There are days when my waking thought is, 'Can we please go out to eat after whatever?' but we have been steadfast. My kids seem to be adjusting. I see my kids stretching their palate a bit as well. they have never been super picky but there is always room for improvement with a child's eating habits. Only Little D sometimes asks to go out to eat and Bubba quickly lets her know that we don't do that because we're not a fun family anymore. I can relate to Bubba's words at times but most of the time I can see that our family's fun is just under going a make-over. There's a new fun. It is just a little harder to identify.
I remember the article ringing true, even though I read it before we had multiple sporting commitments, and it has entered my mind a few times over the years, as my own family's schedule has often raged out of control. Over the past few years, my family has eaten out more and more. Our evenings between the hours of 4:30 and 7:00 are dedicated to the girls' sports. Some evenings have two or more practices going on. Our days are busy and when practice comes to an end at 7:00, we often find ourselves with nothing planned for dinner, too tired to cook and really wanting some instant gratification.
Lunch isn't much different than dinner. I often find myself out with the girls, running errands and realizing that by the time I get home and make lunch, it will be almost time to leave for a practice. So, we stop and get lunch at Subway, where we enjoy too big of a sandwich with chips or worse, we do burgers and fries.
Between lunch and dinner, I was eating out about seven times a week. The Hubs was even worse off, eating lunch out every workday and usually one weekend day in addition to four dinners a week. Our kids weren't getting fat, but we were or at least we were staying fat - fat and poor. For my family to go out to dinner at an average sit-down restaurant costs us at least eighty dollars. I don't even want to try to figure out how much we were spending although I am sure that The Hubs could tell you the exact dollar amount. I'm sure that it was a ridiculous amount. Not only were we spending too much in restaurants but we also ended up having more food spoil at home because there wasn't any way to truly plan.
About six weeks ago, (when I started this blog) I decided that we wouldn't eat out any more, at all, ever, except Hallmark holidays and birthdays. I think the Hubs had urged us to cut back on the dining out many times but this had to be my decision. After all, I am the one that does all the cooking. So, in the past six weeks, I have made every meal and snack that has been consumed by my little nest dwellers. We ate out only one time on Mother's Day. No take-out or delivery either - just my scrumptious cooking.
I started with a weekly menu, that included all three meals and snacks. I pulled the recipes for all the dinners that I planned to make for the week and made my shopping list. I go grocery shopping once a week. I shop only for what is on the menu - no deviations or extra snack. Snacks have been planned for. I've learned that my family eats an incredible amount of food and that it costs my family of six plus two part timers about a grand to eat every month. Fruit alone, we go through a case of oranges, two bunches of bananas, twelve apples, three pounds of strawberries, two pounds of blueberries, two pounds of grapes and a watermelon in a week..
Most days I feel like I spend all of my time either cooking or planning what I am going to cook. There are days when my waking thought is, 'Can we please go out to eat after whatever?' but we have been steadfast. My kids seem to be adjusting. I see my kids stretching their palate a bit as well. they have never been super picky but there is always room for improvement with a child's eating habits. Only Little D sometimes asks to go out to eat and Bubba quickly lets her know that we don't do that because we're not a fun family anymore. I can relate to Bubba's words at times but most of the time I can see that our family's fun is just under going a make-over. There's a new fun. It is just a little harder to identify.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Wednesday Weigh-In (week 6) ~ 230
I'm certainly feeling like a pretty svelte 230 pound Fatty...... until I look in the mirror and see that I pretty much look the same. I think that my legs and my boobs (sorry honey) are smaller but as for the rest of me, not so much. It's hard to tell though because most of my pants have some elastic in the waste. Elastic is the big girl's best friend.
It's at the twenty pound mark that my head really starts playing some tricks on me. I start to feel smaller than I am (kind of like reverse anorexia) and I want to eat. I start to feel a bit entitled - after all, I did just lose twenty pounds! Not good. I am really close to my short term goal of losing ten percent of my body weight so hopefully I can keep that in mind and not have the second half of the cheeseburger that calls to me from the cutting board.
There haven't really been any huge challenges in the past week. I was able to dodge the rain drops and take a couple of really long walks. The weather has not been at all helpful though. We are supposed to have two inches of rain in the next three days. I'm simply not THAT motivated to walk. I'm sure that the sun will shine soon and I can start wearing out the soles of my shoes - which doesn't take long because they were designed for someone much smaller than I.
I've been baking a lot. It seems counter productive but some how it's been kind of therapeutic. It also cuts back on my children asking to ingest processed garbage. Last week I made pumpkin muffins, oatmeal peanut butter cookies and two cakes. One of the cakes was enhanced box mix and probably not very healthy and a major caloric bust. The second cake though, was a carrot cake with coconut, raisins, pineapple, walnuts, sweetened with honey and covered with cream cheese frosting made with real maple syrup instead of sugar. It was amazing. I think I could eat nothing but THAT cake for the rest of my life. I'm guessing that the carrot cake was also a caloric bust but at least it was nutritious....... and SO delicious.
Even more amazing than the carrot cake itself was the fact that even though part of me wanted to eat the entire cake, a stronger part of me didn't want to. Instead of cutting myself a medium size piece, followed by a smaller piece as I cleaned up the kitchen and then finishing with the remains on Little D's plate, I just had one small piece of cake.
I feel like I've come far but in reality, I could gain back what I've lost in a week. I have lost nearly one fifth of my final goal. If I continued to lose at the rate I have been losing, I could reach my end goal by Thanksgiving. That's not likely but maybe by Valentine's Day. That would be nice.
It's at the twenty pound mark that my head really starts playing some tricks on me. I start to feel smaller than I am (kind of like reverse anorexia) and I want to eat. I start to feel a bit entitled - after all, I did just lose twenty pounds! Not good. I am really close to my short term goal of losing ten percent of my body weight so hopefully I can keep that in mind and not have the second half of the cheeseburger that calls to me from the cutting board.
There haven't really been any huge challenges in the past week. I was able to dodge the rain drops and take a couple of really long walks. The weather has not been at all helpful though. We are supposed to have two inches of rain in the next three days. I'm simply not THAT motivated to walk. I'm sure that the sun will shine soon and I can start wearing out the soles of my shoes - which doesn't take long because they were designed for someone much smaller than I.
I've been baking a lot. It seems counter productive but some how it's been kind of therapeutic. It also cuts back on my children asking to ingest processed garbage. Last week I made pumpkin muffins, oatmeal peanut butter cookies and two cakes. One of the cakes was enhanced box mix and probably not very healthy and a major caloric bust. The second cake though, was a carrot cake with coconut, raisins, pineapple, walnuts, sweetened with honey and covered with cream cheese frosting made with real maple syrup instead of sugar. It was amazing. I think I could eat nothing but THAT cake for the rest of my life. I'm guessing that the carrot cake was also a caloric bust but at least it was nutritious....... and SO delicious.
Even more amazing than the carrot cake itself was the fact that even though part of me wanted to eat the entire cake, a stronger part of me didn't want to. Instead of cutting myself a medium size piece, followed by a smaller piece as I cleaned up the kitchen and then finishing with the remains on Little D's plate, I just had one small piece of cake.
I feel like I've come far but in reality, I could gain back what I've lost in a week. I have lost nearly one fifth of my final goal. If I continued to lose at the rate I have been losing, I could reach my end goal by Thanksgiving. That's not likely but maybe by Valentine's Day. That would be nice.
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