Back...but just barely

It's been four months, seven days and 23 hours since my dear Mother went to be with the Saviour.  I can't say the past few months have been easy.  I wept all through November, December, January and February.  The sting is just now only getting a bit easier.  

The Lord has helped me though and continues to help me.

Not much more to say at the moment.  Been keeping busy and hanging on to the bitter-sweet memories.

Gone

My beloved mother passed away 6 November 2008.

A New Day

It's been several months and no post from me. Why? Well, it's because I simply didn't have anything to say. Weight loss has been secondary on my mind lately. Lost of thing going on in my life at the moment that I really don't want to discuss here.

Now that I've got my mojo back, I'm going to lose this twelve pounds I've gained in the past several months. The ticker says 224 - I hit that for a couple days but now I'm right back up to 238. This will never do. So, tomorrow it's back to structured exercise.

I'm excited and I'll take this weight off in no time.

New Gym Equipment - Well Sorta

Got me a dandy Body Sculpture stair climber/stepper today at the car boot sale for only £8! Hardly a nick on it. The lady said she was selling it because she has four floors of stairs to climb at home. Yeah, right. We all know it's not the same thing....but anyway. Got the thing sitting in front of my exercise bike so when I'm done biking I whip around and do some climbing while holding onto the handle bars of the bike.

I'm all enthused now about getting back to the basics of reducing. Been weighing and measuring food, cutting a lot of fats from my meals, choosing all my meals and snacks wisely. Just like last year. Going to dig out all my exercise stuff and make up a daily routine.

Well, I'm off for my afternoon coffee and biscuit.

Toodles.

Almost There

250/234/225

Only nine pounds to second goal. Hurrah!

Life Is Good

I'm sitting here with my favourite magazines, Grazia and Cosmo, and drinking a cup of hot lemon tea. And before you ask, the answer is no, I'm not on some wacky lemon diet. I just happen to like lemon tea. My mother made it for me when I was a child and I've loved it ever since. I find it very refreshing and relaxing. One freshly squeezed lemon in my favourite china teapot and sweetened with plain old refined white sugar. GASP! Yeah, I know, but artificial sweeteners hurt my stomach so I have to go easy with them.

Hubs fetched some of my shoes down from the loft that I've not worn for a while. Shoes that actually fit me now because my feet aren't as chubby and don't tend to swell anymore. Strange how little things like that can make me feel good about myself.

I made some very good soup the other day. All I did was pile a load of fresh vegetables (carrots, spring onions, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, a potato and some peas) into a pot with some chicken stock, boiled till tender, then processed with a hand blender. The result was a thick soup that I had with a dollop of plain yogurt and some saltines. Quick, easy, yummy and extremely healthy. None of that processed tinned crap for me. Tonight will be hamburgers made in the George Foreman grill with homemade BBQ sauce. Tomorrow, roast chicken with sage dressing and steamed veg.

Went to the grocery store today and spotted some millet seed. I've never eaten millet seeds before so I read the instructions which said it can replace rice or cous cous. I'm going to try it. Who knows, it might be good. Millet seed? I thought that was budgie food! Budgies are sweet little creatures.

Next Friday is our sixth wedding anniversary and I plan to treat myself to homemade lasagna and homemade chocolate cake with gooey chocolate frosting. YeeHaw!

OK, I'm out.

Time For A Change

It's been a month since my whinge-fest. My post of September 18 was nothing but moaning about how my weight-loss had reached a plateau and how I was going to change my goals etc., etc., etc. So, I went back and analysed my logs in FitDay and even though I'm losing more slowly, I am actually still losing. I've lost 7 pounds in four weeks which averages out to 1.58 pounds lost per week. That's really not bad at all. What more do I want? So what if I'm not losing two pounds per week like back in July? I'm still losing and that's what counts. If I stay on this course over the next few weeks - and I see no reason why I shouldn't - I'll have reached my 225 goal by the end of the year - which is what I had originally projected. I'll stay with my original projection.

I have to say, this new lifestyle is getting easier. There's some foods I no longer consider as part of my diet and I don't miss them. It doesn't bother me at all when everyone else around me is eating sugary and fatty foods. It's kind of like quitting smoking. When I first stopped smoking years ago, I didn't particularly like being around smokers because of the temptation. But as time went on I found I was no longer tempted to light up when socialising with smokers. I'm actually looking forward to the Holidays because, for the first time in years, I'll not be tempted to over-eat.

Hubs is off to Japan on business sometime in December and I may go with him. Not sure though as it depends on my health (and my mother's health) at the time. This last arthritis flare-up has left me with some stiffness in my legs and back and I really don't look forward to spending 11.5 hours on a plane. We'll see.

More later......

Success

Went to see the diabetic nurse yesterday and she is very pleased with my progress. I’ve lost 15.5 pounds since my visit with her back in July. My HbA1c (amount of glucose that has stuck to the red cells in the blood) has gone from 9.7 (poor control) to 7.0 (good control). Any lowering of HbA1c towards 7% will reduce complication risks. Blood pressure is way down as well. She and my doctor are very happy that I’ve taken control of my diabetes and that I am working toward good health.

I discussed with her about how my weight loss is slowing and she said that is nothing to be concerned about because it happens. However, I want to lose at least 50 more pounds so as to be below the 200 pound mark. Currently my weight is 243/244 and a 50 pound loss would put me at 193/194 and then if I lose any more, well, that will just be icing on the cake. Got my flu jab and next week will get my pneumonia jab, so then I’ll be all set for winter.

So, I’ve readjusted my goals. Originally I had projected to be around 225 pounds by the end of the year. That is no longer realistic so I’m now projecting to be at 225 by the first of March 2008. I think that is more realistic and I feel better about my new goal

Owwww

Weight has hit a serious plateau so I’m holding at 244/245. I’m not surprised considering how much I’ve lost so far. Actually, I’ve upped my calories by about 200 per day as I suspect my body is thinking there’s a famine going on and is trying to save all the fat it can. Hopefully it will now think that all is well and after a bit of adjustment will start to burn fat again. I’m in no hurry to lose because I know that I’ll lose it eventually, forever. The good news is, I can now wear everything in my wardrobe, which is remarkable considering this time last year I was down to two or three outfits that I could wear comfortably.

Thank goodness for ibuprofen. Arthritis is flaring up and I’m in a lot of pain these days so needless to say not doing much exercise at the moment. I sure hope I’m better next week because hubs is on holiday and I need to help him replace some fence panels.

Other than the arthritis I’m OK. Diabetes is in check, blood pressure is almost normal as well. A bit of friendly advice to anyone out there who might be reading this. Exercise and lose your weight now, while you’re young and while it is still easy to do. Don’t wait until you get older because it is a lot more difficult once arthritis, diabetes or some other illness sets in.

Oh! The Temptations

I hate when my husband is away. He went to visit his parents this weekend and I miss him soooooo much. Mostly in the evenings around dinner and then after when we would normally be relaxing in front of the telly. I was very tempted to "treat" myself but I resisted. What I really wanted was either a bottle of Chardonnay or something really sweet and gooey and chocolaty. I think this habit goes back to before I started reducing and when hubs would go out of town on business I'd surround myself with all kinds of comfort food and drink. It made me feel better emotionally but physically it was killing me. Thank goodness I had the power to resist this time. I did however eat three granola bars this morning but that's nothing like what I really wanted. I did take my mile walk though and now I'm sitting here munching on some very sweet white seedless grapes.

So, to beat the boredom I made some wallpapers for my computer as a reminder not to eat! Here's one of them.



Hubs will be home in a couple hours. I....can't....wait.

.:Weekly Averages:.

Week ending 8 September 2007



Weight: 244

Brazil Nuts

I've added yet another supplement to my diet. However, this one is not in tablet form but is all natural goodness. Brazil nuts. Thirteen grams, three times per week for 91 calories and 9 grams of fat.

Hurrah!

Another pound of ugly fat gone forever. This morning the scale said (17.7) 245 pounds. I'll take it!

On The Road Again

It seems that after three weeks of yo-yoing between 250/248/250 the scale is finally on the move downward again. Today the scale said 17.8 (246 pounds). I wasn't going to log anything until I was sure it was really moving. I have been peeing more so perhaps my body was retaining water. *shrug* Who knows?

Anyway, I'm back into my walking routine. A couple weeks ago I over-extended myself by walking three miles in one day and got a shin splint. So I took a couple weeks off to heal and now I'm back to normal. Still did my weight/stretch/bike exercises just no walking or anything to put stress on my injury. Plus, I bought a new pair of Reeboks and that means better shock absorption.

Exercise for 3 September 2007: 2607 steps - one mile in 17 minutes

A couple weeks ago hubs and I went shopping and I bought a brand new pair of jeans for £4. The brand is Arizona. Is that a good brand? I wouldn't know because it has been years since I bought a pair of jeans that didn't have elastic in the waist. These jeans are zippered and buttoned and fit me perfectly. :) They are UK size 26 24 which means I have four three more sizes to lose to be in size 18 and then I can shop for normal clothes.

Took my measurements yesterday and I've lost inches as well. I've lost 2 inches - waist; 2 inches - hips; ½ inch - thighs; 1 inch -calf. Everything else is basically the same.

BSL and BP are both normal.

More updates later.

Toodles!

Edited to say that I looked again at the size of the jeans and they're 24 NOT 26 as I had originally posted. I only have three sizes to lose!

.:Weekly Averages:.

Week ending 01 September 2007



Weight: 248

.:Weekly Averages:.

Week ending 25 August 2007



BP normal; BSL normal. Weight 250.

This is how the week ended. Totals are still within well defined parameters but the weight loss has come to a screeching halt. For a few days I dropped two pounds below my first goal of 250 then for some very odd reason I gained the two pounds back and now I'm holding at 250 pounds. No idea why. I even walked six miles last week. I dare not go below 1000 calories because I feel that just isn't the right thing to do. I've analysed the entire plan, changed what I think should be changed, and still no more loss. The conclusion I've reached is that my body is resting - rearranging - adjusting. So, I'll give it that.

The other day I tried on the dress I wore when me and hubs got married and it's too big! I'm smaller than I was the day we got married. :) As I stood, buck naked, looking at myself in the full-length mirror, I can see that I've lost. It took a long time for me to actually see the difference because I'm my own worst critic. But yes, there is definitely a change for the better.

Anyway, not much to talk about these days so until the scale starts moving again I'll probably only update once a week.

To all who might be reading this - go out there an make it a good day!

Toodles :)

Feeling Much Better Today

Yes, even though I messed up yesterday with my food plan. My total calories were 1,136 but the fat grams were 39!!!! That means 31% of my total calories were F-A-T calories. NO! This will never do. And I know the reason this happened. Yesterday I didn't have any complex carbs for lunch and therefore my body had no fuel to get me through the afternoon. Plus, I walked another 1½ miles yesterday afternoon and what little strength I got from my meager lunch I used up in the walk or possibly before. I was so hungry right before dinner that I reached for a slice of chocolate-caramel shortbread. That sucker was small but it contained 281 calories and 17! fat grams. What was I thinking? No wonder I was so tired after getting back from my afternoon walk - no wonder I was so hungry and couldn't wait until dinner - no wonder I reached for a carb that was totally void of nutrition instead of something healthy and nutritious. There were two bananas right there on the counter beside the shortbread! **Sigh** Hard lesson learned.

I'm on the brink of losing one of those pesky two pounds. Yes, the scale this morning flashed from 250 to 249 then back to 250 so I'm pleased about that. My intestinal tract is feeling much better due to the fact that I've increased my fibre intake.

BP is 110/56 and BSL is 5.8. All is right with the world. :)

BBL if I have anything else to report.

Toodles

ETA: Walked ½ mile today.

Analysis Complete: More Fibre Necessary

Yesterday I blogged about how I had gained two pounds and that it was time to re-evaluate my meal plan. After carefully looking at my totals in FitDay I've come to the conclusion that I need a bit more fibre in my diet. I believe the gain is due to my -ahem- plumbing being backed up a bit. TMI but there ya go. Anyway, I've begun to take yet another supplement to rectify the problem and it's a product called FibreSure. FibreSure is tasteless, contains no sugar and one heaping teaspoon twice per day will add 10 grams of fibre to my diet. I'm alreading getting an average of 20 grams per day. RDA is 20-35 grams per day so another 5-10 grams will help. As of this morning, plumbing problems are being sorted. Hopefully that pesky two pounds will go away!

Today's Walk: 1½ miles in 24min35sec - yes, I used a stop-watch. Hubs went along and that's good 'cause he can stand to lose a few pounds as well. Relaxing now with a big glass of iced water! I love water, it's my favourite drink.

Not much more to say so I'll end here and get on with my day.

Addendum: Walked another 1½ miles this afternoon

I Feel Good

Back from my mile walk and I feel great in spite of getting rained on. The mile felt effortless today so I think tomorrow I'll go a mile and a half. Foot problems are gone so I can now walk and exercise without having pain or fear of doing more damage - and I didn't have to see my GP either. Hubs went with me again today, which was nice. His company allows him to work from home so he can pretty much go with me whenever.

BSL is down to 6.6 and BP is 114/74. Those readings are a far cry from 17.3 and 150/90 a few months ago. Next time I see my GP I think I'll ask if I can go off the BP meds or at least cut down.

Back up two pounds *gasp* but I'm not worried about it. I weigh-in every day, in the morning, buck naked. I'm not one to panic or get discouraged if the scale shows a small gain. Instead I analyse my food and exercise diary for the last two weeks to see if I can find the reason - perhaps too many fat grams or some empty calories somewhere. Or perhaps my plumbing is backed up in which case I add more fibre. Am I retaining water? Or maybe I need to workout a few more minutes each day. See? No need to panic. No need to give up. No need to get discouraged. This has happened several times during my weight-loss journey and I'm sure it will continue to happen until I reach my ultimate goal and during maintenance. Might as well get used to it and learn how to deal with it. I've already dropped 18.6% of my total body weight and will continue to drop. :) I'm a winner and a loser.

Right! Time to get on with my day.

Toodles

.:Weekly Averages:.

Week ending 18 August 2007



250/248/225

My Left Foot

No walkies for me today as I've got something wrong with my foot. About two weeks ago I pulled a bit of dead skin from a callus and apparently not all the skin was dead! It hurt for a bit and then seemed to be OK. Now, however, I have a lump where the sore spot was and it hurts like a mofo. Have I got some infection in there? I don't know. Surely to goodness I won't have to go back to my GP -he's going to think I fancy him. I feel like such a wuss. I've seen him more in the past few months than I did in the past few years! Anyway, my foot woke me up this morning at 6 A.M. so here I am at 7:30am typing away on this blog. Foot is not hurting at the moment but when it touches something else pain shoots all through it.

Well, that's it for the moment. Perhaps I'll be back later if I have anything else to add.

Toodles