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!

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

Much More Better

After some much needed R&R yesterday I'm feeling better, not 100% but better. Hubs and I are going shopping today for a curtain pole for the bedroom. I already have the fabric to make some new bedroom curtains but I need a few extras before I actually cut the fabric. Also, I need a bit of fabric to finish a quilt so it will be a challenge to find the right color.

Other than that, I'll probably just lounge around the house with hubs today. Perhaps he and I will go for a walk this afternoon.

addendum: Shopping was good, found all the fabrics I needed. Hubs and I went for a walk when we got back. Good job we did too as it's raining now. Just enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate (made with skimmed milk and splenda) and now I'm relaxing and surfing the net.

To anyone reading this: Go out there and make it a good day!

Change in Routine

Instead of my usual workout in my "gym" I went for a 30 minute walk. It felt really good to actually walk at a quick pace. Oh man - I can remember when I couldn't make it half way down the block (at a snails pace) without sucking wind, feeling like my femurs were being wrenched out of their sockets, my quads burning like they'd had sulfuric acid poured over them, my knee joints in pain, my calves seizing up, feeling light-headed, heart beating far more rapidly than it should, feeling like I was about to drop dead, dead, D.E.A.D.

When I was younger I could walk a lot. I'm talking about miles and miles at a very fast pace. Yes, those were the good old days when I could eat anything I wanted - within reason - and then exercise like a demon to burn it all off. I remember going out with the girls and having pizza and beer then come home and do several hundred jump-ropes.

Body Types



My body shape is hour glass. After having gained all this weight it's more rectangular but I'm working on that. Can't wait to see the hour glass one again.

Dinner will be roast beef and baked potatoes. Can't wait.

2-5-1

Not much to report. Exercised for 70 minutes today and I feel great.

Food choices are still good. I had this meal back in June for lunch and I think I'll have the same tonight for dinner.

• Calories = 268


• Fat = 3g


• Fat calories = 30


• Carbs = 51g


• Fibre = 5g


• Protein = 11g


• Protein calories = 44

My Home Gym....sort of

Well, it seems as though I've got a nice little gym for myself. Over the past few weeks I've accumulated the tools to help me get in shape as I lose weight. Some of it I bought new and some used. I have a nice little collection of books, videos and dvds as well. Hubs is in the process of converting the vids to dvds so I can watch them on the telly in my sewing/exercise room.

Stepped on the scale today and it said 251. It's funny in that I will stay the same for over a week then in two days I'll lose 2-3 pounds. Go figure.

Flaxseed Oil - I take this twice daily in capsule form.

Flaxseed oil is derived from the seeds of the flax plant. Flaxseed oil and flaxseed contain substances that promote good health. Flaxseed oil is rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential fatty acid that appears to be beneficial for heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis and a variety of other health conditions. Flaxseed, in addition to ALA, contains a group of chemicals called lignans that may play a role in the prevention of cancer.

Have I Met My Goal or Not?

Had a doctors appointment today and his scale said 249 pounds. WOOT! So, I've actually met and surpassed my first goal of 250 pounds before the target date of August 13! That also means my scale either has a dying battery or ready to go on the fritz but is definitely no longer in sync with the doctors scale. At any rate, I think I should stick with what my scale says for consistency. Having said that, it's strange that my scale has not moved for quite sometime. Hmmmm, something to ponder. I think I'll replace the battery just in case.

Exercised for just over an hour today and here's what I did:

• Dumbbell Bench Press - two sets, 20 reps each


• Dumbbell Extensions - one set, 10 reps


• Seated Dumbbell Curls - one set, 20 reps


• Dumbbell Lunges - one set, 8 reps


• Hammer Curls - one set, 30 reps


• Leg Lifts w/2.5# ankle weights - two sets, 20 reps each


• Marching in place w/2.5# ankle weights - 15 minutes


• Funky Dancing - 10 minutes


• Stationary Bike - 15 minutes (this one kicks my ass)

Music: ABBA, Atomic Kitten, Hooked on Classics, Hollies, Milli Vanilli (yeah, I know)

Positive thought for today: "No matter who you are, no matter what you do, you absolutely, positively do have the power to change."

Exercise: Day Three

Workout today was for 35 minutes consisting of weights, resistance bands, stretches and leg lifts. Didn't do more because I had a nagging sinus headache. Tomorrow will be cardio consisting of aerobics and stationary bike. Today, I have to formulate a proper workout plan as I've decided to alternate days with cardio and weight training.

Weight wise, the scale this morning flashed from 253 to 252 then back to 253, so, I guess my goal of 250 by my birthday is not going to be realised. No biggie. In fact, I expect my weight loss to slow down as I continue my workouts because fat will start turning into muscle. Anyway, one way or another, the fat will go and the scales will show a lower number, eventually. I didn't get like this over night and I'm not going to get in shape over night either. The best and most important thing is that I'm feeling better than I've felt in months.

Now, I'm off to experiment with a cup of hot chocolate using skimmed milk and splenda. :)

TTFN

Exercise: Day Two

Two days in a row of structured exercise and I feel great. What a good feeling to know I'm doing something positive that is going to help me get my health back.

Hubs has been measuring me for the past two months and I'm starting to see results. I only started keeping a log of my measurements from 1 July. So far the measurements look like this:

• Neck = .5 inch lost
• Upper arm = 1.5 inches lost
• Upper bust = 2 inches lost
• Bust = 2 inches lost
• Waist = 1 inch lost
• Hips = .5 inch lost
• Thighs = 1 inch lost
• Calf = no change
• Ankle = .5 inch lost

I'll be interested to see how those measurements look next month after exercising this month for one hour each day, six days a week. Hubs is going out today to get a set of ankle weights for me and I think I'll have him get a set of body fat calipers as well.

Not much else to report. It's almost lunch time so I have to figure out what I want. Food choices are getting easier everyday. I find as the weeks go by I'm not as obsessed about food as I used to be, which is a good thing. :)

Today's positive thought: "When you gain control of your body, you will gain control of your LIFE."

Exercise: It's A Good Thing

Got some structured exercise in today and I feel great! I'm only now getting to the point where I can actually do some decent cardio and resistance exercises. Before I lost the 52 pounds, when I attempted any exercise at all, I'd almost collapse after just a few minutes. Now though, today I did 60 minutes straight consisting of stationary bike, weights, resistance bands, Tai Chi and some light aerobics. I actually worked up a sweat! Had my water bottle handy and drank a whole litre before the hour had ended.

This is how I felt before the exercises:


And this is how I felt after:


Lunch was turkey and tomato on whole wheat bread and a big glass of iced water. That's 339 calories; 6 grams of fat; 38 carbs; 8 fibre and 33 protein.

I feel fantastic!

It can only get better from here on, folks.

Today's positive thought is: "Focus on progress, not perfection."

A Beautiful Week

This past week has been one of the best this year. Hubs was on holiday all week and we went everywhere together. I'm so thankful for my husband and I love him more each day. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that he loves me unconditionally. He's never commented about my size except to express his concern regarding my health. He supports me 100% in my weight-loss endeavors and I appreciate that so much and his support and compliments really boosts my self-esteem. The first words he speaks to me in the morning is, "I love you" and those are the last words he says to me at night. Anyway, enough of that mush.

Been accumulating some exercise equipment and today I bought an ab glider, an exercise mat and a couple work-out videos. Next week I'm going to concentrate on formulating a work-out routine. I'm excited. Oh, I need to go through our music cd's (we have several hundred) and pick out some appropriate music.

"Once the truth is revealed, the path becomes clear."