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.

Almost There

250/234/225

Only nine pounds to second goal. Hurrah!

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.

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.

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

Another Pound Lost

Another 30 minute walk today.

addendum

Back from my walk and I've noticed a very bad habit that must be broken. My posture. Somewhere in time I've begun to slouch. I think it's because I was trying to minimise my big boobs and tummy so by slouching they seemed to not protrude so far out. Since those areas are becoming smaller, from here on, I'm going to make the effort to straighten up and stand and walk correctly. No doubt, improving my posture will strengthen my back muscles as well.

GOAL!!!!!!

I've been waiting a long, long time to make this post. Finally, I'm at my first goal of 250 pounds! Yes, that's 17 stones 12 pounds. That's 55 pounds of fat gone forever! Fifty five pounds of fugly fat that kept me on the couch unable to exercise or walk very far and barely able to breathe. Finally! I can move on to phase two of my journey. My tickers will now start at 250 and my next goal is 225. By my calculations I'll reach this second goal by the end of the year. Congratulations to me. And a belated happy birthday present from me to me. Now, I think I'll go and celebrate with a 60 minute workout.

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.

So Near but So Far

Replaced the battery in my scale this morning and it said 252 pounds. So I'm not sure what I actually weigh, 249 by the doctors scale or 252 by my scale. I'm pleased either way but I'm going to go by mine. It's an excellent digital scale and gives me the same weight each time when I stand on it several different times per weigh-in. Same with my husband. He can get on and off the scale several times in a row and get the same weight.



Probably won't exercise today as hubs has weekends off so that's when we do most of our errands. Working out five days per week is better than nothing.

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 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."

.:Weekly Averages:.

Dinner is over and the weekly averages have been calculated. The alcohol showing was what I drank last Sunday and it was not even worth the calories. Down to 253 pounds - only three pounds from my first goal of 250 pounds. That's a 52 pound loss and 17% loss of my total body weight.

Exercise wise I've done a lot of walking this past week. I'm feeling soooooo much better these days. Not only physically but also emotionally. My blood pressure has gone from 140/90 to 125/72, my blood sugar has gone from 15-22 down to around 6-7 (normal). I've gone from being excessively obese to obese and I'm on my way to being simply overweight.

Life is good.

Another Pound Lost

305/253/250

Stepped on the scale this morning and I've lost another pound. The scale said 253 pounds. I'm losing about 1.75 pounds per week so hopefully I'll reach my first goal by August 13, my birthday. What an excellent birthday present to myself. At this rate, I'll reach my ultimate goal of 165 by this time next year.

Went shopping today and bought several pieces of fabric for making shorts and tops for next summer. I'm not a mall person but I really enjoyed my outing today. The mall is so big and I got lots of walking exercise in. Also, I treated myself to a delicious coffee (with real cream) and a banana nut muffin. I've stayed on plan for so long that I felt no guilt whatsoever while enjoying that coffee and muffin. Just had lunch, half a cantaloupe and 100 grams low fat cottage cheese. Tonight's dinner will be green salad with FF Italian dressing.

Bought some Resistance bands today. A pack of three different workout bands with different resistances. One more apparatus to use in my exercise routine. We passed a shop called Evans -which is like Lane Bryant- and hubs asked me if I wanted to take a look round. I declined because I'm looking forward not backward. I do not want to look at *fat* clothes but I have been looking at *skinny* clothes just to see what my options will be next year. In one shop, I found tank tops in every color of the rainbow for £1 each! Of course, they were all out of my size range, but next year, I'll be able to wear them. I'm so excited! And I have so much to look forward to.

Tomorrow I have an appointment to the Diabetic clinic. I wasn't going to go but they said I could bring someone with me, and since hubs volunteered, I thought I may as well.

TTFN.

Almost There

Another pound gone and only five pounds from my first goal.

New Recipe

Tried a recipe from those Weight Watchers books and it was OK. I had to do some adjustments because the measurements for the pancakes (crepes) was way off! Had I mixed up what the recipe said I'd have cooked enough to feed an army. It was supposed to yield 4 servings. Anyway, hubs liked it and said he'd like me to cook it again. :)

In future, I'll make crepes instead of using tortillas because I can save loads of calories. One tortilla has about 258 calories whereas a homemade crepe has about 83 calories and way less fat. Every little bit helps. So what if my Mexican dish is not quite authentic. ;)

Anyway, I've now lost 16 per cent of my total body weight. That's amazing. I've stuck to this reducing plan far longer than any other in my entire life. That's what contracting diabetes does to you....it gives you an added incentive to lose weight.

It's been over two months since I've drank any alcohol but I really *really* wanted a glass of wine the other night. Thankfully hubs brought me to my senses by reminding me how much better I feel since giving it up. So, I resisted the temptation and I'm soooooooooooo glad I did.