Friday, September 30, 2011

Just not feeling it...

I had an off week. I got totally sidetracked by my birthday last Saturday... and it's messed with me all week. I've done OK some days, and not-so-OK on others, so I'm really dreading stepping on the scales tomorrow. I am, however, going to go. I will face the music - in this case, the numbers. Who knows? Maybe it won't be as bad as I fear. Then again, maybe it will be. Whatever it is, I'll be OK and I'll keep going. But yeah, right now... I'm not feeling it.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Just an awesome day!!!

Today I think I will I do a little bragging on myself.

1, Today is my birthday. Woohoo!!!

2. I lost 4.6 pounds this week. Woohoo!!! I've lost 18.6 pounds since I started on July 23rd! I'm so excited. I had planned on giving myself today to eat whatever I wanted (it's my b-day) but now that I've gotten on the scale and it showed such a huge loss that I don't want to screw it up. LOL

3. A "non-scale victory" for me was my inlaws sent me a gift card for Lane Bryant. When I joined WW, I was wearing a 24, but they were tight. I think I might have been a 26 trying to fit a 24. Anyway.. this morning I ran to LB to get something to wear before lunch with my family... I bought jeans in a 22 and a blouse (well, two blouses and a cami) in an 18/20!!!! I'm at 265 now, and I'm so stinkin' excited about reaching that next little milestone for me.. being out of the 260s. I'm making little goals rather than looking at a big picture. It may take me a few weeks to get into the 250s, and that's OK.. as long as I keep heading in that direction.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Planning Ahead, aka I Need Recipes or Ideas

My cousin's wife (who I usually just call my cousin or friend) posted on Facebook today that she was going into a cooking frenzy.. Their third child is due in a couple weeks, and she wants to have a stocked freezer of food that all she or my cousin has to do is thaw and reheat. She's making things like meatloaf, taco pockets (I don't even know what those are), breakfast burritos, and a few casseroles.

Now all of those things sound delicious, but not necessarily low-fat or "point-friendly." I need some recipes for healthier versions of the types of foods she's making. I also thought, since the weather is turning cooler, that I could make some soups or chili. Those would make great lunches, and it'd get me away from eating a sandwich everyday. I also don't know how to wrap or store these foods in the freezer. And when you're ready to thaw them out, how would you prepare the meal? Pop in the oven? OK. How long? What temp? These are the kinds of things I need to know.

As you can see, I need some help. Please send me any recipes you may have and/or hints or tips on how to freeze and then reheat these foods. If I get any, or if I find any online, I'll come back and post them here.

Thanks!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

The Happiest Place On Earth

The family and I are in Florida this week. We came down Sunday night to spend time with my in-laws. We've had an amazing time. We hung out Monday morning here in Satellite Beach - my in-laws live a couple blocks from the ocean. Sweet! Then, Monday afternoon we made our way over to Orlando.. checked into our hotel, and headed out to dinner. Fuddruckers. Needless to say, I didn't exactly eat great that night. I enjoyed it a whole heck of a lot, though.

Tuesday we went to Disney's Magic Kingdom. I love Disney. We walked (and walked... .and walked... and walked a little more) until I thought my feet were going to fall off. It doesn't help that I'm still having issues with my foot and knee from when I fell in June, but I did it. And even more impressive is I didn't complain too much. I can't say I ate very well at the hotel (breakfast) or at Disney (lunch) or at IHOP (dinner). But again, I sure did enjoy it.

On a funny side-note... my daughter is the only kid I know who thinks The People Mover is a thrill ride. We rode it twice, and the second time she was yelling, "Woohoo!!!" everytime it sped up a little. It was absolutely hysterical. The other "must-do" for Colleen.. the Carousel of Progress. Seriously... you sit in a chair, and the building turns so you end up seeing different scenes to show how we've progressed from the turn-of-the-century times to a little more recent times. Logan loved It's a Small World and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Wednesday, we slept in a little, had breakfast at the hotel again, and then headed over to Downtown Disney. Had a blast! We walked through the stores and did a little shopping. We ate at the T-Rex Cafe. (I think that's the name.) Oh boy, did I not eat right, there. I had mushroom ravioli in some kind of cream sauce. It was divine. We left at around 3:30 and headed back to Satellite Beach, where we drove over to Pat's Place (I'm not sure if it's in Satellite Beach or another city) for dinner. I had spanikopita and a Greek salad.

So, here it is Thursday morning. After all the yummy food I've eaten this week... I'll be shocked if I have a loss this week. But you know, I'm not going to be upset about it. It is what it is. I had a blast. I enjoyed what I ate. And now it's time to start making those wise food choices I told myself I'd make while on vacation. We head home tomorrow, and Saturday is my Weight Watchers meeting. It could be a bit (a lot) scary, but it is what it is. The important thing for me is that I don't let a (possible) gain derail me. I have to pick up right where I left off before vacation and keep moving forward. I know I can do it, I just need to not lose that momentum that I had before we left Georgia.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Meeting Goals

This past weekend was huge for me. I'd set some goals for myself, and I reached them this past Saturday.

Goals
1. My first 5%. This was actually a goal set by Weight Watchers. I wasn't trying to reach it by a certain date, I was just trying to reach it. That 5% goal was 14 pounds.
2. Get under 270 pounds by Labor Day. I did set a date, but it wasn't something I was going to beat myself up over if I didn't achieve. I don't ever want to set a date/weight goal that if I don't meet that goal I'll be upset. I set an "aiming for" goal, but if I don't make it, that's OK. This is a long journey I'm on.
3. Hit 15 pounds lost. Again, I had no timeframe for this, it was just a mini goal I wanted to hit.

So yeah... totally met my goals.

I have been avoiding posting my weight because it's just too darn embarrassing. But here goes my progress so far.

7/23/11 283.6
7/30/11 278.8
8/06/11 275.4
8/13/11 274.6
8/20/11 274.4
8/27/11 270.2
9/03/11 268.6

I've got a long way to go, but it's OK. I'm setting small goals for myself and celebrating when I achieve those goals. If I look at where I want the end result to be, or try to give myself a deadline, when I miss those goals or deadlines I'll get frustrated and give up. I can't afford to give up. I want to be healthy and fit too much to give up this time.

September Goals
1. Lose 6 pounds. This isn't really a "by this date" goal. It's just an "aiming for" goal. If I'm down just 3 or 4 pounds in September, then I'll gladly take that. There's no way to know what my body will do. I could have a "perfect" week and only lost half a pound. The body is a strange and complicated creation.
2. Exercise two days a week. I've not been doing any exercise since I fell in June. I'm still having problems with my knee and foot, but I need to get some kind of movement or activity in. Even if it's playing the Wii Fit or Wii Zumba for 30 minutes, it's better than sitting in front of the computer or television. I'm hoping that I'll eventually be able to afford to get back into the gym. I miss it, and there are things I can do there that will be easy on my knee and foot.

There are things I can't control, and there are things I can. My goal is to do the best with the things I can control, and hope it has a positive impact on the things I can't control. It's a long journey. I've already said that. And as embarrassed as I am to admit where I let myself get to, I'm proud of myself for doing this again. A slow progress toward being healthy is certainly much better than no progress at all or moving even farther way.

I covet your encouragement. Just as there are cheerleaders to help keep the energy and excitement up during a game, I could use all the cheerleaders I can get to help me keep up my energy, momentum, and excitement as I journey toward better health.

I'm posting a picture a friend took of me this summer. It's the most recent one I have that I actually let someone take. I'll post an updated photo sometime later... maybe that'll be what I do when I reach 250 pounds. As for now.. this is the last time I ever want to look like this!