laura705

I’m at week 11 on WW and it’s going alright.  I’m losing weight, less than 5 pounds away from hitting my 10% loss.  However, I need to focus on more than just the food and work on making lifestyle changes.  Yes, I’ve made some changes, but I can be doing so much more.  At the meetings, there are topics that engage me, but I simply don’t follow through.  The weekly magazine, a mere 12 pages in length, tends to sit unread in my purse or backpack until I remember to take it out and put it in my WW folder with the others, forgotten.   If I have time to sit in front of the tv at night, I have time to spend a few minutes reading something that can help me make positive lifestyle changes, or actually making the changes. 

Exercise is going fine.  I’m liking the kettlebell class and another class that focuses on strength training, though both are considered interval workouts, with both cardio and strength.  I went to a Corebar class last week and didn’t care for it.  It felt awkward holding the bar, and it also didn’t feel good on my “bad shoulder”.  As usual, I’d like to be doing more exercise, but for now, I strive for three classes a week, plus my usual “functional exercise” - weekday walking/cycling for my work commute and weekend dogwalks (bf walks doggie weekdays, just in case you’re worried doggie isn’t getting his exercise, lol).  My stair-climbing initiative was dropped when I was recovering from my extreme quad muscle soreness after my first kettlebell class.  Not sure if I want to pick it back up again.  I just find walking the fire stairwell at work thoroughly dreary.  My weight loss has made me feel more comfortable seeing myself in the mirror during my classes.  I’ve been thinking of returning to Jazzercise classes back in my old neighborhood.  It’s not nearly as convenient as the classes in my area, but I really like my old instructor much more than any of the ones I’ve had after her.  Now that I’ve lost a lot of excess weight, I’m actually more serious about it.  Previously, I’d think about it and one of the several excuses not to go back was that I was ashamed of my weight gain…not sure if this is an NSV or plain old vanity.  But then again, a lot of our NSV’s are based on vanity, right??

Well, just one new thing I guess.  I had my first two kettlebell classes since my last post.  The first one left me with very sore quads for three days afterwards, and slightly sore quads on the 4th day.  We had done a ton of squat-type moves while swinging around the kettlebell.  A lot more of a cardio workout than I expected!  The 2nd class was a bit easier, and since the other student in class was also sore in the quads, the instructor did slightly less of those movements and also did a much better warm up.  I find that by the time we get to the mat and do some ab work, I’m pretty pooped and find it mostly impossible to do the very challenging plank moves.  My goal is to get better at those.  I’ve also found that the lightest kettlebell they have (10 lbs) to be too heavy after a while, so I switch and use a 5- or 8-lb dumbbell.  My bf and I checked out the new Ross store near us and bf actually spotted kettlebells, and I bought a 5- and a 7-pound k’bell for less than $15.  Not as nice as the ones in class by a long shot, but they’ll do.  I’ll likely bring the 7 pounder to class with me this Sunday.  I like the class, it really, really challenges me.  There are only six sessions total and I’m disappointed that I will be missing one of them because of a weekend getaway I have coming up. 

I’m at a 10-lb loss in ww now, though I can’t say I trust the ww scale over mine, especially since I’ve been struggling with eating and sure didn’t feel like I lost a pound over the past week.  This past weekend was book club, and while bf tries to be mindful of eating healthier, things like tacos and ribs and meals eaten out still continue to challenge me. 

The main NSV continues to be my baggy dress slacks.  I’m not a huge fan of belts, but I’ve had to pull out my old belts and use them to cinch the waists of my slacks so they don’t droop.  Not terribly flattering, but until I get down to some serious shopping (my outings so far have yielded nothing), it’ll have to suffice.

Yesterday was the weight lost contest’s monthly weigh-in. I’ve lost 3 pounds since the last weigh-in. I’m down 10 pounds since the beginning of the contest (2/1), according to the weigh-ins. I’m quite sure I’m not a contender to win or place in this contest, but it’s been fun and motivational for me.

Today was my weekly ww w-i. Last week I had a slight gain, so I was really hoping for a loss, and I got one - a good 3.4 pound loss. I’ve reached my 5% goal. Onward to the 10% goal.

I never think I have a really good week on WW - I mostly exceed my daily points, and always have gone well over my weekly points allotment. But I do still track my eating on the SP tracker and my calorie intake is definitely less than what I was eating pre-ww, so it’s working, regardless of regularly exceeding my points.

This past week, increased activity may have played a part in my loss. I took three long dog walks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday I did a circuit class and on Sunday I did a Zumba class.

I’d like to bump up my exercise more consistently. I have my Kettlebell class starting soon (need to look up when!), so that’ll help.

All I know is that the phrase “wind chill” is still in the weather reports and that I wore long underwear to work today.  But okay, it’s spring…

Still making weight loss progress.  Yesterday’s ww w-i brought a 1 pound loss, which surprised me because the three days preceeding w-i weren’t all that good for eating.  But I’m still tracking - both points and calories - and I do see my calorie intake is mostly lower than it had been pre-ww, so that’s a good thing.  I’m still struggling with planning, but I just have to keep at it.

This past weekend I purchased my fitness class punchcard (the 2 classes per week quantity) and went to a Zumba class.  I forget how fun the class is - I just love the music!  The weather hasn’t motivated me to want to leave the house much this week - I’ve just had enough of this winter weather! - but I might go to a class tomorrow night.  I have to download the class schedule for the spring session. 

Next week I have my annual physical, so it’ll be nice to have a weight loss when I get on the scale at the doc’s office.  Though I’ve been taking my my bp med faithfully each day, I’m not sure how my bp has been.  Since my last doc appt back in Sept, I’ve known that the bp software no longer works on our computer and that ticked me off and discouraged me from taking regular readings (knowing the data couldn’t be uploaded to the computer).  But I suppose a week’s worth of readings will be better than nothing, so I will try to get back into the routine, and jot down the readings in a little notebook I placed by my bp machine.

Since my last post I:

-Went to my first WW @ work meeting.  I haven’t belonged to WW since well before the points system began.  Counting points is “interesting”.  Apparently WW really has it in for anything “bready”??!!  That made me quite grumpy.  Anyway, I loaded up on fruits and veggies at the market to take advantage of zero point fruits and veggies.  I’ve been eating less this past week, even on the weekends!  This morning the scale reflected a number I haven’t seen in many years, and I’m in a new decade to boot. 

-Had the 2nd weigh-in for the weight loss contest at work.  It fell four days after my first WW meeting,  I didn’t eat before the 11 am WI, and I was was wearing less clothing (no cardigan), so I had a nice loss and didn’t have to pay the gainer’s penalty fee. 

-I finally got some formal exercise.  I went to the gym yesterday and did about 20 min. on the treadmill and 15 on the recumbent bike.  Gosh was it boring.  I have about two weeks before the spring session at the park district starts and I can go back to those classes.

-Decided I don’t think the gym is working for me and will register for classes once again.  The spring session starts 3/18 and for some reason they now allow the class passport to be used starting one week before the session actually begins.  That’s 3/11, or next week!  I’m going to get a passport and also register for a kettlebell class that starts in April. 

That’s about it for me. 

Having a hard time this week.  Why do I let junky food into the house?  And combined with a long weekend in which I totally fell off tracking my eating…not good.  Scale is up the past few days.  I wish it were just all the sodium, and the fact that it’s TOM week for me.  But I doubt it.  We’ll see if there’s a woosh somewhere down the line. 

So I got back to tracking yesterday, but ate junk when I got home from work.  Logged it all.  Tracking again today.  Planned work lunch and snacks today.  Resisted the temptation to stop and buy a brownie on the way to work this morning.  Well, I didn’t really resist it.  I just happened to have no cash in my wallet and wasn’t about to whip out the debit card for a $3 purchase.  Whatever - I didn’t buy it, so yay for me. 

The ww at work informational meeting is this Friday.  I will attend and likely register.  I sure need it right about now!! 

Still not exercising.  I’m being dumb because I really don’t feel very good physically and I attribute it to lack of exercise.  I don’t have the same energy level, my mood is kind of crummy (not that this winter weather is helping), and my body just feels old and creaky.  It doesn’t help that I’m still having a bit of back pain from when I threw it out coughing.  And yesterday I slipped several times and fell once on what I thought was just a harmless dusting of snow on the pavement.  Pulled my “problem” hamstring.  Bleh.

Last night I looked over the park district catalog for the spring session (starts mid-March).  They just added a kettle bell workout.  Sunday mornings!!!  I think it’s only six sessions, but it’s kind of pricey to me - per class price comes out to about $15.  But I like that it sparked my interest.  And I find that when I pay for classes, I usually won’t skip them.  So I might just go ahead and register for that class before I overthink it all. 

My weight remains steady, thought it’s up a pound after a weekend getaway with a few friends.  There wasn’t any snacking and only a couple drinks, but the meals were a bit heavy.  Back to the weekday workday routine. 

Still not back to exercise.  This week it’s going to happen!!  To they gym I go. 

At work there’s a weight loss competition going, and I joined that.  Started Feb. 1st, ends May 1st.  There are monthly weigh-ins and there’s a monetary penalty if there’s a gain!  My employer is also sponsoring WW at work, and I expressed interest in that.  There will be an informational meeting and if enough people register, it’s a go.  The fees are supposedly discounted and my employer will also reimburse half of the cost if we attend most of the meetings.  I think the contest and WW will help me focus and get moving with additional weight loss. 

I had a postive result for a recent test done at a doctor appointment, so now I have to take follow-up action - another appointment to make. Bleh. 

That’s about it for me.  I think I’ve got the winter doldrums.  Only 4 weeks until daylight savings time begins, and about 6 until spring’s official start.  Around mid-March I’ll probably go to the annual flower/garden show to give myself a shot of early springtime.

So my back is feeling much better now after throwing it out while coughing last week.  I still have a wee bit of nasal/chest congestion, but it’s getting better.  Last Friday my train commute home got held up for an hour by a grade crossing accident - car vs. train is never a good thing. 

And then on Saturday night, I felt a wee bit chilly and checked the thermostat.  Turns out the furnace had stopped working!  That’s fixed as of today (we had another company at the house yesterday morning, but what they wanted was essentially highway robbery - they must have marked the needed part up by 300% or so-  so we called on someone recommended by a friend).  Thank goodness the weather was mild these past few days!  We got by pretty well with space heaters and our beloved heated mattress pad. 

Anyway, I don’t know what kind of hex was placed on me in the 2nd half of January, but I’m ready for a new start. 

One good thing, the scale showed me down another pound this morning.  And that’s with no exercise for over two weeks, and not doing very well on the eating either.  Time to get back to a routine after all this weirdness.

Wow, the past week has been a challenge.  I got the flu last week and was home from work Tues-Fri.  Chills, body aches, fever - it was pretty awful.  But by the weekend, all that was gone, and yesterday morning, I was substantially bettter.  But - I do have some chest congestion, and so as I readied myself for work yesterday morning, I was coughing and actually wrenched my back - ouch.  Yesterday morning was very uncomfortable, but I’ve been wearing heat patches and/or using a heating pad, so it’s feeling better today. 

It’s times like this that make me appreciate being (usually) in good health. 

Back to work.  I’ve been having that “I can’t believe I’ll have to work full weeks now” feeling.  Get over it, self.  Next holiday:  President’s Day, 45 more days.

I ended up with a one-pound gain from the holidays.  Not too bad. 

Back to tracking my eating.  If I were to look back at last year, this would be a success for me.  Knowing it had worked for me in the past, I still resented it and resisted doing it.  But I made myseld do it and it’s finally gotten easier. 

Back to brown-bagging work lunches and snacks.  Another success.  The snacks, yes, I’d gotten on board with that earlier in the year.  But right at the end of August I finally got myself to bring lunch to work and I’ve been doing it ever since.  This year, I’ll try to be better at it.  Keep lunch and snack foods well-stocked at home.  Assemble everything the night before.  Try new foods to keep things interesting.  Add high volume, lower calorie foods to help fill me up. 

Two more exercise classes to finish my fitness punchcard.  Yeh, I’m boring even myself with this countdown.  After that, it’ll just be me and the gym.  Will I have the self-discipline to get myself there and to push/challenge myself to do good workouts?