ReNewMe

Midweek Thoughts

Posted renewme on March 11th, 2009 | Filed under General | 1 Comment »

Doing well on plan this week.  Have tracked everything so far.  All 2 days! 

Even though I didn’t really want to I got out and walked through the neighborhood after the boys got on the bus yesterday morning.  It was only for about 25 min. and I figure about 1 activity point, but it’s more than I have been doing. 

Today it is sunny but much colder, and I don’t want to go walk!  I want spring!  Maybe I will dust off a workout dvd to do instead.

Kids are on spring break next week.  We will be spending a few days in hometown.  Will I be able to stay on track?  I need a plan because we will be staying at my parents and my mother is notorious for  having junk on hand.

Our house is much lighter today because we spent the weekend working with the kiddos on cleaning out their rooms.   A lot of stuff went into the trash, but some is in the basement now awaiting the neighborhood garage sale.  It amazing how much more willing my kids are to part with their possessions if the promise of money it attached! :)  Now I need to go through my own room……and the office…..and eventually the basement storage.  There are some boxes of things from when we moved 1 1/2 years ago that have never been unpacked.

We have so much stuff!  I’ve been feeling the need to simplify.  I spend so much time shuffling papers and toys and other things around this house.  And so much of it hardly ever gets used. 

I’ve felt a longing or desire recently to help those less fortunate, not only those in the US in situations because of the economy, but in other countries where things are so much worse.  It breaks my heart to think of it.  That’s one reason I’ve decided that once I reach my WW lifetime goal and can attend for free, I’m going to take the fee I’ve been paying and sponor a child through an organization such as World Vision or Compassion International. 

So Much for Progress….

Posted renewme on March 9th, 2009 | Filed under General | Comment now »

One week is all I could pull off before lapsing and going off plan.  I didn’t go completely off, just didn’t record what I ate after about Wed of last week.  I didn’t think I overdid it, but the scale was not friendly this morning.  I had a  1.4 lb gain, which was exactly what I’d lost last week, so 2 weeks of work and nothing to show for it.

I know part of the problem is not exercising, but I am so unmotivated to do it, even though I know I need to. I’m bored with all the videos I have.  Don’t have a gym membership, and I’m not sure I’d use one if I did. I hate the weather.  I want spring and I want it to stay!!!!!! No more 70’s one day and 20’s the next!!!!! 

Enough wining, back to life, or at least trying to cope.

It’s been a long time

Posted renewme on March 2nd, 2009 | Filed under General | Comment now »

 Last post was the day the kids went back to school after the new year!  I have not kept up with my new year resolve.  I had not been tracking any food or what I did track was not regularly so I didn’t really know what I was truly eating.  It worked for a while, as I maintained and even lost a little bit at times.  However, somewhere it started to get out of control and I started to eat things even when I knew I shouldn’t, and more of it.  That led to gaining about 5 lbs. over the past month or 2.  I seriously considered quitting weight watchers.  I went so far as looking it up on the site and only needing to click on one more thing to end my subscription, but in the end I did not.  I decided though that if i continued, I needed to follow the program.  After all, when I follow the program the way it suppposed to be done, I’ve lost.  So, last week I recommited to doing weight watchers.  It helped me lose 35 lbs over the last year and a half.  Actually, 32 now, since the 5 lb gain, I’m working my way back down to my lowest.  I weighed in today at 176.6, -1.4 from last week.    I’d love to reach my goal and not have to pay the $40 a month to WW!  I’ve decided that when I do reach my goal, I’m going to take that $40 a month that I’ve worked into my budget and sponsor a child through World Vision or Compassion International.  It’s something I’ve thought of doing for a while now.

I am so ready for spring.  We got a taste of it last week with several days of 60-70 degree temps.  Winter returned over the weekend though with much colder temps and several inches of snow.  At least the kids had fun playing outside and building a snow fort.  I’m looking forward to more spring like temps by mid week! 

New Year, new resolve

Posted renewme on January 6th, 2009 | Filed under General | Comment now »

It is so quiet here today!  The kiddos went back to school this morning.  After 2 weeks of celebrating, first Christamas, then New Years, then oldest ds 11th Bday, things can begin to get back to normal.  We had company for most of last week.  First my parents and my sister and her family.  There were 7 extra people in the house.  It was hectic but fun.  We were a rowdy bunch New Years Eve, and everyone, ages ranging from 4-61 stayed up until midnight to celebrate the New Year!  They all left by Friday, and then on Saturday dh’s parents came.  We had a late Christmas celebration with dh family and also a birthday party for ds.  They left on Sunday afternoon.  So, now it’s time to start putting away the deco. until next year. 

Another year gone by.  A new one has begun.  I was thinking back over my weight loss for the year.  I could get discouraged because I never did reach my goal of getting to goal before the end of 2008.  At the same time though, I’m still (or was before Christmas) 35 pounds lighter than I was when I started my weight watchers journey, just over a year ago, in Nov 2007.  I have made many changes for the better, and while I still slip up and don’t always do what I need to, overall I’m in a much better place than I was.  I went to my doctor for a physical and he was very pleased with what I’ve done.  He said I was much healthier than I was the last time I had a physical.  All blood work was good too.  The last time my glucose levels were borderline and he’s sent me to see an edocrinologist.  I asked him what weight he thought I should be at and he said he thought if I lost about 10 more lbs…..I think I want to go a bit lower, but we’ll see how it goes from here.  I’ve pretty much been the same for a few months.  That’s more because I haven’t been doing everything on the plan.  I haven’t tracked anything since Thanksgiving, and I haven’t been exercising.  So, with the new year I’m going to get back on track.  I need to start tracking everyday again and I need to get back to exercising.  I missed last weeks WW meeting, but will go this Friday.  I was up 1.4 the last time I went and I’m sure it’s even a bit more than that now.  I need to go face the number and go from there.  I’ll have lots of company I’m sure, as many will be joining as part of a new year resolution.  Our leader said the last time I want not to come in at the last minute after the first of the year or we wouldn’t have a seat! 

Success comes in cans, failure in can’ts.

Posted renewme on November 12th, 2008 | Filed under General | Comment now »

The quote in the title came from my ww leader at the meeting last Friday.  I like it.  I have to believe I can do this.  I’m over halfway there.  I managed to achieve a 32 lb loss, I CAN finish what I started!  We went out of town this past weekend to surprise my mom for her 60th Bday.  Had fun with the family.  I enjoyed what I wanted food wise, but did not really overdo it.  I did lose at the weigh in on Friday, so I’m back to an even 32 lbs lost, at 176.8 lbs.  I did exercise a couple of times since my last post, but need to do more.  I got the 30 day shred back out and have done that a couple times.  i love it cause its only about 20 minutes, but I feel like I worked hard the whole time, not like some videos where I can work for 45+ min and hardly break a sweat.  I have not been tracking points, but have been very conscious of what I’m eating and not overdoing it.  So, I’m not completely back on track, but on track enough to see some success.  I know I would see even more, if I did more though…..

On the drive home this weekend dh suggested trying to make a meal plan for the week to pass the time.  He asked what happened to all the new recipes I’d been making.  I hadn’t thought about it, but I had fallen back on making things I’d made alot preWW.  Their not all necessarily bad, but it was usually someting that I would be able to throw together really quick with what I had in the house, because I hadn’t planned ahead and had the ingredients in the house…Like spaghetti, tacos, hamburgers.  So, I’m going to sit down today and plan healthy dinners for our family.  It’s a gift I can give myself and my family at the same time.  I want my kids to know a different way of eating than I grew up with.  I don’t want them to have to learn it when they are grown, and struggling like I have for so many years. 

I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!

Posted renewme on November 5th, 2008 | Filed under General | 1 Comment »

My weight loss efforts the past few weeks have been pathetic  I went back to ww after having missed several weeks, and  on 10/24 had a 2.2 lb gain.  Last week, on 10/31 I manages .4 lb loss.  So far this week, I don’t think I have lost anything.  Halloween candy………need I say more?  I don’t know why I kept eating it, I just did even though, I was thinking I really shouldn’t even as I ate it…….Good thing is that there is no more in the house……..no I did not eat it all, but decided it need to disappear, or I would eat it all.  I purchased what was left of the candy my sons had received from trick or treating from them, then sent it all to work with dh.  Sons are happy because now they have money to put towards some legos they want.  I’m happy because it’s not around here tempting me all day, and in the long run, it may even save us a few bucks in dental bills! 

I have not been getting in any physical activity.  I need to do it first thing in the morning, otherwise other things end up getting in the way, and before I know it, it’s bedtime, and I haven’t exercised.  Still thinking about getting a treadmill.  Have been going back and forth about whether or not I should for over a year now.   Can’t accuse me of making a snap decision there!

Still have not been keeping track of ww points very well.  I don’t know, what’s going on, just in a bit of a rut weightloss wise that I can’t seem to pick myself up out of lately. 

On my way back….

Posted renewme on October 23rd, 2008 | Filed under General | Comment now »

Went for a walk/jog this morning.  Day 2 of my 3rd or 4th attempt at the C25K!  I’m thinking I might get to a WW meeting tomorrow morning.  I’ll have to wait and see how dd is doing.  I picked her up from school ’cause she wasn’t feeling well.  Luckily, they only had a half day, so she didn’t miss much.  They have a half day again tomorrow, so if she goes, I’ll try to get to the meeting.  If not, I may see if I can get her in to see the doc.  If I don’t make it tomorrow, maybe I can do it Sat. morning. 

It was windy and chilly this morning.  Made me think of how I’m going to keep up exercising when the weather gets real cold again.  Keep thinking of buying a treadmill, probably for at least a year now, but just haven’t done it.  I have quite a few videos, but I get tired of those real quick.  I like to think if I had a treadmill, I could watch dvds of movies/ tv shows to keep boredom at bay.  That’s my problem, I get bored really easy when exercising inside.  If I’m outside, I listen to my ipod, and the scenery changes as I go….

I haven’t weighed in a few days.  I had dh hide the scale about a month ago, but I found it the other day on accident.  He’ll have to hide it again, only better this time.  Last time I got on, I was up a little bit.  I hate going to WW and seeing a gain, but I’m going to have to, and get back on track.  I’m paying for it afterall I might as well utilize the program……..

Motivationless

Posted renewme on October 22nd, 2008 | Filed under General | Comment now »

It’s been a month since my last post.  That’s partlly because I have not been doing what I need to do and I’ve been avoiding coming here to admit it.  But I’m here now and admitting it.  I have not been exercising, at least not the way I need to be.  I’ve been going on a walk/jog about once a week for the past couple of weeks.  I was trying to start the C25K program, but I start over every week, on day 1, and never do it again that week.  Other than that I haven’t been doing much extra moving at all.  Have not been tracking my food for several weeks now either, and have skipped my WW meeting for 2 weeks in a row now, almost 3 because I can still go this week if I want to suck it up and face the scale, and my own rebellion over the past few weeks.  I really should go, after all I have the monthly pass, and pay $40 a month whether I go or not, so if I don’t I’m basically giving that money to WW.  I have not even been using the online tools recently.  There are other things I could be spending that on, if I’m not going to utilize the program…….

It’s too late to cancel my membership for this month, so I hope I can get myself jump started in the next week or two, if not I need to cancel and try something different. 

Discouraged, but not giving up

Posted renewme on September 23rd, 2008 | Filed under General | Comment now »

Ok, went to the ww meeting today, thinking I’d had a pretty good week.  Only to find I only lost .2 lbs!  Come on!  I walked every day!  And I jogged/ walked on 3 of the days for the first week of C25K!  I just felt really discouraged, but am not going to dwell on it.  I was looking at my online tracker, and I realized a “mistake” i may have made.  I put in all my activity points in the tracker, and apparently it automatically counts them in your daily points total.  I thought i had flex points left over, but because of the amount of activity, I actually ate quite a bit more than I had been.  In the past I had not been keeping very good track of my activity on line.  I was thinking since I had increased activity, and had flex points left, I’d have a great weigh in.  But since I put in the activity points, it really did not translate to that.  I think this week I will keep track of my activity, but not record it on line.  That will help decrease the amount I’m actually take in and hopefully, translate to lower numbers on the scale.  I’m not looking at it as failure, but as feedback!  That’s what the leader likes to say anyhow.  Even though I only lost .2, I am at my lowest weight since starting weight watchers and in a very long time.  Yeah 177!

One Month to Live

Posted renewme on September 22nd, 2008 | Filed under General | Comment now »

Our church started a small group series based on a book called One month to live.  I think it is going to be interesting.  It’s based on the premise that, if you were to find out today that you only had  one month to live, what would you do differently than you are now?  What would you add to your daily routine or activities.  Is there anything you would stop doing?  Obviously most of us are going to have much longer than one month to live, and some things cannot be totally done away with, but I think it will encourage us to look at what exactly are our priorities and what we want to do with our life to leave a lasting legacy.   There are a number of things that I’ve thought of that I would like to change so far.  Number one is that our family spends way too much time on the computer or watching TV.  I would like to cut way back ont the amount of time doing this.  In the past, we have done TV turnoff weeks, and have even gone for a month.  I don’t know if completely eliminating it is what we should do right now, or put time restrictions on it.  I do know, that if I had 30 days to live I wouldn’t want to spend it staring at the TV or computer screen.  I’ll have to bring it up with dh and see what he things or is willing to agree to, since it is football season now.  Another thing i think I’d do differently is to spend more time with dh, just the 2 of us, like dating again.  So often, by the time all the kids are in bed, dh falls asleep right after, and we haven’t had anytime to connect at all.  It’s been dealing with the kids and their activities.  Or something else comes up, and we don’t talk about anything that doesn’t have to do with the kids, or the house or cars or bills.  I told dh a few weeks ago that we were going to see a movie this friday night, called FireProof.   I’ve been looking forward to it, and now dd comes home and says here friend is having a sleep over birthday that night, so now our built in babysitter is gone.  I know we can just go another day, but it seems like something always comes up.  Another thing I’d like to change is the line of communication with my out of town family.  I found out over the weekend that my nephew had eye surgery last wednesday and nobody even told me!  My family has never been good at communicating.  I’m going to try to communicate better with my parents and with my brothers and sister. 

Ok enough about the one month to live……I went to a local park I’d never been to and did day 3 of the C25K.  It had a really nice path.  I noticed quite a few leaves turning, and a number on the ground.  It is the 1st day of Fall today!  I love this time of year!  I liked this path better than the other one I’d been going to.  It’s much longer and more winding and more trees.  The only thing is, it was more secluded.  I felt a little uneasy at times.  I’m probably just paranoid, but I was thinking what would I do, if someone attacked me and nobody was around.  I probably need to get something if I’m going to be out jogging by myself like that for protection.  Tomorrow will be weigh in day.  I lost my negative thoughts string.  I had it tied to a kitchen cabinet knob, but apparently someone took it off and threw it away.  So I’ll have to make a new one and cut it down.  I got on the scale over the weekend, and it hadn’t moved since the last weigh in and I was thinking to myself.  Why?  I’ve been working so hard, I’m never going to be able to make it to goal!  I realized how negative I was so often after getting on the home scale, so I picked it up and took it to dh and told him to hide it somewhere.  Now, I can no longer torture myself between weigh ins!  And I’ll have to cut another inch from my string when I make the new one, but at least I’ve turned the negative into a positive.