Leben Alles - Totally LOVE the Samuel L. Jackson image. Yep. Just got to nut up and find some willpower sometimes!
I had a terrible, awful, off-plan day yesterday. Wasn't completely out of control like some of my holiday-related days, but I did have several partial cookies and several partial pastries during the day. Then, for good measure, I had some tortilla chips with cheese for dinner. And I am up TWO pounds. I know that I didn't put on two pounds of fat. Blah. blah. blah. But it's still gross.
So, back on plan for me. And lesson learned. No-sleep nights (okay - I admit I took a two-hour office nap on my cold, hard floor ;-)) don't pair well with days where I need high willpower. But I think I'm pretty well caught up at work, as long as I stay highly productive and nothing new comes up. So I will (hopefully) be able to add regular sleep to my weight loss arsenal.
So, today is a re-do of Day 13. No sugar. No chips. Lifting day. And highly productive work day so I don't get behind again and can actually enjoy some decent sleep. =)
Because you are right, my friend Leben Alles. It is just about keeping on keeping on some times. And no way am I going to tell the story next year, "Last year, I lost almost seventy pounds and was almost to Onederland, but they had some really great pastries and cookies at work on February 6, and after indulging in those and gaining some carb-related water weight, I decided I just couldn't do it anymore." Cuz how lame would that be?
Do you mind if I join you here? I made a one year commitment to myself on January first to spend the year improving my health. So far I am down ten pounds and up to twelve miles per week on the treadmill.
Leben~ That is a focus of mine currently, trying to find those substitutes for salt and sodium. Especially since my husband has cardiac issues at such a young age, it's even more important for me to find ways around sodium in our food! I love what you said about having Samuel L Jackson in your head, I always have my former, fitter self screaming at me, more like 'You've been so close to your goal, kicking a** left and right, there's no reason you can't now, suck it up and do it!!!' As far as programs for you, I started with WW waaaay back when I was at my highest weight and I really enjoyed it, I still use a LOT of the tools I learned then with my lifestyle now, and I use MFP now.
Laurie~ I hear you on the 'off' day, I had quite the similar day today and now I feel all crappy. But hey, you did the right thing and got right back on track, and just like you said, you don't want to come back and see how close you were to Onederland and let your temptations take the best of you! I am constantly reminding myself of that with my slip ups.
Traci~ Welcome Traci!!! You should certainly join up with us! I had to recommit as well in January, and congrats on your loss of ten pounds and being up to twelve miles on the treadmill, that is great for a little over a month!
Day 38 of 365
This week has just been so crazy at work and I have been beyond tired every day I get off. I am looking forward to when things start getting back to the norm for a while, but I am adjusting quickly to the changes. The biggest thing now is I HAVE to carve out set times for my exercises, because I have let all of this stuff derail me from my exercise since I am beyond worn down by the time I get home. It's going to be hard but I am going to start getting up earlier in the morning to go ahead and exercise before work, so that way there are not any reasons for me to not be taking care of myself. I have a feeling it will also help with my overall energy for the day too. So early morning workouts begin tomorrow, I need all the motivation in the world but I know once it becomes a habit, I will be good to go!
I guess this is day 196 out of 365. I am sure I will sign up for another year once I reach 365. This will have to be a lifetime commitment.
I am so sorry to be absent for so long ladies. I have been in a funk. I think I am getting a bit burned out. Sick of being on plan. Life has gotten in the way of my exercise. I have not been as focused at staying under my goal. I have not gone over by much but enough to stay around 215. I had a box of junior mints yesterday (I stayed under goal). I have just lost my drive and focus.
I think I may have found something to get me going. I am not usually competative. A friend of mine moved to Florida this summer. She posted pictures of her weight loss after I came out on Facebook. Which is good I think it gave her courage to show her accomplishment. Now she looks great. I want to look that great too. I am looking good but not that thin. Soooo Now I might have a competative thing going too. Strange but I did get a bit jealous. I need Samuel L Jackson Yelling in my ear to get my butt in gear too.
I have one NSV to share. I bought XL shirts this week. All my old ones are 2X an 3X. Ok to exercise in but not wear out. I found several for $5 at Wallyworld. It was nice to shop in the regular section and not the big girls side.
My DH has started going to the gym. I hope this lasts. He started Activtrax throught the Y. So he is lifting and doing a bit of cardio. He needs to lose 50lbs at least. He is not doing much diet wise but I am serving healthier dinner and lunches. I am happy about this.
LaurieDawn is this the same guy you have been dating? You are so close ot Onderland. I am so excited for you.
Sugar is my demon more than chocolate. Twizzler were my downfall. I could eat a whole family size bag. I looked later and saw it has 1500 calories in the whole bag. Gag.
Pink Hurricane Salt is really hard to reduce. I find I am good when I cook at home but if we go out I am over my goal. I use MFP to track salt and try to keep it under 2500. I really feel it in my fingers when I don't keep it under control and know I am up on the scale. Water is the only thing I found to flush it out. Its funny I check my rings throught the day to see how I am doing as far as water intake. Tight need more loose doing fine.
Traci - Good to see you here! I remember you from when I lost a lot of weight before. I love that we're in it together again! Cuz we haven't failed until we've given up, and neither of us are doing that!
Lisha - I totally know what you mean about the funk. I keep thinking I am getting beyond it, and then get sucked back in again. And I am TOTALLY competitive. I try not to do it in an obnoxious way, but if I see someone next to me on the treadmill, and she is going 0.2 mph faster than me, or whatever, you better believe I am casually cranking mine up. ;-) I think it is helpful for me. And yep - same guy I've been seeing. It's turned into kind of an up-and-down thing, but I actually really like him, and it's still kinda fun, so I'm sticking with it until it either gets back to what it used to be or I decide I am ready to take the plunge and starting looking again. =)
Pink - That exercise time is critical for me, too. I have tried early mornings, though, and it makes me tired and cranky because I can't make myself go to bed at night. Good for you for knowing what works for you and taking it on! I'm excited to hear from you about how well your first session went this morning.
Day 13 again! And this will be the best day ever! I did really well yesterday, only to binge when I got home. =( Not a binge. I am happy to report that I don't eat the same tremendous amounts I used to. But way more than I needed. Three freezer waffles, some chips with cheese, some Lucky Charms. For dinner. But that's in the past. So...
Day 13 (take 3!) - No sugar. No chips. Lifting session (which I also skipped yesterday). It will be the Best. Day. Ever! I am seeing my guy today for his birthday, and it really does help me to stay on track. He thinks it's weird that I seldom eat with him, but he doesn't complain. Habit = good. I WILL make it through Day 13 today fo shu.
Laurie Dawn I remember you too! Seems so odd to me to read posts here with no wisdom from rockin robin or Trazey. Hope they are thin and well!
Slumps are so hard. Maintaining motivation is my biggest challenge. That's why I committed to a full year. I'm just going to do it!
So down another pound today. The handiest thing about being a dialysis nurse is a perfectly accurate scale! Out for Mexican tonight with my husband and about 300 calories over my usual but I haven't been off plan once in ten days so I'm ok with that. Plenty of time this weekend to burn it off!
Thanks for welcoming me here. It's good to be back!
I would like to join your group I started my life change on January 15 and and joined this website on February 6th - I love reading everyones stories it's very motivating.
I'm down 15 lbs so far. I'd like my goal to be at least 10 lbs a month but I know that might be a lofty goal in reality.
Traci - I know exactly what you mean! Trazey is still around - she doesn't post a lot, but her humor and success inspiration is ALWAYS welcome. Robin is not around, though. I had heard she had some sort of fall-out with the admins. Who knows, though? I am spreading an unsubstantiated rumor here. But I totally, totally relied on her the first time. This time, though, I have relied largely on the group found here. It's a great one. Though I wish Angie would start posting here again to complement the amazing group who still posts here!
KittieKat - Lovely to have you here. And you're totally right about the marathon thing. That's my biggest problem lately. I want to sprint down to the end. But with 60 pounds or so to go, that would be an unhealthy thing to try to do.
Day 13 (Friday) was super successful. Had two rough days in a row after that, though. So, going to start a brand new challenge. Maybe re-set my mind. Now, I won't fall into the "I've been doing this challenge for so long, and this is my reward" trap. Blah blah blah.
14 day sugar-free challenge. Same rules. Same motivation.
But I want to post very quickly why it's so important to get the weight off. Just because I think that will help me stay on plan.
Reason 1 - I am job hunting. Skinny people find better jobs at better pay. I won't be "skinny" any time soon, but those under 200 pounds have it easier than those over 200 pounds. I will be in that first group!
Reason 2 - I am going on vacation with my son this summer. He wants to go hiking, snorkeling, etc. I want to maintain and increase my fitness levels so I can keep up with an athletic 17YO boy.
Reason 3 - I am dating again after a recent divorce. And though I have found a nice guy whose company I am enjoying, it doesn't seem like he's interested in anything long-term (despite initial suggestions that he might be). I want to feel like I have good options if he dumps me, or if I decide that I need someone more interested in a long-term commitment and I dump him.
Reason 4 - I feel SO MUCH BETTER when I am on plan.
Reason 5 - I love the compliments I get. And I deserve to keep getting them.
Okay.
Day #1 of my 14 day challenge starts after a few hours of rest. No sugar. No chips. No stupid stuff. Weigh in in the morning, then not again for seven days.
Lishar~ I am glad you are back! Also good to hear that your husband has started going to the gym, I'm glad he is taking his health into his hands too. I understand what you mean about feeling burned out, it's a tough thing to deal with but it happens. Also thank you for the advice about the sodium, and noticing it in your hands, I never realized that's why my fingers would swell and my rings would be tighter! That's a good way to measure it for sure. Congrats on your NSV too! I love when you can physically see the change in your clothing sizes!
Traci~ Hope the mexican with your hubby was delicious! Also congrats for losing another pound!!! Get it girl!
KittieKat~ WOW congrats on the 15lb loss! Welcome to the group, we are happy to have you here! Just stick with your plan and stay consistent, you will have off days but you can do this, just like you said, it's a marathon and not a sprint, I apply that mentality with weight loss and while getting my degree!
Laurie~ Well that first workout in the morning was TOUGH, but I made it through regardless haha. It's going to be harder than I thought, but it made a big difference in how the rest of my day played out, which was nice. Nice job on staying healthy and keeping things moving the past few days! I love the reasons you listed for losing weight and becoming healthier, I should do the same! I always look forward to chatting with you on here, you are a big inspiration to me.
Day 42 of 365
Figured out a huge culprit in my slow and stalling weight loss, aside from the extra sodium, I was underestimating my calories!!! I did the numbers this weekend and was all when I saw that! It wasn't a huge amount daily, but I was probably eating 800-100 calories extra PER WEEK! No wonder I have been having so much trouble!!! So anyways, now I am measuring the correct way and double checking labels and all that jazz. I will eventually invest in a food scale to help too. Now that I have that problem in check, I should be able to see a more consistent loss over time.
Taking up Laurie's idea for listing reasons to get healthier!
1~ For myself, I feel much better about myself physically, mentally, and spiritually when I am healthier, and that radiates in a lot of aspects in my life
2~ I want to be a healthy wife for my husband, he loves me the way I am, but I want to be an even better wife, and really taking care of myself the way I should! And it wouldn't hurt to be hotter and sexier.
3~ I want to be healthy enough to have children when the time comes, that is my biggest fear right now seeing as how at this weight it would be hard, and I would love to be a great role model for them as they got older!
4~ My husband and I are taking our honeymoon this summer, and it would be great to feel and look good in a flattering swimsuit and to be able to hike up the volcano with him! (it's a dormant volcano, but still awesome!)
5~ My health, I cannot stress enough, my health is super important.
6~ For my sister's wedding in November, I want to be able to wear that dress with confidence!
Welcome to the new people, glad to have you! It was good to catch up with everyone's weekend and good to hear from you, Lishar. Now if Angie would just wander back in.
So, confession time. While I was sick (including that weekend that I ate half a king cake) I gained a good 8.5 pounds...some of which was water weight, but yeah, terrible. I just hadn't been able to nail being on RFL for a few days then being off of it for a few and not going nuts. So anyways, on Wednesday, I started day one of three days of RFL. That ended on Friday and I was down 5 of those lbs. This weekend I didnt do RFL but I actually stayed low carb, had a meal out, and didn't go nuts for once! I actually lost two more lbs over the weekend! So now I'm at 240.8 and have one more to lose before I'm back to my lowest so far. I'm doing five days of RFL this week (i bought a delicious new low carb protein powder that is helping a lot) since it's the week before the party and should be able to knock some pounds out. I went shopping over the weekend and bought a very snug pair of size 16 dress pants that I hope to easily fit into soon, and three dresses, two that were 14W and one that was a 16W, and they all fit great. (that W really helps). So I'm THRILLED.
Lastly, and scuze all my rambling, but I picked up the book "Practical Paleo" by Diane Sanfilippo and decided that in two weeks I'm going to try one of her 30 day meal plans. I've really found that for me, changing up my weight loss method every 20 or so pounds really keeps me motivated. I get 'squirreled' a lot so I have to find things that keep me interested. Starting with WW gave me the tools I need to get in the game, then MFP helped me look at calories, then RFL helped me focus on whole foods, and Paleo will hopefully bring it all together. I'll definitely be letting you guys know how it goes. My partner is doing it with me, so I'm definitely pumped.
Sorry for the long post...and hey, Hang in there everybody. I know it's really tough sometimes, and we falter, and that's okay. But each of us here knows that it's worth it, deep down. That the benefits of riding this out far outweigh the costs. Sometimes you might need a step back or a change in plan to help remind you of that, but it's always the truth, you know?
Besides, Samuel says GIVING UP IS NOT IN YOUR VOCABULARY, YOU UNDERSTAND ME? followed by some words that I won't type here.
I love having Samuel L Jackson in my head giving my inner voice a yell over. You know that inner voice that says stop you are tired, it hurts too much you can stop now, or a little piece wont' be so bad. You know that voice. I think he would say "Stopping is not an option MF" or something like that. I have been saying "I am strong, I am strong" as a mantra to keep going.
I am down again now that I am staying on plan. 213.6 today so its moving closer to onederland. I would really like to fit in my size 16 pants before going on my trip. I know fitting into the 14's is just crazy thinking. LOL.
LebenAlles good luck with your change in diet. I have read that its normal to balloon up after a LCD.
I have been trying to eat a bit above my BMR and not eating back exercise calories. I just eat the same every day and it all evens out for the week. I used a calculator to figure out my TDEE and took between 20-30% off of that. Its above my BMR so its all good. I eat about 1700 calories a day. Its slowly coming off. I read about this on MFP in a group called In place of a road map. I should eat a bit more but I figure I have more to lose than most of the people there. KWIM.
Pink Huricane- Glad to help. Yes sodium is a *****. Good job on the exercise especially when it kicks your butt.
Hey ladies! Can't tell you how much I enjoy reading your posts!
Laurie - Sad to hear Robin isn't here anymore. She was such a positive force on this forum. Glad to hear Trazey is still around tho.
So we went out for supper Saturday night to celebrate Valentines since we won't be together. Long story just a little bit shorter... MIL had her knee replaced this am. She called Saturday morning and was a wreck. Not sure how to arrange P T or home health and not feeling like she could ask her friends for all the help she may need. So I'm off to Georgia Thursday morning to get her home from the hospital and settled into a routine.
So two meals out and my period started but I got eight miles on the treadmill so I managed to stay at the same weight and that's huge for me. Did a little shopping in my closet and was amazed at what fits again already.
Leben~ Getting sick or injured always gives me a lot of problems, but you were so right to get back in the habit and start dropping the excess so major cudos to you!! Also that is awesome about getting the snug 16s and the three dresses, that is a great NSV and awesome motivation! Keep doing you, and you are right, we are doing this!!! And yay for Mr. Jackson being there, I heard him this morning too haha!
Lishar~ I am working to do the same as far as making sure to stay in my BMR and TDEE range and not eating back exercise calories. I think by doing that you should be able to see more drops too. I am hoping for the same!
Traci~ Sorry to hear about your MIL but I hope she can start having a great recovery since you will be helping her! Also WOW for doing 8 miles on the treadmill, keep that up woman!
Day 44 of 365
Pushing through today pretty well, I've been trying out the working out in the morning stuff this week and it's hard as **** but definitely worth it! I have put so much more focus into nutrition to make sure I am getting the right measurements and not going overboard and also not eating back exercise calories. I do not have to worry food wise about tomorrow since DH and I are going to have our date on Saturday, and I am going to check the menu beforehand to see what I can eat and be satisfied and still enjoy our date! Maybe even have a little room in my calories for a yummy drink
I set an exercise goal for myself which seems very doable, that's to work out hard for 5 days a week (combos of strength and cardio) then rest 2 days a week or rest for one and light exercise for one. That way I have more of an option to work around this crazy schedule and make my weight loss and healthier lifestyle happen no matter what.
Gonna be really quick this afternoon cuz I am at work and on "quota time." ;-)
For some reason, I just can't get and stay on track. I'm at 208.6 - right where I was on New Year's Day. And I'm going to try and say Woo hoo! Yay for maintenance and mean it. But I have got to get below 200. So, instead of trying to string days together, I am now going to try to do day-by-day white knuckling. At least for a few days. Until I really and truly feel on track.
Love this place. Love that I am still focused on weight loss, even if it's not what I envisioned it to be.
Laurie - I never pop in here but I wanted to tell you that you're doing great! White-knuckling it can usually get you right back on track so I think you'll see a drop soon.
when I saw that! It wasn't a huge amount daily, but I was probably eating 800-100 calories extra PER WEEK! No wonder I have been having so much trouble!!! So anyways, now I am measuring the correct way and double checking labels and all that jazz. I will eventually invest in a food scale to help too. Now that I have that problem in check, I should be able to see a more consistent loss over time. 
Also that is awesome about getting the snug 16s and the three dresses, that is a great NSV and awesome motivation! Keep doing you, and you are right, we are doing this!!! 
