Losing Weight . . . Again

The never ending cycle of gaining and losing weight. 

Gah! I'm so tired of it. And last week, I hit the wall. I'm done. This is total BS. I can't continue like this any longer!

I'm pretty much at the weight I was at when I first started my Weighty Wednesday blog about 14 years ago. 

Just a couple of weeks before I hit my 60th birthday, and I'm feeling older than I should. My waist has barreled out and no matter how little I eat, I gain weight. Even walking 5 miles a day for 5 days in a week didn't help me lose even an ounce. The last four months exacerbated my issue. 

May of 2021, I stepped on a rock (my cuboid bone, if you're interested). I kept walking until it became impossible to walk and I was torqueing my foot to keep off the sore area. I stopped walking 5 miles, but continued my normal life. I did use the stretchy medical tape to give it support. I was pretty sure I had a 'greenstick' fracture as it felt like my finger when I broke it. It hurt for 6 weeks then it stopped hurting and had a lump at the offending location. 

Early June, went to my primary doc. Had an x-ray. Nothing visible. Recommended seeing podiatrist--didn't get an appointment with podiatrist for four weeks. My mom passed away on the 12th of June. Funeral on the 19th (Yes, I wore my new stilettoes with black support tape on my foot). One week later, my local siblings and I started cleaning out the house. 

July 7, finally see podiatrist. Again the evasive non-answer. Recommended a boot and an MRI. I agreed with the MRI, but refused the boot until it could be proved that I actually broke my foot. Remember, by this time, I had injured my foot TWO MONTHS AGO. 

Ten days later, I get the MRI. 

Hey! I broke my foot! This is a screen grab from my MRI. Remember MRI's take individual slices. Focus on the middle metatarsal. Black line= bad.  No, I'm not missing toes...

I suspected in May that I broke my foot, but it wasn't until August 4 that I had the 'official' diagnosis. 

So I'm wearing a stupid boot until mid-September.

Segue to August 10 and the topic of this blog:

I'm sick and tired of gaining weight. I know I have to do something drastic to make a change. 

I decide to try Keto. No, I don't buy in to all the Keto crap, but I do need a focus. I joined a couple of Facebook groups (I've since deleted them, because they are all about, "Hey, follow me. Buy my shit, blah, blah, blah.") The best part of the quick venture into the Keto world is the person who recommended the Carb Manager app. 

The key, in my mind, is to document everything you put in your piehole. Yes, this means the stupid stuff like gummy Calcium supplements...HOLY CRAP! THAT'S 4 GRAMS OF CARBOHYDRATES! and yes, I stopped my gummy supplements replacing them with regular pills. 

While I LOVE documenting my food intake, I have to admit that I have yet to hit my net proteins, fats or daily calories. Yes, my friends, I haven't managed to hit my 1500 calorie a day mark. Also, I've managed to go over the recommended 20 grams of carbohydrates every single day, but never over 30 grams. 

So where does that leave me?

Down 5.1 pounds in a week. 

No, I'm not hungry. No, I haven't been boredom eating. And for the most part, I haven't had any cravings, nor suffer any intestinal discomfort.  

Yes, I'm at the beginning of this process. And there will  be ups and downs. One down was the day I added just a touch of Crystal light squirt sweetener in my water. The next day, the cravings started. It was a tough day, but I learned again that ONE'S BODY REACTS TO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS THE SAME WAY AS REGULAR SUGAR. I have to go cold turkey with the sweet stuff. 

I've also started walking again--in my boot--about 3 miles for two days and one day off, repeat. 

I'm not really doing hard-core Keto, I think of myself doing a Keto/paleo/old Weight Watcher points (pre Oprah) type of eating. The biggest change I made was to stop eating all sorts of grain-based products (no pasta, bread or pizza), no sugar (not even honey) or artificial sweeteners, and I try to stay away from any premade anything. I made quiche for the family last week and simply scraped the crust away. We went to the Brook, a local eating joint, and ordered a Reuben with steamed veg on the side, I ate the insides of the Reuben. 

Along with the weight loss, I also noticed my thumb joint arthritis wasn't as bad as normal. A side-effect? Fluke? Who knows. Maybe the refined carbs were causing some sort of inflammatory response in my system. 

I'll keep you updated, but probably not on a regular basis.

Later!

Losing Weight . . . again

How many of us manage to lose a huge amount of weight, but then end up regaining the aforementioned weight?

*raises hand*

I have to admit that I'm really good at losing weight. Heck, I've managed to lose a lot of weight over my 50+ years.

First it was that pesky ten pounds, which, in turn, morphed into a twenty pound gain and loss, that has now become an off-and-on thirty pound issue.

In the past, I've done well on Weight Watchers. I'm a fan of their weight-loss program. I can lose the weight, but one problem that seems to rear it's ugly head is the fact that I can't seem to MAINTAIN my weight loss.

Weight maintenance is a different mindset than weight loss and I can't seem to wrap my head around the difference. I add back the calories to maintain, but over time I become lazy with my tracking, sloppy with my quantities, and lackadaisical with my weight-ins.

Enter Real Appeal.

There are a few perks to this particular program.

• It's paid for by my insurance--BONUS #1
• Meetings are online/phone--BONUS #2
• It is a comprehensive program that includes nutrition, exercise and motivational encouragement
• Plus the huge package of goodies is a bonus: exercise DVD's, food scale, weighing scale, and assorted booklets
• The program is calorie oriented, but it breaks it down into usable information, such as fiber, protein, sugars, carbohydrates, etc.
• Oh, and did I mention, IT'S FREE?!

Before I attended my first session, I downloaded the app to my phone.

Personally, I do much better with my weight loss when I'm accountable for everything that goes into my mouth by TRACKING everything I eat. I just feel stupid documenting "large spoonful of peanut butter", so I don't eat it.

Like most tracking apps they tend to be cluttered with other people's info, but the more you use certain products, the sooner the app learns to put your foods at the top of the list.

There are a few things I need to remember when I track:

• Be honest with yourself--yes, you shoved that cookie in your mouth, it counts.
• Be truthful with your quantities. Count, weigh and measure everything. Over time, we lose the ability to "eyeball" the correct amounts.
• Be forgiving. We all have bad days. Just don't let the bad day turn into a bad week.
• Be realistic. As an older, post-menopausal woman, it is harder to lose weight than it was when I was in my twenties.

That's a start for now!

MAGs

Weighty Wednesday -- Hard Work Pays Off

I've been absent from Wednesday blogging for quite awhile as I feel that I've already said everything that needs to be said about losing weight.

I have.

But the interesting takeaway is that, for some reason, I have to keep relearning those same lessons over and over and . . . over again!

Last week I had a large weight gain +2.6 pounds. I knew it was a fluke number because of a few things I had eaten in the previous couple of days--pizza with pepperoni and prosciutto (sodium anyone??) and pancakes (flour makes me retain water).

I also knew that even though I suspected it was a fluke number, I really needed to focus this week.

I did.

And had a weight loss of -3.4 pounds.

Bringing me to within 7 pounds of my goal weight. Though my goal is to reach my goal weight by the end of school (5 weeks away! Eek!), I would actually like to get to the weight that is on my driver's license, 120 pounds. While this seems like a huge challenge, another 20 pounds, it really isn't too low of a weight for my height. Actually, it's right in the middle of my recommended weight range.

Another interesting thing that I learned about myself, I'm okay if I stay at the top of my weight range.

I look good. I feel good. And I'm old. I don't want to denying myself just to get to the "right" weight for my height. That's just crazy.

Want to know something else that's interesting?

Now that summer is here, it's short season. I have shorts that are sizes 4, 6, 8 AND 10 that all fit me the same way. In fact, some of my size 6 shorts, I've had to safety pin them because they are too large!

Remember, clothes sizes are just numbers, and no two designer/manufacturers use the same number system.

Get to a healthy weight where you feel good and look good.

Clothes sizes are a guideline. Don't get your nose out of joint because of a size. It's just a number.

Time for walkies!

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday-- Another Successful Week

Well, I had another good weight loss week, as I'm down 2 lbs.! This is about 8 pounds down from when I became serious again about my weight loss five weeks ago.

Yay!

In the last two weeks I've been using the Weight Watcher's Simply Filling technique, which involves eating Power Foods and using my weekly 49 points as needed...and trust me, I needed all 49 points last week plus the 9 activity points that I earned!

Hubby has lost 15 pounds in the same time period by simply counting and tracking his points, but I will point out that he has a lot more daily points than I do!

42 vs. 26 points is an entire meal's difference!  

Just proving that you have to use a technique that works for you. Not all programs or techniques are one size fits all, and don't judge your progress against someone else's success.

One of the key factors in this technique working for me is because I still measure and track.

Why?

Because how will I know what I did wrong, if I do something wrong, unless I document it? I also use the Memo spot on my daily tracker to jot down how I'm feeling, where I might have eaten out at, or just a general comment area if I had cravings and what I did to counteract them.

One of the interesting things I've discovered is that  for the most part I've stopped eating sugar, flour-based products, and using artificial sweeteners.

This technique doesn't mean I can't eat them. I can. But the question remains--do I want to pay the price?

And when I look at it that way, the answer is usually no.

Just eating healthy costs me weekly points--in fact, just yesterday, I used 2 points for a little bag of nuts and I counted one point for my chicken tortilla soup. Now, I didn't add the tortilla chips, avocados or cheese, but I figured it probably had enough cornstarch / chicken broth to cost me at least a point.

And the bonus?

Well, I'm not in my size six jeans yet, but I did notice my hips and tummy decreasing in size, which is a good thing!

My goal is to be back at goal by the end of school. If everything continues at the same pace as the last few weeks, I might reach my goal by mid-April.

If you are with me on this journey, I will wish you the best of luck!

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday-- The Biggest Loser

I periodically tune into The Biggest Loser, but I don't routinely watch the entire season.

I'm excited for the people who have made the decision to drop weight. More power to them, but television also tends to skip over some of the very important factors that play into this show.

True, we see controversy. Heck, that's why so many of these 'reality' shows do so well when you put differing personalities into the same room and lock the door (Survivor, Big Brother). But what the audience sees on Biggest Loser are the intense workouts these contestants do.

This show is just not realistic for the average person trying to lose weight. For one, who really has eight to ten hours in their day to work out. That is how those people get those huge drops in the number on the scales. Think about it, it's a full-time job to work out on that show. The only people I know who work out that much have some sort of funding in the form of sponsorships, or are independently wealthy, or they own a gym, or happen to be a trainer to the stars . . . or manage to get a gig on The Biggest Loser.

I know the show has doctors monitoring the contestants. Some of them have to be monitored closely due to their health issues and the consequences of that much exercise on their systems--heart, lungs, and pancreas (considering most of them are teetering on the edge of diabetes).

But the part I wish they would share with the viewing audience is conveniently left off camera.

The nutritional aspect of the challenge of losing that much weight without destroying their muscles and their kidneys in the process.

The quantity of food these people are consuming changes when they start losing large amounts of weight. I want to see the nutrition classes where the chef teaches the contestant how to lean up a meal without losing the flavor. Or how much is too much. Or how many meals should these people eat. Three big meals is unrealistic, since they would be barfing up their food as soon as they started exercising.

Who cooks those meals? How do they learn to do it themselves?

It's all fine and dandy to tout "It's a life style change.", but what happens when they get back home and their a McDonalds calling their name? Or they start hitting the drive-thru at Starbucks? Or they simply don't have time to exercise due to trying to earn a living?

What really happens off camera after they go home?

What happened to the contestants from the first two or three seasons? Where are they now? Have they managed to maintain their weight loss, or did they succumb to the realities of their life.

What do you all think? Am I just spitting into the wind? Or do you think they need to start showing some of the food parts of this show?

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- It's a Mental Game

Look -- we all know what we have to do to lose weight.

• eat more fruits and vegetables
• drink more water
• eat less protein
• eat less fried food
• eat less refined sugar and flour products
• less salt
• exercise more

It isn't that hard when you see the list, but there is one six-pound item that stops use every time

OUR BRAINS

And no, this is NOT an attack by zombies . . . braaaaiiiins . . .

If you aren't "In it to win it", then you aren't playing the game right.

I had this epiphany at this week's meeting. My brain was telling me that I'm in maintenance mode and not losing weight mode. I was eating to maintain my weight.

And being very successful at it, I might add.

Yes, it's only five pounds, but if I don't do something different about it, then what do you think will happen?

Nothing.

That's right, NOT A THING. I will remain at this weight and I might even gain MORE weight.

When I first started WW, I lost four pounds the first week. And for the most part, I lost 30 of my 45 pounds rather quickly, within a few months.

I was in game mode. The coach had my back, and I gave 100% mind and body to the weight loss goal. I measured. I weighed. I walked. I planned meals. I had a goal.

Wait . . . what was that last one?

A goal.

Oh. I need a goal. Long term goal is to reach my healthy weight range and stay there. But I needed a goal to get over this next hurdle. So I made one up.

By the time school starts in August, I want to be back at my goal weight.

That's doable, right?

But not if I don't change some of my slacker eating behaviors it won't be doable.

Look, I'll tell you right now that losing this 5 pounds will be hard since I have to think about food and plan my meals. This is something I obviously haven't done in awhile.

Now, I have a goal.

It's a modest goal, but it's a goal I can achieve IF I CAN WIN THIS MENTAL GAME.

We'll see what happens at next week's weigh-in.

If what you're doing isn't working for you as you lose weight, YOU HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR BEHAVIOR.

That is all there is to it. Simple really.

The question becomes, "Are you really in this weight loss game 100% or are you all talk and bluster?"

Let's go, people, you can do it!

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday --Story of the Peg-legged Chicken

At yesterday's Weight Watcher meeting, I lost a pound . . . and over the past two weeks, I made 60 POUNDS of candy. How on earth did I lose weight while around all that candy?

Actually, it's easy.

I have to have enough candy to pack into 50 boxes, which means I can't eat it  . . .now.

The problem will come when I finish packing the boxes and there are 'extras'. You always have to make extras for the ones that break and leak, though I have to admit I'm not being a perfectionist about the quality of the candy--small bubbles or cracks will be present. I'm not selling them for a living, so I'm allowed a few flaws. If you don't like it, then don't eat my candy!

So how did I manage to lose weight after being around chocolate for the last two weeks?

Just the chocolate smell was beginning to be a turn off, plus I was so sick and tired of dealing with the stuff that I was just glad to wash it down the drain.

This is a normal phenomena. Just ask anyone who works in a hamburger joint, ice cream parlor or any food service type job. The more you are around the food product the less you want to consume it.

But let's say you are making candy and you haven't been so lucky. You consume a pound of peanut brittle while you're making it or whatever. This was actually confess in my WW meeting by a lady who has been at goal for over 30 YEARS!

Remember--just because we are at goal doesn't mean we don't stumble.

We stumble, but it usually only happens in one instance and not continually.

We've been playing at this game for long enough to know our faults and to know how to get right back on track. It doesn't mean we don't have food issues, we just know how to acknowledge and brush past them.

This lady knew what she had to do and she did it. Now, she didn't approach it quite like I would have, but it worked for her. She simply decided that she'd consumed enough calories/points for the day and didn't eat anything else.

I would have approached it with 'Simply Filling' items, because I know the carbs from the candy wouldn't hold me. Remember the Simply Filling items are fat free dairy products, fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins. Yes, whole grains should be in there, but I tend to retain water when I eat those products so I omit them. Bad Margaret.

The other evening, after I cleaned up the candy mess and took my daughter to swim practice, we came home about 8 PM. I had eaten some fruit at 5 PM before swim practice and was ready to eat my arm off. When I started trolling for food--carbohydrates mainly, see, it does happen to all of us! -- I realized I had been missing something from my diet during the past few days.

Protein.

I'd been getting dairy proteins, but not meat. Luckily, or unluckily for the chicken, I had purchased a rotisserie chicken from Sam's Club that day, intending to have a family meal the next night. Well, let's just say that chicken went to the table missing one leg. Yep, I ate it. Ate it right off the bone, leaving the leg intact to the body.

Hubs wondered what happened to the scrawny leg.

I had to confess.

Many times we are so busy thinking about getting all our fruits and veggies into our diet that we forget an important component--PROTEIN. Protein takes longer to digest which means it keeps us fuller longer, plus giving us energy and the ability for our bodies to perform certain functions. Though I don't recommend eating protein that late at night, I'm glad I did.

Because if I hadn't realized that I needed protein, I would have eaten three times more food and calories trying to find something to satisfy my cravings.

I don't think I would have had this flash of insight two months ago, much less at the beginning of my weight loss journey. It took time. It took dedication. It took the ability to look past the immediate gratification, to find the need.

Balance is the key. Keep in mind all the food groups, and no, chocolate isn't a food group. Sorry.

Tip for the day:

Keep hydrated. In the winter, we don't exhibit thirst the same way we do in the summer and tend to forget to drink lots of water. Your skin will thank you.

Later, Peeps!

An Oxymoronic Idea

For the last couple of weeks, I've been in a quandary.

I didn't want to write on my two new stories, nor did I want to write on my weight-loss project, I simply made candy. Taking recipes that I found and changing them up a bit.

And it wasn't until I was commenting on Marilyn Pappano's blog--re: a typical day in the life of an author--that it struck me. . .

I write a blog on Wednesday's about health, weight-loss and general exercise, while on Friday's I write a post about food, more specifically--making candy.

I thought it was kind of funny in an oxymoronic sort of way.

Here I am, your basic schlub who lost 45 pounds touting the benefits of good health and exercise, while I crave making candy. I really, really enjoy the creating process of candy making. Numerous writing friends have suggested that I write a non-fiction book about my weight loss, while others have mentioned that I need to write a cookbook about making candy.

Well, I have zero platform for either of those endeavors. I'm not some exercise guru like Jillian Michaels, nor am I a candy/cake diva like Kerry Vincent (she's a hometown gal, so I feel I must throw her name around!), BUT what if I found a way to combine the two.

Wouldn't that be a laugh?

So I mentioned it in a tweet that I had this thought while on my daily walkies . . . and I actually had a few people mention that they would buy the book.

Cool!

I have lots of material from my blogs, but it will take some time to make it a cohesive type of book.

So if y'all have any suggestions for chapter titles and their contents, I'm all ears.

I've only thought about one chapter idea--The Fudge Factor--yes, the recipes would be fudge, but the chapter topic would be how we try to cheat ourselves on our weight-loss journey.

All I have to say is that blogs are easier to write since all I have to do is brain dump a single topic. Writing coherent chapter from a bunch of brain dumps is harder to organize!

So sayeth the writer of the Virgo sign, whose mission in life is efficient organization!

Chat with y'all later, I have some blogs to organize!

Later, Peeps

Weighty Wednesday -- Reality Check

Happy 20th Anniversary, Sweetie!!

Okay, so last week I reached my goal weight.

So, now what?

Well, the path doesn't stop when one reaches a weight-loss goal. In fact, now there are a few choices to make.

Throughout this year-long journey, I have had ups and downs, literally and figuratively. *snork* I've wound my way through the dark forest, traversed steep ridges, tripped over my own feet and fallen into holes of my own making, but with one last bit of strength I persevered and SUCCEEDED!

 Only to have a reality check shoved into my face.

It ain't over, people. This fat lady may not be fat any longer, but she sure can't sing either.

Just because I reached one goal, it doesn't mean I can relax my guard. There will always be a path ahead of me, whether it's the easy downhill road that leads to the slide of where I was one year ago, or the unknown course that leads into the murky woods where the path doesn't look easy, level, or without challenges.

Which path do I choose?

I'm choosing the unknown path.

During last year I've been up and down on my weight, but overall I've lost. It's been slow and I would have incredible decreases of weight with equally impressive rebounds.

And that was what happened last week--I regained 3.2 of the 4.4 pounds I had lost. I was still right at my goal weight, but it hammered home to me that this isn't a diet. This isn't a quick fix or even a long term fix.

This is my LIFE. A healthier life that I prefer to lead.

Is it going to be easy?

Heck, no. It will be challenging in every possible way. I'll still have my trigger foods to deal with and I'll periodically have to weigh and measure to keep my portions the correct size.

But I'm good with that, because I intend to LIVE LIFE to the fullest, which means there must always be give and take.

What is life without its joy and celebration?

One big drag.

The key is to celebrate OCCASIONALLY and not daily.

I think I'm up to the challenge. . . . but the question is, are you?

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Body Image

I don't know about y'all, but I know I enjoyed my three days off over Memorial Day weekend. Hubby thinks I'm on vacation all the time, but not really as there is always little stuff to do to keep the house and family running smoothly.

Anyhoo, I enjoyed my weekend: food, drink, family and friends. There were some social gatherings: helping Grandma move her art studio stuff from one location to another. And some family time: experimenting with various rubs and sauces for smoking ribs. And friend time: Hey, Y'all! *waving*.  And during this weekend all of us ate and drank as we hung by the swimming pool.

Even though I KNOW I over did it (food and booze) this weekend, I still walked and I still tried to eat healthy--if not healthier, then just until I wasn't hungry any longer--but I did enjoy margaritas and beer.

Guess what?

I didn't gain any weight!

I didn't lose any either, but I'm okay with that, because I DIDN'T GAIN!

This was the first social occasion of the season that I wore a swimming suit. In the past, I've worn swimming suits, but this is the first year that my measurements are the same as when I got married (except my waist--it's 2" larger--go figure). I had to buy a couple of swimming suits.

I looked good and I felt good. Hubster calls me TB (teeny butt) now, instead of WL (wide load).

--No, he never called me that! I'm just embellishing here!

But the interesting thing is that I THINK I look the same as I did 45 pounds heavier even though I KNOW I'm wearing a smaller size and weigh less.

I totally understand anorexic people who think they still look heavy even though they aren't.

Weight loss is such a mind game. Sometimes your mind doesn't SEE the change. They key is to find some way to reset your thinking.

For me, it's the scale. I've always been a scale jumper and I'll die being a scale jumper. I want to know HOW my body's weight fluctuates throughout the day. This familiarity keeps me sane, while it would drive other people bonkers.

I know I'll never become anorexic because I enjoy my food too much, or bulimic--ewww!, but I will always have to be on the lookout for the weight gains.

Remember--body image isn't just about how you look on the outside, but how you feel on the inside. It's the stuff on the inside that gives you the confidence and attitude to tackle anything!

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Traveling Tracker (cont.)

IT WORKED!!

Down 2.0 pounds for a grand total weight loss of . . . 44.4 pounds!!

I'm not excited or anything, right?

With all of my up/down, up/down weight loss recently, I can actually say that this is the lowest I've been since around the time I was married almost 20 years ago! 

Margaret & Todd

--and yes, our 20 year anniversary IS coming up!

Aren't we just the cutest?

Anyhoo, I did discover something very interesting when I had to use a paper tracker. . .

I eat almost constantly between the hours of 10:30-3:30, and then I'm done.

Weird isn't it?

On WW etools, it only allows you to document Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Anytime. Well, I obviously don't eat meals like a normal person does, so it was a real eye-opener to discover this idiosyncrasy of mine.

It's not like I would eat a full meal or anything, as my page might have something written down every 45 minute to hour.

1/2 cup strawberries

And then an hour later:

Oikos Greek blueberry yogurt

An hour later:

green monster smoothie

an hour later . .  .

You see what's going on?

Today's lesson is that if what you're doing isn't working for you, then try something else.

I have only 0.6 pounds to go until I hit minus 45 pounds.

Only 0.8 pounds until I hit the top of my healthy weight range for my height.

AND ONLY 2.8 POUNDS UNTIL GOAL!!

I WILL do it!

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Traveling Tracker

This week I'm down 0.8 of a pound--big whoop! I'm still 1.2 pound higher than my lowest recorded weight.

Total weight loss : -42.4 pounds

Over the last couple of weeks, okay months, I had noticed my tendency to snack, and not in a good way. So I decided to take home the TRAVELING TRACKER from my WW meeting. It's a three month tracker and it rotates around the room depending on who wants to take the challenge. Using the paper tracker will force me to jot down all those nibbles and bites that I had been ignoring.

I've also felt bloated and puffy.

Part of this I'm sure was due to the added carbs into my diet (Last weekend, hubster made a cake--like I would be able to turn it down?!) I've mentioned sugar and flour in my previous posts and how I love them, but they don't love me. Right? Well, I'm going to severely limit them for this week.

No more eating the Dove Easter Bunny--his head and neck are missing and who wants to eat bunny butt? :-P

No more scooping peanut butter straight out of the jar.

No more eating Froot Loops without measuring them.

No more eating nuts without weighing them.

No more double Margaritas at Chuy's Mexican restaurant or eating chips without counting them.

And if I'm going to eat food, then I will have to account for them!

That's all I have for this week:

REFOCUS

RECOMMIT

REALLY LOSE WEIGHT BECAUSE I WANT TO BUY A BIKINI JUST TO TEASE MY HUBBY!

Later, Peeps! 

Weighty Wednesday -- Plateaus: Good, Evil or simply Frustrating?

Everyone who has gained and lost weight has also experienced plateaus. By the Weight Watcher definition, a plateau is where there isn't a weight loss over a four week period.

I've been on a semi-plateau since Thanksgiving. I haven't stayed the same, instead I've lost/gained/lost/gained, etc. When I gain, it's usually less than the amount that I originally lost, which provides for an overall weight loss. The only way to verify this is by plotting my weight chart. overall there is a decrease in the chart, though not very dramatic.

Plateaus are a normal part of losing weight, and there are numerous reasons for them, which is why I think they are good, though frustratingly evil.

I will point out that I haven't done an in-depth scientific study, instead these are just my observations.

Why do I think plateaus are good?

1. Plateaus show an ability to MAINTAIN a certain weight
2. Plateaus happen when the body adjusts to a new weight after a weight loss
3. Plateaus happen when a body loses weight and stabilizes at a previously stable lower weight

The body wants and needs to stabilize at a weight before it has the ability to lose more weight. Plateaus can happen at any stage of the weight loss journey. But think about it. Your body will lose weight in the same pattern as it gained weight. If you plateaued while gaining weight, it would make sense that you will plateau while LOSING weight. For example: Prior to my gaining so much weight, I weighed in the range of 135-145 lbs for YEARS. It only makes sense that my body was/is happy at within that weight range.

Plateaus are evil and frustrating.

. . . er, YES.

Eventually, if you maintain your low/balanced healthy diet along with exercise, you will eventually start losing weight again. But the problem is we want it NOW. Humans don't have the patience to wait. 

So when you reach a plateau and you want off it, then you need to do something to jump start it.

1. exercise--increase time or intensity
2. diet--track, track, track, and decrease the carbs and add more fiber, which means more fruit and veg while decreasing refined grains.
3. Overall eat less food

I'm happy with my current exercise program and if I try to increase it, I'm afraid I'll burn out.

I should track better, but I don't want to go there again at this point in my weight lose journey.

I have a goal to reach my goal weight (130 lbs) by the end of February.  And I think I can do it, but if I don't seem to be getting there, I'll kick it into gear around Feb. 14th.

I REFUSE to regain the weight I've lost. PERIOD.

Plateaus happen. It's how you deal with them is what counts. If you freak out and start eating, then you need to buckle down and rethink your plan. Or you can learn from them, realizing that plateaus happen and if you keep to the program eventually you'll start losing weight again.

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday--Lab Results

Happy Wednesday! Happy Day Before Thanksgiving!

So . . . how is your weight loss progressing? Have you figured out your plan for the holiday?

Well, I'm brimming with good news . . . but that will wait for a minute until I tell you that last week I had a physical. It had been three years since I had seen my general practitioner and now that I'm 50, I decided that I needed to have some baseline blood work.

My blood pressure went from 130/84, before I joined Weight Watchers in June, to 124/72. It isn't the best that it has ever been, but it's dropping which is what I wanted to see. A few days later I received a letter from my doctor. He didn't share my lab results with me, except for the lipid panel. Suffice it to say that I'm NORMAL!! YAY!!

So, what's my good news?

Though I thought I was sabotaging myself, I still did enough good things to make a negative number. This last week, I lost 1.6 lbs. . .

for a total weight loss of 35.0 pounds!!

I still have around 15 pounds to lose, but I'm happy dancing with my progress!

*drink lots of water
*watch your portions
*if you don't like it, don't eat it
*fill your 1/2 your plate with leafy green veggies (no, green bean casserole doesn't count!)
*eat slowly, and when you feel full--STOP EATING!
*dump the food left on your plate down the disposal, or cover with napkin

Good luck!
Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday--Weight Gain Confirmed

I came so close to not even weighing in this week. I knew I would have a gain (see Monday's blog). How could I not gain?

1) I experimented making shot glass sized pumpkin cheesecakes. Yeah, hubby took the leftovers to work, but I had to taste test them to make certain I wouldn't kill anyone.

2) baked cookies for a Halloween party my kiddo went to. Okay, admittedly making 6 types of cookies was a little over the edge, but I haven't baked in so long that I was really enjoying it. Plus, I had to taste test the cookies before I allow strangers to eat them, right?

3) Okay, I went a little crazy with the baking when I made my Blue Ribbon Cinnamon Rolls. In my defense, I have only eaten one out of the entire batch.

4) Hubby opened the Halloween candy to mix the various varieties together. He did this on Sunday night. Lordy, next time I need to tell him NOT to do it UNTIL the kids come to the door! Yes, I ate more Tootsie Rolls and Dots than is humanly possible. It wasn't until I was giving out candy did I hit the chocolate stuff. Not a stellar moment in my life. But he took the rest of the candy to work and I won't touch my kidlet's candy, so I'm good.

5) I didn't track my food. I kept track of it until afternoon every day, but then it all fell apart. Which means I ate more points than allowed from about 4 PM onward.

Okay, confession is over with, what was the damage?

Net weight gain of +1.6 lbs. Not as bad as I expected, which was 2 lbs.

My weight loss total is back to 30.8 lbs. This is still a good loss, but the key is not to have another gain week. There were only two things that I did right:

1) I walked daily--with darkness falling earlier, I haven't been able to get my second walk in as much as I would have liked.

2) I drank my water

That's it. I didn't get all my fruits and veggies, instead I substituted 'other' stuff, and my intestinal track paid the price. Trust me, you do NOT want further explainations!

Here's my plan:

1) force myself to track my food intake/exercise

2) drink at least 6 glasses of water/day

3) eat 5-6 servings of fruit and veg daily

4) remove sugar, flour and fried foods from my diet . . . again. I had been slowly adding these to my intake, but now I must start over at the beginning to get on track again.

For me, this is a good start point plan.

Life happens.

It's up to us to adjust and rethink how we approach the challenges surrounding our weight loss.

Just like life, this is a journey NOT a destination and sometimes we lose our way for a little bit.  Every year, Halloween will happen. Holidays will happen. Celebrations will happen.

What we must do is take everything we learn, and what we learn from others, and apply the techniques that will help us on our journey. What works for me might not work for you, but all you have to do is be open to try new methods or suggestions.

Here's to virtually seeing less of you next week!

Later, Peeps!

Writing and Weight Watchers

I'm happy to say that my first week of Weight Watchers wasn't too traumatic. For one, the program changed and now allows a different point calculation system, along with most fruits and veggies being worth ZERO points. And then they also raised the lowest amount of points allowed, with the points being calculated from some complex formula involving, carbohydrates, fat, fiber and protein, whereas it used to be calculated with calories.

I knew being accountable for everything I put into my mouth would be key for me. It makes me think before I take a bite. I had one big day last week as it was my wedding anniversary--19 years--and we ate at a very nice restaurant, Fleming's Steakhouse. Yes, I had to pull from my weekly allowance of points, but it was worth it.

Oh--and I also lost 6.6 lbs.

So what does Weight Watchers have in common with writing?

The journey.

With both of these journeys there are many similar hurdles: highs and lows, frustration and exhilaration, boredom and excitement.

As a writer, you are also held accountable for the words you put on the page. The words should weave a story simply by your word choice and how you put your sentences together.

Writing and weight loss are tough, but so worth the end point satisfaction.

And don't you ever think that either one is easy.

Because they aren't.

Later, Peeps!