Monday, February 25, 2008

Monday, February 25, 2008
Weightloss: 15lbs
Mood: unexpectedly good
I got a look at the bridesmaid dress this weekend and I hope it looks good. My mom ordered some sizes and is going to bring them up to me when they get in - I am hopeful to say the least. Our plan is to purchase one now and then when I lose enough weight that I lose a dress size, we will return it and get a different one. We are buying from Sears so it shouldn't be a problem as long as the security tag stays on.

I didn't lose any weight this week, but I think I gained some muscle, and even if I didn't at least I didn't go up. I have noticed that my calories have creeped up this month - about 20ish calories a day (on average - normally it was 50 one day then nothing for a couple days). I know it doesn't sound like a lot but if that happens almost every day of the month then there's an extra 500 or so calories. So I am going to get back down and not let that happen again this month - I just had so much else going on this month that I wasn't paying enough attention to the small details of my regime.

I have made myself a new job for the month of March - weight loss. Since I will be technically unemployed I have decided that I need to have a plan so that I don't waste time. Though I will still be looking for a full-time position, my priority is going to be hitting my birthday goal - 20lbs lost. I WILL SUCCEED!

I am averaging about 0.8lbs lost per week - but that is with minimal exercise on weekdays and irregular exercise on the weekends. So I feel good about reaching my goal this upcoming month since I plan to work for minimum 1 hour a day. I will do this for 5 consecutive days and then have a day off. I am hoping to do a little bit of exercise on those days off, but nothing too intense. I am going to be doing a combination of everything I have been in the past so I don't get too bored with the exercise - weight lifting, calisthenics, elliptical, stationary bike and workout DVDs. If the weather gets nice enough outside I will pop out to start my couch to 5k program, but I don't expect to start that until April.

The weight loss forum I am a participant in is having an easter challenge, which I am basically going to treat as my birthday challenge. You get a graphic of an easter egg for every xlbs lost. We haven't decided on what x will be yet - but I am excited about it. I want as many eggs as possible! I am finding the forum really helpful - keeps me accountable on a daily basis rather than just the periodic updates I have here, though this also helps me a great deal. I hope the accountability factor keeps going strong since I really need that to keep going with this new life of mine.

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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Weight loss: 15lbs
Mood: content
So I made it to 15lbs lost now comes the first real struggle - as I have mentioned before this is about the time where I plateau and it drives me off of my path to weight loss. I have adjusted my workout schedule a little in that I have added regular weight training and calisthenics. Before now,I have been doing these two things randomly and in no real attempt to do anything other than satisfy my planned time for exercise. D is helping me with this as he knows a great deal more about weight training than I do and can help me do it all properly.

Motivation has been coming and going lately and I have had true determination for this several times in the past week or so and yet not done anything about it. The weight loss forum I participate in has been helping me in terms of motivation as one of the members there has just hit a major milestone in her journey, one I am trying to reach as well. She started out at about the same weight as I did and her success is giving me hope for my own. I feel very close to the ladies on my weight loss forum and am therefore very proud of her for getting to this great place, I only hope I can follow in her footsteps.

I have been working really hard on keeping my exercise time active and giving myself non-food related rewards for doing it. I skipped my 10lbs lost meal reward that I usually grant myself and instead have opted for a new rewards such as time playing games and purchasing items (despite the fact that I cannot really afford them right now). I do however have one reward meal planned for when I lose 20lbs as long as I lose those 20lbs by (or on) my birthday (March 29th). If I stay on track, I will be able to do this and I will get a massive yummy birthday meal filled with all the food I love. I want to make myself a cheesecake (traditional New York Cherry Cheesecake) and have lots of yummy food like Quesidillas and Mozzarella sticks, maybe some spicy chicken fingers too. I know I won't be able to eat too much of it because my stomach has shrunk considerably and I will have people over helping me devour it all so I am not really afraid of gaining weight from the one meal, but boy do I want it. BUT if I do not lose the 20lbs by my birthday, then no special yummy meal for me. I am really hoping that it acts as a giant motivator for me. Who knows though. It will be hard though because reaching 20lbs lost by March 29th will mean that I have had the largest losing streak yet during this journey. I usually got up and down a pound (or less) every couple of weeks or hit a plateau every once in a while. I am due for both of those things (according to what has happened in the past) so I am going to have to work extra hard to fight them and keep them at bay.

My contract at my current job is almost done and as scary as that is, it should give me more time to exercise and I plan on losing weight as a profession until I get an actual one. Kind of like the people on The Biggest Loser do, just without a professional trainer and with a bit more down-time for real life activities.

Hopefully my new found motivation and the loss of my day-time activities will give me more reason and hope to lose this weight and will enable me to get through this expected plateau and sail to my birthday dinner.

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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Weight loss: 14lbs
Mood: nervous, yet excited
I was looking at past spreadsheets in which I have logged my weight loss and have determined that this is usually about the time in my new life style during which it all falls apart. Either through lack of motivation or the fact that this is when I hit my first plateau (normally just before 20lbs lost which is oh so frustrating). I have really only been here once before, possibly twice if you count the time I rebounded from the first time I fell off - but I am determined to make it further this time. I am determined to make it all the way this time! I have many real goals set for myself (realistic ones too) and there are dealines to be met which are out of my control - meaning I can't conveniently move the deadline or eliminate it altogether (for example my brother's wedding). I am hoping that these uncontrolled deadlines will help me stay on plan and stick to my new regime. I am hopeful that I will be able to do it this time around.

Lately I have not had that hard a time with my food as I have been giving myself little tastes of the things I enjoy - I am just trying to enjoy them in smaller portions than I used to. I have had a hard time with my exercise. Even when I complete my time (which is probably 5 or 6 days of the week, which is good) I am forcing myself to do it. I really want to do something that I don't need to force myself to complete. I am hoping that this Couch to 5k program will give me that - but I have to wait until it is nicer weather to start it and that is really starting to bother me now. I wish I had a higher resistance to the cold like my room-mate does.

There is alot going on in my life right now with trying to find a job in my field and starting to think about my living situation for when I get that job (and shortly after that too) and I am hoping that I am able to stay on track throughout all these new changes and inevitable dramas. I have been through worse I know that much and I believe I will be okay through all this.

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Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Weight loss: 13lbs
Mood: sick
I have come down with a cold and have a feeling that this is going to hinder my weight loss for a little bit. I am trying to drink lots of water and gets lots of good sleep but it doesn't seem to be doing anything to the cold. Hopefully it doesn't last long so I can get going with my weight loss.

Other than that things are almost back on track with my regime. I am working out every night agian and extra hard on weekends. I am resisting temptation left, right and centre and sticking to my good, healthy food. I haven't gotten back to my slim-fast drinks for breakfast just yet since I felt I should get everything in order before I start using my expensive drink powder but I intend on starting that on Monday. Then I will be fully back in the swing of things.

I have looked into a new program for exercise and when the weather gets nice, or I get a treadmill (whichever occurs first) I am going to start the couch to 5k program that I have heard about. It starts you off real slow running for times that I can definitely manage like 30 seconds running 60 seconds walking or something like that. I am actually pretty excited to get started with it but since the weather is still so cold and miserable (and icy) I know starting it know would only lead to me ending it shortly there-after.

Hopefully when I step on the scale this week there is no gain, though I am not expecting any loss either - I just haven't done well enough this week for that but it's okay as this was a pretty big adjustment week from getting back into my normal routine. But I do have to get losing though since the wedding is just around the corner and I need to have lost a respectable amount of weight before then.

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Monday, February 4, 2008

Monday, February 4, 2008
Weight loss: 13lbs
Mood: sleepy but good
I had a pretty good weekend - no over indulging and I did alright with my workouts. I forgot to do Friday's workout though I am not quite sure how that happened and then Saturday I ran out of time and was only able to do 5 minutes. Usually this would mean I would be upset with my exercise but I have acknowledged that I did not do everything and have made a plan. Yesterday I did my 30 minutes plus an extra 15 so now I am only behind 25 minutes. My plan is to increase my 15 minute workouts every night this week to 20 minutes workouts and that means that come Friday evening this week, I will be caught up and feeling better about it all. This makes me feel really good because normally I would just write off the workout instead of making it up. Hopefully I will be able to do the extra workouts after doing all the extra time at my actual job making up for the hours I missed during my vacation.

I was planning on making turkey shepherds pie this weekend to have to for lunches during the week but made a big batch of rice and vegetables instead which should get me to the halfway mark of the week. I was doing really well planning my meals for the week and really want to get back into that as it worked well. I was able to get big calorie meals in that I love without going over my daily allowance - it was great.

I have restocked the snack cupboard with healthy granola bars and have brought cup-o-soup to work for my 10 or 3 o'clock snack each day. I am trying to up my fruit and vegetables as it was starting to slack (well for me at least) and I am going to start taking my vitamins again - though I am not sure if they really do anything.

As some of you already know, my brother's fiance asked me to be a bridesmaid which was a huge honour for me. It did make me feel a little uncomfortable though as I am afraid of being this huge lump up there. I am hoping to have lost between 30 and 40 pounds by the time the wedding comes around in September - I really hope I can do it. When I was on the phone with my parents the other day I mentioned it and I didn't get the vote of confidence and support I thought I would get. Instead I got 'that's a lot of weight you know' in that don't get your hopes up kind of tone which really hurt. I truly thought they were going to be supportive and wish me luck - but they really didn't. D told me that he truly believed I can do it, which made me feel better about myself. I guess they are just trying to be helpful in their own way - though I am not really sure. I just know it hurt is all.

This week I am getting back on track with my meal and exercise plans and though I did not do a bad job last week, I am not giving into any of my usual excuses - we are not in London anymore and it is time to get down to business.

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