Vacation Results...

I had a great vacation in Florida for close to 2 weeks. I was worried that I had stayed the same weight or even gained a few pounds. I tried to eat well but it was a vacation so I shared an occasional dessert with the family. But overall I tried to eat well with salads, fruits, grilled meats. I limited snacking and drank a lot of water. My exersize was a lot of walking.

I am happy to say that my weight this morning was down 3 pounds from my last weigh in! I'm so happy and proud of myself for losing weight while on vacation! Right before vacation I joined Weight Watchers and their numbers say I'm down 4 pounds but I'm going to stick with the weigh in's from my scale for this blog, even though I like the Weight Watchers loss better! ;-)

I'm so happy to be over that 25 pound mark! It also makes my New Project #46. It's starting to feel manageable and possible to achieve my goal.

Simple Update

Once again I haven't done well keeping my blog up-to-date. I have at least kept up with my diet and exercise. I've enjoyed my Team Weight Loss group. I haven't had the weight loss I hoped for but I learned a lot, making it worth the time, money and effort. I might even try the class again in the fall.

I've been working out on average 6 times a week. That has helped my mood, attitude and self-esteem.

I did fluctuate with my weight a little over the last 2 months thanks to some medication I was taking. I have since taken all of that weight back off again.

I also reached a weight I haven't seen since my mom passed away in late 2005. I hate saying it but I can't hide from the number, I am finally below 200. It's hard to admit I was ever over that but of course I know it's obvious to everyone. Thankfully I no longer am and I won't be ever again! So my latest weigh-in this past Friday put me down -22.3lbs, bringing my New Project # to 49. I am happy with those results.

Now my next task will be to hang onto that weight loss with a 2 week Disney vacation this month. I'm ready with planning in hand!

New Commitment

I'm excited for my latest commitment. I've joined the Team Weight Loss at my gym. This morning was the first session. It is going to help me in so many ways! I like both trainers. The class is small, although we may have a few more join us but it will still be a great size group. We also have incentives to journal what we eat....if we don't journal we do push ups in front of everyone.

The class is at 9:30, it's not too early but my mornings will have to start earlier for me to be ready. My kids are out the door between 8:40am and 9:00am. There will be no time to delay.

It's a 12 week course and I have to write out 12 goals to achieve during the course. We did a fitness test today with 4 components. How far can we walk in 12 minutes, we could walk, jog or run. How long could we hold a plank. Complete as many sit ups as we could in 30 seconds. And last was the flexibility test. I did well on all of them except I was disappointed in my walking results. We retest in 6 weeks and I'm going to improve all the results!

I'm setting a goal for this week is to write at least 3 days worth of meal plans so it's easier to journal what I eat. I don't like doing push ups, especially when I can prevent them! ;-)

New Project #

It's been a while since my project number has changed. Last week I never posted my weigh-in or project number. I lost -1.2 lbs for last week's weigh-in. Giving me a My New Project #53.8 I still haven't hit the goal of losing 20 lbs or even 10% yet. I know to achieve those goals I have to keep up with my work outs and proper diet. I'm so close to both that I should get to them within the next week or two, as long as I keep it up.

I missed this mornings weigh-in so I will try for tomorrow. A day delay won't throw off my results.

I also haven't done well with my goals. I didn't finish the last one because I spent the week sick. I didn't work out or even touch those darned cupboards. This week I was going to reset the goals and get back to my work outs. Until I was sideswiped by migraines all week. I have an appointment to see my doctor next week. I'm not going to let them go uncontrolled and keep me from living.

As a positive change, I signed up for Team Weight Loss at my gym. There will be about 8-12 of us working with a trainer 3 days a week. I'm going to add in one strength group a week so I'll have 4 guided work outs a week. It runs for 12 weeks. I'd love to lose 20 lbs with the class but I'm going to set a realistic goal of 15 lbs since I tend to lose weight slower. It starts Monday morning and I am so excited.

It might be delayed but my spring is off to a positive start!

First Goal Accomplished!

I set my first goal last week to work out 4 times between 3/14 to 3/20. I'm happy to say I was successful! I worked out 5 times this past week. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I varied it between walking, weight lifting and cardio. The mix of exercises helps me stay interested and motivated. I'm now looking at different group classes and plan to join a few to keep from getting bored with my workouts.

My new goal for 3/21 to 3/27 isn't as exciting to me. lol. But it's necessary. I need to clean out my fridge, cupboards and pantry of the foods I shouldn't be eating and no longer want in the house. I need a fresh start so I can start planning meals and tracking what I eat.

I also am setting a secondary goal to work out 5 times this week. I need the accountability again for the work outs.

Weekly Weigh-in

I admit, I'm a little confused. This morning's weigh-in showed no change from last week. No gain and no loss. When I checked mid-week I was down 2 pounds and a few days later, my weight is back to last Friday's weigh-in.

I've been working out almost everyday and I'm monitoring what I eat. I need to start tracking my food again, that's an upcoming goal. I'm sure I can make a few adjustments but I know I'm at least doing okay with my diet.

The most logical explanation is water retention. As a female that happens from time to time. So hopefully next week I'll have a nice drop in weight. Until then, I'm not going to stress about this week.

Grocery Shopping

My mom use to say, "Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach." She repeated that over and over as I was growing up. As an adult I realized she was right. If I stopped to get groceries when I was hungry I always hit the bakery. I'd buy sweets, chips and frozen meals too. Things I didn't want in the house but that were quick and easy to make. It really wasn't how I wanted to shop and it's not how I was taught to shop.

I've since discovered another piece of advice I wish she had taught me. It's one I'll pass onto my daughter.

The best time to go shopping for groceries is right after a grueling work out. I always feel great after working out and the last thing I want to do is ruin that work out with bad food. I stock up on fruits, veggies and lean meats. I buy good foundation foods like brown rice and whole grain bread. I avoid the sweets and sugars. I don't dare put junk food in my cart. A bag of chips or a tray of brownies has no power over me. It's a great feeling!

While some might be tempted to splurge after a work out I feel the opposite. I feel healthy and I want to continue it with good, fresh, whole foods. And it makes it easier to stick to my budget because I'm buying things on my list and controlling the impulse buys. Score!

New Exercises

Monday was my last hour with my personal trainer. She wanted to make me hurt. She did.

I wanted new exercises to add to what I already know. She had me doing toe taps during the regular planks. She added more weights and leg lifts to my step ups. And she had me doing side planks as shown in the photo example above. Wow. I was bad at those. My core is still far from where I need it to be but I kept trying.

Then I asked for more ideas for abdominal exercises. She gave me them and had me do them many times. The one I had never done was a reverse incline crunch. For mine, I used a bench at an angle and laid on my back. Then I grabbed the bar so I didn't slip down. Then I had to lift my legs. She had me do those in 3 different ways.

All I can say, is please don't make me laugh. It hurts. :-D

As if that work out wasn't enough, I also did my 3 mile walk around my neighborhood and cut 4 minutes off my time. It was a good day for my work outs!

Goal Setting

GOAL: The purpose to which an endeavor is directed; an objective.

To help me stay motivated I've decided to start setting a weekly goal for myself. This first week, it's simple, work out 4 times between 3/14-3/20. I already worked out an hour at the gym on Sunday and I have my last session with my trainer on Monday. I should be able to easily fit in the other 2 work outs before Saturday.

In the past, I've tried the typical goal of losing 15 pounds by a certain date. Even with something big, like a wedding, I never succeeded. I've found it to be a stress and I quickly lose sight of the "why" and I don't achieve it. So I'm trying something new; setting smaller goals. One week at a time. They might be small victories but in the long run, it will help me get rid of those bad habits.

I'm okay with small victories because I know it will help me reach my ultimate victory of losing this weight!

Accountability

Accountability...no excuses. It's been almost 3 months since my last post. And almost 3 months since I worked daily on my diet and exercise. I could make a few dozens excuses but that's all they are, excuses.

What it amounts to is I did not put myself and my health first. I let life, stress, work and every other excuse keep me from improving my health. No more! I'm back to working out, back to eating properly.

On a positive note, as a good motivator, I did not gain back any of the weight I lost last year. I maintained it the last 3 months. So while, my weight is the same, I'm happy with myself that I didn't have a gain, leaving my Project # at 55.

My task now is prevent another 3 month break. I have learned I need motivators. Once I stopped blogging my motivation quickly fell. So, I'm setting a goal for the next month to identify my motivators and list them.

I'm happy to be back!