End of Month Goal

I set up small mini goals for the end of each month. I knew that some months I probably wouldn't reach the goal, but it is giving me something to strive for. So, for the month of March, I have my goal set. Well, I knew that we were leaving for vacation the evening of March 27th. I will not be weighing myself while I am away. (OK, I'll be weighing myself...but no official weight recorded as I will be utilizing different scales). So I knew in my head that I may not even know if I reached my goal. WELL...I'm happy because I am three pounds from the goal. I know that I have only really 3 days left at home....and that is near impossible to lose a pound a day but, I am happy that I am that close! :-)

Slowly

After sitting at a dead stand still with my weight, I am finally starting to see the weight drop. Ever so slowly, but it the weight is dropping! For the last like 4 days, I've been down. None of this hectic all over the scales weight going on!

Todd and I are leaving for vacation in a week. I am trying to make plans to be as active as possible. I don't want to stall my weight again! Realistically, I would like to come home from vacation, weigh myself and find that I have maintained my weight while I was out there. I am debating on if I want to try to go withoug weighing myself the whole time I am out there. My fear is, if I do that, I will come home and find I have gained weight...... HOWEVER, my GOAL is to actually lose while I am on vacation. Like I said, we are planning a more active vacation this year. We are planning on walking, and we are trying to get into a gym out there for the two weeks, and we are debating taking our bikes (depends on the weather forecast), etc etc etc.

I am so ready for vacation. Just to get away from it all and relax!

Waiting

Waiting. That is what I am doing. I'm trying not to be disappointed about the fact that I am sitting at the same weight! TRYING....but if I am honest with myself, I would admit that I'm getting disgusted. No, I am in no way quitting this. I am more determined then ever to see this to the end. I'm GOING to do it! I KNOW that if I continue on this path...watching carefully what I eat and working out at the pace that I am working out at...that the weight will eventually drop. The only bright light is that I AM seeing my clothes fitting better... and looser!

Great Workout

Well, first of all....got on the scales today and found that I was 1 pound heavier than yesterday. Now that can be water. So I'm not stressing. However, unless I do a massive drop like I did the other week, I'm not going to make my end of month goal. I'm not stressin' over it though. Slow and easy is the ONLY way to do this in order for it to be a 'life' altering experience. My goal of 2 pounds a week...is pretty bold...but managable...AND healthy! I'm still pretty much on target...even with having sat for the last few weeks without moving the scales!

OK....my workout! Yesterday we went to the gym. I started on the elliptical trainer. I was on it and even though I wasn't exactly lazing, I decided that I was going to push it up a notch. Every five minutes I reversed it for one minute before going back to foward. Reverse just about kills me...so this was pushing me. I felt VERY good when I got off the elliptical. I then went and did the weights...I pushed my weights up a notch....5-10 pounds more in some cases. Just enough to REALLY feel the burn! :-) So today we went back to the gym. I did the treadmill today......I pushed my speed up to the point where I could walk but just barely....and every five minutes I pushed it up to a point that it was either jog or fall off the back of the treadmill. My lungs were sucking in air for that minute before I pushed it back down. SO....I did like 8 total minutes jogging out of 45. May not seem like much....but it is monumental for me. I haven't run anywhere for YEARS!

Dissapointment

Well..... After my wonderful news from last week, yeah that big weight loss, my week turned sour in the diet department! The next day I woke up and jumped on the scales....excited! I didn't expect to lose anymore...but hey, I'm addicted to the scales. Low and behold, I was like right back where I was the two days previously. I swallowed deeply and waited for the next day......I was even five pounds heavier. I was now back to 15 pounds heavier than my wonderful day on Tuesday! I tried to not let myself get disappointed. After all, the monthly 'ick' was expected to arrive late in the week. It was a long week. I don't allow myself to weigh in more than once a day. Each day roughly the same.....hovering around 232-235. Then the ick arrived and it slowly has started to receed. This morning I was down to 228.

This is so hard for someone that really wants things to be done ten minutes ago. What a lesson in patience!

Meanwhile, within the last week or so I had a revelation. Why eat something that doesn't taste REALLY good? Wait and eat something that tastes spectacular! Why do I shove food down if it isn't the greatest? Todd and I were out, eating at a salad bar (HOss's). I was getting my salad (healthily I might add....salad dressing on the side...to dip and low on the cheese and other fatty substances). Well, I saw they had Mac and cheese.....yum. SoOOOOOO I decided to get just a half cup. I figured that would be roughly 200 calaries. A Lot, but I decided to make the adjustments and manage my food intake to allow for it. (Ok, that was a revalation in itself!) So, I get the mac and cheese back to the table and couldn't wait to dig into my 'treat'. I took one bite. Now don't get me wrong, the mac and cheese wasn't bad. However it wasn't GREAT. And suddenly I decided that it wasn't worth cutting other things out in order to have that mac and cheese. I would rather manage and cut corners in order to have something SPECTACULAR!

That combined with my revalation from a few years back....the concept of only eating what I am hungry for and ignoring those messages that my body is sending saying that I have to eat it all...because I may never get it again. I WILL eat the good stuff again.....and I learned that I enjoy it ever so much more if I don't shovel so much in!

BIG LOSS

OK, yesterday I got on the scales and was roughly 229-230. Today, I get on the scales I and my first weight was 219. YES, I about fell of the scales. I got off and jumped back on...sure that there was a mistake. It weighed me the same. Off....on...off on. It was dead on (ok, I don't have the most expensive scales.....but still not dollar store variety...paid about 60 for them...so actually it was like one time it was 220 the next time 219. Back and forth). Todd told me not to look a gift horse in the mouth. :-) I think it is due to the fact that I was stalled in February.....REALLY stalled. I was eating ultra healthy and exercising daily. The only thing that I had stopped doing was drinking my water. When I got sick I fell off the bandwagon and never jumped back on. Well about a week or so ago, I started drinking TONS again. The only thing I can think of is, my body is now used to and expects to get that 64 plus ounces of water so it is not retaining as much water. In essence, it's not afraid that it is going to dehydrate because I am giving it plenty of fluids. So all I can think of is that my body finished shucking that extra water weight! I went through all Feb. with no weight loss (well, i would lose it and then gain that pound back the next day). Then all of a sudden it dropped!

Wooo hooo!

Mistake

Today Todd and I went out to lunch. I was perusing the menu, looking for a healthy option. I decided on the vegetable platter. I was just starting to look at the options of veggies when the waitress came. Todd ordered and I was forced to make my decision right then and there. I ordered mashed potatoes (bad bad bad), pickled beets (good choice), a side salad (dressing on the side.....good choice), it came with a roll (looking not so good) and OUCH...I don't even want to say it.....mac and cheese. It was sooo yummy going down. BUT then I came home and did my calculations. I am watching calories. OUCH. I only had a bowl of special K this morning....with just a tad of milk (I don't like milk)....and when I added lunch....ouch, I have only like 200 calories for the rest of the day. I didn't realize this until about 2PM when I started to feel hungry (yep...). So I hurried over to calculate.....that way I could judge my snack. Hmmmm...not good. I guess a salad is my friend for dinner tonight!