Still losing :)

TOPS was last evening and I was happy to see I lost another 1.6lbs bringing my weight loss total to 74lbs.  I haven't quite hit my next goal of being below 290lbs but I'm still extremely happy with my progress.

I weighed in tonight at 290.4lbs.  It was a sad weigh in because I didn't reach my personal goal but I was also so excited to have lost again.

I am still fighting with my self DAILY to get in my exercise.  I did so well for an entire week and then missed 2 days and felt like I was starting all over again.   But after my TOPS meeting last evening I fell a bit better.  Not because of the weight on the scale, but the program we did helped. 

The program was entitled Life is a Journey not a Destination.  Here is how it began:

 Enjoy your journey! You are only given one life! Having a dream or destination in mind gives you purpose and keeps you from wandering aimlessly, but the journey is just as important. You see, “destination” can imply that life is predetermined and not something we can control. “Journey,” on the other hand, suggests travel or passage from one place to another, from where we are today to where we hope to end up. Through our journey, we control many things and enjoy many things—if we are paying attention.

Here are some bumper stickers we may see as we journey along our road to success. They will help make the trip a good one.


Dare to be Great!
When you woke up this morning, you had the choice to do one of two things. You could choose to be great—or not. What did you choose?

A BEND IN THE ROAD isn’t the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn!
Famous singer Bono once said, “My heroes are the ones who survived doing it wrong, who made mistakes and recovered from them.” No matter who you are or what you do, if you have the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed. You can turn things around the moment you decide to be
successful.

Everything changes when YOU change
Have you ever noticed that your mood affects how you perceive your surroundings? Why is it that the worst drivers are out only when you are the most tired at the end of the day and on your way home from work? The mind is powerful, and you are in control of it. Just remember what our TOPS founder, Esther Manz, taught you: “You are an intelligent person!”

Try approving of yourself, and see what happens!
We can be our own worst critic! At some point in your life, you have to say, “I approve of who I am. I am a good person; I love me; and I have a HUGE amount to offer the world!” Once you APPROVE of you, it becomes easier to BELIEVE! The difference will be amazing!

Everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was.
No matter where you are in life, you have to find the courage to start living and moving forward to make the necessary changes to become healthier. 

INSANITY IS doing the same thing and expecting different results.
Anyone can be a KOPS! Those who made it were scared at first, but they chose a new lifestyle anyway. They didn’t know if it would work, but they took that chance and let persistence and enthusiasm carry them through. 

Small changes turn “BINGE” into “BEING.”
Isn’t it ironic that all the comfort food we eat is exactly what ended up making us feel so uncomfortable? With our TOPS and KOPS friends, we can learn to forego extra helpings and desserts and the extra calories that keep us from being all we can be. 

Focus on where you want to go, not on what you fear.
Do you catch yourself feeling envious of others? Are you afraid they are experiencing wealth or success that you are not? Open your eyes to the beautiful life in front of you and see others as inspiration instead of competition.

Look at how far you’ve come, not how far you have to go.
Though no one can go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand-new ending! It is up to you to create what you are.

and lastly

Go the extra mile!
The one individual who’s willing to put forth the extra effort, the one willing to walk that extra mile and exercise that extra 15 minutes, that’s who makes the most of the journey!

All of these things from last nights TOPS meeting make me really think about what I am doing in life, how I`m making the most out of my journey and how my daily choices are helping me obtain the goals and dreams I have set out for myself.

For me it isn`t all about the number on the scale, even though I do concentrate on that a lot. But I also want other things out of this journey. I want to be able to hike and walk with my husband anywhere he chooses. I want to eventually go bike riding with him.  I want to go back to Disney some day and not have to see it from a wheel chair and most importantly for me I want to be healthy enough to have a family (whether it be biologically or through adoption) and be able to truly LIVE life WITH them not just from the couch!

 

Surpassed 70lbs Lost

I had a goal this week ... I wanted to be down 70lbs from my highest weight.  I have been working hard, following my food choices very closely and getting down on my treadmill 5 of the last 7 days.  I really wanted to get out of losing only 1lb a week, prior to these past two weeks I just knew I wasn't putting enough effort in to it.

So last evening at TOPS I weighed in 3.6lbs lighter than last week bringing my total for weight to 72.4lbs!!!

What feels so awesome as well is that I am very close to my next goal of being below 290 ... I definitely haven't seen that number in close to 10 years I'm sure!!

Day One of a New Habit

I mentioned yesterday that I really wanted to do a few things new to help me lose more weight and the first thing I wanted to add to my daily routine was a set time to work out each day. One of the tips I posted yesterday was just that, to Set a Specific Time to Train and not to deviate from it as it is my time to commit to JUST ME.  It isn't something I am used to doing.

So this morning I woke up at 5:05am and got dressed in my work out gear, puttered around the house a little and then went downstairs to walk on my treadmill.  I most definitely haven't been doing nearly enough of ANY exercise lately.  I do have energy galore, I do a lot of cleaning, organizing, etc but I just don't do actual exercise.

The last time I was on the treadmill I got winded after only 15 minutes and today I doubled that without effort. I walked for 30 minutes at 2.5mph and I ended up walking a little over 1 mile. It has been YEARS and I mean YEARS since I have been able to walk that length of time without stopping.

After my work out I went upstairs to grab some water and grabbed a shower. I then added a second item to my new daily routine .. I ate breakfast at my kitchen table. I have to break the routine I currently have of eating at my desk at work for 2 of my 3 meals and then on the couch for my third meal.  It is not something anyone should do but it is definitely not something I should be doing.

In order to make my routine work better I will need to probably start making my lunches when I'm prepping supper but for now my new routine is going to be:

5:00am - Wake Up

5:30am - Walk

6:30am - Shower

7:00am - Breakfast at Kitchen Table

Another Week Gone ...

Another weigh-in last evening at TOPS and I lost another 1lb!

It was a rough week mentally and although I did lose weight I still don't feel like it was enough for many reasons.

One reason was I haven't really been exercising like I should even though I have energy galore.  I haven't been able to reorganize my day to fit it in ... or at least that is the lie I have been telling myself.

Another reason is that I have been trying very hard to work everything I need food wise into my day.  As I mentioned in my last post I am trying to add some protein and fiber in to each meal and I'm trying to have enough of each in the run of the day as well but it has been a big struggle.  I never quite get enough Protein or Fiber in the run of a day but I ALWAYS go over on Carbohydrates and Fat. It is so frustrating and I have had a lot of low days mentally because of it.

I knew starting this it was going to be a life long struggle & adjustment, but up til now it hasn't really been that hard, the weight just came off pretty easily. So now these struggles are hitting me a little harder than I thought. 

I have been trying to remember that each day is a new day ... fresh with no mistakes.  I watch Biggest Loser each and every week and I LOVE it.  Even if I don't think I could EVER participate in it I can use some of their inspiration to help me get through each day and help keep me focused.

Below are tips from each trainer as well as from the host Ali!

 This one thing is something I need to start doing ... I was originally trying to work out in the evenings but I can't schedule to work out the same time each and every evening.  I can however schedule to work out each morning at 5:30 because I can guarantee I wake up at that time.  I am going to start this tomorrow ... wake up at 5:30 and do a work out to get my week off to a good start.

 I need to remember these 3 tips too.  I need to do the things I like to do, so if I don't like to run don't do it ... I need to find the things I really like to do and get out and do them.  Colin and I love to hike so I have already put together a list of Hiking trails I really want to get started on.

Finally and probably the hardest thing in the world for me to do is what Jillian Michaels has as one of her tips. To Accept & Love your body as it is now ... This has ALWAYS been a struggle for me, I have always hated how I looked even if I put on a happy face and made every one around me believe I was ok with myself. 

So even though I have lost 68.8lbs so far which ends up being an 18.9% change from my highest weight I am hoping to hit my 70lbs lost next week by trying to apply each of these tips as well as making the proper choices for food each and every day.

My Current Weight Is:

A Loss is A Loss

Well this week wasn't the best for weight loss ... I only lost 0.6lbs however, a loss is a loss regardless and I'm happy!  I have been feeling sort of out of control lately with my eating.  I fell off track a little but I am adamant not to let it ruin me. I contacted the SWLC Dietitian  Margeaux and asked for some pointers to get me back on track. 

She gave me some AMAZING information!

First she reminded me that each and every meal & snack needs to contain both protein and fiber and this is DEFINITELY not something I have been doing.

She also told me how many grams of protein & fiber I should be eating each day.  Neither of which I was doing for a while now. She has told me that daily I should be getting anywhere between 100 - 135G of protein a day, this is a struggle for sure.

Margeaux also mentioned that daily my percentages of Carbs, Protein & Fat should be as follows:

Carbs - 45-65%
Protein - 10-35%
Fat - 25-35%

Thanks to MyFitnessPal I am able to make these changes so that I can visually see how I'm doing.

But the one thing that she mentioned to me that I think is wise for EVERYONE trying to lose weight to do is to also keep a written lifestyle journal.  This isn't just what you eat but also a number of other items.  She sent me a template that I have adapted for myself. Here are the questions she told me I should ask myself during each and every meal.

1. WHEN: Indicate the time of day to determine gaps of time between all intakes, beverages included.

2. HOW MUCH: Indicate the amount of the particular food item you ate. Estimate the size (2”x1”x1”), the volume (1/2 cup), the weight (2 oz.) and/or the number of items of that type of food (i.e. 6 pretzels).

3. WHAT KIND: Write down the type of food AND fluid you ate/drank. Be as specific as you can. How was the food cooked? Was it baked, grilled, fried, steamed, or baked? Was it fresh, frozen or canned? If you eat bread, is it white, wheat, whole wheat, rye, honey wheat or multigrain? If you drink milk, it is whole, 2%, 1%, skim, soy, or rice milk? Remember to write down “extras” such as sauces, gravies, salad dressing, mayonnaise, butter, sour cream, sugar and ketchup.

4. ACTIVITY: List any activities you were doing while you were eating (for example, working, watching TV, ironing, and reading).  Be sure to include where, such as the cafeteria at work, your desk, a specific room in the house, etc. If you ate at a restaurant, fast-food chain or your car you should record the location as well. Also detail who you were with.  If you ate by yourself, write “alone”. If you were with friends or family members, list them.

5. HUNGER SCALE:    1 = not hungry   2 = somewhat hungry   3 = moderately hungry   4 = very hungry   5 = starving

6. SATIETY SCALE:  1 = still hungry   2 = slightly full   3 = satisfied/comfortably full   4 = very full   5 = uncomfortably full/stuffed

7. COMMENTS: Write down your mood, thoughts, and feelings while you were eating - for example, sad, happy, bored, stressed and depressed. This is a very good and important way to track your “negative” emotions and triggers.

I am going to make this part of my daily  routine! My friend Jay mentioned in his last blog something that has been sticking with me and I plan to keep reminding myself of it with each and every meal/day/week that goes by.

You can't manage what you don't measure!

Here's hoping that this new addition to my routine will help me shed some more pounds!!