The Scale

Yesterday I unpacked the scale... as my friend and I both said...

dun...dun...dun...dun...duuuuuhhhhnnnn :)

This morning I stepped on that scale and the results are 189 . 5 lbs. My last weigh in was one month and two days ago wherein I weighed 182 . 5 lbs. So, that means I've gained 7 pounds this last month.

I am not surprised and, honestly, I'm glad it wasn't over ten pounds. I took a break and figured there'd be a gain when all was said and done. There was no scheduled exercise at all this month and I overate more times than I'd like to admit.

Does this scare me that I'll never lose the weight? Well, last week I had moments of those fears, but then I realized that no I'm not scared. I have changed and this last month was a vacation, out-of-state move and summer break starting all rolled into one month. Things got hectic and I have emotionally allowed for that in my life.

Stepping on the scale did show me what I could already tell by how my clothes are fitting. It also forced me to face what some of my choices this last month caused. (More on the what I could've done differently/do I wish I'd have done things differently later...)

And like I've been saying recently, my life is slowly getting back to normal. Every box I unpack puts more order into our home and into my life; and every walk I take, every better food choice I make also puts order in my life health wise.

Even after this large gain I still refuse to give up. It's one month in, Lord willing, a very long life. The scale simply put things into perspective and I'm glad I stepped on it today.

Home Sweet Home

Hello! Whew...what a crazy last 10 days it's been. Actually it was a pretty boring couple of days stuck in a hotel, so I didn't post. I forgot about posting more about the trip as well. I also hadn't been living very healthy and, quite honestly, didn't check out blogs or do anything that resembled my healthiness journey while waiting for our house.

Last week we ended up getting the keys and stuff to our house a day or two earlier than planned, so I've been able to get the kitchen and a few other rooms unpacked. This has helped me get back into some semblance of my normal life.

My normal life includes exercise and healthier eating, which having not done in a while has begun to show a little in my body. I haven't unpacked my scale, but I can see a little spread in my hips and belly from lack of exercise the last month and a half. I'm okay with this, but am happy to say that I got in a Walk At Home DVD this morning and I feel much better already.

Taking a vacation and not worrying about calories or even exercise was a nice break for me, but I know (after some serious contemplation the past couple of days) that overeating and no exercise is not my life anymore. I missed my exercise and better eating as much as I missed sleeping in my own bed. I'll write more later about how my eating changed and my reaction to the old habits, but for now I'm happy to say that I'm glad to be in my own Home Sweet Home - exercise included. :)

I Couldn't Have Done It

Hello and TGIF! Actually, seeing as how I'm spending most of my my time in a hotel room, near a pool or driving around town I don't feel so "TGIF" ' y...I'm too relaxed. We don't get the keys to our house until next Thursday, so there's very little for me to do right now except try and not go crazy.

Today I thought I'd share one of the things I learned while on our trip.

Our trip included LOTS of walking through the French Quarter in New Orleans and then again in Disney World. As we walked around Disney World theme parks I saw all kinds of people and every time I saw a heavier weight person I would think to myself, "I don't think I could've kept up with all this walking 50 pounds ago."

The last day of Disney was spent at a water park that included TONS of stairs to climb to get back up to the top of the water slides. Every time I would climb the stairs and begin to feel the burn in my legs I would again think to myself, "I don't think I could've done this 50 pounds ago."

Do you see a pattern here? I'm only about halfway to my weight loss goal; but this time of vacationing reminded me that the weight I've lost so far has been enough to make a difference in my life.

At 230 pounds I didn't feel like doing much of anything activity wise, but these last two weeks I've enjoyed every minute of walking and physical activity because it meant tidbits of exercise were fitting into my trip. And every time I climbed those stairs I was reminded of how far I've come in my weight loss journey.

Back in Town

Hello! Well, two weeks ago yesterday movers came and packed up the house, loaded it to a truck and we headed out on a road trip that included a couple of days in New Orleans and a week at Disney World.

Today we arrived in our new hometown of Jacksonville, North Carolina and should get the keys to our new home in about ten days. It's been a great vacation spending time with my husband and children relaxing, sight seeing while also including yummy food, some lessons regarding my body's reaction to old eating habits and even a little exercise.

I'm off to get ready for bed now, but I just had to stop in to say hi. Honestly, I've greatly enjoyed this break from real life, but I'm getting ready to get back to normal routines...including my new normal eating habits.

Little by little I'll get back into the swing of things health wise and while I'm on my way there I'll pop on here to tell you some of the things I learned while vacationing.

Until next time... :)

Weigh-In ... Last One For A While

Today's Weight: 182 . 5

Loss/Gain: - 0 . 5 lb

Total Loss So Far: - 48 . 5 lbs

Well, today will be my last weigh in for a while. The movers are coming on Monday to pack us up for our move (gotta love the military!) and the scale is going with everything. We are taking a trip before arriving in our new hometown and are scheduled to get our stuff July 7th, so it could be a month before I see a scale again.

I have to be honest with you and say that I haven't even been trying to lose right now. The funny thing is that while I'm eating things that I know aren't conducive to weight loss I still find myself being careful about quantities. My body just isn't handling large amounts of food like it used to, and in the back of my mind I hear things like, "Do you really need that? Do you really want that? I think I've had enough."

So, while I'm not eating the best foods 24/7 I can see definite signs that I've changed in regards to my eating habits. It's very encouraging since I'm holding in my weight right now.

On the exercise front it's been pretty non existent this week. Not that I haven't been active. I've been on my feet many hours a day getting things ready for our move, but I just haven't made it to the gym. However, yesterday morning I got up for a walk because I just needed to get some movement in. See? Changing habits... :)

Anyway, that's all for now. I was given a blog award the other day, so I'll try and get that up soon. We will have access to a computer throughout the next few weeks, so I'll pop in here and there.

In the meantime, it's off to get some breakfast and start the laundry and get to cleaning out the pantry and fridge. Whee! :)

Happy Friday everyone!

Meeting the First Goal

When I started my weight loss journey two years ago I told my friend that my only goal in weight loss was to be able to buy a dress for my husband's graduation "in two years" in the regular sizes department of the store.

Today is his graduation. Last night was the Senior Dinner and I wore my special dress for that occasion.

Yes, I met that goal. My dress is a size 16 from the regular sizes department. I felt like a queen last night...especially when I got home to my visiting brother and he exclaimed, "Hey skinny!!"

Weigh-In ... Holding

Today's Weight: 183 . 0

Loss/Gain: +1 . 5

Total Loss So Far: - 48 . 0 lbs

I weigh myself daily and have been maintaining all week, but I ate dinner at 10:30 last night. That's most likely why the scale was up this morning. I was afraid of that, but we didn't eat until after decorating for my husband's graduation party and I took the chance. I know what the scale has said all week, so I can't let it bother me too much.

Tomorrow is the graduation and family has begun arriving. It's a busy time, but I will have (hopefully) a nice picture to share with you tomorrow with the dress I bought. :)

Talk to you soon...I'm still holding on with all the excitement around me.