Weigh-In ... Earned Loss

Today's Weight: 168.0

Loss/Gain:  -2.0 lbs

I had a good week.  I paid attention to what and when I ate, trying to eat when hungry more often than not, and I exercised.  Yay! :)

Tomorrow is my 10K race (which is a post I started writing earlier this week, but forgot to post) and I think I'll be fine.  I have not trained for this race like I did last year.  However, running 6.2 miles is not a first time event for me this time.  I've ran that distance before and ran 5.8 miles this past Tuesday just to see where I was.  

I will be fine.  When I ran on Tuesday I didn't start feeling anything but great until after mile 5, so if that's how I do tomorrow I'll be great.  I'm not looking to make a personal record, just finish strong.  My pace is faster than last year, but if I make it in around the same time as last year I'll be content. 

So, I'll try and pop in to post a quick picture post race.  In the meantime, I'm going to go clean my room and then it's pizza and some pasta for dinner.  Carb load!!  Okay...well, I'm using the race as an excuse to enjoy a treat of Cici's pizza for dinner with my family tonight.  :)

Have a great weekend and come back Monday for some exciting news!   

Creamer NSV

I've been meaning to post all week, even started one yesterday, but alas my week got away from me.

So, today I share a text I sent to a friend of mine.  This is victory for me.  :)

I haven't used flavored creamer for a couple years now, but I love Dunkin Donuts coconut iced coffee. With temperature reaching 80's now I knew I'd enjoy an iced coffee every afternoon, so thus the temptation and victory.  :) 

See you tomorrow!

Weigh-In ... Just the Facts

Today's Weight:  168.0

Loss/Gain:  + 0.5 

Once again, I feel like I've maintained.  I have only gotten one good workout in this week, so it's been a matter of simply trying to keep my eating in line.  That happened some days and others it didn't.  I'm okay with it. 

Tomorrow morning is a Mother's Day Brunch at our church that I'm in charge of.  I've been crazy busy this week tying up loose ends, along with fitting in doctor's appointments and a monthly military spouse meeting I attend, etc. etc.  

To some those may sound like excuses, but they aren't.  They are the facts.  That's my life right now and after tomorrow I know things will slow down a bit and I'll be back to my regular workout routines. I also plan on striving for better in the eating area, but I'm not sure I'm going to keep with the online Weight Watchers.

Honestly, the only reason I don't want to stick with WW is because I don't care for the format of the food tracking app as much as I did My Fitness Pal.  I have noticed I do not track my food as much with WW, and I think it's because it's become a chore for me.  I was comfortable with My Fitness Pal, I knew the app well and I loved the "multi-add" feature.  So, I will go back to that shortly (and save my money, because there's no monthly fee to use it.)

Let's see... anything else??

No, I think that about wraps it up for this week.  Let me leave you with some cheerful thoughts...

Last evening at church I received two compliments that really touched me.  

One was from a woman who sits behind us every service.  She loved my new blouse (that fits me -- she's always getting after me to get new clothes that fit.  lol ) and said I have to have lost much more than 20 pounds since I moved here.  I told her, "No, I've only lost 20 in the last two years.", but she said I look just wonderful and insisted I had to be wrong.  :)   Now that kind of talk will always cheer a gal up.  (I told her it's probably the good girdle I wear. hee.hee. )

Then another woman who has lost about 90 pounds herself a while back looked at me and said, "You know you're the same size as me now!!" (with a HUGE grin on her face)  We used to attend the same Bible Study and had a few chats about food, struggles with food and she told me how she was heavy until about 5 years ago.  I was like, "No... really?", and grinned.  Maybe I am.  She laughed and said, "Hopefully that's not a bad thing." *giggle*  It's not.

If you read any of my posts this week you know that those little conversations were much needed encouragement for me.  My outward appearance is simply proof of the inner battles being fought, so when victory is showing sometimes it's encouraging that others notice.  

That wraps it up for today.  As always, thank you for checking in!  I hope you all have a nice weekend and don't forget to let your mother know you're grateful she gave birth.  :)  

Change of Wording

After much thought on some wisdom shared in a comment yesterday, I've decided that I'm changing how I'm thinking about where I'm at in my weight loss. 

I'm not in a place of "Not Good Enough", but in a place of ...

Good Enough and Striving for Better. 

Sometimes it takes having someone else read a post, or look over a thought to point out how negative we can sound, when we really don't mean to.   Funny thing, is after reading the observation and deciding that yes, I am good enough, I felt so much better about where I'm at.  

I'm busy, I'm still struggling a bit, but I'm a success and I will keep working for better.  

*contented sigh*

Thank you..dear commenter.  :)

[Not] Good Enough

***Note:  Please see above post...I've changed my attitude, in that I AM good enough.  I'm just going to strive for better. *** Edited May 9,2013

I don't have much time to write today, but I want to share a quick thought with regards to where I'm at right now in my weight loss journey.

Currently I'm down a total of 65 pounds.  I have gone from busting out of a 20W to wearing 14's loosely.  I'm able to run for an hour without dreading it, and going for a long brisk walk is like an easy workout to me.  My losing has been slow, but I have not gained anything more than 3 pounds from my lowest recorded weight.

This is all good, even great progress and I'm very proud of how far I've come.

I know that I could settle here as well.  For a lady who has not been able to stay this close to a healthy weight for more than a year in the 18 years she's been an adult I'm doing awesome to maintain between 164-168 like I have been the past six months.

But while this is good it's not good enough for me.

If I was eating great and do everything I could I'd seriously consider settling at this weight, but I'm not.   Settling where I am would be easy, but it would not be my best effort.

Yes, I have considered upping my goal weight from 140 to 150 lbs.  In fact, lately I'm thinking I'd just like to be comfortable in a size 12.  I think I'd be okay with that, but even 150 is another 15 pounds away.

I have been struggling again with overeating and snacking too much and too often.  Not often enough to cause large weight gains, and thankfully I seem to reign it in the next day/meal most times, but it's been a tad frustrating.  I've even had to remind myself a few times lately that food is not the answer.

Yes, no one would blame me if I settled where I'm at, but I know I'll never be content if I haven't done my best.

Good is fine, but best is better and I refuse to quit or give up hope of losing more weight until I've truly given it my all.  I will not settle for a half victory in my relationship to food.

So, that in a nutshell is where I'm at.  Thanks for stopping by!

I Was Selfish Today

Hello!

Even though the new class I want to take on Mondays just about killed my legs last week I decided I would go again this week.  I figured I'd go, take it slightly easier (if possible) and then see how I felt.  I was excited and it worked well with my plan for exercise during a busy week of revival services on top of finishing details for a Mother's Day Brunch I'm in charge of Saturday. 

Then last night after I parked my car in our garage we hear a loud noise and see that this has just happened: 

We just had a new garage door opener motor put in this past Friday morning.  So, I knew I'd have to call the property management and tell them something else broke.  I knew they'd send the guy out first thing in the morning. 

Which meant I might not be able to go to my exercise class. 

**Drooping shoulders.  Frowning face.  Furrowed eyebrows.** 

I could run later in the day, but I wanted to do my class. 

I want to stick with my good cross training class!! I have plans people!!  Plus..What if I don't show up and they think it was too hard for me?!?!  I can't let them think it was too much!! 

I knew they can send the garage door guy with a key to fix it.  Then my sister-in-law said she didn't have to work, so she could be home when he came.

So, I thought about it for, oh a few minutes and decided to be selfish. 

I used the car my sister-in-law is driving, which we luckily had left parked out in the driveway, and went to the class.  

Part of me wanted to be at the house, but more of me decided since I had a way to leave the house I was going to.  If I'm going to stick to my exercise plans I've got to try and work other things around my workout time.  That means sometimes I have to be selfish, in a good way. 

By the way...The class went great!!!  My legs are not completely dead today.  It was the same class, but I took things a little easier.  I think I could've pushed a tad harder, but I'll save that for after my 10K. I just needed a good cross training workout with some strength and cardio and that's exactly what I got.  It was great! 

Also, the lady that gave me the high five last week chatted with me a few minutes today.  She's so kind and such a great cheerleader.  I love meeting people like that at the gym.  

So, I was bit selfish, but it was worth it.  *contented sigh*

Weigh-In ... Staying Accountable

Today's Weight:  167.5

Loss/Gain: + 3

So, remember last week I said I didn't think I really deserved the 2.5 pound loss?  Well, it's because the day before, and the few times I checked during the week, I was 167/167.5.  I'm not trying to justify this gain, but this week I just tried to not overdo it too many times and wasn't surprised when I saw this number on the scale.  I feel more like I've been holding steady versus had a horrible weight gain week.

Yesterday I told my mom that I almost thought about not posting my weight today and being like, "I'll post my weight again when I'm lower." But I know that if I quit posting my weight weekly it could lead to not caring about my health.  Just like baby steps forward helps us lose weight, baby steps backwards can lead to weight gain.  If I do nothing else but blog my weight weekly that helps me stay accountable. 

So, I know what needs to happen to keep losing.  I've honestly had a few days this week where I felt like I'm good with where I'm at, but then I really think about it and I think I need to get at least another ten pounds off before I start settling.  

Funny thing is I actually decided this week to make exercise a priority again, even though I'm wrapping up a second big project in my life, and then I took the class from hell on Monday and...yesterday was the first day I could walk up the stairs normally.  LOL  Um, yes, it's been that bad.  I went running Tuesday, and was proud of getting through a 3.75 mile run even though I felt my muscles jolt with every step, but I couldn't walk up stairs or sit without pain until yesterday.  

I ended up not taking the other class Wednesday because I wanted to recover.  Then yesterday when I went out to walk it was raining.  I was so vexed I came in and got on with my day.  I am going to take that class again on Monday, but maybe ask the teacher how I can challenge myself without debilitating myself.  If that's possible.  LOL  All I know is I won't mind pushing through that pain if it will make me stronger, but I will not take that class the week of my 10K (May 18th), because I do not want to run 6.2 miles on painful legs.  

Anyway, having not posted since Monday my mind is full of things to say, but this post is getting long enough already.  Suffice it to say I am hanging in there.  I've decided this week I am setting the goal to track my food.  I have not been doing that for the past few weeks and I think tracking food (for me) is right up there with blogging.  It helps me stay accountable to my actions, whether good or bad.  

So, here's to keeping on.  Thanks again for checking in on me.   Have a great weekend!