Weigh-In ... Can I Get A Woot? (50 gone forever...)

Today's Weight: 179 . 0

Loss/Gain: - 2 . 5 lbs.

Total Loss So Far: - 52 . 0

Okay I wasn't going to get too excited about seeing 179 on the scale, but when I was typing the title for this post I couldn't help it!! *giggle*

Funny thing about this week is I have been so busy that I decided to not stress about getting exercise in. It's been a productive week, so it's not time wasted, but I knew that I would have to be careful with my eating if I wanted to see a loss.

So I tried to do better and I've been drinking lots of water. Apparently, it worked. :)

WOO HOO!

So, it's always a little nerve wracking to get really excited about hitting another decade in weight when you're at the --9 weight, but it is a wonderful thing to see. I was really hoping to get back to my 50 pounds lost and I did.

YAY!

Have a nice weekend everyone. Here's to trying not to sabotage myself over the weekend. :)

More Accountability

A dear friend of mine informed me last night that she has started Weight Watchers. I've only known her for four years, but it feels like a lifetime. She has seen me at my highest and watched me slowly lose almost 50 pounds these last almost two years. She knows my struggles with food and had asked me a long time ago to be praying for her because she knew she needed to do something about her weight.

I'm so happy for her taking this big step to attempt weight loss again.

However, another thought crosses my mind...she is a very determined woman. She is one who accomplishes anything she puts her mind to. So....

...this means I'll have to be on top of my game - both to support and encourage her and because she'll show me that I really have no real excuses for not continuing to lose weight.

She's a dear and has never said anything about my food choices in the past, but now we might kind of being working together on this. Maybe. Sort of. In my own comparing-myself-to-others way.

Anyway, I'm finding it another way for me to be accountable...to a friend who will be joining me in the battle.

The OK Plateau

While listening to talk radio this morning I heard a snippet of an interview with Josh Foer author of Moonwalking With Einstein. He stated a bit of his thoughts on hitting the "OK plateau" with regards to abilities.

Instead of transcribing it to share with you all I found the following on his website and it's pretty much what he said in his interview. Of course, it had me thinking in terms of weight loss (along with life in general) so I thought I'd share it with you today.

Taken from JoshFoer.com:

Can you explain the “OK Plateau”?

The OK Plateau is that place we all get to where we just stop getting better at something. Take typing, for example. You might type and type and type all day long, but once you reach a certain level, you just never get appreciably faster at it. That’s because it’s become automatic. You’ve moved it to the back of your mind’s filing cabinet. If you want to become a faster typer, it’s possible, of course. But you’ve got to bring the task back under your conscious control. You’ve got to push yourself past where you’re comfortable. You have to watch yourself fail and learn from your mistakes. That’s the way to get better at anything. And it’s how I improved my memory.

I've nothing to add as Lord knows I need to focus on what needs to happen to continue losing weight. There's that word again...focus.

I'd love to hear your comments on the subject. :)

Holidays Are Still Hard

To Anyone Who Has Ever Lost Weight and Lived To Tell About It:

Have you ever wanted to whine about what horrible choices you made during a holiday or food gathering and then realized that it's the same story at every holiday? And...people are probably sick of reading that kind of stuff?

I had a nice long post on here about how I overindulged yesterday at a church potluck, yada, yada. Then I realized I sounded like a whiner and I need to quit that.

So, instead of going back into it, I'm just on here to say that I'm still learning.

For the sake of trying to encourage others, I am sorry that I'm not at my goal weight already and setting a good example for you who are struggling with weight issues. I wish I were being the best weight loss example ever (like Diane or Lori).

But I will keep working on it. I will get to a healthy weight eventually, and then will I continue practicing this maintenance that I seemed to have been so good at this last month.

Weigh-In ... Power to Overcome

Today's Weight: 181 . 5

Loss/Gain: - 1 . 5 lbs.

Total Loss So Far: -49 . 5 lbs

More than the miracle that I've finally seen a loss for the first time in almost a month is that TOM arrived yesterday. So, I saw a loss AND it was during PMS... funny. :)

Speaking of funny... yesterday I was in Sam's Club and the cashiers were discussing one of them needing her break to "do her thing". Being the outgoing sort I am, we were also chatting a bit and the one who needed the break says, in response to the "do her thing" comment, "I'm embarrassed to say it, but I smoke." To which I responded, "I eat. We all have our issues." We all laughed a bit chatted a little more.

As I finished paying I walked a little closer to the smoker and shared this, "I've lost 50 pounds and it's taken me almost two years." She ooh'd and wow'd, but I continued, "It's been the hardest thing for me and has really showed me that we all have struggles. It's given me a new respect for those trying to break a habit like smoking."

She nodded and, unfortunately, I saw a customer coming so I had to cut it short and leave her with, "Yes, sometimes it takes nothing short of a miracle."

And a miracle is exactly what I want to leave you with today.

It's Good Friday and the day we can remember the miracle of Jesus Christ's willingness to give himself to pay the price for our sins, yes even the sin of gluttony. Yet, he didn't just die, but he rose again.

Matthew 28:6 says, "He is not here, he is risen, just as he said.."

Jesus' death and resurrection not only paid the price for all of our sins, but it gave us the power to overcome anything life throws at us.

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Cor. 15:57

This, my blogland friends, includes the power to overcome an addiction to food, or cigarettes or whatever struggle you find hard to break in your life. You don't have to do it alone. Jesus is the answer for whatever need you have, and I can tell you in the many years I've spent living for Him he has never let me down.

I pray you all have a blessed Easter weekend. If you do not know Christ personally I also pray that over this weekend you'll consider the truth behind what I say. God is faithful and he will hear anyone who cries out to him.

Image source: http://claygentry.com/2010/07/27/the-promises-of-an-empty-tomb/

Start Now

I found this amidst the magnets on my fridge last week when I cleaned it. So true.... (please excuse the quick scanning job that didn't crop to the fortune. )

Productive Day

Today was laundry day. I didn't get any done yesterday, so that meant it was all going to be done today. Well, usually I do a DVD at home on laundry day, so I can get the clothes started washing early and keep things going while not losing time on the commute to the gym.

Problem today was that I did a DVD yesterday and knew I really needed to get a gym workout in because I was scheduled to work Thursday and Friday.

I didn't really feel like going, and wanted my laundry day excuse, but it wasn't working. So, I put a load of laundry in and headed out early (for me) to the gym. I remembered my husband saying the laundry would get done, so I decided to make it work.

And I was glad I did when I finished 30 minutes of walk/jogging on treadmill and 30 minutes hard on the bike. Whew...S.W.E.A.T.Y. :)

So, the last load is almost done drying, everything else is folded and I even found time to work on digital scrapbooked end-of-year gifts for teachers this afternoon.

It's been a very busy, but productive day and I will sleep well tonight because of it. :)

p.s. Food ... not so great in the evening, but still working on that and I am tracking. G'nite!