Happy New Year!

Well, I'm a little early with the New Year wishes... but I probably won't remember to blog tomorrow, so the wishes are coming now. :)

December has been a good weight loss month for me. I lost 10 pounds in December! Who does that? Certainly has never been me before... I usually gain 10 pounds in December from all of the Christmas treats and goodies! But, my trainer gave me a challenge to lose 10 pounds this month and I actually did it. After a 7 pound loss in November, I was happy to be in the double digits this month... barely, but it still counts. :)

I can't believe I've lost 110 pounds in the last 9 months! It's not like me to stick with a healthy eating plan for this long... and it's definitely NOT like me to stick with exercise. But it feels really good to see the scale go down and see my jeans size shrink. The 24's that were tight last month are feeling really good now. I can't wait to buy a pair of jeans from the GAP, though! I've always thought of the GAP as the store for cute skinny girls. While I will probably never be "skinny" I will be healthy and I'll be rockin' the GAP jeans before I know it. :)

I think that 2008 is going to be a good year. :)

Merry Christmas!

Yesterday I had 12 people over for dinner. My husband's family has their big Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve, and this year we hosted. There were some no-no goodies around here, but I didn't have any. I roasted a wonderful turkey and made some stuffing out of whole wheat bread. So, I ate turkey, a little stuffing, green beans, and a salad. For dessert I skipped the pies and cookies and just had a few strawberries with a little bit of whipped cream and some sugar-free apple cider. I wanted some of the fluffy mashed potatoes, because I make some really good ones, but I refrained. I know that it's just one day, but I didn't want to have a repeat of what happened at Thanksgiving. I ate well and I went to bed at the end of the day feeling good and proud of myself.

Today is leftover turkey, which I love! :)

Merry Christmas, everyone! If you stay on plan, good for you! If you don't, that's okay... just make sure you are right back on tomorrow!

Italian food... Are you kidding me?

So, the teachers in my grade level wanted to get together for an early dinner last week as our little grade-level-Christmas-celebration-whatever-thing. And they picked an italian restaurant. They wanted to get together at 4:00 on a Monday afternoon for dinner at an italian restaurant. They know that I'm dieting. I don't eat pasta! They know that I go to the gym practically every day after school, between 3:30-4:30. So, I wasn't happy about the thought of being in an italian restaurant during my normal exercise time. But, I felt like I had to go... so I knew that this would take quite a bit of self-control. I sort of looked at it as a personal challenge.

I packed my workout clothes in my car and had a plan to go to the gym immediately after the restaurant. This meant that I couldn't eat a full dinner meal and then expect to hoof it on the treadmill without throwing up on the equipment, which is really frowned upon at my gym. So, while everyone else ordered super delicious Italian meals, I had a small garden salad and lots and lots of water with lemon. Yes, I sat there at the table surrounded by plates of Sicilian pizza, chicken parmesan, fettuccine alfredo, baked ziti, and spaghetti and meatballs... and I ate my small little lettuce, cucumber, and tomato salad. And the never-ending baskets of hot, fresh, buttery, garlic knots were killing me. Absolutely killing me! But I drank more and more water and kept my thoughts on my goals. And I didn't touch any of that food.

Towards the end of the meal, one of the women I was with commented that I have much more restraint than she ever would in that situation. I told her that my goals are more important than any of that food. I left the restaurant in good spirits and went straight to the gym for 30 minutes on the treadmill. And it felt really great. It felt like I had accomplished a huge thing for myself that day. I realized that I can be in the same room... at the same table... with some of my favorite foods in the whole wide world... and that passing them up won't kill me. Who'da thunk it?

I'm a 2-hundred-something!

After hitting 300 the other day, I knew that my time weighing over 300 pounds was quickly coming to an end. It ended today! I wasn't going to weigh until Saturday, but something made me try it out today and I'm glad I did. 298.5!

When I went to enter my weight into the elliptical machine, I absentmindedly pressed the 3 as in 3-hundred-something. Then I remembered that no, I'm no longer a 3-hundred-something... I am a 2-hundred-something! Yay!

I think the last time I weighed under 300 pounds was at least 10 years ago. From this day on, I will do everything in my power to never weigh in the 300's again.

100 pounds gone!

I got on the scale this morning hoping, praying, to be under 300 pounds. The digital scale read 300.2... then dipped down to 299.9... then kept hopping between 300.2 and 299.9. I stood as still as I possibly could and the scale finally stopped bouncing and rested at 300 even. I found myself feeling really bummed about it. :( I didn't do so well on Thanksgiving and the scale was all the way up to 306 at the beginning of this week. So, I decided to be very disciplined with my eating this week and paid close attention to portions and water and everything. I really wanted to get under 300. So, I spent a minute feeling down over the weigh-in.

But, then I realized that weighing in at 300 means that I've officially lost 100 pounds. That's definitely nothing to be bummed out about! So, I started feeling a lot better once I realized that I'm the girl who has lost 100 pounds in exactly 8 months. Not a lot of people actually accomplish that, and I should be proud. And I am. :) I've lost a lot of inches, too... 8 inches off my bust, 10 inches off my waist, 5 inches from my hips, 7 inches from my thigh, and 5 inches from my upper arm.

My mom came to visit me today and she was really excited about my milestone loss. She wanted to take me to buy a new outfit to celebrate. I bought a pair of size 24 jeans! They have a slight stretch to them, which I know helps them fit. They aren't tight, but are definitely form-fitting... but, they slide on, button, and zip and I can breathe and sit comfortably, so I'm claiming it... I've gone from a 32 jean to a size 24. In 8 months!!

Here are my old jeans... it might be hard to tell, but they are filled with a lot of air now. And, yes, I know I have no head...

How I'm Doing It...

Someone inquired in the comments about my typical day's food and exercise. So, I thought I'd post about what I do each day.

My diet is most like the South Beach diet. I avoid sugar and most highly processed foods. I don't eat potatoes or white bread or white rice. I also stay away from pasta except for the very, very occasional Dreamfields. I drink a minimum of 2 liters of water a day. I limit diet soda to 1 per day but I do drink Crystal Light. I also make sure to eat every 3 hours.

A typical day's menu looks like this:

Breakfast: I eat breakfast every single day. It's so much more important than most people realize. I usually have one of the following for breakfast:

• 2 eggs with turkey bacon
• 1/2 cup Fiber One cereal with 3 strawberries and light vanilla soy milk
• 3/4 cup Special K Protein Plus cereal with 3 strawberries and light vanilla soy milk
• South Beach High Protein cereal bar
• smoothie made with 1 c. light vanilla soy milk, 3 strawberries, yogurt, ice

Lunch: I pack my lunch every day for work. I never leave myself without healthy options. I usually have one of these choices for lunch:

• salad with grilled chicken and light ranch dressing (most days I have this)
  
• leftover meat from dinner with a side salad or veggie
• deli turkey on a Flat Out wrap with some cheese
• tuna with a little mayo on 2 Wasa crackers with raw veggies & light ranch
• South Beach Diet wrap kit (I buy these for when I have no time to make lunch)

Snack: I eat a snack 3 hours after I have lunch. I usually eat a snack at night, too. My usual snack options are:

• Dannon LightnFit Carb Control yogurt with 3-4 strawberries (not if I had strawberries at breakfast)
• Apple with 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• celery with peanut butter
• string cheese or cheddar cheese with a few slices deli turkey
• 1 oz. almonds, cashews, or macadamia nuts
• sugar free jello
• cottage cheese
  
• raw veggies with light ranch (broccoli, cucumbers, sugar snap peas)

Dinner: Dinner is always some kind of meat (usually chicken breast) cooked in the broiler, the George Foreman grill, or sauteed in olive oil. Then I have that with steamed veggies (usually broccoli, zucchini, or squash) or with a salad. Sometimes I make tacos with lean ground beef or with chicken and I'll have 2 lowcarb tortillas with that. I also eat beans, so I like to make chili with lean ground beef, canned diced tomatoes, and black beans. Or white chicken chili with navy beans.

My menus look a little different on the weekends because we might go out to eat. Whenever we go to restaurants, I usually end up getting some kind of salad with grilled chicken because I know it's a safe choice. Or I might get grilled chicken with steamed veggies.

Exercise: I think I exercise a lot. I never really stuck to an exercise routine during my previous weight loss attempts. No matter what anyone says, I truly feel like my exercise has been a huge reason I've been successful this time around. I'm a member of a 24-hour gym and I go 5 days a week. On 3 of the days, I do 30 minutes of strength training using free weights and machines. Then, I do 20 minutes of cardio... either on the treadmill or the elliptical machine. On the other 2 days I do cardio only and I try to do at least 30 minutes. Sometimes I will go to the local high school track instead of the gym once a week to do some walking/jogging on the track.

I am also blessed beyond belief to be working with a personal trainer at the gym. I train with him once a week. If it weren't for him, I honestly believe I would still weigh 400 pounds. He's my angel.

Thanksgiving...

So, I'm sloooooowly inching my way down to 300 pounds, then once I'm out of the 300's, I vow to never see them again. My weight loss has been slow this month, but I'm not really surprised. I always seem to have a couple of slow weeks during the month, then a bunch of weight seems to fall off over night.

I really, really want to be at 300 by Thanksgiving. Mostly so that I can tell my family that I've lost 100 pounds. But, also because I think it will help me stay on track that day instead of losing control and pigging out like I always do during the holidays. If I'm on a "I've just lost 100 pounds" high, I think it will be easier to stay away from the junk and load up on turkey and veggies instead.

I think that the hardest things to stay away from will be the stuffing and the mashed potatoes. I am making the macaroni and cheese and I'm going to use Dreamfield's pasta but not tell anyone. That way I can have a small serving but not be worried about the carbs. Of course dessert will be a pain to pass up, but maybe if I eat enough turkey and veggies, I'll be too full for cake, pie, and pumpkin rolls. :)

Yes, I know that it's just one day, and that eating off plan won't derail all of my progress and cause me to gain back 97 pounds. But, getting through the day without stuffing myself silly will be a huge feat, and it will help me to see that I am definitely not the same person I was 97 pounds ago.

no magic pills...

I weighed in at 305 this weekend, so happy dance for me!

I've had a great weekend exercise-wise, too. Yesterday we went to a college football game at my alma mater... we parked a little over a mile from the stadium and walked there and back, with a wicked hill that I thought was going to get the best of me but I pushed through it. Earlier that morning I woke up and went to the gym at 6:00am for strength training and 20 minutes of cardio. Then, today I went to the high school track and did some Couch to 5K and went 1.5 miles in 30 minutes.

Today at church I had so many people asking me about my weight loss. Everyone asks me what I'm doing to lose the weight. When I tell them that it's simply dietary changes and exercise, they always look a little disappointed. It's like they want me to give them some kind of secret about losing weight. I hate to let them down by telling them that there are no secrets... no magic pills, no miracle cure.

I've had to learn that food isn't the most important thing in the world... and at one time in my life, I treated food like it was. Food was my comfort... food was my best friend in the whole world. It's sad and pathetic, but that was my reality for most of my life up until this point. Am I still an emotional eater? YES! I look at my relationship with food like alcoholism or drug addiction. I'm always going to have to work against my food addiction. It's gotten easier, but it's still something I have to work on. When I'm upset or stressed, my thoughts still go to eating the biggest bowl of ice cream or the biggest plate of cookies I can find. But I don't eat the ice cream. I don't eat the cookies. I fight the urge with everything I have and I almost always win out.

And as long as I continue to win out, I know I'll be okay.

October Wrap-Up...

I'm happy to report that I'm leaving October with a 10 pound weight loss for the month. I can't help but wish it were more, but I am happy that it was at least better than last month and the month before. I'm grateful for every pound lost.

I'm hoping to be under 300 by the middle of the month... so, in about 2 weeks. It would be great to finally be able to say that I've lost 100 pounds! I know I think about that goal a lot... but it is so huge!

My trainer has really been pushing me to run lately. He thinks that my body needs the shock of doing something new and pushing myself harder than I have before. Today we went outside the gym and around to the back where I was doing sprints. Well, as much sprinting as a fat girl can do, I guess. I was sweating and out of breath and I said "so, this is my cardio today, right?" And he smiled as he informed me that it, in fact, was NOT my cardio and that I still owed 20 minutes on the treadmill when we got back inside. I wasn't looking forward to more sweat, but once I got going on the treadmill I felt really good. I started to try and jog some on there and ended up finishing my mile in 16:49, which is my best time yet.

November is going to be a good month... I'm shooting for a 12 pound loss!

Weigh-In...

I've had a hard time limiting my time on the scale to once a week... my scale at home, that is. And that thing is a piece of junk that is so inaccurate. But I would still hop on it all the time to see if the number was down or up. The other morning I carried it out to the trash can. The trash men have taken it away to the dump so it is gone, baby, gone! I so needed to do that a loooooong time ago.

So, last Saturday's weigh-in was depressing because the scale didn't change at all from the previous weigh-in. You'd think I'd get used to that since it happens a lot but I never seem to. Everything is better now, though, because this morning's weigh-in clocked me at 308! That's 4 more pounds lost bringing my total so far to a whopping 92lbs lost in almost 7 months!

I am baffled at the weird pattern that my body has seemed to settle into when it comes to my weight loss. I usually pull a good number during the first week of the month... then my time of month comes and I don't lost anything or I gain a pound or two. Then the next two weeks are hit or miss... maybe a pound lost, maybe nothing lost, maybe a big loss. But when the new month comes around I usually see some good results. I need to learn to find other things to celebrate during those no-loss weeks.

So, here are some non-scale victories I've experienced in the last week or so:

• I did push-ups at the gym! They were the girlie kind, but I did them... 2 sets of 12.
• I walked a mile on the treadmill in 17 minutes. When I first started working out it took me 30 minutes to walk a mile and I've slowly worked my way down to 17 freakin' minutes!
• I was able to get up off the floor after doing crunches without using my hands to balance myself and push myself up from the floor. I sat up to my knees then stood up without using my hands. I was so excited when I realized I had done it that I sat back down to see if I could do it again!
• I realized that I really don't need a 3X T-shirt anymore... I can fit into a 2X. It is a little snug around my stomach, but nothing that a little stretch didn't fix. I'm so excited!

I know that some of those things may not seem like a big deal to a person who hasn't struggled with weight. But if you've been as heavy as I've been/as I am... well, you'd totally understand.

My trainer at the gym wants me to start running. Not a lot of running, of course... but to start out slowly and work my way up. He said that the running would burn a lot of calories and shock my body into letting go of some major pounds. I'm not too keen on the idea because there's a lot of jiggling going on when I run... but I think I might give it a shot tomorrow afternoon at the track. Not a lot of running... but some walking with 10 second intervals of light jogging thrown in for fun. :)