Progress

Down 31 pounds and feeling great.  I can't tell you how much better I feel.  I'm so excited about the progress I've made so far.  I have a ways to go, but I know I will get there. 

There have been so many times I wanted to throw in the towel.  And, I'm sure there are probably going to be days ahead of me that I will feel the same way, but I'm determined to keep going.  

I know I have said this before, but it's not about looking better, that's definitely a bonus, it's about getting healthy. 

The hardest part of this whole journey has been changing my mind.  Learning to eat right/less is only part of the battle.  The majority of the battle has taken place in my mind and it's still going on.  I'm pretty sure it will be a life long process.



Some of the things I'm eating right now:

• Mixed Vegetables, steamed with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray and Season Salt - 0 points (Broccoli, Carrots & Cauliflower are my favorite at the moment.)
• 100 Calorie Whipped Greek Yoplait Yogurt - 2 points (The Tropical is my favorite flavor.)
• Skinny Cow Dark Chocolate Blissful Truffle Bars - 3 points 
• Skinny Cow Salted Caramel Pretzel Ice Cream Bar - 4 points

It's Not a Race

It seems like any time I have embarked on a weight loss journey I feel like I'm starting a race.  It's like I'm standing at the starting line and someone yells, "On your mark, set, go!"  I imagine a gun shot and then I'm propelling myself forward, racing toward the finish line as fast as I can.

I have this sense of urgency that keeps me worried about how quickly I'm progressing and what people are thinking about said progress.  After a while, I start to feel overwhelmed.

If you read my blog, then you know that I hit a plateau not long ago.   It was very frustrating and I couldn't stop thinking about how far I "should have" come in that length of time, which felt like an eternity to me.

Thankfully, I broke past the plateau and am moving forward once again.  But, it was toward the end of this plateau that I learned a valuable lesson and it has changed the way I'm viewing this journey; it is a journey, not a race.

The lesson came when I had to see my doctor.  I was worried, expecting him to be disappointed in my lack of progress with my weight loss.  I've been seeing the doctor quite regularly since the beginning of the year and it had been a month since my last visit.

I went through the drill, you know what I'm talking about, weigh-in, temp and blood pressure check. Then it's off to a room to wait...and worry.  Isn't that the worst part of the doctor's visit, the waiting? I was contemplating how I was going to explain myself.

The doctor came in and was going over all my numbers and his notes from my last visit.  He was very pleased with my blood pressure, which was perfect for the first time in forever, praise you Jesus! I was waiting for him to say something about my weight, but guess what, he didn't!

Well, I couldn't let it go, I had to ask.  I was so frustrated about it and I thought maybe he could give me some advice.  What he said made me so happy, I wanted to hug him.  It also changed my perspective.

He looked at my chart and noted that I had lost four pounds since my previous visit and he thought that was great. He told me that was a lot of weight for someone to lose in a month and that I shouldn't be so worried about the number on the scale. He told me that the scale wasn't the most important number to worry about. My blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.. those numbers were what I needed to be concerned with, and they are improving.  He told me that the slower the weight loss, the better and more sustainable it would be.  I knew that, but we women can be so impatient.  He told me to stop worrying so much and just keep doing what I'm doing and that progress would come.

Like I said, I wanted to hug him.  I left his office with a completely different outlook on my progress and my future.  I felt calm for the first time in a long time.

At my last weigh-in I was half a pound away from hitting a total of 30 pounds lost.  I'm so happy with the progress I've made and I'm so proud that I didn't give up when the going went sideways! There were a few times I wasn't sure I could go on, but I did and I'm not giving up any time soon.

There are no quick fixes, not for me.  I've tried the quick fix, it doesn't last.  It has to become a lifestyle.  I don't have to be perfect.  I'm going to mess up and I'm going to have bad days, but that's alright.  I'm learning as I go and I'm slowing down to enjoy the ride.

Till next time, God bless!  :)

Frustrated

The past couple of weeks have been frustrating.  After losing weight very steadily every week for a month; all of a sudden I've hit a plateau.  I really didn't expect to hit one so soon!

Last week's weigh-in showed no loss, no gain.  I wasn't happy, but I didn't get worried.  But when this week's weigh-in showed a slight gain, I just wanted to cry.  

I have been counting my points religiously, I haven't been using all my flex points, and I have even been more active.  I'm mystified as to why I would gain.  

Normally, a disappointment like this would set off a binge, but I am so determined to get healthy this time.  There's so much more on the line now than just losing weight to look better.  I have decided that I'm worth it.  I deserve to be healthy, to feel better, to have more energy; so I'm not giving up!

So, I will keep on keeping on, putting one foot in front of the other.  I will keep researching new, healthy foods/recipes to try.  I will share the good stuff (I promise to do better).  Keep an eye out for a couple of new recipes coming soon to www.whatscookingwithmandigirl.blogspot.com.

Until next week...God bless!!

 

Difficult Week But Still Moving Forward

This past week was a very difficult one.  I have had the worst kind of cravings.  For the most part I was able to exercise self control.  I did, however, have a temporary set-back on Friday.  I broke down and had onion rings from Sonic.  Now I'm not talking about just a few onion rings.  I went all out and ordered a large.  Do you know how many calories are in a large order of onion rings?  There are over 600 calories in a large order of onion rings and I ate every last one of them!

The worst part of this lapse in judgement was the feeling afterward.  I felt awful and extremely disappointed in myself.  

Not all was lost though, because although I struggled; my weigh-in was not disappointing.  The scales showed I was down another 1/2 pound this week; bringing me to a total of 12 1/2 pounds lost. I certainly can't and won't complain about that.

In a way it's getting easier to make the right choices.  Today we had lunch at Cracker Barrel and I automatically went to the healthy portion of the menu.  I think that the fact that I had a recent set-back was helpful in my decision making process.

While I was looking at the menu I didn't just see the healthy menu.  I, of course, saw all the tempting offerings that were definitely the wrong choices.  But, I also remembered how I felt after making a poor choice on Friday.  I'm proud to say I made the right choice today.





Note:  I saw this picture online the other day and I thought it might be a neat visual reminder to help stay motivated.  I'm going to use some colorful marbles in mine.  

Plateau Broken - Finally

I finally broke through my two-week plateau.  This morning's weigh-in revealed a 1 1/2 pound loss.  I can't tell you how happy I am.  I was feeling so frustrated and dangerously close to a full-on binge.

My husband recently joined a weight loss challenge at work and it has helped me tremendously.  In fact, if he hadn't been so supportive over the weekend, when I was feeling my weakest, I probably would have given up.

I am a little annoyed with him though.  In his first week he lost as much weight as it has taken me a month to lose.  All annoyance and kidding aside; I'm so proud of him and myself for making the decision to get healthy.

Tonight we had spaghetti squash with meat sauce for dinner.  I use it in place of regular spaghetti noodles.  It's very good and we don't miss the pasta at all.  I love that you get the added vegetables without really noticing.  This is especially helpful where my son is concerned.

It gets easier to make better/healthier decision with each passing day.  I feel stronger in my resolve than I have in a really long time and
positive about my progress.  And even though I have a really long road ahead of me, I finally feel like I have a little momentum behind me.

Frustration

Monday, October 13, 2014 - 9:00 a.m.

I know I really shouldn't be complaining.  I have lost 7 1/2 pounds since starting over.  But this past week the scale hasn't moved and it is incredibly frustrating.

I have tracked all my food, I have stayed within my calorie range, I have exercised and nothing, not even 1/2 a pound.  It's days like this that I get so discouraged and wonder if it's even worth the fight.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving up.  I just need to vent and I promised I would be honest.  I wouldn't be being honest with you or myself if I didn't admit how hard this is sometimes.

Monday, October 13, 2014 - 10:48 p.m.

After the frustration of this morning's weigh-in I was determined not to let my disappointment affect my choices today.  In the past it has been my downfall.  Having a bad weigh-in would almost always lead to a binge.

Not today, today I made solid choices.  I had soup for lunch and a smart, healthy afternoon snack.  I saved the bulk of my calories for this evening.  I had Bunco at a friend's house and I was pretty certain there would be something tempting to eat; and I was right.  My dear friend made Apple Dumplings for dessert and I was able to indulge.

I'm so proud of myself for not losing control.  I can go to sleep tonight with no regrets on my mind.

Smart Snacking - Quick Tip

Did You Know?

On average, nut eaters weigh about 4 pounds less than people who snack on other types of foods.  One possible explanation:  The body doesn't absorb up to 20% of the calories in nuts.  But don't go overboard.  Use these guidelines to stay within a 125-calorie serving:  9 walnut halves, 17 almonds, 30 pistachios, 13 cashews, 23 peanuts.