Nice loss this week

This week turned out better than it had started. I lost 1.2 pounds after a really rough start to the week. It was one of those "emotional" eating struggles. I never realized how often I have problems with emotional eating until I started this journey. Now, I realize it's one of my biggest battles. I did better than the last "rough spot" because this time, I really tried to be in control -- seeing the desire to eat as an emotional response and not really hunger.

Of course, exercise is really helping me stay on track. I'm averaging about 500 calories a day lost through treadmill, rowing, weight lifting, whatever I can do to move the body! And, it's paying off. Even though the weight loss seems slow, I'm doing it the "healthy" way -- averaging a little less than 2 pounds a week. But, I can tell I've had a huge increase in energy levels and a huge decrease in stomach size.

I think the next updated pictures will come when I cross into the 160's -- hopefully within the next 2 weeks.

Great Week -- Great Weigh-in

After the challenging week last week, I decided to get back to basics. I read through some of my old food trackers (week 1 and 2) and realized I was eating a lot more carbs and a lot less fruit than I was before. I

stayed on plan the entire week and exercised my 6 times and it worked! I lost 5.8 pounds!!! That's still a healthy number (even though it raised a few eyebrows) because I had gained 2.6 the week before, so my "net loss" was really about 3.2 pounds this week.

It doesn't really matter -- I know I ate and exercised and felt great -- not just after the weigh-in, but the whole week! Weeks like this make me feel like I can actually reach my goal. I just have to stick with it!

What a Roller Coaster!

Well, after all the whining last week, I decided to go back to my week 1 tracker and duplicate the efforts I did there to get back on track. I exercised 6 days and stayed on plan and I lost an amazing 5.8 pounds! That's incredible! I was very surprised but then, I did what I was supposed to do!

This is quite a strange little journey sometimes (life and weight loss) but I'm determined to stick it out until the end!

It's over!

Well, the crappy week is officially over -- I weighed in, accepted my 2.6 pound weight gain (UGH) and hit the gym this morning more determined and ready for a new week. I have my food packed (based on a day I looked at from my first week on WW's when I lost a lot) and I got in 1 hour on the rowing machine this morning.

Thank God that every morning starts a new day!!! :)

Rough weekend

It's been a rough weekend for me -- challenging to stay on plan and to exercise even once. Between the heat and cramps and bad attitude, I haven't gotten in one AP over the weekend -- very unusual for me.

How am I going to get out of this slump? I'm going to plan exercise times for the rest of the week and I think I'm going to plan for an easy week. I think I need the break! At least the first couple of days. And, I'm going to keep writing food down, even if I go over. And, I'm going to make it through this week!

Wish me luck! :)

Picture at the 20 pound / 10% mark

Here's the "newer" me at 178 pounds! About 31 to go ... I'm 2/5 there!

A Goal Met!

Tonight was weigh-in at Weight Watchers and I hit a significant goal --- 10% and 20 pounds on the same night! Had a 2 pound weight loss since lastweek. I'm SO ecstatic. I get a bad case of nerves every time I step on that scale. I tell myself I won't be disappointed if I don't lose, but knowing full-well that I will be crushed if the hard work that week hasn't paid off! Regardless, I KNOW I'm not going to quit this time. One of my BIG goals is to become a leader. I certainly have the fat before pictures to show off! I've always enjoyed teaching (Sunday school, professional classes, other fun classes like sewing and such), but I love my day job and the nice salary that comes with it. I KNOW when I become a leader, I will LOVE helping to teach others about weight loss and it will help me stay committed and accountable to my new body size.

I attribute a lot of my success to using a Polar F-11 heart rate monitor to exercise. I can stay in the optimal aerobic zone most of the time, challenge myself with a hard workout now and then, really enjoy the "long and light intensity" workout once a week. Right now, my plan is to do cardio at least 4 times a week (usually 6) and weights 2 times (not always 2). It's so much easier to do cardio than weights (for me). When I do weights, I feel like I'm wasting time because the heart rate monitor isn't pumping!

So far this month (August 1-today) I've logged 6 hours and 5 minutes of heart rate monitor activity (plus the 1-1/2 hour bellydance class Sunday where I forgot to wear the monitor) and burned 3586 calories! That's one pound of fat without even taking into account the healthy eating!

I'm loving this journey and can't wait to see what happens next week!

Here's a before picture ... Notice how happy I look! :(

This was 18 pounds ago, so I'm thinking I'll take some new ones soon, wearing the same clothes, just to see the difference. I know I FEEL different!

It starts...

Eight weeks ago, I decided I was through carrying around all this extra weight. I would catch myself looking in the mirror, staring at my stomach and thinking how much I hated it. From my before pictures, taken the day I joined Weight Watchers (June 6, 2007), you can see that I could be mistaken as being pregnant.

I had been exercising pretty regularly for a year ... doing yoga a lot and some cardiovascular work but not consistently and not with any food plan. Finally, I decided it was time to really take my health and weight seriously and get moving.

I wish I had started blogging the day I started Weight Watchers, but I can't go back and change that so I'm moving forward now. Just like I can't change the 15+ years of eating whatever I wanted without worrying about weight. All I can do is make better choices today!

My journey started then and I've already lost 18 pounds of unhealthy, excess body weight. I started in a size 16 or 18 jeans and now down to a loose 14. I'm feeling slimmer already and love that my belly doesn't stand out below my bust.

I'm exercising 6 times a week -- at least 4 cardio and 2 strengthening workouts. I've done a bellydance class (loved that) and have hiked all over my local state parks. I really feel like one of those "athletic" moms now. And, I'm loving it.

When I hear people at the WW meetings or read on the WW boards how someone has all these reasons that they can't exercise, I want to scream "HEY! We all have challenges and obstacles and barriers and busy lives ... just get over it or stay fat!" Of course, I would never talk that way! :)

Thanks for joining me and I'll try to keep you up to date.