Weekly Weigh-In: I’m Down 5 Pounds

3 Comments
Feeling optimistic that my motivation is back. I'm down 5 lbs. this week. Next week's weigh in is the real test.

Feeling optimistic that my motivation is back. I’m down 5 lbs. this week. Next week’s weigh in is the real test.

I won’t say I got my weight loss back on track just yet. I’ve had my share of 5+ lbs. losses in a week only to find I’m up 6 lbs. the next. I need to see some consistency, so next week’s weigh is more important. In my mind I need to go below 210 before I start thinking I’ve righted this ship.

But I will say I’ve seen a noticeable difference in my attitude and motivation. I’m feeling confident again.

Nonetheless I’m still celebrating the loss. Five pounds in a week is big. It’s only fitting that I celebrate with a 1.63-mile interval run and a 4-mile walk. If I do well at my next Weight Watchers meeting, I’ll celebrate with a mani and pedi (after a 2 mile run of course). Read More

Weekly Weigh In: I Lost A Stick Of Butter This Week!

1 Comment
I dropped 0.25 pounds this week. Sure it's not as huge as last week's loss, but I'm down and that's what counts!

I dropped 0.25 pounds this week. Sure it’s not as huge as last week’s loss, but I’m down and that’s what counts!

After last week’s big loss of nearly 6 pounds, my weight loss slowed considerably this time around. I’m down 0.25 pounds. That’s one stick of butter, and I’ll gladly take it.

My grueling workouts this week killed my quads, glutes, triceps, adductors and shoulder muscles. That tells me my muscles are retaining water. Maybe my 0.25 pound loss is the tip of the iceberg. If I keep eating right, I’m expecting a nice weight loss next Saturday when I weigh in.

On The Road Again
The big eating challenge this week is my road trip to FitBloggin’14. I’m driving to Savannah — about a 9 hour drive (not including stops). So I’m planning out my strategy for avoiding fast food traps. While I’m hopeful FitBloggin’ will include healthy foods, I’m not going in wishing for the best. I’m putting together a food plan for the two-day conference.  More on that tomorrow. Read More

Weekly Weigh-In: Up 7 Pounds; Back To Weight Loss Basics

6 Comments
I gained 7 pounds over 2 weeks. Ugh! I'm getting back to basics with my weight loss program.

I gained 7 pounds over 2 weeks. Ugh! I’m getting back to basics with my weight loss program.

Holy crap! Well my cheat days caught up to me with abandon. Over the last couple of weeks I gained 7 pounds. Yes, 7 freakin’ pounds. Ugh! So that puts me at 220…again.

Frustration doesn’t even come close to describe how I feel. But I’m not going to dwell on it. I’m going to do something about it.

Getting Back To Basics
No matter how much I think I have this weight loss thing down I do something boneheaded that proves me wrong.

I’m getting back to basics and using my tried and true formula that helped me drop 100+ pounds. So what am I doing? Read More

May 3 Weigh-In: Down 3 Pounds

5 Comments
Awesome! For the first time in weeks I feel back on track. This is what happens when you track your food!

Awesome! For the first time in weeks I feel back on track. This is what happens when you track your food!

After a week of successfully tracking my meals, my weight started moving in the right direction once again. I dropped 3 pounds this week. I do plan to celebrate…by going on a run.

I now weigh 214 pounds, for a total weight loss of 111 pounds. I did set a short-term goal to weigh 200 pounds by the end of May. I hoped to reach the 200-pound mark by the end of April, but thanks to a plateau, that didn’t happen.

So I pushed that short-term goal back to the end of May. It’s a tall order after the 5 pound gain over the last couple of weeks. I’ll need to lose an average of 3.5 pounds a week for that to happen. I’ll do my best, but I’m not going to starve myself.

Overall I have 74 more pounds to lose to reach my goal weight of 140 pounds. I think it’s realistic for me to reach goal by year’s end. Keeping my focus and not cutting corners with my good eating habits are key.

Weekly Weigh-In: Ugh! Up 2.5 Pounds

3 Comments
I gained 2.5 pounds this week - the 2nd week of weight gain. My packing on the pounds coincides with my lack of tracking.

I gained 2.5 pounds this week – the 2nd week of weight gain. My packing on the pounds coincides with my lack of tracking.

The scale’s been cruel to me the last couple of weeks. I’ve put on 5 pounds since April 12. I’ve gone from 212 to 217. It isn’t all water weight as I previously thought. The big common denominator for the last 2 weeks is the lack of tracking.

For some reason I’m not consistently using My Fitness Pal’s food tracker. Looking back over the last 2 weeks, some days are partly tracked – a breakfast here, a lunch there. But most days are blank. Grrrrr!

It’s amazing how quickly a good habit can fall by the wayside. When I track, I lose weight. Period. If I don’t track, I can gain 5 pounds in two weeks. Like exercise, tracking keeps me focused on making better food choices.

OK, I pinpointed the problem and it’s time to fix it. I logged my breakfast, morning snack and lunch today. And I didn’t wait an hour after I ate. I recorded it immediately after. That’s more like it.

My mini goal is to track for a full day, so only two more meals (afternoon snack, dinner) to go today. It’s all about baby steps. I know if I focus on trying to track a full week, I’ll rebel and fail.

Nope…it’s meal-by-meal and day-by-day for me. That’s the best way for me to relearn this good food habit.

Weekly Weigh In: Up 2.5 Pounds

Leave a comment
Thanks to water weight and too much eating out, I'm up 2.5 pounds. Time to start making my own healthy meals.

Thanks to water weight and too much eating out, I’m up 2.5 pounds. Time to start making my own healthy meals.

Last week I tacked up a bit with a 2.5 pound gain. Some of that is water weight thanks to tough upper body workout. But I think most of the gain came from eating out too much last week.

On 5 different occasions I ate out for either lunch or dinner. Sure I opted for the healthy option, but unless I’m making the food myself, I never really have a good handle on the carb count and points value. The best I can do is estimate.

Also when you eat out you tend to eat about 35% more food. All that lively conversation, big portions and the ambiance helps you to lose track of how much you ate and ignore the signs you’re full.

So this week I’m back to eating in. I’m spending the bulk of the day making food – chicken wings and quarters, pulled pork, a new low carb BBQ sauce I’m testing, and meatballs. All carb and point friendly.

If I stick to eating what I cook this week, those pounds will be gone by Saturday.

Weekly Weigh-In: Down 3 Pounds

1 Comment
I lost 3 pounds this week. I'm back to where I was before the strep throat!

I lost 3 pounds this week. I’m back to where I was before the strep throat!

Hot damn! I dropped 3 pounds this week and officially lost the weight I gained during my strep throat. Phew! With the injuries, illnesses and frickin’ snow out-of-the-way, it feels like I can finally see daylight.

Chances of me reaching my short-term goal of weighing under 200 pounds by the end of April are looking pretty slim. It’s looking like the end of May is more realistic. As long as I get there I’ll take it.

Food wise, I stuck to eating 25g of carbs a day. I did have one little slip (or should I say sip). Yes, I broke Lent with a glass (or two) of wine. Sigh…but on the bright side, wine is low carb. Anyway, I’m back on the wagon and will not drink for the rest of Lent.

In addition to eating healthy, I kicked my workout schedule up a notch. With all the weight lifting, biking, walking, running, yoga classes and my burpee challenge, I worked out a total of 11 hours this week. Awesome!

This week I’m adding an extra challenge to my workout schedule – my first day hike this year. I’ve got my sights set on Manassas National Battlefield Park. The park has 40+ miles of hiking trails and my goal is to cover 11.5 miles.

 

Every Saturday Morning For Me

Leave a comment

Anything to get that scale to move!  H/T to It Sux To Be Fat.

weigh in cartoon

Simple Start Lentil & Black Bean Chili Recipe

Leave a comment
Yum! I love chili and this easy to make Simple Start recipe hit the spot this week.

Yum! I love chili and this easy to make Simple Start recipe hit the spot this week.

I picked up this Simple Start chili recipe at my Weight Watchers meeting. I’ve stayed away from lentils and beans because of the higher carb count, but I do love them.  Since I’m doing Simple Start this week, I decided to give this Lentil and Black Bean Chili recipe a try.

It is easy to make, delicious, filling and very high in carbs – 47g per serving.  The recipe calls for 1-½ cups of dry French lentils. I used the lentils I had in my pantry and that ended up making 6 cups of cooked lentils. That seemed like a lot to me so I used 2 cups of cooked lentils, and the carb count dropped to 37g. The ingredients below still call for the 1-1/2 cups of dry french lentils. I’m not sure how many cups of cooked lentils that makes.  If you are watching your carb intake, I recommend adjusting accordingly.

Read More

Weekly Weigh-In: Down 3.4 Pounds

4 Comments
Finally movement on the scale. I'm down 3.4 pounds this week.

Finally movement on the scale. I’m down 3.4 pounds this week.

February was a tough month for me as far as the scale goes, losing just 0.2 pounds. Thanks to some fine-tuning of my Paleo Challenge, I’m saying goodbye to the month on a high note — I lost 3.4 pounds this week.

My total weight loss is now 105.6 pounds, roughly 1/3 of my body weight! I hope this means my February plateau is over and I’m mentally in the sweet spot for continued weight loss.

One of my goals this year was to weigh 200 pounds by the end of April.  I’m 20.8 pounds closer to making that goal a reality. With 9 weeks left, I need to lose 19.4 pounds. That’s about 2 pounds a week.  Tough, but possible. I think it’s time to shake it up.

Read More