Weekly Weigh-In: Down 2.4 Pounds

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I'm at my lowest weight in more than 25 years. In the last 2-1/2 years, I've lost nearly 40% of my total body weight. I'm closing in fast on that 200 pound mark!

I’m at my lowest weight in more than 25 years. In the last 2-1/2 years, I’ve lost nearly 40% of my total body weight. I’m closing in fast on that 200 pound mark!

My march to Onederland (weighing under 200 lbs.) continues. Just 3 more pounds to go…Woo Hoo!!!

I expected my weight loss to slow down after last week’s big loss. With my 2.4 lbs. loss this week, I’m tipping the scales at 202.8 pounds. That’s the lowest I’ve weighed in more than 25 years. Hot damn! So far I’ve lost 122 lbs. since my little journey began — nearly 40% of my total weight gone.

Dealing With Exercise Guilt
I did a great job this week tracking my food and watching my carb count. I hated that couldn’t workout like I wanted to, but my knee is getting some much-needed rest. It’s feeling better and the swelling is almost gone. Hopefully after another week of light exercise, I can start easing my walks back into my workout routine. Read More

Weekly Weigh-In: Down 6.4 Pounds!

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I dropped 6.4 lbs. this week. Another week like this and I'll finally drop below 200.

I dropped 6.4 lbs. this week. Another week like this and I’ll finally drop below 200.

Hot damn! I’ve pretty much dropped all my weight gain from my trip to Texas. I was hoping for a 2 pound loss and ended up dropping 6.4 lbs. Sweet!

My secret? Tracking. Not exciting, I know. But truth is when I track, I lose weight. Funny how that works.

So my total weight loss is now 120 lbs. That’s 24 5-pound gold stars to my Weight Watcher peeps. Read More

Weekly Weigh-In: Up A Few Ounces

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My legs are sore as heck and I ate right all week. So naturally I'm up slightly. Damn you water retention! Expecting better results next Saturday.

My legs are sore as heck and I ate right all week. So naturally I’m up slightly. Damn you water retention! Expecting better results next Saturday.

An uneventful weigh in on Saturday. I’m up about 7 ounces so either I gained some muscle or I’m retaining water. Considering how sore my legs were on Saturday, my money is on water retention.

I did a great job eating about 20g of carbs a day this past week. As long as I continue eating smart, I should have a nice loss this coming Saturday.

Tough Workout – Taming The Yard

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Time for a tough workout in my front yard. It's time to tame the jungle!

This afternoon I’m in for a tough workout in my front yard. It’s time to tame the jungle!

Today is weeding and pruning day! Thanks to all the rain, not only have my rose bushes grown wild, the weeds are starting to over take my lovely flowers. Which means I’ll get in a full body workout – legs, arms, back and abs.

I checked out how many calories I can burn during my planned 60-minute weed battle – about 200 calories. Counting your Weight Watchers activity points? One hour of intense yard work translates into 9 activity points. Not too shabby!

This afternoon I’m focusing mostly on weeding, pruning and raking. Weight Watchers posted info on the amount of energy expended during gardening activities (registration required).

  • Weeding & Pruning = golfing or heavy cleaning
  • Raking = Leisurely bicycling
  • Watering = Sitting, knitting or sewing

Time to grab my gardening gloves!

Weekly Weigh-In: I’m Down 5 Pounds

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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!

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.