Report on Saturday's weigh-in

Well, it was kind of an iffy week, but I pulled through it with a 2-pound loss. Yay!

I guess I haven't told you, yet, why I started WW. We're trying to conceive and last month when I found out I wasn't pregnant I was super depressed. I talked to Dean and said I needed to be able to focus on something else that I have control over being successful at. So I decided to try WW (again); thankfully, he was on board. He's always on board with goals that I have. I have at least another week till I could possibly find out that I am expecting, so I am going to try to keep on. At least with every month I am not pregnant, I can look at it as an opportunity to lose a few more pounds. And another thing I look forward to is the possibility of running another triathlon this year (if I am not pregnant by May, then I'm good to go).

Last year, I ran Triathamom. It was one of the hardest, best, most rewarding things I've done. And I want to do another one. The other lady in the photo (in blue) is a friend of mine who also ran her first tri. She blogged about it here.

So, Saturday I did my normal routine and worked VERY hard at my step class to sweat off something more. It's a good thing I did. And as far as other working out goes, Zumba has been my go-to class during the week, mostly because it fits so well into my schedule right now. I know I am going to have to work in workouts more than 3x per week eventually. But I am starting slow for now and it seems to be working.

Valentine's Day is going to be my challenge this week. But Dean and I aren't doing our V-day dinner (or possibly lunch in our case) till Saturday.... after weigh-in. So I just might be able to have a couple of those chocolates he'll be giving me. :)

Weekly weigh-in (two days late)

4.2 pounds

Yep! That's what I lost. Go me! I was so nervous Friday night, I decided to do my Biggest Loser video 
It was harder than I remember it. Then the next morning I got my basket at Bountiful Baskets, went to the gym and did part of a step class (in which I was totally lost a good amount of the time), then went to weigh in. Needless to say, I was very happy about the loss. Hopefully, this week goes just as well; though I'd be pleased as punch with a lesser loss... but I'll take another 4 lbs. if that's how it works out! :D

Also, yesterday, I recorded my measurements. I don't have any losses to report in that area yet, though, because it's my first measurement. I'll keep you posted on that.

I love the new WW program. It seems so much more doable now (for me). I love the extra points you get for a week. The free fruit is great; it really motivates me to eat more fruit and veggies. The online tracking tools are easy to use. Activity also seems to be stressed more in the program and rewarded more. Overall, I love it.

Here's to a great week, friends!

Nervous

Tomorrow is weigh in and I have to admit I am nervous. I am not concerned about whether I gained or lost (I am pretty sure I lost), I am mostly nervous about how much. Tuesday I had high hopes that I would lose like 5 lbs. in one week. That ain't gonna happen.

However, it's been a pretty good week. I've been able to stay within my points range and have had some really yummy food, too. My favorite discovery of the week was a kicked-up tuna sandwich. It'll be even better when it's two points lower because of low-cal bread.

And I have gone to the gym twice! (Yeah, didn't do the little walks with the babe. My patience was not at it's pinnacle this week.) My gym attendance had been dismal up until this week. But Zumba was kind of calling my name and it lived up to it's sweat-filled promises.

Tomorrow's plan is to sweat off as much as I can at a step class right before my meeting/weigh-in. It'll be a busy, busy morning. I can't wait!

Official Weekly Weigh-In

My last weekly weigh-in was a cheat one, I'm technically not supposed to weigh-in midweek but I did. So that weigh-in was Tuesday night, the day I train.

Like I said in my last post, I have been on a plateau forever and so my trainer worked up a new food plan for me to follow instead of WW. I love WW, it got me going and helped me lose 20 pounds so I know it works. I also think it's good to shake things up now and then. I do know that I definitely want to use WW when I am at my goal weight just to maintain and stay accountable.

But back to the weigh in. So today was my official weigh in day are here are the results this week:

Down 5.4 pounds!!!!!!!

I am so excited! Let me tell you, it has not been easy. Every day this week I have had to make the choice to be healthy and work towards my goals. Last night I wanted a piece of pizza from my cheat meal the night before so bad but leftovers are not part of the cheat meal deal. I seriously kept going back and forth in my mind about whether or not I was going to eat some. Finally, I decided not to and instead have a spinach salad with tomatoes and hard boiled eggs.

I knew that if I had gone off plan and eaten the leftover pizza then I would have felt horrible if my numbers were higher than I had expected this morning. So I decided to stick with it and not waste all the hard work I've done this week. My trainer says I'm being rewarded for my good choices and I have to say, I like this reward!

So it's on to week 2 of this new food/exercise plan. I hope the results keep coming and the pounds keep dropping.

What good choices are you making today to get you towards your goals?

Weekly Weigh-In

Haven't done a Weekly Weigh-in update for a while, probably because I've been stuck on a dumb plateau for what has seemed like for-ev-er!

So I changed things up, both food and exercise wise, and it's working:

Down 2.6 this week!!!

So ready for my training session tonight! Bring it!!!

Weekly Weigh-In

Goals are a great thing. They give you something to work towards, push you and motivate you to work harder. And then sometimes you don't meet those goals and it's up to you whether you let it discourage you or motivate you.

I choose to be motivated! This past week I had a lofty goal to lose 4 pounds. The most I've lost in one week is 3.1 and that was last week. The way it works on the Biggest Loser is if you have a big week then usually the next week is a lower week. It tends to work that way in real life too, at least for me.

I was not down 4, but rather down 1. And you know what? I'll take it! That's one less pound to lose, one less pound standing between me and my maintenance weight!

There were several things I did this past week which only helped lead to the low number. I have reviewed them and am pushing through to this week.

My goal this week is to worry less about the scale and more about being healthy. I need to stop obsessing about numbers (not ignore them, just not obsess over them) and really listen to how I'm feeling, how my clothes are fitting, etc. After thinking about it I realized I'm feelin' pretty darn good!

Weekly Weigh-In

A couple weeks ago I started training again and really got back on board with my dieting, etc. Well, let's just say when my trainer tells me to do something you bet I'm going to listen! I've been working hard and it's paying off.

Today's weigh in marks 20 lbs. lost since the beginning of the year!!!! Check out my little side graph now. Nice downward slope and I'm loving it!

Weekly Goal: My goal for this week is to keep up with everything I've been doing (train, food journal, no sugar, etc.) as well as:

1. Go to sleep on time! This is a huge one for me. I'm such a night owl which isn't good for my body but is also when I tend to snack.

2. Exercise 30 min. a day. I've done well the last week doing this every other day or every couple of days but I really want to make it a part of my daily schedule. Whether it's a yoga dvd, jogging, a brisk walk, zumba, whatever. 30 minutes devoted to exercise.

3. Really push myself to the limit. I want to show myself what I really can do. I love the Biggest Loser because they do this to the contestants. They push them until they think they are at their limit, and then they push them some more to show them just what they can do.

So check back in with me next week when I report on how things went. :)

Weekly Weigh-In and Other Measurements

I haven't posted in a while so I thought it was time for a quick update. I took a bit of a "vacation" this summer, that is, a vacation mentality towards Weight Watchers. Then I literally went on vacation these past 3-4 weeks. It was not pretty folks.

But now...I'm back!!! I'm motivated and I'm ready to buckle down and really get this thing done. Step number one was to buy a scale for my bathroom since I am no longer attending WW meetings and can't use theirs.

The big weigh in after a month of: I lost 3 pounds! Yes, it was over a month so it's not that great, but I was definitely not counting points and it's nice to know that I'm learning to change habits, not just follow a diet.

So YTD total: I'm down 15.5 lbs!

I am running a 5k with my trainer the last weekend of September, so 8 weeks away from last Saturday. I made it my goal to lose an additional 20 lbs. by the day of the race. I am kicking it into high gear over here! I will keep you update with a weekly weigh-in and I'd love feedback and motivation through comments!

Suggestion of the day: Use a food scale!!!! I haven't been using one all year, just going by the serving size on the back of packages or guesstimating. If you want to see results you NEED a food scale. Today I ate some blue corn chips for a snack. It said 1 oz. or approximately 14 chips for a serving. I used my brand new food scale and got maybe 10 chips at 1 oz. I've been over eating and over guesstimating everything!!! Get yourself a food scale people. (FYI: The one pictured is not the one I bought).

The Disneyland Conundrum: Take 2

Ok, so I didn't do a Disney 1/2 marathon, but after 2 days of walking all over both parks my legs sure thought I had!

We like to go to Disneyland often. You'd think with all that walking I would lose weight while there. Not so, my friends. That mean old mouse (ok, so he's really not mean, but come on, help a dieting girl out!) has put churros, hand dipped corn dogs, etc. all over the place!

It's so hard to say no to all the yummy treats! By the time I come back home I've GAINED 3 pounds!!!

Not this time my friends. I did my weigh in when I came back and I did not gain a single pound. In fact, if anything I actually lost about 1/2 pound or so.

Tomorrow I will post some of things I did while on vacation, which may be no brainers to you, but weren't to me and really helped me enjoy my trip while not hating the scale when I got back.

Weekly Weigh-In

Well, I missed Weight Watchers on Saturday because we were out at the Walk Now For Autism Speaks event. It was fantastic! Not to mention we walked 1 mile so I got some exercise too. :)

My goal this week is to focus on being more active. I want to workout 1 hour 3 times this week as well as try to be more active in general.

Ways To Accomplish This Goal:

- Train with my amazing trainer one night this week

- Do a yoga video on Netflix, it really is good to do at least once a week

- Walk to the park instead of drive

- Play more Wii games like Just Dance, Wii Active, or Wii Fit as part of my evening activities

- Dust off my 30 Day Shred dvd. We all need a little Jillian in our week. :)

How do you workout and stay active?

Weekly Weigh-In

So today's weekly weigh in was up one pound from my last weekly weigh in making that 12 point something pounds lost since I started. I've had ups and downs throughout these past few months and I wonder where I would be if I had just stuck to it this whole time but that's all part of the journey!

My weekly goal for next weigh in is to lose 3 pounds. I know, that's a lot when you're not a Biggest Loser contestant but I've done it a couple times before so I know it's achievable if I work really hard and track points like crazy.

Ways I'm going to achieve my weekly goal:

- Work out at least 30 minutes each day
- Train with my trainer one night this week and really work hard
- Track every single thing I eat this week
-Meet my fruits/veggies requirements each day, and then some
-Focus on lean protein, healthy snacking, and portion control
-Meet my water intake requirements each day, and then some

I remember when one of the contestants this season on BL had a weight in mind he wanted to achieve at weigh-in. He was so determined to hit this weight that he wrote it in sharpie on his arm and would constantly repeat the number during workouts.

I have to say, I'm kind of tempted to get a sharpie and put a huge 3 on my arm, but I think that goes against the whole idea of being kind to my body. So instead, I'm going to make "3 pounds" my mantra this week. When my workout gets hard and I don't think I can do it I'll say "3 pounds, Mary, 3 pounds" and keep on going. When I'm trying to decide whether to eat a greek yogurt or a bowl of ice cream for a snack I'll say "3 pounds, Mary, 3 pounds."

Do you like making weekly goals? How do you stick to those goals?

Weekly Weigh in -- Stress Weight. :)

I hit 160 on Friday.  Then, I ate cheese fries and went up to 162... but darn Outback how addicting is your ranch dressing?  I think that's a loss of 2 pounds last week.... but I'm not exactly sure.

But, seriously... 160 puts me down 50 pounds since I originally started losing weight (in 2008)... and 40 pounds since having P.

It just feels nice.

And again, I'm not stressing about it.  Just like 6 more pounds til' my BMI doesn't make me all pudgey on the wii. :)

Weekly Weigh-In

Somehow dragged myself out of bed this morning and out into the miserable dreary rain to go to my weekly weigh-in. Good thing too since I lost 2.2 lbs. and hit my 5% goal! That's a grand total of 13 lbs. down! :)

Looking forward to an even better week! It's so motivating to see the scale reflect how hard I've been working. It makes me want to eat even better than I already am and workout more frequently. Reaching my goals makes me want to push myself that much more.

Weekly Weigh-In

Saturday was my official weekly weigh in at Weight Watchers and I have to say I was really excited about it. Last week was great. It was my first week being really diligent about the program and back on track since our vacation. I also started with my new personal trainer and exercising more and boy did it pay off! A whole 3 lbs. to be exact! I couldn't believe it. I really worked hard this week and it's so motivating to see that hard work reflected on the scale. I hope this week's weigh in can be just as great!

Weekly Weigh-In

Last Saturday was my first official Weight Watchers weekly weigh-in since we came back from vacation. I had gone to a weigh-in the day before we left for our trip, and this weigh in was 6 days after we came back from our trip. The scale showed I was up by .4 but if you take into account the unofficial weigh in result of +3 lbs. I did at home when we got back from Disneyland then I lost almost all of the vacation weight last week.

I'm still not at my lowest since I started this journey in January though and that is a tad frustrating. I've got 2.6 more pounds to lose until I'm back where I was before I got discouraged by the silly .8 loss weigh in and jumped off the wagon. But really, that was a good lesson and one I'm glad I learned early on so hopefully I won't make that same mistake again and if/when I do I won't let it discourage me so much.

This week's goal: Weigh less than my husband. When I checked the scale yesterday I was 3 pounds away from matching his weight. Now, he's a whole foot taller then me so I know I really should weigh a lot less than him, but small steps here people. I'm super excited to reach this goal!

Weigh-in {and the crowd boo's}

Ok, I'm down 2 pounds from my high of last week.

I'm really just trying to figure out how I'm going to work this out.  I can't track food for the rest of my life.  I did start to get into a groove last week.  And I do plan to track monthly but I don't want to track the other weeks and I want to learn to live on my own.

That put me down to 166.2.  I am just stuck right around there.  I'm feeling like it will never change.  So I'm changing.

Drew and I are doing interval training this week (he's off of school).  We're just doing walking and running, but running isn't something I have done before.  I hate it, and turns out I am AWFUL at it.  I'm talking awful.  I want to die much of the time and I was SO sore yesterday after we started on Saturday.  Who knew your inner thighs took such a beating from running?  Either way, they obviously could use some conditioning.

So, I'm hoping the interval training will be helpful.  I'm not working many Saturdays this month, so I'd like to be able to do it on Saturdays for an hour or so with Drew.  I think that mixing things up can be the ticket to get off my plateau. And either way I am trying new things.

And totally hating them. :)  Isn't that what losing weight is all about?

And all you workout gurus.  Currently we're doing 4 minutes of walking and 1 minute of running.  Is there a website that I could look to to reasonably increase my pace, or what's the best way to go about it?  We initially did 5 minutes of walking and 1 minute of running... but I felt like that was too much rest.  4 seemed good, maybe I'll try 3:30 next time.

Weekly Weigh-In

Hilary and I frequented the local WW meeting again this past Saturday for our weekly weigh-in. I started watching the current season of The Biggest Loser last week and now anytime I step on a scale I swear I hear someone say: "And your current weight is..." Thankfully they don't actually say that, but still, it's nerve wracking!

This week I was down by .8. That's not even a whole pound people! I injured my back about midway through the week so I wasn't able to do my crazy workouts, just simple things like walking, yoga, etc. I was also low on my water intake and my fruits/veggies for the week.

I was pretty frustrated with myself and just couldn't shake it. A loss is a loss right? The number went down! In fact, that .8 moved me down into the next range of numbers so that's an accomplishment, right?

Today I am trying to stay positive, jumping back on the bandwagon, and am recommitted to doing my best! Not that I didn't do my best last week, but this week I'm going to try even harder. My goal for this week is a 1-2 pound weight loss. Totally do-able.

How do you stay positive when the scale doesn't show what you want? How do you resist the urge to be upset about it and go eat your weight in chinese food later that night? (Just as a hypothetical).

Weekly Weigh-In

Yesterday I met up with Hilary at the local Weight Watchers meeting. I wasn't going to go because I felt like I hadn't done my best during the week and I was afraid the scale would show that I had gained. I stuck to my points but I didn't eat the healthiest foods within those point ranges and my exercise for the week? Well, I did go on a long walk one day but that was about it.

Thanks to Hilary and her last minute work cancellation (sorry Hil!) she emailed me and said she was going to go. I figure she's a nurse, so if seeing that I have gained a few pounds back makes me pass out or something she'll know what to do. :)

I got dressed and headed out, actually loving that I live on the 3rd floor and had to walk down three flights of stairs to get to my car. Anything that helps burn a few more calories, right?

I got there for the last 5 minutes of the meeting but was able to weigh in before they did all the "awards" for weight loss that week. I wish someone had taken a picture of the look of shock on my face when I stepped on the scale and the woman told me I had lost 2.2 lbs this week. What the...?! She quickly ran over to the leader and gave her my name for the awards because I had hit another five pound marker, making my 3 week total of weight loss 10.6 pounds. That's like a whole newborn I've been carrying around! (Well, at least one of MY newborns. I have big babies.)

Honestly, I really was surprised but when I thought back to my week I made healthy choices, I tried to be active and sometimes that's all you need.

For today, I'd like to share a quote by Jillian Michaels. She posted this on her facebook page last week and I really love what she says.

"Many are so preoccupied w/what others think it defines their existence.It's fear based to be told & to accept that you are this or can only accomplish that. When we fixate externally it keeps us from truly knowing of ourselves & our destiny.Most fear looking inward for worry they won't find greatness, but when we stop allowing others to define our worth you'll see-greatness exists in us all, waiting to be expressed."

My challenge to you for this week: Don't let others define who you are or what you can accomplish. Look inside and find that greatness. Push yourself, challenge yourself, and see how strong you really are.

Last Chance Workout

I'm beginning to not like Fridays. See, I go to Weight Watchers on Saturdays. That means that on Friday I'm counting points like crazy, trying to eat fruits and veggies all day long, drink enough water, and of course, getting in that last minute workout right before bed, praying and crossing my fingers that in the morning I will wake up a few pounds lighter.

At my unofficial weigh in today I was down 1.6 pounds this week. I'm always afraid that the scale is wrong or that I'll get all excited about my weigh in but then the WW scale will say I gained 50 pounds that week, or something crazy like that.

Anyway, since this all started with Hilary as my inspiration to begin this journey I thought I would go with her goal from last year: lose 1 pound a week. I think I started off on the wrong foot by losing 4 pounds each week for the first 2 weeks. Now that I set the bar high I want to hit that each time, which is totally unrealistic unless I'm on the Biggest Loser Ranch and Jillian is kicking my butt 12 hours a day. :)

Shouldn't I be happy with 1.6? Shouldn't I say "Good job Mary. Nice going, keep it up!" No. Instead all I hear is Jillian yelling at me saying "this is your last chance workout, get up and get on that treadmill!" I have to say, I think Jillian (or at least my mind's version of her) is right. Yes I could say, "hey, I worked hard this week, I met my goal. I'm good, I'm good." But would I feel good about my efforts at weigh-in tomorrow? Would I feel like I did ALL I could do? No, I'd be wondering just how much lower that number on the scale might have been if I'd given just 10, 20, 30 more minutes, whatever I could do.

So here I am in the middle of my busy day actually looking forward to working out tonight. Me! Can you believe it? I sure can't. I'm ready to work, I'm ready to put in the time tonight, I'm ready to see those numbers on the scale go down.

It's never too late to try. It's never too late to get up and move, even if it's just for 10 minutes. That's 10 minutes more than it would have been and that's progress!

I Can Do This

Hilary and I went to the local Weight Watchers meeting on Saturday and it was epic. I mean, seriously epic. My total weight loss after my second week on points plus...8.4 lbs.! I hit my first goal of losing five pounds! I weighed myself this morning and was happy to find that I'm one pound away from 10, and it feels good.

There really is something to say for the power of positive thinking. When I wasn't working towards losing weight I just felt fat, thought fat...fat, fat, fat. I hated looking in the mirror because I felt like I was a trillion pounds and ugly. I didn't do my hair or make-up each day because I just felt like I was so ugly it wouldn't help.

Now, almost 10 pounds later, I feel great and motivated. The past two days I've done my hair and make-up! I noticed myself this morning looking in almost every mirror I passed, giving my hair a flip, smiling at myself, and thinking, "Hey, I look good!" Now, I'm not saying I'm a model or that I'm trying to be conceited, I'm just taking the time for me and appreciating and loving myself.

The whole way home from the weigh in on Saturday I was pumped up. I was so happy to see that my hard work is paying off I just kept saying to myself, "I can do this, I can totally do this."

My challenge for you this week is to change one negative thing you say or think about yourself (examples: I'm too fat, I'm not smart enough, I don't like my hips, I'm a loser, I'm not like so and so, etc.) and make it a positive! Start seeing that part of you in a positive light for a whole week. Tell yourself you're beautiful, smart, and worth being appreciated and loved. Put notes on your mirror to remind yourself and anytime you catch yourself starting to think negative hurry and make it a positive!

And for your viewing pleasure, here is a video that circulated the blogs a while back of a little 4 year old who is all about positive affirmations!