Temptations....

We're planning to go out to Cheesecake Factory tonight for dinner with Kerry.  I know they have a SkinnyLicious menu so I'm trying to plan ahead.  I think I'm going to get either the Caesar salad or the chicken samosas.  But it's going to be so tempting to get a slice of cheesecake!!  I'm thinking maybe I'll split a slice with Louie and Colby.  That way, I can have a few bites and then be done.  Tomorrow is weigh-in day, though, and right now I am exactly 2 pounds down from last week. I really don't want to do anything to screw it up!!  This also puts me at 35 pounds gone!  

Lily spit up on both pair of my new jeans on Saturday. So Sunday morning, I pulled out my old jeans from the closet.  These were the ones I wore before I had Colby! When I tried them on in early February, I couldn't zip or button them all the way.  When I put them on Sunday, I could zip and button.  The waist is slightly tighter than it should be but not too bad!  I need to go through the rest of the clothes in my closet, as well as Colby's and Lily's stuff.  I have no idea if my capris will fit, or the shorts I have.  I need to try on my bathing suits too.  I'm hoping my old summer clothes will fit enough to get me through this next season.

Damn carbs!

Was doing really well today .  I weighed 233.4 when I woke up. Louie and I went for a run/walk again at lunch.  But then I had pizza wheels for dinner.  Weighed tonight at 235.4!  So I'll be up a bit in the morning.  Hopefully temporary, and will come off quickly!

Tomorrow is going to be a crazy day .  In addition to working, I need to try to fold laundry, clean the house, bake and decorate the cupcakes, exercise, pay bills, send in my monthly invoice....

Feel like bragging!

Checked my weight before bed...234.6!  Should be down below this morning's weigh-in by tomorrow morning!  I'm so close to 35 pounds gone!  I'm anxious to try on some of my old summer clothes and see if they fit me again.  I hope so because I don't want to spend too much money on new clothes just yet.  If I can get by for the summer season, that would be a good thing!

I did buy a new bra today ... 40C.  The band is slightly tighter than it should be but the cups fit perfect!  Hopefully the band won't be snug for too long.  It's not uncomfortably snug or anything, just a bit tighter than I'm used to.

I keep thinking about the beach trip this year.  I know I'm still going to be overweight and look overweight, but I would love to feel at least a little more confident than I usually am.  I keep thinking about my purple swim suit with the halter top...I would love for that to fit and look good on me!  Still hoping to drop another 20 pounds by then.  Maybe those 2 dresses will fit me by then too.  Not that I have occasion to wear them but I would like to fit in them again and have them look good on me!

Figures....

Day after weigh-in, and I'm down quite a bit more today!  233.8.  Oh well, just means if I keep at it, I'll have an even better loss next week.

Today is a strength training day.  I need to find some different exercises to do...especially for arms.  And I want to make sure I'm using all the muscles.  I wish I had more time to devote to exercise.  I can only really do 30 minutes at lunch, but on strength training days, that's not really enough.  I could easily go 40+ minutes.  I don't know how people for in an hour or more each day!  When do they do it?

Thank The Lord, I had a loss!

It was only .2 pounds but the way thighs went last week, I could not have been happier!!  So I was 235 even this morning - 33 pounds gone!  When I weighed just before bed, I was 235.4, so should be down eve more tomorrow.  It's amazing how that works when you are on track!  I did much better today.  Louie and I went out for a run/walk at lunch.  I couldn't run very much because of my congestion and cough.  But we walked pretty fast when we did walk, and we did it for about a half hour.  I think I'd like to try to keep up with that, and maybe build up running a little longer at a time.

I re-took my bust measurements this evening with my usual bra, and that shows that I have actually lost an inch.  When I took them before with the stretched out white bra, it showed no inches lost.  So I'm going to update my spreadsheet to reflect with the bra I usually wear.

I'm still in the number 1 overall spot for the Biggest Loser competition.  I don't have a huge lead but I'm hoping a couple more good weeks wil help cement that.  I need to be really good until May 1, when we weigh in with pictures again.  I would love to be 233 by the end of this month.  Though I've already lost 6.6 pounds this month, and that is still awesome!  

I'm still hoping to be under 215 for the beach trip.  I'd have to lose 6 pounds each month to hit that goal.

I fell off the wagon....

Last week was really rough, and I fell off the wagon this past weekend.  I was sick on Tuesday and Wednesday, Lily was sick Thursday and Friday, then we had a birthday party Saturday , then Easter Sunday, and I got sick again.  I've been a bottomless pit when it comes to food lately, and having the Easter candy around just did me in!  I didn't exercise as much because of being sick either.  I pulled myself back on track today but it was tough!

I'm probably looking at a small gain tomorrow.  Last week I was 235.2.  I just weighed before bed and I was 237 even, so guessing I'll be about 235.8 in the morning.  We'll see, I guess.  

Tomorrow is supposed to be a run day, and of course the weather is calling for rain!  If it does, though, I'll run inside.  I just need to do something!  Hopefully I start feeling better soon!  

This is going to be a crazy week too.  Colby's birthday party is this 

Saturday, so I have cleaning to do, shopping to do, favor bags to put together, gifts to wrap, etc.  Plus making the cupcakes and food.

I now weigh what I did on my wedding day!

Weighed in officially this morning and was 235.2!  I am pretty sure this now puts me where I was, or lower than I was, on my wedding day!  

I'm feeling pretty awful today - sore throat, post nasal drip, fatigue, stomach pain, achy, and very hot!  I had the window open for a breeze but had to close it due to the rain.  But I feel like I'm roasting!  I was going to start running outside today but not in the rain, and not when I'm feeling awful.  And part of it is self-conscious fear of people seeing me and hearing me suck wind!  Ugh!!  I know I should do it, and I need to do it, but I have to get beyond the fear and embarrassment!  So going to try to push myself to do it on Thursday.

I did, however, still run in place upstairs to get my cardio in.  I only did 15 minutes of running, 10 of walking, but figured that was ok given that I'm sick.  At least I did SOMETHING!

Plus hopefully by Thursday, my shins won't hurt so much still.  They are definitely much better than they were but still sore.  I'm really curious to see where I'll be at by the end of this month, both weight-wise and with my measurements. I know when I peeked a few days ago at measurements, I had already lost some around my hips and waist.  I really do need to keep track of thighs and arms too!  

My jeans that I just bought are getting loose and baggy, and my bras are getting pouchy.  The 3 Old Navy t-shirts I bought a month ago are now too big.  I need to dig through my old clothes and try some stuff on.  I know I have a whole bunch of old shirts and capris and shorts that will hopefully fit me again.  Should get me through summer.  But I'm going to need bras!  Maybe I can try stuff on this weekend...at least get an idea of how much more I need to lose to fit into those clothes.  

Sore!!

My shins and ankles hurt, as does my lower back.  I did a yoga stretching video from YouTube and that helped.  

I am going to start having green smoothies as part of my breakfasts weekday mornings.  I bought spinach, frozen fruit mixes, and bananas.  Hope it comes out ok!

I also am thinking of a new workout plan. I think I'm going to do strength training Mon/Wed/Fri, and do running outside Tues/Thurs/Sat, and then yoga on Sundays.  My plan is to do the C25K over, only this time running as fast as I can during the running portions.  We'll see.

I have my doctor appointment tomorrow. For once, I'm actually looking forward to it.  I'm curious as to what they'll say about my weight loss, and how the bloodwork will come out.  I weighed 238.8 before bed so hoping for 237-ish in the morning.  My appointment isn't until afternoon but hopefully it won't be too bad.

5K Completed!

Today was my 5K.  It is much different running outside than running in place inside!  I started out tired! I ended up walking about a half mile of it.  There were no mile markers, and we guesstimated that we had done about 1 mile.  I didn't think I could keep up running for another 2 miles so we walked for about 8 minutes then ran again.  Turns out we were farther than we thought and the finish line was SO close. I'm bummed because had I known, I would have just pushed through and ran.  

My time was 46 minutes 11 seconds.  Not great... About a 15 minute mile.  I'm going to spend this year working on getting used to running outside and trying to increase my speed.  There's another 5K in Vermont, the Humane Society's Walk for the Animals, on June 15.  I'm tempted to register for that one too.  Tracy is trying to convince me to sign up for a 10K at the end of this year.  I don't think I'm ready for that.  Maybe next spring.  But I need to increase my speed before I do anything like that!  So maybe I'll shoot for the 5K in June, then try to find another one in September, then October.  By then I should be more used to running and getting faster.

I did not eat as well today for dinner but hoping all the exercise today will balance it out.

Made it through a tough weekend!

We traveled to VT this weekend to celebrate Colby's, Louie's, and Tracy's birthdays.  I was worried but I had a plan and stuck with it.  I got my turkey chef salad at Pizza Putt, then ordered 8 veggie spring rolls from Bamboo Hut for dinner.  I was a little worried about that because of the sodium.  Then I had a brownie for dessert.  Today I had a yogurt and banana for breakfast, had 2 slices of turkey, 2 slices of cheese, a handful of chips, and a cup of red flannel hash for lunch, but ate 3 brownies throughout the day!  For dinner, we were so late getting home that I just had 2 waffles.  I know I didn't get enough water this weekend either but did get in about 20 minutes of strength training today.  

After all that, I was worried about what I might see on the scale tonight.  But it was really good!  239 even, which means most likely will be below 238 tomorrow!  So that's really encouraging!!

I bought my jog bra today at Lane Bryant, and also bought a shirt.  It was a size 14/16!  I usually take an 18/20!  

I need to be laser focused this week, even while in NYC!  I need to try to get in my practice runs, strength training, and make sure my eating is under control!  I'll run tomorrow, and then try to do one either Wednesday or Thursday, and then Saturday is the 5K!  I can't believe it!

I have so much I need to do this week!  I need to get laundry done, pack, print my train tickets, map out the subway ride from Penn Station to the hotel, go grocery shopping, exercise, spend time with the kids...God, I'm going to miss the kids, and I'm going to be worried about how Louie is managing!  Especially since he's not feeling well!  I really hope he's not sick while I'm gone!  And I hope he doesn't get me or the kids sick!

30 pounds by tomorrow?

I think it might be possible!  Just weighed before bed - 239.8!  Which means most likely will be somewhere in 238 in the morning - just wondering if I'll hit it dead on to make 30 pounds gone!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!  And definitely need to keep my eating in check this weekend!

Maybe I can be down to 237 by the 5K and my doctor appointment.  I'd like to be far enough into the 230's to have it not register in the 240's with my clothes on. Odd goal, but there it is.

I did a quick check of measurements.  Stomach is still not budging, but hips have dropped down more.  I also measured arms and thighs.  So I can keep track that way too.  I couldn't measure bust because I'd already taken my bra off.

Still in the 230's!

This morning I was down another .2 - 239.6!  Hey, I'll take it!  That puts me 2 pounds down from Tuesday's weigh-in and puts me a little more solidly in the 230's.  But now I really have to be good this weekend.  Lots of temptation for sure, but I think I have a plan.  At Pizza Putt, I'm going to order the chef salad.  For dinner, I'm going to order a salad from Zachary's, and 2 spring rolls from Yummy's.  Not sure about Sunday breakfast yet, but I'll have red flannel hash for lunch.  Hopefully this will help keep me on track.  Also going to bring my weights and try to work out either Saturday sometime or, more likely, Sunday.

I want to sign up for another 5K too.  Gotta keep the momentum going!  I'll probably wait until after this one and see how I do.  But I don't want to lose the motivation, and I'm already finding myself thinking about running less since I don't have the official C25K training going on.  But I need to run for at least 30 minutes still now til my 5K.

I have my annual physical on Monday the 14th.  I'm hoping to be down to 238 by then, preferably lower.  But 238 would put me at 30 pounds lost!  And I'm looking forward to being able to tell them what I'm doing to take control of my weight and health.  Curious, too, to have my bloodwork run and make sure my blood sugars are no longer borderline for diabetes.  I hope everything checks out!

Hello, 230's!

Yep!!  Made it into the 230's this morning!!  239.8!  Just barely but I'm there!  I'm not sure if it's the varying of my calories, or adding the strength training, or both, but that scale is finally moving again!  I'm just going to keep this up and see where things go.  I'm going to have to be very careful this weekend, though.  I need to be in super control of my food.  More and more for dinner on Saturday, I'm thinking I may eat some red flannel hash and then order either a salad or veggie spring rolls.  I do not want a sodium gain throwing off my weigh-in on Tuesday!  This is the first one of BBL Round 2, and there's $110 on the line!  I want to start out strong!

Woohoo!

Well, I was right!  Down to 240.4 this morning!  Down 1.2 from yesterday!  If I'd kept my weigh-in day on Wednesday, I would have been down 2 pounds!  But hey, I'm so close to being in the 230's now!  That's pretty exciting!  I had wanted to be 230's by the time I met Steve...might still be possible now.  Though I have a huge bump in the road this weekend with traveling to VT.  Not so much eating at Pizza Putt because I can get a salad, but ordering Chinese for dinner could be bad.  I suppose I could order from Zachary's instead.  I could get a salad and wings.  Or just the salad and maybe 2 spring rolls from Yummy's.

It's working!

My new plan seems to be working!  I started the strength training on Saturday, and started varying the amounts of calories I eat each day.  This morning for weigh-in, I was down .8 pounds, and when I weighed tonight, I was only .2 more than that!  It's so good to see that scale moving again!  I did another round of weight training today, and tomorrow is my last official C25K training session.  After this, it's just practice runs until the 5K!

I started Batties Biggest Loser round 2 today.  So now switching my weigh-in days to Tuesdays.  I won the previous round so that's $50 as the prize.  This round, there's $80 in the pot!  I want to get a FitBit so badly!  I'd like to do it now and put my $50 toward it, but I'd still be paying $40 out of pocket.  

Next week, I'm going to NYC to meet my manager Steve and coworker Laurie.  I had really hoped to be in the 230's by then (and preferably not just barely in the 230's!).  Not sure that will happen so I just have to accept that.  Oh well.  It is what it is.  What I need to focus on more is how I'm still going to fit in the exercise while there, and keeping myself accountable with my eating.  Part of me wants to try out the gym at the hotel, but the other part is just not comfortable with that yet.  Plus I really don't want to bring all my special clothes.  I'm debating bringing my 5 lb weights, though.  I'm not sure.  

I'm nervous about going to NYC by myself, nervous about meeting Steve, nervous that my shyness will kick in...nervous about how Louie is going to handle both kids while I'm gone, and dreading being away from them.  I don't know how people who travel a lot for business and have kids do it.  I hate it!

Anyway, I was thinking about my measurements.  I was only taking bust, waist, and hips.  I'm wondering now if I should also take arm and thigh measurements too.  Especially with the strength training...it'd be good to see if I'm losing inches there too.  I may do that tomorrow.