Maintaining

It's been a long time, and a really rough couple of weeks. But I've mostly been eating well, so I'm proud of that. I have not had much exercise at all in the last several weeks, however, and I think that's part of why I've backtracked and gained back about 2 pounds. But, I'm okay with that, cuz I'm still at the same point I was at in mid-June before everything happened. So, maintaining in the face of everything is fine with me.

Every Little Step...

This was a rough week, just in terms of me occasionally giving in to temptation... cheese and crackers, a big cookie, a Kobe beef burger, and more... but, my body seems to be working differently and somehow it's all balancing out. I lost another .4 pounds, woohoo! And thanks to my trusty little spreadsheet I can see that I've now lost a total of 5.35% of my body weight from my highest point. Hooray!

On a Roll

I lost another 1.1 pound(s) this week - hooray! It does feel like things are getting easier and feeling more natural, and I feel good. I'm at 12.7 pounds lost total, and this past week was when I started getting several comments from people that they can tell I'm losing weight. It's not all about appearance, but it's certainly a nice motivator to get compliments and positive encouragement!

NSV! Times Two!

(aka Non-Scale Victory, a big WW term.)

So, with losing a wee bit of weight, my clothes are fitting a little better. And I had TWO good NSV's today because of it.

First of all, I was wearing a pair of pants that were very comfortable, and that I think maybe even were starting to show that I'd lost a little cuz they were definitely fitting better than they had in a while. In fact -- about 3 months ago, I wore these pants one day and was MORTIFIED that I split the zipper when I sat down at my desk. Egad! So I had to rush to the bathroom and fix it, and then suck it in for the rest of the day.

But, today? Room to breathe, and then some. Same pants!

Then, this afternoon, I was standing talking to a coworker... and she asked me "hey, have you lost a little weight?" Big smile. "Yeah, a little, thanks." Keep smiling. :-)

2 Weeks of Progress

Whoops, forgot to post last week. I'm happy to report that even though I'd been feeling live I've hit a little plateau, or at least a wall in my motivation/discipline, the scale still shows good things. I lost .3 pounds last week, and then this week the scale was down another 1.9 pounds. Hooray!

I think the motivation problem stems from 2 things... first, I've been getting a little bored with some of my meals lately, so now I'm making an effort to try some more new things. And, second, we had 2 special occasions at work last week so I had a bad lunch, and then cupcakes 2 days in a row. And darn those cupcakes -- cuz I can go without sweets for a long time, but once you take a bite, it just makes you want MORE. So I was a bit dissatisfied with my healthy little snacks after eating the sugary-buttery-fatty goodness of 2 cupcakes. But, I've moved on and am doing better again. Thankfully the scale was forgiving!

Chugging Along

Even though last week was rough, with a couple of bad days for lunches due to work schedules, I still lost 1.9 pounds. And that means I'm at just under 10 pounds lost total. Hooray! That's good motivation to keep on going.

Didn't Expect That

I just weighed in after 5 days at a conference, at which I *tried* to be good but it wasn't always easy with all restaurant or catered meals... and I was expecting the worst on the scale. BUT - I lost another .9 pounds. Hooray! It's nice to see that downward trend continuing. And now I'm back home and back to my routine, even though there are several events this week that'll tempt me with catered food again... but this is a good way to start the week.

Slowly But Surely

I lost another .4 pound this week. That's good... I wish I was seeing slightly bigger numbers, but I'm happy with the downward trend overall.

I did do a little exercise last night (the SELF Magazine Ab workout I've liked for a while), and true to form as a CMU alum I spent some time making a spreadsheet to track my exercise, complete with a handy-dandy graph. So, since I hate seeing a spreadsheet with no data in it, that's incentive for me to keep doing stuff. :-)

Ugh

So - things are going well with my new nutritionist-based lifestyle, and I'm losing a little bit. That feels good.

But - perhaps it's now because I have lost some weight (about 7 pounds from my max earlier this year) that I'm actually able to take a look at myself and realize just how unhappy I am with my shape at the moment. Denial is now in the rear-view mirror, and I don't like what I see.

It's more motivation, for sure, and I'm really committed to keeping up with my new way of eating. And now it's time for me to actually start exercising, cuz I am NOT going to go into cute summer skirt season looking the way I do right now. Which is better than how I looked 2 months ago, but then I could cover it all up with layers and jackets and stuff. Egad.

Good Stuff

There are always variations up and down on the scale and this week I was slightly higher than where I was last week... but I'm still happy. I've lost a total of 4.2 pounds since starting with the nutritionist a few weeks ago. I've made a lot of changes to what I eat, but it's actually been relatively easy. I hope this loss continues to happen naturally just from those changes... but I have a feeling I'm going to have to step it up with a little more exercise once my body adapts to this new way of eating. But this is good.

Week One

I've finished my first week with the nutritionist's advice, and I lost .8 pounds. Hmmm. I was hoping for more - and when I stepped on the scale a few days ago it was more... which I guess is just a reminder that there are all kinds of fluctuations in weight on a daily or weekly basis. But still, a loss is a loss, and my weigh-ins have shown gains in the last 4 weeks so I'm happy for this change.

Now It's a Family Project

Trusty cat Cleo went to the vet today and had to hear that hard news that she's overweight. So now kitty is on a diet. :-(

She's 12 pounds, but should be more like 10. Apparently cats of her build should only eat 200 calories a day, and one little Fancy Feast can is already 90-100 calories. Yowza! So she's gonna have to cut back on the treats, just like her mom.

And the vet's advice was that sometimes, when cats yell/cry for their food, sometimes all they're really craving is attention so it's better that you sit down and play with them instead of giving treats. And I said "Hmmm... sounds like you're trying to sneak some exercise in there." She laughed and fessed up to it!

So, wish kitty some luck at slimming down... she's 12, and we all know it's harder to lose weight as you get older!

Radio Silence

Sorry for the lack of posts lately -- but ever since I caught that cold a few weeks ago I've fallen off the wagon a bit. I have not been eating as well, and while I've done a little bit of exercise here and there I haven't really been feeling very dedicated. Really, all I want to do is sleep. But the cold is finally starting to move on outta here, and I'm looking forward to getting back to cooking and eating some better stuff. We'll see what the scale says on monday, but I'm a little anxious about it.

Hooray!

I lost 2.6 pounds this week! Hooray! And I'm down 4.5 pounds from my super-high a month ago! I guess being sick sometimes has its advantages. :-) Cuz this is all even with the cooking class which involved lots of butter and salt... it feels good to see the number on that scale going DOWN for a change!

Oops

This wasn't as good a week - and last night was the late-night Oscars wine-and-snacks celebration. So I'm not surprised I gained 1.5 on the scale. My doctor's appointment for my annual checkup is this Wednesday, so I know I'm gonna get lectured... but this will give me a new starting point to work on improving all of my stats. And man, I'm tired this morning. It's so hard to stay up late!

Not Bad for Birthday Week

I lost .8 pounds, woohoo! And that's with a full-scale catered dinner, birthday festivities with cupcakes AND cake, and 2 different nights of sangria.

I'm so glad to see the scale number going down. I'm not really "dieting" -- I'm just trying to eat better and cook more. And someday I'll work exercise into the plan...

Much Better

I don't feel great today, and as always on a Monday morning I wish I could sleep another 3 hours. But, I am happy with what I just saw on the scale. I lost 2.6 pounds this week! Hooray! Really, it's cuz I've been trying to drink more water, cutting out the cookie-a-day, and just trying to choose better options. Not dieting, just making better choices. This is going to be a tough week, but I hope to have good news to report next week as well.

The Buddy System

Losing weight is a very hard thing to do, and for most people (myself included) there's a huge emotional and psychological side to it. That's why I'm always so glad when I have some friends who are going through the same thing, who understand the challenges and the potential emotional reactions to whatever's on the plate or on the scale. And right now, I'm benefiting from having two friends to talk to, who are both smart and intuitive and understanding. Together, we are stronger than we are apart. So thanks to my friends (who are both linked over on the right), and let's keep helping each other out.

Back to Reality

I got on the scale this morning. Ugh. The number I saw on there was pretty unforgivable, and it's the first time I've ever seen that number in my life. I've been pretty loose about things the last few weeks cuz it's been a stressful time -- but I can't keep using that excuse, cuz there's always going to be stress but I have to learn how to work through it and still take better care of myself. I'm hoping that number on the scale is at least partly related to my salty SuperBowl snacks from last night - but whatever the reason, the number was still there. Ugh.

Bah Humbug

Bad weigh-in, and I woke up with a headache to boot. I'm 99% sure that the scale was reflecting the entire day of salt that I enjoyed yesterday -- with sushi, chips and salsa and queso, soda, and a packaged Indian food entree. I've gotta get back to fruits, veggies, and lots of water today. Not happy, cuz the scale bopped back up over that line I didn't want to cross again. I hate negative motivation.

Happy Monday!

Well, the pain of having to actually get up this morning to go back to work - aaargh! - was lessened when I stepped on the scale. I lost 1.9 pounds! Woohoo! That's a good way to start the New Year. And I've crossed a "decade mark" that I never want to see again. It's really just cuz I was eating better foods, and I haven't been in the office with all those tempting treats. Now it's back to the usual routine (though I hope those treats are gone) and I'm going to work to make this a trend.

It's a New Year!

And I'm back to the cause, mentally and I hope in action as well. I did weigh myself Monday morning and I'm proud to say that I did lose a pound over Christmas week. That's an achievement in and of itself!

I'm still in a place that I'm not happy about, and I feel the negative motivations of shame and guilt after spending all of last night going through old photos and seeing my yo-yo past. But, whatcha gonna do? It's a New Year, I'm equipping myself with new tools by learning more about nutrition, cooking, and overall food quality. And I just HAVE to make myself exercise.

I'm not making official resolutions, cuz they're way too easy to break and they hang over my head in negative ways, instead I'm just still looking at this as a positive journey of self-improvement. So, there you go... welcome to 2009, let's work to make it a good one!