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!

How Did I Get to This Point?

Egad. Not a happy weigh-in. I'm back at that point I never wanted to be at again... what happened? Just about 8 weeks ago, I was 7 pounds lighter and enjoying a downward trend. I made it through my difficult September, but this fall has just been rough... I guess low motivation has taken its toll. I need to be more mindful of what I'm eating, and the biggest thing is I HAVE to work more exercise in. I feel like a slug. I sense a major New Year's resolution coming on -- just like I do every year -- but I'm going to try to make it through the holidays without doing too much more damage. I keep eyeing those Lean Cuisines in the freezer -- it's time they have their day.

2 Steps Back

This week was tough, and it showed on the scale this morning. I gained back about 2 pounds. This was a stressful week, and Saturday night I had my first actual Thanksgiving dinner of the season so I'm sure that has something to do with it. This is going to be another long week, but I'm bringing in my lunch for a few days and paying a little more attention to what I grab when those cravings hit. It's all about having the right things around as options....

Better, Definitely Better.

Things looked better on the scale this Monday morning, as I lost 1.3 pounds over the last week. Hooray! I did try this past week to be sure to be eating healthier things, watching portion size, and incorporating low levels of exercise into my days. Sure, I could always do more. But since I didn't really do Thanksgiving this year there was no major meal to work around -- although I have a post-Thanksgiving big meal coming next weekend to plan around. So here's the start of another week, and I'll keep at it.

A Little, But Not Enough

Today's weigh-in was more positive than last week, but still depressing. Over the past 5 days, I've been hosting my parents for a visit to DC. We walked A LOT but it meant we also ate at an average of 2 restaurants a day - big meals with sometimes appetizers and desserts. So, the scale tells me I lost .7 pounds this week. That's good. But, last week was my highest weight ever, so that's not good.

I'm going to try keeping up some of the pace of more walking from the last few days, but go back to being much better disciplined in my meals. The good news is that I have a very low-key Thanksgiving planned, so I won't be gorging on a multi-course meal. In fact, my long weekend plans include several visits to the gym. So let's hope next week's weigh-in shows even more progress.

Much Better

The scale and I are friends again this week. Phew. I think last week may have just been an anomaly, cuz now I'm back in my usual range. Thank goodness!

Urgh. Aaargh.

Bad weigh-in this morning. I've been gaining, and right now the scale is showing a terrible number. I know what the problem is. I've been eating better food, but more of it. And the last week, I've been indulging in desserts and candy. I've just plain got to cut that stuff out, and then work on my portion control of other stuff. Dang. But I'm giving myself a free pass on Election Night -- so I have 6 days this week to try and get back on track.

Ugh

I'm gonna redo my weigh-in tomorrow. Let's just say I had a bad weekend... catered food, lots of salty snacks, real soda, even on top of a 3-mile walk it all added up to a bad morning on the scale. How can we fluctuate so much??? Let's see if I can clean up some of the mess by tomorrow morning.

Good Long Weekend

I didn't exercise much (oops) but I did cook a lot of healthy, homemade, low-sodium meals. It made a difference - I lost 2.2 pounds this week! Hooray. That's great motivation as I go back to work to keep me on track this week.