A mess.

That's right, I am a mess.  I am still going, but I have realized that things are not going to be easy, ever.  My weight was slowing going down, as low as 194.  Then I had a day of "normal" eating at a Birthday party, and I ate a couple of peanut butter cookies, and we went out to dinner one night,  and I am right back up to 198!  I I think I was 196.8 today.  What the heck?!?  Most days I am okay with the fact that I am going to have to eat this way for the rest of my life, but some days it gets to me.  I love food!  I love to eat, and I love to go out and try new things.  I know that I have to go through months of very careful eating to lose the weight I want to lose.  And I am working out at least 40 minutes a day 5 days a week.  And it seems like I eat one extra bite and the scale blows up!  I know, I have had a rough week this week.  My son started Kindergarten, my husband went away for work, we had an earthquake, my mother has eye surgery, and I have my period on top of it all.  I am trying, I really am.  I am going to stay on track as much as possible.  I am going to keep working out.  I know that Sunday is going to be an "off the diet day."  Eric and I are going to go to Melt Bar and Grilled for lunch and then to my nephew's Birthday party.  The scale is going to hate me on Monday!

8 Calorie-Burning Myths Debunked

8 Calorie-Burning Myths Debunked

Very interesting article.  

Earthquake

Yesterday, I was in my first earthquake.  It was scary.  I was in my bedroom, Joce was in the living room, Perry was at school, and Eric was in North Carolina.  At first, I wasn't sure what had happened.  I just knew that I wanted to gather all of my family to me and not let go.  Eric texted me a couple minutes later, and said there had been an earthquake, and were we okay.  I wasn't sure until that minute if that is what had happened.  Joce had said, "Mommy, what happened?  House go shaky shaky!"  I looked online, and found that it was centered near my sister's house.  I called her immediately, but the cell towers were down.  That scared the hell out of me.  I did get ahold of her at the pizza shop, and was very relieved that they were okay, with minimal damage to the shop.  I then called Perry's school, and they hadn't felt anything and the kids were fine.  I called my mom and my brothers, and none of them had known anything had happened.  This has been a very emotional week for me, and that was Tuesday night!  Luckily, Eric will be home this afternoon, so hopefully things will get back to normal. 

I did eat 3 peanut butter cookies yesterday, but after the stress of the quake, and just the day in general, I think that was pretty good.  I am a very emotional eater, and holding myself to just that is a big improvement.  I did Jillian Michaels No More Trouble Zones.  I was happy that I did it, but it took a lot for me to get dressed and put the DVD in.  I felt much better for having done it.  My weight is up to 197 again.  Stupid cookies!  I did start my period yesterday, not an excuse, but may be part of it.  Here is to another day!!!

Digging the longer work outs!

It feels like I am going to die by the end, but I love it!  My body is changing, and I am feeling great!  My weight went up a little, but I am getting back on track.  I weighed in at 197 today, and I had been 194 before the weekend.  I splurged way too much the last couple of days.  It started with the birthday party on Saturday, and then we went out to dinner to commemorate my fathers death, and then Sunday I grazed at work on all the unhealthy stuff.  I made cookies for Perry's first day of school yesterday, and I ate 5 or 6 of them.  Yesterday was a rough day for me.  Perry took a bus to Kindergarten, and then I took Eric to the airport for a 3 dat business trip to North Carolina.   He is not a good flier, and was freaked out, and he succeeded in freaking me out.  The bus was late getting Perry home.  I ate cookies!  I did work out yesterday, so that is a plus.  I will get myself back on track today, and stay there!!!!

Good day at the zoo!

I took the kids to the zoo yesterday with some friends, and we had a great time!  The weather was perfect, the company was great, and the experience was top rate!  I packed us a lunch, and I stuck to my diet!  I have to admit, I had a moment while we were eating lunch and I smelled the burgers grilling that I really wanted to have one!  I finished my apple, and felt better for it!  We were there all day, so I didn't get a work out in, but then again, the zoo is a work out in itself!  I had the stroller, and Joce rode in it most of the time, so I had the extra resistance of her weight in the stroller.  I took fruit for me to eat, and had a Slim fast on the way there and on the way home.  With a little planning, I can do a great job, even when I am away from home!

I weighed in at 194.4 today!  Less than 2.5 pounds from my next goal!!  I am very happy about that!  I am looking forward to being under 190, too!  I used to lie about my weight, and said I was 185.  I don't think I ever weighed that!  I am feeling good, and starting to look better, and I am ready to take on the day!!!

Longer work outs.

I think that is going to be the key to me getting more weight off.  I was doing 20 minute work outs, but that doesn't seem to be doing the job.  I did a 45 minute work out yesterday, and it was long, but workable!  I have a few longer work outs, I will start using them more regularly.  Keeping on my diet is a must, and things should be falling into place!  I weighed in at 196.8 today, which is a big drop from yesterday.  I am right on track with my weekly weight loss to hit my goal right on time!  I just have to stay vigilant, and keep sweating it out!  Speaking of sweating, I did Jillian Michaels Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism work out.  Woo, it was a rough one!  It was great!  It was 45 minutes long, and worth every second!  I think that for my rewards for hitting my goals is going to be a new work out DVD!  I hit one goal, so I will figure out which DVD I want to get.  It may be 6 Week 6 Pack.  Again, I don't want anything under 30 minutes, and I think that one is 40 minutes or so.  Seeing the scale this morning was a good reinforcement, it will help keep me moving forward!!!!

Still plugging away, but not losing.

I am not real sure why I am not losing, because I am sticking to my diet and exercise plan.  I did really well at my mom's house.  I did have a couple brownies and a few cheese curls, but overall I did really well.  I worked out while I was there.  I weighed in at 198.8 today.  Sigh.  I did really well at work this weekend, too.  I had 5 or 6 french fries, but again, other than that I stuck to my diet.  Double sigh.

This is not going to discourage me!  My body looks different, so the working out is paying off.  Soon I will need to buy new pants, and getting into a size 10, which I have never in my life worn, is very motivating!  I am still motivated and dedicated, so I am hoping for a very successful week!

Doing well, but worried about the next couple of day...

I am going to my mom's for a couple days, and that is always a diet killer for me.  She stocks so much junk food, and eats so differently than I do, it is very hard not to go berserk.  Last time I was there I gained back the 6 pounds I had lost.  So, I have to be strong, and have a plan!  I asked her to get me Slim Fast, lots of fresh fruit, fat free creamer and Truvia.  That is most of what I need for the day.  I have to be careful about dinner, and snacking during the day.  I know I won't be able to work out on Wednesday, but I hope to one Thursday and Friday.  Maybe even try to get in a run!    I really hope that I can make it through without destroying what I have accomplished!  My will is strong right now, so I am confident that I can make it through!  My other worry is a purse party I am going to tonight, which is themed Treat's n' Sweets!!  Yikes!  I can behave!  I hope!

The scale was unkind today, 198.4, so that should help keep my mouth closed!  Again, I hope!  The good thing is that I am staying under 200, which is good.  I will get there, I will do it!

Healthy Appetizer: Parmesan Zucchini | Active.com

Healthy Appetizer: Parmesan Zucchini | Active.com

This recipe looks very yummy!  I am a sucker for fried zucchini myself, and this looks like it could hit the spot and be healthier for you!  

Still going strong!

Except for the sausage on toast and cookie last night, I had a great weekend!  I took lots of things to work to eat, and when I did eat from the kitchen, it was chicken and veggies with some teryiake sauce.  Then I came home and Eric had saved me some sausage from dinner.  I melted some cheese on it and ate it on toast, then chased it with a cookie.  A bit of a fail, but I am right back at it today.  Sadly, the scale agreed wit the fail, and said 199.2 today.  No worries, I am confident that it will go back down, and then go even lower!

I tried a new work out today, It was Jillian Michales 30 Day Shred Level 2.  I have been afraid to try it!  My friend told me she does Level 2 and 3 (gasp!) and I decided to give it a go.  I loved it!  It was hard, and I sweat like crazy!  I may never go back to Level 1!  I almost didn't work out because I walked the kids to the park and then had to carry Joce home, which is uphill, up more hill,  up stairs, and up another hill.  That was a work out in itself!  But I decided that the more calories I burn, the better, so I worked out, too!  Glad I did, I feel great!

Hit my first goal!

That's right, I was 197.8 this morning!  Woo Hoo!  I am so proud of myself!  I did it!  One goal down, 5 more to go!  My next goal is 192.  Not hard, I can do that!  I have been doing so well, I really am proud of myself.  Now, I have to work this weekend, so that will be a challenge.  I did really well at work last weekend, so I know that it is possible, I just have to plan and be aware of what and when I am eating. 

I did another disappointing work out yesterday, Jennifer Galardi's Get Up and Dance.  Somewhere along the way, I lost my groove.  I am going to do Jackie Warners Total Body Circuit today, to make up for the last 2 days disappointing work outs.  Here's to staying on track through the weekend!

Finally under 200!

That's right, the scale shocked me in a good way this morning, telling me that I am 198.6!!  Woo hoo!  Finally!  I really hate being over 200 pounds!  A couple more pounds, and I will no longer be in the "obese" category on the BMI Index!  Go me!

So I am pretty disappointed in my work outs yesterday and today.  Yesterday I did 20 Minute Sweat with Holly Perkins, and today I did Get Up and Dance with Jennifer Galardi.  Two trainers that I usually like, 2 work outs that I did not.  Live and learn, I will not do them again.  To make up for it, I plan to do Jackie Warner Total Body Circuit Training tomorrow.  That one always kicks my arse!  My eating has been really good, and I am not feeling like I am deprived or missing out.  Hopefully, this outlook will continue for a long time!

Back to where I was.

I am 201 even today, which is what I had been down to before I regained it.  So, here we go!!  I am actually really surprised, we went to Kennywood yesterday, and while I did not overindulge, I did not strictly follow my diet either.  I guess sweating like crazy all day burned it all off!  I was very proud of myself.  I did have Potato Patch fries, but I split an order with Eric.  I had an Italian hoagie, but I didn't eat half of the bun.  I had a sandwich, but not the chips with it.  All in all, a pretty good day!  I did not work out, since we would be there all day, but Joce sat in the stroller most of the day, so I did get some cardio in, pushing her up the hills!  Back to my regular routine today, and not unhappy about it!

I have to say, I am feeling very positive about it this time.  I think I am in the right frame of mind, and not trying to sabotage myself just for the sake of a cheat.  I can feel my body getting stronger, which is very motivating for me.  The scale is looking good, and I am excited to get where I want to be.  I know it is going to take a lot of work and dedication, but I really feel I am ready for it.  Here's to another good week!!!

Good weekend at work, for once!

I stuck to my diet so well at work this weekend, I really impressed myself!  The scale liked it, too 201.8 today!  I am hoping to hit my first goal of 198 by the end of the week.  I have to keep strong and stay motivated, and I can do it!  I discovered a new snack to eat at work, celery sticks dipped in salsa!  I don't like celery much, but I know it is good for you and a good snack to eat while dieting, and by eating it with salsa, also a great snack for dieting, it tastes much better.  I also like snacking on sliced cucumber at work.  I took fresh fruit, Slim Fast, and Lean Cuisine meals with me, so I had plenty to chose from when I got hungry.  I had the cook make me a diet friendly dinner last night.  It was sauteed, no oil or butter, asparagus, spinach, onions, artichokes, chicken and a hint of cheese, and I ate it in a whole wheat pita with lettuce.  It was spicy and delicious!  He is great for making diet friendly meals when I ask, and he makes such yummy things that I am satisfied and feel like I had a cheat!

I feel like I have turned a corner.  I can now say no to food I don't need to eat, but want to eat, and not feel like crying.  I can see how much I was overeating and not feel like I am torturing myself.  I know that I will not have to say no forever, but I also am understanding more that I need to constantly monitor what I am eating and why.  For now, while I am losing, I need to be strict.  When I hit my goal, I see that I cannot "eat normally."  I will always have to watch, but I will be able to indulge when I want to.  I am looking forward to this week, and optimistic.  We are going to Kennywood all day tomorrow, and I again plan to pack healthy things for me to eat, and allow for 1 splurge while I am there.  Here's to another successful week!!!