I have to keep checking my calendar because it is so hard for me to believe that we finished 26 weeks of this little diet pact! I am in awe of what we have accomplished! I have lost 40 pounds yes 4 tens, 8 fives, 40 pounds!
While I was shopping for clothing (because everything is too big muhhahahahahhhhahaha!) I realized that all of my clothing was very plain. Not that there is anything wrong with plain. Most of the things in my closet are 1) solid colors 2) darker colors 3) no patterns anywhere! I have been thinking about it and wondering if I was consciously choosing clothing that allowed me to fade into the background or was I just trying to hide? I just don't know.
While shopping online I still looked at Eddie Bauer and I'm loving their stuff! And to top it off when I went shopping, I strolled through Lane Bryant and had absolutely NO desire to buy anything! I kept looking at it saying, "I own too many of these kinds of shirts!" and since I can now shop in a REGULAR store (can you hear angels singing? I can!) I left feeling really good about my successes this year!
I can't remember the last time I had so much fun shopping for clothing! let me repeat: I had fun shopping for clothing! ::chuckle:: AND I looked good in my new purchases! woohoo!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
A personal Goal is achieved!
There is now a full length mirror hanging in my house! For the longest time I refused to have a full length mirror due to wanting to remain blissfully ignorant. Even after my sister had mentioned it might be a good idea for Joseph and Liam to be able to see themselves. (Joseph was convinced he had green eyes for the longest time because he spent maybe 3 seconds looking in the mirror when we pulled him out of the tub.) Nope, even then I didn't get one, in fact I refused to have one in the house. As a result if I wanted to see how my outfit looked on my body (because usually I just bought stuff and then took it home and tried it on) I would have to precariously perch on the lip of the tub to see into our bathroom mirror. When Joe found out about that little trick of mine he was not to happy with me... woops.
Now...we have one....I can close the door to our bedroom and see my whole body, for better (hopefully) or worse (hopefully not!).
Now...we have one....I can close the door to our bedroom and see my whole body, for better (hopefully) or worse (hopefully not!).
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Week 24 coming to a close
and for the first time.......wait for it.....wait for it....I will not make my 2 pound weight bet. sigh.
Last week, I was on track lost my two pounds early, I started "the Shred" with Jillian Micheal. Then this week, I had to travel for a conference and when I got back was hit by a big bout of "why am I doing this?" In fact I texted my sister and called Holly with that same question.
"Why are we doing this, can't we just be happy being fat?"
Holly's response was, "Because we weren't happy when we were fat!"
Gretchen's response, "Give yourself a break, we didn't start the bet thinking that we would never fail in a two week round."
My ALL OR NOTHING self said, "Yes, that was the plan to never ever fail, to always be perfect! perfect I say!"
So, when I gave myself a break and relaxed I got on the scale and weighed 3 pounds more than I weighed two days prior. sigh. boo. Is there supposed to be a lesson here? hmmm
If you have never done the Shred, it is very knee intensive...a lot of squats. My knees feel like broken Barbie knees...crunch crunch crunch. So, Ms. Micheal, I am going to 'phone it in' (what ever that means) and do a combination of shred and something else. :P
I got up this morning (Saturday) and am down one pound of the three gained, so basically...I am where I started. I doubt that I will be able (nor should I) try and loose the two I had gained in 48 hours.
What lesson am I supposed to learn from this? huh? bleck.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Over half way done - Week 22 down 18 more to go!
Vacations and summer have me missing the mid way mark. My brain is so on summer mode that I haven't been posting anything. I made it even though my scale was out of sight out of mind. Yay! Holly made it, Yay! Gretchen and Elizabeth will hopefully post soon (hint,hint).
So, as I have been fitting into clothing more, I have been noticing all things fashionable lately. I have even purchased some fashion magazines and thumbed through them (although I don't think I'm sold on the Pocahontas look for fall!) Then, I've been actually looking at the types of clothing that I usually wear. Everything is basically in the same hue range and 99% of it is solid colors. So, to try and stretch myself I went shopping. My thinking was: I need to stretch myself and wear something less.....tent like (?) and more structure...and goodness look for some kind of patterns! So after 2 days of shopping...I bought...a dress and it is a solid black dress no patterns. Now it is strapless maxi dress (floor length) and I am very happy that it fits well. Not sure I can EVER wear it to work unless I get some kind of shrug or find a half jacket. But it is c-u-t-e! Maybe if I find some kind of cute big belt (?) I don't know. sigh. I don't know why I have such an aversion to patterns...I guess I feel like I'll look like a table cloth or something. bleck! who knows! The one thing that kept me very focused on what I was buying was because I have plans to lose about 40 - 50 more pounds (oops, I just checked 51 pounds to be considered in the "normal" range) and I don't want to buy anything that I don't absolutely LOVE or NEED seeing as I don't plan on wearing it long. I think I need to change my mantra from "it won't taste as good as skinny feels" to "will that help you get to wearing those fashionable clothing you are drooling over?" I think that it is time to allow a full length mirror into our house.
Speaking of "normal" weight, the BMI calculator says that 159 for 5'7" is in "normal" but 160 is "overweight" and for 5'7" 120 is considered underweight and 121 is "normal." *If* I got down to 120 - let alone 125 I think I would look emaciated! There would be no way for my body to maintain that kind of weight....unless I started living on diet pills and parsley! So I'm going to say I will shoot for 160...screw the 1 pound difference between overweight and normal...I just don't want the OBESE demarcation! I will be able to drop the O demarcation when I reach 183. sigh....long road ahead....long road.
So, I'm doing horribly on my summer mini challenge to run a mile by the end. But, I did start Jillian Micheal's 30 Shred. Holly and I started yesterday and we measured all our parts (neck, waist, bust, and hips) and began. I can say the first day I thought I was going to die! Today I was MUCH better and able to do at least one of the 30 interval jumping jacks with arms, the other two I had to drop my arms to my waist. 28 days to go! I think after the 30 Shred then I'll see how my running is doing.
Monday was the start of my 5th 10 week exercise bet! I can hardly believe it! This one will take me until we have less than ten weeks on the diet pact. Oooooo....I can't believe we will be THAT close soon.
So, as I have been fitting into clothing more, I have been noticing all things fashionable lately. I have even purchased some fashion magazines and thumbed through them (although I don't think I'm sold on the Pocahontas look for fall!) Then, I've been actually looking at the types of clothing that I usually wear. Everything is basically in the same hue range and 99% of it is solid colors. So, to try and stretch myself I went shopping. My thinking was: I need to stretch myself and wear something less.....tent like (?) and more structure...and goodness look for some kind of patterns! So after 2 days of shopping...I bought...a dress and it is a solid black dress no patterns. Now it is strapless maxi dress (floor length) and I am very happy that it fits well. Not sure I can EVER wear it to work unless I get some kind of shrug or find a half jacket. But it is c-u-t-e! Maybe if I find some kind of cute big belt (?) I don't know. sigh. I don't know why I have such an aversion to patterns...I guess I feel like I'll look like a table cloth or something. bleck! who knows! The one thing that kept me very focused on what I was buying was because I have plans to lose about 40 - 50 more pounds (oops, I just checked 51 pounds to be considered in the "normal" range) and I don't want to buy anything that I don't absolutely LOVE or NEED seeing as I don't plan on wearing it long. I think I need to change my mantra from "it won't taste as good as skinny feels" to "will that help you get to wearing those fashionable clothing you are drooling over?" I think that it is time to allow a full length mirror into our house.
Speaking of "normal" weight, the BMI calculator says that 159 for 5'7" is in "normal" but 160 is "overweight" and for 5'7" 120 is considered underweight and 121 is "normal." *If* I got down to 120 - let alone 125 I think I would look emaciated! There would be no way for my body to maintain that kind of weight....unless I started living on diet pills and parsley! So I'm going to say I will shoot for 160...screw the 1 pound difference between overweight and normal...I just don't want the OBESE demarcation! I will be able to drop the O demarcation when I reach 183. sigh....long road ahead....long road.
So, I'm doing horribly on my summer mini challenge to run a mile by the end. But, I did start Jillian Micheal's 30 Shred. Holly and I started yesterday and we measured all our parts (neck, waist, bust, and hips) and began. I can say the first day I thought I was going to die! Today I was MUCH better and able to do at least one of the 30 interval jumping jacks with arms, the other two I had to drop my arms to my waist. 28 days to go! I think after the 30 Shred then I'll see how my running is doing.
Monday was the start of my 5th 10 week exercise bet! I can hardly believe it! This one will take me until we have less than ten weeks on the diet pact. Oooooo....I can't believe we will be THAT close soon.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
MIA until the 7th
I'm going to maintain or try to maintain for the next two weeks. I am going to my parents and a family reunion...so lots of temptations.
32 pounds in 17 weeks
WOooHOooo! Look what we can do! I've lost 32 pounds in 17 weeks, Gretchen has lost 20 pounds in 17 weeks! Amazing!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Summer Mini Challenge Begins!
First the good news: I made my 2 week goal right on the money on Monday morning. For the past....3 (?) weeks or longer...I have had a difficult time with my first grade students and the diet has been on the back burner. (Some of them need a lot from me emotionally and when I'm emotionally drained I fill that empty hole with food.) I haven't slid in the sense of break out the beer and cookies. I ave still been eating low carb, there are a lot of ways to go overboard on LC. Sugar Free candy is what stalls me when I'm dieting and when I feel lousy something sweet is oh...so...nice! Back in February, I had given my hubby some treats and gave him strict instructions to hide it from me and I was only allowed to have one piece on the weekends. I felt I could handle having easier access to sweets and I did very well, until about 3 or 4 weeks ago. Maybe I need to go back to hubby having the treats and only on the weekends, food for thought.
I have been feeling very down about my weight as it totally stalled for 12 days due to my stress eating (yes you can stress eat low carb, nuts, nuts and sugar free candy). So, in an effort to kick start my summer motivation, I had been kicking around the idea of a mini goal or a challenge for myself and those who were on the Diet Pact with me. (they love my experiments! don't you!) My original idea was to try for 1.5 pounds a week, which would be 18 pounds over the summer. This would put me past a number that has plagued me for YEARS!
Via phone calls and over dinner, I talked with my sisters and Holly about what we would do for a mini challenge for the summer. Three options arose:
1) lose 1.5 pounds
2) run a mile with out having to stop or slow down
3) try one new vegetable every week for five weeks
Immediately the 1.5 was thrown off the table because we all felt 1 pound a week was enough and we are trying not to crash diet but to make changes that last us through the long haul. Then, my sisters each groaned at the idea of a new veggie proposal. Holly and I groaned at the one mile challenge. If you have never been to Maryland (or the south) for the summer then you would totally understand. Wet heat....bad... Maryland is extremely humid. You start sweating at 6 in the morning and never experience the evaporation cool that you would in dry heat areas, plus I grew up in the desert so this is not my cup of tea.
A final verdict was reached and so in 5 weeks we should all be able to run a mile without stopping in the GYM if necessary! :) Although, I gotta laugh that the veggie one was shot down. When my sisters and I were little, we ate canned green beans a lot...I mean a lot. Gretchen and I love them. That was the staple vegetable in our lives, because my mom hated certain vegetables and my dad hated certain vegetables and one of the only ones that they could agree that they both would eat were....canned green beans. When Joe and I were first married he got frustrated with my lack of "veggie exposure" and I can distinctly remember him standing in the commissary and saying, "Pick a vegetable, ANY vegetable you haven't tried before and we'll figure out a way to cook it so it tastes good!" I may have to call in the Cavalry and ask Gretchen's hubby to help her with some "veggie exposure."
I haven't decided whether I want to push myself to 1.5 pounds a week. I think it is attainable, but I am going on two trips this summer. I will probably do the 5 vegetable challenge as I have a lovely CSA and have already tried roasting beets (deelish), beet greens (deelish) and now swiss chard (ok, I need a better recipe).
Week 16 done of the Diet Pact, 24 more to go!
week 7 done on the 2nd Exercise bet, 3 more to go!
I have been feeling very down about my weight as it totally stalled for 12 days due to my stress eating (yes you can stress eat low carb, nuts, nuts and sugar free candy). So, in an effort to kick start my summer motivation, I had been kicking around the idea of a mini goal or a challenge for myself and those who were on the Diet Pact with me. (they love my experiments! don't you!) My original idea was to try for 1.5 pounds a week, which would be 18 pounds over the summer. This would put me past a number that has plagued me for YEARS!
Via phone calls and over dinner, I talked with my sisters and Holly about what we would do for a mini challenge for the summer. Three options arose:
1) lose 1.5 pounds
2) run a mile with out having to stop or slow down
3) try one new vegetable every week for five weeks
Immediately the 1.5 was thrown off the table because we all felt 1 pound a week was enough and we are trying not to crash diet but to make changes that last us through the long haul. Then, my sisters each groaned at the idea of a new veggie proposal. Holly and I groaned at the one mile challenge. If you have never been to Maryland (or the south) for the summer then you would totally understand. Wet heat....bad... Maryland is extremely humid. You start sweating at 6 in the morning and never experience the evaporation cool that you would in dry heat areas, plus I grew up in the desert so this is not my cup of tea.
A final verdict was reached and so in 5 weeks we should all be able to run a mile without stopping in the GYM if necessary! :) Although, I gotta laugh that the veggie one was shot down. When my sisters and I were little, we ate canned green beans a lot...I mean a lot. Gretchen and I love them. That was the staple vegetable in our lives, because my mom hated certain vegetables and my dad hated certain vegetables and one of the only ones that they could agree that they both would eat were....canned green beans. When Joe and I were first married he got frustrated with my lack of "veggie exposure" and I can distinctly remember him standing in the commissary and saying, "Pick a vegetable, ANY vegetable you haven't tried before and we'll figure out a way to cook it so it tastes good!" I may have to call in the Cavalry and ask Gretchen's hubby to help her with some "veggie exposure."
I haven't decided whether I want to push myself to 1.5 pounds a week. I think it is attainable, but I am going on two trips this summer. I will probably do the 5 vegetable challenge as I have a lovely CSA and have already tried roasting beets (deelish), beet greens (deelish) and now swiss chard (ok, I need a better recipe).
Week 16 done of the Diet Pact, 24 more to go!
week 7 done on the 2nd Exercise bet, 3 more to go!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)