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. 

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!

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!


 

100 days of the Diet Pact

Well, we have entered the 14th week, and passed the 100th day! I have lost to date 26 pounds.  I have 7 days left of students and I will post more soon.  I just have had no brain cells to rub together.  AS far as I know, Holly and Gretchen have also made their two week bets.  I'm not sure about Elizabeth or Sonali. 

sucky end of the (school) year....

Have you ever heard the phrase told to women that are pregnant with girls that the baby girl will "suck all the pretty out of you!"? Well, I think I'm in the teacher's version of that, my students are sucking all "the teacher-y goodness out of me!"  I have had a miserable Monday and Tuesday and as a result my diet has suffered.  I have been on a low carb diet for 3 months and 3 days....and I ate bread and honey butter today...bread...honey...not what you should eat on a LC diet.  So I almost made it to 100 days...w/o bread.  Ok, if I am going to forgive myself and then I need to definitely today.  We'll see what the scale says on Sunday. dum...dum...dummmm....

as far as I remember everyone made their bet this last weigh in.  So this Sunday will be the end of week 15?

10 weeks down!

I made it! I have officially lost 21 pounds in 10 weeks!  I start to think, wow, how low can I go? Because we can all do the math, 30 weeks left X 2 pounds = 60 pounds!  Where would I be if I lost 60 pounds from today? I'd be down to what I weighted when I first went to college which was (gasp) 20 years ago? I definitely thought I was heavy back then but I realize now how silly 18 - 22 year olds are! Or at the very least how I was very unrealistic about weight.  Can you hear the chickens crying because they have been counted too soon?

Gretchen and I were calculating poundage loss by babies' weights.  So if you have lost 21 pounds you have lost a Reese, if you have lost 26 pounds you've lost a Liam, 32 pounds you have lost a Joseph and (I think) 34 pounds you have lost a Claire! I'm down a Reese working on a Liam.  :) 

I read somewhere that it takes 24 days to break a habit and then 41 days to create a new one.  Since we have been doing this bet for 70 days, it looks like we have definitely established some new healthier habits!  What new healthy habits have you incorporated into your everyday life that are helping you lose?

My goals: Reboot the 10 week exercise bet with 4x a week at least 20 minutes, working towards "from couch to 5k" and 2 pounds in 2 weeks.