New Blog Updated: Face the Truth Fridays: Met Goal at Week 7 (weekly and overall) and Learned I Can Overcome Urges for "Comfort Food" Self-Medication When Sick

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Face the Truth Fridays: Met Goal at Week 7 (weekly and overall) and Learned I Can Overcome Urges for "Comfort Food" Self-Medication When Sick

 

Have a fit Friday!

New Blog Updated: Just Checked My Fat% and BMI with the OMRON Fat Loss Monitor

Read the new entry at the new blog:

Just Checked My Fat% and BMI with the OMRON Fat Loss Monitor

 

 

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New Blog Updated: Face the Truth Friday: Met Goal, Back on Track, & the Portion Thing

Read the new entry at the new blog:

Face The Truth Fridays: Met Goal, Back on Track, and The Portion Thing...

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Happy and Fit Friday to you!

New Blog Updated: "Face the Truth Fridays: Did NOT Meet Goal, But a Small Loss and Back to Big Breakfasts, Less Late Night Snacking

Read the latest entry at:

Face The Truth Fridays: Did NOT Meet Goal, But a Small Loss, and Back to Big Breakasts, Less Night Snacking

Face Up To It Fridays: Met Loss Goal, Didn't Meet Activity or Intrinsic Motivation Goals, Hubby noticed shrinkage, and Thoughts after watching THINTERVENTION...

New blog has been updated: Two Years to Happy Weight After

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UPDATE: 
Face Up To It Fridays: Met Loss Goal, Didn't Meet Activity or Intrinsic Motivation Goals, Hubby noticed shrinkage, and Thoughts after watching THINTERVENTION...
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OMG, those amazing Red Honedews!!!! And another downward change...

I've been pretty much not having as much fruit as I did in the past due to trying to make my eating plan "lower carb". But the cherries, plums, nectarines, papaya, watermelon and the latest orange honeydews of summer have called my name and I have answered, 'Yes!'

This crop of Orange Honeydews is amazing. So juicy, so sweet. Like a luxurious garden party in my mouth. You have to go get some!!!

On the good news front, my snail strategy continues. It took me 10 days to lose 1.5 lbs, but lose I did. No binges. No deprivation of any overt sort, other than fighting off the occasional craving for something really trigger (like fries or like cheese enchiladas). I am still using my protein snacks to control hunger. I sometimes have pizza or fried chicken, but then the rest of THAT day will be low carb and lower cal to compensate.

I expect the fruit might have triggering effects if I am not vigilant--cause I can seriously pig-out on fruit, especially summer fruit, moreso than chocolate or cake or junk food. I adore fruit and have since childhood, when sitting on a pile of protective newspaper and eating a mango right off the large seed or a pomegranate seed by seed (took me ages to finish one) were among the great joys of my young life. :)

I used to routinely sit and eat six oranges in one go.

I go nuts for fruit.

So, while the cherries and melons and plums are nice, I plan to enjoy them, just try not to go insanely fruit binge-y.

So, another week and, hopefully, another pound down. I can dig the one pound a week gig. I really can. Maybe it will help my skin get less "shocked" and adjust a bit better. (I like going downwards, but the sag in the inner thigh region is starting to be really unpleasant when I look in the mirror while creaming up after a shower. Eek.)

Have a great and healtful week, folks...

Being Slothful Is Not Good, But Sometimes Is Therapy

Sloth is one of my major besetting "deadly" sins. And I've been really slothful this week. No exercise at all. Lots of sleeping. (Medication may need tweaking.) And, weirdly, though I'm menopausal, I've had a crampy "period". I think it's cause I lost 10 pounds in the last couple months and may have a reaction to the estrogen release. Not sure, prolly. At age 50, I'm not thinking I've starting popping out eggs again.

So, I had to scrounge in the back of the linen closet for a box of unused tampons leftover from my last Aunt Flo visit...

But I'm happy to update my ticker and stats with another slow downtick. I weighed in at 256.6 for a total of 42.4 lost.

And I'm very happy to see the slow, consistent progress.

The sloth is not so great. I'm glad I'm seeing the endo in a couple weeks, and I got blood taken out yesterday. It may or may not be the thyroid/med change. It may be the killer heat of August. 97 degrees yesterday with triple-digit heat index.

Whatever.

Appetite is good and NOT binge-y. I still am feeling calm about food, though I certainly could eat plenty if I don't watch it. I'm happy with a 1 to 2 pound loss a week and not feeling at all anxious. Whether that's related to the slothful lethargy, who knows.

I think if I can get past the sleepies and move more, I can up my loss.

Then again, moving more can up my appetite, too, so I worry about that.

I'll be back to Pilates next week (my trainer was on vacation last week), and that should help, too.

I'm eating pretty normal (though lower quantity) meals and less fruit than I was used to eating in a quest to have lower carb--not low, lower carb--meals. I had raspberries with my breakfast of caprese salad with EVOO and teriyaki wings. Yeah, teriyaki has carbs, but my mouth wanted it, so it was nicer to feel satisfied on a small bit of it. I have some pretty peaches I can have with supper. I find if I have my WonderSlim protein stuff between meals, the meals themselves tend to be normal (not my usual pig-out). And if I have something late at night, say 3 hours before bed, I feel a huge reduction in nightly food cravings and wake up feeling less crazy to have breakfast like usual.

So, while I am not a low-carber, I do seem to be a lower-carber (I have pasta, I have bread, I have potatoes, and I like fruit), meaning just cutting back on the quantity of my starch/fruit eating and increasing the protein (and fat) to compensate. This really does seem to be calming me...so far.

Hope your weekend is lovely. Mine has been restful and full of Japanese manga and a comedy flick and smooching hubby so far. Tomorrow is a family event, so I'll have to deal with the "how to face temptation" issue at the birthday party for my brother. I can see myself having to tote some lower-carb options or just saying NO to the rice and YES to the "ropa vieja" and salad. (Though it's really tough for a Cuban-born gal to have "ropa vieja" sans rice, I tell ya.)

Later, y'all....

A Seeming New Phase In Relationship To Food at Summer Slimmin' Challenge's End...

So, I didn't meet my challenge goal of 250 lbs. I ended up just maintaining since I last checked in, more or less. 258.8 Thursday weigh-in, the final day of the Summer Slimmin' Challenge.

Began challenge: 267.6
Ended challenge: 258.8

Loss: 8.8 lbs

I am at fault, of course, for not meeting my goals. We are each at fault, when it comes down to it, when we don't give something our all. I simply did not consistently hold up to the challenge suggestions.

BUT...I did end up losing weight and getting into a new "decade" and trying some new stuff strategy/foodwise, and I ended up feeling oddly, mostly calm. Not feeling edge or bingey for most of it. In fact, I feel a lot more calm in general about my eating and I've found myself saying no more easily to pizza, even when I want it. I just have said no with more ease.

Ease.

Well, how much that will continue, who can say? I deeply hope it's part of a larger trajectory towards a better, more healthful weight for me, a place below 200 eventually, but I don't feel rushed, like I do occasionally when I feel like joining a challenge (where I have always lapsed). Lord in Heaven knows there have been plenty of "losers" who think they won the battle only to regain and find, oops, no they didn't. So, I don't ever think my battle will be over, but maybe, just maybe, I'm getting used to the warrior mindset. Not "in full battle mode" warrior, but the warrior in the less intense war zone who still has to be vigilant and make progress. I think maybe I should strive to be a more active, right in the midst of it warrior. But I think that's just not me. I'm a meanderer, not a fighter.

a fat-sorta-fighter? hah.

Whatever, I have not made any great strides in changing behavior other than simply feelng less prone to stuff my face, feeling more prone to leave stuff on the plate and for leftovers, feeling more inclined to DECLINLE inviations to danger zones (read fave Italian and Mexican restaurants).

We do have a gift certificate to a highly rated pasta place and that will be an interesting challenge, as pasta IS one of my danger foods (very easy to just go hog wild when the plate is in your face). But I'm going to assess myself before going (or reschedule). I do plan to have a protein shake BEFORE I leave to sort of take the edge off my appetite. Then, let's see how THAT goes.

I like this non-frantic about food place. I do wish I were not merely maintaining and were more diligent about tracking, water, and more consistent with exercising on non-training days. But I just feel more hopeful, like before year's end, I can lose another 10 to 15 pounds, maybe even 20. That pace would be painfully slow for some, but 4 or 5 pounds a month would be significant in the long run and would put my mind more at ease about my skin having a chance to rebound.

I really continue to get freaked if I try to think about the skin hanging issue to come (and some already here). So, I don't overthink it. I just let myself think in terms of slowness--even if it means years--and keep using good oils and creams to keep skin soft, and keep taking my vitamins to nourish the whole of me, hoping I can have some snap back...

In time, I hope I am so much lighter that I will then have to consider the surgical implications. BUT....perhaps the slow turtle can hope that the skin adapts even a bit. I keep talking to my skin at bedtime, after I've used my Parisian huile de soin after my shower, after I've put the MSM cream on my batwings, thighs, and belly: Please, please, just pull yourself together, be elastic for me, will you, and knit yourself into a smaller size.

My skin may not be listening, but then, the human mind and body are strange, strange things. Maybe it is.

So, me and food are being quite polite to each other and I am not feeling antsy. For now, this is a blessing.

I missed my challenge goal, but I am glad I dipped into it. I'm lighter than when I went into it in June, lighter by just under 9 pounds.

Know what that means: I will look into another challenge. I'll likely meander through that one, too, but if I learn something, advance in my relationship with food, and lose some weight, even if not my goal of loss, the challenge is a success for me.

For my fellow challengers---hope you got something good out of it.

Thanks to Z for organizing it, even if her puter went kaput in the last weeks...

Summer Slimmin' Check-in Week 7: Damage Repaired, Momentum Back

Whew. Adding extra protein mini-meals worked. the 4 pounds I had regained during the "Carb-Wild Week of Family Festivities and Pizza Pig-Out" are bye-bye:

259.6

I wasted SS Challenge time when I lost my way, but I find my appetite is calmer adding those protein snacks (the pudding shake, oatmeal especially, since they're easy to make and eat, so no hassle for me).

I have not been eating at lower calorie levels I'd wanted. I'm eating at about 2000 calories average. My goal this week is to keep it under 1900 and to keep up the nutrition tracking and water (which I had totally slacked off on).

So, this has been the challenge progress (and backsliding):

Starting Weight: 267.6
End of week 1= 265.6
End of week 2= 263.2
End of week 3=264.8
End of week 4= 262.6
End of week 5: 259.6
End of week 6: 263.8
End of week 7: 259.6


So, basically I lost two weeks, cause I'm back to where I was at the end of week 5.  There's only  TWELVE DAYS left in the challenge, I don't see making my goal of 250. But I'm still hanging in and seeing that number as my objective. :)

I did get some help with my water intake in the last couple days when I went and got some cucumbers (Kirby's), fresh mint, and limes, and I added all that to a container and chilled in the fridge for a few hours. It was amazing. If you like Persian mast o' khiar salads (the minty cucumber yogurt salad you get as an appetizer at Persian restaurants), and I'm wild about the stuff, this tastes like it (sans yogurt). Love it. So refreshing this crazy hot summer.

Anyway, more reviews on the WonderSlim (alternate Medifast sorta) I tried along with my regular foods:

Oatmeal: Ya know, there were sooo many reviews about how much better this was than MediFast oatmeal, so like real oatmeal, five-star reviews, that I'm thinking that MediFast oatmeal must be incredibly awful, cause this was passable. Now, if I had been eating the world's ickiest oatmeal and had this, I'd give it 5 stars, too, I guess. I had the apple n cinnamon. It did have a nice apple and cinnamon taste and the rolled oats were REAL and so the texture was nice (if not overcooked, like my first batch. Use less time than the directions and increase as needed). But like so many of the higher protein, lower calorie diet stuff I've tried over the years, there is this aftertaste, this bitterish undertone. So, side by side with REAL oatmeal, it would get no more than 2 out of five stars (and that for the nutrients/low calorie/appleyness). If you compare it to some other diet protein/soy oatmeals I've tried, yes it fares better. I will say it fixes fast, is easy to eat once you get used to the aftertaste, and is filling for its portion. I like it as a side to eggs to quell my voracious appetite in the am, and as a snack between meals. Worth trying, especially if you are an oatmeal lover who has tried other diet/protein oatmeals and found them wanting.

Cheesesteak Macaroni entree: I cooked this stovetop since other reviewers recommended that. I watched it the whole time to avoid overcooking. It was all right. The final serving is about a cup. The "meat" has a slightly odd texture, but not totally offputting (chewy). The pasta was okay. The cheesiness was adequate. It's not something that made me gag and it's not an entree that made me go "Oh, that as fun." It's merely adequate. Although the cheese-addict in me was satisfied by having the cheesy flavor.

I am not sure at this point if I'd reorder this entree. I'd have to wait and see how it grows--or doesn't--on me and how the other entrees strike me. BUT...it does have a nice filling quality given the quantity. I had it with a side of sauteed spinach, a boiled egg, a small wedge of cheese, and had a creamy pudding for dessert. I was full and got plenty of protein. By itself, I would not be satisfied, but I do think adding veggies as sides--or a salad--or adding some extra low-carb pasta would help oodles. If you LOVE cheesesteak, then definitely try it. There aren't that many entree options, and this seems to be one of the more highly regarded WonderSlim ones. I'd recommend it to those who know it's special high-protein diet food and are willing to base their taste expectations on that basis.

Creamy Pudding/Shake: I almost didnt' try this as a pudding, cause the reviews at the WonderSlim site tend to skew towards this as a shake. But I think the problem is that this is NOT puddingy. This is like a mousse consistency--airier and less creamy than pudding. I like it. I took one star off cause it does have a bit of an aftetaste, but I expect this from high protein diet foods, so no biggie, really. Four to 4.5 stars (based on experiences with other lowcarb dieter foods).

Here's what I did: I prepared it with refrigerator-chilled water (really cold), a bit less than 4 ounces,  and let it sit while i ate my soup. Afte 10 minutes or so, this has set quite nicely. I added a tablespoon of Bob's Red  Mill Shredded organic coconut (smells good, low carb, about 30 calories, 3 grams of fat, 1.3 carbs per tbsp) and about 6 ChocoPerfection dark chocolate baking chips (sugarfree, lowcarb). Almost negligible calorie-wise, really. Just for appearance and to give a shot of chocolate. I found it to be a really nice high-protein QUICK dessert after soup (or even salad or a veggie joe bowl with veggies). I definitely will reorder this. I got the chocolate cream, which I will get again. And I want to try it with some fresh berries, too.

Really, don't be put off of it as a pudding. So quick, no blender to clean, slower to eat, which is always good for dieters. And you can pump it up with low-carb or fruity goodness. Mixes easily with a spoon. Nice "moussey" texture (and I like mousse). A tad gritty, but not horribly so. Just differently so. If they could find a way to rid it of the aftertaste, this would be pretty perfect diet fare.

I've also been enjoying the utterly wonderful bounty of avocados and donut peaches (my fave, fave among peaches) out there. Been eating berries and LOTS of spinach. The arugula has been a bit sad, which makes ME sad, in turn. Love that best of all salad greens. Watermelon has been faboo, too.

I'm still only exercising 2x a week, and part of that is that I'm just having my endocrine issues, and there's not much I can do about that.  I just gotta hold on until my status can be worked out with medication tweaking.

So, that's my check-in. Glad to have "backtracked" to the 250's, glad to be back on the momentum wagon, though, as usual, I suck at challenges, since giving it my all just seems to never work out with these things. I'm such a slacker. ; )

Anyway, I wish you all a happy week with losses! Of the fatty kind. And all sorts of beneficial health and joy and love gains!
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Summer Slimming Challenge: IN THE 250's! But totally lapsing with the elements of challenge

Okay, so I suck at challenges. I didn't journal this week. I didn't drink all my water on all days. And I only exercised 2x. I did some blog support. I had some bad meals (bad meaning ate too much, period, and caved to some sweets.)

But I still did better portion control on the majority of my meals this week, and that was enough to get me into the next decade down with a nice loss, even with chocolate every night. :)

Starting weight for challenge: 267.6
(End of week 1= 265.6, end of 2= 263.2, end of 3=264.8, end of week 4= 262.6)

Today's Weigh-In:  259.6

Loss since last Sunday 3 lbs.

Total Loss for challenge so far: 8 lbs.

So, while I do suck at challenges (ie, I really don't go 100% at it with steely discipline), this one has helped me not stagnate like I had for a year, and for that, I'm really grateful and happy.)

Can I make my goal in 3 weeks and 5 days? Well, yeah. If I'm really good and don't go bonkers, I don't see why not. (Even though I gotta stay indoors cause this summer heat is LITERALLY  making me sick.) Barring a hurricane or someone kidnapping me and force-feeding me, it's all on me, right?

My goal was to get to 250. So, that's nearly ten pounds...ten pounds. I'd have to lose a bit over 3 pounds a week. For me, that's radical. I don't tend to lose that much (this week being kinda flukey). But it's not impossible. So, I'll stay gently optimistic.

Let's have a good week full of sound and healthful choices.

Oh, Man...my toes are in the 250's!

I got on the scale right now and shocked myself.

259.6

I've dipped into the next "decade" down. Whoa...I'm .6 lbs from having lost 40 lbs.

Yesssssssssssss!

The Sleep Factor, Confirmed Yet Again and Today's Food

I think a couple of times in the past three years, I've posted about how I do better on the scale when I sleep well and sufficiently (ie, 8+ hours). I find that the combination of morbid obesity and peri-and-menopause had caused me to have BAD SLEEP, when prior to this combo, I tended to sleep easily and well. Not so the last couple years. Sleep apnea and hormonal chaos really did a job on my ability to sleep deeply and adequately and, really, at any time. I used to be able to nap like a cat--at will.

But I had a lovely catch-up on lost sleep and the scale was nice for a peek weigh-in: 261.0   New low...again.

I hope I can somehow get my sleep back on track, but that usually means back to "vampire time" (ie sleeping days, awake nights), but I don't want to do that. I'm struggling to stay on daylight hours, but this makes life so much easier, if not Zs.

I had breakfast of pomodoro omelette (Diet To Go version), which is a high protein egg mixture firmly cooked with a creamy spinach and marinara sort of sauce combo with some asparagus on side. I cooked up a bunch of spinach with EVOO to up my veggie count and had some coconut water and coffee. Oh, and a slice of rye toast with Smart Balance spread. I had three pieces of avocado sushi with wasabi and pickled ginger for a snack.

For my next meal, I ordered vegetable pad thai with steamed veggies side order (cabbage, carrots, pea pods broccoli, squash). Hubby wanted cashew chicken (which he ate for early supper), and my pad thai is waiting for nuking when I'm hungry.

Summer Slimmin' Challenge: Week 4 Check-in with Momentum Regained, Protein Concerns, New Mindset, and "Independence" in Mind

Okay, so here we are, four weeks in with a bit over a month to go.

While I've not done anywhere near what I would have hoped,  I've made some progress. Yes, I had some setbacks--and week 3  seemed to have jammed up a few of us in this cahllenge--but I'm am partway back on the horse. So, really, not bad, given I've been sick, had major birthday celebrating. On the horse is always better than in the gutter, any day.

Starting weight for challenge: 267.6
(End of week 1= 265.6, end of 2= 263.2, end of 3=264.8)

Today's weigh-in: 262.6

Total loss in four weeks: 5  pounds.

You can see I did NOT give it my all, or I'd be at least 10 pounds down. So, I guess I have it HALF my all. :) In any case, it's lower than I've been in quite a while, certainly since I began this blog, so I'm really pleased, if not ecstatic. heh.

I only exercised twice, but I did make a conscious effort to do more outside the house just to get my body MOVING, rather than couch-sitting. In fact, part of what this challenge has done for me is force me to think about overall activity. I've done more, tried new things (bumper boat rides, go karts, dance dance revolution) and just tried to focus on more activity. The illness set me back and I had to avoid the insane heat/pollens for several days when I had swimming planned (and I haven't been in a pool in more then two decades), but the mindset is here. GO AND DO STUFF, MOVE, BURN CALORIES, USE MUSCLE. :)

Today's weigh-in is higher than I was Friday, which was 261.4. And sure it was my own fault. I had maybe 3 cups of water yesterday, instead of the recommended 8. We took our nephew out and had his fave, Chinese, and the beef with bean sprouts, won ton soup, and steamed pork dumplings dipped in that ginger soy sauce, well, there was bound to be a sodium uptick.Fair enough.  And my snack for supper included cheddar cheese and FiberGourmet cheese crackers. I really am reckless with salt ingestion. Ah, well.

My goal is to be in the 250's--at last--by next weigh-in. Oh, man, that will mean a lot to me. Hitting 259 will mean I've lost 40 pounds total, and I never, ever, ever in my whole life lost more than 30 pounds, and I certainly never kept that off for even a year. I've done very well keeping off 20, and had a bumpy road keeping more than 25 off, so being close to a milestone loss and a new decade should be decent motivation for this coming week.

I really need to push on three fronts: adequate water and varied and more exercise and on keeping my protein intake adequate. I've started to gaze longingly again at starches and I've had many strictly vegetarian meals where it's harder to get in the protein. Even if I have to succumb to my stock of protein powders, I'll just do that to make sure I don't risk my expensive and hard-won muscle mass.

To all my fellow Summer Slimmin' challengers, I wish you all well for this coming week.

As we remember the courage it took for our nation's founders and early citizens and residents to gain a new and freer government, let's be courageous in freeing ourselves from the tyranny of fat, the shame of gluttony and sloth, and just plain old bad habits. I'm thinking of the many ways I need to gain freedom, the different sorts of shackles other than fat. I need to be my life's own George Washington!

HAPPY and HOPEFUL INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, a LATE update :) Some bad, some good--but there is a loss!

Dang, time flies. It's been 9 days since I posted? How can that be? It sure feels like a lot fewer days.

It was a very busy weekend due to activities with family and hubby's birthday celebrations--which began on Friday the 25th. He has World Cup fever and I have been dragged into it, somewhat. I was rooting for the US and for Japan, and both are out. So, bummer.

Summer Slimming stuff:

Food: The weekend was a bust. All the birthday yummies (though I had no cake and toned down my passion for bready things). I did have a bad patch with my rotten, hyperreactive immune system and had to go to the doc to get some steroids in me. I'm much better, but I always worry when steroids come into play, as they tend to send my appetite into crazy trajectories. However, I had stocked up on a lot of good, diet-friendly stuff

I have been sporadically on and off the scale, and Sunday (the challenge weigh-in day) showed an uptick (lots and lots of salt will do that) to 264.8. It got worse going to 266.4, which scared me back to my water drinking, I can tell you.

Today, it was a favorable weigh-in: 261.4  

That's a new low recording for this blog. That's lower than what I was in Christmas of 2002.

That's 37.6 pounds off since my high in 2004. That's 27.6 off since I began this blog.

Amazing what getting back to fruit and water will do to debloat. And that's even having soy sauce, as we had an Asian fusion dinner that was a Japanese version of "fajitas"--jasmine rice, hibachi steak in soy butter, sliced portabello mushroom, a really delicious guacamole (just about a tablespoon's worth, sadly), and alo tempura veggies (yes, FRIED onions, broccoli, peppers, and sweet potato), steamed pork gyoza with a soy-based sauce for dipping.  Then Valrhona dark chocolate. Hardly a tiny supper or a challenge-friendly one, but I'd been discreet with breakfast and lunch. I guess it balanced out. Hubby and I split the pricey steak dinner, so I got about 2 ounces of the steak, all the mushroom, less than a cup of rice, and that tablespoon of heavenly guacamole. I had ALL the gyoza (five dumplings) and more than half of the tempura veggies (he only likes the onion and broccoli bits).

I exercised three days last week (as opposed to my usual two). The third was cardio and some walking. Not much, but some. Wanted to go to the pool, but the heat and pollens are making me ill, literally, so I'm hiding indoors.

Water has been iffy. Some days okay, some not. Still not an ingrained good habit there.

I haven't been supportive--sorry, as I've barely been on here. Will try to rectify in the coming days.

So, a setback, but I'm getting back on the horse and hope the holiday weekend isn't another roadblock. Must plan. Must plan. :D

Happy weekend and Independence Day to all the fatfighters out there!

The Post Anime Convention Cheese-Freak 2nd Summer Slimmin' Weigh-In

Last Sunday: 265.2

Today: 263.2

Loss this week: 2 lbs

I like the downward trajectory. And I know it's a solid loss, cause I ate semi-poorly yesterday and gave in to salt again in the form of way too much parmesan cheese. I mean, I think I had like a cup of the stuff, shredded. I'm serious. Explanation to follow:

It's been busy. So much so, I didn't log my food yesterday, cause I wasn't HOME yesterday. Gone all day to an anime convention. I consider the hours of walking around as exercise. Hah!

Food choices there were iffy, and I did not behave saintly. But I didn't act the way I would have were I NOT at least trying not to go hog wild. Seriously.

I ended up having half a burger (hubby got other half) and had salad TWICE, with super salty dressing and cheese.  A lot of cheese. At least a cup of shredded parmesan. And yes, I caved to croutons. For dessert, I had a melon cup (it was the only fresh fruit available.) But I no danishes, muffins, cakes, chocolate, or the cheesy nachos that were ubiquitous as the Japanese packaged snacks. The only junk food item I had was 3 1/2  sticks of strawberry Pocky (Z and Midori know what that is, right?), while my hubby polished off the rest of the box.

On the drive home around 11:30pm, I had a raging pizza craving, and hubby and I almost went to a local joint that stays open late and has really popular NY style. But then I said, "No, let's go home," and I assuaged my remaining hunger with a a saute of four veggies and 4 oz of ground beef.  And sugar-free jello.

The lowest I'd gotten to this week was 262.4, which had made me squeal like a schoolgirl. I intend to see that number again this week, and wave goodbye to it.

Water, except for yesterday, was good. Exercised 3 days (last week 2 days). Logged faithfully EVERY BITE, except yesterday. Was okay with encouraging.

So, that's the SS update.

I hope my challenge momentum isn't affected by a medication switch-up.
The doctor is altering my thyroid regimen at my request--I want to add in Cytomel, so she'll be reducing the dosage of Levoyxl--which means I may have some thyroid level wackiness while we get to the best dosage for me. I hope I don't fall out of range (my optimum range is very narrow and I can start feeling crappy and gaining weight pretty easily). I just want to try this and see if it improves my mood issues and memory issues.


Okay, so a pretty decent week, if not perfect.

NSV! My first pair of Pilates workout pants....are falling off!

I grabbed a pair of pants from the "mass of black workout wear pants in the clean clothes corner" when I got up today and as I went about doing some light chores, I had to keep yanking them up. They keep sliding right down.

Now, these are 4x Danskin Plus cotton/lycra bootleg pants. They were my best friend during my first year of Pilates, along with my 4x Danskin capri pants, before I moved on to the 3x versions. This spring, I started using the 2x version. :)  While the 3x still fits--and the 3x capri version are on display here---the 4x are now officially too big. These were perfect in 2008 and part of 2009.

By next birthday, I intend to fit into the 1x....or better. :)

A Salty Weigh-in for SUMMER SLIMMIN' & How the First Week Went...

My kick-off challenge weight was 267.6.

My first challenge weigh-in: 265.2

Loss= 2.4 lbs

It should have been more. I knew the damage that would occur eating at a Chinese place for supper yesterday. I didn't overdo. I even measured everything out and asked for the rest for take-out. I had no ice cream at my brother's house, even though we'd taken cones for the kids and my brother made one of my faves summer treats: homemade coconut ice cream. I did have one palmful of popcorn and, later, a salad with some shredded cheese and a fat-free salad dressing that, I suspect, had more salt than I needed. Again.


I'm guessing the weigh-in, sans the sodium, would have been a pound less. Normally, Chinese food makes me bloat 3 lbs, minimum. But I had loads of tea. Then, I did drink some extra water. That helped lots. But I was 264.4 and 264.2 on other previous days, so I had hoped for a 3 lb loss. 

I hadn't hoped for a big, big water loss first week scale loss cause I had been eating semi-okay (if maintenance caloric level of roughly 2300) and I had been drinking coconut water and eating lots of fruit (ie Potassium, Sodium's antithesis). If I had eaten junk food or not been eating tons of fruit, then I could have shown a bigger first week water loss on the scale. But I slipped down from a pretty decent eating place, not a "eating like crap" place.

Ya know, though,  we do obsess over the number itself, too much, rather than what it means. Water bloat is water. It's JUST water. It's not fat. What I need to lose is fat, and that will show up as a loss as I am consistent and strict with my intake of calories and consistent with my exercise and consistent with my water. It will balance out in the end. I will always have salty days. Always. I love salty foods too much to avoid them all the time. I just need to realize that a big water loss is meaningless. A small fat loss is meaningful.


We dieters tend to get so exhilarated over that first week's big loss of water. It's kinda silly when we do that, really. I get into that mindset, too, and even as I do, I realize how dumb I'm being. hahaha. I guess cause you know you were self-disciplined about eating and what proof in the feedback from Mr. Scale. 


I know I did fine. I see the loss. I know I lost fat. Period. And I probably built muscle, given the soreness post exercise. Period.


Water is water. I really need to chill out about that. :)

Also on the plus side: I'm happy with my eating. I ate under 1900 calories EVERY DAY this week. It's been so long that I did that, well, I can't even remember. Probably before I started this blog on one of my Weight Watchers phases. I stayed at my goal of 1800 (give or take 50 or so calories), even with eating out, even with the temptations of pizza commercials. This pleased me a lot.

I also met my journaling and (on 6 days) my water goals. I did pretty good with support posting. I did fine with blogging on the challenge and my meals, etc. 

I did not cook much (which I hadn't planned to do the first 3 weeks, so no biggie, as I have most of my meals delivery or eat-out). I did not meet my exercise goals. I only exercised 2 out of the 7 days. 

So, this week, my focus will be on making every day a perfect water day and getting exercise in 5 days of the 7. I plan to continue on 1800 calories, as I didn't feel unduly hungry. I want to see what another weigh-in at that level will be like. If I feel good about it, I might inch down to 1700 the week after. 

I'm taking it week by week here. :D

My trainer sent me the pics of me doing Pilates. I need to upload and reduce them so I can post. Maybe later today or tomorrow. Stay tuned. hah.

Happy and health-filled Sunday to all you fatfighters!

The Muscle Difference: I can wear at 265 lbs what I used to wear at 250 lbs

I am not kidding.

As I sit here, I'm wearing a shirt that's like 9 years old. I remember wearing it to OUTBACK with hubby (I hate that restaurant, but he likes it). I remember cause I felt pretty in my blue, floral print, fluttery, chiffony top that I finally fit into (with just a bit of snugness at the belly) after going to Weight Watchers and losing a bunch of pounds. There is no longer snugness at the belly. It just plain FITS.

Funny how I can remember weights attached to certain clothing pieces. The fat-gal memory files relating to poundage is undimmed by age, whereas I can barely remember the ending of a novel I read last month.

This particular blouse was at the back of the closet. Hadn't fit me in a long time. Since before my mom was dying in 2003. It was back there in the dim recesses of my walk-in along with my "sparkly goal dress", size 20 that I bought in the late 90's, but it didn't fit back then. (I got up to size 30/32 in 2004, btw. And clearly, size 20 has crept up tons, cause there's no way I'm a size 20, period. This dress is a stretchy mutant. But I took a pic to try to show how it's SHORT and SPARKLY and has a classic cut--so it would be fashionable for years and years and years...heh. I'll upload it later and add it to this post. I gotta get back to closest-clearing before I exercise pre-meal.)

I had been going through the closet looking to see what might fit me now. I hadn't done it since more then 10 pounds ago, so I figured why shop in the stores if stuff I hadn't worn ever or in a while might fit me.

Well, shoot, there really is some weird thing going on, cause my "sparkly goal dress", size 20, which didn't fit me at 254 (when I bought it), fits me at 265. My fluttery top that I wore at 250 (yes, I remember the weigh-in and my joy at getting the top to celebrate), fits me at 265.

The Pilates difference. The muscle versus fat difference.

I weigh more, but after two years of regular hard workouts, a lot more of this weight is muscle than it was last time. That means that while I'm morbidly obese, I'm definitely less fat than last time I was 255 (and sedentary). Prolly less fat than when I last was 250 (cause the belly is not snug on the shirt).

So, a fifteen pound fit difference...shoot. I'm pretty amazed.

Makes one wanna keep working out. :)

Anyway, my "sparkly goal dress", size 20, fits now, and hubby says I look "great" in it. (He is blinded by love, but it makes me happy to hear that all the same.) My 27th wedding anniversary is Friday. Two days away.

I think I may need to figure out how to wear that sparkly dress out for dinner, yes? :)

Summer Slimmin' Challenge: My Meals in Pics and a New Low Weigh-In Milestone! Party like it's 2002!

I was VERY VERY happy with my visit to the scale today, my fourth day into the Summer Slimmin' Challenge. Very. I'll tell you why ....later.

I did fine with water and calories yesterday, but I didn't exercise (felt a bit unwell). Got my bloodwork done for my endocrinologist, so will be half-anxious/half-eager to see what THAT looks like. (I have hypothyroidism form Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and Metabolic Syndrome.) Shopped for some meals at a local gourmet market. (Expect my vegetarian diet meals to be delivered tomorrow afternoon.) I posted on most of the challenge blogs. ( I will only post on blogs that update and will start to see which support me and only support those that support me. Hey, it's gotta be reciprocal.)

So, what did I eat that I haven't posted pics of? This:

LUNCH After Pilates on Monday: I was feeling mighty hungry, so I headed to a local Mexican eatery (with really good, authentic tasting food that has a nice fresh taste and is one of my faves). Instead of my usual bingeyness, I chose shredded chicken breast tostadas. You get two. I ate one of the tostadas and all of the beans, white meat chicken shreds, lettuce, cheese, and drizzled sour cream (they make it and it's very liquidy). I had 1/2 cup salsa (there's 1/4 cup in the pic, but I had more. I cup romaine lettuce, plain. A Starbucks sugar-free vanilla latte, grande size. Cantaloupe water. Arizona Blueberry no-carb green tea . Man, was that good. And about half of what I usually have at that restaurant. Total: 741 calories.

Dinner on Monday was a frozen meal: HEALTHY CHOICE chicken parmigiana with broccoli and apple crisp (basically an apple cinnamon compote with some oatsy granola-ey stuff sprinkled on top). It was surprisingly tasty. I added some parmesan to the chicken and broccoli. I had a cup of cherries (organic, numsy) and a cup of Blueberry No Carb green tea over ice. Had cantaloupe kiwi water. Total: 613 calories.  Monday's Caloric total: 1809.

Because I had bloodwork at 1:15 pm, I couldn't eat breakfast. So, I had brunch at around 3pm. Curried Chicken Salad (fruity and so good) on a bed of 4 cups of mixed lettuces. One cup lentil soup with 1/2 tsp EVOO. Blueberry No Carb green tea. Pineapple water. Calories: 616

I was really tired in the PM after not sleeping a lot for two days. So, before dinner (after a nice nap) I had a cup of hot tea splashed with organic half n half. (Even though we are having a hot spell with some record breaking heat, I craved a hot cuppa). It felt so luxurious and comforting. I had a cup of lentil soup with 1/2 tsp EVOO and some raspberry pineapple water. Calories: 187

About an hour later, when I felt less groggy-icky,  I had my meal. was gonna make some eggs, since I missed breakfast, but my hubby hadn't eaten his Starbucks sandwich. I took the " guts" and nuked them to get them hot and the cheese melty. (It's black forest ham with a bit of frittata with cheddar on top.) Nice. And gave me protein, as the rest of my meal was vegetarian. And fabulous. On the green rectangular plate: spinach and portabello mushroom orzo and ratatouille. SO GOOD.  Raspberry pineapple water and more tea to drink.

I didn't take a pic, but I had a half-cup of Tasti D-Lites chocolate frozen dairy treat as dessert. It's sugar-free, lowish-carb and low-calorie. And felt like such a splurge. Yum.

Dinner calories:  950   Tuesday Total Calories: 1753.

I still didn't sleep as much as I needed, but got more than  yesterday, so hurray. I got on the scale to see if the salty "guts" I had with dinner made me bloat. The scale was down: 264.2

That is my lowest weigh-in since starting this blog in May of 2007, which you can confirm by scrolling way down my sidebar to see the stats I've kept for three years. That's  lower than what I weighed in January of 2003, when I got weighed and measured for fat, etc, at a local gym. I'm happy. :)

Starting Weigh-In for SUMMER SLIMMIN' Challenge, Goals, and Preparatory Actions...

Got on the scale to document my starting weight for the Summer Slimmin' Challenge. (You still can join, so click on that badge to the left at the top of my sidebar.)

And here is the kick-off poundage:

267.6

I can see the crap I had Saturday--chorizo tapas, rolls with cheese butter, fried chicken, fried green plantains--took its toll. It was a lollapalooza of bad choices at a mediocre restaurant. That's 1.6 lbs up from last time I weighed.

My goal for how many pounds I wanna lose by August 6: 17.6

That should take me to 250, a weight I haven't been at since, like 2001--I'd have to check old records, but I know I was 254 after my appendectomy, and I had lost some weight, so I'm assuming I was 250 the year before (as I tended to gain about 10 pounds a year, give or take, and by 2003 I was 266.)

Well okay, so I started off fine this AM with a breakfast nearly half my usual breakfasty caloric level: 437

I'm aiming for 1800 a day the first week, 1700 the second, and then 1600 for the remainer of the challenge.

If I feel too hungry at the lower level of 1600, I'll let myself move up again to 1700 and then 1800, the latter being where I want to set the upper bar. I haven't been able to eat that few calories consistently for two months at a time in years and years, and I could NEVER keep it up, so let's see what the challenge can do to my mindset. If I am to sustain a lower weight--and my goal is to get to 175 one day--then I have to learn to eat less. I am hopeful. Ever hopeful.

One of the things I learned in the last couple weeks is that 2300 calories more or less is maintenance for me. I had weigh-ins that never moved more than a pound up or down on days I tracked my calories at around 2300.

So, if I eat more I will gain (and when I don't restrain myself, I naturally gravitate to eating about 4000 to 4500 calories, and yes, that's how you get to 300 lbs, peops!) So, if I eat 1800, that's 500 less than maintenance. Times 7 days means I will lose at least a pound  week--add in the water losses that come with dieting and I might make 2 lbs a week. Add in more exercise and I might make it to 3 lbs a week. Hence, I aim for the middlish ground, 2 lbs per week.

So, here's to getting to a size 22 by August 6 (or at least that's my estimate. I'm a bit snug in 24, and sometimes loose in 26 and sometimes perfect, so it seems to me that 17.6 lbs off should take me down to a 22 with some comfort in the fit, yes? At my highest I wore a 30/32, so this will be a nice change.

Other goals:

~~to blog daily and be accountable to my challenge-mates and readers

~~to post encouragement to other challenge participants (at least two a day)

~~to drink 8+ glasses of water (fruit essenced or plain)

~~to add 20 mins of exercise on non-Pilates days (I normally do an hour of trainer-supervised Pilates 2x a week), meaning pop in a DVD and do it or dance around the living room or march in place or whatever. Just move my butt for 20 mins on 3 other non-Pilates days for a total of 5 days with exercise.

~~to eat at least 6 fruits /veggies a day (the challenge only asks for a minimum of 5, but I want to set a wee bit higher bar for myself)

~~to eat/cook/prepare most of my meals at home (not to be tempted in restaurants, with the exceptions being, certainly, my anniversary on the 11th and my husband's birthday on the 26th)

~~to be more scrupulous with my food tracking/journaling. I am going to do it at Sparkpeople (where I have only been sporadic and non-comprehensive). My aim is to document EVERY SPECK of food or beverage that goes into my mouth and down to my tummy.

~~to blog my weigh-in on Sundays (although I may weigh-in for my own purposes more often.

I already requested delivery of vegetarian meals (I'll receive it sometime next Thursday) in order to simplify the caloric-watch for a few weeks, then I'll begin making my meals myself. I want someone else to portion it for me, as I really tend to just go nuts with portions. 3 to 4 weeks of pre-portioned meals should help get me in the mindset of "this much is the correct amount".

After that, I will weigh/measure at home to keep things calorically tidy.

Since the meal delivery won't start for several days, I will be shopping today to restock on fresh produce, skim milk, lowfat cheese, and whatever I need to make healthful meals for me and hubby until I get my pre-portioned vegetarian lowfat meals. I am going to make my shopping list as soon as I get off blogging this.

Z of Bottomless blog, who is hosting the challenge and created our cool badges, has already done her challenge-friendly shopping. Go see.

I will happily accept any encouraging remarks and rah-rahs to keep me on target. And I hope I can encourage you, too. It's a long haul and a tough fight, so let's be pillars for each other.

Let's do it! Onward and DOWNward!

Other measures to track for the challenge:
starting waist: 44.5
starting hips:   54.5