It's Amazing

I followed the plan yesterday, except for drinking 6-8 cups of water (does black coffee count?), and the scale showed 5 lbs less this morning! I've been at 215 before. Now, this time, I plan to continue to below 215. I'd really like to be at 200 by Christmas. That would be 42 lbs lost in 1 year. Not what I had in mind, but losing 42 lbs is better than not!

Now I'm encouraged big time.

Today is a wedding at church, and I'm going to be walking a lot getting from one end of the church to the other several times in a 3-hour period. My legs cramped yesterday, and to make sure cramps didn't wake me up in the night, I took a very hot bath. It worked, but when I moved this morning at first light, they wanted to cramp again. I'm taking vitamin B, which is usually for leg cramps. Maybe I should add exercise? }o(

I had a hard time finding something to wear to the wedding. I want to look professional and be comfortable at the same time. I have nice things, but they don't go together, and some of them don't hide flaws like I'd prefer. So, I tried on several outfits. I decided on a lime green top with dark navy pants and a dark navy jacket. Unfortunately, the navies don't match. That's one thing I hate about navy. It's hard to get pieces to match if they aren't from the same dye lot. I'm going to pretend I didn't notice. Maybe I'm too critical. Or maybe I should have thought ahead and done the laundry before today ;O)

Food:
grilled cheese with 2 egg whites sandwich (4)

Exercise:
Hosed off the back porch (without pedometer on)

Here's the Deal . . .

It's been a while since I've been here. Thank you for noticing. There are several reasons (excuses?) I haven't written in my blog. That period of rest I thought I'd have until Thanksgiving didn't happen . . . I've been busy at night on my computer until I literally fall asleep at the keyboard.

Unfortunately, there's been no time to blog.

PLUS, my rick-rack weight-stay chart has been so depressing . . . I didn't even want to think about it. Yesterday instead of going to WW@W and weighing in, I stayed in my hidey hole and worked.

WELL, my walking partner (who's having the same issues) and I discussed our lack of weight loss and our lack of walking routine. We decided that we'd get back to tracking our points. Because, truly, that's when we did the best. I know everyone tells me that, and I believe it, but I HATE paperwork, and tracking is paperwork to the nth degree. Not only do I have to write it down, most of the time there's research involved. Like reading the nutritional ingredients, using the tool to count points, and THEN writing it down. Too many steps, too many opportunities to get sidetarcked, etc.

OK, I got that off my chest!!! Let's get started.

Today is the Diversity Fair at work. I heard some hauntingly beautiful music that I just had to get closer to hear. On my way to the stage, food literally called my name (well, not food, but someone wanting to share their excellent corn), and I couldn't ignore it. I ate the corn, visited, and finally got to the stage. Listened to the music, talked to the musician, and headed to the cafeteria to get a salad. While walking back through the gauntlet (food booths), more food called my name. This time it was tamales and a bunuelo (I shouldn't eat it if I can't spell it, right?)
I did get to visit with friends while I was there, and I really did resist the good booths that were recommended to me. AND I heard some beautiful music. So, I consider this a win!

Plus, I went to the doctor today, and my blood pressure is 121/80! Yea!
My weight on her scale (wearing jeans and shoes) was 222.

I'm the Wedding Coordinator for my church, and we have a wedding tomorrow. The rehearsal was this evening, and although it will be an easy wedding, my team also has Altar Guild this weekend, so I have double duty. By the time I left the church, I had been on my feet for 2-1/2 hours, and my legs (actually my feet) were beginning to cramp. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to drive. But I stopped by Sonic and got a Diet Coke with Vanilla easy ice (my usual) and an applie with caramel dip. I relaxed there for a few minutes while I ate my apple, and then I fought traffic and long lights all the way home ;O(

In a bright note, my son started dinner, so I only had to finish it, and eat it!

I have to be at church tomorrow about 12:30 to finish preparing for the wedding. I should be home and taking a nap by 4:30-5:00.

I counted the number of points I get for Weight Watchers, and it's dropped from 28 to 25! Yikes!

Food:
grilled cheese sandwich (still) (4)
salad with black beans and boiled egg (7)
small tamale (2.5)
small bunuelo (2)
3 chicken thighs (9)
1 apple (1)
1 caramel dip (2)
2 slices low-cal bread (2)
30 = 25 +5 Extras
35-5 = 30 extras left

Exercise:
5797 steps

My Sense of Taste Is Back

I haven't decided it that's a good thing or not!

Yesterday at a speech contest, I ate at least 6 cookies (had to taste them all ;O)) and grapes. I enjoyed each and every one! I'm now drinking a diet Coke with Vanilla, and it tastes goooood! I hadn't enjoyed this, my favorite, drink in months.

On the track again!

We decided to try the 2-mile track yesterday, and if the mutant mosquitoes were there, we'd turn back. But the road had been resurfaced and there wasn't any grass, so we trekked along at a pretty good clip. I think we did the 2 miles in about 40 minutes! We were pretty proud of ourselves!

Then I got home and attacked the rest of the dump cake we had in the fridge. I ate probably 5 servings along with 3 tacos. I was so tired because of the stressful week that I went to bed about 9:30. About 11:45, I woke up when I realized my left leg was wanting to cramp, and I was holding my left big toe down with my right foot. Then my right food started to cramp, and I couldn't hold down that big toe. I got into the bathtub with warm water. That was NOT where I wanted to be -- I was feeling lethargic and weak from all the dump cake (sort of a sugar letdown). I kept falling asleep in the tub. I got out and crawled back into bed. About 45 minutes later, my right leg (the muscles around my shin) was cramping so badly I wanted to cry. I went to the kitchen and heated a wet towel in the microwave. But the pain was so excruciating, I couldn't even get the towel on my leg. I ended up back in the tub with the water so hot I almost couldn't stand it. After 30 minutes, my legs were much more relaxed, and I could actually go back to sleep. So, the secret is to warm up and cool down! Gee where have I heard that?

I gained .6 when I weighed in yesterday. Actually, that was good considering how poorly I've eated this past week. Well, now that I think about it, I offset the bad things with much more vegetables and food on plan. I've actually eaten salads and carrots every day this week. I've had yogurt a couple of times, and cereal for breakfast. And I actually measured the cereal yesterday! I'm learning ... But I'm a slow learner.

This is a journey to lose to 135. I've always wanted to lose it quickly, but then I gain it back quickly. The point this time is to learn, to try, to test, to figure it out, and to make the changes permanent. I've dieted before and lost weight, then as soon as I get close to my goal weight or decided I've had it with dieting, I go right back to my old eating habits and gain it back and then some. I've actually dieted myself to this weight. I think I mentioned that before, but it's the truth.

I've decided that I like the support of the Weight Watchers meetings, but I don't care for the point system. I did very well with the LA Weight Loss plan, and I think I'm going to look for one of my old eating plans from when I went to LA Weight Loss. It was just like Weight Watchers used to be, with food groups and portion control. The point system just doesn't work for me. I'd rather have a cup of vegetables and count it as a vegetable and 3 ounces of protein and count it as a protein. I don't like having to add the fats, calories, fiber, and count the points.

Food:
grilled cheese sandwich (4)
10 baby carrots (0)
3 cups salad (3)
2 beef fajita tacos with grated colby/jack cheese and salsa on flour tortillas (10 at least)
1 serving dump cake, 1 rice crispie treat (10)
1 chicken sandwich (4)
snacks at a meeting:
2 strawberries dipped in chocolate
1 truffle
grapes

Exercise:
?? (I left my pedometer at weight watchers @ work)

Today's a New Day

As usual, I'm starting out on track, following the plan, and I even exercised! Yesterday, I actually got on the floor and did some crunches. Actually, the real exercise was getting on the floor. I've been avoiding that like the plague because I thought it would be painful to get up. I still have to get used to not having pain.

Today I did some sit ups with my legs hanging off the side of the bed. I know it's the lazy way, but at least I did something. Then I watched CNBC while I did some toe touching and side stretches, etc.

Last night I made a large salad with lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, red bell peppers, and celery. I was trying to copy the salad we had at our annual department luncheon last Thursday. But I forgot the purple cabbage and tomatoes. I don't normally like tomatoes, but that salad was delicious with all those ingredients. I'm taking a large bowl of that, grapes, yogurt, and a chicken thigh.

Bingeing

For some reason, I'm craving sweets these days. Maybe it's because I've finally got my sense of taste back. Is that a good thing?

Saturday when I was at the grocery store, I bought a package of Halloween Oreos. We sat down with cups of milk and ate all but 3 cookies. We had chocolate overload for sure. That was brunch!

I enjoy celebrating birthdays, and for a while we had would have cake for everyone celebrating each month. Then the parties stopped. I told my manager that I'd bake something for office birthdays. That way, I can bake, which I enjoy, and my son and I can have a taste without having to deal with the leftovers.

I tried a dump cake yesterday so I'd have an idea of how many it would feed. We ate some of it and packed the rest. So I may make it tonight to take to the office tomorrow. I need to double the recipe, so I'll find out how that works.

I also made some candy using a recipe that a friend makes. I put too many rice crispies in it, but it was good nevertheless. Another no-no.

I HAVE to get back on track.

Back to Basics

Things have gone crazy. I was so busy for the past 3 months that I sort of put my life on hold. Now that I survived the proposal, gave the speech on Sept. 15, enjoyed our 40th Class Reunion, and helped with two Toastmasters demonstration meetings to start new clubs, I find my calendar unusually clear. It feels odd, yet refreshingly free!

This is how it usually starts. I have lots of free time on my hands, so I say OK to something, then something else pops up, then before I know it, my calendar is so full I'm meeting myself coming and going.

I do have some things to do the next couple of weeks: finish the Christmas newsletters for a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, edit and produce the Friends of the Library newsletter, go to the Toastmasters Division H speech contest, attend a Mind-Science Foundation Lecture about Meditating Selflessly, and coordinate a wedding rehearsal and wedding.

Back to my weight-loss journey (remember that?)

I knew I was especially out of control last week. The food was so good everywhere I went. Most of the time, it was all you can eat. And I can eat a lot. One of the best things that happened was the panoramic photo we had taken of our class. A friend used my camera to take a photo of the group once we were assembled. I'm right in the middle of the group, standing behind those sitting. I look like my grandmother. Not bad, but it's not what I want to be. I'm 58! I realized the other day that that's just 2 years from 60!!! Yikes! If I want to live a long, healthy, happy life, I have to get started NOW!

I want to be thin. I really want to be thin. But I have a hard time doing what needs to be done to be thin. Deja vu! I think I said these exact same words when I first started this blog.

You can tell by my chart that I completely lost momentum May 25. I spent this entire session of Weight Watchers @ Work treading water. Bouncing back and forth around the same 3 lbs. That's crazy! Actually, insanity is doing the same thing you've always done and expecting different results. So, I'm not crazy -- I'm insane!

When I was 14, I decided to start a simple exercise plan. I wrote down on a piece of paper 10 exercises, and I decided to do 10 of each every night. They were the typical 14-year-old exercises -- jumping jacks, toe touches, knee bends, etc. I did them every night, and before I knew it, I was doing 15, then 20. I actually started seeing results; after a couple of weeks, my thighs didn't rub together and my waistline was more pronounced. You know, there's no reason why I can't do something like that again. I definitely need to catch Mo!

I decided at the beginning of this week that I would eat 5 servings of fruits or vegetables every day, and I've had at least 4 every day. Sometimes it was all carrots, or I'd eat pineapple chunks. I definitely have to go to the store tomorrow because we've been out of groceries since Monday. We've been fast-fooding it the last 3 nights. And that's expensive, both monetarily and nutritionally.

We walked Tuesday night -- we didn't even make 1-1/2 miles. I am so out of shape. We think we can go at least 4 nights next week. I'll have to see when the A/C man will come by, and I'll walk the rest of the week. My Pedometer is getting rusty from lack of use ;O).

Food:
2 servings of grits w/margarine
salad with 1 tbsp ranch dressing and mozzarella cheese
1 bag fritos
jumbo jack with fries

Exercise:
NONE! I'm not even going to kid myself. I sat on my butt all day at the office then came home and watched 2 episodes of Matlock. I love Matlock.

Blast from the Past, Now Back to the Future

Our 40th Class Reunion was so much fun! It was a hoot getting to know people all over again. There was a good mix of folks. Some I knew in high school, some I didn't. I had a very small circle of friends in high school and I only went to SCHS 2 years. One of my closest friends is someone I met half way through our Junior year. She sat behind me in shorthand and asked me to sit with my steno pad angled so she could copy off it. I knew that girl was crazy!

Thursday was a sort of warm up with delicious lasagna and wine. There were 15 of us that night.

Friday night was a mixer with appetizers, drinks, and fajita tacos. I had 1-1/2 margaritas, water, and a few snacks. Then I had 2 tacos. Between 60 and 65 people made it to the Friday night shindig.

Saturday night there were 70 of us for barbeque that was out of this world from Harmon's BBQ in Cibolo, Texas, along with dancing and fun times. I was the emcee for the awards and wild and crazy stories.

My sister was sweet enough to let me stay at her house from Wednesday night through Sunday. I barely saw her until Saturday when we spent the morning and early afternoon together. Other than that, we passed each other in the hall in the morning when I was going to turn on the coffee and she was putting something in the dryer.

One thing we didn't have a shortage of all weekend was food. Our hostess baked and cooked herself half to death, and we reaped the benefits. She's an awesome cook.

I didn't get a whole lot of exercise. I ate my weight in banana, zucchini & pumpkin bread.

The Group Gets Larger Still

So far this class reunion is a blast. I really like staying at my sister's house. They are great hosts, and it's so quiet in the country. I love it. It really is helping me destress. I forgot what it was like to sleep without hearing neighbors and cars and ambulances, oh my!

I needed to return some items to the library, and I found one that was open at 10:00, so a friend and I headed over there. We stopped at HEB looking for the coffee contraption, and she wanted jalapeño salt. She found the salt, but I didn't find the contraption. Then we headed to Homestead Handcrafts. We looked at every booth, touched about 1/4 of everything in the store, and enjoyed ourselves reminiscing, laughing, ooohing and aahing, and visiting.

One more HEB, and still no contraption. We did find one with a cup -- a little higher end than I was looking for. But, at least she saw what I was talking about so she can get one when she returns home. It's great for making one cup of coffee.

We went to the airport to pick up a classmate and was she surprised to see 6 of us there to greet her!

There were 13 class mates and 2 spouses for dinner. It was so much fun visiting with everyone including the spouses.

Food:
I was so bad today eatingwise. I ate zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, strawberry bread, a scone or two, and pull-apart bread -- and that was just breakfast! Anything that was put in front of me, in other words. Then we had KFC for lunch and lasagna, olives, bruschetta, and tiramisu for dinner. I did fix a large salad, and ate that first thinking I'd fill up on that and just eat half the lasagna. But, I managed to eat it all. I'll suffer tonight for sure. And deservedly so ;O)

Exercise:
2989 steps

The Group Gets Larger

Today there were 7 of us having a good time, preparing for the class reunion, shopping, eating, visiting. I got lost at the airport and drove around the parking lot twice before I finally figured out how to get to the parking lot on my third time around. By the time I got parked, the other 6 met me right inside the terminal. What I saved on parking fees, I'm sure I spent on gas.

The first order of the day was to eat. We headed to Artisan's Alley to eat at the Pomegranate, but it was closed so we ended up at Bin 555. I got a large field greens salad with their vinaigrette and dried cranberries. It was delish.

The next stop was Spec's to get the party started. I didn't buy anything because I don't drink alcohol much anymore. I really like White Zin, but it doesn't taste good right now. So I decided I'd be the designated driver if needed.

Then we went to HEB. I forgot to bring my coffee (Snickernut Cookie), so I had to buy the supplies. They didn't have the contraption that holds the filter -- bummer! I checked at Wal-Mart in my sister's neighborhood, but they didn't have any either.

Food:
Salads Mixed Field Greens and Taco salad at Garcia's without the shell and sour cream. and I age my weight in tortilla chips. They had the best chips and salsa!

Exercise:
6173 steps!

Class Reunion Time!

I'm leaving for my class reunion. I'm not leaving town, just heading to the other side for the next 4 days. Now that I see who's coming to the class reunion, I'm thinking I should have taken this weight loss journey lots more seriously ;O) Oh well, if they don't love me for me, blah blah blah.

I've been so busy lately that I haven't really enjoyed life very much. I don't have time to walk, I don't have time to sit in my recliner. My cat enjoys it much more than I do. I don't have time to read. And I miss those things terribly. Truly, when you stop and think about it. These things aren't things. They're activities that I usually do to keep my sanity. And I haven't even had a chance to do the minimum.

Ths class reunion may send me over the edge. I'm going to spend time with people, who for the most part, I don't know. So I don't feel trapped, I'm taking my car whenever I can. I'm staying at my sister's because she lives much closer than I, and it'll save time and gas so I don't have to make the 30-mile trek twice a day or spend the night with lots of people, which makes me very uncomfortable. I'm learning more things about myself at the tender age of 58. Crowds have always bothered me. I realized last spring that to me, 6 people is a crowd. So, armed with that info, I can plan ahead and prepare an escape route if necessary. I guess I'm a loner -- a lone reed!

Anyway, I'll report back on Sunday (unless I can sneak to a computer sometime during the week.) Wish me luck!

Speech Contests Are Bad for My Health

I ate my weight in cookies today. Guess what? My sense of taste has come back. Is that good news or bad news? The sad part is I really didn't want cookies (who said that?) I really wanted something salty. And only sweet things were available at the speech contest today. Last week, the tables were full of salty snacks: pita chips, tortilla chips, dips, and some candy.

I don't judge contests for the food; that's just one of the perks. We also had brisket and turkey from Grady's. I always like Grady's food, especially their catfish! Yum!!!

This evening I had another free meal at church. We had a dinner catered by Acadiana again. And again, they served the same chicken on rice with green beans and peach cobbler. It was good, but an odd dish to serve at a harvest dinner. Acadiana has good food, why chicken on rice? I love their chicken and dumplings. YUM!!

Food:
large bowl of corn flakes and skim milk
cookies, 1 donut
spearmint jelly candies
brisket and turkey, cole slaw, beans, potato salad
chicken on rice, green beans, peach cobbler

Exercise:
1147 steps (got to move more)
10 squats holding onto kitchen sink. I was surprised about how far I can squat, almost with my butt touching the floor.

The Good News Is . . .

I've weighed 215 consistently for about 2 weeks now. That's the good news! And even better news is I've been better about eating my fruits and veggies, and it has made a huge difference in how I feel and maintaining 215.

And I have even BETTER news -- my sense of taste is coming back! Now, when I bite into fruit, I get the initial taste of the fruit, then the bad taste takes over. But it's not as bad as before. I only took the Lamisil for 3 months. It took a couple of months for this side effect to occur. I'm hoping in a month it'll be gone. In the meantime, I've actually cut down on the sweets.

I've been getting to work about 7:00-7:15 since school started. When I got to work yesterday about 6:50, we entered the campus by the fitness center for a change. The ball field and track were lit up and the weather was so cool, it was tempting to hit the track. We haven't been walking after work for several reasons -- life getting in the way for one. I decided I'm going to start walking in the morning. It's cool enough that I may not need to shower. But if I don't work up a sweat, am I working hard enough?

Monday will be a "check it out and see." I'll get there at 6:30 dressed to walk with my work clothes and lots of cologne. I'm curious about who does what in the morning. I saw a couple of ladies on the track -- do they shower before work? Will I have to share the showers with them? I never took gym in school where I had to take community showers, and I'm so uncomfortable with that aspect of working out.

When we were grocery shopping, I always reminded my son to get the low-fat, low-calorie, sugar-free version of whatever we were choosing. He asked if I was always "on." To which I replied that I have to be. I "cheat" occasionally, but I go right back to the plan (sort of). Otherwise, I wouldn't fit through the door.

On that note: Next week is my class reunion, so from Wednesday thru Saturday, I'll be in a group setting, and food choices will be very slim. I'll do like I did on a cruise in 2008. I'll make the best choices I can with the intention of losing weight during the festivities. Wish me luck!

Life is a journey...

Food:
grilled cheese sandwich (4)
salad from the salad bar with 1 tbsp Italian dressing
double meat burger and fries
veggie chips

Exercise:
4175 steps (went grocery shopping)