Weigh-in Wednesday ~ tammi

No surprises today. I'm up 1.2.

The possibilities of me reaching my goal for this challenge are getting slimmer and slimmer. (unlike myself...) I KNOW what I need to do, but I have been too weak-willed to force myself to do it lately.

This was my plan for this last week:

• no desserts, under ANY circumstances ~ FAIL. Had one or two handfuls of hubby's homemade chocolate chip cookies at least three days. Had dessert after supper the night we were invited out to friends.'
• fruit/veggie snacks ONLY ~ yeah, right. FAIL!
• two successful fasting days ~ I barely managed to fast between meals. FAIL.
• at least three 2-mile walks and three days doing the 100pushup/200situp/200squat challenge (details at the bottom of the sidebar) ~ only one day of situps/pushups/squats, but I did get in 4 walks because hubby's still not working. PASS... barely!

See? The gain isn't a surprise. I guess I need to get back to keeping track of everything I eat and reporting it here. Since that didn't seem to be making a huge difference in the weight LOSS department, I quit, but at least it was helping me not gain!

My plan for this week:

• remember to make sure my stomach growls at least twice a day
• complete week 2 of the 100/200/200 challenge
• two successful fasting days
• at least 3 walks or 30-minute workouts

Struggling.

I'm having a problem this week:

I don't care.
That is the problem; it's also how I FEEL about the problem.

I know motivation is a decision, not an emotion.
I know I overate yesterday.
I know I'm not getting nearly enough calorie-burning exercise in every week.
I know in order to report a loss (or even just maintenance at this point!), I probably need two good fasting days yet before weigh-in.
I KNOW these things....

But I just. don't. care.

HELP!!!!!!

Weigh-in Wednesday ~ tammi

I'm happy with the direction, but not so much the progress.

I'm down, but only 0.8 ~ a little off the 2.2 goal I set for myself last week...

I was did pretty well at mealtimes this week and got in a two-mile walk an amazing 6 out of 7 days, but I know there were more desserts than necessary. And not enough stomach-growling. I curbed snacking relatively well, too, but hubby was home all week, so the fasting efforts were completely abandoned. (his presence at home also explains the availability of desserts!)

I MUST kick it up a notch! (or three) I'm still 5.2 lbs away from my challenge goal, but that's still very doable as long as I take it very seriously.

So the plans for for this week is:

• no desserts, under ANY circumstances
• fruit/veggie snacks ONLY
• two successful fasting days
• at least three 2-mile walks and three days doing the 100pushup/200situp/200squat challenge (details at the bottom of the sidebar)

I need a big loss this next week because after that will the "the week of the arrival of that time of the month," and we all know how THAT works for weight loss.

Let's Do This!!

Wow!! It's been a LONG time since I've peeked in around here.

There's a reason for that.

I have this thing about authenticity. I don't ever want to portray something on this blog (or my personal one, for that matter) that isn't a true representation of me.

I found myself, for whatever reason, longing to lose weight... accepting every "challenge" known to man, but never really CHANGING anything. Sure, I'd lose a few pounds here and there, but ultimately end up gaining them all back (and then some!), and giving up.

Well, a lot has been taking place in my life over the last few months, and I now find myself in a season of peace, healing, and restoration. What better time to GET healthy and STAY that way?

So, I'm back. Not just back, but REALLY back. You know how I know??? Because there's more than just the desire to lose now, there's MOTIVATION and DETERMINATION.

I CAN DO THIS. I WILL DO THIS. I AM DOING THIS!!!

I started a new program (advised by my brother, the nutrition geek!) on January 1, and I am already DOWN 7 pounds!!!

There's nothing like a little success to further motivate, right??

But I'm not just bragging on myself, here. I am bragging on the God who loves me. He loves me enough to let me get to a place where I have to realize that I can no longer do things on my own. Nor was I ever meant to. He loves me enough to let me fall flat on my face and wallow around in the muck and mire of my own self pity until I have had enough! And then, when I cry out for mercy, He loves me enough to extend His hand, lift me up, and set my feet upon His firm foundation.

I keep going back to Beth Moore's "Believing God".

• God is who He says He is.
• God will do what He says He will do.
• I am who God says I am.
• I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
• His word is ALIVE and ACTIVE in me!
• I'm BELIEVING GOD!!

What am I believing God for? Well, definitely for strength and healing, coming out of a tough time, but also for MIGHTY MIRACLES. You see, He' s not done with me yet. He hasn't given up on me and never will.

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. ~ Ephesians 2:10

For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you". ~ Isaiah 41:13

I am believing that He's got me. That nothing happens that is outside of his control. That I am his. That He loves me. That he has created me for His glory, and wants me to shine for Him. He has things for me to do... things for which I need to be healthy... mind, BODY, and soul.

So, enough with the excuses.

Here I am, Lord! Let's do this!!

Weigh-in Wednesday ~ tammi

Down 2.0 lbs ~ woo-hoo!!
All right, well, I must have done something right for a change. Oh no, wait... it's just Christmas weight coming off because I'm back to more normal eating habits.

Who cares? It's TWO POUNDS! I'm a hair over 2 pounds away from my lowest pre-Christmas weight, so that's good. The plan is to be there next week. And I think I can do it.

This past week, I had an only one excessive evening snack. Two other evenings I ate something after supper; once it was an orange, and once it was two stalks of celery with some peanut butter.

Though I only had two 40-minute, two-mile walks for exercise, my stomach growled before lunch and supper every single day (except Sunday at supper), and I had a successful fasting day on Monday.

I plan for a repeat of last week with some improvements in the exercise and snacking ~ and possibly fasting ~ areas.

Two-point-two is MINE next week!!

Rethinking my shrink.

Why is rethinking my shrinking strategies a CONSTANT necessity?! I hate that! You discover a plan that works GREAT, but suddenly, without warning or cause, it doesn't anymore! Very annoying.

I achieved great success following the eating plan from the "Becoming a Woman of Moderation" Bible study that kicked off this blog. I followed the plan faithfully for the entire 8-week study, and by the time it ended at the beginning of June, I'd lost just over 16 lbs. I've continued to lose fairly steadily since then, but at a SIGNIFICANTLY slower pace. And why is my pace slower? Because I abandoned the plan once summer was in full swing and just never went back to it.

I meant to once school started again in September, but somehow, it seemed harder than it had in spring. And I just couldn't get myself to NOT eat. Why is motivation so dang fickle?!

I guess because we're under the impressiong that it's a feeling. Everyone knows emotions are fleeting and constantly changing ~ especially women's emotions! Waiting to FEEL motivated is often the fatal flaw in weight-loss strategies or any other goal-setting exercise. If we base motivation on feelings, it will always only be temporary ~ and often won't be there at all, if you're anything like me!!

Motivation must be a decision. If we base motivation on knowledge, and decide to persevere regardless of how we feel, that's when we'll continually experience success.

So here I sit, starting off yet another year heavier than I'd like to be, and setting some goals for myself. I've got the weight goals in place, but HOW TO GET THERE is a bit trickier!!

1. I don't remember where I wrote it ~ whether here on the blog or in an email to someone ~ but one of my babysteps is that I want to feel hungry at least twice a day. Before I eat lunch and supper, I want my stomach to have been growling so I'll know I actually need to eat. So far since we got home from Christmas-ing in The Big City, I've succeeded with this.


2. I also need to eliminate routine evening snacking. Emphasis on the "ROUTINE." This doesn't mean that I won't allow myself to EVER eat in the evenings, but normal evenings at home should NOT be spent eating! This might mean virtually eliminating TV from my habits as well, since I can't seem to watch TV without eating.


3. Also, I need to improve my water consumption. This is a strange thing for me to have to specifically make a goal because for most of my adult life, I've easily consumed 1-2 litres/quarts per day in addition to what I drink at mealtimes. I've noticed over the last several months though, that I've been brewing bigger and bigger pots of coffee in the morning and that I sooner pour myself a cup several times throughout the day than drink water. I need to get back to just two cups of coffee in the morning and then water for the rest of the day.


4. Exercise remains a challenge and I haven't quite decided what I want to do about it. I SAY I want to do my Fat-Burning Pilates video (the only cardio workout video I own) on days when I can't or don't walk outdoors, but I have yet to actually DO that. I just don't like exercising!! I LOVE walking and jogging, but that obviously has to do more with enjoying the solititude and being outside (even at -40!) than with exercise. Does anyone have any suggestions for short cardio workouts, like 10-15 minutes in length?
   
   Since beginning this post, I've checked out the 10-Minute Solutions series and they look interesting. Shorter workouts are MUCH more appealing and far more likely to happen!! I think a couple of these will be my reward for successfully meeting my 8-pound goal for this current Sisterhood challenge.

Okay, I think that's enough babysteps for this challenge!! Any more and I'll give up before I even start trying!

Thursday Three ~ Small Victories

Yesterday, my stomach was growling fiercely before lunch.

And again by the time afternoon "tea" rolled around.

And I had a hard time ignoring it and trying to fall asleep at night, too.

Weigh-in Wednesday ~ tammi

All right, here we go!

New year, new decade, new opportunities...

...same old self-control issues!

Dang it.

Not surprisingly, I gained some weight over Christmas holidays. From my last reported weigh-in three weeks ago, I'm up three pounds. From my lowest weight ever (December 9/09), I'm up 4.2 lbs. Not insurmountable.

I intend to have those pounds PLUS two more gone by the end of the month. My goal for the end of this challenge is a total of eight, which will bring me to 151.

It will mean hard work. It will mean eliminating routine daily snacking. It will mean sweatin' to the only cardio work-out DVD I have on days when I can't walk outdoors. It will mean no second helpings ~ EVER. It will mean no more routine suppertime desserts. In short, it will require a LOT of self-discipline. Something I seem to practise only periodically.

But I'm determined. I've been pretty slack for the last six months ~ my cumulative weight loss for July through December is a measely 2.8 pounds, thanks for the most part, to Christmas ~ and it's time to re-engage myself. I've only been this close to my goal weight once before in my married life and this time I intend to go all the way. My plan is to hit 140 by the end of May.

THIS. IS. MY. YEAR.