Incentive Plan

It has been quite a few months since I've posted anything here! Either that or I've been caught in a time warp. Sometimes my life feels that way. Time twists itself inside out.

At my weekly weight loss group, we are talking about developing personal incentive plans and this is what I came up with: I have a special stash of money that I earn from singing. I use it for personal things, gifts for my husband, etc., instead of taking money out of our joint account. I will be giving $200 of this to a trusted friend, with a written promise to lose thirty pounds by our first meeting in January. If I do not, I must donate $100 to a charity of my choice. Then, after three more months, if I do not lose the rest of the thirty pounds, I must give the rest away to charity.

It sounds harsh, doesn't it? I've been so unmotivated I had to make it something I'd work for, and work hard. That is an average of five pounds a month for six months. I know I can do that. But will I? That is the burning question. I have a deep desire to do it.

Monday Weigh In

I've been doing okay with my eating, not so much with walking, but my dear hubby shared his virus with me. Feeling slightly better today...not completely well though.

This a.m. I weighed...194. Couldn't wait till Thursday to share that. Hurray! Been a while since I've seen these kind of numbers on the scale.

I know that still sounds big, and it kind of is, but bear in mind that I'm 5'11".

That's 25 pounds GONE.

Maintaining

Wow, it's hard for me to keep up with posting here. I have another blog, and I have a family and a life. We're doing spring cleaning and painting this week.

Last night at TOPS(Take Off Pounds Sensibly) I "turtled", which means I weighed to same as last week. Not good news, but not bad either. I'm eating okay...a little bit of something I shouldn't now and then...but basically I'm being good. I'm not walking like I should though.

Does anybody have any extra motivation they're not using right now, that I could borrow?

Thursday Weigh In

The numbers are in, folks...

As of this morning I weigh...197.5 pounds. Yeah! I hope the 200's are gone forever.

Man Pants

So, hubby had a birthday recently and I took him to a Mexican restaurant for lunch, just the two of us.

I was wearing stretchy workout pants (not that I'd worked out that morning or anything) and decided to change into jeans and a nicer shirt. I pulled on the jeans--still lying on the floor where they'd been thrown with abandon (ahem) the night before--and discovered they were tight. No way, I thought dismally. I couldn't have gained that much since I last wore these. Then I looked down and noticed they were way too short. I laughed. They were my husband's!

Then my heart leaped with joy as I realized I could actually fit into his pants! He's six feet and 165-or-so pounds. I'm an inch shorter, though my legs are considerably longer than his, and my stomach had been too...um...girthful to ever put on his pants, let alone ZIP and BUTTON them.

Progress!

Good News, and More Good News

We're leaving town tomorrow morning for an out-of-town basketball tournament and won't be back till Sunday, so don't miss me too much, ok? Ha.

The good (I hope it turns out to be good!) news is that last night I *did* get elected to be the new leader of our TOPS--Take Off Pounds Sensibly--group beginning April 1st. The two previous leaders promised to help me with whatever I need. Hubby told me that I need to change my title from leader to dictator. Very humorous, honey.

The other good news is that I lost the three pounds I gained last week.

And finally, my eating habits, including drinking lots of water, are good. I need to walk today. We're having a contest at TOPS where the first one to lose ten pounds wins the pot...we each put in a dollar. The lady who is determined to win is a bit flustered, I think, that I'm right on her tail. She is a nice person, and I'm glad for her that she's been losing so well lately. But it's a fight to the death, baby! Well, or until I collapse on the treadmill.

A New Responsiblity

A couple of weeks ago the leader of our TOPS weight loss group asked me if I would consider being the new leader, beginning April 1st. After asking questions and talking to hubby, I've decided I'm going to do it. I will have a co-leader, secretary, treasurer, and other members taking on certain tasks, so I think it's do-able. When she first asked me, I protested a bit, saying that I'm a fairly new member (end of July). She said I was enthusiastic and had made good progress, that she thought I'd be good. That was nice to hear.

I'm hoping it will be an extra little push of motivation to keep losing weight through exercise and healthy eating. If I'm the leader, I want to be a good example!

I've started walking again after slacking off for a while. Yay me!

Thursday Weigh In...Ummm

It's not happening today. I don't have a new battery for my scale yet so I can't weigh. My friend Tacie doesn't want to weigh and I totally understand that. I've been there...empty bag of Cheetos...cookie crumbs...receipt from a buffet restaurant... Look at that number between my feet the next morning? I don't think so.

It's goofy. Why do we think that NOT weighing is going to change anything? I guess we need to figure out if seeing bad news will discourage us and send us scrounging through the pantry for a box of Little Debbies, or whether we will be spurred on to better eating and exercise plans.

I did eat a few Hershey's kisses with almonds last night. A few. That's a change for me. I'm not too scared to weigh, but I can't. Convenient, eh?

In Which Freda Succumbs to the Lure of Hershey's Kisses with Almonds While her Butt is Affixed to the Couch

yeah

In Which Freda Hits a New Low

My bathroom scale has low batteries, so I won't be able to do the Thursday weigh in till I buy the right kind.

However, I hadn't been to TOPS for four long weeks (bad weather, basketball games) so was glad to go last night. I feared I'd gained but I didn't. I lost another 1.5 pounds, and according to their scales...in the evening with my clothes on I weighed 200.5. Yay! I've almost broken the 200 barrier even at night.

Yesterday was a good eating day. The worst thing I did was to eat a grilled stuffed burrito at Taco Bell with hubby for lunch. I drank diet Pepsi and gave him my nachos. I don't care for that fake melty cheese.

Thursday Weigh In

My weight this a.m. was 199.5. Only a half-pound down from last week, but I'll take it! Especially since I haven't been walking consistently. I've been driving consistently though. Does that count? How about knitting? I need to look up how many calories per hour that burns up.

On the Road

Yesterday I had one basketball game (our 13yo daughter) and today I had THREE games, about 45 minutes away.

So, I'm eating on the road and I have less time for blogging.

Tonight the kids and I did Taco Bell. I had a Mexican pizza, two tacos, and diet Coke. Not too bad. I have no idea how many calories that is, but I will probably be awake far into the night. Dang, why do I do this???

For breakfast I had a Reliv (vitamins and minerals) shake and Raisin Bran. Lunch was pasta with broccoli and parmesan cheese, and an apple. I tried to drink lots of water. That's pretty much it. Didn't have much time for walking.

I better go to bed now so I can stare into the blackness for a couple hours while the caffeine wears off.

Thursday Weigh In: Teetering on the Brink

Hi, I'm back. Did you miss me??? All one of you.

My computer was out of whack for a couple days, but here is this morning's weight: 200 pounds even. I gotta break through to the 1's! I know it's just a psychological thing, but it's been SO long since my weight has started with a 1 consistently.

Expanding Love Handles

Nooooo...this wasn't supposed to happen! That's what the perfectionist voices inside my head are shrieking at me. I gained a little bit...a half pound or a pound...and I haven't been walking consistently.

My eating habits over the weekend were less than stellar. Yeah. Let's just say I made intimate friends with a plate of nachos and buttery popcorn and some other junk. What is wrong with me? Where's my will power? Where's my motivation???

There's always an excuse lurking in the back of my brain. But it's Super Bowl Sunday. Everyone snacks during the Super Bowl. I think it would be easier if I were fighting, say, a substance abuse. Maybe not, but one part would be easier. I could avoid the alcohol or drug completely and be successful. You can't do that with food. You have to make peace with it and learn to nourish your body in a healthy way.

Why am I so weak?

Food Journal 1-30-09

Breakfast: Reliv drink, 9-grain bread

Lunch: leftover chili, 1 oatmeal pancake (so moist it didn't need syrup)

Snack: raw baby carrots

Supper: more chili with crunched tortilla chips in it (I'm all chilied out!)

Water: not sure, about 40-48 oz.

Need to eat more fruits and veggies!

Food Journal 1-29-09

Breakfast: shredded wheat cereal with low fat milk, a few grapes

Lunch: leftover potato soup, more grapes

Snack: cookie dough that attacked me in the kitchen, plus three cookies that I ate

Supper: chili at the basketball games

Water: definitely not enough, but I did drink some extra at the basketball games tonight

Tonight I am REALLY going on the treadmill right after I get off here; I didn't last night because I was exhausted from staying up too late the night before. Yeah yeah, whine, whine.

HELP!!!!

Forget lutefisk--I'm being attacked by OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH! It has invaded my kitchen! Send reinforcements!!!!!

Thursday Weigh In

My friend Tacie has decided to post her weight on Thursday, so I think I'll follow her lead. I belong to TOPS and weigh in there every Tuesday evening, but of course my weight is a bit higher then because it's in the evening and I'm fully clothed except for shoes. I don't weigh myself every day at home but do check at least every other day. My scale is NOT that reliable but until I get a better one, here goes:

My weight for this morning was: 200.5 lbs. I had broken the "200" barrier, just barely, for a short time. I will again. Even more exciting than breaking the sound barrier!

That's a nineteen pound loss since October; I have gained back one of the pounds I've lost but basically I'm holding steady. Actually, I gained 2.5 pounds during Christmas and then lost that. So I'm on one of those "plateaus" they speak of, but I'm happy I'm not in rapid-gain mode!

I haven't been walking as faithfully so that's one of my goals. The other is to drink LOTS of water.

Food Journal 1-28-09

My eating today wasn't all that great. The only fruit I had was grape jelly!!!

Breakfast: Reliv (vitamin & mineral drink) I know I should have eaten solid food too, but I was wiped out from staying up too late last night.

Lunch: PB & J on whole wheat, eaten in the car on the way to taking the kids to a 12:40 movie.

Snack: Lo-cal fudge bar

Supper: Cheesy Potato soup, plus seconds

Water: 32 oz. so far

I'm going to walk on the treadmill 45 minutes (about 2.5 miles), drink at least 16 oz. more water, and eat an apple.

Seeking Peace

Yes, I'm seeking a slimmer body and stronger muscles, a healthy heart and lungs, more energy...but I am also seeking peace. Peace with myself most of all. Peace from the negative voices in my head, peace from my perfectionism.

Peace doesn't mean peace at any price, a total lack of confrontation, or being the doormat for other people's muddy boots. Peace means accepting where I am right now on this journey called life, knowing that God accepts me completely even while He is calling me onward.