My update (SS)

Well, I am finally feeling better--I was sick for a week, from Thursday to last Thursday. Then I spent the weekend at college with my youngest who doesn't own any food! So we ate a couple of times--once at the Pita Palace and once at Agave--mexican, of course! So nutritionally, in three days I ate two meals and drank a lot of Margaritas. I lost a total of 4 lbs since my sickness and I still don't have the energy to do anything. I did finally had sex with my husband last night and that really wore me out. Other than that I have done nothing but sit at my desk at work all day and drive to Detroit. Same thing this week. Thursday I leave for Indiana to meet w/ the oldest to make final wedding arrangments. I'm hoping for a few more meals and a few more margaritas...and no more weight.
I'll just have to get back in the saddle again when I get back. I have no horse, but I have saddlebags--know how your feeling 10-8!

Back on the Wagon again

I've got to admit that I had fallen off the walking wagon...I'd get into projects at home, or sucked into the internet job search, and think, "Just one more hour, then I'll go out..." Didn't happen.

Now, with a new dog, I have to walk, because at 5 months old he gets pretty damn hyper if he doesn't get his exercise...so I'm walking twice a day now, and although there are plenty of sniffing stops along the way, I'm still getting (I think) a decent amount of exercise, and my right arm is getting a workout from playing fetch...although its really more like "throw", because he doesn't always bring the ball back...then I have to fetch.

So, although there's not much of a weight change, I am down two more percentage points on the body fat index...and I know that my clothes are fitting differently, and I've been on a Mediterannean cooking jag lately, so my diet is very well balanced. All in all I think I'm doing ok.

What's in those saddle bags, anyway? - FAT!

Well, I have lost another 2 which puts me down a total of 12 lbs., which doesn't really sound like much, I definatley have another 15 to go (at least). But I can REALLY feel the difference - in my clothes, in the mirror, and mostly in my attitude. I feel like a thinner person INSIDE, which is really fun. And still I am not suffering -- I am enjoying what I'm eating and I am actaully enjoying the gym every morning. Now that the weather is turning to Spring (I think), I want to start walking again -- anybody else?

I have identified a new goal for myself -- I had set a particular weight goal and a particular jean-size goal, but I have settled on an even better one. No matter how much I weigh or what size I'm fitting into, I am not giving up until I lose my saddle bags. (Microe, this may not apply to our Alpha male, sorry) You know girls -- I have hips where they're supposed to be and then I have hips just a tad lower, on my thighs. Our thighs are NOT SUPPOSED to have hips. I have had them all my life (except for one very brief skinny period in my life) and they drive me NUTS! If you look at me straight on and follow the line of my siloute I curve in at the waise, out at the hips (okay this is good so far - I am a girl after all) but then I have this litte inward dent and curve out again at the top of my thighs -- It's not SUPPOSED to curve back out again, damn it! So. That's my new goal - loose the saddle bags! I'm not a horse!

Happy Trails!

Is anyone out there?

Just smile if you can hear me. What the heck is going on here? 10-8, Ginger, SS are you girls all on a road trip or what? We need to know about progress! Good or Bad! Weekend was tough but I managed to make it through without completing blowing my weight. Back to the salads and yogurt and the gym..

Alpha Review

Benefits…… After dieting for a while I think we all need to remember the benefits of loosing weight to help fend off boredom and complacency. Based on SS’s last blog, she sounds bored and un-motivated. So as I thought about her last blog, I looked at my own progress and whether I am seeing some of the benefits.

Benefits that we are all shooting for are pretty obvious, they include, to feel better, to look better, to get into smaller clothes, better health, and of course better sex. And then there are specific personal things that you want to achieve. Anyone who would like to add to the list please do. In reviewing our progress we tend to focus the short term, namely what that nasty scale says. It is good to look at these overall benefits also.

As I review these, I find some significant progress:

• Do I feel better? Most definitely!
• Do I look better? I think so, at least I feel like I don’t look quite as much like a whale.
• Smaller Clothes? Pants size from a tight, barely get them button, ready to pop open 44 to a comfortable 42. Shirt size, wore the smaller Scoutmaster shirt last night and it didn’t feel like the buttons were going to pop off.
• Better Health? Took my blood pressure this morning, and for the first time in months it was down to where it should be! 123/84 (I’ve had trouble getting the diastolic below 90, finally!)
• Better Sex? Yup! More stamina and flexibility, and contrary to some comments on this blog, no shrinkage!!
• Personal Goals: I have three big ones. First I have Sleep Apnea. I know if I loose weight I can get that under control and get off the CPAP pump. This is important because it makes camping with the Scouts and sleep on the boat much more enjoyable. Still have a way to go on this one but I’m encouraged with my sleep patterns lately, more restful. Second, to ride the Millennium Force rollercoaster at Cedar Point again. Last year in August I was at Cedar Point with the Scouts and I was too fat to fit in the coaster chair and get the seat buckled. It has one of the smallest seats in the park. I’ve road it before, and I will ride it again, cause it is a lot of fun!! I figure I’ll be close in about 15 lbs. less than now. Third, next year I have signed up to chaperone the Scouts to the BSA Seabase in the Bahamas Summer 2007. I need to take pretty strenuous physical before I go. So I need to be in great shape. I’m feel right now for the first time since I signed up that I am making good progress towards that long term goal.
  

That is where the Alpha Male is at. Let’s hear how the rest of you are doing?

Alpha Male Status Report

After the 2 week jump start, my progress plateau'ed. I didn't go up but didn't go down. I maintained my exercise, both weight lifting and walking and thought I was eating right.

So I took about 4 days off. Not that I binged, but I drank more than I normally would and had a couple of diet no-no's. Like Pizza, all you can eat fish fry, bar food. Funny thing, is that I didn't feel like I was extremely hungry. I still did good most of the day each day, like Yogurt for breakfast, salad for lunch, etc. So no big weight gain during the days off. And I continued exercising during that time.

Back on the regime. Looking back, I suspect that part of the reason for the plateau was some afternoon snacking I had become fond of. Namely Beef Sticks and Smokehouse Almonds. No calories there, (and mostly fat and salt). Funny thing is that I think the urge to snack was really thirst. Trying to drink more water after my noon walks.

More later this week, including the Alpha Weight Lifting report, sure to just reek of testosterone.

How's everyone doing?

OK, we are nine days into April and no one has posted any progess except 10-8, nor any set backs, except SS.
How is everyone doing?
Are you hanging in there?
Are you struggling?
Have you reached your goal and don't need to blog anymore?
Are you sick of blogging about weight?
Are you sick of exercise and dieting and sick of talking about it?

Something must be happening.....or not.

Life gets in the way (SS)

My life has suddenly gotten in the way of diet and exercise. I can see where it all starts taking an out-of-control tumble back in to sedate living and bad food choices!
I'm back in management until sometime in May! This means back to work Monday-Friday from whatever time I go in to whatever time I leave. This has been going on for a week now.
This past week I have exercised ZERO times!
This past week I have had some form of chocolate for lunch!
This past week I had cold pizza for breakfast!
This past week I have drank beer-a lot. All in one night.

I left work yesterday (Friday) and drove straight to the Hardings liquer section.

I have a daughter getting mattied the end of May. She is calm. I have begun panicking.
We are on the phone re-arranging plans and making final ones.
I have a daughter needing help with a 20 page research paper. We have been doing a lot of it over the phone.
My husband has been working his full time job and then three nights a week he is bartending. I have been spending my evenings at home alone talking to the oldest daughter and helping do research with the youngest, but not eating dinner or just eating nuts or smoothies because I don't feel like cooking for one.

I know why I got fat in the first place. I didn't pay attention.
I haven't gained any weight...yet...but I feel unhealthy.

Got to figure out how to calm life and get back to my routine!

Hello Milk (Phase 2)

Okay - today I am officially starting Phase 2 of South Beach. Phase 1 was pretty succesful -- 7 lbs. -- not a bad jump start. Now I move into phase 2 which means I can introduce some other foods that have been off limits for the past 2 weeks. Phase one went by pretty quickly - it really was not at all painful.

I am mostly excited to have MILK back in my life -- I didn't miss the alcohole all that much, but the milk was a killer! So aside from milk I can now add back in red wine (which I will do and I will also extend that to include dark beer - which I'm SURE is a no-no, but screw 'em -- I'm human) and high fiber carbs such as whole grain breads and whole grain pastas. But I have really not been missing the breads and pastas -- it's nice to know I can have them -- it makes eating out easier. The only things I think I will strongly go back to (keep in stock) is low-fat milk (1/2 %) and alcohol (limited quantities (hopefully).

I know that my weight loss will not continue at the same rate as I move into Phase 2, but I did some math on this -- If I loose just 1 lb a week, by the end of July, combined with my recent 7 lbs, I would be 25lbs thinner, which is my logn term goal. That's only 4 months! I can absolutely live with that! I've been pissied off at myself for 3 years about the extra weight I let creep up on me -- four months to get rid of it is nothing!

You gotta' look at the big picture -- which in this case is a smaller picture! :)

What do you do on the treadmill? (SS)

10-8 asked me in a previous blog, what I do on the treadmill to tolerate 80 minutes. That is a good question and anyone who uses a piece of equipment like a stationary bike, mill, stairstepper, etc, I would like to know how you keep yourself there and for how long?

For me, it is all in the music. The Hubby has made me two cds to mill to and I am currently picking out music for a third and fourth. This way I can rotate and never get tried of hearing the same thing.
I pick music that I love and that will inspire me to keep going. I can't wait to hear the next song b/c I know its something I WANT to hear. I also walk/jog to the beat of the music.
Here is an example: I may have Macy Grey's, A Moment to myself...then Springsteen's Born in the USA...then Dwight's Little Sister...then ZZ Top's Tush...
as each one of these songs come on I either walk faster and change the incline...or I may slow down but increase the incline even more, or no incline and pace myself slower if I need some recovery time before I speed it up again. And of course, there are those songs that you have to dance to and the ones that I work w/ weights and do arm exercises to.
I really am never walking at the same pace. And I always stay in fat-burning mode the entire time!
Over all, the mill can be boring, so I liven it up as much as possible. How does every one else keep at it?