Look Great in '08 - Wrap Up

week: -1.5
total: -14.5

Losing weight in the winter is hard. There are too many holidays, thus too many parties, thus too much food. Here on the Gulf Coast, that means it starts at Thanksgiving and does not end till after Mardi Gras. But I think my metabolism thinks I'm still a Midwestern girl, and feels like it must hold on to every little calorie to get me through the cold dark days and nights -- even though there were actually a few days in Feb. when we turned on the cold air during the day.

I think I might finally have broken my plateau. The last two days have seen record low weights for me (since I started keeping track). I've been consistent with my exercise (the pressure of testing really helps) and I've gone to bed hungry a few nights this week (cf. Jan's NLNE). Haven't been as good about taking my lunch. There's always something to work on.

I like having the Challenge, and I hope there is another one now that this one is finished. I don't think I really need the challenge for motivation, per se, but I like making the permanent record via these blog posts (I don't think I would have done so without the Challenge, in fact). I like knowing that others are coming here to check on me, and I like reading the other members' posts too.

ups and downs.

Last week was an up week, so this must be a down week. Let me check.

week: -1.5
total: -13

Indeed.

I had to attend a professional conference last weekend. At the reception Friday night, I was literally surrounded by chocolate. Fortunately (?), we had gone out to dinner beforehand, and gotten properly filled up, but that didn't stop me from snacking. There was a plate of strawberries though, which I happily mixed in with the brownies.

It didn't stop, either, since at the conference center there were all sorts of coffee cakes for breakfast, snacks, coffee breaks, etc. I have to admit, I tried one of everything. So good, but so bad. We did Mexican at a local place for lunch, where I got a fish fillet instead of an enchilada, so at least I redeemed myself. And we hit the gym on Sunday, so the weekend was not a total wash.

This week, we have to attend our Tang Soo Do class more reliably than we did last week. Promotion testing is 8 March, and I'm a little nervous that I won't measure up this time.

weigh-in week 21

week: +1.5
total: -11.5

If I am completely brutally honest, I might consider that I've been snacking a fair bit, and I haven't really gone to bed hungry lately. But at least I'm snacking on good stuffs, like apples, cheese, and hummus (not together). I've also fallen off the brown bag bandwagon, so I've either been buying lunch, or forgoing it entirely. I have time today to pack a proper lunch though, so I'll do that in a bit.

We don't really celebrate Valentine's Day here, so that's a load of pressure (in more ways than one) that I don't have to deal with.

surprise! weigh in!

week: -3.5
total: -13

My computer is broken, so I am posting this from husband's.

I am totally shocked by this weight, since this whole weekend has been nothing but a flurry of food frenzy. BIG Mardi Gras party on Saturday, Super Bowl party on Sunday, Fat Tuesday in New Orleans and dinner in a fancy hotel restaurant after the parades. Like so many others, I am unable to account for the good reading on the scale.

I'll just wait and see where I am next week.

stuck

week: +2
total: -9.5

I've looked at my weight numbers for the last month, and I seem to be on a mighty plateau. That, or my body thinks it's happy where it is now -- and I might buy that, except that my body still has a LOT of jiggly jubbly bits that really do not belong. I guess I'm going to have to change some things, or else just wait it out.

I tried the "gym before work" thing on Monday. It wasn't altogether heinous, but one needs to be supremely well-organized. I almost accomplished that, but I forgot my shower-shoes and my comb. (I had a spare comb in the car, so the latter was minor, except for walking out of the gym looking like a crazy woman.) It isn't too late for me to try it again today, but I'll have to make up my mind fast.

looking great in 08

week: -2
total: -11.5

things I've done right this week:

• resumed regular Tang Soo Do
• returned to the gym
• removed excessive amounts of chocolate from the house
• took my lunch to work
• did not go overboard on king cake at the first Mardi Gras parade & party
  

where I need improvement:

• more water, especially late at night
• less thinking that pasta is a fallback food (but I love it, so easy, so tasty)
• potatoes too (I love my starches)
  

weighing in: a positive is positively not positive

week: +1.5
total: -9.5

I'm going the wrong way here, and I think I've figured out why. I've not been to the gym to lift weights in weeks. I've been sporadic about Tang Soo Do. I can blame time, and headaches, and the business of starting a new semester, but really, it's just been disorganization. I already said it to my husband, that I have to get back, and now I'm saying it here. Once again I repeat my re-commitment to gaining health.

See how others are doing with the Look Great in '08 Challenge.

back from hiatus

since last weigh-in: +1
total: -11

That +1 does not tell the whole story -- of how there was constantly food available at my in-laws' house (Christmas candy, Christmas cookies, fresh homemade bread, you get the idea), of getting home and back to our standard diet, and back into the habit of exercising. Weight-wise, it was a tumultuous two weeks.

And clearly, if the challenge had ended today as originally scheduled, I would be nowhere near my goal of losing 20. I probably would have been bummed, but now that we get to carry on till February, I know I still have a chance.

I wanted to review 2007 in a nutshell.

• From Jan 2 to Dec 27, I went from 218 to 170, with my lowest weight of 167.5 peeking at me on Dec 22.
• A year ago, I would never have posted my starting weight in a public forum.
• In May, I discovered and joined the May Day Challenge, where I was introduced to many strong and determined people.
• In June, I started following the Abs Diet plan, really changing my food choices and adopting an exercise program.
• In September, my husband and I joined a traditional martial arts school to study Tang Soo Do.
• In November, we tested for and earned our orange belts in Tang Soo Do

Overall, I'd say it was a good year. Happy New Year!

weigh in 13

week: 2
total: -9.5

Bah, humbug. Anytime I have a bit of stress, my body seems to want to hold onto the weight. Well, as of today I'm officially on Christmas break, so the relaxation can set in, and the stress can go away. Except for the stress of finishing up that Christmas shopping. And finalizing our travel plans. And spending time at the in-laws (whom I really do love and get along with, but ...). Oy.

LG08 week 12

week: -2
total: -11.5

w00t! a new badge!

I have taken a week off from everything (except making proper food choices). Last Wednesday, in the evening, I suddenly felt my throat get raw and scratchy -- it was the weirdest thing. I guess usually that happens while I'm asleep, so I wake up sick. So I haven't been to the office (well, there was scheduled time off anyway), or the gym, or even tang soo do class. I did have to drag myself out to get groceries and more medicine. Mostly I feel okay, maybe a little tired, but then I'll have a horrible coughing fit, which just - won't - stop. I won't feel well till those stop.

LG08 #11

week: -0.5
total: -9.5

Well, the holidays are really here. I have Christmas tunes stuck in my head. I've been to two parties on campus. Classes are winding down, and we're getting ready for the big push to exams. Somewhere in there I need to figure out our travel plans. I go through the same thing every December, putting off the making of a decision, because all the variables just overwhelm my little brain. The things I'm sure of: we will take good snacks with us, we will not overdo it at Christmas dinner -- wherever we are --, and we will enjoy visiting our families.

I think we visited his family in June, and we'd had some weight loss, but nothing dramatic; then I saw my parents in July. At that time I'd lost about 25 pounds. I've nearly doubled that loss since. This trip might be a little dramatic.

LG08 #10

week: -3
total: -9

Ahh, Thanksgiving weekend was easy for me. No parties, no family, just me and the hubs lounging around and drinking hot coffee to stave off the autumn chill (which has finally arrived on the south coast). Didn't make a turkey (have done in the past, way too much work for 2), but did have mashers (oh how I love them) so by themselves they make it Thanksgiving.

The hardest part of the long weekend (as I mentioned before) was that the martial arts school and the campus gym were both closed -- except that I found out the gym was open on Sunday for regular hours! So we did get in one workout. It was tough after even just that little break. But I'm reinvigorated and re-inspired.

Broke out the breadmaker, to try going w/out store-bought bread for a bit. Then discovered that my flour is old, and makes the top cave in. Haven't had a chance to get new flour yet, but I haven't abandoned the home bread challenge just yet.

LG08 #9

week: +2
total: -6

The last two weeks weren't kind. My schedule, which is usually pretty basic and routine, suddenly got very full, and didn't always leave me with a lot of time or opportunities to make good choices. I'm actually happy that Thanksgiving is here -- I can catch up on my sleep, and no one will have any demands on me until Monday morning.

Of course, the bad thing about the long weekend is that both our gym and our martial arts school will be closed. Time to bust out the dumbbells hiding under the couch, and get back on track. Again.

LG08 #8

week: -2.5
total: -8

Wow, finally some action on the scales there. I think it was the afternoon snack I was having at the office that was messing me up. I think -- it's so hard to make a determination for a system as complex as the human body.

At Target, I found Apple Cinnamon Almonds. YUM! They aren't overboard on sodium or sugar (and no HFCS in the ingreds at all). We've decided they won't replace plain old raw almonds most of the time, but they'll be good for a change periodically. I also love that Target carries raw cashews, my favorite kind of nut. I always find them in the deli/produce area, not in the nut aisle.

weigh-in 7

week: 0
total: -5.5

Essentially the same weight for the last five weeks. Going to have to change something, surprise it back into reacting. Going back to logging all my foods is one option. Doing a little iron work after Tang Soo Do is another. Going all-out at the sushi bar certainly doesn't help the process -- must learn restraint!

weigh in: week 6

week: -2
total: -5.5

I kind of liked my old scale that did everything in whole numbers. However, I didn't like squinting to read what tiny line the pointer was aimed at. So, I'm getting used to the new machine.

I'm really out of things to report here. I just bought my Halloween candy yesterday, and only one bag, since we have to go out to class before the witching hour is really over. Oh yeah, mental note: do not run over any trick or treaters.

look great in 08: #5

week: +2.5
total: -3.5

January of 2007, I bought a bathroom scale, the cheapest one I could find. It served me well, but here's the weird thing: the tread started slipping off the edge of the scale. Increasingly, I found my foot really sticky after weighing, from the glue that was supposed to be holding the tread to the scale. So, last week I bought another scale, one that appears to be a solid piece of plastic, and which has a digital readout. Unfortunately, it insists that I've gained 2.5 pounds in the last week. And maybe I have: we've been working out pretty frequently, and I'm sure I'm building muscle. Plus, my waist to hip ratio is the same as it was 2 weeks ago (although I'm never quite sure how accurate I am in taking those measurements).

So, I will reiterate something I know I've said before: I am not a number! I'm a free (wo)man!

Visit other participants at Tales from the Scales

LGi08: check in week four

week: -0
total: -6

I realized yesterday that I've lost half the total weight of my goal, a journey which I began in January of this year. So in view of that fact, one week of maintenance seems like not such a big deal. The master instructor at our training hall comments that we look slimmer every time we see him. When I first got back to work after summer break, I got some comments about how good I look too.

The most striking change I've noticed -- not counting the reduction in jeans size -- is the fact that I have arm muscles. I'm lying in bed holding a book; I glance down, and my bicep is literally popping off my arm. And I like that the muscle is there, so I want to keep exercising to make sure it doesn't go away. There's my motivation.

Visit Tales from the Scales to meet more people participating in the Look Great in 2008 Challenge.

week 3 weigh in

I was looking at my calendar, and realized that I started my ticker over there on the right on the wrong date, and therefore: at the wrong weight. So officially:

week: -2
total: -6

I gets a button!

Clearly five days a week of exercise are doing me some good. That and the proper food choices. I'm so glad I saw Mama Bear June's post on the Abs Diet plan, because without it, I think I'd still be in a weight-loss rut. Lately I don't even have to go through the mnemonic to remember the core foods anymore: they're pretty much the foods that I have in the pantry now. I'll admit, I'm off the smoothie wagon though. I still love them, but I don't have the facilities to whip them up while I'm at work. That, and the bananas at the grocery store have been really crummy lately. What's up with that?

weigh-in #2

week: -2
total: -3

Off to a good start here. I'm enjoying Tang Soo Do a lot more now that I have a handle on some of the moves. The kicks are still a complete challenge for me though. The only problem with TSD is the schedule. I have to rush home from work to change clothes and grab a smoothie -- and my husband, who is doing this with me -- before heading back to the training center. Then we have a proper dinner afterwards. Somewhere I read "hunger is the best seasoning for food" or something, and I'll say that's certainly true. I won't say I sleep like a log every night, but I fall asleep much faster now. Monday night I wanted to watch the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, to see David Boreanaz (Angel, Bones), but I don't think I made it through three minutes of the monologue.