Slow but the right direction

My super success at the beginning of the year was followed by a substantial stall. I could use the excuse that I moved and had visitors, but honestly, I just got tired of dieting. But I maintained and last week I committed to getting back to it.

I logged my food which always makes a difference. Also, on the weekend, I both logged and checked in with my accountability partner. I decided I needed a kickstart AND I have been having some reflux, so I decided to do a liquid day. That pushed me through my first goal!

My next goal is to lose another 8 pounds. It might take me a while, but if I can continue to maintain in between focused pushes, I think I can get it done.

Just wanted to remind myself of the smaller wins.

The success continues!

I have somehow happened upon a winning combination. This week I lost 5.2 pounds for a grand total of 9.2 pounds lost this year. How on earth did I lose more in the second week?? While my likely unattainable goal was to lose 50 pounds, my realistic goal was 25 and now that is down to less than 16 pounds.

I've dieted tons of times and with the exception of right after weightloss surgery, I'm not usually that successful even at the beginning. Why is it different this time? I think there are a few things:

1. I put the weight on really quick while being quite stagnant and honestly, eating and drinking totally irresponsibly. Making a 180 switch like that can produce results. 
2. Also, at least half of this loss was simply holiday bloat.
3. I'm more committed. I'm actually making difficult choices that I wouldn't have made before. I'm limiting lattes and wine which is a big deal. Last night I ate responsibly at a Tex Mex place where I really wanted something drenched in cheese and sour cream.
4. I have decreased my portion size. This is a biggie for me. I tend to eat long past when I know I would be satisfied. It is truly a problem that I will always have to work on. 
5. I have an accountability partner that I like to message with good news. Ha! It is good motivation.

Along with all of that, I had a surgery that truly helped me with the physical issues regarding weight loss. Pre-surgery when I dieted, I was always starving. My entire focus would be how to get as much food in my body within my allotted calories. I don't have to do that anymore. As long as I am reasonable, I can eat normal food. I have been easily able to stay under my calorie budget when I stay away from the liquid calories and unhealthy snacks. My focus now are the emotional obstacles.

As a reminder to myself when in the future I want to remember what I was doing now when inevitably I'm no longer doing it, I want to put in a few sample days.

Sample day (yesterday):

• Breakfast - Coffee with coffeemate. Snap Kitchen prepared breakfast scramble.
• Lunch - Snap Kitchen chicken thighs (3/4 serving) and cheesy cauliflower grits along with 1/2 cup of ready to serve white rice.
• Afternoon snack - 1/4 cup of mixed nuts
• Dinner (Tex Mex restaurant) - 1/2 salmon cobb salad and two glasses of red wine.
• Exercise - none

Obviously my dry weekday January has gone to hell in a handbasket. BUT, I am making myself log and what I have found is that I'm still staying within my calorie counts. AND, I'm not doing it every day.

Another sample day (Monday):

• Breakfast - Coffee with coffeemate. Snap Kitchen breakfast platter.
• Lunch (Tex Mex restaurant) - Appetizer ceviche, about 1/4 salsa and 10 tortilla chips.
• Afternoon snack - Apple & 1/4 cup mixed nuts
• Dinner - Snap Kitchen prepared beef lasagna
• Exercise - Jazzercise

The Snap Kitchen meals are a little pricey, but they are perfectly portioned and that makes for healthy choices when I'm too busy to prepare good things.

My parents are coming on Friday so it will be difficult for us not to enable each other. But I'm going to get some healthy fun recipes for my dad to cook (he loves to cook) while he is here. Plus, we will be busy with unpacking and moving stuff, so there won't be as much time to sit around and snack.

Fingers crossed!!

Hugs!

Success!

I'm proud to say that I have had one of my best "first" weeks ever. I lost a total of 4 pounds in 2019. I ditched Noom and instead partnered with a longtime blogger friend to hold me accountable. It is the perfect balance for me because:

• We know each other personally so it doesn't feel like a robot on the other end.
• We aren't super close, so we won't enable each other.
• We are there for each other as needed, so no extra work on either end. 

Perfect!

Last night was my monthly Girls Dinner. We went to a TexMex place which is usually a recipe for disaster. Wine or margaritas, chips, queso, sour cream, cheese...all my favorites. But I made a plan early in the day and told AP (accountability partner...I'm so original) so I was committed. I had a Diet Coke which is a rarity. I ordered the ceviche with a side of guacamole. There were 6 big chips with the ceviche so I ate those. I didn't even finish everything and I was completely satisfied. After logging everything, I was right within my target for the day.

It was all worth it this morning when I stepped on the scale. Even more so when my jeans seemed to fit a little less snugly than last week. Honestly, I'm not typically this committed. I usually do really well during the week, but slip a lot on the weekends. I slipped a little this time, but not terribly. I haven't had an alcoholic beverage and only one latte. It is truly a miracle.

Another benefit of not drinking last night is that BFF and I didn't want to just go straight home. So we went to Best Buy to pick out her new TV and to Home Depot for me to look at paint. We are moving to new apartments next week and there is just so much to do!

My parents are coming right after the move to help me get the place in order. They are excellent at that type of thing. Mom will help me figure out how to decorate and dad will help me hang things. I know it will be harder to eat well and I will probably not work out much while they are here. But I'm taking one day at a time for now. Today I will follow all my rules and end the day with Orange Theory. Then tomorrow will be another day.

Hugs!

Just keep going...

Today is Day #7 on Noom. I'm not 100% sure yet what it is giving me except accountability. As someone who has been fighting my weight since I was 8 years old, it hasn't taught me anything I didn't already know. But there is something about having to check in with someone that does make a difference. I mean, I could lie, but why?

Let's check in on my progress:

1. No drinking during the week. I'm actually trying not to drink at all, but I'm afraid if I get too strict I won't stay with it, so a hard stop during the week days. This one was killer yesterday. I did okay during the week, but usually on Sundays I have a glass (or bottle) of wine in the evening after chores. It took everything in me to not have a glass.
2. No sugary snacks. Honestly, this one isn't that hard for me. When I'm eating a bunch of sweets, I know I'm off the rails. I'm more of a savory snacker. I had a few over the weekend, but nothing really bad. One Godiva chocolate. One homemade caramel. I think that is it really. No shame here.
3. No Starbucks during the week. I only drink plain lattes so they aren't too bad to have on the weekend. I had my latte yesterday and it was blissful. I'm going to try and do this one for another week, but I don't think it will last long.
4. Work out at least 4x per week. 2 Orange Theory & 2 Jazzercise is the plan right now. I really want to try yoga again, but it isn't working out at the moment.  2 Jazzercise, 2 Orange Theory. Right on track this week.
5. Small portions, small portions, small portions. This is really the big one. I don't need a lot to fill me up, but the fat girl in me just keeps eating. If I can conquer this one, I will be golden.  I would say that I did fair on this. Most meals I did well, but there were a couple that I knew I should have stopped earlier. They were healthy meals, that wasn't the issue. I just ate too much. I need to start preparing less. The old "clear my plate" problem, I think.

Overall, not too bad. I started Noom on New Year's Day, so Tuesday will be my weekly weigh in day. In my younger days, this much attention to diet and exercise would have lost me at least 5 pounds. But I'm both older and honestly, smaller. I just want the needle to move in the right direction.

One thing that is different from me today is that I don't focus as much on what the scale says. My goal is to fit into the clothes that I wore last year. Ultimately, I know that means losing weight, but the number itself doesn't matter as much as it used to.

My biggest success of the week was that I kept going. I was sick on Friday, so much so that I went to the doctor. I had a bad sinus infection and am on antibiotics. All I wanted to do Friday was drive by McDonald's or get some tacos, but instead, I ordered groceries from Kroger and picked them up on the way home from the doctor. I admit that I had some boxed macaroni and cheese with my rotisserie chicken, but I'm okay with that. I stuck with healthy eating the rest of the weekend and didn't sabotage myself.

I pick up the keys to my new apartment on Friday, then I move the next Friday. Moving stress could easily make me turn toward food for comfort. My goal this week is to not let that happen. Also, I'm going to continue to focus on the 5 goals above. If I can do those things, I will be successful!

Hugs!

Well, I did say it was never ending...

My last entry was March 2017. Maintenance is boring. It was boring, but life was good. I was working out, eating decently but balancing it all with fun. I was gaining and losing the same 5 pounds but fitting into some clothes that I just never thought I would. It was awesome!

Then the holidays came along and I gained a few pounds, but not a big deal. You always lose them in January, right? Unfortunately, the day after Christmas last year, I went indoor free climbing with my nephew. I got a little cocky and ended up in a controlled fall from about 10-12 feet. It was controlled, but still painful because at the bottom I broke my fibula. Oops.

I couldn't walk at all for months. Add to that, January-July I was working on the biggest work project of my life. So most of 2018 was not great. There were a few good moments, but mostly I'm not sad to see it go. But back to the never ending quest part...

On top of the 4 pounds I gained during the holidays last year, I gained another 18 pounds while getting over the leg break and working 60-80 hours per week. Then during these holidays, I went ahead and gained another 3 pounds because, why not?

So here I am, fully healed, but out of shape and a full 25 pounds heavier than I was one year ago. However, things aren't all bad.

1. In the olden days, I would have gained over 50 and I'm being conservative. I'm not congratulating myself or anything, but I am recognizing that life is different now.
2. I'm still in "regular" sizes. They are at the higher end of the spectrum, but I didn't have to modify my shopping to get some "fat" clothes.
3. I'm truly healed and still quite able to work out.

With that in mind, yesterday I started with Noom. I have no idea really what it is or what it does, but you log your food and exercise and you have a coach that messages with you. I will at least give it a try for the 2 week free trial. I work better when I have someone to check in with. Honestly, that was what this blog was all about. My accountability. I don't know that it will work without people reading it, but I felt like maybe putting my thoughts on "paper" would help me.

My goals are reasonable and this is for the month of January:

1. No drinking during the week. I'm actually trying not to drink at all, but I'm afraid if I get too strict I won't stay with it, so a hard stop during the week days.
2. No sugary snacks. Honestly, this one isn't that hard for me. When I'm eating a bunch of sweets, I know I'm off the rails. I'm more of a savory snacker.
3. No Starbucks during the week. I only drink plain lattes so they aren't too bad to have on the weekend.
4. Work out at least 4x per week. 2 Orange Theory & 2 Jazzercise is the plan right now. I really want to try yoga again, but it isn't working out at the moment.
5. Small portions, small portions, small portions. This is really the big one. I don't need a lot to fill me up, but the fat girl in me just keeps eating. If I can conquer this one, I will be golden.

I know I will probably never lose the 50 pounds I want to lose, but I do think 20-30 is possible. I just have to want it more than I want other things. Right now, I'm focusing on January. One step at a time.

Hugs!
Beth Ann