Woo Hoo!

The 170s are here, but just for a little while.

I've finally reached 179.4 pounds, and while I know that's barely into the 170s, it still counts. I've been exercising daily, eating slower, and avoiding sodas (well, regular sodas, I will drink diet). I haven't seen this weight in 2 years, so I really feel like celebrating. I still have one pound to lose, so I can meet my March 2 goal.

It's beginning to get a bit warmer here, and soon the summer clothes will come out of storage. The thing is.. I always want to go shopping as spring approaches, but I won't do it this year. No, I don't want to put a lot of money into clothes until I have reached the weight I want. THEN, I'm going to clean out the mall. lol

Just Dance 2!

My husband got me a game for my Wii that I had wanted for a while. Just Dance 2 is a GREAT way to exercise, and I find myself having a blast while burning mad calories. I'm not sure how many calories... but I do some pretty intense dancing for at least 45 minutes every evening. It's great! I've been neglecting my Wii Fit Plus, and I do miss the strength training that it offers. Whew.

Today, I only consumed 25 of my allowed 29 points, and my weight is a steady 181.4. Grrr... I want to get out of the 180s so bad! Not to mention that my 178.5 deadline is coming up in a couple of weeks, and I CANNOT disappoint you.

One reason I have not dropped much weight recently is due to one thing in particular: pizza. My aunt turned us on to the new Digiorno Buffalo Chicken pizza, yummmm. The week of the Super Bowl I had pizza 3 times :\. Then, last Friday, I packed my lunch, only to have my co-worker ask me if I wanted to get some pizza. I caved, and even though it was buffet, I ate slow, and ate salad, so I didn't feel very bad about it at all. Though, I just expect to see a 2-3 pound weight gain when I eat something like pizza.... luckily, nothing drastic has happened. Maybe I've finally got my metabolism going again.

On another note, I was in a meeting on Tuesday with a lady that had not got to see me in several weeks. The first thing out of her mouth was, "How much weight have you dropped? Are you dieting?" My thoughts were, "Yessssssssssssssssss! Someone can tell!"

With hubby attending a work function tomorrow, I am taking advantage of my time home alone to dance dance dance. Goodbye calories!

I'll keep you posted...

M.I.A

Sorry about the lack of posts this week. I've been busy working on some Valentine's crafts, so I have not made time to blog. So, Mia has been M.I.A... how wild!

I've kept up the exercise this week, but had pizza twice and some left over ice cream. Want a little hint to losing weight? STAY AWAY FROM ICE CREAM! Seriously, it's delicious, but packed with fat. I think next time I want ice cream, I will just jump in the car and go for some gelato. Hey, it's more expensive, but less fat! Shew...

I hate to report that I think my recent weigh in of 179.9 was just a joke. After all, it came after I was sick. I've been weighing in at a steady 181, which I won't complain about... but oh how I long for the pounds to melt off!

On Wii Fit Plus, I have 16 days to get down to 177.5 pounds, because the last time I set my monthly goal I weighed 182.5. BUT, I have faith so I'm hoping to be down in the 170s for sure by the end of the month.

I will brag on myself about one thing. Once a month at work we have a birthday celebration, which consists of the best cakes in town and ice cream. For the first time in two years... I did not eat any! I was really proud of myself, because I did struggle a little to stay away. BUT, I've decided that maybe every once in a while I will eat some chocolate, but just a little. I don't want to go into shock, but I also don't want sweets back in my life on a regular basis.

I hope you are eating healthy and exercising too. I'll try to get back in the routine of blogging again.

NEW Weight Stories Page

I have decided to create a page on my blog specifically for weight stories. I have more to tell than I imagined, so I want to share them here with you. Some are sweet and some are sad, but either way, I hope they motivate us all to be healthier and happier.

Losing Weight = Shopping Spree

One of the saddest parts about losing weight (yes, there is one sad part) is saying goodbye to outfits you love. I mean, I have about 10 favorite outfits in my closet, and some of them cost good money! Pretty soon (well not next week) I won't be able to wear them without looking like an ant in a circus tent.

A couple of years ago I invested money in some new suits for work. I love suits, and I wear them frequently, but having a pant suit with baggy pants does not look so hot. And what happens when your clothes get way too big, but you don't want to buy new ones because you plan on being even smaller in size? Wow, talk about stress. I know that losing this weight is going to make me a happier, more outgoing person BUT it also means buying new underwear, shirts and pants.

The best part about this whole situation is the fact that I still have smaller sizes at my parents house. When I got married, I left a lot of clothes behind, and I haven't taken a weekend to help my mom gut my bedroom. Wow, I'm really glad now! Looks like I will be wearing those old clothes once again.

Food + Exercise Log

After being sick yesterday, my appetite came back with a vengeance today! It just felt good to dumb all that protein back into my body, and even as I write this blog at almost 8:30pm... I am still not hungry. Yes, often those heavy lunches like that will stick with me through the rest of the day. As a matter of fact, the thought of eating makes me want to hurl.

Food Consumed Today:

• 1 Strawberry Fruit Cup
• 1 Nutri-Grain Bar (strawberry)
• Lunch portion of Five Cheese Ziti al Forno (Olive Garden)
• 1 large salad serving (Olive Garden)
• 2 bread sticks (Olive Garden)
• Water
• 1 Diet Mountain Dew

Wii Fit Exercises:

• Basic Run (island lap)
• 30 Jackknifes
• 6 minutes Hula Hoop
• 5 minutes Advanced Step

I wanted to do more exercising, but my husband came home and I wanted to spend time with him... before bed I might squeeze in an additional 30 minute stepping session.

Weight Watcher Status: I know my lunch today was bad, but I couldn't accurately guess how many points I consumed. I found the Olive Garden Nutrition site today, but failed to document the calories, fat and fiber. I'll calculate it later. For now, I will assume I went over, and I will get in at least 1 hour of exercise tomorrow to try to help make up for my food-fest.

Weight Status: This morning, before showering, I weighed myself. "179.9". I kid you not. I just said yesterday how I just wanted to get back to the 170 range, and BOOM, the scales spit out that number. I have kept in mind that sickness usually sucks a few pounds off, and then they are right back. So, I choose not to get too excited.

I can definitely tell a difference in my clothes, as my pants are unattractively baggy around my butt! And no, I'm not a girl who wants a butt. I think it's so wild how your body chooses where the fat comes off. I wonder how it decides? I have significantly noticed the change in my face, but most of all I want to notice it in my stomach and upper arms. I hate my arms.

All in good time.

Sick | Food + Exercise Log

I'm sick.

Not vomiting sick, but... well, the other end sick. I hope I don't gross you out here, but since this is a weight loss blog, I figure since we are dealing with physiological changes, begin sick is one of those changes. Right?!

It began at 2am, and had me up every 1.5 -2 hours. I decided that I had to be feeling better by the time I left for work, otherwise I was not risking it. Needless to say I called my boss to let her know that the sick bug found its way into my system. :'( Then, I went back to bed.

My appetite has been shot since my stomach has cramped intensely all day. So... you want to know what my meals have consisted of? Here's all I could stomach:

Food Consumed Today:

• 1.5 cups of Honey Combs Cereal
• 1 Granola Bar
• 1 Granny Smith Apple

(I only ate the 3 items above because I felt I had to consume something)

• 2 slices of Domino's cheese pizza
• 1 Diet Mountain Dew

Wii Fit Exercises: Because my digestive system was so funky today, I did not exercise. Believe me, I wanted to... but the ole body didn't, so I had to listen.

I have high hopes that I will be back to normal tomorrow, eating better, and exercising my butt off.

Tired | Food + Exercise Log

Recently, I have been staying so active, I am exhausted in the evenings. Projects at work have kept be intensely busy for 8 hours, then it's home to exercise as much as possible before my husband arrives home. Then, once he's home, I quit exercising, and we make dinner together (actually, it's more like him making dinner while I hug on him). After dinner, I do a few dishes, just so they won't be there the next day waiting on me. Once we eat dinner, we just relax, and if I lay down, I almost immediately fall asleep. So, sometimes if these posts are a little lacking of detail, you know why.

Food Consumed Today:

• 3 cups Honey Combs Cereal
• 1 Granny Smith Apple
• Water.. and lots of it
• 1 Glazed Chicken Lean Cuisine Dinner
• 1 Granola Bar
• 2 Grands Biscuits
• 1 1/2 strips of bacon
• 3/4 of an egg
• Diet Mountain Dew (I was desperately in need of flavor)

Wii Fit Exercises:

• Basic Run (island lap)
• 45 Jackknifes
• 10 minutes Free Step
• 5 minutes Advanced Step
• ... I can't remember the rest, but it totaled 40 minutes of exercise

Weight Watcher Status: Everything is moving along smoothly in the food department. Today, after counting all my calories, fat and fiber, I was pleased to see that even with our breakfast for dinner, I came in about 5 points under my allowed 29.

Weight Status: TMI? It's that time of the month, so of course I feel bloated and fat. I have been fearing that the Stromboli I ate the other day would hit me hard, and the numbers seemed to back it up. I just had to weigh myself multiple times today, and the numbers ranged from 183.9 to 185.9. Ouch, I sure hope it's just my physiological changes :\

Oh, how I long to just see 179.9 on the scale. I mean... I can't tell you how long it's been since I've saw that number.

Deadline for Goal Weight

On January 3, 2011 I began using Wii Fit Plus as my only source of exercise. Besides walking to and from my car, and to the bathroom at work... that's all the exercise I get.

When I fired up the Wii, I had to set a weight goal. That very day I weighed exactly 188.5 and I said to myself, "I want to weigh 5 pounds less in one month." Well, today it has been a month... and you are wondering if I have met my goal.

Well, the truth is that I did not meet my target goal of 183.5....

Today I weigh 182.1. Ahhhhhh! I did it! I am still in shock, and to be honest, I met my goal weight on January 29. I was so thrilled to be ahead of schedule!

I have looked at my caloric intake over the past week, and I've done quite well. I researched and found out that I am supposed to eat no more than 1,567 calories a day, and I ranged from 1100 calories to 1350 calories a day. Amazing! It's nothing but success from here on out.

My next Wii Fit deadline is set for February 28, at another 5 pound loss. Here we go!

Food + Exercise Log

Happy Tuesday!

Though it's been a pretty good day, the WW plan was not so good for me today. Well, it started off well, but dinner was not so good. We had Stromboli for dinner (homemade, yes), and needless to say how many calories are in that. We have had the ingredients for a while now (since before I started back on WW), and if I had really thought about it while we were at the grocery store, I would have said, "Let's not eat that anymore." lol

Tonight, I told my husband that I didn't want to make it for a long time, and he agreed, because we tend to get tired of meals very quickly (except spaghetti).

I have finally come to realize that if you want to eat healthy and don't want to waste food, or make your spouse suffer along with you... you must carefully plan meals.

I know I've said this a million times, but it's really hard to plan meals for just one person. Spaghetti sauce doesn't come bottled for one person. A loaf of bread will go bad before a single person can eat it all. Nope. Everything is packaged for at least two people, which sucks. We need meals that can be customized for any amount of people, so I don't feel like I'm wasting food.

Tonight, I considered only eating one slice of that Stromboli and "taking some to work tomorrow." BUT, I knew that would never work, and I feel bad throwing out a large amount of untouched food... so I had 2 slices.

Food Consumed Today:

• 3 cups Honey Combs Cereal
• 1 Granny Smith Apple
• 1 Granola Bar
• 1 Glazed Chicken Lean Cuisine Dinner
• 2 slices of Spiral Stromboli
• 1 hand full of candy corn
• 1 Diet Mountain Dew (I didn't crave the caffeine, I just wanted something that taste different than water)

Wii Fit Exercises:

• Basic Run (Island Lap)
• 45 Jackknifes
• 10 Minutes Advanced Step
• Penguin Slide
• 20 reps Triceps Extensions
• 5 Minutes Hula Hoop
• ..... I'm forgetting the rest, but total, I did 49 minutes worth of exercising

Weight Watcher Status: Today, it is a given that I went over my 29 daily allowed points. By how many points? Well, I hate to say... at least by 12 points. :'( In my defense, I am still learning, and do not plan our family meals ahead of time. I know this is the key to my success, and with the proper amount of planning, I will get my meals on track, and I aim for an entire week of not going over my points whatsoever.