Ugh!

If you read my previous post (if I have any readers) you know that I am not super excited about my work client conference that requires me to wear the worlds worst company shirt that does not fit.  My anxiety levels are high just having to attend this event wearing that shirt.  Now ... to add insult to injury not only will I be gracing this event with my tight shirted self (picture Michelin man in blue) but NOW I have to sit, alone, at an information table and actually talk to people.  Sigh.  This does not excite me.  Maybe it will motivate me to start exercising.  Wonder if there are weight loss studies that correlate pounds lost to shirt tightness. 

In other news, my 8 week "Biggest Loser" contest is over today with a few work people. No chance that I am in the running for first or second place, but there is a fight for 3rd place.  I suspect I will not place in this contest, but I can say that I have lost 14 lbs since it began. Good job to me.  Hopefully a few of us can keep up the contest and do another 8 weeks.  That would be $25 bucks well spend and some good motivation. 

In summary ...money and fear motivating me for the next 8 weeks.  Woo!

Much better!

This week I got rid of my gain from last week plus a tiny bit more.  I am pleased with my week all in all.  Unfortunately my plan to "unplug" and go for a walk during my lunches did not exactly work out.  Full of excuses that no one wants to hear, but I am disappointed that I was not able to get it done. 

My calendar shows that Monday, Tuesday, and Friday are good "at lunch" walk days.  Perhaps I can commit to coming home Wed or Thurs and doing something in the evening.  Depends on how exhausted I am from those days in the office. 

I am working on a poorly resourced project with a lot of pressure, so some days I am paddling to keep above water, unfortunately doing that metaphorically does not burn real calories :)

Hope any quiet readers are there are staying on target.  I have not given up my resolve to find myself in  better health and perhaps a couple of clothing sizes down in the near future.

Oh ... let me just put this out there.  My company has a client conference in May.  We wear these awful "golf" shirts tucked into black slacks ... and let me just say this is not a good look for me.  The woman's shirt is not great, and furthermore it does not fit me ... not even the 3x.  So...I have to wear the men's 3x, which fits better I suppose, but the "short" sleeves come down well past my elbows, thus making the shirt look really bad.  This is my next point of anxiety.  Each year I have this anxiety ... this year is no different.  According to my archive weight page, i was within 2-3 lbs of my current weight.  I recall leaving that conference after the keynote due to my total discomfort and embarrassment of what I was wearing.  No miracles are going to happen between now and May 18th, but it is something to keep in my mind when making a food decision.  The upside is that a week and a half later it will be Memorial Day weekend and I will be spending the week relaxing in Hatteras!  Reading, crocheting, chilling on the beach and watching people fish ... that is going to be great.  Oh, there is a hot tub too...so some of that!

So I suppose eye on the prize is what I need to keep in my mind.  Hmm...what seems like a reasonable goal for May 18th?  That is 7 weeks away.  I would LOVE to be very near or at 250.  That would put me at a goal of -2 lbs per week.  Seems doable, as long as I add some exercise into my regime. 

Motivation....glad I had this talk with myself :)

-allison

Raising Hand!

I am still here!  Feel like I have been disconnected, but I am still fighting most days.  The 3 month mark of good behavior has set in and I feel myself slipping.  The slope is very steep and dangerous...I need to move slowly away from the edge.

The last couple of weeks have been more or less off program.  Not real thrilled, but it is the truth.  No counting ... and occasionally giving in to stupid cravings and urges.  There are many excuses I can provide, but ultimately that is all it is .. an excuse or rationalization.  Part of the deal is to be honest, pull the big girl britches up ... and move on.

So that is what I am going to concentrate on doing this coming week.  The weather is lovely.  What a good time to wear sneakers and go for a nice walk during "lunch".  My job is getting very stressful, so it is going to be good to unplug. 

I guess I should also start with weighing in tomorrow.  I didn't do it today (a conscious decision) and plan to do it tomorrow morning.  Why do you ask?  Mostly because my ankles swelled up like a water blister and I was giving them an extra day to deflate to something resembling normal.  Sounds silly, but I would rather take a day hit than to torpedo my delicate state with a "false" reading.

Getting late and that is all for now.  Hope you all are doing better than I am...and if not, I hope we all get our shit together and start this next week doing better.

20+ pounds down!

Ah ... had a birthday this week.  Originally my plan was to not celebrate with cake, but after a very bad and stressful day on the actual birthday ... I had cake for dinner.  Not just any cake, but the buttercreamyist lard filled cake I could find.  Yum.  Actually, I really couldn't eat much ... it was too rich.  That is the good news I suppose.

After a long week of not really counting my points and recording them (bad girl) I still managed to be down 1.7 pounds.  Yay!  I think that makes my total right at 21 lbs since the new year. 

Very happy with that and very happy to have largely stayed on program!  Things that I am still struggling with (per usual) WATER and EXERCISE!  Both are critical for me.  Lack of water makes me dehydrated which triggers a serious physical condition.  I thought I was coming down with that last Sunday, and it scared the crap out of me.  Fortunately I was fine, but it was a scare.  Now I really need to be careful. 

Naturally as I type this I am thinking I have not had much to drink today outside of coffee.  Must fix that immediately.

How much water do you think someone should drink per day?

Quick pictures

Here is my last couple of weeks in pictures ...

Trip to Palm Springs

And one more ....

My new car!!!!

Got back from PS last Friday evening ... picked up my new Ford Fusion Hybrid on Saturday.  Fun!

Just wanted to share. 

Back in it!

Very good week this week staying on track considering my post vacation weight in.  I did not let it get me down, I did not let it discourage me.  This week I went on per usual for me and it all worked out in the end.  I think much of the time when we come back from vacation feeling bloated and heavier it isnt necessarily due to calories and fat, but perhaps due to other factors ... sodium intake, dehydration, plane ride ankles, and ... er... constipation :)  There I said it.  Once these issues resolve themselves within a few days it is amazing how much better one feels.  The key is to not let the scale shock waver your commitment.  Okay, that is my big advice.  Fortunately I have until Memorial Day to worry about another vacation.

On a side note and about challenges, last night was my "birthday" dinner with my family.  To be honest, as nice as the company is overall, I was not super excited about being faced with my favorite Italian restaurant, Bambinelli's.  It is one of those neighborhood "mom" owned places that has been here almost as long as I have (will be 37 on Tuesday).  Generally my dish is Chicken Parm with Fett Alfredo as my side.  Not exactly a low point meal.  Obviously that was not going to happen.  Nor is a salad as I do not enjoy them enough.  After much consideration and collaboration with my friend, I decided on the spaghetti and meatballs.  Perfect choice!  Pasta, tomato sauce, and a bit of protein.  Naturally when it came out it had to be 1.5 pounds of cooked pasta...insane amounts of pasta in that bowl.

Now on to the next part of my strategy...not to over eat!

Carefully I marked out the serving I was comfortable with having...and a meatball (large ones).  Moved my serving of pasta to my unused bread plate (the garlic rolls were a no-no) and had my plate outside of that bowl.  It was enough ... more than enough.

I figured 18 points total and came home feeling good about myself.  Success.

Long time!

Blogging did not enter my mind once while on vacation (oops).  It should have, for sure!  The week in Palm Springs was very nice.  Lots of walking, architecture, and overall Southern California goodness. 

I didn't count points for the last half of the trip ... I gave into a lack of motivation to worry about what I was eating and a bit of stress eating (very long story involving losing the rental car keys in the desert).  I will say that generally I would have also added a lot of wine into the mix, and this week I really only had 3 glasses of wine and a few "martini" drinks.  Not bad for this girl.  Oddly enough I think my biggest issue (aside from an evening involving a huge cheeseburger, fries, and mini churros from Jack in the Box) was not drinking enough water.  Constant feeling of dehydration, and a bit of a shy bowel created an overall feeling of bloat and grossness by the time I got home.  My ankles are finally recognizable again :)

So, yes, up 1.8.  It happens.  I am not pleased, I am not thrilled, I am not worried about it :)  Here starts a new week, and life moves on.  My next vacation will not be until Memorial Day week when I spend the week near Cape Hatteras.  Let the count down begin!