Progress Pic Update

Hi!

I am now down about 60-65 lbs from when I started so I thought I would update my pic to show the progress. 

 

Sorry about the pics being taken in the ladies room...best mirror!

Week 8 with Medifast

NSV

Just had my 8th weigh-in since beginning the Medifast program on March 12th.  Delighted to report that there is 22.7 pounds less of me than there was in March.  Woo!

Here is probably my most significant non-scale victory (NSV)...a couple weeks ago I went to the doctor to get a blood panel run for a checkup.  In Jan of 11 my cholesterol was high at 226.  As of last week, my total cholesterol is a nice 161!  My life has been consumed with counting calories, fat grams and pounds.  I'd never really cared about my cholesterol because there were so many other things for me to worry about.  Knowing that it was high was well...not a huge deal for me because I just didn't really know why I should be worried.  That said, knowing that it has dropped 60 in the last 1.5 years is a great feeling. 

The only odd thing is that my good cholesterol keeps going down!  It is actually low.  Not sure why that is but I will try and do a bit of research to find out.  Logic assumes that it should go up with weight-loss.  Mine was at 52 1/11 and is now 38.  That is a significant drop.  If anyone has any thoughts, please share them.

Sickness

I did spend the last week and a half being sick...sore throat, low fever...cough...the fun stuff.  I did stay on program though I found it hard to eat all of my meals.  Thankfully I had lots of hot cocoa and other hot drinks from Medifast in my pantry.  My exercise has stopped because of the illness but I need to kick that up a notch.  Still feeling a bit wonky, my throat or glands are being stubborned but it is time to do something active.  I would love to start swimming again.  I may try to get up really early one morning and go before work. 

All for now!

Not for nothing...

...but I am officially 40 lbs LIGHTER than I was at my most recenty memory heavy point in September 2010!
That was a few months after moving back into my home after flood renovations and taking full advantage of my new built-in wine rack and Kitchen Aid mixer.  Those days are long over though I hope to get back to the wine rack sometime ... hehe!

Just wanted to share that.  I am down 21ish from starting Medifast on March 12th.  I think that is 6 weeks.  I am more than pleased!

Lazy Blogger!

For my one reader (Thanks Ally!) I apologize for being so darn lazy with the blogging!  Historically a quiet "My Inner Thin" was indicative of me falling off the wagon and slinking quietly into the kitchen for ice cream.  I am please to say that NOT THIS TIME!!!!

I think I have been doing Medifast for about 6 weeks and my total loss to day on this plan (since March 12 2012) is over 18 lbs!  In those 6 weeks I have accomplished many things that I am proud of:

• eating more veggies 
• went so San Francisco and stayed on plan
• manged to walk over 5 miles a day in SF and lived to tell

I am sure there are many more, but really the big thing is that I am preparing more and more real food, and that includes veggies.  I can actually see myself incorporating the vegetables into my every day when I do transition.  Seems like a no brainer for most people, but I haven't eaten non starchy vegetables ...well...ever.

I have made zucchini a few times...always replacing where I would have had pasta in the past.  I've even had and almost enjoyed broccoli.  The prep and proper cooking of the vegetables still intimidates me, but I keep trying.  Of course I have had several salads with greens and my old stand by, low sodium green beans (canned).

Right now I am focusing on where I will be when I go on my first beach trip for the summer.  Will head to Hatteras the first week of June.  If all goes as I have planned, I will be well on my way to being a weight that I have only really been twice in my adult life, really in memory at all.  That seems pretty major!  I have never really been a big yo-yo dieter, I just trended up.  In 1999 while I was working on my feet all day, a starving student, and on WW I got down to maybe 235.  That was the first time I had actually lost any weight as an adult.  In 2003 I did HMR for the first time and trimmed down to 190.  That was fleeting ... but again, the only other time I lost significant weight.  I have lost 20 here and 30 there but I keep starting from higher and higher and never seem to break into those 230s.  So my goal is to see the low 230s before June 1.

So ...  18 down, 13 or so to go.

-allison

Week 3 Weight in - Medifast

Had a lovely weekend and did lose 2.6 pounds last week.  I feel like I am in a good rhythm and look forward to keeping up the momentum! My total is right at 10 lbs for 3 weeks! 

Still finding the plan pretty easy and have not had any big moments of weakness. 

This Thursday, however, the story gets more interesting.  I am leaving for a week long vacation to San Francisco with my sweetie.  Roaming a beautiful foreign city known for its food and wine is going to be a real challenge.  I have been planning how I would manage this while staying on program.  There will be at least one meal that I can eat out.  The rest of the day will be bringing food with me and hopefully still enjoying being out and about with my sweetie and not seeming awkward.  The last thing I want is for him to feel bad about needing to eat out every meal while I cannot.  But...I also do not want to be tempted all the time. 

So that is the deal.  I am trying to remind myself that staying on plan is not just about backtracking.  It also will negatively impact how I feel on the trip and possible create bathroom issues...who wants that!  To prep I have ordered a ton of MF food, an electric kettle, and have learned that I can stomach most of the meals without any added flavor.  No need to enjoy the food...just need to get it down :)

Food, kettle, cleaning stuff, thermos food jar, etc is going to take up half my luggage!  The good news is that I can fill it with shopping finds on the way home :)

Off to make a delicious shake.

Ending Week 3 - Medifast

I am pleased to say that even though I have not been blogging, I am happily cruising through the Medifast program.  Clearly I am a food robot, because I have had no issues with eating their replacements.  Not once in the last 3 weeks have I had a craving for anything.  Nothing.  The closest thing to a craving was when I was driving around the parking lot of a shopping center where I would have lunch or dinner at Chick-fil-a a few times a week.  I felt like I should be driving there...and that started me thinking about my usual order "3 piece chicken strips and a small ice dream cone".  But, I reminded myself that those things are not in my life right now ... and that was that.

My weight has been coming off...but pretty slowly, which I do admin is frustrating.  In my mind I think that I should be losing at a more rapid pace given my following of the program...but it isn't happening.  But it is coming down, so I need to chill out about the pace!

Let me fill you in on my typical day with Medifast:

• 9:30 am - shake/bar (whatever quick meal I can guzzle at home or in the car)
• 12:30 pm - eggs/shake/cappuccino (still feeling breakfast)
• 3:00 pm - soup/shake/pretzels (generally want savory by this point)
• 5:30 pm - shake/bar (by now i am not wanting to prep anything, so its quick)
• 7:30-8  pm- Dinner of lean protein and veggies (most night i have the veggies, i am still struggling)
• 9:30-10pm - brownie/cookie/shake mixed with 1 tbs of Peanut Butter
• 12 am - if i am up late i have a little something to keep my body happy, maybe a wedge of Laughing Cow

That is it, my typical day.  I am feeling so good...and having a meal so frequently that I never really think about coffee.  Occasionally I mix a bit of Starbucks Via in a shake for flavor...but its never because I need a boost.  Couldn't be happier with how I feel.

Exercise is not really steady right now but I do occasionally take a walk during the day.  They (Medifast) says wait 3 weeks before starting.  Believe me, starting next Thursday I will be getting a work out as I am going to San Francisco.  Nothing but exercise there!

That is it for now.  I feel like I have a lot to say, but I also feel like I need to finish getting dressed and run my emergency pre-vacation errands!

Total loss right now is about 9 lbs in almost 3 weeks.  I know that is a great loss, and if I were on Weight Watchers I would be over the moon.  So ... I think I will just need to adjust my expectations a bit and be please with any momentum I have.  I am on pace to be in a much better place weight wise for the summer, and that makes me happy.  It also means finding another bathing suit...but that is a small price to pay!

Week 1 Medifast

I am very happy to report that I made it through the first week...mostly with flying colors!  The plan itself was not hard to stick to...for me anyway.  The only issue with the first week was finding ways to prepare the Medifast meals in a way that was appealing without blowing through my daily condiment allowance of 3. 

The Internet is an amazing tool and I really enjoyed reading other peoples blogs...those very passionate about Medifast and those with helpful tips on how to make the food enjoyable.  I also learned that every one's tastes are different.  An item that one blogger or reviewer like or loved, someone else may have reported it to be gross.  An example is the Medifast oatmeal.  The first blogs I read talked about how gross it was, etc.  So I took their advice and made muffins out of the oatmeal packet.  The muffins were good ... but finally I realized there was no reason not to try the oatmeal au natural...and when I did ... it was okay.

I think the secret is that a lot of the food (soups, oatmeal) need to be rehydrated and mixed well so that they are not lumpy and hard.  With that I just learned to let both of those items sit for a while before preparing. 

For the soup I tried these approaches, both with equal success:

1. Add water ( I would add just enough water to make a smooth paste or rue consistency...then slowly incorporate the rest so there are no lumps) and just keep in the fridge overnight and heat when ready.  This approach worked very well...it just involves pre-planning .. something I only did once!
2. Follow the same "rue" technique as above but blend the soup with boiling water (make rue with cold, then add hot to get the full 6-8 oz) and let it sit for 30 mins or so.  Reheat if needed.  This worked pretty well for me and did not require much prep on my part.  Perfect, as I am not a great planner.

The shakes were a bit tricky for me.  I did not really like them at first (still don't) but I have been able to get them down.  I purchased the Magic Bullet style blender for the shakes, but believe it or not, the Blender Bottles (those shaker bottles with the metal whisk like ball) made the best shake.  This approach will not work if you are big into adding ice...but I found the ice annoying as bigger chunks would get stuck in my straw!  With the blender bottle prep I am able to drink the shakes and the prep/clean up is a snap.

Tip for the Blender Bottle -- Add VERY cold water (I usually drain ice water), then add powder, THEN put the ball in and shake like hell!  It only took about 20 seconds to get it good and blended. NOT ONE LUMP.  It was great.

So ... how did I feel?  The first few days were not great.  I was light headed a bit and had a headache.  Nothing unbearable, but it was noticeable.  On Medifast you are eating every 2-3 hours, so it isn't hard to look forward to your next mean and never really get to a point of being really hungry.  On about day 5 I noticed I was feeling pretty energetic.  Most days I don't even have morning coffee...I don't need it!  I do sometimes have a cup in the afternoons as a treat and a way to get a boost.  Don't get me wrong, I am NOT a big coffee drinker.  I like one perfect 8 oz cup of Sumatra Reserve or Dark Magic (k-cup) with one packet of Splenda and a tiny bit of non-dairy creamer.  If I were drinking 8 cups a day, I would probably not be as pleased with my occasional cup! 

Dinner, or my Lean and Green meal has been the most challenging part of my day, this I anticipated.  I am not a planner so several nights I was left trying to figure out what to eat.  I made some icky dry chicken that I didn't love and ate a few salads, but I managed.  To be honest, I had a lot of canned green beans.  If they were regular (meaning not reduced sodium) I would drain and rinse them before cooking.  This works for me.  It isn't exciting ... and most people would not dig it ... but it works for me.

So ... weight loss for week 1?  5.3 lbs!!!  I am very pleased with that number.  Many people have a huge loss in the first week due to water weight ...but given I have been dieting since Jan, I don't think I did.  The next few weeks will be the test, however. 

That is all for now. I could write a book, but not sure any one is reading ... and I will have something to go on about next time I sit down.

-allison

Tomorrow is THE day!

I begin my Medifast adventure tomorrow...I am very excited!  I have been finishing my bottle of wine from this weekend ... eating a Weight Watcher frozen dinner (to get rid of it) and Googling tips on how to make the Medifast meals.

I found a great link : http://www.escapefromobesity.net/p/medifast-foods-tips-recipes.html and am working on my Oatmeal Muffin and soaking my soup overnight. 

Right now I am faced with tons of little boxes that represent 5 out of 6 meals a day.  There are shakes, puddings, soups, oatmeal, bars, "pretzels" and some egg things.  I will have 5 of these various things a day and one Lean and Green meal.  This is 5-7 oz of lean meats (or eggs/beaters) and 3 servings of low carb/non-sugary vegetables.

Ugh...veggies.  I don't like them.  There are picky 10 yr olds that have a better palate for veggies than I do.  This will be my cross to bear over the next several months.  My plan now is to try salad with some low carb Italian ... and perhaps some chicken.  I bought some steamer variety packs of a few things to pick at.  Most of them contain veggies that are not on my approved list (carrots) but I will pick them out. Hell... I will likely pick all of it out ... hehe. 

Wish me luck!

-allison

Everything old is new again

Okay .. here we are.  I find it funny that my LAST post was all about a big accomplishment, and here I am 9 months later ... starting all over again.  Such is life, right?

So here we go...this time I am going to do Medifast.  I have decided that I cannot be held accountable right now to make grown up decisions on my food, so it is back to regimented menus delivered to my door.  I decided Medifast over HRM for several reason ... the most significant being that it is low carb and there is more variety.

UPS will be delivering my new diet by the end of this week and I will be starting next Monday.  What will I be doing before then you ask?  Eating the rest of my oatmeal, weight watcher frozen dinners, drinking 8 bottles of wine, oh ... and perhaps a birthday cake (38 on March 8th!).

-allison

Finally have something worth blogging about!

Hi all!  I know it has been a couple of weeks, but just know those two weeks have been very productive!  All is well in diet land.  Food wise I have been on target and very proud of myself.  During a social occasion (6 hours at a local bar/music venue) I only had diet coke and a few fries ...where I usually would have several pints of Newcastle, fries, and the words best beignets outside of NO.  So that was a big win for me.  The weigh-in for 2 Sundays ago was not awesome, actually up .3 lbs.  There really was no real explanation for that other than perhaps the long night sitting still and enjoying the music.  Either way, I was not bummed out totally ... and in fact more determined than ever.

My biggest accomplishment x6 is WORKING OUT!!!  It all started last saturday (before the show).  I spent an hour working out on my Wii walking game.  It is silly but amazing, I love it.  It is called Walk it Out (WIO).  There is not enough time in my day to tell you all the things I like about it, so just trust me.  A trend was started.  Tuesday and Wednesday I went to the gym near my office.  This is an achievement because I had to tuck my tail between my legs and show my face for the first time in well over a year.  The gym is very small...they knew me :)  In fact, the manager had just gotten married when I was there last...now she has a child.  Funny ... with a twinge of pathetic on my part.  Hehe.  Anyway ... they were small lunch time cardio workouts, but it was perfect. Thursday night I came home and worked out with WIO for an hour.  Saturday, another hour spend on WIO ... and today the same.  Holy crap, I can hardly believe myself.

Today I weighed in and lost 2.2 lbs...bringing my total to just over 29 pounds and hitting my 10% goal!  Very happy about that.

Three more weeks until my trip to the Outer Banks...looking forward to being able to do some long beach walks without killing myself.

Looking forward to trying this diet AND exercise thing I keep hearing about :)

The wagon and I are back on!

It is good to be back on track!  This was a very good week.  Not what I wanted exercise wise (my bad) but I am logging again and being accountable.  After a long 2 months, I am into the next "decade" or the 250s!  Not terribly impressive on the surface, but for me, a milestone.  Looking back, this is where I was a year ago.  What a waste of time when I think about the 6 months it took for me to gain about 30 pounds, and the 6 months it has taken for me to lose it again.  Glad its gone, but I want to kick myself.  How many calories would that burn?

A&E has a program, Heavy.  Episode after episode have been collecting on my DVR for the last 6 months.  Finally I sat down to watch...and watch...and watch.  10 or 11 episodes to be exact.  Premise simple...people on the verge of a physical crisis spend 6 months focusing and working on themselves.  Each week follows 2 new people and ends with their progress after 180 days.  I would say that it really inspired me to expect more from myself.  The Biggest Loser and competitive weight-loss shows have really never floated my boat.  The fact that those contestants are in need of serious help, but then ultimately get voted out, really bugs me.  Anyway, I am sure many people are inspired by that programming ... I've just never been interested.

These people in Heavy were really like me in many ways.  Rarely do I find someone on television that I can relate to...it was illuminating.  Men and women, young and older, all with BMIs that resemble mine ... exercising ... suffering ... losing.  Reminds me that I can really do more than I give myself credit for.  How can I complain about a bad knee when a 440 lb woman who has my same body type is suffering though?  Clearly I am a baby.

Anyway ... interesting show, hope it sticks around.  To celebrate I walked for 30 mins and did a bit of a Wii dancing game.  Now I just need to work on exercising during the work week since I am not able to go to a facility and dive in for 6 months :)

Same ole same ole

Hi All (or hey you),

I've been quiet on the blog, but that doesn't mean that I have derailed...this time!  Doing well over here.  The WW plan has still been in effect, perhaps not as religiously as it should, but still going in the right direction. 

I didn't win or place in the work contest, but that is okay.  I lost 14 lbs during the competition, and that is awesome.  No complaints on that.  My dear friend and soon to be bride Kristen took home the award money.  Pleased I could help contribute to her bridal war chest :) 

If anyone is out there ... tell me how you are doing as this spring season kicks up into gear?  Hopefully most of the allergy season is finished and people and go outside again and enjoy this weather.  One of the few things I have going for my physically is that I do not suffer from allergies like many do.  My parents both do but I was spared.  Of course I did inherit other gems, but such is life.

Speaking of inheriting ... not that many of you know me for real, but I have a younger sister, 27, and she is pregnant with her first child!  Yay!  Looking forward to being Aunt Allison.  No children are in my plans for life, so I am glad I get to live vicariously though her in some way. 

What is next...being more diligent with my diet.  I have definitely been complacent and that is yielding very modest results.  I need to get back in the game with vigor and kick start my weight loss again.  The beach is fast approaching!  Got to work on my beach bod, right?  Ha!

Oh, also time to strap on my damn BodyMedia FIT.  That means its time to keep it real :)

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

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?

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.

Week 6 WI

Another 2.1 pounds gone!  That is a total of 14.425865723 (but who is counting)! 

Only 6 more days until I fly off to sunny Cali for a week.  I've never been to Palm Springs and I am sure there will be nothing but delicious and not always point friendly food.  I will not be taking my laptop with me (iPad only) but I will have my Bodymedia Fit.  The reading for moderate and vigorous activity will help me calculate Activity Points.  There is no doubt I will be using those as well as some of my weekly points allowance.  That is what they are there for, right?

Today I am planning another go at the Walk it Out game which I did twice yesterday.  It seems to be the perfect mixture of silly game (which I love) and getting exercise.  Kicking myself for not buying the game months ago when I first started thinking about it! 

-allison

Finally!

After two weeks of saying "I really need to do some exercise" I actually did.  Wooo!  It was a small start, but I feel very good about it.  Last week I ordered a couple of Wii games to see if it would help me do some exercising at home.  I have the Fit, but I really don't use it for much more than weighing.  The activities haven't really appealed to me, but I honestly haven't given it much of a thought in a couple of years.

I had been checking out some other things and found something called Walk it Out.  I feel very cheese in explaining that it is a walking video game.  The premise is that you are walking though this virtual video game town and as you step with the music you are able to open new routes, buildings, trees, etc.  You start with nothing but paths and minimal scenery ... and you start unlocking street signs, street lamps, trees, etc.  Yes, it is silly, but I actually had fun doing it!

I spent 30 mins solid on the game and according to by Bodymedia Fit arm band I had 21 mins of moderate activity, 6 minutes of vigorous activity, walked 3100 steps and burned 300 calories!  The game keeps track of steps and calories, but the step count is more about how the controller is being used vs actual steps.  Interestingly enough the burned calorie count within the game was about 280, so very accurate!  I would not use the game to count steps towards my daily goals or mileage for real, but it is fun none the less.

Anyway...I looked like an idiot hopping around, marching in place, almost jogging in place in my living room with the Wii nunchuck down my pant leg (dont ask) but I accomplished something that I hadn't accomplished in a long time.  THIRTY CONSECUTIVE MINUTES OF EXERCISE AND EVEN SOME OF IT HIGH INTENSITY!!!

The other game I bought is Just Dance.  I haven't popped that one in yet, maybe later.  I don't expect to get the level of workout I got with the walking game, but dancing is fun.

Hope you are all enjoying your day, the weather here in Atlanta is cool but gorgeous!

Tomorrow is WI #6.  I have been on program with my food, but have not exercised until now.  My expectations are not super high for a loss that will be substantial, but I am so proud of myself for sticking to the actual food piece 6 weeks into the new year.

-a

UPDATE:  I did another 25 mins after my original 30.  Wooo!

Another Week, Another WI

Hello Blog world!  It has been a quiet week I know.  Why?  Not sure really.  At the end of each day I feel like I have pretty much accomplished the same things as the day before ... and the day before that, etc.  Fortunately for me, that means that I am staying on program with my food and counting my daily points.  It also means that I have not yet taken the plunge into the exercise world.

At the end of week 5 I am down another 1.8 ish pounds, making my total just under 13 total.  Woo!  Very pleased.  The last couple of weeks have shown me that eating right is great and all, but if I am not exercising I am limiting my results.  Apparently it really is diet + exercise = weight loss :)

Today I will charge up my nifty little GoWear Fit or BodyMedia Fit device that I will wear on my arm.  The program is pretty simple, you log what you eat calorie wise, it logs what you burn calories wise and at the end of the day/week there is a deficit.  Yay math!  Because I am doing WW for all of my food logging I have decided to take my average calories for the last 2 weeks and calculate that as my daily range for the BodyMedia program.  Fortunately I have the option to do that vs logging everything on 2 websites.  That would be a chore!

What else is new?  Oh, I did join in on a weight loss challenge with some folks I work with.  The other folks in the contest (12 in all) are mostly people I don't know (friends of friends who work elsewhere) but that is cool.  I decided to use my Wii Fit to log that weight vs my usual scale.  Not sure why, mostly because it is easier to take a picture of the number on the TV than it is on a glowing blue LED of the scale.  My camera did not love that glowing blue and essentially censored the reading, heh.  So, on my Wii I weigh in on Tuesdays and on my scale I weigh in on Sundays (for WW).  

The contest runs 8 weeks and the winner gets 200 bucks.  I put in 25, so my goal is to be in the top 3 so I at least get my money back!  The contest isn't really necessary as I am really in competition with my long term health, but it is fun, so what the heck.  I wish all the participants good luck, but obviously I hope I destroy them :)  My good friend a work who invited me to join the contest is losing weight for her wedding day (aww).  She has gone to the gym all week and will continue to go during lunch.  Good for her!  Seeing her bust her ass is motivating me to "get in the game" with some exercise of my own so that I am not lagging behind in this contest!

That is all for me right now. The Super Bowl is tonight. My plans, like the rest of the universe, is to make chili!  Of course no wings for me, but I am good with the chili. I may sprinkle some cheese on it to support the Packers.  Not really a Packers fan, but I REALLY am not a Steelers fan, so Go Pack!!!

Hope everyone has a great day and week!  Hope I come up with something to say between now and next Sunday :)  How about I talk about all the calories I am burning according to my BodyMedia Fit thingy?  :)

One Monthiversary!

Hi all...I know I haven't been posting daily, but one day runs into the other.  So far all is well, staying on program. Yay!  My days are a routine, and that is actually a good thing for me.  This month has been very good.  Not only have I eaten well and stayed accountable, but I have valued myself and my health.  Probably something most people do or take for granted, but for me, it is a big step.  

The food and cooking issue has been tackled.  Next is moving my ass!  Time to get physical (sorry for the song reference and the fact it is running through your head).  Surely there is a solution for my fickle knee...a friend suggested an old school Ace bandage.  Perhaps that is the answer.  I need something to keep my knee stabilized so that it does not try and slip out of place while I do simple things ... like walking though the grocery store!  I have tried several things, but being super short (and not thin) makes fitting a knee brace more difficult.

This week I will start walking, again.  The weather has been mild enough recently to take a little walk outside during a break at work. The key for me is to start small.  I have this bad habit of trying too hard, hurting myself, and then giving up. 

After a month I am down a total of 10.5 pounds!  Feeling SOOO much better.  No more fatigue. Even the stairs in my home seem easier to navigate.  For a while I thought my boyfriend was going to need to defibrillate me at the top (is that a word? :)

-allison