I May Be Slow, But I'm Doing It

I don't work out NEARLY enough.  It is a major downfall I have.  I always have good intentions, but the follow through doesn't always happen.  I know if I start working out more, the scale will move more, and right now.... I REALLY want that.  I miss having those 3-5 pound losses (or more) every week like I did in the beginning.  Now, I'm lucky if I get a 1 pound loss lately.  I had one good 4 pound loss a couple weeks ago, but other than that.... it's been very slow going.  I finally forced myself to go for a walk/run yesterday.  I found this app a while back called Map My Walk that uses GPS to track your mileage and time.  Looking through my (very short) work out history on the app, I realized that even though these workouts are spaced way far out, each time I go for a walk/run I get a little faster.  It's not much... but seeing that made me SO HAPPY!! And Motivated to do more!  And even better..... the scale was DOWN 1.6 pounds this morning! 

I used to HATE running.  I couldn't have run if my life depended on it.  If I were in a Zombie apocalypse, I might as well have just laid down and waited to be eaten.  When I first started trying to "run" it was more of just an awkward walk thingy where I lifted my knees a little higher and swung my arms a little more.  But now, I can actually jog.  I'm slower than a turtle walking through molasses and I don't "run" as far as I would like, but.... hey, I'm doing it.  And looking at the results above, I'm getting better.  If I keep it up, eventually, I might just be able to beat that turtle. 

Morning Naked Weigh In - Week 34

WooHoo!! Finally a Good Loss!!

Total for the week: -4.4 pounds

Total Lost So Far: 73 Pounds

Morning Naked Weigh In - Week 33

Weigh In Resutls - + .4 pounds

Total Loss so far: 68.6 pounds

 

This was not a good week for me,

BUT I was on my period for weigh in

and my feet and ankles have been swelling

a lot all week.  Hoping that is why such poor results.

Fitspiration

Knowing When To Stop

One of the hardest things for me to learn since having my Gastric Bypass surgery has been WHEN TO STOP eating, ESPECIALLY if what I'm eating is very good. I think this issue is one of the leading causes to me being SO overweight.
I don't eat anywhere near the amount I used to eat, but I still catch myself saying "one more bite" especially if it's really yummy, usually regretting that decision immediately. Sometimes I'll eat until I'm full, and stop like a good girl, but as I sit at the table and everyone else is still eating I continue to "pick" at my food until everyone else is done, eating more than I originally intended.
This is such a dangerous habit that needs to be broken. By pushing the limit I know I can, and eventually will, stretch out my stomach, and I do NOT want that to happen. I must learn to slow waaay down and really pay attention and STOP at that "satisfied" moment EVERY time. I don't have to eat until I'm "full". I did NOT get this surgery and go through all that I've been through to wind up remaining over weight.
Change doesn't occur over night. I'm miles away from the person I used to be but a lifetime of bad habits doesn't just go away. But I'm aware of them. And I'm actively working on changing them.   When I think about how much my attitude towards food has changed JUST in the past 7 months, I'm amazed.  I'm not perfect and never will be.  I am so much better than I was, and I will become much better than I am now.

"Cookie Dough" Greek Yogurt

I Found this Recipe on Pinterest...

Add the following ingredients to a small

container of Greek Yogurt:

 1tbsp of creamy peanut butter (or PB2)

1tsp of Honey

1/4 tsp of Vanilla Extract

1tbsp of Miniature Chocolate Chips

Dash of Sea Salt

I forgot to grab Honey from the grocery store

so made mine without the honey. 

Even so, it was pretty good.  I'm NOT a fan

of Greek Yogurt but this was pretty good.
While this doesn't taste exactly like Cookie Dough,
it is a nice healthy alternative when you have a
sweet tooth and a great way to get in Protein for the day. 

Morning Naked Weigh In: Week 32

Weekly Loss: .8lbs

Total Loss So Far:  69.4lbs

Morning Naked Weigh In: Week 30 and Week 31

WEEK 30

Weekly Loss: 1.4lbs

Total Loss: 67.2lbs

WEEK 31

Weekly Loss:  1.4lbs

Total Loss: 68.6lbs

Happy Memorial Day 2014

Morning Naked Weigh In - Week 29

TOM came to visit this month, so I wasn't expecting much of a loss..... and didn't get one.

Loss for the week: .2 lbs

Total loss so far: 65.8 lbs

Morning Naked Weigh In - Week 27 and Week 28

Week 27

Weigh in Results: +.8lbs

Total Loss So Far:  63.8

 

Week 28

Weigh in results: -1.8

Total Loss So Far:  65.6

Who Do I WANT To Be?

 Maybe it's part of getting older... or maybe it's a result of the surgery and the changes it has brought... but I find myself searching for who I AM.  Because honestly..... sometimes, I just don't know.  

 How much of my life has been wasted on "One Day...", "When I Lose Weight", "If I were skinny",  "If only".....   It feels like I've gone through life holding  down the "Pause" button, waiting for this or that to happen first.  But.... What would my life be like if there was NOTHING holding me back?   Not my weight, my self esteem, my insecurities... What if I didn't CARE what people thought of me?  What if I didn't have limitations on what I could  do.  What if I could go back to Graduation Day at high school, with my new sense of "Freedom", a little wiser than I was back then, carrying all the hope and belief that I did on that day of my future.  What would I choose to do? 

As I shed my excess pounds, I am also working on shedding all the other things that I have held on to that have kept me down. Because, let's face it, although my weight has made things more difficult for me... My weight isn't REALLY what has held me back all these years, but my own insecurities about it.  At social events I felt awkward, so I kept to myself.  I realize now that it wasn't THEM not talking to ME,  By staying off by myself, my entire body language was screaming BACK OFF.   When we went to the Lake, public pools, water parks, etc.  I could have gotten a bathing suit on and joined in. (Of course, I weighed too much for some of the water slides, but I could have joined in the Wave Pool and the Lazy River), but I was so embarrassed of my body, I refused to be seen in Public in a bathing suit.  So I wore Capri pants and a T Shirt over my swimsuit and stood around waiting at the end of each ride, sometimes for over an hour, for the my husband and kids to come out.  And it isn't my weight that has kept me from pursuing my dreams.... it's my fear of what others would think of them.   And now.... I've suppressed those dreams for SO LONG, I don't even know what they ARE anymore.   

MORNING NAKED WEIGH IN: WEEK 26

Down 1.6 pounds this week.
Total loss so far: 64.6 pounds!

MORNING NAKED WEIGH IN: WEEK 25

 

A little bit better loss this week.  Down 2.2 pounds.

Total loss so far: 63 Pounds

MORNING NAKED WEIGH IN: WEEK 24

 

Not much of a loss.  Down .6 of a pound. Ugh.

Fitspiration

I've Lost An Elephant's Penis!! What Have You Lost?

I am now officially down 60 pounds! That is Equivalent to an Elephant's Penis!!  What have you lost?

1 pound = a Guinea Pig
1.5 pounds = a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts
2 pounds = a rack of baby back ribs
3 pounds = an average human brain
4 pounds = an ostrich egg
5 pounds = a Chihuahua
6 pounds = a human’s skin
7.5 pounds = an average newborn
8 pounds = a human head
10 pounds= chemical additives an American consumes each year
11 pounds = an average house cat
12 pounds = a Bald Eagle
15 pounds = 10 dozen large eggs
16 pounds = a sperm whale’s brain
20 pounds = an automobile tire
23 pounds = amount of pizza an average American eats in a year
24 pounds = a 3-gallon tub of super premium ice cream
30 pounds = amount of cheese an average American eats in a year
33 pounds = a cinder block
36 pounds = a mid-size microwave
40 pounds = a 5-gallon bottle of water or an average human leg
44 pounds = an elephant’s heart
50 pounds = a small bale of hay
55 pounds = a 5000 BTU air conditioner
60 pounds = an elephant’s penis (yep, weights more than his heart!)
66 pounds = fats and oils an average American eats in a year
70 pounds = an Irish Setter
77 pounds = a gold brick
80 pounds = the World’s Largest Ball of Tape
90 pounds = a newborn calf
100 pounds = a 2 month old horse
111 pounds = red meat an average American eats in a year
117 pounds = an average fashion model (and she’s 5’11″)
118 pounds = the complete Encyclopedia Britannica
120 pounds = amount of trash you throw away in a month
130 pounds = a newborn giraffe
138 pounds = potatoes an average American eats in a year
140 pounds = refined sugar an average American eats in a year
144 pounds = an average adult woman (and she’s 5’4″)
150 pounds = the complete Oxford English Dictionary
187 pounds = an average adult man
200 pounds = 2 Bloodhounds
235 pounds = Arnold Schwarzenegger
300 pounds = an average football lineman
400 pounds = a Welsh pony

Sweet Freedom? I Think Not.

 

Before weight loss surgery, I was a LOVER of Blue-Bell Ice-Cream.  If it was in the house, I could not stay away from it. After the surgery,  I could no longer have it.  I missed Ice Cream.  One day, I tried a few bites of my husband's Banana Split, and although I only had a few bites, it was a few bites too many and I started feeling sick.  I didn't go into a full blown dumping episode, (I didn't throw up and my heart didn't start racing,  I didn't eat THAT much of it) but I did feel very nauseous.  I learned my lesson.

Then one day, while grocery shopping, I found the  SWEET FREEDOM no sugar added Ice-Cream at the Grocery Store.  I checked the sugar content and it looked safe, only 5 grams in half a cup. So, I bought it! That night, we all dug into it.  I got a small 1/2 a coffee cup size serving.  It wasn't great tasting, not like the real stuff, but it was OK.... it was cold, it was creamy... it would do.  Until the Diarrhea struck.  Within 20-30 minutes of eating the ice cream, my stomach started to cramp up, and I had to race to the bathroom with a severe bout of diarrhea.  I haven't eaten any of it since.   It is evil.

Morning Naked Weigh In: Week 23

Not a big loss this week, but still a loss:  -1.8 lbs.  I still haven't made it back into the gym, and until I do, I'm just not going to see any big numbers.  I was doing great for a while, but it seems once I stopped, it has been so hard to find that drive again.   So much has been going on lately... life is very hectic right now, but my gym is open 24/7 so there really is no excuse.  I know what needs to be done.  I just need to do it.

Daily Weighing - Pros and Cons

I'm usually a Daily Weigh-er.  

First thing in the morning, before getting into the shower, I jump on the scale and record my weight for the day.  I like weighing first thing in the morning, before I've had anything to eat or drink, butt-naked, because it takes a way a lot of the factors that can effect your weight, such as clothes and water retention. For me, Daily Weighing keeps me on track, I find I do better this way.  But I've heard of others that hide their scale during the week because they find themselves obsessing over the numbers.

Here is  a short list of PRO'S that I have found in DAILY WEIGHING.

1.  It gives me focus during the week, and is a daily reminder to eat right and exercise.  When I weighed only once a week, I found myself thinking "It's OK, I have the rest of the week to work it off". 

2.  I can see on any given day how the foods I ate and exercise I did (or did not do) that day effected me, such as water retention, etc. 

3.  When the scale is down, I am even MORE motivated that day to eat right and exercise.

4.  By keeping track all week, I have a pretty good idea of what my official weigh in will be on Sunday, so do not get that crushing feeling when it is not a good loss.  If it's been a bad week, I already know.

 And now for a short list of CON'S in DAILY WEIGHING

1.  It can lead to frustration at times because your weight naturally fluctuates throughout the week. 

2.  I've read other's say that they find themselves obsessing over the numbers on the scale, and would rather focus on inches lost. 

3.  Muscle weighs more than fat, so if working out a lot, the scale may be going up instead of down, even though you are losing inches. 

4.  When the scale goes UP despite eating right and staying on plan,  it may lead to frustration, and for some, make it easier to give into temptation.  At the same time, when the scale goes DOWN despite giving into temptation it may make it easier to go off plan, knowing last time you still come away with a loss.