Don't give up!

It's a sad statistic.

Most people who resolve to lose weight at the beginning of the new year give up their diet this week. OUCH.

I invite you to take the challenge to NOT be a statistic. Stay the course. Weight loss and healthy living should be looked at as a life-long journey. If you can keep the course and steer yourself in the right direction, the results will make the journey worthwhile.

I had a friend recently ask me why I started this journey this year and why I am so resolved to lose weight. Other than the picture I showed you in a previous post, I realized one other thing.

NOT losing weight has dire consequences. Yes, Dire. I am 47, and I have two paths in front of me. One is health and well-being; the other is sickness and gloom.

I have Lupus and arthritis. Being overweight causes me to feel even worse than I might otherwise. If I stayed the course of an overweight person, how long would it be before my ticker decided to take a hiatus? Heart issues run in my family -- that is a pretty dire consequence.

Not only that, but from an aesthetic standpoint, DH is within 10lbs of the weight he was when we married. He has kept his end of the bargain to remain attractive for me...now it is my turn to get back to the girl he married (well, at least within spittin' distance of that weight).

I lost another 1/2 lb this week. Not alot. But I lost, right? This is a journey, not a race. The direction is down, and that is where I want to be.

I am starting something new, exercise-wise. I will be able to share more next week, but I CAN share a short-term goal with you -- I want to be able to run 2 miles without stopping. By the end of April. Today starts that journey! I have help with this one, but that is a story for next week.

Have a healthy week!

My weight loss is like a heartbeat...

Well, in a way it is like a heartbeat. One week I lose 3+ pounds, and the next week I lose one or nothing. At least my "weight-heartbeat" is staying above the line -- meaning weight loss (in this case, below the line would be weight gain, and that would not be good!). So technically I guess my weight is more like a mountain range -- some of the peaks are high and some are low.

I have a theory about this. I really think it has nothing to do with what you eat or how you excersize. I think when your body loses a bunch of weight (for me, 3 lbs or more in a week is a bunch of weight), then it needs the next week to "catch-up", so it doesn't lose as much. I'm okay with that personally, because this is a weight loss journey -- not a weight-loss race.

Do you like my theory? It is not based in any medial or scientific fact. Just my observation. I guess it really doesn't matter that much -- if I don't lose that pound one week, perserverence tells me that I will lose it the next week, or the week after that.

So I bet you can guess how much I lost this week -- another pound. That brings the total to 16.6 pounds.

How did you do this week?

To love or to hate...the scale saga

Do you love your scale or hate it? Well, that depends.

This week, I love my scale. I lost 3.6 lbs this week -- bringing my total loss since January 4th to 15.6 lbs. I am astonished that the scale was my BFF this week! It was due to the fact that I went skiing yesterday -- it is such an intense workout and I know my body reacted positively to it.

I confess, I also hate my scale. I even hate it a bit this week too. I hate it because I am afraid that this week's weight loss it too good to be true and when I step on the scale again tomorrow, it will show me weighing in higher. That's silly, right? But I know YOU know what I mean. Those little numbers (little, mean, rotten digital numbers) are our gauge. Yes, I know. I am not supposed to "care" about what those numbers say. Weight gurus tell you that it is all about how you "feel." Sorry, skinny gurus. When you have 70 lbs to lose, you CARE about that scale number.

Of COURSE I am happy that my jeans are looser. I do feel better, even in a short period of time. But I care more about that scale. It is my measurement.

Yes, my diet is a lifestyle change. When I get to my goal, the numbers will be less important. But right now, friends, I am living by those digital demons.

PS: I have been receiving quite a few personal emails from those of you who have been following my journey and/or have been inspired by it to start your own journey. Each of you have touched my heart more than you know, and have inspired and motivated me to stay on track with you. WE can do this together!

What tips your scale?

Sorry I haven't posted in the last week. I have been faithful to my diet, though. I was a bit depressed last Monday when I weighed in -- I GAINED 1/2 lb. Sigh. I think that the alcohol over the weekend -- although it was NOT excessive, and certainly I had points to share -- killed me. This weekend, I was virtuous -- even through a Superbowl party at my house -- and I lost the 1/2# plus more! I am now down 12 lbs total. Thirty Days, twelve pounds. Not too bad!

I was thinking about what "tips my scale." What I mean by that is: What is the thing that got me off my big behind and got me moving to lose weight? I know what did it...

A few weeks ago, I posted a layout here titled "just me". If you scroll down you can see it. I had quite a few comments --on and off the blog -- that I didn't look "that bad." Let me tell you, that was NOT the zenith of my weight! That picture was taken in July and I put weight on since then.

What tipped the scale for me is the picture below. This is a picture taken in October with my brother when he and his wife visited from Chicago. My SIL sent it to me after Christmas via email. Now, I know I have ALOT of layers on -- but still, not THAT many. The biggest layer is my own skin!! If the lens sees me this way, other people do, too.

Before you look, understand that posting this picture is HARD. It is facing up to the mirror. The inner picture I have of myself does NOT look like this. My tipping point was when I faced up to the fact that I DO look like this -- or at least I did 12 pounds ago! : )

Okay, look now. Then YOU tell ME what YOUR tipping point was. I know many of you are following this journey and joining in...

OUCH.

Delusional Thoughts...

This picture was taken in June 1986.

Other than the fact that I have big hair (of course!, any self-respecting person did in those days), my DH has a skinny black leather tie on, and it looks like I am robbing the cradle (he still looks young, dang him!), I want to point something out.

See that dress? The black and white cow print dress? It was a size 8. I felt great in that dress. I am sure that it was a cheap dress. It was fitted through the waist, let out in the hips, then skinny through the legs. It also had large pockets in front (um, designers, what were you thinking?). I think out of all of the clothes I have ever had, I loved this dress the most, because I felt pretty, sexy, and fabulous in it.

This is where the delusion sets in.

I JUST -- and I mean 6 weeks ago -- JUST -- took this dress to Goodwill (because I am sure that someone else will just snap up that 21 year old dress that was worn three times -- NOT). For all these years, it was in my mind that I would fit back into that size 8 dress again. Um...then what? Wear it?

I do not think I will ever be a size 8 -- it was a struggle for me to get there even then, and I had to do horrible things to myself to stay there (ie: it was not healthy for me to be there, maybe we will talk about that another day!). I will settle for a size 10. As long as I can stay there and eat like a normal, healthy, weight-conscious person.

When I get there, I will buy myself a whole new wardrobe. I know Mark will buy it for me! My delusion was holding onto something for 21 years that just wasn't realistic. I let it go, bought some clothes that fit me now -- so that I can feel good about myself WHILE I am losing weight -- and I am moving on. Or should I say "moving down"?

Till next time -- eat less and move more : )

Who is SHE???

Yee Haw! Who is that chick? Hey, she is 2/3 of me!!! THAT is what I looked like 20 short years ago -- and 1/3 less than I am. Well, I think I was less that that, but this was probably my best weight. The date was May, 1987...about 7 months before I married my husband.

I am 5'10", and I don't think I ever looked better than this. I had to dig to find a full-bodied shot -- even then I was the one behind the camera! This, at least, gives you a starting point to visualize where I was. While I don't necessarily want to get back to this weight, it is a good reminder of what is hidden in me below the layers of unnecessary weight I am carrying around. I have to tell you, I showed Mark this picture before I scanned it, and I thought his eyes would pop out of his head! HE remembers me at that weight.
Okay, now for the reality check.
This is me now. It is not a full shot -- I am not ready to reveal that yet -- but you can see by my face that I have that layer of weight on me that I am desperately trying to shed.


So here is an update on where I am...
I started WW on 1/03. According to my tracked weight today, I have lost....10 lbs! Yes, I have lost the first 10. It helps to be motivated!

I skied this weekend -- and even though I had some equipment problems, I still managed to get three hours of skiing in. And I even did 15 minutes this morning on my Nordic Track (it is too cold to go outside and walk).

Hooray for me! How did YOU do?

Welcome to my Journey!

Welcome to my weight loss journey.

I know that some of you are thinking that I have so many online "irons in the fire" - why would I want to start another blog? Well, the answer is simple -- this one is for me. And I need YOU to help ME.

You see, I have to become Two-Thirds of myself. I need to lose 1/3 of my current weight to get back to a healthy, attractive, reasonable weight.

One-Third. Whew. That is a lot, isn't it? Thats a ton of good eating behind the 1/3 that needs to melt off me. Well, no-one says that I can't eat well and be well while I am losing that third.

This blog is my way of putting my weight loss efforts out there for all to see -- a very public way for me to lose my weight. A bit of accountability. I need accountability and the idea that there are people looking over my shoulder. So will you join me on my public journey? If you decide to lose weight, too, great -- but just keep me accountable, will you?

Alright, down to Brass Tacks.

I started Weight Watchers online on January 4th. I have lost 6.4 pounds in the 10 days that I have been on the program. I really love this online tool -- I spend a great deal of my life in the cyber-world, why not diet on it? Really, I like the immediacy of the tracking tools and the way that it keeps me in focus.

Okay, that is enough for today. I hope to have some pictures for you tomorrow -- before and current -- so that you can visualize the extra third and get an idea of where I want to go.

Come on along for the journey! Care to join me? I'll try to entertain, tell a few stories, shoe some pictures, educate and share as I work toward becoming two-thirds of myself.

Won't you look over my shoulder?