Breakfast of Champions

Protein Shake

• 1 cup of almond milk
• 1 cup of unsweetened frozen strawberries
• 1 scoop of whey protein
  

222 calories of yum.

Hunger

I've been sticking to a diet of protein and veggies and I am hungry ALL the time. Seriously, all the time. Like go to bed hungry. But here are three things I know

• Being 4'11 and 3/4 it takes a lot of calorie restriction to get the scale to move
• While I've been non-stop hungry, I haven't lacked any energy.
• There are plenty of people who go to bed hungry not of their on choosing

It's that last point that motivates me the most. To get control, stop wasting money on food and treats that aren't needed, and to use that extra money toward food to donate to the food pantry.

Drop the Bag

These are not my friend...they are more like a frienemy.

Note to self: I am trying to lose 20lbs not gain them.

Goals and Resolutions

Normally, I set a goal in every area of my life but this year I decided to focus on one and only one goal...lose 20lbs. I know, how overdone. But so needed.

You see on Nov 12, 2011, the day before I turned 45 I ate my last bit of sugar in the form of cookies, cakes, ice cream, candy, pies, frozen yogurt, etc. It was a cookie sandwich with sprinkles to be exact. I had decided that I wanted to challenge myself, to do something big in my 45th year. I would give up sugar for one year. Wonderful, lovely, delicious sugar.

I made it through the holidays without so much as a Christmas cookie, not even a candy cane. I also haven't lost one stinkin pound. I feel a lot better but I don't look a lot better. I wasn't expecting to lose a ton of weight but a few pounds, sure. I mean I eliminated cookies, candy, frozen yougurt, etc from my diet. Not seeing a difference in my weight, tells me that's there's a lot of other work that needs to go into cleaning up my eating in order to get into shape.

Hopefully it won't take all year to meet the goal. I do know I am going to have to do a lot better in the eating and exercising department than I have done for the first three days of 2012.

Any tips, secrets, motivators?

My Feelings Were Hurt Today

By a pair jeans that were once loose and are now looming on the edge of "suck in and zip".

Too Much of a Good Thing

A Menchies opened about 2 weeks ago about 3 minutes from the house. I am averaging a trip every other day.

I think I know at least one thing that needs to be given up for Lent

Location, Location, Location

Why is it that these candy bars can sit in a bowl on my desk at work and cause me no harm? I couldn't care less about them. But when they are located in a glass jar with lid shut in my pantry at home they scream my name.


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2011 Goals

Without further ado. Far from original.

1. Lose about 10 lbs - Starting at 118 or it could be 120. I haven't stepped on the scale in two days. I am shooting for 108 but probably would be happy at 112. It's kind of a moving target. The weight charts say I should weigh in around 100-112 but I am really going by how I look and how my (old) clothes fit.
2. Stick to a budget.
3. Read 2books a month. One for fun, one for some sort of learning.

There are other areas and things I would like to focus on through out the year but I didn't want to put them in goal form and over complicate things. My intention is to post at least monthly on my progress - what's working, what's not working, etc.

Just a word or two on the weight goal. I know that to some my goal of 112 is enough to elicit an eye roll but remember I am only 5' and I am rounding up and 3 months ago I was weighing in at 130and starting to feel the effects. My second bit on weight is this, especially if you are younger, learn to eat healthy, to get exercise, and love yourself they way you are. If you do that weight will not be an issue. I promise you the last thing you want to do is spend the next 10, 20, 30 years focusing on your weight because you'll wake up at 44 and think you wasted a hell of a lot time. There's a great big wonderful world out there just waiting for you and it's hard to enjoy when you spend decades making your weight your focus.

I am stepping off my soap box - older and wiser.

Celebration Gone Wrong

In honor of the birth of the sweet baby Jesus, I spent the last few days consuming enough food to gain the weight of an avg new born - 7lbs 8oz.

I am not even going to tell how close I came. Pretty darn close.

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14 and 4

14 - the number of pounds I've lost since my birthday. 4 months too late for my class reunion.

Better late than never, dang it.

Back into the Routine

Tomorrow 5:00 am on the treadmill. It's been a long time though my fellow gym goers have told me they have kept a treadmill reserved for me, for MONTHS.

The End

I picked up The End of Overeating by Dr David Kessler at the library today. I think it's going to effect the way I think about packaged, processed and restuarant foods the way Food Inc effected the way I purchase and eat meat.

That can only be good right or is ignorance bliss and yummy?

Splurge

Tonight I am enjoying Orville Redenbachers Movie Theater Popcorn with pure over butter because sometimes you just have to splurge. (And you need motivation to get up and run in the morning, in the cold.)

One Thought

I've had one thought and one thought only today...

FOOD


because I started counting calories this morning...

100 Days Update

Less than 30 days left till my reunion.
Start: 130
Current: 125.5
Goal: 120

I am pretty happy with the results so far. It hasn't really been painful. I've had the occassional doughnut, beer, and chocolate.With a little over 3 weeks left, I'll probably really cut back on the "occassionals".

Point One

As in .1, the difference on the scale this morning. I went from 128 to 127.9. Essentially that's really the same thing but the numbers are moving down and that's the right direction.

moving on....
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Sometimes The Question is Enough

Mister: Are you losing weight?

Me: I am trying but according to my dress to wear to my reunion the answer would be No.

Disclaimer: Mister swears I am no bigger now than when he first met me. To me, that shows he's just not paying attention. Luckily.

Too Much of Good Thing

will still leave you chubby.

I telecommuted yesterday and to deal with the lack of  interesting work, I snacked all day. Healthy stuff, but still unneeded calories.

I recently read Women, Food and God by Geneen Roth. One of the main things I got out of the book is that we'll make weight the problem to distract us from what's really wrong or missing in our life and/or avoid our real feelings. This made so much since to me because since I was about 15 I've been battling 10 unwanted pounds. Sometimes those pounds were real sometimes imagined. Now that I am older, it's 20 pounds. All this time I wondered why an intelligent, somewhat together person could not rid herself of those 10 pounds. It's become clear that I use those few pounds to distract me from other issues. The issue or issues have changed over the years but the distraction has stayed the same.

I learning to stay plugged in because it's easy to go on auto-pilot and fall into old behaviors. I am also trying to focus on the plus side of my "issues". I work for a great company with great people. Work just tends to be a little slow. My work lacks challenge and I crave learning something new. But when I leave for the day my work is done and I am free to turn my attention to other things. So really what's so bad about that? Maybe all my issues are really just a case of either the glass is half full or half empty. My choice to decide. And maybe I really don't need this weight to distract me anymore.

No Weigh

I've made an executive decision not to weigh myself this week. Still doing good. Trying to move to healthy eating for life rather than crash diet for reunion mentality. Paying more attention to the converstaion going on in my head about food, weight loss, etc. Let me tell, there's some crazy talk going on in there.
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Twisted

that's my thinking. I've been eating clean for a week and feel good. The cravings are gone. Don't get me wrong. The idea of a cake doughnut with chocolate icing and tons of sprinkles like you get at the QuikTrip still sounds pretty yummy but I am not plagued with thoughts of sugar and candy anymore. So all is going well.

Then I weigh myself this morning.  Down 2 lbs. That's good right?  But somehow I am disappointed because there's no noticeable difference.Then I have to remind myself that it's only been a week. It's only 2lbs. What do I want? Do I think one good week is going to undo the 20lbs of cakes and cookies? Well yes, yes I do. I watch too much tv, too much Biggest Loser, read to many before and after weight loss articles. It's been one week. How ridiculous am I!

If it was quick and easy everyone would thin right? Slow and steady wins the race right?