Blog Archives
Holidays and my husband
Yesterday was my true love’s birthday so I hung with him, mostly doing nothing, instead of blogging. He deserves my attention. This man has never once complained about my changing body or hinted that he didn’t like it. The exact opposite, he has ALWAYS a made me feel desired. I am a lucky woman and I wish every man could be as good to his wife as mine has been to me.
One of my purposes as I work to get fit, rid myself of this extra weight is to be the wife he deserves.
I weighed myself the day before Thanksgiving. I’d been avoiding weighing in because I felt like it wasn’t going to be good news. I was right.
The good news is the bottom weight which was yesterday. I lost a pound over the last week which included the biggest feast day of the year. Huge success!
Gives me hope for the rest of the holidays. I’m still working out 4 times a week and trying to eat more veggies. No excuses.
Wish me luck!
Embracing the Ugly
You know those inspiring fitness memes? They say things like, “It’s better to be sore than sorry” or quote someone famous (like Buddha or Marilyn Monroe). There is usually a black and white picture of a super fit chick with sweat dripping off her muscles to accompany the uplifting words.
I don’t look like those when I work out.
In a yoga class recently I took a good look at myself in the mirror. It was difficult to accept what I saw. I think I’ve seen myself with some sort of mental filter in my mirrors at home. The mirror at the gym has no filters, real or imagined. It is unforgiving. I did not like what I saw, but I did not let the figure in the mirror get me down:
- I was at the gym doing yoga!
- I even went without a friend, on my own!
- I have grossly cut back on the amount of
crapjunk food and snacks I was eating! - I have been intentionally adding more fruits & vegetables to my diet!
These changes to my behavior and working on improving my good habits have resulted in this
This is SEVEN POUNDS down from September. I’m trying to make a big deal out of it because I’m not really feeling accomplished. I’m still measuring myself against where I was before I started slipping back into nasty old habits (in case you’re wondering, I have four whole pounds more to lose to get to my lowest since starting this blog). It feels like I wasted so much time by gaining that weight back. I don’t want to waste time again.
Which is why I’m sticking to my anti-treat goals and set some specific exercise goals (2 spin classes, 1 yoga class and at least one additional workout each week).
Not wanting to waste my time losing the same lbs again is good motivation to work hard. Really wanting to get below my lowest weight (since starting scale matters) is an even bigger motivator. The desire to be too small for my smallest pair of jeans, to fit back into a favorite skirt from years gone by, to comfortably spend an afternoon on my feet, to hike/swim/bike at pace with my family, those desires are all reasons I can look into those harsh gym mirrors and see this…
without crying and running from the gym. (This was an emotionally difficult selfie to share. I hope you appreciate my courage!)
Sometimes I wonder what goes through the instructor’s head or the other people’s heads when they see me in a spin class. Those classes are intense. I get pretty beet red and watching all that fat jiggle when I’m giving it my all…it doesn’t look anything like those sexy, inspiring memes. When I start to worry that people are mocking me in my head, I remind myself that I’m not at the gym to be their eye candy (ha!) or flirt (happily married for 18 years) nor does it matter what anyone else interprets from my working out.
I am there for me.
Going to spin class means afterward I don’t seem to crave sweets as much. When yoga class is over my stress has decreased and I can relax more easily. Every day that I workout makes me less anxious stepping on the scale for my weekly weigh in. Every week that I lose weight makes it easier to accept my results, reinforces those healthy habits, and brings me a little closer to seeing the me I expect when I look in the mirror… even the mean & nasty gym mirror.
5 days until Christmas and I’m planning to stick to my goals even during these holidays. (If Santa brings me a pair of spin shoes that clip into the pedals, it would be even more fun to stick to my goals!)
Wish me luck!
…and may your holidays be merry!
happy hydrated holidays
I know I’ve been MIA the last month. Life just keeps happening and my fitness goals are taking a backseat. I will take the opportunity to renew my commitment with the new year. In the meantime, my one goal (and advice I would share) is to make sure I am drinking my 8 glasses of water each day. When I make sure I’m drinking water it helps my skin (which is dying from this crazy unusual California cold), my appetite (oh so many plates of hand delivered, homemade treats!), and keeps me away from those unhealthy beverages.
May your Christmas be merry, bright, and full of love!
Hate/Love
HATE
Getting Dressed
Beside the fact that I haven’t had time to fold the laundry that I have washed and there are at least 5 loads yet to be done, my jeans are a little tight
Compliments
I know they are well intended, but I have not been working toward my goals and my weight is creeping back up. How could I possibly “look great”? Which brings me to…
Weighing In
Speaks for itself
Feeling so lame
LOVE
My Amazing Husband
When I mentioned that I hate getting dressed, his response was, “You don’t have to get dressed on my account.” No matter how I look he makes me feel like a blushing bride.
Treats
Especially the fun, seasonal things everyone brings out just for the holidays. Yet, last year I was pretty good at resisting. My willpower this year has been dictated by feeling lame.
My Gym
This week a new branch opened just a hop, skip, and a jump from my house. Fewer excuses!
Repentance
I’m wiping my slate clean this morning and starting again. I will forgive myself for this lapse. I am letting go of the past month (or so), eliminating excuses, and making time for me. It is a must.
Resolve
I will not give in to the temptation of swedish fish (or any other candy), late night eating, or distractions from the important. Planning will be my friend. Every opportunity to work out is a must, because YES, just this one workout will make a difference, Self! It is time to stop the pity party/looking for more time in the day lameness. It is time for discipline and to give myself what I really want for the long run by not giving in to the right now.
My friend (a fitness warrior) posted this and I am borrowing it as my inspiration
I can do faithful!
Been doing it for 17 years and counting with my Amazing Husband. If only fitness was as accomodating.
Wish me luck!
Pace Yourself
Ever have one of those days where there just isn’t enough time in the day? Or weeks? Or decades?
Yeah.
Last Saturday was my “free” day. Didn’t have any sporting events, church activities, parties or meetings planned. Usually my hubs is home on Saturdays but he was working so it was just me and the kids. I was free to sleep in…
Does that say 7:29 am and is Little Man ever going to sleep in…ever?!
I was free to tackle the laundry
Don’t judge me. It’s almost finished….YES, it’s 4 days later, but no one will agree to my idea of one outift per month.
I was even free to weigh in. It wasn’t my “normal” weigh in day and I didn’t stick to my routine, but I braved it and got on the scale anyway.
I don’t know what is more disturbing: my weight or my toenails.
I didn’t want to share this picture, because it requires a difficult admission: When I don’t workout and I eat whatever I want I gain weight. No that isn’t earth shattering news, but it is still hard. The deeper difficulty is that all of the weeks of hard work were only helping me to maintain my weight. I need to make some real and new changes.
Tomorrow is The Feast. Thanksgiving. Perfect time to make change? Ummm…
Well, I have a two step plan for all of us which applies to both the Thanksgiving feast and the insanity that is Black Friday shopping.
Step 1: Have a plan
- Thanksgiving: If you know cousin Sandra, is bringing her sticky buns for dessert and you won’t be able to resist then maybe you should skip the dinner roll, drink water/skip the beverages full of empty calories, and load up on veggies.
- Black Friday: Know where the deals/door busters are that YOU want. Do not wander aimlessly.
Step 2: Stick to your budget
- Thanksgiving: It is perfectly acceptable to calorie count (if that is your thing), to politely pass on Aunt Molly’s weird gelatin “salad”, and to save some of your favorites for later to keep yourself from gorging.
- Black Friday: Do NOT spend more money than you have. Cute little Riley will be just as happy with the cheaper option as she will with the one that will contribute to the breaking of the bank. If you can, stick to cash. You will thank me in January.
If you want to know how the weekend is going you can follow me on Twitter! Yep, I took the plunge. My handle is @scalemattersABC. Hopefully, this should get me through the weekend and give me time to regroup/come up with a real plan for the rest of the holiday season.
Wish me luck!
Jellybeans & Peeps & More….OH MY!
Today many of us will be walking through store aisles filled every kind of candy Mars, Hershey, Cadbury, and the other candy companies can think of…shaped into eggs, chicks and bunnies. Don’t give in just because the candy is cute! The calories count double when the candy is cute. Honest.
Do what I do: buy the kids a little bit of candy, but make sure it is the kind you can resist. If you’re house is like mine there is so much candy that much gets thrown away in a week or two anyway. I’ve got some little toys, coloring stuff for the youngest, hair pretties for the teenager…stuff that lasts more than a couple of weeks. One friend told me they fill their eggs with coins and cash. There are ways to get around the candy and still enjoy Easter.
(Of course, Easter isn’t really about the candy anyway. Hopefully, you’ll spend some time talking about our Savior and not just about the Easter Bunny. If you need help, I offer this link to an 8 minute video about His sacrifice.)
All this talk of candy leads me to my latest decision. I’m off candy again. I lost the most weight last fall when I was skipping on the candy. I didn’t think that I ate a lot, but maybe being off candy just causes me to pay more attention to what I am eating. Weighing in yesterday showed I’m at my lowest weight (by 1/5th of a pound) since I started.
That was awesome news for me since I had the time to and worked harder this week than I have in a while. Now I have 3.2 lbs to lose until I reach 20 lbs total lost and I reward myself with a pedicure! Going back to school this week may make it harder to get as many workouts in, but I’m going to put in a valiant effort.
Eating healthy and exercising. I’m still working hard to fit those things in my life….or to fit my life around those two things…whichever.
Wish me luck!
…and have a beautiful, happy Easter!
Best laid plans…
I just ate a cookie. It wasn’t even homemade.
This morning for breakfast I ate several sticky buns. Those were homemade…and delicious.
The sticky buns started me on a downward spiral. Maybe I should give myself a pass for Christmas, but I set a specific goal to weigh significantly less by the new year. In the crazy, busy prep for today I didn’t even weigh myself or blog on Friday. No wonder it is so hard to maintain, let alone lose weight during the holidays.
But I’m not waiting until New Year’s day to start again. I’m starting again right now.
This week is going to be tough. My regular workout is off for the next 2 weeks. We’re still partying with family for a few days. Kids and I are home and working on not driving each other crazy for at least another week. Luckily I’m going to stay with Rae for a couple of days. That should encourage some good habits…2 bloggers, both accountable to you lot, hanging out…we’d better control ourselves!!!
Other than hoping their is strength in numbers I need specific plans. Tomorrow my sis and I are going to go for a walk or a hike or just workout together. The rest of the week I need to get at least 20 minutes of exercise in each day to make up for everything I ate this weekend. And I really need to eat my vegetables!
I’ll report in for the last time this year on Friday. Until then…
Wish me luck!
Forget the Christmas countdown…
I’ve got 7 days until I go back to the doctor for my 3 month check-up since being on medication for diabetes. My goal has been to show him I’m serious with the weight I lose and to minimize the amount of sugar and carbs I intake to help with my blood glucose level. Well this week I am down another pound or so…
Which is awesome! So this week I’ve got to put a good effort into my weight loss efforts before my first self-imposed deadline. Wouldn’t it be great if I could go to the appointment and be 220 something?! (So stay away from me with your tempting holiday dishes)
I realized today that it is December. Ok, well, I realized that yesterday, but the implication of it being December didn’t hit me until I was shopping with my dad and he wanted chocolate. My commitment to not eat candy is O.V.E.R. I went almost a full two months without having any candy. Two months that were surrounded by holidays where we stuff our faces with junk!!! Go ahead and applaud. No, really. Do it! Ok, fine…if you are afraid of what other people might think when you randomly start clapping while sitting alone in front of your computer then I am letting you off the hook. But for all of my “Who cares what the world thinks” friends….I curtsey in gratitude.
When I texted Rae in excitement she politely congratulated me (hey, clap for Rae too while you’re at it. this was her hair-brained idea!) and then reminded me not to go “hog wild”. I love her. Here’s the crazy thing. I didn’t. My hubs reminded me of the stash of peanut M&Ms from the after Halloween sale (I have no idea where they are and threatened to kick Har out of my bed if he kept eating them in front of me), and when we got home he slipped away for a bag and handed it to me. But I was so full from eating half of my dinner at Claimjumper (I forgot how big their portions are!) that I had no desire to really eat them. I put them up and in the back of my mind kept thinking, “I need to eat a few M&Ms today just because I can!”
It’s getting late now. We put our boys to bed and sent my dad home (he came up to take my hubs and I to an early birthday dinner…hubs turns 38 on Monday) and I was debating opening that bag of candy before I settled in. Then the thought came to me, “They will still be there tomorrow.” How brilliant! I was almost going to force myself to eat candy just because it was there and I can. But isn’t the point of having a handful of M&Ms to enjoy them?! I wasn’t going to enjoy them if I ate them tonight I was just going to be checking something off my list. “Ate candy – check!” I am so grateful for that epiphany!
So maybe tomorrow I’ll enjoy a couple of M&Ms…maybe I won’t. After all I have a big date with a scale in the doctor’s office next friday…SEVEN DAYS!
Wish me luck!
Blue Friday
I was enjoying spending time with my kids and husband so much that I forgot to post yesterday! I did not forget to weigh in though. That wasn’t good news, but I’m not posting it. I’m calling it my bye week. Weighing in the day after Thanksgiving even when I added a workout to my week was a depressing idea.
In other bad news Aim’s husband was playing two hand touch football on Thanksgiving day and wound up in the hospital with a cracked rib and collapsed lung instead of at their dinner table…after waiting for him to come home from Iraq! He’s expected to go home soon, but we would all appreciate prayers, happy thoughts and good wishes on their behalf.
Aim didn’t get to go Black Friday shopping. That doubles the sadness of her weekend! Me? I dabbled in some shopping yesterday, but did not do my normal up at the crack of dawn shopping. Got one Christmas present. I’m learning to love Internet shopping lately. How about you? What was the highlight of your holiday weekend so far?
This week…I have to crack down on my bad habits. I have been getting exercise in and plan to add 2 jog/walk sessions each week in addition. What I have not been doing is paying attention to my calorie input. I DETEST counting calories, and it seems to push through this set point some drastic measures must be taken. My eating schedule has been horrible. I barely get a piece of toast in the morning then I’m hungry at school all day and maybe snack on a bag of chips. Then come home and eat way too much at night and before bed. Not healthy! I’m working on getting a good breakfast, packing my lunch and exercising restraint in the evening time this week. If that doesn’t work (ie – I don’t lose weight this week) then I may have to do the thing I have been dreading in this effort to lose weight and spend some time counting calories. {insert self pitying whimper}
Wish me luck!
scalematters 