Weight Watcher results: Week 9

So, I made my 10% today! Down 2.4. Wish it was more but I am still happy with it.

Not too much new around here. Just enjoying the summer and my last few weeks off of work. I am pretty much just staying the course and moving along, nothing real exciting to report. Thursday I did finally get my hair cut; it hadn't been cut since November. I didn't take off much length but got in thinned out and it feels so much better. I'll be postin pics soon. It was nice to have a relaxing hour at the salon. Friday, I taught CPR for a doctor's office and I noticed that they had a Seca scale. This is a very accurate scale that is used in hospitals. Seca specializes in bariatric scales and the one in this office was really nice. It was a balance scale but it was extra accurate because it was in 20 pound increments instead of the typical 50 pound increments. I have purchased these scales for the hospital before and know that they are supposed to be great. While my class was taking their written exam, I snuck out and weighed on it. I was happy to know that it said 205 pounds and that was in the middle of the day with all my clothes on. That made me happy and validated that my scale is a little bit heavy. On my first day back to work, I am going to go back and weigh on my original doctors scale that weighed me at my highest and see my true progress. I am excited! I think I can make the 199!

Well, I'll just keep moving forward. Perseverance to the end. Yesterday, I was looking at some pictures that were taken recently when Trav's family was visiting. I was disgusted at how big I still look. Can't wait to get out of the 200s and able to focus on a real change!

Hope you all have a Happy Father's Day! I have to honor my two favorite guys...My grandpa for being an excellent father even when he didn't have to and to Travis, my excellent husband for being my support and for creating smiles in my children's life. Dont' know what my life would be like without the two of them. May their day be a special one!

A tad bit depressing

So, my goal of 199 is quickly approaching and I know I am going to make it in time for my return to work. While I am so happy with my progress and proud of what I have done, it is still kind of hard for me. The fact of the matter is that I have been hovering right around 200 for the past 10 years, so being this weight really isn't that exciting for me. I had let it get a little more out of control in the past year and then with my pregnancy, etc but I have been between 200-210 for a long long time. Even though I have lost so much, people really don't notice that much because of the fact that I dont really look any different than I have for the past decade. I am really excited for my weight loss in the one hundreds..that is when I and others will really be able to see a change. There was one time in 2005 that I had gotten down to 185 but that was the only time. After this goal of 199 my next goal is to break below 185 as I haven't been below this weight in a long long time.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving up but sometimes I kind of feel like the guy on the Biggest Loser. His name was Michael. During makeover week (16 weeks into the show), he had lost almost 200 pounds and was still having to shop at plus size stores. He was still grossly overweight. It was hard for him to celebrate the victory when there was still so far to go. That is how I feel sometimes but I have to remember that he came back and won the show. He didn't give up, he pushed on and made a huge transformation.

Bye Bye Biggest Loser

So last night I finished the season of Biggest Loser. It was such a good season. It really helped to keep me motivated and I kept wanting to go back for more. I have to admit that when I finished my workout last night I kind of wanted to cry. I was sad, wondering..what will I do now? Nothing will keep me going like the BL.

This season was especially fun to watch as one of the finalists was from Knoxville. I can not believe the results they get. One thing that was evident to me and just validated my thoughts was the last episode before the finale. One of the contestants was determined to finish the BL marathon in record time. He trained, and trained and trained and he did. He finished in 4 hours. That is amazing. That is a pace of 9 miles per hour for the entire 26 miles. Impressive! However at the end of the month, he had gained 2 pounds. How do you train for a marathon, run it in that speed and gain weight? He was binge eating at night. Just shows you that when it comes to losing weight, diet trumps exercise.

I recently watched a video about diet vs. exercise. It was interesting. For disease prevention they are tied, for energy..exercise clearly wins, and for weight loss..diet is the winner. Check it out here. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/37726086#37273872

So, I had to think about a new plan. The good news is that I looked on the Biggest Loser website and realized that I have never seen season 4 so I will begin watching it this week. I also learned that there is a BL Australia and a BL U.K. both have about 4 seasons so I shouldn't run out of stuff to watch for a while. This makes me happy.

Yummy Dinner

So yesterday I had a little extra time and decided to try out a few new recipes. I made weight watchers macaroni salad, balsamic chicken and grilled some corn. I had made baked beans a few nights before and had a small amount of left overs. I didnt need the extra calories but it was a good addition to Travis's meal. Here is how I made everything. It was 8 points but way better than a 7 point processed Lean Cuisine.

Balsamic Chicken (3 points)
4 oz Chicken Breast
Mix
2 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 garlic clove crushed
Coat Chicken and put in skillet with 1 tsp olive oil and additional marinade

Macaroni Salad (3 points)
2/3 Cup equals one serving
8 oz uncooked macaroni elbow-variety (I used Penne..I like it better)
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste (for cooking pasta)
Mix the following, fold in the veggies
1/2 cup(s) reduced-calorie mayonnaise
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup(s) celery, chopped
1/3 cup(s) red onion(s), finely chopped
2 Tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped
1/4 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste

Grilled Corn on the cob (2 points)
Rub the following on the corn with your hand in order to evenly distribute, wrap in foil, grill on medium for 20 minutes, rotating occasionally
1 tsp of butter
salt and pepper to taste

Almost down 10%

So I am really hoping to make my 10% weight loss this week since starting weight watchers 8 weeks ago. In order to do it, I need to lose almost exactly 2 pounds and weigh in at 207.9. I actually would like to lose 3 pounds but getting this 10% off will be awesome. They say just losing 10% of you body weight can give you a healthy heart, lower your chance of diabetes, give you more energy and mental edge.

I am going to try really hard to exercise daily even if it is only for 30 minutes. Last night I officially started the c25K plan. It was harder than I thought. It is 3 times a week for nine weeks. I will be posting about my progress. Last night's workout consisted of a 5 minute warm up (I walked at 3.0) then for 20 minutes you walked 90 seconds (3.5) and ran 60 seconds (5.0); it ended with a 5 minute cool down (3.5) I sweat so much. It was a way harder workout than just walking along at 3.5 the whole time. This workout repeats 2 more times this week. I am down to the last episode of biggest loser and trying to think about what I might watch next. Wish there were more Biggest Loser seasons I hadnt seen. It is so motivating to be watching it when you are working out. I think there are other shows similar. I have heard of a show called Ruby and I know that the UK has a version of BL as well. I'll have to get Travis to download for me. I am also thinking about watching 24. I have only seen season 1 and I know it can be addicting as every episode leaves you with a cliff hanger. Any suggestions?

Weight Watcher results: Week 8

Well, I can not tell you how happy I am with my 2.8 pound loss this week. That means that I have lost 21.2 pounds since I started Weight Watchers 8 weeks ago. I came into this week at a disadvantage. The family was still here in town until Wednesday morning and I was still facing temptations of going out to eat, snacking, etc. I was thinking that this week I might lose only 1 pound. As soon as everyone was gone, I decided to go hardcore. No exceptions, I drank all of my water, I ate the perfect amount of points, I exercised and it paid off.

In the past I would of waited till Monday to begin but YOU CANT DO THAT! Just pick yourself up and start immediately. So, you ate a few too many calories one day...this is a life journey not the results of one day that matter. Well, I go back to work in 3 weeks. In order to meet my goal I will have to lose 3 pounds a week. I know this is going to be challenging but I am just going to keep doing what I did the last couple of days and stay right on point with the plan. I have another temptation coming; my mom and Boise family will be here June 29-July 5th. I will have to be so careful. 8 WEEKS! Can't believe I have done this so long. I am excited for the day that I can say week 52; an entire year. The journey doesn't stop there though.

Race for the Cure

So, last night I found out that Race for the Cure Knoxville is October 30th. That will be perfect. That gives me time to complete my C25K program, to lose more weight and the weather should be nice for a run. I am really excited. I want to get a team together and make t-shirts that say "Nothing Tastes as Good as Skinny". Any of my friends that want to join me are welcome to be on my team. Last night I already had some people say that they would do it! My goal is to continually jog-run the entire thing. Not sure how fast that will be. Right now 4.5-5.0 is a good jog for me but I can only do it for short bursts. Hoping by the time I finish C25K that I will be able to keep that pace for the entire 3 miles. I took a look at the Knoxville course online and it is surprisingly pretty flat. There is a little rise and fall but shouldn't be too bad. I guess I will have to start adding some incline to the treadmill as well.

I am also going to try to raise $1000 dollars for the cause. I am going to send a letter to friends, family and colleagues asking people to pledge based on the pounds I have lost at the time of the race (i.e., 25 cents a pound, 50 cents a pound or $1 per pound). If I stay on track and continue to lose about 2 pounds a week, I should be about 75 pounds lighter by the time of the race! So exciting.