So, I've been debating all day as to whether or not I should post my weight and goal stats on this site. Going back and forth, back and forth. Do I really want to post my weight? No, not really. Not at all, actually. It's SCARY admitting how much I weigh; it's so taboo in today's society.
But how else can I really explain the progress that I've made? How else can I share with you AND hold myself accountable while attempting to write in vague terms that don't include numbers???
I think the simple answer is - I can't.
Plus, I have a lot of confidence that I'm going to be really successful! I mean, I KNOW that I can do this. I've done it before - just last year in fact! I only have me to blame for my recent gains (bad gains, not good ones) and thus I feel like hiding my weight because I'm embarrassed will only allow me to make more excuses.
So, I'm going to spill what I will refer to from here on out as my diet "dirt."
Here are my stats for week 1:
Starting weight: 154.4 (as of Monday, 8/24)
Current Weight: 153.8 (8/28)
Goal weight: 140
Weight lost: 0.6
Weight left to lose: 13.8
# of day on diet so far: 5
# of days that I exercised: 5
# of days that I stayed with my calories: 4 (yesterday was hard)
But overall, so far, so good!!!!
Ugh. That was hard. No criticism, please?
I know who some of you must be thinking. "Really? You only weight 153 and you're trying lose weight!? Don't be silly! You look great!" But then there are the rest of you that are thinking, "WHAT!??! You weigh 153 pounds! Oh my god, I can't believe you weight that much, I never would have guessed." Because those are the thoughts that are always going through my head. In one sense, I know that 153 isn't severely overweight. I still fit into all of my size 10 clothes (although my 8's have been on the hanger for a few months) and I don't look terribly fat. I know there are a lot of other people out there who have way more weight to lose than I do. But, at the same time, I CAN'T BELIEVE that I weigh 153 pounds AGAIN. I swore to myself when I last lost weight that I would NEVER allow myself to gain that weight back. And then I just went and gained it back anyway. I do NOT look my best 153 pounds. MyFoodDiary says that the top end of my healthy, recommended weight is 137 (the range is 125-137.) That's my ultimate goal, but when I weighed 140, I felt amazing and was perfectly happy with that. So, I'm shooting for that for and we'll battle my recommended weight another day.
Two nights ago I also took some "before" pictures last night, but I am not ready to share those just yet. Suffice it to say that they're not exactly confidence boosters, BUT in a few weeks when I start seeing some positive improvements and change, I think I'll be ok with posting them! So, you have that to look forward to (ummm... or not.)
So, thank you for reading this, for not being disgusted or shocked, and for supporting me over the next couple of months as I try to shake off this extra weight! If anyone else is reading this and is also trying to lose weight, please feel free to post your stats and goals as a comment so that we can do this together, or let me know your blog link and we'll start our own little blogging community!
Is good luck coming my way?
I certainly hope so!
Native American's believe that if a butterfly lands on you, you'll have good luck.
That's why I was so excited when I found this little beauty.
Back in my high school days, I drew a series (well, it ended up being only two) pictures of butterflies using PrismaColor pencils. The drawings turned out really great. One is hanging in the bathroom at my parent's house and the other is hanging on the wall in our office where I'm writing this right now.
Both of those drawing were from calendar pictures, but I am feeling inspired to whip out my PrismaColors and draw this one as well. Isn't it just beautiful?
Native American's believe that if a butterfly lands on you, you'll have good luck.
That's why I was so excited when I found this little beauty.
Back in my high school days, I drew a series (well, it ended up being only two) pictures of butterflies using PrismaColor pencils. The drawings turned out really great. One is hanging in the bathroom at my parent's house and the other is hanging on the wall in our office where I'm writing this right now.
Both of those drawing were from calendar pictures, but I am feeling inspired to whip out my PrismaColors and draw this one as well. Isn't it just beautiful?
The diet begins again!
As of today (actually, as of Monday), Dave and I have officially gone back on diets. And by diets, we don't necessarily mean the get-slim-quick diets, but more like the "make-healthy-decisions" diet.
We're reinstating our effort to make sure that at least 50% of our food are on the anti-cancer diet list. We're making a commitment to exercise - together - for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. We're committing to only consuming alcohol in moderation, and only on weekends, with one exception per month for a happy hour dinner and exceptions as needed for extremely special occasions.
We're reinstating our effort to make sure that at least 50% of our food are on the anti-cancer diet list. We're making a commitment to exercise - together - for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. We're committing to only consuming alcohol in moderation, and only on weekends, with one exception per month for a happy hour dinner and exceptions as needed for extremely special occasions.
I will once again be utilizing...
... since I had so much success with it last year. I plan out all of my food for the entire day beforehand, and enter it all into the system. I make sure that I'm within my daily caloric intake range, and then package everything up. I know that I can ONLY eat the stuff that I've planned for.
I will be taking and recording body measurements, and maybe I will even post my stats here, to track my progress. That's scary, putting myself out there like that, but it's also good for accountability.
I'm starting this mission again because I've let myself go. I've gain 15 pounds since May 2008, and I plan to lose all 15 of those again, over the next couple of months. My clothes still fit, but some are tight, others tight as hell, and I REFUSE to invest in new clothing just because I've outgrown my current wardrobe.
Tonight I will be taking a "before" pictures, as well as my stats, and then the journey officially begins.
Wish me luck!
Hot and "Suite"
Last night my aunt L and uncle K were staying at a hotel just outside of Pittsburgh. A hotel that just happened to be the same hotel that we stayed at during our wedding weekend. I was excited to go and visit them there because I have warm, nostalgic feelings for that hotel and because what I remember of it is mostly a blur (a good blur, but a blur nonetheless.)
We went to dinner at the nearby Max and Erma's and then went back to the Holiday Inn for a drink or two. While D played "monkey in the middle" with our niece...
... and her bear, I went to the hotel bar with my sister so that she could get a drink.
Our "after party" following the reception was held at the bar in the Holiday Inn. D's mom bought "chips" from the bartender and passed them out to all of the wedding guests that game to celebrate afterwards. When D and I walked, everyone cheered, and it was super fun and exciting to have so many people still want to celebrate with us, even after our 5 hour reception.
So I was excited to go to the bar to check it out, since once again, it was mostly a blur and yet I still felt those same warm, fuzzy feelings of nostalgia.
Well, I can say for sure that the bar on a Sunday night in August 2009 was NOT the same as the bar on that Saturday night back in May 2008.
There was NO ONE there. No one. The bartender was sitting on a stool, with the contents of her purse dumped out, texting on her phone. She offered to make my sister a drink that included pineapple juice, only to then state that she was out of pineapple and thus substituted orange juice instead. Needless to say, it was not the fun and exciting place that I remembered it to be.
So after two Straub Light's in a can - yep, IN A CAN! - we headed home. It was already 9:30 and with D being a teacher, we try to aim for a 10 p.m. bedtime, which clearly wasn't going to happen since we had a 35 minute drive a head of us.
But, we weren't so rushed that we didn't have time to take two last pictures. Pictures that describe us perfectly.
Me? I'm hot.
Wouldn't you agree?
The Holiday Day, RIDC Park. Perhaps the longest hotel in the world.
We went to dinner at the nearby Max and Erma's and then went back to the Holiday Inn for a drink or two. While D played "monkey in the middle" with our niece...
Our "after party" following the reception was held at the bar in the Holiday Inn. D's mom bought "chips" from the bartender and passed them out to all of the wedding guests that game to celebrate afterwards. When D and I walked, everyone cheered, and it was super fun and exciting to have so many people still want to celebrate with us, even after our 5 hour reception.
So I was excited to go to the bar to check it out, since once again, it was mostly a blur and yet I still felt those same warm, fuzzy feelings of nostalgia.
Well, I can say for sure that the bar on a Sunday night in August 2009 was NOT the same as the bar on that Saturday night back in May 2008.
A group shot of D's family from the after-party celebration on our wedding night!
There was NO ONE there. No one. The bartender was sitting on a stool, with the contents of her purse dumped out, texting on her phone. She offered to make my sister a drink that included pineapple juice, only to then state that she was out of pineapple and thus substituted orange juice instead. Needless to say, it was not the fun and exciting place that I remembered it to be.
So after two Straub Light's in a can - yep, IN A CAN! - we headed home. It was already 9:30 and with D being a teacher, we try to aim for a 10 p.m. bedtime, which clearly wasn't going to happen since we had a 35 minute drive a head of us.
But, we weren't so rushed that we didn't have time to take two last pictures. Pictures that describe us perfectly.
Me? I'm hot.
And D? Well, he's the sweet one.
I'm annoyed with Mother Nature
Anyone who knows me knows that I love the sun. I love the beach, and talk constantly about how much I want to go on a vacation somewhere warm and sunny (just ask D - I drive him crazy by constantly going on and on about wanting to go to the beach.) I have a wonderful lounge chair, and there is nothing that I have wanted more this summer than a few sunny days so I could lay out. I tan easily and love the warm feeling of freshly tanned skin.
In general, I've been ok with this oddly cool and mild summer. On most days, I'm grateful for the cool breezes and relatively low humidity.
But now it's August, and I'm as pale as I have ever been in August. I can feel Fall in the air, just a moment's notice away, and I still haven't gotten a good summer tan.
So, I just looked at the 10 day forecast for my area. I've pasted the results below, but for simplicity's sake, allow me to summarize:
Monday through Friday of this week - sun sun and more sun; highs in the 80s
Saturday and Sunday - Rain. Rain, rain, rain.
Monday through Wednesday of next week - Sunny sun sun sun. Warm temperatures and low, comfortable humidity.
Ugh. Depressing. I think I'm feeling a vacation day coming up... on a weekday.
In general, I've been ok with this oddly cool and mild summer. On most days, I'm grateful for the cool breezes and relatively low humidity.
But now it's August, and I'm as pale as I have ever been in August. I can feel Fall in the air, just a moment's notice away, and I still haven't gotten a good summer tan.
So, I just looked at the 10 day forecast for my area. I've pasted the results below, but for simplicity's sake, allow me to summarize:
Monday through Friday of this week - sun sun and more sun; highs in the 80s
Saturday and Sunday - Rain. Rain, rain, rain.
Monday through Wednesday of next week - Sunny sun sun sun. Warm temperatures and low, comfortable humidity.
Here is what I saw:
Today Aug 24
Mostly Sunny 75°
Sunny 74°
At Work
I write this post from the front desk of my place of employment. Yep, it's Saturday, and yes, I am at work.
It sucks, but it's not all bad. On a happy note, this is the last day that I'll have to work on a weekend for at least a few months. I get tomorrow off and that's exciting because it's the first day that I'll have in over two weeks!
It sucks, but it's not all bad. On a happy note, this is the last day that I'll have to work on a weekend for at least a few months. I get tomorrow off and that's exciting because it's the first day that I'll have in over two weeks!
Soooo frustrating!!!
Three years ago, when D and I bought our first house, we spent thousands and thousands of dollars furnishing our new home. Since we were college students previously living with hand-me-down dressers, sagging mattresses, and futons, we were more than willing to get rid of all that stuff and replace it with new, quality stuff that would complement and fit nicely in our new home.
My sister and niece enjoying the loveseat in our first house in Edgewood
D is a huge fan of buying nice things that will last a long time. That said, we were also interested in making sure that our stuff was covered in case of damage. And that - my friends - is how we were suckered into paying $400 for a warranty that is completely worthless. I feel like SUCH a sucker...
So, whatever you do, DO NOT buy any warranty from UltraShield. We bought our furniture from Roomful Express but apparently UltraShield sells through a lot of furniture companies that are slightly less than reputable. (That is not to say that we aren't happy with our furniture that we bought from there, but their saleperson are less than ethical and they'll tell you ANYTHING to make a sale.)
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