I hate that it's been so long since I've even logged on to my blog...hey, that rhymed...anyway...
Today, Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent. Before we go much further into that, let me just make sure we're all on the same 'page' here (my page, yep, we're all here!!)
I'm an inwardly spiritual person. I pray, a lot....more these days, considering there are struggles in my life. Right, wrong or indifferent, it's my blog, I'm being honest. I pray more when I have a fear or an issue. That's not the point of all this, just don't judge it! So, where were we? Ahhh, yes, inwardly spiritual. I spent a lot, I mean a lot of years in church, leading youth groups, helping make an impact in society by making sure kids were being led and such. I worshiped, every week and then I stopped. I didn't stop believing, I stopped attending and sometimes I wonder why. Quite honestly, though, I could stand in my garage, every Sunday for a zillion years and that won't make me a car anymore than sitting in church every week makes me any more of a Christian. So, if you're shocked I'm "kicking off" Lent with a blog post, consider all of that and let me have my say...
Why today? Well, it IS the first day of Lent and while a lot of people make resolutions on New Years, I am choosing today as my resolution day. I need something to focus on. I'm currently unemployed and while I don't stay 'down long' and many of you remind me how I always 'bounce back from adversity' (trust those who know me, while often not job related, I've had my share of crap)...I'm not happy with the state of some things in my life.
So, here I go again, on whatever round this is of "Getting back on track" and I find Lent the greatest way to kick this off for me.
Last night I posted on Facebook that I was giving up carbs for Lent. I need to clarify...I'm going back on my program, the one that works for me when I focus and pay attention to it. Giving up carbs wasn't totally correct, but if you read far enough back in this blog you'll see what it's all about, it's one of the very first posts, and I don't know how to re-post the link here....I tried and tried...HELP! I see people do that all the time and I'm clueless :-( (It's post # 2, December 2008 if you're so inclined)
Giving up carbs was an inaccurate statement. Going back on the program is much more accurate and that does include limited "good for you" carbs...so there's some clarification.
So, off I go...it's time to start this show, once again...and this year, a week earlier than last year! The goal: STAY on plan until vacation or until goal. Whichever comes first and the long-term goal....MAINTAIN it this time, better than last or even better than the last before that! UGH!
Oh, one more goal, I need to find a job. I'm intrigued by some of the possibilities out there, but need to find the faith in myself to take the leap! I'll keep you all posted, because, this is a great release for me, even if nobody reads it but Todd and my mom! <3
And...we're...off...
February 22, 2012
December 13, 2011
A Failed Perfectionist....
On what was a long drive this week, I spent some time listening to my first audiobook. The book I chose was Katie Couric's 'The Best Advice I Ever Got' and there were several parts of that book that resonated with me. Here is the link if anyone is interested in learning more about the book: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/arts/television/24couric.html
To me, it spoke of goals, ambitions, successes & failures, joy and sadness and so many other things.
So what does that book have to do with the title of this blog, or the subject matter of this blog, you might ask? Well, one of the contributors described herself as a failed perfectionist in her segment of the book and that is one of the things that truly hit home with me when I heard it. Today, once again, I am just that.
I am a failed perfectionist. As much as I want everything in my life to be perfect and my 'control factor' allow me to have it that way, it just isn't. I'm not sure there is anything, yes, ANYTHING that is perfect in my life. The one big thing that isn't perfect is my success along this journey through this blog. Once again, I find myself (sooner rather than later) writing to you all (if anyone is even still reading this) and admitting that I need to restart my lifestyle program.
I am not perfect, even when I am at goal I am not perfect. My "full" button is broke! That button most people have that says to them, hey, quit eating, you're full....ya know, the button....mine is either missing or broke! I'm flat out broken! I realize this as days go by and I seem to find that I always have room for food, good food, bad food, anything...I always have room, cuz my ding-dang button is broke and I hate that. I give in to the broken button and I really hate that! I wish I knew what to do to fix my button! I don't want to live the rest of my days with a broken button!
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind being a failed perfectionist at some things, I mean nobody is perfect! My house will never be clean enough, my job perfect enough, my relationships without drama, but if that were the case, it would make my Facebook page quite boring! I do, however, wish I had better control over the choices I make where my health and weight come in to play. I have done it before but I have relied on the medication and that temporarily fixes my button, but I would like to find a way to control all of that post-meds.
So, I'm human, not perfect and struggling really badly right now. I'm very unhappy with me these days which makes me feel like I make everyone around me unhappy and that certainly isn't fair to the people I love. It is a struggle for me and especially during the holiday season. I try to cover over my funk, but I'm not sure how good I'm doing at that either!
So today has so far been a better day, I've stayed on plan, without meds no taking things almost hour by hour....there are people out there who never have to worry about this topic and man, I wish I was one of them! Alas, I'm not and I know it's a day by day struggle.
I hope all of you still involved in your journey are more successful than I have been in the last few months! I sure hope to be writing to you next time under a little more control!
Merry Christmas!
To me, it spoke of goals, ambitions, successes & failures, joy and sadness and so many other things.
So what does that book have to do with the title of this blog, or the subject matter of this blog, you might ask? Well, one of the contributors described herself as a failed perfectionist in her segment of the book and that is one of the things that truly hit home with me when I heard it. Today, once again, I am just that.
I am a failed perfectionist. As much as I want everything in my life to be perfect and my 'control factor' allow me to have it that way, it just isn't. I'm not sure there is anything, yes, ANYTHING that is perfect in my life. The one big thing that isn't perfect is my success along this journey through this blog. Once again, I find myself (sooner rather than later) writing to you all (if anyone is even still reading this) and admitting that I need to restart my lifestyle program.
I am not perfect, even when I am at goal I am not perfect. My "full" button is broke! That button most people have that says to them, hey, quit eating, you're full....ya know, the button....mine is either missing or broke! I'm flat out broken! I realize this as days go by and I seem to find that I always have room for food, good food, bad food, anything...I always have room, cuz my ding-dang button is broke and I hate that. I give in to the broken button and I really hate that! I wish I knew what to do to fix my button! I don't want to live the rest of my days with a broken button!
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind being a failed perfectionist at some things, I mean nobody is perfect! My house will never be clean enough, my job perfect enough, my relationships without drama, but if that were the case, it would make my Facebook page quite boring! I do, however, wish I had better control over the choices I make where my health and weight come in to play. I have done it before but I have relied on the medication and that temporarily fixes my button, but I would like to find a way to control all of that post-meds.
So, I'm human, not perfect and struggling really badly right now. I'm very unhappy with me these days which makes me feel like I make everyone around me unhappy and that certainly isn't fair to the people I love. It is a struggle for me and especially during the holiday season. I try to cover over my funk, but I'm not sure how good I'm doing at that either!
So today has so far been a better day, I've stayed on plan, without meds no taking things almost hour by hour....there are people out there who never have to worry about this topic and man, I wish I was one of them! Alas, I'm not and I know it's a day by day struggle.
I hope all of you still involved in your journey are more successful than I have been in the last few months! I sure hope to be writing to you next time under a little more control!
Merry Christmas!
November 21, 2011
One more thing
Two posts in one day!
So, thanks...to all of you who read this, who live this journey with me, day in and day out. Whether you want to be or not, you're in this with me and I appreciate all of your support, your comments and your dedication to keep coming back and reading all this!
A question for you...what do you do to overcome your biggest obstacles??
So, thanks...to all of you who read this, who live this journey with me, day in and day out. Whether you want to be or not, you're in this with me and I appreciate all of your support, your comments and your dedication to keep coming back and reading all this!
A question for you...what do you do to overcome your biggest obstacles??
It's been a long time..and I can tell
I have to tell you, there is a part of doing this blog that keeps me "honest", especially to myself.
Tonight I write to you, feeling a little down in the dumps because I had a bad couple of months and have let it linger to no fault of anyone but myself and here I find myself at the holidays, disgusted because I gained outside of my "comfort zone" and while not needing to officially "restart" I need to get my ass back on track. Sorry for that, but it is what it is.
When I lost my job this summer, I joined myself in a pity party. I was stressed and down and unfortunately I'm one of those down in the dumps people who turns to food. "Lucky" for Todd, my better half, that he doesn't. I wish I was strong enough to turn another way when I get to feeling like that.
I hate the fact that I turn to food to find comfort, it's stupid but it is something that I have to make a conscious decision about every day. I haven't been doing that and it's time I remember that this is something that needs to be in the forefront of my mind each and every day. I wish it didn't have to be, but sometimes people have things they just have to learn to deal with, like diabetes or alcoholism or something that forces you to control what you do for a reason.
I don't have "all that much" to get back to where I want to be. I mean, I've started this journey and restarted this journey at much heavier than today, but today THIS is no longer acceptable to me.
I canceled my gym membership, but tomorrow I'll be restarting somewhere else. I had canceled because I was having a hard time finding time to fit that into my new and busier schedule, but I know now that I need to make the time to do the things that work for me. If that means being at the gym at 5:00 a.m., that's what I'm going to do. It's just that simple.
SO here I am, three days before Thanksgiving, my favorite day of the year, and looking forward to making the right choices from here on out.
Wish me luck...once again!
Tonight I write to you, feeling a little down in the dumps because I had a bad couple of months and have let it linger to no fault of anyone but myself and here I find myself at the holidays, disgusted because I gained outside of my "comfort zone" and while not needing to officially "restart" I need to get my ass back on track. Sorry for that, but it is what it is.
When I lost my job this summer, I joined myself in a pity party. I was stressed and down and unfortunately I'm one of those down in the dumps people who turns to food. "Lucky" for Todd, my better half, that he doesn't. I wish I was strong enough to turn another way when I get to feeling like that.
I hate the fact that I turn to food to find comfort, it's stupid but it is something that I have to make a conscious decision about every day. I haven't been doing that and it's time I remember that this is something that needs to be in the forefront of my mind each and every day. I wish it didn't have to be, but sometimes people have things they just have to learn to deal with, like diabetes or alcoholism or something that forces you to control what you do for a reason.
I don't have "all that much" to get back to where I want to be. I mean, I've started this journey and restarted this journey at much heavier than today, but today THIS is no longer acceptable to me.
I canceled my gym membership, but tomorrow I'll be restarting somewhere else. I had canceled because I was having a hard time finding time to fit that into my new and busier schedule, but I know now that I need to make the time to do the things that work for me. If that means being at the gym at 5:00 a.m., that's what I'm going to do. It's just that simple.
SO here I am, three days before Thanksgiving, my favorite day of the year, and looking forward to making the right choices from here on out.
Wish me luck...once again!
August 8, 2011
Jobless & Stressed
What a way to start really getting into maintenance. It's been a couple of weeks since I've blogged, but the title of this post pretty much sums it up.
After my last blog post, Todd, Elise & I took a road-trip to Wisconsin. Yes, three of us, in a car for 2850 miles, for a week! Actually, we had a blast. We broke the trip up on the way up there, stopped in Atlanta, spent the night and went to the Aquarium, went to Chicago and did a lot of sight-seeing. We were able to spend some time with Todd's family and just really get away from things. It was nice.
However, I came home and went back to work, only to be let go from my position. As a lot of you know, there was a tremendous amount of stress working with the new management changes since February and apparently everything had tested it's limits to the breaking point. I was let go on 7/27 after 5 1/2 years there. That's all I'm going to say about that.
However, it's been incredibly stressful here considering neither of us are working, the economy totally bites and jobs are those things that require transportation. I had a company car, so I am transportation-less now as well. It's difficult to go out and buy a car when you have no income, so we're relying on Todd's car as our one vehicle at this point.
I'm sure glad the decision for he and Elise to move in here was made prior to my current employment status, otherwise I'd be a little concerned he just felt sorry for me! LOL
Needless to say, when I'm frustrated or stressed or upset...I don't care so much about what I eat. The past couple of weeks haven't been overly horrible, nor have they been overly successful. I'm still watching what I do, but by no means have I done what I need to every day. I'm definitely meal by meal, snack by snack at this point. On top of that, my gym schedule is all screwed up...ARGH!
I need a normal routine! Starting tomorrow, it's got to happen, at least the food and water....I'm promising myself that is going to start!! In the interim, I continue to job search...not a fun thing to do!
I just need to remember, choices & consequences....every day brings another choice and another consequence. Once this week is over, with moving things from the apartment to the house, Elise being away for a week, etc...things will start to settle into a more normal routine. I'm looking forward to "normal"...I'm not sure what that is or if I'll know when I find it...but I'm looking forward to it, none the less!
I hope all of you are hanging on better than I am!
~Michelle
After my last blog post, Todd, Elise & I took a road-trip to Wisconsin. Yes, three of us, in a car for 2850 miles, for a week! Actually, we had a blast. We broke the trip up on the way up there, stopped in Atlanta, spent the night and went to the Aquarium, went to Chicago and did a lot of sight-seeing. We were able to spend some time with Todd's family and just really get away from things. It was nice.
However, I came home and went back to work, only to be let go from my position. As a lot of you know, there was a tremendous amount of stress working with the new management changes since February and apparently everything had tested it's limits to the breaking point. I was let go on 7/27 after 5 1/2 years there. That's all I'm going to say about that.
However, it's been incredibly stressful here considering neither of us are working, the economy totally bites and jobs are those things that require transportation. I had a company car, so I am transportation-less now as well. It's difficult to go out and buy a car when you have no income, so we're relying on Todd's car as our one vehicle at this point.
I'm sure glad the decision for he and Elise to move in here was made prior to my current employment status, otherwise I'd be a little concerned he just felt sorry for me! LOL
Needless to say, when I'm frustrated or stressed or upset...I don't care so much about what I eat. The past couple of weeks haven't been overly horrible, nor have they been overly successful. I'm still watching what I do, but by no means have I done what I need to every day. I'm definitely meal by meal, snack by snack at this point. On top of that, my gym schedule is all screwed up...ARGH!
I need a normal routine! Starting tomorrow, it's got to happen, at least the food and water....I'm promising myself that is going to start!! In the interim, I continue to job search...not a fun thing to do!
I just need to remember, choices & consequences....every day brings another choice and another consequence. Once this week is over, with moving things from the apartment to the house, Elise being away for a week, etc...things will start to settle into a more normal routine. I'm looking forward to "normal"...I'm not sure what that is or if I'll know when I find it...but I'm looking forward to it, none the less!
I hope all of you are hanging on better than I am!
~Michelle
July 9, 2011
Maintaining on Maintenance
Hello! It's been a while since I've blogged but honestly, there hasn't been a whole lot to tell these days.
I have officially started maintenance and no more meds (still injections for energy every week right now, but not taking anything else). Things are going well. Although I am at the point where I can add in "starch" and other things, mentally I'm not there yet. I still pretty much follow the same food program, but I will add other things here and there. I'd say about 90% of what I eat is still right from the original plan.
Some of the things I learned at my maintenance transition appointment I found rather interesting. One of them was about drinking the water. It was told to me that if you take your weight and divide by 2, that's how many ounces of water you should drink in a day. Okay, luckily, that's less than a gallon, so it's been a little easier to handle that! :-)
Also, when we discussed adding starches and all, we discussed potatoes. It makes sense, but never really dawned on me before. Lori advised that if I choose to eat potatoes, I should boil them first. Boiling them removes a lot of the starch (think about the inside of the pan after you boil a potato)...therefore helping reduce the amount of carbs you consume in eating that potato! Makes perfect sense, NOW!
I did also learn that I'm definitely not eating enough or often enough. I need to focus more on eating breakfast. I hate breakfast...it's annoying! I don't get up early enough to eat breakfast, really. I did eat breakfast during the losing part of the program, but it's easy for me to get out of the habit of doing so. I don't do a great job of snacking either. I am, however, getting better at that. It's easier to snack in the summer with all of the fresh fruits and vegetables I buy. So many great choices during the summer months.
One of the pages in the Zone Wellness packet I received that discusses maintenance, mentions this..."Simply fill your plate with a combination of vegetables and fruits. Use breads, grains and starches as condiments." That's pretty much what I've been doing. I made a shrimp pasta dish last night for Todd and I...I ate mostly shrimp and maybe three fork fulls of pasta. It really was just enough of it for me.
Another page indicates the combination for a zone-perfect balanced meal: 1/3 low fat protein, 2/3 vegetables & fruits and a 'dash' of good fat. What is a "good fat" you ask? Keep reading!
Let's talk about fats for a minute...there are some "good fats" that you should incorporate into your diet. There are also some things you should avoid and things you should definitely limit. I've listed them for you below:
Good Fats: Omega 3 oils, foods such as Salmon, Tuna, Sardines, Flax Seed and things with Omega 9 oils such as Olive Oil, Canola Oil, Avocado (yum), Almonds, Cashews & Macadamia Nuts.
Bad Fats: Limit these: Saturated fats, Animal fats/Dairy, Corn Oil, Safflower Oil
Avoid these: Trans fatty acids (found in processed foods!), margarine, fried foods, shortening.
The last of the "rules" for staying in the Zone Wellness was the best one. If you make a mistake, don't worry. No guilt, just get back in the zone with your next meal.
I certainly don't claim to have all the right things to do or say, but I can tell you all that I'm still giving 100% to maintaining the work I put into getting back to where I wanted to be. I'm thrilled to be at goal, and working toward some toning and ultimately living a healthier lifestyle. Is that to say I'm never going to eat another bad thing? No, but I'm not going to freak out when I don't have a choice somewhere, I'm going to make the best choice when given options that are different than what I would do at home, and return to my normal routine as quickly as I can. It's pretty simple in my mind...now to just do it!
Next time, I'll update you on the rest of the Zone Wellness information that I have!
I have officially started maintenance and no more meds (still injections for energy every week right now, but not taking anything else). Things are going well. Although I am at the point where I can add in "starch" and other things, mentally I'm not there yet. I still pretty much follow the same food program, but I will add other things here and there. I'd say about 90% of what I eat is still right from the original plan.
Some of the things I learned at my maintenance transition appointment I found rather interesting. One of them was about drinking the water. It was told to me that if you take your weight and divide by 2, that's how many ounces of water you should drink in a day. Okay, luckily, that's less than a gallon, so it's been a little easier to handle that! :-)
Also, when we discussed adding starches and all, we discussed potatoes. It makes sense, but never really dawned on me before. Lori advised that if I choose to eat potatoes, I should boil them first. Boiling them removes a lot of the starch (think about the inside of the pan after you boil a potato)...therefore helping reduce the amount of carbs you consume in eating that potato! Makes perfect sense, NOW!
I did also learn that I'm definitely not eating enough or often enough. I need to focus more on eating breakfast. I hate breakfast...it's annoying! I don't get up early enough to eat breakfast, really. I did eat breakfast during the losing part of the program, but it's easy for me to get out of the habit of doing so. I don't do a great job of snacking either. I am, however, getting better at that. It's easier to snack in the summer with all of the fresh fruits and vegetables I buy. So many great choices during the summer months.
One of the pages in the Zone Wellness packet I received that discusses maintenance, mentions this..."Simply fill your plate with a combination of vegetables and fruits. Use breads, grains and starches as condiments." That's pretty much what I've been doing. I made a shrimp pasta dish last night for Todd and I...I ate mostly shrimp and maybe three fork fulls of pasta. It really was just enough of it for me.
Another page indicates the combination for a zone-perfect balanced meal: 1/3 low fat protein, 2/3 vegetables & fruits and a 'dash' of good fat. What is a "good fat" you ask? Keep reading!
Let's talk about fats for a minute...there are some "good fats" that you should incorporate into your diet. There are also some things you should avoid and things you should definitely limit. I've listed them for you below:
Good Fats: Omega 3 oils, foods such as Salmon, Tuna, Sardines, Flax Seed and things with Omega 9 oils such as Olive Oil, Canola Oil, Avocado (yum), Almonds, Cashews & Macadamia Nuts.
Bad Fats: Limit these: Saturated fats, Animal fats/Dairy, Corn Oil, Safflower Oil
Avoid these: Trans fatty acids (found in processed foods!), margarine, fried foods, shortening.
The last of the "rules" for staying in the Zone Wellness was the best one. If you make a mistake, don't worry. No guilt, just get back in the zone with your next meal.
I certainly don't claim to have all the right things to do or say, but I can tell you all that I'm still giving 100% to maintaining the work I put into getting back to where I wanted to be. I'm thrilled to be at goal, and working toward some toning and ultimately living a healthier lifestyle. Is that to say I'm never going to eat another bad thing? No, but I'm not going to freak out when I don't have a choice somewhere, I'm going to make the best choice when given options that are different than what I would do at home, and return to my normal routine as quickly as I can. It's pretty simple in my mind...now to just do it!
Next time, I'll update you on the rest of the Zone Wellness information that I have!
June 13, 2011
Week 15...And so, it starts...
My apologies! It's been a long and busy couple of weeks and there hasn't been all that much to post here in regards to the day to day life on the program.
Things are going so well at this point in the program. Today marks 15 weeks and things have gone great. As of today I've lost 42.6 pounds and even though I'm not quite to where I want to be, I've officially started the transition to maintenance. What does that mean, you ask? Well, this is my last week of medicine. I was taking 3 doses a day of the appetite suppressant and today we cut that down to 1 dose a day for a week, then no more appetite suppressant. I've not really taken that regularly for the last couple of weeks, so I feel confident that I can still make the right choices even without it. I confirmed with Dr. Armstrong today, it's nothing more than to control hunger and I don't feel like that's an issue for me now. Just imagine it definitely wouldn't if I were truly drinking the entire gallon of liquid a day! :-)
The transition to maintenance, while I am certain I am ready, is freaking me out a little bit. As most of you know, this isn't the first time I've done this but I am greatly convinced it's different this time and that I can do it. Funny, there was just a Facebook post on the Garcia Weight Loss page that asked what the most difficult to avoid thing is during maintenance. My post back was something to the effect of thinking that the first time I just was going to "know" what to do and it would just take that to maintain. This time, I KNOW that it takes daily conscious effort to make the right decisions. Unfortunately, I've come to realize that this is something I am going to have to live with every day of life.
This week I have challenged myself to at least double the water I have been drinking lately, it hasn't been enough! I'm technically 5.6 pounds from where I thought I wanted goal to be. I think we are close enough to start the transition while 100% remaining on the program. I am determined to be done with the medication before the 23rd of June. I'm not sure I'm ready to blog about why yet, but you never know when a post might shown up here. :-)
I can't begin to tell you how much happier of a person I am now. I feel confident and fun and a little sexy even, sometimes. Although I'm pretty sure my boyfriend just chuckled at that comment! Haha! I think feeling like this is totally worth having to make conscious decisions about staying this way. This time, I'm not willing to give that feeling up!
So, maintenance begins...although at this point, the only change is coming off of meds. Next week, I'll be sure to fill you in on what happens during maintenance...I have to save something for you to read next time! Just know that servings change, food choices are expanded and there's a little different weigh in/visit schedule.
Have a fantastic week....I'm very much looking forward to mine!!
Things are going so well at this point in the program. Today marks 15 weeks and things have gone great. As of today I've lost 42.6 pounds and even though I'm not quite to where I want to be, I've officially started the transition to maintenance. What does that mean, you ask? Well, this is my last week of medicine. I was taking 3 doses a day of the appetite suppressant and today we cut that down to 1 dose a day for a week, then no more appetite suppressant. I've not really taken that regularly for the last couple of weeks, so I feel confident that I can still make the right choices even without it. I confirmed with Dr. Armstrong today, it's nothing more than to control hunger and I don't feel like that's an issue for me now. Just imagine it definitely wouldn't if I were truly drinking the entire gallon of liquid a day! :-)
The transition to maintenance, while I am certain I am ready, is freaking me out a little bit. As most of you know, this isn't the first time I've done this but I am greatly convinced it's different this time and that I can do it. Funny, there was just a Facebook post on the Garcia Weight Loss page that asked what the most difficult to avoid thing is during maintenance. My post back was something to the effect of thinking that the first time I just was going to "know" what to do and it would just take that to maintain. This time, I KNOW that it takes daily conscious effort to make the right decisions. Unfortunately, I've come to realize that this is something I am going to have to live with every day of life.
This week I have challenged myself to at least double the water I have been drinking lately, it hasn't been enough! I'm technically 5.6 pounds from where I thought I wanted goal to be. I think we are close enough to start the transition while 100% remaining on the program. I am determined to be done with the medication before the 23rd of June. I'm not sure I'm ready to blog about why yet, but you never know when a post might shown up here. :-)
I can't begin to tell you how much happier of a person I am now. I feel confident and fun and a little sexy even, sometimes. Although I'm pretty sure my boyfriend just chuckled at that comment! Haha! I think feeling like this is totally worth having to make conscious decisions about staying this way. This time, I'm not willing to give that feeling up!
So, maintenance begins...although at this point, the only change is coming off of meds. Next week, I'll be sure to fill you in on what happens during maintenance...I have to save something for you to read next time! Just know that servings change, food choices are expanded and there's a little different weigh in/visit schedule.
Have a fantastic week....I'm very much looking forward to mine!!
May 31, 2011
Week 13...Back On Track
I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! A holiday weekend, the kick-off to summer and what a great weekend I had!
The past week was definitely a little hectic. Work has been crazy busy and I've been driving around all over the place in my territory to visit with agents. That part of my job definitely takes some prior planning as far as staying on the program is concerned! It is difficult to drive to the outlying places I've been and drink a gallon of water during the day! Meal planning is the easier part, but it definitely takes "planning".
This week on my long days on the road I was able to plan my meals, pack a cooler bag and have become a fan of some of the local parks in and around the areas where my sales calls were located. It's great to just sit in the park, eat lunch, maybe make a phone call or two and just have some quiet time for a short break. That being said, there are also those days when I'm driving down the road and eating between calls because there just wasn't time to stop! Ahhh, life as a sales & marketing person and being on the road!
I suppose all of the planning and preparations for a busy week paid off, though. This week was an excellent week at weigh in. I weighed in today with a loss of 6.6 pounds and am 9 pounds away from goal! I can't believe in a quarter of a year, I've come within 10 pounds of goal with a total of 39 pounds lost. I know that the commitment to maintain is there without question. It's been very rare that I've even wanted anything that wasn't on the program. It's just easy to follow when you commit to following!
I'm hoping to start maintenance in the next couple weeks, a decrease of the meds, adding in other things, all great stuff...as always, I'll keep you posted!
Have a fabulous week!
The past week was definitely a little hectic. Work has been crazy busy and I've been driving around all over the place in my territory to visit with agents. That part of my job definitely takes some prior planning as far as staying on the program is concerned! It is difficult to drive to the outlying places I've been and drink a gallon of water during the day! Meal planning is the easier part, but it definitely takes "planning".
This week on my long days on the road I was able to plan my meals, pack a cooler bag and have become a fan of some of the local parks in and around the areas where my sales calls were located. It's great to just sit in the park, eat lunch, maybe make a phone call or two and just have some quiet time for a short break. That being said, there are also those days when I'm driving down the road and eating between calls because there just wasn't time to stop! Ahhh, life as a sales & marketing person and being on the road!
I suppose all of the planning and preparations for a busy week paid off, though. This week was an excellent week at weigh in. I weighed in today with a loss of 6.6 pounds and am 9 pounds away from goal! I can't believe in a quarter of a year, I've come within 10 pounds of goal with a total of 39 pounds lost. I know that the commitment to maintain is there without question. It's been very rare that I've even wanted anything that wasn't on the program. It's just easy to follow when you commit to following!
I'm hoping to start maintenance in the next couple weeks, a decrease of the meds, adding in other things, all great stuff...as always, I'll keep you posted!
Have a fabulous week!
May 24, 2011
Week 12--Where do we go from here?
Gosh, it's been a couple of weeks since I've posted a blog update for you all. It's been absolutely crazy, dealing with some issues at work and traveling for work and now my grandmother needing some prayers that she will recover nicely from a fall resulting in a broken hip and lots of rehab time to come. She's 92...and up until last week was planning a move to my parents house, just to be near where she spends most of her time. Here's to hoping this is just a minor set-back for her!
Well, it's been an interesting couple of weeks in so many ways. Life sometimes just gets overwhelmingly busy. I can't remember the last time I just had a quiet day or night to do "nothing" or whatever I want! I do have a vacation day on Friday and I think I'm looking forward to just getting things done that I want to do! I think when you work over a weekend it throws off all of the "things" that you plan to do, even if you don't actually "do" them! That makes sense in my head...but I'm not positive it did there! :-)
So, the reason you all read this blog is not to really see what I am stressing about or what things keep me from doing laundry or watering plants (dang it, forgot again!) or all of those things, but how the journey is progressing.
We left off on Week 9 with a total loss of 31.4 pounds and an update on losing inches and reflecting on the important things. Gosh, maybe I should read my blog once in a while!!
Well, Week 10 from what I remember, was a lot of work stress, more than I would ever even care to think about during the time when I am not working, so I'll spare you the boring details. However, the weigh in did produce a "no loss/no gain"...and a total of 31.4 pounds lost...frustrating, but completely deserved, considering the weekend that was just prior to weigh in was one with visiting work people and lots of "entertaining"! Yes, entertaining is what we'll call that. Granted, I don't deviate from the food plan, but I think someone turned my water into Vodka once or twice. Conscious decisions, I'm just going to keep repeating that to myself!
Week 11 was a much more "normal" week, if you can define "normal" these days. Work, a beach visit, just a regular week in Florida. Week 11 produced a 3.2 pound loss! Whatever I did that week, I'd like to put on "Replay" for a few more weeks!!
So now we make it to Week 12 and while I could tell you that I traveled for work for a good portion of the week and I could only control a portion of what I ate, and that I weighed in on Monday in the afternoon, rather than in the morning, and that I ate breakfast AND lunch before my weigh in...I'm not going to focus on that. The part that is the focus this week is that for the first time in the "history" of being on program with Garcia, I posted a GAIN. Granted, there was that time when I was "off" the program, I gained more than I care to admit then, but, that's a blog post from the past! OUCH! Yes, 2.2 pounds of "life got in the way" is now sitting right on my....well, I'm not exactly sure, but it's there!
When I check out of Dr. Garcia's office, the girls in there know me well, some of them are on my Facebook, some of them see me every week, same time, same place! We had a great conversation yesterday regarding my annoyance (that's the nice word) over the gain. The things listed above are true, I did only have control over a portion of what I ate last week, I did weigh in after my normal time, and after two meals but the fact of the matter is I had a gain. While there are factors that presented themselves, ultimately, I gained. So, there you have it...I'm completely human now! The conversation with the office yesterday was great though. The topic was not about the gain, but about the choices and decisions you make from this point on. I have options. I could decide to be annoyed about a 2.2 pound gain and let it become a factor in two ways. I could decide that I'm over it and just forget about reaching my goal, which is now 15.6 pounds away (and I have a time frame in mind for something to happen when I hit goal) OR I could decide that I'm over it and that's the last time I'll post a gain or give up the lack of control over what circumstances are placed in front of me.
I'm thinking you all have a pretty clear understanding of what direction I chose to go. I'm full force back on program, drinking every drop of water, taking meds on time and tonight, finished my 2nd workout of the week. There's no question, even with a holiday weekend coming up that on Tuesday night, I'll be posting a blog showing a loss. I just hope it's more than the 2.2 pounds! :-)
I suppose we could label this a little setback. Seems I have had a few of those lately in lots of aspects of my life. For the most part, all but one of those setbacks have been overcome. I see no reason why returning to my "I am going to do this and nobody is going to stop me" mindset can't just stick around at this point.
Ultimately, I have something I am so looking forward to doing, but I have to have hit goal and be off the Phendimetrazine for a period of time first....so there's a mission! Not that there hasn't been a mission all along, but now it's more of a time sensitive one ;-) That's all I'm sharing about that for now. Maybe some more another day...maybe not!
I hope you all have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend! Can you believe it's summer already??? (Well, for those of us in Florida, it's been summer for weeks!) HeeHee :)
Well, it's been an interesting couple of weeks in so many ways. Life sometimes just gets overwhelmingly busy. I can't remember the last time I just had a quiet day or night to do "nothing" or whatever I want! I do have a vacation day on Friday and I think I'm looking forward to just getting things done that I want to do! I think when you work over a weekend it throws off all of the "things" that you plan to do, even if you don't actually "do" them! That makes sense in my head...but I'm not positive it did there! :-)
So, the reason you all read this blog is not to really see what I am stressing about or what things keep me from doing laundry or watering plants (dang it, forgot again!) or all of those things, but how the journey is progressing.
We left off on Week 9 with a total loss of 31.4 pounds and an update on losing inches and reflecting on the important things. Gosh, maybe I should read my blog once in a while!!
Well, Week 10 from what I remember, was a lot of work stress, more than I would ever even care to think about during the time when I am not working, so I'll spare you the boring details. However, the weigh in did produce a "no loss/no gain"...and a total of 31.4 pounds lost...frustrating, but completely deserved, considering the weekend that was just prior to weigh in was one with visiting work people and lots of "entertaining"! Yes, entertaining is what we'll call that. Granted, I don't deviate from the food plan, but I think someone turned my water into Vodka once or twice. Conscious decisions, I'm just going to keep repeating that to myself!
Week 11 was a much more "normal" week, if you can define "normal" these days. Work, a beach visit, just a regular week in Florida. Week 11 produced a 3.2 pound loss! Whatever I did that week, I'd like to put on "Replay" for a few more weeks!!
So now we make it to Week 12 and while I could tell you that I traveled for work for a good portion of the week and I could only control a portion of what I ate, and that I weighed in on Monday in the afternoon, rather than in the morning, and that I ate breakfast AND lunch before my weigh in...I'm not going to focus on that. The part that is the focus this week is that for the first time in the "history" of being on program with Garcia, I posted a GAIN. Granted, there was that time when I was "off" the program, I gained more than I care to admit then, but, that's a blog post from the past! OUCH! Yes, 2.2 pounds of "life got in the way" is now sitting right on my....well, I'm not exactly sure, but it's there!
When I check out of Dr. Garcia's office, the girls in there know me well, some of them are on my Facebook, some of them see me every week, same time, same place! We had a great conversation yesterday regarding my annoyance (that's the nice word) over the gain. The things listed above are true, I did only have control over a portion of what I ate last week, I did weigh in after my normal time, and after two meals but the fact of the matter is I had a gain. While there are factors that presented themselves, ultimately, I gained. So, there you have it...I'm completely human now! The conversation with the office yesterday was great though. The topic was not about the gain, but about the choices and decisions you make from this point on. I have options. I could decide to be annoyed about a 2.2 pound gain and let it become a factor in two ways. I could decide that I'm over it and just forget about reaching my goal, which is now 15.6 pounds away (and I have a time frame in mind for something to happen when I hit goal) OR I could decide that I'm over it and that's the last time I'll post a gain or give up the lack of control over what circumstances are placed in front of me.
I'm thinking you all have a pretty clear understanding of what direction I chose to go. I'm full force back on program, drinking every drop of water, taking meds on time and tonight, finished my 2nd workout of the week. There's no question, even with a holiday weekend coming up that on Tuesday night, I'll be posting a blog showing a loss. I just hope it's more than the 2.2 pounds! :-)
I suppose we could label this a little setback. Seems I have had a few of those lately in lots of aspects of my life. For the most part, all but one of those setbacks have been overcome. I see no reason why returning to my "I am going to do this and nobody is going to stop me" mindset can't just stick around at this point.
Ultimately, I have something I am so looking forward to doing, but I have to have hit goal and be off the Phendimetrazine for a period of time first....so there's a mission! Not that there hasn't been a mission all along, but now it's more of a time sensitive one ;-) That's all I'm sharing about that for now. Maybe some more another day...maybe not!
I hope you all have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend! Can you believe it's summer already??? (Well, for those of us in Florida, it's been summer for weeks!) HeeHee :)
May 2, 2011
Reflections & Inches-Week 9 Round 2
Last week I posted a link to Dr. Garcia's website and my video on there. What I had forgotten, until yesterday was that I also wrote a 'story' for their page, and it's also still on the website.
What a reflection and a look back at 'Round 1', as I've apparently dubbed it. This is the paragraph that struck me as I read this again after so long.
This is flat-out absolutely the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. I know, and I’ve told others, until you’re ready to make the lifestyle change it will never, ever be successful. I was ready, I committed to the change in my lifestyle. I didn’t do this as a diet program; I did this as a lifestyle change. I did this to lose weight, look and feel fabulous and continue on living a completely different lifestyle than what my body has become used to for the past 23 years. I live my life today, completely different than I have any day in the last 23 years. First off, I live life for ME today, but what that means, is I do the things I need to do to take care of myself. Realizing, finally, that if I don’t take care of me, I’m no good to others! Today, I make sure I have time to eat properly. I plan my day and my meals, I work out or plan not to, but I am making conscious decisions.
That pretty much sums it up. It's my reason for wanting to do "Round 2" and my reason for making a commitment this time to pay attention, EVERY day!
This past week was a great week. Food wise, there were no struggles, unless you count watermelon, dang fruit gets me every time. But, it's not like I ate a bag of Skittles! Medication wise, I think I took every dose, pretty close to on time! Water-was much better than other weeks, for sure!
I also did some measurements on Saturday morning and what a great feeling that was! I rejoined the gym in October and my 'free trainer session' included measurements that day and then a month later. However, that was of course, before the restart.
Dr. Garcia's office also does a waist measurement at your first visit now, so I had that as well, but I'm happy to say, that since October 27 I have lost a total of 23.75" total, from shoulders, bust, waist, biceps, hips, thighs & calves. I'm pretty darn happy with that!
Sometimes I can't tell a difference when I look in the mirror as far as a pound here and a pound there, but I do know I'm wearing clothes that I have had that my boyfriend hasn't seen yet, which tells me that it's been at least 9 months since some of those things have fit. Knowing I can fit into my closet FULL of clothes, slowly but surely has been very gratifying. I don't feel like I'm losing sizes as quickly this time around, but I guess in Round 1, I for sure, started much heavier so the sizes seemed to drop pretty quickly to start with. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy...very happy, it's just different.
Today's weigh in appointment was a little hectic. I double (er, triple) booked myself with that appointment, a conference call and an appointment with an agency, so I was running like crazy, but managed to get in and see how the week went as far as the "numbers" go. It's all about the numbers in the long run, I suppose.
I'm happy to report that I reached a milestone today! Today's loss total was 3.4 pounds for a nine-week total of 31.4 and because of going over the 30-pound benchmark, there's a bonus!! Well, I consider it a bonus! This week I can start adding some other foods in. Mainly, tomatoes are now on the list, as well as Almond Milk (which makes great protein shakes and lasts longer than regular milk) and Sea Bass, Turnip Greens, although I wasn't losing sleep over those! I can also add in apricots and plums.
I couldn't be happier with the progress and the direction things are going. It's been super hot outside, so that makes it easier to drink the water and don't you know the first thing I ate at lunch today was a chicken salad with tomatoes in it! Dang it was good!!
I continue on...another 16 or so pounds, with a target date in my mind of when I should be there...we'll see if I can make it!
Here's hoping you all have a fabulous week, mine is shaping up to be fantastic!
What a reflection and a look back at 'Round 1', as I've apparently dubbed it. This is the paragraph that struck me as I read this again after so long.
This is flat-out absolutely the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. I know, and I’ve told others, until you’re ready to make the lifestyle change it will never, ever be successful. I was ready, I committed to the change in my lifestyle. I didn’t do this as a diet program; I did this as a lifestyle change. I did this to lose weight, look and feel fabulous and continue on living a completely different lifestyle than what my body has become used to for the past 23 years. I live my life today, completely different than I have any day in the last 23 years. First off, I live life for ME today, but what that means, is I do the things I need to do to take care of myself. Realizing, finally, that if I don’t take care of me, I’m no good to others! Today, I make sure I have time to eat properly. I plan my day and my meals, I work out or plan not to, but I am making conscious decisions.
That pretty much sums it up. It's my reason for wanting to do "Round 2" and my reason for making a commitment this time to pay attention, EVERY day!
This past week was a great week. Food wise, there were no struggles, unless you count watermelon, dang fruit gets me every time. But, it's not like I ate a bag of Skittles! Medication wise, I think I took every dose, pretty close to on time! Water-was much better than other weeks, for sure!
I also did some measurements on Saturday morning and what a great feeling that was! I rejoined the gym in October and my 'free trainer session' included measurements that day and then a month later. However, that was of course, before the restart.
Dr. Garcia's office also does a waist measurement at your first visit now, so I had that as well, but I'm happy to say, that since October 27 I have lost a total of 23.75" total, from shoulders, bust, waist, biceps, hips, thighs & calves. I'm pretty darn happy with that!
Sometimes I can't tell a difference when I look in the mirror as far as a pound here and a pound there, but I do know I'm wearing clothes that I have had that my boyfriend hasn't seen yet, which tells me that it's been at least 9 months since some of those things have fit. Knowing I can fit into my closet FULL of clothes, slowly but surely has been very gratifying. I don't feel like I'm losing sizes as quickly this time around, but I guess in Round 1, I for sure, started much heavier so the sizes seemed to drop pretty quickly to start with. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy...very happy, it's just different.
Today's weigh in appointment was a little hectic. I double (er, triple) booked myself with that appointment, a conference call and an appointment with an agency, so I was running like crazy, but managed to get in and see how the week went as far as the "numbers" go. It's all about the numbers in the long run, I suppose.
I'm happy to report that I reached a milestone today! Today's loss total was 3.4 pounds for a nine-week total of 31.4 and because of going over the 30-pound benchmark, there's a bonus!! Well, I consider it a bonus! This week I can start adding some other foods in. Mainly, tomatoes are now on the list, as well as Almond Milk (which makes great protein shakes and lasts longer than regular milk) and Sea Bass, Turnip Greens, although I wasn't losing sleep over those! I can also add in apricots and plums.
I couldn't be happier with the progress and the direction things are going. It's been super hot outside, so that makes it easier to drink the water and don't you know the first thing I ate at lunch today was a chicken salad with tomatoes in it! Dang it was good!!
I continue on...another 16 or so pounds, with a target date in my mind of when I should be there...we'll see if I can make it!
Here's hoping you all have a fabulous week, mine is shaping up to be fantastic!
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