I looked back in my WW weigh in logs and have noticed I've been stuck between 53 and 57 pounds lost since February 13th. I think we can say this is a stupid, dumb, inconvenient, stubborn plateau! I am in the midst of massive diet fatigue, caused by this stupid plateau.

Mentally, I think I've been on "vacation" since the Shamrock run. I was so mad that I didn't loose anything after doing the 5k, and I checked out. But I know I cannot afford to do that. I know I haven't been meal planning as much either. However, last week was my 34th birthday. I took the week off, didn't track, didn't care. I ate what I wanted, and how much I wanted. I did make good choices, besides the amazing hamburger that Rob made on my b-day, and the amazing steak I had last night when we celebrated with my family & Uncle Vino. But I had no idea this morning when I stepped on the scale, and was down 1.6!

I think seeing myself hit 57.0 helped make me realize I am 3 lb away from 60. I am mentally ready to hit that number, and it really is just a number. I remember thinking about this when I was trying to hit 10%, way back when. Even with this plateau, I have lost 4.5 inches! So Even when I am not loosing weight, I am loosing fat! So there is the silver lining! Another one is that I am now a blue belt in Taekwondo, check the tab above for some photos.
Until next week (I hope)!

End of February recap-How'd I do?

I am trying to track my measurements, weight, BMI, etc each month. And I figured I'd recap it.
Started at 282.6 and ended up at 276. I lost 6.6 lb for the month of February. My BMI in January was 45.6 and in February it ended at 44.4! Need to get it to 30... then lower!
Measurements, I lost 6.75 inches this month for a total of 50.75 (for most measurements since the beginning) and an additional 3.75 in new locations I just started tracking this year! For a total of 54.5 inches! That's almost 5 feet! Holy shit!!! I am happy with that! :)

Rob and I going out for our 8 year anniversary.

Some things I have been having trouble with, is having the motivation to run. I've been really slacking on my C25k training and guess what?! It's in less than 2 weeks!! AGHHHHH! I am just a *tad* bit nervous. But I've heard the Shamrock Run is so busy and distracting that the 3 miles will fly by, I hope so. I did belt test and am now a Senior Green belt! 7 weeks away from being in the intermediate class for Taekwondo! Excited about that! Below is the video of my board break. I love Ax kicks!

Goals for March. Loose 5 inches, hit 271.2 on the scale, and  finish the Shamrock Run (goal of 45 minutes, but finishing is the main goal).

Success along the Weigh

Today I am down 3.8 for a total of 53 lb lost. I am thrilled with that number, shocked really, I figured I'd be down around 52 total today. There is a woman in the blogosphere that has a blog called "Success Along the Weigh" and she's lost over 190lb. Her #1 rule is "Quitting is not an option" and I think it's a great topic for this week.
After last week's 1 lb gain, I made sure I kept on doing what I had been doing, not letting the + get in my head. And by pushing through it's helped! I kept with the same diet, and exercise routine. The only variation I did was yesterday (Sunday) because I have a cold, was pooped and didn't think I could do the C25k run. So instead, I did the elliptical for 30 minutes versus running/walking. I didn't give up, saying "I'm not feeling good" or "I'm too tired to do it" etc. I put on my gym clothes and headed out. I felt good afterwards (especially after stretching-flexibility is improving big time). I had a good calorie burn and got home in time for the end of the game (priorities, right?).

So the summery for the week:
Mon: 2,070 cal / 50 P+
Tues: 2,112 cal/ 55 P+
Wed: 1,872 cal/ 48 P+
Thurs: 1,906 cal/ 51 P+
Fri: 1,944 cal/ 51 P+
Sat: 2,429 cal/ 65 P+
Sun: 1,683 cal/ 44 P+

I earned 64 Activity Points per WW & burned 3,164 Calories per MFP in 313 minutes of activity! So this week, I ate all my weekly points and 14 of my activity points.

I am happy with it, I think I did good. I also weighed in of Friday and had a good weigh in, down 2.4, so today was even better. Goal for this week: repeat week 3 of C25k, I am working on my breathing techniques for the 3 minute runs. I am also seeing Dr. Dennis (new Chiropractor) to have my pelvis adjusted, which should help my knees. And hopefully my cold will be gone soon, so I feel comfortable running again (without gasping for breath). Until next week!

Muscle gain, yeah, that's it.

Today I weighed in and was up 1 lb (total loss 49.2lb). I am going to attribute it to muscle gain or water retention in the muscles! I was at the gym 3 times last week, doing week 2 of the C25K program, and at Aim High for 3 TKD classes; which I think is the main reason. My body is adjusting to the amount of exercise I am doing. I know it's not what's going in my mouth, since I tracked (really, I did) and was not crazy. I had 1 cheat meal on Saturday for Lucy's 3rd b-day, but that's it.
Here's how the week looked:
Mon: 2,351 cal / 61 P+
Tues: 1,683 cal/ 41 P+
Wed: 1,996 cal/ 44 P+
Thurs: 2,067 cal/ 48 P+
Fri: 1,611 cal/ 48 P+
Sat: 2,468 cal/ 70 P+
Sun: 2,131 cal/ 54P+
I earned 94 Activity Points per WW & burned 3,285 Calories per MFP in 310 minutes of activity!
So I guess the WW Points were high on some days, but that's where I used my weeklies and some activity points. That's what they are for. :)

Tomorrow I start week 3 of the C25K and I am a bit nervous since my knee and shin on my right leg are bothering me. But I think I am out of alignment so I am calling Hector and having an adjustment. Hopefully that will help. If you want to see how I am doing on that training, check the tab above. Thanks for the support! Hopefully next week my body will be adjusted to the new workout routine.

A huge goal met!

50 lb lost charm from WW! Took 53 weeks!

Today I hit a major goal! I have lost 50.2 lb since Jan 2, 2011! I am thrilled! I know last week when I blogged about everything, I was going to hit it this week! And sure enough I lost 4.2 lb this weigh in!

This last week, I have really changed up my outlook on this "diet." I knew things needed to change, and so I changed them-for the better! I tracked all week! I didn't miss a single thing (ok, maybe gum, but dude, it's 5 Kcal). I actually double tracked: WW points plus and calories on Myfitnesspal.com. It was interesting to see. 
Mon: 2,060 cal / 49 P+
Tues: 1,949 cal/ 48 P+
Wed: 1,519 cal/ 38 P+
Thurs: 1,901 cal/ 44 P+
Fri: 1,849 cal/ 53 P+
Sat:1,948 cal/ 44 P+
Sun:1,537 cal/ 40 P+
I earned 66 Activity Points per WW & burned 3,378Calories per MFP in 265 minutes of activity!

I think this is good to see, to be able to reflect on the effects of training 6 of 7 days last week. This week I plan on adding weight lifting to the mix.
Mon, Wed, Sat: TKD
Mon & Wed: Weights
Tues, Thurs, Sun: C25k week 2

So there it is, hit 50 lb, feel great about last week's workouts, and how I ate. So hopefully I can continue this trend. New goal is 60 by the end of February.

1 year down!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Today is my 1 year mark on my journey to a healthier Melissa. I am very proud of committing to this, and sticking with it (in some way or form) for this long. Normally I burn out after 2-3 months and give up. I am very happy to say that I have changed my life(style) not just did/am doing a diet. In this period of time I have lost over 46 lb. I did gain this week (+2.4) but I think that was because of such a big loss last week and being sick. I was dehydrated and was warned when I weighed in last week, I could gain. Ann was right. But I am not stressing over it.

I have looked at my blog from the last year and have noticed what was working and what wasn't working. Working: gym & tracking. Not working: just Taekwondo & trying to eat right. So I am back to hitting the gym 2-3 times a week and I am back to tracking food. I am game planning my week too, seeing (ahead) what the hurdles will be and knowing how to over come them. This week we are going to see West Side Story, which means eating out. So If I hit the gym (changed to Crunch today) twice and Taekwondo twice before Friday, I'll be in good shape.

But I wanted to write about what I've accomplished in the last year besides the obvious scale victory.
1. Size 18 pants!
2. Smaller shirt size (22/24-darn boobs)!
3. Speaking of boobs, smaller bra size too!
4. Being able to do the elliptical for more than 1/2 hr without fear of dying (kidding).
5. Just saying "no" to cookies and junk.
6. Making better choices when out to eat.
7. Joining Chandler in Taekwondo and succeeding!
8. Speaking of TKD, Ax and Roundhouse kicks at my head level! Nuff said!
9. Balancing on a balance ball on all 4's for over a minute (close to 2).
10. On the ball, getting on to just my knees for the count of 5 (need to be at 20 when I test for black belt).
11. Feeling good about looking at myself!
12. Buying Ladies (not women's) XL workout pants!
13. Donating a ton of FAT clothes! Woot!!!

There are more, but those are listed on the other list. :) Until next time, friends!

My list...

I saw a post of a blog and she got the idea from one of her friends, and I loved it! For every pound lost, give a reason to have lost that pound! I looked over her list and I agreed with 85% of her list. But I will give you my list, the first 48 of the journey! I look forward when I can list 50, but until then. I start with the this year’s progress!

1. Sit on the floor comfortably without pinching my nerve in my hip.
2. Walk through the pew at church without having to side step
3. Lose the double chin
4. Rediscover my jaw bone
5. To shop at any store!
6. Paint my toenails without having to put my foot up on the counter!
7. Being able to see what color it is without having to bend over!!
8. Hold a plank position for more than 1 minute
9. Do more than 1 real push up at a time
10. Fit in narrow seats
11. Not have back fat
12. Not have my legs touch in the middle
13. Go jogging for fun, not for a fitness test (high school=nightmares)!
14. Get to a healthy weight so I can see my future grandchildren!
15. Find my collarbone and show it off
16. Not just wear jeans & t-shirts!
17. Run a 5k
18. Train for a half marathon
19. Train for a century bike ride (100 miles)
20. Have tall boots fit over my calves
21. Wear heals and not complain the minute they are put on!
22. Not have my arms wave back at you when I wave
23. Prove that I wasn’t meant to be FAT!
24. Earn a Black Belt in Taekwondo
25. Be smaller than I was as a Freshman in High school (271 lb)
26. Feel good in my exercise clothes
27. Have a healthy glow
28. See my toes from a standing position (I suppose that goes with toenail polish).
29. Make healthy changes to my favorite recipes because I want to, not because I have to
30. Wake up ready to go, and not want more sleep
31. Have more flexibility mentally and physically
32. Prevent knee surgery
33. Not be ashamed of myself
34. Enjoy looking in the mirror
35. Shop in the "regular" section of department stores
36. Have positive things to say about myself
37. Increase stamina
38. Fit comfortably in chairs at events (ie: giants games,convention center, etc.)
39. Feel like a legitimate athlete when I am out exercising 
40. Look like a legitimate athlete when I am out exercising
41. Inspire people
42. Take joy in taking care of myself
43. Try things I’ve wanted to try, but haven’t due to weight.
44. Know that I'm worth it 
45. Finally know I DESERVE it
46. I no longer qualify to be a contestant on the Biggest Loser!!
47. Be able to be a bone marrow donor on Be the Match
48. Feel good about donating all the fat clothes! See ya!

So there you have it! The first 48 things in *my list* of reasons to lose this weight! I will try to keep adding to it as I lose. As I close on 2011, and reflect on where I was when I rang in 2011, and where I am now, on the cusp of 2012. I am in awe of myself. For example, when I began in Taekwondo in July, I began learning how to balance on a ball on all fours. I could hardly do it. Now I can do it for 1-2 minutes! Now I am working on getting on just my knees. By the time I test for Black Belt I will need to last 20 seconds. Last week, I was able to do it for 5 seconds! Progress!!! I look forward to sharing more progress in 2012! And in April, I should be moving into the Blue Belt program! So progress continues! Have a very Happy New Year! Much love,

Thanksgiving success

This week we had a beautiful Thanksgiving meal with Rob's family. I made all the dishes that I would eat, and the things I don't eat (stuffing, yams, pumpkin pie, etc) I didn't make. So everything I made was low in fat, sodium (if possible), and calories. I must say it all turned out delish! I didn't track at all, didn't exercise much (TKD once), and still managed to loose 2.4 to hit 45 lb lost on the nose! I was very excited to see that number. I know my goal was to hit 50 by next week, and I know that's most likely not going to happen, but I will be close! :) That makes me happy.

This week will be busy, and I suspect I'll be able to be good. I will be down at the Keller Auditorum for the Singing Christmas Tree. Starting tonight and through Sunday, I will be singing and having a blast with my TREE friends! I am amazed by how many people I know (women) are doing Weight Watchers or counting calories. It's just another support group and it really does help to have more friends to check in with. I will be sad next Monday when I won't be able to check in (in person) with Jo-Netta, Pattie, Gwen, Karen or Stacey. But  my motivation is still there in email and facebook.

Next week I'd like to see a drop of 2, and that will be without TKD all week, since it won't fit into the schedule. But I might try and squeeze in a couple gym runs.

18!

For the last 4-5 years, Mom,Michelle and I hit Lane Bryant's 50% Black Friday Sale. This year, I knew I was going to need to get some clothes after this year's weight loss. When we finally made it to LB this afternoon, I was grabbing jeans to see what size I was. I figured a 20, since I had been in 22s for a while. Nope! I fit into size 18! HOLY SMOKES! Granted they are tight, but with another 5 lb I am sure they will fit like butter. So by the time I get the jeans for Christmas (Thanks Mom!), they should fit! I am so excited!!!

A goal hit!

A while ago, I made a goal to hit 40 lb. If I hadn't been a slacker in August, I would have hit it in September, but alas, I was. So I hit it today! I am down 40.8 lb since Jan 2! Sweet! I lost 3.4 lb this last week, which was great. I know I haven't really posted much, but I am working on it.

This week, Chandler & I will belt test in Taekwondo. I am hoping to try for a double belt promotion, but only if Chandler will be able to do the same. He's confident he's ready to try, so I let him lead (as well as Master Null). We just need to practice our Korean terminology and Q&A portion of the test. I had a goal (in addition to) to be able to Ax Kick at my head level by this week. I accomplished that goal two weeks ago! Who would have known a 290.4 lb woman could do that! I did! :)

I have been also working on eating more homemade food, less junk. I think I have been doing pretty good with that. A lot of soup and sandwiches for lunch. I will try and put some recipes up this week. I tried a Pasta Fegioli soup from Skinnytaste that was great! And I made some PB Banana Muffins that were good too-needed some mini chocolate chips, though.

Team Warriors 4 Alex, 2011

 The Brown family also participated in the Light the Night walk on Oct. 1. It was a great moment for the Warriors 4 Alex, even though Alex was still at the hospital recovering from his Bone Marrow Transplant.  We had over 60 Warriors walk with us and it was a very moving evening, even with a little bit of a sprinkle. So far our team has raised over $9,300! We have two more fundraisers coming up, Dutch Bros Beaverton on Monday Oct 24, and Zumba at Hardcore Training Studio on Nov 5! If you can come, check out our facebook page www.facebook.com/warriors4alex.

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The Browns

In the mean time, check out the pages below! More progress and notes!

Progress page
Taekwondo Diary

Recommitting!

This summer has been tough on the diet, I've maintained (within 2 lb) of where I was down the most (37 lb). But I need to get back on the bandwagon. Summer break is (essentially) over and it's time to get my head into the game.

Today I went into Weight Watchers and weighed in, surprisingly I was down .2 lb. One thing I am proud to say, even though I knew the scale wouldn't be happy, I still went to my weigh in. Period, no cheating! I would tell myself, that I need to know the number and it was my own doing. Today I even mentioned that to the person who was weighing me in, and she said that was 1/2 the battle. Woo!

Today my leader, Jeannine, spoke about getting un-stuck! Talk about a perfect meeting for me. Why, Melissa, are you not loosing, you might ask? Well, I am not tracking, working out as much as I should, eating crap food that I shouldn't be eating, not measuring my portions, and not tracking! Oh wait I said that already, well, it's that damn important, so I hear.

Today I tracked all that I ate (Calorie wise). I should enter it into WW and see what the points come in at, just for shits and giggles. I'd be curious. I also did my exercise, 45 minutes of Taekwondo and 27 minutes of Walking (at home with Leslie). So I can check off the 2 goals I had for today.
Today's Calorie intake: 1829 (goal 1800)
Fat: 38 g
Protein: 115 g
Carbs: 232 g
Fiber: 19 g

Weight Watchers info:
 Daily Pts+: 45 allowed
Weekly Pts+: 45 (43 left)
Pts+ used: 47 (2 WPs used)
Activity Points earned: 12


Don't be surprised, if I blog every day this week, just to get back on track. Track(ing) right, must track! LOL. Until next time (and maybe I'll share some Taekwondo and biking goodies),

10%, woo!

Jeannine and I with my 10% ring!

Today was a great day, and it's only noon! On Friday I did my weigh in at Weight Watchers to find out that I had already hit 10%, loosing 3.8 lb since Monday. So today when I went in, I was hoping last night's dinner at John's didn't kill that 3.8 lb that I had already lost. It didn't! Today I was down 5.2 lb, for a total loss of 34.6 lb!

A few things helped in getting me to this point this week. I didn't step on the scale at home. I only stepped on the WW scale and my doctor's scale last week. I counted and tracked! I made wise choices, salad with chicken instead of pasta at Ernesto's, and at John's, I went with salad first then had the pizza... Filled up on the healthy, before the "junk." And I used Sharon's advice, trying Walk of the Pounds DVD. I did it 4 times last week, and man was covered in sweat. In 15 minutes, I burned 300 calories, just walking in place (some sideways, forward & backwards included)! I was sold. So I moved! Plus I didn't sit on my butt as much! I was busy doing things, gearing up for Linc's birthday party on Sunday (gasp).

Bodybugg Stats:
Calories burned: 3314
Calorie Consumed: 1870
Calorie Deficit: 1444
Activity time: 1 hr 7 min
Steps taken: 6861
Hours slept: 7 hrs 39 minutes

Not too bad! Goal for this coming week, continue with the Walk off the Pounds DVDs, track, and try one new recipe (Skinnytaste.com has some that I am going to try), and be good on Linc's birthday!

Here's a picture of Jean

Have a great week! Much love,

Slow and steady wins the race, right?

This week I was a "non-tracker." I admit it. I have been really lacking in the writing it down habit. And I know that is causing my loss to be less. This week I was down .6 (again). That's fine, at least it's a loss. :) But I know after speaking to my WW leader, tracking really is the key. So I am going to be extra diligent and write it all down (hey I just remembered some nuts I had earlier that I forgot to track, opps)! So I am going to make a note on the mirror in the bathroom to remind me to track! I have 2 lb to loose to hit my first real goal, I can do this! And 2 lb is very doable. So that's it for the week. I will have a couple other (random) posts this week. Other things going on that I need to reflect on. So please check back. Thanks for the support! I will post on Friday how the week is going. Until then,

It's a beautiful day!

Cue the U2 song, as I sit outside on the patio, watching the boys play, while I wear my sunglasses! Ah, spring has finally shown up here in Portland! Whew, and not a moment too soon!!!! This week's weigh was a good one, still a bit surprising, but not really. I was down 3.4 this week. I was pretty impressed with myself for having 2 big weeks in a row (see progress page to the right for week recaps). But I will never complain about a loss! I have learned that lesson.

I wasn't nearly as good this week tracking or even making it to the gym, but did up my water intake, and I believe that's been a new key to this loosing thing! Gotta flush it out! :)

Today I went shopping with mom, Michelle, and the boys for new clothes. I was so proud to say, I am now a 22! I have new pants, shorts and skirt, in addition to some tops. Pics to come as I wear them. I do have one outfit that is begging for a trip to the Keller for Riverdance in a few weeks. But it might show up for the Singing Christmas Tree Auction next week. I feel very blessed. And even more committed to this journey. Thanks for the support!

Facing the music Monday...and it's beautiful!

Last week's weigh in on Monday was not good (up 2.4), but I knew it when I walked into WW that morning. Last week was a difficult week since I lost my laptop (hard drive on Sunday and motherboard on Wednesday), and anyone who knows me, knows that is a very difficult thing to loose!!!! Talk about stress! Thank goodness we have the Geeks (Geeksaknockin) who took care of my hard drive, and Costco for having a 2 year warranty!!! As of this morning it's now fixed, but I am now recovering my data (thank you Carbonite), which will take some time.

But to the weigh in, itself! I went in on Friday (Good Friday to be exact) and jumped on the scale. I was down! I was down 2.6! Woo! Now I knew I had worked out hard, cardio and lifting on my own. It's been hard to make it to group exercise classes as of late, so I am developing my own system using the stuff I learned in Bodypump! Looks like it's working. I made it to the gym 3 times, one of them being Sunday morning before Easter service. I wanted to make sure I was good, and had a good calorie burn since it was not only Easter but my 33rd birthday!

I was good, I didn't measure, but I made good choices. I picked turkey over prime rib, 1/2 of a baked potato, more green beans, less creamed corn (OMG, that was to die for since it was homemade). The birthday cake was homemade too, and it was delish! Ok, I know you all want to know the bottom line!

And that is, I am down 5.4 in 1 week! Holy moly! What a great birthday present! Total loss is 24.

Here is a photo from Saturday night, when we went and saw the 10 Grands concert (Mom and I). Needless to say I was thrilled! And I also did my inches, and I'm down 7" at least since February!

Thanks for all the support! Here's to being down at least 25 next week!


Bodybugg data for the last week:
Calories burned (2800 goal): 3071 Average
Calories consumed (1800 goal): 1754 Average
Calorie deficit (1000 goal): 1317 Average
Physical Activity(45 min goal): 41 min Average
Steps (8000 goal): 5148 Average
BMI: 50

Weigh in Monday!

I feel like I did good this week, considering it was Chandler's big birthday weekend (yes, they tend to last more than one day). I did my mid week weigh in and was down unofficially 2.8 as of Friday. The official weigh in is today, and that number is.... Loss of 3.4!!!!! Which means total weight loss of 19 lb, which means 5% lost! Can I get a woot woot?

I am still shocked how awesome I did for Chandler's birthday! But I need to step it up even more! I would love to get a trainer just to push myself a bit more... But they are way to expensive. Maybe that would be a good b-day present! ;-) I have a goal of 20 lb down by Easter/33rd Birthday (April 24) and I think I will hit that next week, 3 weeks early!

Bodybugg output for the week March 21-27:
Calories Burned: Average 3129 (Goal 2800)
Calories Consumed: Average 1920 (Goal 1800)
Meals logged: 5.1 a day
Calorie Balance: Average 1209 (goal 1000, to equal 2 lb loss)
Physical Activity: Average 37 minutes (Goal 45 minutes)
Steps: Average 4465 (Goal 8000)
Sleep Duration: 5hr 11min (Goal 8 hrs-can you tell 1: I have kids & 2: it was spring break? LOL)

I think the bodybugg is really helping me hit my weigh in goals! I plan on doing another mid week weigh in this week, but I don't expect a big number since I had such a big one this week. But I'd be happy with 1.5 lb next week! Until then, have a great week!

A great surprise!

Besides today being Chandler's 6th birthday, I had a great surprise! I decided to go weigh in mid week (today) to see how I was doing before the cake tomorrow for his party. So I went in, actually say my leader, and jumped (figuratively of course) on the scale. Boy was I shocked when it showed me DOWN 2.8 since Monday!

Just to show how shocked I was, last night I was *bad* and had a whole CPK BBQ Chicken pizza. Yeah, 1100 calories, bad! And I was still down.

So today, Chandler has requested, for dinner, steak, mashed potatoes, green beans and carrots. But we cannot forget the cake! So I am going to be doing a diet chocolate cake made with diet soda!

I'll be posting about it as well as the apple bread this afternoon. I need to get work done first, and work out. I really want to maintain that 2.8 for Monday's official weigh in!

Weigh in Day (a day late)!

This is the first post in what will be a few this week (most having to do with crafting or Chandler's birthday or both). :)

Yesterday I did my Monday weigh in, and I was down .8 lb! Woo. I was very happy with that. I officially hit 15 lb down, so here's my awesome new star!

I was having issues with my hip, and so I had that adjusted today, go figure, my pelvis was rotated and some bone in my butt was out of whack. So now my hip shouldn't bother me when I do the elliptical! That will be great.Hector was thrilled with my weight loss, and he even could tell I was toning up (under the jiggly tummy)! Makes me happy since I can't tell, LOL.

Anyway, back to this weeks weigh in: I missed tracking for 2.5 days, so I know that was part of the "low" number. But I spoke to my leader and asked if I could weigh in on Thursday or Friday in prep for my Chandler's 6th (gasp) b-day party on Saturday.

I am going to attempt to do the cauliflower mashed potatoes this week. And I have a stack of recipes that I'd like to try. I am going to make a soda cake (well cupcakes), which should make cake a bit easier to swallow (calorie and points+ wise). Also next week I am going to try Jicama, at the suggestion of a woman in my meeting. Little steps. Until next time (which won't be long)!
Mel

Weigh in Monday!

Today's weight in was a bit of a surprise. I was bad over the weekend, and was dreading Monday morning. But I went, needing to be accountable for my actions, no matter how bad they could have been. This week I was down 1.8; total loss of 14.8! I am .2 from the 15 lb mark and 2.4 from my 5% goal!

So this was a good morning! Plus I didn't have to bring Lincoln with me, which was a HUGE bonus. Next week is spring break, Chandler will be coming along, which is fun since I know there is another woman who has kids the same age as mine, and they'll be there! :)

I need to work on getting into the gym more, I was only in twice last week, and that's not ok. Plus I was really bad about tracking my food. I know in my head I was close to the 1800 calories I aim for, but I know I blew it when I caved and hit Sonic with the family. So other goal is to get better at tracking the food. I am still wearing the Bodybugg so there isn't a reason NOT to track.

Also a goal is to try 2 new things this week.

I'll be posting later this week about Chandler's room renovation. It's been a fun project. Oh and speaking about project, I have a new crochet project to post on! It's been a fun project too.

Weekly weigh in!

After some thought and determination, I decided I needed to do some adjustments. I got my Bodybugg out and started using it to see how many calories I am actually burning. I love WW, but I am thinking that it's a great guideline, but not "fast enough" for my taste. I'd like to loose 2-3 lb a week, not their recommended 1-2 lb a week. Sorry, but when you have this much to loose, 1 lb a week is 52 lb a year... Much better. Does that mean I am going to hit 2-3 every week, NO (look below)! But I can work toward that goal and feel like I am doing a bit better. I am going to keep going to meetings, since I get a lot out of the meetings right now. It's nice to have the "official weigh in day/time" that's not at home. :)

Now I am going to start posting my weekly calorie burn and intake instead of points. It's a much better gauge to see how many lbs I should be loosing. Math Alert: For every lb of fat it takes 3,500 calories to burn. So if you are in a 3,500 calorie deficit (500 a day), you should loose 1 lb. For me, my goal is to be in a 1,000-1,500 calorie deficit a day. I am eating about 1,800 calories, so I need to burn 2,800-3,300 a day. I didn't enter points this week, but I logged all my food in the Body Media site, so I will be going back to see how many points I did eat. And since I didn't really start this until Tuesday afternoon, I think some of my data below could be skewed a bit. But it's worth looking at. :)

Week of: March 1 (Tues)-March 6 (Sun)
Calories Burned (Avg): 3778
Calories Consumed (Avg): 1908
Calorie Balance (Avg): -1870 a day (woo!)
Physical Activity (Avg): 1 hr 6 min
Steps (Avg): 7504

Weight Lost: 1.6 lb
Total Lost: 13.0 lb

Conclusion for the week: Keep it up! 1.6 is great, it's a loss! Goal is to get back into the gym. I burn a lot more calories doing the elliptical than lifting weights, but I love both. Going to hit Zumba tomorrow to see what kind of burn Gina can give me!