Yippee!!!!!!!

 

 

         Weight loss from October 3rd to November 7th has been four pounds.

 

     How? Tracking my calories using Spark People. Exercising four to five times per week. With an ancient bicycle and strength and tone bands from Walmart for $15. I cleaned up my diet. I eat more whole foods. Leaning more towards a plant based diet. Can't say I will never eat meat again. Never is a long time.

 

     I also weigh myself three times a week. Realizing that this doesn't work for some. The scale isn't my enemy. It is only a tool that tells me my weight. After hearing many times to ditch the scale. Go by how my clothes fit. I have many sizes of clothes. And have already gained five pounds by the time my jeans don't fit. So that doesn't work for me.

      

        

 

 

Left 10/3 144.4
Right 11/7 140.2

 

      I am also very glad to announce. It has been 36 days since my last binge. Even with some very stressful situations that have left me in tears. No chemical substance can cure my problems. Only God can do that!  I weigh myself three times a week. The scale isn't my enemy. It is only a tool that determines my weight. Won't throw it out. Won't use my clothes. By the time my jeans won't zip. I have already gained five pounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can see a little bit of progress!

 

 

     This is a big weekend coming up. Don't want to undo all my progress. In one weekend. Working on finding balance. Between big events and staying on a healthy track. Had a previous event. Where I did pretty good. I could have done better. Won't feel guilty because of it. As a wonderful Spark Member said, Guilt burns no calories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I never noticed I have chicken wings
One day I will not have them!
And I'll get rid of the back fat, too!

       
    Coming soon. Thanksgiving, Christmas and all the indulgences that comes with them.  Buckling down and staying serious. I can still lose weight. Done it before, can do it again! Must remember that these are holiDAYS and not holiMONTHS. Another wonderful saying from a Spark member. With a couple parties thrown in. Going to find the balance.  

    Next week I begin my new exercise program. Changing it up every six weeks. Keeps me from getting bored.

Training for a 5k

        **Note** I lost my weight using Points Plus. I have not and will not use Smart Points**

     Turning forty doesn't really feel much different than thirty nine. I do feel a lot better than I ever did in my twenties.  I dress better, too.  While in my twenties I gasp to think about how much I needed Stacy and Clinton. Why didn't anyone turn me into "What Not to Wear"? And hair, don't even get me started on my past hair.

    I want this part of my life to be filled with different things. I always wanted to run. So I signed up for a 5k in September. I figure I have enough time to train for that. I want to run. I already know that I can walk 3.10 miles. I want to push myself to do what I have never done. Eventually I want to run The Boston Marathon, but baby steps.

     So I am building up my stamina. For two weeks I have been riding my stationary bicycle. Riding it for twenty minutes a day, six times a week.  Trying to slowly build up stamina. Like I said, baby steps. Next week my exercise routine changes.

     I had quit Weight Watchers. I decided to go back. I am tired of the weight creeping up and up. Slowly creeping back on. I had the most success with Weight Watchers. It is a very good program. I was doing Spark People. Don't get me wrong. Spark People is a great program. I just found ways to cheat while doing Spark. It wasn't them, it was me.

    Embarking on a new journey is Fabulous!

My two biggest fans and motivation!

In the Home Stretch

     **Note** I lost my weight using Points Plus. I have not and will not use Smart Points**Note**

     Finally I am on Week Six and next week I get to rest! I already know that I that I won't be able to exercise on Friday. So I am adding five minutes to my stationary bicycle exercise Monday-Wednesday and adding ten minutes on Thursday. Then adding a set of each exercise to my Total Gym routine.

     I decided that I could save money by quitting Weight Watchers. I still highly recommend them for losing weight. Once you figure it out join Spark People. Both are excellent resources for health and fitness. Spark People is free.

      I haven't lost any additional weight since reaching maintenance. I guess that is ok since that is what Maintenance means. LOL! Must find my daily calorie sweet spot. When I try to e
at

in maintenance calories, I gain. Why is it so easy to gain it back and so hard to lose? So not fair.

         These are my goal dresses,

**Note: Don't began any exercise or diet program. Or make any goals without first consulting your doctor.


Before and After!

**Note** My weight was lost on the old Points Plus system. I have not (and will not) be using Smart Points**Note**

This is my before picture. Before Weight Watchers, before I got serious with Spark People.



Before at 143 pounds. These pictures were taken in between August 2013 and February 2014.

Taken this morning June 4, 2014

You all can see why it was important to lose weight. Being an apple shape can put me at a greater risk of weight related diseases.

The weight was lost with Spark People and Weight Watchers. No diet pills or potions. Or fad diets. Just good old fashioned hard work.

**Note: Don't began any exercise or diet program. Or make any goals without first consulting your doctor.



Motivation and New Goals!

     **Note** All my weight was lost using Points Plus. I have not and will not. Use Smart Points. **Note**

     **IMPORTANT NOTE** Exercise is wonderful, but before you start any program. CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR. This is my journey. Just make sure that you are healthy enough to exercise before you start any program.

    I have no motivation to exercise. I try to get involved in an exercise program and I just cannot stick to it. I am so jealous of those people that love exercise. Maybe they got my exercise loving genes? And I got their carbohydrate loving genes? On the subject of carbs, I love them and not giving them up, ever. I digress.

    So far with Spark People and Weight Watchers. I have lost 40 pounds. The first 20 with Spark People took a while, because I kept falling off the wagon. I could have saved myself a lot of disappointment. If I hadn't fallen off the wagon. The last 20 with Weight Watchers were all lost in 2014. Both are very good programs in their own right. And it [isn't] Spark Peoples fault that I kept falling off the wagon. Ok there is no use in beating myself up over what is in the past.

     I have started on a new path in my weight loss journey and that is maintenance. Those people that are in maintenance tell me that keeping the weight off is as hard as losing it. I can believe that. If you relax and stop tracking your food. Then it would be easy to start gaining it back. I know that I must track my food for the rest of my life. Whether through Spark or Weight Watchers. I need that feature to keep me accountable.

     So where is my motivation to exercise? I know, it is good for you. It can help prevent disease. It will help you feel better. A pound of muscle takes up a lot less room than a pound of fat. It is a misnomer that muscle weighs less than fat. What happens is fat is like a container of feathers. Muscle is like a piece of steel. You are going to need a lot of feathers to get to add up to a pound. A pound of steel would take up a lot less space. And that is what I want to do. I want to turn my feathers into steel. And yet that is still not enough motivation.

     I like to get prizes. When I was little. I liked earning the chance to pick out of the treasure box. I was always so proud of my little doo dad. I have fond memories of earning VBS bucks and getting to spend them at the little shop in the church basement. And that is how I am going motivate myself to exercise. The prize will be cheap but fabulous.

     My goal is to exercise, five days a week for thirty minutes a day. Every week that I do that. I will give myself a little inexpensive and yet totes fabu prize. And when I continue for six weeks. I get a bigger prize at the end. I have no idea what that will be.  The ultimate prize is a dress from a website called Mod Cloth. The way that fat collects around my tummy. Makes me a plus size at Mod Cloth. I want to be able to buy any of their dresses. And not be disappointed that I have to send it back. That might be a while from now. Maybe at twelve weeks or more. Or maybe six weeks, I hope, I hope.

    And for every six week period of exercise. I get one week of rest. And there are rules. To miss a day of exercise, I have to be sick enough to cancel a hair appointment. The salon I go to, I usually make my hair appointments at least two months in advance. Don't even ask about making a Saturday appointment. I have made those three or four months in advance. And to get another can be difficult. Which is why I don't like to cancel them.

    So I will do that. I will be back every week to share my progress. And the pictures of my cheap but fabulous prize. You don't have to spend a lot of money to be fabulous.