My current avatar is to remind me of the price of not tracking. Dear, silly, LSP. I love her, she's hilarious, but I want to stop looking like her.

So I'm STARTING OVER AGAIN (again) at 190.4 ... I'm going to track my week-by-week losses here just to keep my eyes on the prize. (Good idea, Jenn ... maybe you coulda done that the last time you started over at 181? Hmmmmmmm?)

Week 1 - 05/12/13: 189.6

LOL. Anyway, I'm back again and determined to stick with it ...

My current avatar is to remind me of the price of not tracking. Dear, silly, LSP. I love her, she's hilarious, but I want to stop looking like her.

So I'm STARTING OVER AGAIN (again) at 190.4 ... I'm going to track my week-by-week losses here just to keep my eyes on the prize. (Good idea, Jenn ... maybe you coulda done that the last time you started over at 181? Hmmmmmmm?)

Week 1 - 05/12/13: 189.6

LOL. Anyway, I'm back again and determined to stick with it this time.

My workplace is alarmingly chocolate-centric. We have a new staff member & today she said she had already gained 5 lbs since she started (less than a month ago)! So one thing I am doing is tracking the amount of sweets I take in. I know it makes a difference.

************************

Here's my old page text. It's still true. My old headline was "I Want It Back!" which is the name of a great song that I used to listen to while I ran. Funny, this song used to mean I wanted back the mojo I had when I was young ... now it means I want back the mojo I found for myself just a couple of years ago! My hard-earned, middle-aged, hot mama mojo. Got to have that back!

http://bit.ly/iwantitback
by the Bloodsugars

"I think I knew when I was young
I knew where I was coming from
And though I know there's more to come
I want it back"

This is my theme song right now, the one that propels me around the track at the gym, that gets me out of my chair and moving, that pushes me to run up the stairs at work instead of taking the elevator.

I want it back, and I'm taking it back!

I lead the Librarians and Wanna-Be Librarians Team.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/group
s_individual.asp?gid=681

Favorite quote of the moment:
"When you run, you make an imprint on your life. You race, accomplish, and think wow, that is cool. What you don't realize is that every time you accomplish your goal, you have managed to alter your being. You are now on a slightly dift tangent than you were before your race. Every time you change that tangent (doesn't have to be a race, but a search to define yourself), you move that much closer to the person that you were intended to be."
-- RACING4ME

And on the lighter side:
"To my delight, I finally found an activity where it's very likely that you can solve your problems with a new pair of shoes."
-- Why Running Can Be a Feminist Act, by Courtney Wilder (courtesy of MYAGREEMENT)

About me: I was in high tech from my mid-20s until I was 40, and steadily gained weight for that entire period due to low activity and a high calorie diet (mochas and chocolate chip cookies are great stress busters when you're programming for hours a day)!

I had a midlife surprise baby at 40, shortly after losing 30 pounds by walking three times a week; at 45 I was back up to almost 200 pounds. I really wanted to move down from those Size 18s! (Oh yeah, and it would be nice if my 5 year old didn't mention my "two tummies".)

I've just finished grad school (yay me) and the new routine of going to work every day, keeping regular hours, and not having so much stress that I feel the need to indulge in sweets should help me get back on my weightloss track. Since my job now involves doing programming again, I also need to make sure I don't get into stress-soothing with mochas and cookies (delicious, and highly available, as they may be ...)

My husband and I are celebrating his 7th year cancer free, and he too is on a quest to be as fit and healthy as possible. We are planning to vacation somewhere warm this year for our 25th anniversary, and we both plan to not be embarrassed to put on a bathing suit and go outside!

My Progress Overview:

2008:
June-August: 196 lbs. Started walking daily 1/2 hour.
November: 186 lbs. Got back on SparkPeople a bit.

2009:
January 31: 180.5 lbs. Strength training begins!
February 28: 173.25 ... just 8.25lbs to the next milestone ...
March 31: 168.5 ... just 3.5lbs to my SPA DAY!
April: (Whoa, I think I forgot to update this! Oops! Also still haven't had my spa day, although I did get a pedi and manicure last month as a mini-reward ...)
May 31: 162.5 ... another 7.5lbs & it'll be swimsuit time
June 30: 162.5 STILL, well at least it hasn't gone up :)
July 31: 166 ... ur, yes, it has ...
August: 159! Woo! and Hoo!
September:
October:
November:
December:

SP START DATE: June, 2008
Starting weight: 196 lbs.

Interim goals:

1. 185 lbs. -- Met! November, 2008
Reward: Get Back on SparkPeople!

2. 175 lbs. -- Met! February, 2009
Reward: New Lingerie

3. 165 lbs. -- Met! May, 2009
Reward: Spa Day

4. Be able to jog or run for 1 mile -- Met! June, 2009
Reward: New Running Shorts

5. 155 lbs.
Reward: New Bathing Suit

6. 145 lbs.
Reward: New Luggage

7. Look good in a bathing suit!
Reward: Wear a New One at Each Destination
- Spain's Mediterranean Coast
- South of France
- Czech Spa Resort

And now, for some inspiration!

"...it's never a SINGLE choice or single day that does it. It's all the steps, the days, the weeks of choices added up over time that gets the goal."
CCKELLY3 (Cassandra Kelley)

"A boat may be safe in a harbor, but that's not what boats are for." ROYALETBONE

"If you work really hard to achieve your goals but don't enjoy the journey, you're delaying the essence of life. Committing to your goals doesn't mean you slave away at work you dislike, celebrating only the destination. A real abiding commitment means that you love what you do each day. You are at least as passionate about the path as you are about the results. If you love the path you're on, your passion motivates you to keep taking the next step."
Steve Pavlina, courtesy of JENSFITJOURNEY

"Go buff... have abs... live your life... and remember to do it all with JOY." ROYALETBONE

"There is no such thing as a state of perfection, only perfect moments. It is up to me to recognize those moments, enjoy them and continue on."
Lisa Mainz, Founder of ShopOrganic.com

"We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."
Marianne Williamson, Return to Love

"If I want to be able to move when I want to, I have to move when I don't."
ROYALETBONE (more good stuff from Mare below)

"I don't need my food to be entertainment. Entertainment is why the goddess made libraries."
IDEBORAH

And a bit of inspiration through laughter, thanks to the inimitable song-stylings of GIRLHALFFULL:

Oompa loompa doompadee doo
I�ve got another puzzle for you.
Oompa loompa, doompadah dee
If you are wise you�ll listen to me.

How many pounds does it take to get fat?
Do you really need to put butter on that?
Portion distortion adds girth to your thighs
Do you know the meaning of Ex � er � cize?

You ought to eat more vegetables�

Oompa loompa doompadee dah
Exercise more, you�ll be sure to go far.
And you will be more healthy too
Like the oompa loompa doompadee do
Doompadee doo

"One thing that it’s crucial to understand is that being overweight isn’t the cause of your unhappiness, and simply weighing less won't make you feel better about yourself and your life. It’s all the things you think about your body that make you unhappy, and it’s changing those thoughts that will make you feel better and help you lose weight." - COACH DEAN

Inspirational "Blogroll"
(Thanks everyone, for inspiring me every day!):

JESPAH:
http://is.gd/rc1r

ROYALETBONE:
http://is.gd/rc0Z

CIERAPOET:
http://is.gd/rcjg

ZERNIKE:
http://is.gd/rchA

GIRLHALFFULL:
http://bit.ly/GIRLHALFFULL

I want to stay accountable, so if you want to do that too, make me your SparkFriend, and keep in touch!

Read More About NEWMOMOVER40 (Updated May 12)

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