Smell the Honeysuckles...hmmm

Sunday, April 12, 2009

The best part of the season. That sweet honeysuckle odor in the air. I adore the fresh scents of spring. Renewal. Rebirth. Rejuvenation.

Took the day off from exercising. Just felt like my body needed the break. Just finished a really nice meal prepared by my husband. Proud that I managed to get past the chocolate Easter bunny cravings. Not even a nibble on an ear. Just didn't want it as much as I want to get healthier.

I really like the new SP Report improvements (thanks again, SP!). Sadly, ZERO weight loss to celebrate last week, but I am comforted by the tape measure, which tells me my torso is indeed changing. My waist = 27.5 inches now. When I started, it was 40 inches.

Too bad tomorrow is another Monday...ugh. The stressful search for new income continues as does the quest to find any outfit in my closet that actually fits me. It' a great problem to have I suppose. However, I refuse to spend more than $20 on any article of clothing until I reach my goal size/weight. That's my incentive to stick to it!

Breathe in. Relax. Enjoy what is positive around you.

  

Chocolate Bunny Ears

Sunday, April 05, 2009

So how many calories are in 2 broken off delicious, solid chocolate Easter Bunny ears?

I'm thinking I'm going to want to partake in those soon. It's a rite of Spring for me. Guess I will have to foist those bad boys on the food scale and figure it out unless this craving passes.

The good news is that this year I feel confident I can walk away from the rest of that rabbit. That's progress!

  

What is possible when you believe

Thursday, April 02, 2009

Finding this site last summer was serendipity and a blessing. I am so grateful for the tools, tips, and information at my disposal because they help keep me focused and provide an easy way for me to stay accountable and on goal.

Lately, however, I am realizing that the MOST important element in overcoming my life as an unhealthy and overweight person has been inside of me all along. It lay dormant for more than a decade. We all have to endure behaviors, habits, obstacles (or excuses) that keep us from believing that we actually can be who we really truly want to be.

Think about the phrase "let yourself go" -- something often used to describe people who are out of balance and projecting a less than appealing outer appearance. "Boy, she really has let herself go." This often hurtful phrase can be considered in a completely different way with a simple flick of the attitude:

NEGATIVE "Let yourself go"
Give up; pretend not to care; forget about what makes you feel good and happier; rationalize why you are the way your are; blame others or external forces for your situation; give in to the "what's the use?" mentality.

POSITIVE "Let yourself go"
Allow yourself to reach beyond what you thought was possible; try new things; support yourself the way you support others; open up to the idea that you can be better; accept that the tangible outcomes are the result of what you do or don't do.

So, i'm letting myself go and it's positive. Now, I know I can do it. I've got what it takes. This journey isn't about vanity. It isn't about obsessing over a workout schedule or surrendering the other parts of my life. It is about injecting self-discipline into the mix. Most of all, it's about believing in my better self. She exists and I really like hanging out with her.

  

Stubborn Scale - What did you do to break thru?

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Today's weigh-in brought only a measly 1/2 lb loss. I've been hovering around 162 and 161 for several weeks. It has been a time of a bit more stress, and while I've kept within my calorie range, I need to get the exercise (calories burned) back up to my old levels.

One of the devils of a long-term weight loss plan is that your body seems to adjust over time. It takes more effort to hit the target heart rate for sure. Here I sit on the verge of hitting a 60 lb loss goal and the same old techniques/tricks just don't work as swiftly or as well. I long to bid farewell to the 160s by the end of March.

Time to change things up! I did a new weight training video earlier this week (Kathy Smith -- boy, I'm sore!) and hope to be able to take my walking workouts outdoors soon as the weather improves. Hmmm...perhaps it is also time for a 2,000 calorie day? I haven't had one of those in a while.

Either way, I won't let these slow-to-come results get me down. I've taken another stroll through my closet and the storage boxes marked "do not fit" are offering pleasant surprises. Many of my once too tight spring clothes are now ready to wear :)

As we head into spring, what do you plan to do to change up your healthy lifestyle plan? If you have burst through a plateau, please share your wisdom and inspiration!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

RUN_LIFT_EAT 3/19/2009 8:46AM

Congrats on a 1/2 pound! That is progress! Slow progress may be frustrating, but it seems the slower it comes off the longer it stays off. Honestly, one way I have gotten past plateaus in the past is to take a few months off from losing. I did that last time and was able to finally get to my goal, after years of stalling out about 7 pounds shy. When I hit the typical stall weight I just started maintaining. I allowed my body to readjust to that weight, stayed there for two months and then started trying to get to my goal. I told myself during the two month break that if I never reached the goal of being 7 pounds lighter that I was finally going to learn to maintain a new weight and learn to reset my body's set point. Anyway, that may not be applicable for you :) Adding high intensity intervals to my cardio and really hitting weights hard has helped me too. I think the intervals are really effective. Congrats on all your progress and continued success to you! Report Inappropriate Comment

Belly up to the BMI bar

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

I'm no longer OBESE.

Well, that's a good thing. It's a good visual milepost to think about as I sit here officially (and somewhat happily) "overweight" and looking forward to my next stop: HEALTHY.

It's also pretty terrific to have my size 14 pants dragging on the floor. Time to retire them from the closet rotation. And speaking of belly, mine is starting to recede at last. Hallelujah. I really detested that flab around my mid-section.

After 7 1/2 months, the weight loss rate may be slowing down but it does faithfully continue as long as I keep up my end of the bargain.