Broke the 10 lb. mark!!

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Woo, hoo! I weighed in yesterday and I am down 10 lbs! I will be a 2 month member of SP in a few days (March 12th) and that's about 5 lbs a month. That's pretty good...not too fast or too slow. I am feeling great, too. More energy and I don't even want to eat unhealthy anymore. I'm driving everybody crazy because I plan my meals all the time. I haven't missed entering food in my nutrition tracker once in 2 months. I think that has really helped me out the most! I'm still lagging in the exercise department. I just don't feel the motivation there yet, but I am looking around for a dance exercise class that will help fill that void for me. My goal is to get to the point where I want to WANT to exercise, not feel that it is a chore that I do not look forward to. I admire people who love to exercise! I'm still only walking a bit, but have not started any type of official exercise program. That will hopefully come soon, because I do need to tone up. I have 6 lbs to go to reach my SP goal of 142. I don't know what criteria SP uses to choose goal weights, but I think that will be a good weight for me. Maybe 140 just to give me some wiggle room! Thanks to everyone for all the support and encouragement! I have really enjoyed the ride to my destination so far!

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Two Weeks Down!

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Wow, it hasn't been that bad. 5.5 lbs down on my scale and I feel much better. I had two events that didn't allow me too much freedom...both were the basic brisket, potato salad, beans and bread. Pretty basic for banquets here in Texas. I wasn't a member of the clean plate club this time, so that was good. I was amazed at the number of calories and fat in brisket, though. That was a surprise because around here that's a staple at weddings, showers, parties, etc. I will know better next time and eat half of the plate. I will continue this blog later because I am needed by my family.

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One week down!

Monday, January 21, 2008

Ok. One week today. 2.5 lbs lost. Improved my diet tremendously! No fast food!!! I am enjoying a nice 3 day weekend, thanks to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. My new Spark friends have been great with their offers of support and encouragement. I have discovered so much just surfing the Sparkpeople website and I still have so much I haven't even touched upon. I did get my 20 year old daughter involved. She is really gung-ho about her health already, but this just gave her another tool to assist her in maintaining her goals. My mom passed a milestone in her life. She reached 3/4 of a century. If you read my previous blog you know she is not in good health and it wasn't as much of a celebration as it should have been. Alzheimer's is such a cruel disease! My 16 year old daughter lost a best friend in a horrible accident last month and we are trying to deal with that right now,too. A drunk driver slammed into her car from the back at 80 mph as she was stopped at a traffic light. She didn't have a chance! The last two weeks have been a nightmare for all of us. We had a memorial fundraiser for the family and it was beautiful, but very sad. Any help or advice that will assist her through her grieving would be greatly appreciated. All of us are having a difficult time. I'll stop by next week and check in with everyone again. Hopefully 2.5 more lbs away by then.

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Ready...set...go!

Sunday, January 13, 2008

I decided to try out this sight when I heard about it and then checked it out. I am coming close to the "Big Five-O!" I just turned 48 last week and I remember when I used to think that was soooo old. I usually feel about as good as I did in my 30's, except for my energy level, and I think I look about the same, too. My weight has fluctuated on and off, especially when I had my babies, 21 years ago and 17 years ago. I am still carrying around a few of those lbs! Hah! I guess I can't blame it on baby weight anymore. I don't have too much weight to lose, but I do want to improve my optimal health. I hate to exercise and I love chocolate, so those are my vices. I try to eat well, most of the time, but I get off track with friends and family who I enjoy eating out with. I don't cook much, so maybe eating out is another vice! I jokingly tell people that I use my oven for storage, because people don't believe that I do not cook! Just ask my daughters! It's either take out or eating out. I want to fit better into my clothes instead of going up a size. I hate the mid-section roll that pops out over the jeans waist band, especially when I sit down. I didn't used to have that. I guess that is something that comes with age. I am a middle school teacher and I have enjoyed that for over 22 years. I have two beautiful daughters, one in college and one in high school. I love it when people ask if we are sisters! I love to read, write, camp, hike, travel, keep my home updated (I'm always remodeling or decorating something or another) and spend time with my family. I am single and it seems to work well for me for right now. The majority of my stress comes from watching my mother's painfully slow progression into the abyss of Alzheimer's. It often pulls me into a depression and raises my anxiety level. It has taken a toll on my family and especially my father who has developed his own health issues dealing with the stress of watching his life partner progress through this horrifically long good-bye. It's been over 10 years for my mom and there is no recognition, emotion or speech. We actually lost her about 10 years ago, she's been bed-ridden for about that long but her small, frail body is still intact. Her living will states no artificial means of support and she can't eat much, but she is still hanging in there. For what? I have no idea. She is at home and will remain there until she passes on. My dad will not consider any other options, so she has almost full-time home care from a personal care-giver and daily health checks from a visiting nurse. I'm running out of space so I will continue in my next blog entry. I would love to hear from anyone dealing with a severely ill parent, especially an Alzheimer's patient. I can already feel that this is going to be cathartic for me.