WLW ~ I'm Still Here

I haven't posted in a while, but I really am still here and trying to lose weight!  I'm always happy when I can join in for Weight Loss Wednesdays with my sweet friend Alicia.  I'll give you quick updates for the past few weeks.

4 weeks ago ~ After my feasting during my birthday week, I gained 1 lb - no surprise!  I didn't exercise much that week either.

3 weeks ago ~ More eating unfortunately and still not much exercise and guess what - gained 1 more lb.  Ugh!

2 weeks ago ~ Even though my Dad visited and we ate out a lot, we were fairly active and I maintained - no gain, no loss.  Better than gaining!

1 week ago ~ Didn't track my eating and only got in a couple of Zumba classes.  I maintained again - no gain, no loss.

This week ~  I really didn't do anything different and could only make it to 1 Zumba class.  I did skip dessert a couple of times and snacked less in the evenings.  Surprisingly I lost .5 lb!  Well it's something in the right direction anyway.

Obviously I'm not working very hard at this and I need to get back on track.  I need more exercise and I need to do something about food.  I can't seem to get motivated.  I'm thinking about what I want to do over these next few days to get back on track.  I definitely need to drink more water and stop snacking in the evenings.

I'm not giving up though - I keep trying!  How are you doing with your weight loss and exercise goals?

I love that Alicia reminded me that we can do all things through Christ.  Stop by her place and get some encouragement - it's good to have the support of friends through this struggle!

Have a healthy day!
Lisa  :)

WLW ~ Struggling

I did not have the best week and that is no surprise for me.  I tend to rebel at my own weight-loss efforts, thinking that I shouldn't have to always be so careful about what I eat or have to make time for exercising.  But those things are good for me!

I didn't track my food at all during the week and ate out a couple of times.  I only made it to the gym once for a Zumba class.  I knew I would have a gain for the week.  And did I ever!  I gained 2 lbs.  Ugh!!  So I gained back what I lost the week before plus extra.  So this week is like starting all over!

On a side note, I ate some really salty foods the couple of days before I did my weigh-in.  I knew I was retaining some water, especially since one ankle seemed a bit swollen.  That is a good tip - watch out for too much salt!  We all need salt, but sometimes when we focus on weight loss, we end up eating things with hidden sodium.  If you're eating a lot of soups, frozen dinners, or reduced-fat foods - check the sodium amounts.  A long time ago, I was surprised to discover that a Caramel Frappuccino Light at Starbucks (it used to be my go-to diet treat, but now I try to avoid fat-free foods and artificial sweeteners) was really high in sodium.  Read your labels and look at nutrition guides!

I know that having a bad week is the sort of thing that makes some people quit, but not me.  I'm not happy about it, but I will try again this week!  I went to another Zumba class Tuesday night; I'll do a workout at home today and I've got my tracker out right now with my breakfast written down.  Already an improvement over last week!  :)

I know it's very hard, but we can do this!  Don't give up!  Be encouraged!  My friend Alicia is so encouraging - stop by her place for Weight Loss Wednesdays!  You can link up your own posts too!

Have a healthy day,
Lisa  :)

4 to 40 ~ Week 3

Only 1 week left until I'm 40!  Wow!  Though I met some of my goals last week, the scale did not reflect it.  :(  It really wasn't pretty.  I didn't have time to go to WW and weigh in there as we went out-of-town on Friday morning, but I put on my usual outfit and weighed myself (my scale is fairly close to what WW scale says) that morning (normally I weigh on Saturday) and I GAINED!  In fact, I gained a whole 2.8 lbs as near as I could tell - which completely wiped out 2 weeks of losing.  That is the sort of thing that really frustrates me, but all I can do is not let it discourage me and keep moving forward!

Here's how my week went:

1.  Lose 5 lbs. - Gained 2.8 lbs this week; making a total of .2 lb gain so far.  Grrrr.
2.  Exercise 4x/week for 30+ min.  - 4x!: 30 min. workout DVD (twice), 30 min. Wii Fit, 45 min. Wii Fit
3.  Drink 4 (12 oz) glasses water/day. - Did 4/day about twice.
4.  Go to bed @ 11:30pm on weekdays. - Made it twice!!
5.  Make 2 breakfast & 2 lunch recipes/week. - 1 breakfast recipe - the Blueberry-Corn Muffins and 2 lunch recipes: Bow Ties, Tuna & Veggies in Balsamic Vinaigrette and Asian Chicken Slaw.

I wasn't feeling well at the beginning of this week, but am OK now and trying to get back on track!  How was your week?  How was Easter?  Did you resist all the Easter candy?  I have to say - I've stayed away from the stores because I have a hard time resisting clearance-priced candy!

Let's have a great week!  We can do it!!

Have a healthy day!
Lisa  :)

10 in 2010 ~ Final Update

I finished the final week of Recipe Girl's 10 in 2010 Challenge!  Though I didn't have as much success as I originally hoped for, I did accomplish a few things and that will help me keep the ball rolling!

I went to my Saturday weigh-in and it was certainly not how I wanted to finish out the 10 weeks.  I had a gain!  Ugh!  I only gained .2 lbs, but it was still disappointing.  I wasn't as much on track this week, but still didn't expect a gain.

Here's how I did for the week:

Weigh in at WW:  Weighed in; couldn't stay for meeting.

Track all food:  Tracked every week day.
3 45-min exercise sessions:  1 60-min. Wii Fit Plus workout.
Bed by 11pm on weeknights:  Once. 
Drink 3 glasses water per day:  Did it about half the days.
Plan meals each week: Not well planned, and did end up eating In & Out burger and fries one night because of it.

Not a great week, but not a complete failure either.   So how did I do on my goals?

1.  To lose at least 15 pounds. ~ I only lost 5.2 lbs for the 10 weeks, but that is the first time that I have lost more than 5 lbs at one time in the last 4-5 years - seriously!  It's a great start for me!

2.  To be more fit/healthy with more energy. ~ When I keep up with my workout sessions and drinking my water, I definitely have more energy.  Since I can feel a difference, it makes me more motivated to keep it up!

3.  To be motivated to continue program beyond 10 weeks. ~  Definitely motivated, even though the weight loss is so slow.  I plan to keep on going!!

Over all, I'm pleased with my progress during the 10 weeks.  I'm much more consistent about working out and drinking water which will make it easier to increase amounts for both!  And though I didn't have a big loss, my jeans are more comfortable and being able to feel a difference makes me want to continue.

I do have a plan for the next 4 weeks to keep myself focused and you're welcome to join in!  I'll put up a separate post about that later.

Did you follow along for the 10 weeks (or part of it)?  How did you do?  Don't beat yourself up if you didn't hit all of your goals.  Focus on the positive changes that you made and keep on going!

Thanks again to Recipe Girl for doing this to help us focus on starting out 2010 in a healthy way!

Have a healthy day!
Lisa  :)

10 in 2010 ~ Week 7

 

Week 6 is over and Week 7 has begun!  I do hope this will be a good week!

After a much-needed "kick in the pants" from friends' comments on my blog and on twitter (thank you ladies!), I ended up following my plans better as I ended the week.  However, that was not reflected at the scale when I weighed in (though it could have been much worse!).  For the first time during the 10-week challenge, I gained weight.  :(  I gained .4 lb.  I refuse to be discouraged by that and plan to have a great week this week!  I choose to believe that all the days of keeping to my plans will show at the scale at my next weigh-in.

How I did this week:

Weigh in at WW:  Weighed in and stayed for meeting.

Track all food:  Tracked every week day.
3 45-min exercise sessions:  2 45-min. Wii Fit Plus workouts.
Bed by 11pm on weeknights:  Twice.
Drink 3 glasses water per day:  1st half of week - 1 glass/day.  2nd half of week - 3 glasses/day.
Plan meals each week: Too much dessert at church potluck and some Super Bowl snacks last weekend, but dinners during the week were all planned out and turned out great!  Already have this week's dinners planned.

I'm going to start adding in something additional that I thought of after hearing some ideas at the WW meeting.  I'm going to list 3 things I'm proud of related to this challenge each week.  It's especially important when you've had a tough week to take time to think about the things that you have done well!

I'm proud that I...
1.  Drank some water every day of the week!
2.  Prepared healthy dinners for my family all week!
3.  Weighed in even though I knew it was a gain!

On to the next week!  How was your week?  What are some accomplishments that you are proud of?  Let's have a great week this week!

Stop by Recipe Girl to see more 10 in 10 updates and get a great healthy soup recipe!

Have a healthy day!
Lisa  :)

P.S. Be sure to check back this week as I'll be having a giveaway!!

Merry Day After Christmas!

I had a wonderful Christmas!  However, I have eaten waaaay too much yummy food!  Will have to get back on track this week.  But I have company coming and we eat out a lot, which can derail my efforts.  I will do the best I can to make good choices.

How about you?  Did you make good choices during the Christmas festivities?  Or are you like me and trying to get back into the swing of being healthy this week?

Don't give up and hold off until the new year!  You can start making those good choices right now!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Lisa  :)

Same = Good In December

I finally made it to Weight Watchers to weigh in today!  The last time I was there was right before Thanksgiving.  Had intended to go before now, but missed due to illness, busyness, etc.  My weight was EXACTLY the same!

That is actually a very good thing this time of year!  That means I don't have a weight gain after all the Thanksgiving food, sampling of homemade Christmas goodies, party food, etc!  Now I just need to stay strong for the rest of the month!

If I'm not trying to be healthy, I usually gain at least 5 pounds from Thanksgiving to January.  So to have no gain right now is excellent!

How are you doing?  How about trying to do just one good thing each day - like some exercise, drinking some water, not taking a second helping of something, refusing a cookie?  That's it - just one thing each day until we get to January.  I think we can at least do that!

I will be joining up with a food blogger for a 10-week program with other bloggers to try and lose weight.  It will start in January.  I'll give you more info on that when we get closer and maybe you can join up with me!

Hope you are enjoying your week!

Lisa  :)

Are You Surviving December So Far?

Wow - can't believe it's been so long since I posted!  Thanksgiving kept me very busy and then my family was sick last week.  With all that, I have not begun to get ready for Christmas!  How about you?

As far as weight loss efforts go, I haven't been to a WW meeting in a couple weeks.  My weight was definitely up after Thanksgiving.  It was down after being sick, but I'm not sure now.  I plan to go to a meeting and weigh in this Saturday.  I had really hoped to lose some weight during December, but that isn't seeming very realistic.  At this point - I think I'll just try to maintain.  That would be good too!  When I am not focusing on weight loss/healthy eating at all, I typically gain at least 5 pounds from Thanksgiving to January.  So my goal shall be to keep that from happening this year!

How are you doing this month?  Have you made plans to survive all the holiday treats and dinners?  You can even go with small goals, like drinking more water and getting some activity each day.

I'd love to hear what successes or struggles you're having this month!  We can make it through!

Lisa  :)

Up Instead of Down

I thought I better let you know that I did actually go to Weight Watchers this past Saturday to weigh in.  I was dreading it because I already knew that my weight was up from the last time I weighed.  But I forced myself and went.

Ugh - yes, I was indeed up - over a pound.  And I was up the last time I weighed - I'm heading in the worng direction!  I'm trying to get back in control this week though I had my anniversary over the weekend.  Of course that means we ate out and had fabulous desserts, etc.  Now I have to try to recover from that and try to lose something...anything!  I've been making healthier food and watching portions the last couple of days, but I still haven't actually tracked my food.  The tracking is what really seems to work - it holds me more accountable.  So, tomorrow the tracker is coming out for the rest of the week.  I'll see what happens!

How have you been doing?  Does it get harder to stay on track as we approach the holidays?  Once I hit Thanksgiving, then I really struggle so I need to work on it now!

If you've been doing great - keep up the good work!!  If you've been struggling - don't give up; start fresh today!!  We can do this!  Let me just remind myself here - I can do this!

Have a healthy day!

Lisa  :)

You Lose Some, You Gain Some...

Sorry I didn't post like I said I would last week - I do have a recipe to get on here and will post it this weekend!

I went to Weight Watchers this morning! Remember - I said I would go no matter what and one of my readers even said to do it and get it over with. I totally agree with that. No surprise that I had a gain (over 2 lbs - ACK), but it was good to get it on the record so that I can lose it! Why do I keep working within the same 5 lbs and never get beyond?

I want to be good this next week, but I am worried! I have company coming for the week and there's the usual eating, desserts, etc. I am going to try and plan out all the meals - including where and when to eat out. I will also work in walking whenever possible. I've already got a couple of ideas for that.

I hope you have had a good week! If not, plan to make a small change for the better this week. We can do this!!

Lisa :)

Just A Little Note For You ~ Do As I Say, Not As I Do

I HAD to say it! Because guess where I did not go this weekend? To weigh in at WW - that's right! Ugh - so bad! I had another bad week and my weight is up and I just could not bring myself to go log that weight. But really - you should do it so you can start losing it sooner!

So, once again I say - THIS is the week! I'm not making any promises of what things I will do this week. I'll just try to do something great every day - whether it's eating right or exercising or getting through a craving. I do hope that I have a weigh-in and success to report to you this week!

I have some healthy recipes to get posted for you and will see what else I can come up with to help motivate me...and you!

Did you have a good week? Do you do better with healthy eating and exercising in Fall or Summer? Forget about any issues from last week - start fresh! Let's have a great week!!

Lisa :)

No Weigh-In Report

Sorry I have missed posting for a few days! I have no current weight report for you. I wasn't able to weigh in last weekend due to being out-of-town and I confess that I did not go weigh in this morning because my weight is up from the last time I weighed! We ate too much while visiting relatives last weekend - no surprise there. My weight has come down during the week, but not enough yet. I will work hard this week and see what I can do by Saturday. I get so tired of the constant up and down. Why can't it be down all the time? :)

I will keep close track of my points this week and do some Wii Fit. And I will go to WW next Saturday and weigh in no matter what, even if I'm still up (I better not be - LOL!).

How have you been doing? Did you have any Labor Day pinics or visiting that threw you off track? Let's make this the week of success! We can do it!!

Lisa :)

No Weigh-In Last Weekend

I didn't go weigh in at WW this past weekend. Sigh - not good, I know! But I am going to WW this coming Saturday to weigh and go to a meeting! Last week my weight stayed the same. I was too focused on getting my house organized and getting ready for my son's birthday (which involved eating out, cake, and strawberry pie - no calories there, right?!).

I am back on track today. I kept track of points and actually drank a glass of water - shocking! :) Yes, I am aware that I should be drinking much more water than that - but that is progress for me! I had hoped to do 30 minutes of Wii Fit today, but some unexpected things came up in the afternoon and I was gone for a few hours. I'll let you know how the rest of the week goes!

How are you doing? Are you back on track? If not, I know you can get there!

Lisa :)

So I Made The Vacation Weight Gain Official

I did it. I finally got my behind to WW to officially weigh in and get that gain down on paper and in a computer so I can't hide from it! I hadn't weighed in since early July, and it took me a full week after getting back from our trip to force myself to go in there. I'm gonna tell you my vacation weight gain total - it was 5 lbs exactly. Ugh!! That was actually better than I thought and I know that right after I got back, it spiked up much more than that, so I can live with 5.

My theory is - you have to deal with it and log in that gain. If you don't, you'll keep trying to get back to your original number before going back to WW, which will take too long and get discouraging which will cause you to quit. So now that I have the gain, I can start losing it! So if I lose a pound next week - it will show as a loss, not as a- well you still gained 4 lbs. See? We won't dwell on that fact that I already lost that weight once before! :)

So back to weight loss mode again. I won't go and weigh in this Saturday, but will go in the following Saturday. That gives me over a week to get back to being healthy and losing some weight.

How are you doing this summer? Have you had any vacation weight gains and how have you dealt with them? I say, don't beat yourself up about it now - just move forward. You can do it!!

Lisa :)

The Pounds, Oh The Pounds

Yes, I was supposed to at least attempt to be good during vacation. Other than a couple of small attempts here and there, I ate WAY too much food and a lot of unhealthy food and I did NOT do much in the way of exercise. My best guess according to my Dad's scale is that I have gained...are you ready to be shocked...4+ pounds during this vacation!! UGH. :(

Since I can't go back in time and redo my vacation, I must try to get back on track now and get this weight back off as quickly as possible. We are getting on the road tomorrow to head home and will be home in 2 days. If I could eat nothing for 2 days, I would (not only is that not healthy, but it is not possible for me)! I will try to stay away from the bad foods on our road trip and walk around during our overnight stop. After I get home, I'll only have about 2-3 days until I need to weigh in at WW. We will see what happens!

How are you doing? Do you struggle during vacations? I usually do, though I was doing WW a few years ago and was really on track before vacation. At that time, I weighed in at WW in a different town and actually lost a pound while I was on my trip! So I know it can be done!

I hope all of you have a wonderful week!!

Lisa :)

No WW On Saturday

Oops - I didn't make it to WW this Saturday for my weigh-in! I had every intention of going, but was co-hosting a ladies tea and still had a lot of prep work that morning. By the time I got to Friday night, I realized that I just would not have time to go. And I wasn't too sad because I had a bad week and my weight was up! Ugh!

My scale is usually not too far off from the WW scales, so my best estimate is that I ended up gaining 1 lb for the week. Terrible! But I ate scones and brownies all week and didn't track food or points all week. No surprise! I wasn't the best this weekend either, but I am back on track today. So I need to lose the 1 lb I gained, but I also need to lose beyond that so I can log in a loss at WW for this week! Of course, I have less days to make it happen because Saturday is the 4th and they will be closed. I will have to go do my weigh-in this Friday, so I really only have 4 days from right now to make this happen.

I will be tracking, trying to eat as healthy as possible, and doing some Wii Fit. I'll let you know what happens!

How was your week? Any struggles? Remember - if you fall off track, just get back up, dust yourself off and start again! You can do it! Have a fantastic week and plan ahead to make healthy choices for those 4th of July celebrations!

And that reminds me, I found a new site with great healthy choices, ideas, and information - it's www.skinnyscoopers.com - go check it out!

Lisa :)

Up, Up And Away

That would be what my weight has been doing! Argh!! I knew the trip to MT would be tough for me and I was right. We did a LOT of eating out and fancy coffee drinks and desserts. Sigh. It was good while it lasted.

I did do quite a bit of physical activity but it just wasn't enough to counteract all those calories. Also, I did have to survive 2 snowstorms which may have caused my body to go into hibernating mode - it's a theory.

So, I weighed myself right after coming back - HORRIBLE!! Not even gonna tell ya how many pounds up - very depressing. I weighed again Friday and it had come down 1/2 lb from the worst number. Weighed again Sunday and it was down another 1 lb. So that's good. As of right now though, I am still up and will report my weigh-in results to you this Friday.

Things I will be doing this week - I am in a Wii Fit competition with some friends and I have to work on 3 events at least 3 times this week and report my best scores. We'll do it each week with different events. So that will be a little activity. And I really think I will go restart WW meetings. There are some deals and new programs right now. I have to figure out what day is best and then work up the nerve (hard to go back when they have the records of your previous times there).

I hope YOU are doing well - better than me! You can do it! I know I can too, eventually! :)

Lisa :)

Don't Know What I Weigh Today

I am still on my out-of-state trip and didn't have a chance to weigh in for Friday. I will wait until next Friday to weigh. Maybe that will give me a chance to correct any gain!

I have been working a lot physically which is good, but we have been eating out a lot and getting desserts, etc. which is not good. I'll be heading home soon and can start fresh!

How are you doing? Struggling or succeeding? I'd love to hear about it!

Lisa :)

I'm Still Here

I am sorry to have neglected this blog for a while. I got very busy on my other blog celebrating 1 tear of blogging and then had a couple of bad weeks as far as weight goes. The problem is that the weight isn't going.

My last post had a 1-lb weight gain. A week after that? I had a 2-lb weight gain! There, it's in writing now. Ugh. But not only that - I did remember to weigh this morning and I gained another .5 lb! So I have gained 3.5 lbs in 3 weeks. Basically, I'm back to where I started months ago because that's all I've managed to lose. I was very disappointed and frustrated.

It's not a mystery why I gained. I had company, then Easter (dinner, desserts, candy), then my birthday and I did absolutely no exercise!

I do NOT want to give up! I must get healthy and lose some weight and I will...eventually. I am now on a trip out-of-state though. This will be tricky. I do not want to eat healthy, but I will try to make some good choices anyway. I do not want to exercise, but I will find a way to do some activity. My goal for the end of the trip will not be weight loss, just no more gaining!!

I'm thinking that I want to try going to Weight Watchers meetings again. Since they have a new program that I'm not familiar with (Momentum), I might do better keeping up with it. I have to do something! I think I will sign up when I come back. I have about 3 months until our summer trip and I would really like to be in control and down a few pounds before then.

How are you doing? If you are struggling, don't give up!! Keep on trying! If you are doing well, please share your tips with me!

Lisa :)

Fitness Friday - I'm Blaming My Dad For My Weight Gain

Well if you have company come and visit, don't they take responsibility for your weight gain? Right Dad? I suppose if I blame Dad for my gain, he'll blame me for his - LOL!

If I am not already well in control of my healthy eating/weight management, it doesn't take much to really throw me off. We ate out a lot and I didn't make the best food choices. And we bought a lot of candy/snacks - I inherited a strong sweet tooth!

So are you ready for my total gain for the week? It's 1 lb. And yes, I am actually happy! Why? Because a couple of days ago, I really thought the gain would be closer to 3 lbs - yikes! Maybe the activity from the week saved me. I didn't do any Wii Fit this week. But I started out the week with some marathon cleaning/redecorating (the story is here if you're interested) and then we did a lot of walking around with my Dad. We even went and toured a Cavern with LOTS of steps down into it - realized just how many there were coming back up. The guide told us it was our thighmaster/step workout for the day!

So I must get back on track this week! It should be OK 'cause we are still on Spring Break and now hubby is on vacation. We will be working on lots of projects, keeping busy. And I should be able to fit in some Wii Fit sessions this week. It would be so nice to lose more than a pound so I'd get rid of the gain plus more.

How was your week? Any fitness or healthy tips to help me out this week? I know we can have a good week - let's do it!! :)

Go to Wii Fit Mommies and get some Fitness Friday inspiration!

Lisa :)