Monday morning tales from the scale…

It’s been awhile, and I’m not a happy girl.  First of all, Windows crashed, and I lost my ongoing journal about my weight loss.  I’ve got it until last August, it was backed up on my Mac, but from then on is gone.  Grrrrrr

But of course, I haven’t lost much since August, and since Christmas I’m up 2 lbs.  Not happy about it either.  I’m struggling big time here, it’s winter, I’m bored, nothing satisfies me, I’m always hungry, but I’m not going to backslide, I’ve come too far.

So, it’s time to kick it in the ass, Dwayne, get back in the saddle and lose those last 15 lbs.  I keep saying that, don’t I? 

Eating out is killer, too!  I’ve got to quit eating out, just can’t do it and eat healthy.  Life is a struggle, gotta do this one day at a time.  I should be counting my blessings, instead of fussing about gaining two pounds, in the overall scheme of things, that’s not bad at all!

I’ve been more active on this site, posting quite a bit more, I’ll continue to do this, maybe it will help us stay focused…

~ jan

Monday morning tales from the scale….

Yeah, I know it’s Wednesday and I haven’t posted this for a really long time, but it’s all good news.  I’ve now lost 26 lbs. since last April, I’m making healthy choices, eating moderately, not really dieting, and NOT GAINING!

What do I do about holidays?  I eat, hopefully don’t make too many bad choices, but don’t worry about it, then go right back to healthy eating the next day.  That’s what I did at Thanksgiving, and it worked great!  I’m a pretty happy camper these days.

Still no idea of how much more I will lose.  I’m a 12 really comfortably, now.  Another 5 lbs. and I think I’ll be starting to get into 10’s.  When those 10’s fit like the 12’s do now, I’m done…

Monday Tales from the scale on a Tuesday…

Still status quo, weight is exactly the same.  I had a couple of days this week that I ate too many points, we went on our annual old(er) lady picnic, and I totally overindulged with the sugar.  But the next day, I was back on track, and no weight gain.  I also went to Olive Garden for minestrone soup and salad, which I absolutely, positively, adore, ate a breadstick, and then another one, which I knew better than to do.  But I did it, that bread gets me every time, so I cut back at dinner time, and squeaked thru without the scales showing a gain. 

I’ve seen pictures of myself lately, and its apparent that this weight loss rodeo isn’t over for me yet.  I’m guessing another 15 lbs. will do, though.  It’s that damned midsection.  Arughhhhh!!!

I can do another fifteen, just have to get myself psyched to lose instead of maintain.  I told hubby yesterday that I really think I’ll make it this time.  Something has changed for me, it really has.  I don’t have it in me to do this again, it’s make it or break it time… I just don’t have the desire to eat unhealthy food anymore, well except for V’s yummy oatmeal cookies with browned butter frosting, everything in moderation.  The 80/20 rule really does work.  I just try and stay out of the restaurants as much as I can, they’re killer.

This week is Fall Festival in Heavensville.  It’s a huge deal for the locals, 130+ food booths, everything imaginable to eat.  We went yesterday, I had a corndog and half of a baked pretzel without the butter. 

Hubby didn’t understand why I ate a 1 point muffin and drank a cup of coffee before we went.  I did it so that I wouldn’t be tempted by all the bad food, and it worked!  I was moderately hungry but able to control it.  I had every intention of having a funnel cake, but passed on it, just didn’t want it.

So life continues to be good, and surprisingly, I’m not nervous eating while I await the birth of this granddaughter.

Staying focused, not tweeting what I eat like I should be, though, kind of burnt out with the tweets, but I’ll get back to it soon.

The next month or so will be a challenge for me, I’m always hungry in the fall.  Body trying to store fat for the winter, ya know.  But I’m going to try a lot of new soup recipes, I’ll post the good ones for you.

I hope some of the rest of you are having success along with me.  One day at a time, one meal at a time, sometimes it’s even one bite at a time…

xoxoxo~ jan

Monday morning tales from the scale…

Same weight, Other than dropping a pound, I’ve held steadily for a few weeks now.  I’ m not really dieting, just eating all healthy food, not much processed food except for those light chips that I just have to have. and an occasional piece of dark chocolate. I’m really careful when eating out, that is the downfall of all us, too big of portions, totally salt laden, fat laden food.  I avoid fast food restaurants, with the exception of Wendys and Chic-Filet.  My standby at Wendys – a plain baked potato and a small chili, pour the chili over the potato, and it’s a yummy meal for under ten points.  And the cost - $2.00 for both.  Yeah, it is, both of those items are on the dollar menu, and they have great chili, too, not greasy, tastes like homemade…  Works for me, I can take the money I saved and buy a great pair of earrings. :0)

I can live with where I’m at right now, I would like to go down another ten pounds, and I will, I have no doubt about that,I’m as committed as ever, just taking a breather while I wait for this grandchild to be born. 

V and I were talking just this morning that regardless of how much we lose, we’ll still be thick thru the middle.  That is the bane of post menopausal women.  It’s okay, I’m dealing with it.  As long as I can shop and fit into size 12’s, I’m not going to complain, but a size 10 would have me happy dancing in the aisles! *cheesy grin*

Back next week…

Tales from the Scales on a rainy Friday…

I haven’t been posting my weekly entries lately, haven’t been tweeting what I eat, but I have been diligent about what goes into my mouth.

My weight is down another pound, I’ve lost 23 lbs. now.  I’m at the point where my weight is okay, I can live with it, I still want to lose more, but I’m not being strict enough with what I eat.  I’m eating just enough points to maintain.  But that’s okay, the point is I’m not gaining, like I normally do when I’m not being totally on program.

Just taking a breather, I’ll get back in the game soon, set a mini-goal for another five pounds, but in the meantime, I’m treading water, still excited about eating healthy, too.  I’m in a good place…

Monday Morning, tales from the scale -

It’s the end of August now, the scale is barely moving, but it is moving downward.  I’ve lost a total of 22 lbs. now since I started this lifestyle of eating healthy on April 1st.  When I get frustrated that I’m not losing as fast as I would like, I try to reflect back to where I was when this started, how I looked, how I felt, and I’m definitely in a much better place now.

I continue to consume too many carbs, even though they are healthy, whole grain ones.  I adore bread, always have, always will, it satisfies the soul, and even though I always eat whole grain bread now, usually Nature’s Own 100% Whole Wheat (2 slices for 1 point) I don’t limit myself to two slices per day.  I don’t actually limit myself to anything.  But I am aware of when I’m eating too much and reign it in.  I’m definitely not eating enough vegetables, but I did make vegetable soup yesterday, so that will help this week.  I continue to grab from the fridge and eat instead of cooking meals for myself, I need to concentrate more on actually “cooking” food.  I’m sure I will when the weather is cooler, I find amazing recipes on SparkRecipes.com.  If you aren’t visiting this site, you definitely need to, it’s hands down, the best healthy lifestyle site I’ve ever found.

I’m in a good place though, still highly motivated, still focused, no pity parties here about what I can’t eat, but I am apprehensive about fall, that’s when I store fat for the winter!  Seriously, I am always starved in the fall…

I need to work with this blog, I haven’t added content in awhile.  I’ll update this week, so check back…

Monday morning, tales from the scale…

It’s been two weeks since I’ve posted, last week followed a weekend in Nashville and Alabama, I took a couple of days off, didn’t even get on the scale, and didn’t update last week. 

So where am I this morning?

Exactly the same weight I was the last time I posted.  That’s okay, I managed to reign it in after the trip, but ate high end of points most of the week. It’s been a struggle for me this month, don’t know why, but it happens sometimes.  Am I still motivitated?  You bet, I am.  Those size 12 jeans are fitting really well, that’s motivation enough!  And, when I bought clothes for Lindsay’s shower at Coldwater Creek, I bought size 12 side zip, no stretch, black pants.  They went right up, zipped, fit perfectly, oh yeah, yours truly was doin’ the happy dance in the dressing room!

One more size to go, and then I maintain.  It will probably take me until next spring, as my body tends to not turn loose of the weight  after I get to this point.  But that’s okay, it’s not a race, I’m actually enjoying browsing the racks in the stores, wearing size L tops now, and  I’ve found that great bra I told you all about on the Daily Dish. I have no complaints about my healthy eating journey, zero, none, nada…

Hang in there with me, girlfriends, it’s a daily struggle sometimes, but so worth it…

 

It’s Monday again, more tales from the scale…

I lost just a bit this week, I’m now down twenty one and a half pounds.  After the big loss last week, I’m happy to have gone down even a little bit.  It was a good week, I’m refocused, revitalized, happy with what I’m eating.  I have no complaints.  We went to Deerhead Saturday night, I had catfish, yep, fried catfish and a couple of bites of double stuffed pizza, and felt not a shred of guilt. 

I will continue this journey that I’ve embarked on, I really intend fort this to be a lifestyle change, not a diet.  I made Auntie Em’s Oatmeal Cookies for Ryan and a peanut butter sheet cake, and wasn’t tempted by them at all.  I focused on fresh peaches and cantaloupe instead, and it was delicious.

The guys grilled burgers last night, my burger was pretty pathetic looking, it was so small compared to everybody else, but I ate it, and it tasted delicious, filled me up and I was satisfied.  I ignored the baked beans, and only had a couple of bites of the potatoes.  I’ve found I really don’t need as much food as I thought I did to feel satisfied.  And I’ve also learned that just because calorie laden food is on the table, it doesn’t mean I have to eat it.  I’ve had more meat this week than I normally eat, and that’s okay, too.  I’m adjusting, adapting, and enjoying the entire process.

We’ll see what next week brings, Lindsay’s baby shower is this weekend, and I’m going to just take a day off and eat all the yummy stuff.  If I gain a pound next week, that’s fine, I know I will get back on track when I get home.

I’m a little over five  pounds away from my original goal now, but I can tell you already that I’m going to revise it.  I still want  to lose more, I’ll reset it for an additional ten pounds, then see where I’m at.

I hope that some of you reading this can make a lifestyle change that works  for you, also.  It’s such an empowerment to be in control of what I eat, and it’s amazing how much better my body feels.  But I’ll be honest with you, the best part, is looking in the mirror,  and the face that is smiling back at me isn’t bloated, and the pants that I put on glide over my hips and zip easily with minimum muffin top.  I’m fueling my food with healthy food, so I’m not having heartburn.  I’m eating lots of fiber which is awesome for my digestive system, I’m taking vitamins, drinking a lot of liquids, and my next goal is to do a bit of mediation.

It’s a good day, today, I’m doing this, I really am, one day at a time, and it feels wonderful…

Monday Morning, tales from the scale…

I came to the proverbial fork in the road last week, the same old fork that I’ve come to many times in my life, my control was slipping, the focus wasn’t there, I was at the place where I could start increasing my eating easily.  I ate too much Friday and Saturday, the weight wasn’t coming off, duh, wonder why???

But instead of continuing the path I was on, as I have so many times in the past, I took the other fork in the road, reigned it in Sunday, ate minimal points, nine to be exact, got my groove back, and I’m off to the races again….  I’m proud of myself, it’s so hard to not fall back into the old habits.  Not gonna do it this time, nope, not gonna happen.  Oh, my weight?  Exactly the same, haven’t gained or lost all month.

Next week I’ll have a better report… Pinky swear…

Monday weigh-in, tales from the scale…

Yeah, yeah, I know it’s Wednesday… Okay, I admit it, Monday was not good, nor was Tuesday.  Even though I didn’t go above points on the 4th, I ate a lot of carbs, I was retaining water, but, after two days of eating healthy, I’m FINALLY into those new digits.  Yep, I AM!!!!!

Weight loss is sitting at 18 lbs. now!  The slowdown is happening, which is to be expected, it always slows drastically as I get closer to my target weight.

John said last weekend, “Mom, I think another ten pounds will do it for you.” “You will always be thick thru the middle, you never did have a little waist.”  He’s right on, of course, I never did. 

Will I stop at another ten pounds?  I’m barely into twelves now, and another ten pounds will have me wearing them really comfortably, and that’s where I’ve always said I would stop now that I’m older.  Of course, there is a huge part of me that wants to be a size ten again.  I know, it’s vain, but “Vanity thy name is Woman,” even when you’re fast approaching the big 6-0!  It just depends on how gaunt I look in the face.  I’ll have to just see how it plays out.  But first I have to lose those ten pounds!!!

Am I still motivated?  Is a horse a horse?  You damn betcha I am!!!  This old energizer bunny just keeps on going…  I’m looking forward to passing the twenty pound loss, that will be huge for me.

My newest mini goal is 4.5 pounds more by Labor Day.  Maybe I’ll make it, maybe not, but I’m not racing, I’m just eating healthy….

Snaps for me….

I weighed on the garage scale this morning, the old fashioned penny scale that never waivers in it’s accuracy.  I’ve cursed that scale more times than I care to think about, but it gives me a true reading, and from now on, that’s the scale I’m going to use for my weekly weigh-ins.

Sooooooooo, according to the garage scale, I have now lost 17 lbs.  Yep, I’m only half a pound from breaking into the new digits.  Life is good again, sez Jan, tooting her own horn. 

Hey, I deserve a toot today…..  I’ve worked hard for this!

How much more do I want to lose???  10 more lbs. and then I reevaluate, see where I’m at, how comfortable the size 12’s are, decide if I’m going to go for the 10’s. or if I’m looking too haggard to lose more.  I can diet until I’m a twig and I’ll still have a thick middle.  Such is life when you’re my age…

Monday weigh-in, tales from the scale….

I’m now down 16.1 lbs. and still going strong.  I’ll be into another set of digits in a couple of weeks.  My capris are baggy now, no muffin top when I wear them, the weight loss is starting to be really obvious.

Every week I tell you that I’m still pumped, and I am.  It’s astounding how effortless this is for me.  This week’s food find isn’t a recipe exactly, but something I’m really enjoying.

I’m buying the faux crab and lobster at the grocery store, you know the ones, the sticks and chunks in the refrigerated seafood department.  It’s inexpensive, and always in the past I’ve made it into crab salad, but instead I’m now just putting chunks of it into mixed greens, adding red onion, radishes and cherry tomatoes and drizzling it with my wonderful Ramona’s Poppyseed Dressing.  It’s absolutely perfect for a hot summer evening.

If you haven’t made Ramona’s Poppyseed Dressing yet, you’re missing out on the best salad dressing you’ve ever tasted.  My friends adore it, here’s a click to the recipe, just substitute Splenda for the sugar, I use a heaping half cup of Splenda, that’s just the right amount, and I limit myself to 1 tablespoon of dressing.  That’s plenty if you stir it well. 

I’ll never buy diet dressings again, homemade ones are so much better, take just a few minutes to prepare and a little bit of the real stuff is so much better than a whole lot of  bland diet dressing.

Monday morning, tales from the scale….

I’ve stayed on program all week, eating below points some days.  I’ve lost 14.5 lbs. now, down from 14.1 last Thursday.  I’m due for a pound or so drop soon.  Maybe next week.

My mood?  Fantastic, still excited, and I made the most wonderful black bean salsa this week.  I’ve been busy, I get in a rut eating the same foods, if you follow my Tweets you realize this, but it’s okay, I like what I eat.  That black bean salsa was wonderful with a salmon burger.   My friend Janet eats black bean salsa on a hot dog with a bun, like a relish.

I’m eating a lot of hummus, too and have found that I like the traditional hummus best.  I prefer it over the garlic, or roasted red pepper, the original has a bit of garlic, and lemon juice, it’s wonderful.  I’m buying it at Aldi’s for $1.69.  I pick up their English cucumbers for $1.00 (English cukes are long and skinny with no seeds, my buddy V loves them, so I tried them and think they are amazing, too).  So I cut slices of cukes and dip in the hummus along with a few cherry tomatoes from my garden, good stuff, filling low calorie, a high protein snack!  I also bought great whole wheat pita chips at Trader Joe’s when I was in Nashville, sometimes I eat those with it, also, with the M&M’s dancing circles for a bite.  They love pita chips!

I have an easy week ahead, just a day trip to Louisville on Wednesday, it’s easy for me to stay on program when I’m home.  I hope to try a couple of new things this week, that’s my goal, just one or two new dishes a week.

Life is good, just for today, it’s working…

Monday Morning Review…

I’m doing so well, sez Jan, patting herself on back. Hey, I’ve really been diligent, I deserve a pat. I’m down 13.3 lbs. now. You betcha I’m counting every ounce!!!!!

Instead of just making do, eating anything that’s low points to lose weight on a “diet” I’m really trying here to embrace a new lifestyle. I’m trying new recipes, finding healthy choices and enjoying the taste.

I made the most AWESOME banana pancakes, thanks to Roni, who has the most amazing recipes, they are 1 point a pancake, hearty, and filling. I made them exactly like her recipe, except I substituted cinnamon for the nutmeg, and instead of using skim milk I used 8th Continent Soy Milk (Wally World) which is even lower in calories than skim milk, and works great! I ate them with Mrs. Butterworth Sugar Free Syrup and a slice of Morningstar Farms Soy Bacon and it was fantastic, seriously. I think I will add just a bit of salt to the recipe the next time I make it, but other than that, it’s perfect! I love whole wheat flour, love the density of the pancakes, but if you like them a bit lighter, you could use Whole Wheat Pastry Flour – it’s whole grain but not as heavy. I’m a big fan of King Arthur Flour, that’s the brand of whole wheat flour I always use.

My latest trick with bananas, is that I let them get really ripe, until they are black in spots on the skin, and then I put them in a ziploc bag, leave the skin on them and freeze them whole. I take them out of the freezer, let them thaw for a few minutes so I can peel them, or if I’m in a hubby I wave them for 10 seconds, then cut in chunks, they thaw almost instantly. That’s what I did with the banana pancakes and it worked GREAT!

I know, you all want the recipe – here’s Roni’s click…

And so another week begins. And I’m so excited, still. Clothes fit so much better already, another ten pounds and I’ll see a major body change.

Two years ago I lost weight, and I looked at my stats this week. It took me three months two years ago to lose 13 lbs., and that was with daily walking. This year it has taken me just two months to lose 13 lbs., and I haven’t been walking. Isn’t that awesome? I’m two years older and losing faster and eating more. Why? I’m sure it’s because I’ve cut out the junk. I don’t eat processed foods, as I’ve said, a little but not much, as opposed to two years ago when I enhaled frozen diet meals, diet cookies, diet ice cream and ate white bread. And, I’m mixing up those points. I’ll eat 18-20, even 22 for a few days, then kick it back down to 14-6. My body isn’t going into starvation mode and holding onto the fat. I’m losing steadily.

Why am I not walking? Prosthetics aren’t fitting well enough right now for me to do it. It’s complicated, but it’s all about how I’m losing weight in my legs and trying to adjust my fit. So I’m not walking until I’m sure the fit is good. Sore legs or blisters are not fun!

Now I know better, and I’m doing better…

Monday Morning Review…

I’ve lost another pound this week, down a bit over 11 lbs. now.  I stayed low in points, but even so,  I knew it was time to slow down a bit with the loss, let my body catch up.  That’s the way it works for me.

We’re going to Ryan’s for a few days, that will be such a challenge, lots of temptation, but I’ll cope.  I’ve purposely stayed low in points, as I’m sure I’ll bump it up at his house, which isn’t a bad thing, I need to shock my body with more calories, so it doesn’t hibernate in starvation mode.

Life is good, I continue to tweet every bite, weigh everything I eat, I’m managing to stay motivated, for today, it’s working…

Another week in my life of eating healthy, one day at a time…

It’s Monday morning, the 18th, I’ve been dieting since April 1st and I’m down a little over 10 lbs. now.  Last week was a hard one, I had one day that regardless of what I ate I was starving.  I ate 22 points, but I reigned it in and I quit.   That’s the important part, I quit eating, and the next day I was back on track.

I continue to do well, still excited about the small changes, I’m seeing.  Capri’s feeling really good, another 7-8 lbs. and hopefully some of my size 12’s will be starting to fit. Sure, I’ll have a muffin top in them, but there  is just something about being able to wear a 12 again.  Silly, I know it is, it’s all about the fit, not the tag, we tell ourselves that, but old habits die hard, it’s a numbers game…

My weight has been dropping really well, it’s time to play catch up.  This is how my body works, now that I’ve lost fairly rapidly, I’ll stall out for 2-3 weeks, then I’ll have another significant loss. But I know if I stay on track, I’ll go ahead and lose.  Hubby took me to Deerhead last night, I only ordered a grilled chicken breast, dry, no oil.  I had a tomato, ate the chicken, and blotted just a few of his breaded mushrooms with a napkin to get the grease out, and it was okay.  Sure, I would have rather had a pizza, or a fried catfish sandwich, but I didn’t, and it was enough food to satisfy me.  Sometimes it’s one meal at a time, just getting thru one meal to the next.  We got to Versailles next week to visit Ryan and Lindsay.  It will be a challenge, he is such a good cook.  But I’ll make it work, I really will…

And so my week begins again, just keeping focused, measuring everything I eat, tweeting those points, it’s working, for today, it’s working…

Weekly thoughts about eating healthy…

I made it thru Mother’s Day without doing damage.  I’m learning that I don’t have to be perfect, that I can have an occasional treat and it not sabotage my weight loss efforts.  I think why I did so well, even with family here for days, was that I didn’t fight it.  I didn’t brood about what I couldn’t eat, I just accepted it and ate healthy, except for that piece of wonderful strawberry shortcake.  I’ve now lost nine pounds since the first of April.  It’s a good feeling, my muffin top is shrinking just a bit, my jeans no longer torture my mid section, but when I saw Mother’s Day pictures of myself I was still horrified.  I hope to lose another twenty and stabilize.  That’s reasonable for my age.  It does no good to tell you all how much I weigh, as I don’t know myself.  No feet remember?  No way to tell, you just have to go by the size you wear.  I just know what the scale said and what it says now, and it’s telling me I’m down 9 lbs.  Size 14 is very comfortable for me now.  Since you lose a size every 15 lbs. if I lose another 20, I will be a comfortable 12.  Of course I would love to be a 10 again, but older women can look really bad if they lose too much weight.  Anyway, I have a long way to go before I really access when I want to stop losing and hopefully, maintain.

If I’m honest with you, I have few illusions that I will be successful with this.  That’s a defeating thing to say, but this is certainly not my first rodeo with weight loss, but I do think it’s my smartest.  All the stupid, silly things I’ve done, ATKINS to be exact, have been in vain. Low carbing is hideous, you’re so deprived and it doesn’t accomplish anything long term for me, but it has shown me that I need to eat adequate protein to feel sated, and to avoid sugar at all cost, because it spikes insulin and makes me hungry.  Weight Watchers is the most sensible eating plan of all, but I’m not doing it like I did when I was in my early 50’s, then I ate lots of processed food, ice cream bars, low calorie cookies, a lot of white diet bread, now I eat only whole grains, brown rice, few potatoes, except for those light chips.  That’s my treat, they’re so good at lunch, even if they are processed.  And I allow myself to eat 18-20 points.  I used to try and hold it to 16, and I was always hungry.  I’m not in so much of a hurry this time, and I’m much more satisfied eating within this point range.  I don’t eat a lot of meat, but I do eat beans, peanut butter and soy products for the protein.  I enjoy these foods, so it’s easy for me…

Yesterday morning we ate out, I ordered fresh strawberries, plain, they came with just a dusting of powdered sugar, and that was enough to make me hungry all day.  Sugar is just not a good thing in my life, and as long as I make things at home, I can substitute Splenda and still satisfy my love for something sweet.

I may ramble on about how I’m doing weekly, just ignore me if it doesn’t interest you.  I do this for myself.  I Tweet What I Eat because it keeps me honest.  Maybe nobody even reads it, I don’t really care if you do or not, I’m doing it because for now, today, it works for me.  As I’ve said before, the idea that I’m putting it out there for everybody to see is keeping me accountable, and it’s saving me the $12 I would spend if I attended Weight Watcher Meetings weekly…

It’s all good this morning, well, kinda….

The good news is that I’m now down four pounds since April 2.

And, I dug out the capris from last season, put on a pair with a sweater this morning, dunno why it’s only 50 degrees, but I did. Anyway, the good news is that they slid right on, no problem, which means that I’m not fatter than I was last year.

The bad news, however, is that they are my big girl capris, my wannabein capris are all stacked to one side. But they’re just a size away, I can do it…

It really helps to be public with this. It makes me be accountable. At least for today…

Are any of you out there doing this weight thing with me? I see from my stats that this site is getting a lot of traffic, so you’re all watching, but you’re watching silently.

I love imput, don’t get hardly any from of all of you, and that’s fine, but I would love to hear any ideas you might have. We’re all in this together…