212.5

I am off to meet a few friends for our regular Friday lunch date, but I wanted to quickly check in and share the joy! And we're talking JOY!

My weight this morning was 212.5!!!!

There are no words. Okay, well maybe a few -- just enough to say that my good choices when I was with the family really paid off. What a reward! This brings me to the 1/2 way point of getting out of the 200 range. La-tee-da!!!

TreAdMiLL!

Hurray for ME!!!! Two victories today. First, I got back on the treadmill. I am soooo happy! It was really tough to do -- as you've heard. I didn't want to get on it, but I realize that it is absolutely necessary. I know it. I just don't like it. But I got on there anyway, and I am really proud of myself. I walked for 30 minutes. And if I can get on for 30 minutes everyday, I will be prepared to move up from there. I just think I tried to do too much too soon.

Funny thing is, I really WANT to tone down and buff up. I am so tired of having a booty the size of a small mountain! I'm not used to it either. Honestly!!

Earlier this year I went to a meeting at the school. I was horribly uncomfortable and felt like the ergonomic chair I was sitting in was adjusted for someone's nap time. That's how far I was leaning back. Not too long after that I went to a photography class. Same thing. And I thought, "what the heck is with these chairs? Why do they lean back so far?" And then it dawned on me. Holy Hannah!!! It isn't the chairs at all! The problem is that my booty is so big I can no longer sit flush against the back of it. Sooo ridiculous!! One of the little bells that went off telling me it was time to make changes. Hahaha.

Alright so my other victory today -- I am in the lead at my weight loss challenge at Let's Shake. I went in today to get weighed and measured. I'm not using that weight -- it's not consistent with my scale at home. But it doesn't matter because I was down 5 pounds from last week, and had a combined loss of 7 inches. Too bad it wasn't ALL from my boo-tay! lol. But what a great victory for me. Really thrilling. And hopefully I'll have some great numbers to report tomorrow too.

Until then, I'm just going to keep smiling. I thank God for giving me the grace of such incredible determination. I see His hand in this because I couldn't possibly do it without Him - not at this level of success. So thank you Lord -- thank you. Thank you.

And to all of you, may God answer your prayers the way He has mine. Good night. Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite. And if they do, hit 'em with your shoe. :)

215 . . . Still!!

Hello, hello!!! I know you probably thought I died or gave up or something, but nope! I am hanging in there and plugging along.

I had an extremely long weekend -- and I mean long! But it was wonderful, and I have emerged victorious in many ways beyond maintaining my weight! Every year I get together with my mother, sister, and 6 sisters-in-law and we "retreat." It's an incomparable few days of prayer and reflection, sharing and spiritual growth. And this year was no different on that note.

However, we also spend the weekend eating, drinking wine, eating and avoiding pretty much ANY kind of physical activity. And this year was no different on that note either. Except for this: I asked everyone in advance to try and keep the meals on a healthier level. And they did. And I did!!!!

It wasn't like there was nothing sweet, or tempting or filled with fat. But that type of food was not the majority. And I can tell you that despite the snacks and some of the higher carb foods, I did an amazing job sticking to my program! I didn't eat the crust on my breakfast quiche; I had yogurt instead of chocolate cake at the end of the day; I chose 100 calorie snacks and avoided the chocolate pretzels. My toughest day was yesterday. We had quiche for breakfast, paninis for lunch and "salad bar" for dinner. It just came down to having too many calories in one day. The paninis and the salad were too much -- just too much.

So here I am, a week later and my weight is the same. But I am really proud of myself because I didn't throw the whole program out the window. I didn't exercise, and that is really hurting my progress. But I did a good job on the food, especially in light how much was available to me. And I just have to get back on the horse and keep riding. And that means the gym. It just has to happen.

And there it is. My week in a nutshell. I know you've missed me, but I don't have any time away coming up anytime soon. So I will be here, reporting my progress, day after day, until I drive you nuts. :)

In the meantime - I'm starting again tomorrow like I started on January 2nd. And its going to be good. I promise. SO I'll see you tomorrow! I'm gonna go make myself a protein shake.
Y'all sleep tight. And may the angels watch over you while you do.

215

Yes, yes, yes!!!!!! Did you check that number? 215! Down another few and I am sooooo happy! I wasn't sure how this was going to go. I was getting so anxious, particularly because I hadn't gotten on the treadmill all week, that I finally just jumped on the scale yesterday. I couldn't STAND it anymore. I know, I know. Can you spell "addiction." Hahaha. But, I am glad I got on. It made me feel a lot better. Not good enough to get on the treadmill, mind you. But I felt better.

So I was really pretty busy all day yesterday and finally got to bed about 1:45 in the morning. I try to get to bed much earlier, but it wasn't to be last night. Anyway, I was laying in bed and suddenly I got a creeping, icky feeling. Panic. Oh no!!! What if my weight today was just a fluke? Maybe tomorrow I am suddenly going to be 5 pounds heavier. Oh no, oh nooooo!! Toss and turn. Well, I HAVE to get that scale again tomorrow. Toss, turn. Toss, turn. And then I finally off to sleep. Until 8:15 a.m. Yoooo hooooo! When the mama oversleeps the whole house oversleeps. I LEAPT out of bed. . . . and of course ran straight to the scale. SAME! YES! Thank you Jesus! Who cares if everyone overslept???? I'm down 9 pounds in three weeks! God is good! :)

Then I was busy again today, and again didn't get on the treadmill. So, after having given this very grave situation some serious thought, I have decided that perhaps I pushed myself a little too quickly into an hour+ exercise routine 6x each week. I don't look forward to that time right now (obvi). So I have decided to back off and commit to 30 minutes each day of cardio. I am going to try to add in the weight machines 3x per week, but until I have a really strong HABIT of exercise, I am not going to beat myself up if I don't get to that.

I have another big weekend coming up, but I'm very comfortable and definitely ready. At this point I am so far into calorie counting, it's becoming second nature. In the three weeks since I started this program, the highest calorie count I've had for any single day was 1700 -- and that was only one day. The other days have been 1375 or less. And I am reeeaaaallly good at counting calories. I know the counts for everything and can break down or calculate as necessary. I love that about me. lol.

Well that's my spectacular status as I head into the weekend. I've had a tough couple of days emotionally, but I am grateful for any good things that come my way -- especially if it revolves around my current weight loss compulsion. Hee hee. Thanks for tuning in. I'll be back! ♥

P.S. to Peter Pan: THANK YOU! That really does help! Actually, I feel kind of motivated. Maybe I'll get on that thing yet tonight!

It's Almost Friday

It's Wednesday already, and I STILL haven't gotten on my treadmill this week. I fully intended to walk this morning, but ended up with a killer headache so I headed back home. After that, I came up with pretty much every possible excuse I could think of to keep from doing what I needed to do -- exercise!!! I reeeaaaaallly need to get over this little rebellious streak going on in my head. I can't lose weight without it. I KNOW that. So what in the heck is wrong with me??????? I need to get back to it and stick with it.

Thankfully I am still in really good shape for my calorie counts. As I said, I bumped my intake to 1375. Makes me quite nervous for Friday, but I know it's what I need to do.

I have been paying greater attention to the TYPE of foods I am eating. I really didn't think I would ever take the time to do that, but since I'm already obsessed with this whole process, I thought I would go ahead and try to eat some healthier foods. So, I am looking at trying to eat at least 90g of protein, 3 fruit servings and three vegetable servings each day. I allow myself a little bread because that's one of my best food friends -- but I try sticking to multigrain. I get some of my fruit in my protein shakes and I supplement my veggies by drinking V8 to make sure I'm covered.

By the way, I found an outstanding website for tracking calories. I started using it on Monday and I really like it. If I use my iphone application to track them away from home, I enter it in when I get home. It's wonderful!!! It's http://caloriecount.about.com. Check it out!

Tomorrow I'm off on a day trip with a friend, so please pray for me through the course of your day. I have to get the motivation to keep up the exercise. It's just not going to work if I don't get a grip here!!! Sheesh!

So tonight I close with an earnest request: "Lord, please get my hiney on that exercise plan tomorrow. I need the grace to get motivated and stay motivated. Keep my guardian angel close on my heels and buggin, buggin, buggin me! Perhaps one day soon, my body will be the temple you intended it to be. G'night Lord."

And g'night to all of you! I'll be back tomorrow!

P.S. to jz: Maybe you should move back here and be my trainer!!! Hahaha! You always have great advice - thanks!

Thinner

Well I'm a little earlier than usual today. Waiting to make the run to town. I haven't worked out yet. And I didn't work out yesterday. And guess what? Yep. I don't really want to work out today either. I know, I know. It's an important part of my weight loss program. It's just that some days I just don't feel like it. So pray for me. I need to get on that treadmill. Once I do I will be glad I did, it's just getting it started. Ugh!

My meal plan has taken a pretty good turn. I met with a nutrition advisor at Let's Shake. She said my weight is slow coming off because I don't eat enough. That's funny, isn't it??? Because I only eat between 900 and 1100 calories on average each day, I guess my body thinks it's starving. Yep. That's me. Ethiopia mama. Starving. Hahaha. And the reading on the right proves it.

I don't know how well you can see it, but this reading shows how many calories I burn while resting, my fat/muscle composition -- coool stuff! And it shows how many calories I have to eat if I want to LOOOOOOSE! It's hard to read. So click on the image itself and you can see it more clearly in a new window. Check out my BMR (basil metabolic rate). WOW! You'd think it was much lower! It's all interesting though.

So yesterday I started trying to eat more. Healthier, but more. Less bread (waaaaaaaa!), more veggies, fruit and protein. And it's almost 90 g of protein. I'm looking at 1375 calories a day instead of 1100. And then yes, it will come off. But again, this is all a watching game. We shall see.

I'm off to get me a protein shake and a fat burning herbal tea. The fam gets ham and scalloped potatoes for dinner. I'm thinking chicken and asparagas for me. Maybe some fat free swiss melted over the top. Mmmmm!

God bless you all today. May He bless you with something sweet and unexpected. I always say that if Jesus gave out treats they'd be lemon drops. Sweet and sour mixed together!

218

Hello, hello, hello! I am NOT dead and I did NOT give up. Had a bit of a hiatus over the weekend, but I am still hangin' in there!

As you can see from my headline, my weight numbers have remained steady. And let me just say that after my weekend, I am both surprised and grateful for that!! I got on the scale last Friday morning and I was at 216.5. I am up 1 and 1/2 from there, but I'll take it. It was a loooooong weekend and one that was full of temptation.

Started off at the Mall of America on Saturday. Tucci Benucch for lunch. Excellent Italian, and the smells! I was hungry when I got there and literally had to fight off the urge to eat the warm bread from the basket in front of me. I ordered minestrone soup, which turned out to be fabulous and filling.

Later that night we hit the Minnesota Wild hockey game, where I was captive in a room with some pretty tempting foods. I tried to fill up on veggies and some shrimp, but the rest of it looked too good. Ended up eating a hot dog without the bun and some ice cream. Not terrible, but not good either.

Woke up yesterday completely lacking motivation. I had anticipated going to the gym and spending extra time on the treadmill, but I couldn't get myself to do much of anything at all. And I ate too much! So here it is, Monday morning, I feel chubby and UNmotivated. My weight is the same as it has been for a week, and I am not in the mood for much of anything. Fortunately for me, I have an appointment at 5:30 with the folks at Let's Shake. They're hosting a Fitness Challenge and I agreed to participate. They'll weigh me and measure me and take one of those fat analysis readings. I am hoping that when I get out of there I will be ready to hit the gym. It's not optional, I know, but my mind is playing that game today. And I know I should have stayed off the scale today too, but there's that funny little addiction, rearing it's ugly little head!

Okay, so my goals today: get to the Fitness Challenge appointment. Get to the gym. Keep my eating at 1200 or less. Adjust my attitude. Easy right? Hahahaha. I'll let you know . . .

Have a terrific Monday! I'll be back.

Scared to Death

Tomorrow I get to climb on the scale again. I am scared to death. I know I shouldn't be. I am doing a good job. But if I am not 217 or lower I'm going to be really disappointed. And I'm going to have to remind myself of 50 different reasons why I shouldn't let it ruin my day. Ugh!

I have a big weekend ahead of me. I have a lunch at a great Italian restaurant on Saturday and then a hockey game on Saturday night. Not exactly lo-cal environments. But I have tried to plan ahead. I'm traveling with everything I need to make a protein shake, plus some fruit and yogurt. I have also packed small baggies with pre-measured snacks to put in "that luggage that I call a purse." Hahaha. My worry is not that I'll WANT to eat something unhealthy, it's that there won't be an alternative. Hence, the snacks. But I think that all too often their aren't alternatives. And puleeeze don't tell me to order a salad.

Salads that restaurants offer can have tons calories. A chef salad, for example, can have up to 800 calories in the added meat, eggs, veggies and cheese. A cobb salad close to the same. Unless it's just the lettuce and veggies, it's more calories than a sandwich. And I cannot tolerate lo-cal dressing. I think it's easier to ask for it on the side and just dip each bite. You use about 1/4 of the dressing you would if you poured it right on the salad. So, I have to really watch it.

My exercise today was good -- although I didn't get to it until almost 8 pm. Note to self: When you go to the gym at night, be prepared to stare at your reflection the whole time. There's no looking out the windows at that time of day! Anyway, I got on the treadmill for an hour, then did my weights. I watched the Wild hockey game as I walked, which really made the time go fast. Saw my sister and law and her son on TV. That was fun too! And there weren't very many people there, so I wasn't terribly embarrassed when I spontaneously flung my arms in air when the Wild scored, sending my ipod flying through the air and onto the floor behind me. lol.

And that's today. So I'll sign off by saying "Thank you, Lord, for the great things you give me. Your a great friend! And Bless My friends and supporters too please, Lord. Thanks!"

P.S. to Mon Ami: Merci de vos mots aimables. J'espère qu'un jour bientôt je serai beaux intérieur et extérieur !

Scale Withdrawal

Okay so getting on the scale everyday is a heavy duty addiction for me. I didn't get on it today but boy did I want to!!! And then I got a GREAT email about choosing the right day for weekly weigh-ins. The recommendation was to weigh in on Fridays, since Mondays follow what are very often tough weekends. I agree, and have decided to go ahead and weigh myself on Friday. Whew! Decisions, decisions.

Another excellent day for exercise. I got on the treadmill for an hour, then swam laps for about 15 minutes. Not a long time, just a little supplement. It gives a twist to my day. But the treadmill time went by really fast, which of course I love. Who doesn't? And I remembered to have a small towel with me on the treadmill this time.

Can someone tell me why is it that some people sweat more than others? I mean, seriously! I'm on the treadmill, no incline, not a particularly fast speed (the calorie counter on my iphone calls it "brisk"). On one side of me is Malibu Barbie and on the other is Marine Corp Ken. In between them is me, sweating like a stuffed pig in a roaster. Barbie's every hair is in place. Cute little matching ensemble. Size 6. She's running, and she's not sweating. Perfect. And Ken, he's not really sweating either, although I don't give him more than a prolonged glance. God knows I don't need to add "impure thoughts" to my roster of sins-- least of all when I look like I'm about the be the hospital's next heart patient. I simply notice Ken "glistens" in his Champion shorts and wife-beater tee shirt. But I'm sweating. And my face is pink. Not blushing pink. It's bright, bright, "is she okay?" pink. It's always been this way. Even when I was 115 pounds. You know, like three decades ago? Soooo unfair. And it's not like I can set a goal to stop sweating. Dang!

So I guess I'll just keep working on my diet and exercise goals. Yeah. Good idea. And my diet was good today. I love protein shakes! There's a little shop in my town called "Let's Shake" that serves protein shakes and fat-burning herbal tea. The shakes are 24g of protein and they're awesome! They're going to be seeing my big pink face almost everyday. And then it's lo-cal, filling food. It's good. It's all good.

So there it is my friends. Hump day. God Bless you all real good! Stay warm. Brrrrr.......

P.S. to my bro: I love the advice! You did it first, and I'm going to follow. ♥ You're my inspiration!

219

I wish I could freeze my arse off! The pounds just can't come off fast enough for me. And I appear to be going backwards, as my numbers show. But I'm not worried. I am committed. I was down and out yesterday. Sick all day, so I didn't do anything at all. I took two days off from exercise, was a little bit careless with my eating, and I expected as much today on the scale today.

It's a little unsettling how the scale numbers can make or break your day. I was sooooo crabby for the first couple of hours of the day because of that stupid thing. I want to blame it on something. Just not me. And I'm mad. Really irritated. Hop off. Try again. Hop off. Try again. *%@#! I have step class goin' on in my bathroom just to try and get the scale to read something different. And when it doesn't, I want to pick up the scale and hurl it through the bathroom window into oblivion. But I know I can't do that. What in the world would I do tomorrow? And so it goes . . .

The thing is -- my eating over the last two days wasn't that bad. I had about 1500 calories yesterday. That's it. So apparently today is the day I eat crow and announce that the anonymous comment I received that advised me against getting on the scale every day was right on. Guess I'm gonna have to find a new addiction! So this is the new deal: I only get on the scale on Mondays. It's going to be REALLY hard to stick to that. Harder than sticking to some of the other commitments I've made here. But I think it will be okay. Because the truth is, I generally already know whether the scale is going to be up or down before I ever get on it. I know it instinctively. I know it because of what I have eaten and how active I've been. I am rarely surprised by what digits show up. Yea. I know. I just don't like it.

Well blah, blah and boo hoo. So I pick myself up and keep on kicking. Went to the gym and got on the treadmill for an hour. Yay! After that, pursuant to the advice from several comments and emails, did a round of weights. F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S.! I used to do weights several years ago, and forgot how good it feels when you get done. I also forgot that because your muscles are still shaking after your shower you can easily put out an eye with your mascara wand!! Haha. Whoops!

Alrighty then. To recap today's issues: I won't be skipping exercise for 2 days again. I will only weigh myself on Mondays. I will now incorporate weights into my workout every other day. The off days I will try to get in swimming or something else to make it interesting. Maybe I'll even try ice-skating (stay tuned for THAT one!). But God is a good shepherd -- even to the big fat sheep like me! lol. And I know He wants me to succeed in this. So no worries. Not today. G'night all.

P.S. to Anonymous: Radishes, huh? Ooh. I'll maybe have to think about that one. :)

217

Sunday, funday. That's my philosophy. The Lord rested on this day, and so will I. Everyone needs a little break. So, no exercise today. I am still counting the calories, but I didn't work out.

I went to a hockey game. Even though I made sure to eat before I left, I got pretty hungry when I was there. It didn't help to have tables with food set up at four stations around the rink, not including the concession stand. And it doesn't help that I have this bizarre craving for hot dogs (so much so that I picked up some 98% fat free turkey hot dogs!) The whole place smelled like one big hot dog -- and I really wanted one. My weight today kept me from giving in on that one. Did you notice?????? I am down another 1.5 pounds. Woooohoooo!!!

And because I was, I am/was terrified that if I overeat today, all of my hard work over the past week will be wasted. I won't let that happen. So I passed by the tables with chips and hot dogs and brownies. And let me tell you this - those brownies must have been DANG good for my friend M.C. to have eaten one. He's completely focused on eating healthy, is built like a rock, and he ate a brownie. Yikes! I practically RAN away to keep from doing the same.

Came home and didn't really have a plan for dinner. I decided I was hungry for Special K. So I made a bowl, added some frozen strawberries and took a bite. YUK! Okay I know there are starving people in the world and you shouldn't waste food, but there was NO WAY I was going to waste 300 calories on something that didn't taste good. So I had two bites (maybe 4) and down the sink it went. I'll give myself 100 calories on it just to be on the safe side. Had my turkey hot dogs instead. Used light whole grain bread as the bun, added a little ketchup and mustard. Perfect. And only 225 calories.

I hate it when I go out and I get hungry. I know I should try to keep snacks in my purse or something, I just have to actually remember to do that. Tonight I would have been tempted no matter what.

So, there it is. My lovely day with hot dogs everywhere. I hope your day was relaxing or fun. Or both. Good night!

P.S. to Galynn: You have given me such great advice and left some wonderful comments. I just want to thank you for being such a great friend!

218.5

Three days in a row at the same weight. Not thrilling. A little disappointing even. But I'm not gaining, so these numbers are still good news. And I know it's not from not eating enough. I know that sounds funny, but it has been shown over and over that you have to eat if you want to lose weight. Especially if you want it to stay off. Starvation just makes your body do everything possible to hang onto fat -- it doesn't like being skinny. Isn't that funny? We don't want to be fat and our bodies don't want to be skinny. :>)

Anyway, I'm fine with the numbers. I am sure that most of what came off initially was water. It takes 48 hours for a water loss in the body to pull from the fat. Then it starts over again. It's all good.

My exercise today was phenomenal! I got on the treadmill for 50 minutes. It felt a little long, but I have set a goal to walk 50 minutes each day for the next week, then add 10-20 minutes of a different activity to make it interesting. I'll bump it up again for week three. In the meantime, I did good. Had more energy today and walked at 3.3 mph. After that, TA DA: swimming pool! Yes, I donned a lovely brown 2x swimming suit with little sparkles and hobbled into the pool. And guess what? I LOVED it!!! I really did.

Here's the thing though: when you have a high fat content in your body, you float. Well I'm here to tell you that I have never, ever experienced "floating" like I did today. I mean, it took me a full 2 laps to figure out how to keep my butt under the water so I could kick properly. It was ridiculous! It felt like I put two balloons in my swimming suit bottom. And we're not ever going to discuss my upper arms! Hahaha.

In spite of my floating struggles, I swam 14 laps and didn't really want to get out, so I jogged for about 10 minutes back and forth in the shallow end. I actually worked up a bit of a sweat. How weird is that? The thing is, it really works the muscles, so it hurt. I mean, it hurt! Still, I would do it again. I am genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed it. So I will definitely be heading back again.

So. That's my story today. I hope yours is as . . . entertaining. Ha! Until tomorrow, God bless you real good.

218.5

I cannot get over the amazing show of support that I have received in writing this blog. I share it's existence with a couple of people each day, and the feedback has been uplifting, to say the least. Some of the feedback has been in the form of emails which, unfortunately, can't be shared here in full. Those, together with the comments here, are beyond any expectation I had. And I am grateful for the advice. So THANK you to everyone.

A couple of things worth addressing today. First is why I chose 1200 calories as my daily limit rather than something higher. Believe me, I realized it seems low. But the truth is, anything higher and I wouldn't lose any weight. My metabolism has been abnormally slow for a couple of years. There is nothing wrong me but I continued to gain weight even when I wasn't ingesting much. At one point if I ate anything over 1300 I would gain. I have no explanation, and have been to a couple of doctors about it. It's slowed substantially, but is still a problem. I am hoping this program will shake things up.

Soooo, on other fronts: Today I took the advice of a fellow loser, and when I went to the gym today I focused on my time instead of distance. That went pretty good, but I was sort of tired today. Couldn't get my groove going, so I just walked a little slower. But I stayed on the treadmill for 40 minutes and then hopped on a stationary bike to round out a full hour. My exercise goal is to try and improve the walk in both time and distance. Within a couple of weeks I would like to add weights and the pool. So we'll see how that goes.

Had a good food day today too. Went out to lunch, which can sometimes be a challenge. But I counted calories all day long and used up 600 calories at lunch. I had a cup of chicken chili and a bagel. I love bread. I LOOOOVVVVEEE bread. I know you're suppose to avoid it when you are trying to lose weight, but I just don't see that as a possibility. I would rather cut calories than cut out bread. I can cut back and I can eat light bread, but I can't imagine giving it up completely. Maybe that's why I'm in this position to begin with! Hahaha.

Anyway -- this has been a good week for me. I figure I will get healthier and healthier as I go. Maybe that's when the bread will go . . I'll see. But don't hold your breath.

Have a super weekend all!

P.S. To Anonymous: I heart you! You are my role model! But I HAVE to get on the scale everyday. It's my last vice, and I need something to be addicted to! lol. By the way, if you get to have beer, does that mean I can have my wine????

218.5

I really don't know why I am always amazed by God's faithfulness. I can be wretched and spoiled and nasty and UNfaithful, and He just hangs in there and keeps on giving. And He gives when I least expect it and when I least deserve it. So it was today.
Everything went well today. It's such a rare occurrence, I could hardly believe it. For starters, my weight was down yet one more 1/2 pound. Thrilling. Nothing compares to that feeling. After that, it was all good. Turns out being intimately involved with the Blizzard has some unexpected perks. For instance, a FREEEEE membership at Anytime Fitness. Oh ya! Now that's what I'm talking about! Seriously. Sponsorship is a beautiful thing. Yes it is.

So I got in there today. I walked my 2 miles without a hitch. Actually, I walked 2.25, and then got on the stationary bike for another 1.5 miles. What a difference. I would never have thought it would make such a difference.

And my food intake? Great. Just great. And just so you know, the apple fries at Burger King are an excellent alternative to regular fries. They taste super fresh -- not like they're loaded with additives.

I had one of those lo-cal frozen meals for dinner. Michelina's lasagna. It was the best I've had in terms of frozen diet food. I could easily do that again. And here I am at the end of the day with a reserve of about 300 calories. I'm going to have some yogurt before I go to bed and call it good.

That's it today. The whole sha-bang. So I'll sign off with a big "THANK YOU JESUS, for such a great day!! Thanks for my continued success on the scale. And please help anyone who is struggling to be successful with their weight loss and fitness program (just don't forget about me) :) You're the bomb Lord."

P.S. To Woody's Mom: Thanks for the pool info. I still plan to make that part of the program! :)

219

Well for pete's sake! After all of my whining and complaining yesterday, I ended up 1 1/2 pounds down. Praise God! Makes me sooooo thankful I got on that treadmill after all. What a reward! Yay me!

Had a better day today. That treadmill is still giving me a bit of a struggle, but I think the location might be a problem. It's in the garage and I am staring at absolutely nothing. I brought my ipod out there, and even tried watching a movie on my computer. Still boring. But I refuse to let boredom from the "scenery" be the cause of my failure. So, I am either going to move it or find somewhere else to walk. In the meantime, struggle struggle. The great news is I had a friend over who said "just get out there and give me one mile." Once I was out there, I gave myself the second one.

It is only by watching the calories and exercising that this weight is going to come off. The exercise is not optional. It isn't a trick or a game or a gimmick. No exercise, no lower sizes. Sure I can cut my calories down more, but that will surely mean failure. I can't go day after day after day eating 500 or 600 calories. And even if I could-- "hello flabbola." The laws of nature are going against me already because of my age. I can't sabatoge myself over two miles. And frankly, I'm sick of the gimmicks out there. I just want to do this already.

I'm going to work up to more exercise, but I know me. I need to go slowly. Plus, my hips are a teeny bit sore, and so are my knees. I know it will get easier as I go. Every one pound of weight adds 3-4 pounds of pressure to the joints. So the more I lose, the less stress it will be on my joints. That also means I have alleviated almost 20 pounds of pressure from my hip and knee joints this week alone.

It was a pretty good day for my food intake. I used up 125o calories, but I feel okay with that. I made a really good protein shake for lunch. Skim milk, nonfat yogurt, protein powder and a banana. 350 calories but it was excellent. So worth it. And I was full!

Tomorrow, it's 1200 calories and two miles, and another 4 inches of snow. Be safe everyone, and God bless.

P.S. If you haven't read any comments yet, your really should. I got a GREAT one yesterday about going to bed hungry. It makes me feel better.

220.5 Part II

Alright, well it's almost 10 p.m. I huffed and I puffed and got ON that stupid treadmill. I did my two miles and feel better for it. I took a shower and now I'm having a nice cup of tea and watching Diet Tribe. It's new. Like the Biggest Loser only its a group of 5 friends who are all overweight and are joining a weight loss program together. Very motivational. They are all in the 2-- range. God bless all of them. They want to lose 30 pounds each. I am looking forward to watching this.

Hopefully tomorrow won't be as tough on me in the hunger arena. I don't really know why I was so hungry today. I hadn't been over the last couple of days. But, I guess I need to feel like I have some way to combat my own desire to eat. I am so grateful that at least I was able to keep my calories under my goal. AND, I was able to make myself walk. Goals for today met. That's success. And tomorrow, I have the same goals. 1200 calories or less and two miles on the treadmill. Baby steps. Little baby steps. The rest will come. So for today it's "Thank you, Lord for my success today. Give me strength and courage for tomorrow."

P.S. Does anyone out there realize that a Famous Amos vanilla creme sandwich cookie is 56 calories??? Good God, what a waste of 200 calories!!!

220.5

Loooonnnnng day. I am hungry, hungry, hungry. THANKFULLY I have managed to keep control enough to eat only foods that are pretty healthy. In terms of calorie count, I am at 925. I haven't walked my 2 miles and I am NOT, NOT, NOT in the mood. There's a little devil chasing me around telling me it's okay to bug off for one day. I need a little angel to sit on my shoulder and tell me its not. I need to buck up and just get out and walk. Treadmill. It's too cold to walk outside -- about 5 degrees. Ugh! Gotta keep on keepin' on! Say a little prayer for me.

221.5

Apparently I'm not so good at putting together a menu plan. The very thought of it sort of makes me want to go back to bed. As a result, I am going to have to set my goals on a daily basis. I can handle a day or two out for planning dinners for my kids, but not for planning 3 meals, plus snacks, for dieting little me. Overwhelming.

I seem to do much better if I simply give myself a whole bunch of ideas of what I can have or make to eat, and then choose from that list as I go. Then it's just counting calories and fat. It's EASY to set a limit as to the amount of calories I'll allow myself. There are counters all over the internet to help you figure out how many calories you can eat per day if you want to lose weight when you're 47, 221.5 pounds and not terribly active. My daily caloric limit is between 1200 and 1500. I give myself a range because I want to stay closer to 1200, but won't throw in the towel the day I have 1500 instead.

I would love to be able to take advantage of appetite suppressants or other little miracles that will help me along the way. But the truth is, they don't exist. Oh sure, there are meds out there to control appetite and lower your body's fat absorption rate. But the reality of these meds is that when you go OFF of them, it's like your body loses control -- like a damn breaking loose -- and you will you put weight back on, in spades. I speak from experience. I have tried phentermine, meridia and topomax. I am convinced that these prescriptions contributed to the weight that I put on in the last 3 years. I wouldn't take them again if you PAID me. They are bad news, bad for your system, and give you a false sense of control. No, it's got to be just you and you alone that does the work here.

That said, you can see from my header that I am down another 1/2 pound. Yay!!! I didn't eat a lot yesterday, and I know from everything I have read and heard about diets that you need to eat pretty regularly if you want the weight to come off. Go figure!

So, I ended up eating only about 900 calories. I actually measured (with a measuring cup) my spaghetti noodles and my meat sauce. That's not like me at all. Sheeesh! Anyway, I did it so I could keep an accurate calorie count. I skipped the bread. Boo hoo. And the other foods I had during the day were all "snacky" type foods. Not a great habit to get into, so I will work on that.

I also got on the treadmill and walked the 2 miles I committed to . It took me 37 minutes at a 3.3 to 3.5 mph range. I was tired and really wanted to quit at a mile, but I knew I would have to come back and report that here, so I stayed on. Hahaha. Good for me!

Okay. My goals for today: 12oo calories. 2 miles on the treadmill. And...... I'm thinking I would like to try and get in the pool and swim for about 20 minutes. Thank goodness no one will be around to see that!!!! I think I might even have a 2x swimming suit -- thanks to my mom and sis. I'll let you know how that goes . . .

Have a wonderful day. May the angels follow you around and keep you safe.

222

Not surprisingly, I am just barely into this program and I am changing the program. I suppose that's why my success rate is at zero from attempts of the past. The exception is that this time I have an element of determination that I haven't had before. I wish that I could bottle the determination it takes to lose weight successfully. It's the one element that MUST be present in order to lose. And I haven't had it for a looonnnnggggg time.

Thankfully for me, and anyone that knows me, I am not interested in looking like the model on the right. Funny how she's called a "model" when probably the opposite is true. I wonder if she was thinking about chocolate donuts or Ben & Jerry's ice-cream or something when they took this. Pretty sad. As for me, I am too old to want to be a size 4, or even a 6. I don't want to spend the rest of my life struggling to maintain some unrealistic goal. I'll be happy if I make it to a size 10. At the moment I am an 18. BIG. Bigger than I have ever been. Bigger than I should be. Ugggggg!

So okay. Let's talk about my yesterday. I didn't start my exercise regimen as I intended. I started taking down my Christmas decorations and it took several hours. I cleaned and vacuumed and hauled big tupperware storage containers. But according to my latest and greatest web discovery (I'll tell you about that in a minute), that activity allowed me to burn 675 calories. Hmmm..... I don't know about that, but I will attempt the two mile walk again today.

Food. I ingested 1170 calories. I really need to make a plan for meals. I change my mind by the minute as to what I am going to eat. What I ended up doing, instead of sticking to the "protein shake" plan, was waiting until I was starving. Dumb, dumb, dumb. I should know better. Anyway, an english muffin w/peanut butter, string cheese, wheat thins and later a small piece of deep dish pizza were what I "grabbed for." Planning is going to be essential for me I think. So, I think today I will sit down and try to plan lunches and dinners for 5 days ahead.

Okay, on to my great discovery!! I LOVE this website I have found. I was looking for a social network for people like me who are trying to lose weight, and found www.traineo.com. If you are looking for a way to track your eating, activity -- basically the whole diet routine -- this website is fabulous. I created an account right away yesterday and I am really excited to watch my progress on the graphs the website generates. I'll keep you updated on that.

Alright -- that's the 411 for today. I am not at all disappointed that I am down 1/2 pound. It's a 1/2 DOWN, not up. And frankly, if I lost 1/2 pound a day, every day, I'd be pretty skinny in a few short months. I'll take what I can get.

222.5

Hurray for me! Down two pounds and I hardly did a thing to deserve it. But today starts the real work.

I have decided that I want to handle the food part of this diet, at least initially, with one fairly decent meal and two protein supplement meals -- probably liquid. I know, I know. It isn't the healthy way to do it. But I think that's how it needs to be for at least three days. I need to get my appetite under control without starving myself. So here's the plan: Two servings of fruit, at least one veggie serving, two protein shakes and one low-cal, low fat meal. We'll see how it goes.

As for exercise, today I start walking. I have set a goal for two miles. I have not set a goal for mph or time. However, if I am going to try and stay on the treadmill for one hour. I'm a little worried I will get bored, so I'll have to figure that one out.

My colon cleanse seems to be having some effect. I had a lot of cramping this morning, which I remember from the last time I did it. My natural tea was steeped a bit too long last night, making it strong, so I will back off a bit on that.

That's the plan for today. I'm off to take children snowboarding. The snow is coming down yet again. I love a Minnesota winter with snow. That's how it's suppose to be.

In the Beginning - 224.5

Today is the first day of what will very likely be a LONG journey. I have a lot of weight to lose, but I am finally ready to get rid of it.

I start the journey at a whopping 224.5. Ridiculous!!! I can't function in this body. It's not a body I recognize. It has to go.

Today I started a colon cleanse. I am looking forward to it because I believe that the junk in my colon contributes to my fatigue, my pimpled skin, my cravings for sugar and my irritability. I am using Dr. Natura's Colonix. The website has pages and pages (54 to be exact) of testimonials from people who have tried this cleanse. http://www.drnatura.com. I tried it a couple of years ago and thought it was pretty effective, so I am going to try it again. I'll keep you tabbed about how this is going.

Tomorrow I start an exercise routine. I don't have a specific plan yet, other than to walk everyday. So again, I'll update the plan as I go.

That's what I know right now. When I know more, you'll know more. God bless you today.