How I'm still working on it

It’s funny how excitement dwindles, isn’t it? I started this blog with the same excitement I started Weight Watchers. As you can see, my updates on this blog have been sporadic at best. And my current excitement toward WW has dwindled just the same.

The newness has faded, I am down to 30 points per day (I started at 38), and I’m finding it difficult to find that new-relationship feeling with WW, which directly relates to this blog, so the blog suffers by default.

But I’m still going! I am right on the edge of my 50-pound mark. Fifty pounds! Can you imagine? I’ve been right on that edge for months now, though. I just can’t seem to push myself into the strict regimen that is necessary to get there. I go over my daily point every day. Sometimes on stuff I merely want even though it has little nutritional benefit, and sometimes on food that actually fuels my body. Either way, I go over. Thirty points a day is not many points, and I’m just struggling to adjust my eating habits into such a small space.

However, I am in the best shape of my life. I am healthy. I can say that with sincerity. I finished a three-month Tabata class at work, which is a high-intensity training class. It was magnificently hard, but I lost 13.5 inches in the process.

I also have shoulders now! And a waist that isn’t the same size as my hips! Two things that I will always be proud of.

I doubt you’ll remember, but back when I first started this blog, I talked about doing a sprint triathlon. It’s taken me two years, but I finally signed up for one. It’s in September in Kentucky. Some fellow WWs are coming for support, a few are considering doing a relay team at the tri, and one is doing the whole tri with me. I start my training next month. I would have never been able to do this before I started WW.

So I guess I just wanted to stop by to tell you that I’m still going. Hovering around the same weight, but each day I feel like I’ve created a new lifestyle.

I took a progress picture, which is below. I also put my original picture beneath it, so you can see the difference. Enjoy!

February 2013

April 2011

Active Link, and Earth-shattering Weigh-in

I need to say this immediately. Clay made this WW recipe yesterday and we both fell over ourselves racing for second helpings. It was delicious. He made it in the Crockpot, so no oil was needed. Yes!

In other news, WW has this new thing called the Active Link.

Image courtesy of http://hellrazor-art.blogspot.com/

It's this little device you fasten to your bra strap or put in your pocket and it records your movements and translates them into activity points. I was skeptical of it, because that's basically a pedometer, or a HRM without the HRM (if that makes sense), but it was only $40 so I decided to try it. Well, it didn't work out too well and I ended up cancelling my subscription. But it did open my eyes to a few things . . .

Last week, I stuck to my daily points. I wasn’t a fan of the Active Link, but one thing it showed me was how inactive I was, even though I work out four-five times a week for an hour at a time. Even though my Active Link acted funny a lot of the time, it was consistent in reading lower numbers then the WW database gave me for any given activity. Because of that, I didn’t eat my activity points last week. Also, I didn’t eat any extra weeklies most days last week. I had a few extra on Friday and a few extra on Saturday.

Something else I realized was that I wasn’t eating enough veggies. So, I started including veggies at every meal and often times for snacks. I was also very diligent about packing my lunch every day, AND I turned down a donut. Oh yes I did.

So I basically went back to WW week one. I was on it, guys. On it. And guess what? I lost 3.6 pounds. What?! That’s the biggest loss I’ve had in a while, but I’m still not out of danger. I’ve seen this weight before and I couldn’t get past it, so I just have to be vigilant this week and stick to just my dailies again. BUT, I’m down 45.4 pounds since beginning WW, and I couldn’t be more excited about it.

Clay and I are having a make-your-own-pizza housewarming party next Sunday. It will be after my weigh-in, which is good, but I have to be careful not to overdo it. I’m going to get some lean ham and fresh pineapple and make a Hawaiian pizza. Watch out, pizza world.


Weight loss this week: -3.6 pounds
Total weight loss: 45.4 pounds

New House; New Meeting

It's all a big rush over here, guys. I spent the weekend moving, unpacking, grading, cleaning, fidgeting with knick knacks, and unpacking some more. We're officially in the new house. And, better yet, we officially OWN the new house. We closed yesterday.

But, perhaps the most exciting WL-related thing about my weekend was that I found a WW meeting that I actually enjoyed. I couldn't make it to the Saturday meeting, because moving was too time-consuming, so I went to one Sunday morning. There were significantly less people (seven total, including the instructor), but I realized that I thrive in smaller groups. The leader was a little awkward, but awkward is my thing (seriously, cue Steve Buscemi). I actually talked and shared a lot of my highs and lows of the week. It was very motivational. I even signed up for the Activity Link, which I will be picking up next weekend.

I maintained my weight this week, which is pretty stellar considering that I dined out for practically every meal (didn't grocery shop since we were in mid-move). Since Sunday, I've been off point a bit and exercise is at an all-time low, but I'm still settling in and organizing stuff in the house. I'm back at work now though, and things are back on the straight and narrow. I don't really know what that means.
Here's a picture of our living room/kitchen!

Apple Picking

Things are happening very quickly here, guys. We’re closing on the house this Friday, I have mid-term essays to grade and conferences to hold for my class, and it’s the new fiscal year at work, so things are super duper busy.

Plus, I decided to sign up for WW meetings again. I gained a bit last week, leaving me in the same five-pound range that I’ve been in since January 2011. I’m hoping meetings will help my mojo kick in again.

This past week I managed to work out five times despite my busy schedule. One of those times was a hot yoga class on Saturday morning. It felt nice to start the day with some sweating and stretching. My shoulder stands are getting pretty fantastic.

Sunday, Clay and I went apple picking with my parents and niece. It was a good time, and we got a ton of apples that we can use to bake all sorts of stuff in our new house. Can you say double oven???

Here’s Clay and Hannah. They make a pretty great team. Of course, what's a picture without getting my thumb involved?

Fall Events and Weigh-in

Next Sunday, Clay and I are going apple picking. If you’ll recall, I went apple picking last year with Clay, and we had a fantastic time. We made pies and tarts and, well, I think that’s all we made. This year, we’re taking my parents and my six-year-old niece.

I love the fall. Adore it. It feels like having a new crush. Every year, I get butterflies in my stomach at the thought of its arrival. I love the crisp air, the bright sun, the haunting shade of twilight, the need for scarves and sweaters and jackets. I’m sure the latter could be rooted in my weight, this attraction to the articles of clothing that cover and drape my body. But even with my weight loss, I find comfort in these clothes. I’m so much more comfortable in my own skin (probably the root of my plateau!), but I still love the warmth and coziness that a thick scarf provides.

This weekend, Hannah, her mother, and I are taking a drive through the Laurel Highlands. We’re heading toward Bedford to do some wine tasting and antiquing. It’s peak foliage season around here, so it will be pretty scenic.

In weight news, I’m up one pound this week (last week I maintained, which is pretty good considering I never stayed at my lowest weight for two weeks in a row!). I’m actually thankful it’s just a pound. I didn’t track all weekend. I wasn’t out of control, but I certainly wasn’t IN control. Limbo. The grey area. Purgatory. Maintenance. Only I’m not on maintenance yet, because I’m not at goal weight. Sigh.

Well, another weekend is coming up, so I get to strive again to be on-point, or at least not go into the red on my WW tracker.

Listen. This week I made this recipe. Stephanie made it last fall, and I fell in love with it and had to make it for myself this year. She suggested some edits to the recipe (add another jar of green chile, cook on the stove, more spices), and it turned out amazing. I’ve eaten my weight in it already.

Weight loss this week: +1 pound

Total weight loss: 43.6 pounds

Weigh-In and Goal for Weekend

I lost 1.4 pounds this week. I’ve been here before though, and I can’t seem to break through this number. I’m putting an effort into staying on-point this weekend though, so fingers crossed. This is my weigh-in post, but I’m not at home, so I don’t have a picture to share with you guys.

In other news, Clay and I put in an offer on a house. It’s going through negotiations now. The offer was accepted, but now we’re just waiting to hear back from the seller in response to our inspection addendum (that’s where we ask the seller to fix everything that the house inspector found to be wrong or dangerous). It’s a pretty awesome house, and I hope we get it. It has a laundry chute.

So this week, I will be working toward one major goal: TRACK, TRACK, TRACK! By tracking, I will automatically take care of another goal: staying on point. Saturday is book club, and Hannah is making meat pasties. I hate her sometimes, because her food is so delicious.

This is not Hannah's meat pasties, but it kind of looks like them

My contribution will be something point-friendly so I can have two meat pasties (they’re small). So veggies and dip, most likely. Also, we’re meeting at a winery, so I have to save some points for a glass of wine. I think I’ll be good there, because I’m not much of a drinker.

I got sheer stubbornness on my side this weekend. I can already feel it coming out. I. Will. Track. And. Stay. On. Point. Say it with me.

Weight loss this week: -1.4 pounds

Total Weight loss: 44.4 pounds.

The Return of the Blog

Hey, guys! Not much is going on here. I’ve been chugging away, trying to keep up with everything that’s going on around me. I got an adjunct position teaching Comp 1, so that’s taking up a lot of my evenings and weekends (most of them, actually).

I’m doing well with Weight Watchers. I’m blowing it on the weekends, though, which is pushing me to maintain my weight rather than lose anymore. It’s so frustrating and it really just comes down to lack of willpower. I was down to my lowest weight last Friday, but I’m sure I’m up again after the weekend (it was my workshop weekend, which means a TON of food that I have a really hard time saying no to). Every week I promise myself that this weekend I will get it under control. Then the weekend comes and I give in to biscotti and chocolate and pizza and bread. Ugh. However, I started to track my weekend food, which I had fallen out of the habit of doing, so that’s good. I guess at the very least I am maintaining my weight.

However, I have been weight lifting and exercising like mad. You have no idea. I did P90X this spring and summer, and now I’m doing boot camp. Every day, a different part of my body is sore. Today it’s arms/shoulders/chest. My body is changing so much. Everything is tighter; my waist is trimmer. Things are shifting and tidying up. It’s very nice. I’ve also started taking yoga on Tuesdays. I can do a shoulder stand! Shutyourface.

The best part? I can run! Well, jog. But I can consistently run one mile. I’ve run up to two miles, but my schedule is so hectic that I can hardly maintain a consistent running schedule, so I have yet to build up much more than one mile yet. But still. I remember when I couldn’t run longer than 90 seconds. Wow.

I’ve fallen off the blog wagon for many reasons, but I miss it terribly. Every time I think about blogging, something happens that needs my immediate attention and I get distracted. I really think this blog had a lot to do with my initial success with WW, and I pine over those successful first months.

Let’s try this again, shall we? Even if it’s just a weekly post. Here’s the first one. I might include a progress picture with my next one. But for now, here’s a picture of me on vacation in August. Clay and I went to Mackinac Island. No cars allowed! It was just us and our bicycles. Oh, Heaven, how I miss you.