Day 155 Hot 100 Update, Huge Weigh In, and Picture History

Wow, I am riding a high today!! I had a great weigh in! I lost 8 more pounds, for a total of 81 pounds lost since July 17!! Waaaaahoooooooo! I was just so happy to see that number this morning! I am at 216 pounds now and I know for a fact that I am now slimmer than I when I left high school! How cool is that!? In fact, here is my senior picture:

and here is my latest picture, taken this past Sunday:

Now I had good some good times in between:

but for the most part this is what my adult life has been like:

So there you have it. I have come a good long way in the last 5 months, and I am glad for it. I can't begin to tell you how much of a difference losing weight and getting in shape has made in my life, both physically and aesthetically.

as for my Hot 100 update, as you can imagine, doing pretty dang well. I did slip AGAIN and had a fresco chicken burrito supreme at Taco Bell the other day, then it dawned on me again that the tortilla is white bread essentially, but apart from that, no white bread is good. I am at 216 pounds now, and I think with some hard work and determination, I can get that last 6 of to get to 210 pounds by New Year's Eve, and I did run a full 5k, not as fast as I was wanted to. I was just a shade over 50 minutes, but I think I am going to shoot for it on Sunday and see if I can get it in the high 40's minute wise.

Well I am signing off here so that I can sit in my recliner, watch Lord of the Rings, Return of the King, and just chill. I never get to do that any more. Out of school, no work today, and the girls are at a lock in for Girl Scouts, and I am on my own!

Day 154 Don't Lose That Awe

So I am T-Minus 7 and half hours till weigh in, give or take. Still unsure of what kind of weigh in it will be. I know this, I am feeling a hell of a lot thinner for some reason. I can't pin point it, but I do feel it.

I think we all have those things, those NSV's that when you first discovered them or experienced them, or were told about them, you were so excited about it! You spent the next days just being in awe. For me, I think the biggest NSV I have I haven't ran into the ground on here, but it just awes me even to this day, although I have been doing it for at least 2 months, maybe more. And I do it at least four days of the week but really more like five. I change my shoes from office shoes to walking shoes and back, while sitting behind the steering wheel of my truck, without opening my door and sitting sideways! See, I used to not have any room between my belly and my steering wheel. If I dropped something while driving, I was not gonna be able get it till I parked. If I wanted to put a soda between my legs, I was out of luck. I hated the way I looked in the Arvest Bank video camera at the drive thru. I have experienced this NSV every day for several weeks. I still am in awe, every single day that I do it. I think that is part of being successful, don't let the successes become normal, they need to be successes forever!!

Day 153 A Channeling Experience

Good Wednesday everybody! I am on another high! Had a great food and exercise day once again! I am at 1310 calories right now with some peanut butter and celery in the future, I should finish at around 1400 for the day! Hahahaha, I am lovin' it!!!

I have been kinda worried that I was getting in too good of shape for the walking I have been doing to give me the benefits it has in the past. I don't even get very tired anymore, even though I push myself hard while walking. Today, I decided to get some squats in during my weight workout, which is not unusual, but today, I really really really pushed myself to failure on them. Buddy let me tell you, my legs were worn out for my walk this morning and my lunchtime walk too! And my abs are trashed! Oh and that reminds me, it may be a mirage, but I think I see a little ridge developing on the top part of my stomach where the fat has dissipated the most! I think my abs are trying to poke their heads through! I only see it in the mornings and I am not sure I really see it, but it looks like it. I can feel the separation if I poke around on my abs, but to see it would be great! Oh and I don't recall giving ya'll this information either. I bought size 34 pants last week!! I am a little torn though. They fit fine. I can get two fingers in between me and the waist band, so they don't cut me in half, but when I sit for very long, it feels like the waist band is hitting a nerve or something on my hip bone. It makes my thigh hurt bad! Any thoughts on this? it is only my right thigh and it feels kinda like it is falling asleep but more painful.

Ok, on to today's title. I have been sitting on this experience for a couple of days, but it keeps hanging around my mind and not going away. I saw someone the other day doing something I used to do. They had a big bag of candies and they were mindlessly eating them, not really giving any thought to it from what I can tell. It brought back memories for me. I channeled back to the days when I would have done the same thing. When I see that, I just want to reach out to that me, slap him across the face, and wake him up to the damage he is doing!! I could have saved myself a heck of a lot of trouble knowing what I know now back then. I could already be in the maintenance phase, I could be celebrating 5, maybe 10 years of maintenance. I could be a mountain climber or a 1/2 marathon runner by now! Hell who knows! But the cold hard reality is, I did not do it then. Buuuut, I am doing it now!!! I don't dwell on the past, but I think you have to keep in sight. I don't think you can ever forget the past, it is your index for what to do and what not to do. For example, I now know, when I hit my goal weight, that is not carte blanche to go right back to eating like I used to. That is just Phase I. Phase II is the good part. That is the part where you learn how to KEEP the weight off. That is how you will finish in life. Thin and aware of how to stay that way!

Well it is Wednesday of weigh in week. As I have said before, this is when the anxiety begins. And it is even worse this week. I don't have even a clue what my loss will be if there will be one at all. I feel strong, I feel in better shape, I even feel lighter, but only the scale knows that last one. So let the anxiety begin.

Day 152 Somewhat Interesting Fact

I read something interesting awhile back that came to me today while I was walking. It has been proven that people who share a meal, like each other better than others. That was also told to me by a Human Resources manager in one of my old jobs. That is why company's tend to throw food out for holidays and big project achievement celebrations, it promotes harmony in the masses. And if you think about it, it makes a great deal of sense. Because let's be honest, tell me you don't have a close set fo friend whom you always have big, elaborate meals with, or whom when you want to have a little get together,it doesn't usually wind up in a restaurant. And even more, tell me that during the Holiday Season, you don't find yourself in get togethers with friends, family, and a huge spread of food. Food permeates our society in every form and fashion, bringing us all together to enjoy a meal with our friends and loved ones. I have experienced this on a conscious level for the last week. My first instinct was fight fight fight! But the reality is, it is hard to just walk away from all that without touching it at all. I am pretty sure I have done a pretty good job in limiting my indulgences. But at this point, I am switching my mind set to be responsible, but enjoy some of the food. Small losses at this time of year are as big of a victory as huge losses in October. I know to some this may sound like rationalizing, and that is fair to assume. But frankly, I am so much more responsible this year than I have been in years past. Given what I have been faced with so far, I would have easily put on ten pounds by this time last year!! I am not exaggerating at all! So I suspect at minimum when I weigh in on Friday to see a two or three pound loss. I am good with that. Heck if I maintain, I am probably going to be ok with that. I have had good times with family and good friends, and my focus has switched more to enjoying those people than how much can I cram down my gullet. I think that alone is a huge accomplishment.

Day 151 Great Eating Day To Build On!!

Wow did I have a great eating day! I want to have about oh, 18 more of those!! I had my eggs and cereal for breakfast, a banana for my morning snack, 6 peanuts and a pita sandwich for lunch, and 14 almonds for my afternoon snack. Kathy baked some chicken legs for dinner and we had brown rice and greenbeans as sides with a yogurt, some tuna and celery with peanut butter for snacks after supper. All told, I had 1430 calories for the day and it feels great! I also got myself 4 1/2 miles of walking in today! I am on top of the world and looking forward to more days like this! Like I said, about 18 more of them!

I am so ready for Friday night! No work, no school and no functions for Lauren! Well there is a function for Lauren, but it is an overnight lock in for Girl Scouts, and I ain't allowed, so there is a night of chillin' alone. In the beginning of this marriage, I would have loved that but the truth is now, when they are gone all night, I miss them more than any joy I get out of having the place to myself. Plus I have to stay on guard for food intake when left to my own devices like that.

I am gonna get off here and get some sleep so I can get up and get me another great day!

Day 150 A Much Needed Victory!

Hey gals and guys! I am actually posting this on Monday morning cause my Sunday was full to the brim and I got home late and was in no shape to try to stay awake and type a blog! I had a huge victory yesterday! I jogged a 5k all the way through straight! I only did it at 4 miles and hour, but man was that a rush! I finally turned off the treadmill and if everybody had not been asleep, I would have done a primal scream I was so happy! I finished the first two miles fairly easily, the last 1.1 miles was a bit of a struggle, but I hung in and wowzer was it worth it. I don't know, it was just a real high is the only way I can explain it. I want to try to do about 5 more of those and see about starting to run a little faster then maybe a little farther next.

Had a long day as I eluded to before. I got up and got the jog in, then immediately was hit with getting everybody else up and around, and we all got ready for my Christmas gathering with my Hudson family, dad's side of the family. I don't see them or keep in touch like I should and that is totally on me. I should try harder but between the fact my life is busy and crazy and there is an hour drive between us, I fail horribly. I did get pictures with my brother and his kids, and that did my heart so much good. I really wish we were closer and we are going to try to be now I think. I love my nephew and niece, they are both hoots to hang out with! Shady by niece, is so spunky and sassy, it is cute. Dusty is just a little man now. Well behaved, calm cool and relaxed. Love it!

Ok, now that all these food centered festivities are over, and I handled them as well as I guess I was able, I am thankful to be back to normal life starting today. I like when I have structure in my life and the food put before me is totally in my control. I don't believe the past week will kill me, but I am betting it won't help the scale any! I will be getting some extra exercise on Monday and Wednesday now since I don't have classes at lunch on those days anymore, so that is my upside for the week. The other good news is, I get to hang out with my family at night all week for a month too. I may throw in some extra jogging then too just to help me get back on track and in better shape for my weigh in this Friday. It may be too little too late, but the one thing I am going to keep in mind for this last stretch of the holiday season, I am at LEAST 73 pounds lighter than I was this time last year, and that is not anything to be sneezing at!

Day 149 Not Going So Well Here

Ok guys, the holidays are killing me right now! I have had two Christmas parties so far and not that I have gone nuts or blew my diet incredibly, but it just feels like I am gaining weight! I am not doing well on my soda drinking either. I suspect if I do gain weight, that would be the most suspect aspect of my last weeks behavior. It is diet soda, but that is that much less water I am drinking too. So today's meeting was the last one that I know of to have a food event that requires me to caffeine up to keep going. Starting tomorrow, I am back to no soda, and the best part is, I get to start walking (or jogging!) more often! So I am going to be busting my booth hocks for the next 5 days to try to do damage control for this Friday's weigh in, if there is damage control needed. We will see on Friday I suppose.

I have a wild hair folks. I want to jog a 5k tomorrow morning! Desperately! I did jog a mile Friday morning and it really wasn't that much of a hardship, though it was only 4 miles an hour, but I will take it, it didn't hurt my ankles!