Week Forty-Nine

Not good, not good at all. I weighed 170.8 yesterday morning, and that was before Christmas dinner! I have not weighed myself since and refuse to until next week. It will be one year since i started this blog in three weeks. On one hand I am really proud of myself for all the weight I have lost, but I will not reach my goal. I am definitely going to have to regroup almost as if I am starting all over again. I know everybody slips once in a while but I also know how easy it is to slip into old behavours and before you realize it you're back where you started.

On a lighter note, yesterday was Christmas and the food was fantastic. I got some great gifts. Some of the highlights were my son Brandon gave me a gift card from Barnes and Nobel and a heated neck massager and Brittany got me a certificate for a mani pedi and a wooden recipe box with my name engraved in it and personalized recipe cards. Ayden had a blast opening all his present at his moms and then here. His favorite was the motorized police car Mark bought him. Later we watched a movie and played games. A good time was had by all. Mark had to fly back to base on Christmas day so I'm sure it was bittersweet for Brittany.

I also wanted to mention that Brandon quit smoking about three weeks ago and is doing great.

Week Forty-Eight

I was 169 even this morning. These holidays are killing me. At this point I'm just trying to make it through without gaining a lot. I did make it into the gym three days this week. But, unfortunately Brittany came over last night and we made Christmas cookies. Yeah I have eaten a few.

Today we decorated the sugar cookies and we didn't hear Ayden for a minute. We called him and he came in with green hands. He had gotten into the food coloring. He dumped them all over in the laundry room. What a mess! I still haven't gotten the tree up yet so I really have to do that tomorrow.

I heard from an old friend on Facebook recently. That was nice. Apparently she has lost a quite a bit of weight too. I guess it's the thing to do.

Week Forty-Seven

I weighed 168.4 yesterday. Of course the day before I was 167.8. Friday we went to my office Christmas party. We had it at my coworker Betsy's house. It was fun. She has nice home. Ayden had fun playing with the other kids and Brandon had fun at the open bar. Everyone brought a dish and the food was fantastic. I brought BBQ pulled pork. Someone brought these awesome cheese stuffed dates wrapped in Bacon. I think I liked those too much. That and the chicken wing dip. Ughhh. Oh well nobody said it was going to be easy.

Week Forty-Six

Busy with a lot of cooking and baking last week for Thanksgiving. A lot of eating too and I put on about 4 pounds. Boy that went back on quick! I didn't make it into the gym at all. I did better this past week and I'm back down to 168.6 today. I lost some ground and it was scarry. I thought I was going to start plummeting upward out of control. Now I am even more concerned about Christmas and parties. Its going to be hard. I certainly need to have a better plan.

I have done some of my Christmas shopping and hope to have the rest done in a couple days. I also bought myself some new clothes which I desperately needed. Now I need to get a winter coat and boots. Me and Brittany went shopping a couple times for her dress, then shoes, clutch and a pretty necklace. She will be leaving on Thursday for Georgia to go to a ball with Mark and I will be watching Ayden for a few days.

Week Forty-Four

I forgot to post again yesterday. Things are hectic. I don't think I even weighed myself! So I will just post this mornings weight at 167.6. I have so many things going on I only made it to the gym twice last week. This week I have a busy schedule cooking and baking for Thanksgiving. I have to start Christmas shopping soon. I am behind at work. The house needs cleaning. You name and I need to get it done.

Week Forty-Three

Hmmmm. Ok, not much change at 168.6, but strangely the scale at Curves shows I lost 2 pounds this week. I joined a new incentive program where you earn Curves cash for various things like weigh-ins, workout, weight loss, etc. Then you can use it to buy merchandise.

We finally finished the trim on the house and I scrapped the paint off the windows. I also washed them inside and out. Tomorrow I am going to put away all the outdoor stuff. Fun wow.

I have been on a quest for more natural products and I tried Burts Bees shampoo and conditioner and I really love it. I also started using their radiance moisturizers and am very happy with it. I haven't found natural makeup yet but I have found more moisturizing products. My skin is a lot dryer than it used to be. I guess that happens with age, lol. I'll keep looking for and switching to more natural products slowly but surely.

I got my results back from my physical and everything was good. My glucose levels were normal. My good cholesterol is low but the doctor said it is fine because my overall cholesterol is low. Also my blood pressure is low. Actually a little to low and I have been getting dizzy so he said I need to eat more salt, go figure!

Week Forty-Two

I am back up to 168.8 this week. Well at least it's not 172. I have been trying to figure out why things have slowed down so much. I know part of it is getting closer to my goal and having less to lose, but I think at least part of it is losing focus. I have been really busy lately and have not been 100% on track. Also Im not as hung ho as I was in the beginning. I may be getting bored with my routine or just lazy. I don't have any short term goals right now just my overall goal. I plan on taking the time this weekend to think it over and adjust my plan to hopefully get things reved up again.

Halloween was fun. Ayden had a blast dressed up as iron man

Week Fourty-One

Last week was the first week I really totally forgot to post. I remembered a couple days ago and just decided to wait for this week's post. It was nothing to write home about anyway. I fell off the wagon for a while and went back up a few pounds to guess how much? Yup 172. I think my body really wants to hold on to that weight! This week I got back on the wagon and did well. This morning I was 167.8. I will be glad in about three more pounds when my weight will no longer cycle up into the 170s. This week was the last of the exercise classes I was taking. I didn't sign up for the next session because it has been increasingly difficult to get there. Maybe I'll take some in the following session.

I have been trying to find more natural hair care. I tried water only washing for over 8 weeks but my hair never seemed to adjust. So I decided to look for more natural products. Burts Bees looked pretty good and didn't have anything offensive in it so I got some of that. I just washed my hair with it. It seems pretty dry on the ends. I rubbed some of the conditioner on the ends as a leave-in. It is not totally dry yet so the I'll let you know how it goes. I'm sure I'll find something that works.

Week Thirty-Nine

After a month of, well, nothing I have a loss. I weigh 169 today. This morning anyway. This afternoon the family went to Becker Farm and I ate a lot of bad food and drink. This morning I took a civil service exam. There was a section that was a little tough so I'm not sure how I did.
I will get the results in a month or so. We finally finished painting the house. I ended up changing the color from white to yellow. We are going to do one more coat.

Week Thirty-Eight

Ha ha, I feel like I'm in groundhogs day. My weight is 172.4 again. This is a true plateau. I did my food journal on. Wednesday and Thursday and my calories were not that high. I did not do too much exercise this week though. I am busting my ass working on the house today.

Week Thirty-Seven

Uggghh! I am back up to 172.4, so I lost what little ground I gained last week. I knew this last 20 pounds or so would be difficult but this one step forward one step back thing is ridiculous. I worked out five days this week. What more can I do? I guess I should start food journaling again. That always gets me back on track with my calories anyway.

My oldest, Dustin, flew back to Florida on Thursday morning. The rest of us went to Niagara applefest yesterday. It was fun. Ayden rode a pony. The kids ate a lot of food. I swear I did not eat anything there. I did do some wine tasting though, which is extra calories.

Brittany and Shea applied for an apartment on Friday so I may soon have some semblance of sanity around here. I am supposed to be working on painting the outside of my house this weekend but it is raining. I may have to take off a couple days of work.

I bought Ayden an Iron Man costume for Halloween and we tried it on him yesterday. Well, he has refused to take it off since. We tried to wait till he was asleep but, he would wake up each time and become hysterical. I guess he likes it.

Week Thirty-Six

Not much movement this month, only 172 even. Very busy. House is full. My back was killing me after scraping, sanding, and painting last week. I just spent 7 hours working on it today so I probably won't be able to walk tomorrow. I skipped my core and buns class this morning because I knew I couldn't hold up through the day if I did. I slept in instead and boy did I need it. Going to take a long hot bath now and hit the pillow. Hope I am able to move in the morning.

Week Thirty-Five

I had a good loss this week, at 172.6. The Zumba class is going good. Maybe it kicked my butt in gear. The core and buns class hurts like hell. I didn't think I was going to make through today. Then I had to come home and paint all day. I am exhausted right now

I did some shopping over the last couple days. Hit the sales and saved a lot of money
Got new coats for me, Brittany and Ayden. Got shoes and some clothes for me
I ended up donating all my clothes that are to big to Bon-Ton goodwill sale for 20% off coupons. I discovered I have no clothes. I guess there is no turning back now. For a minute I thought I should keep certain items in case I gain weight again. Talk about negative thinking.

Week Thirty-Four

Alright! 176.4, things are finally moving again. I bought a couple new workout outfits that actually fit me, which I think has boosted my self-esteem. I have to start a pot roast and head to my core and buns class. I kind of regret taking a Saturday morning class now. I really enjoy sleeping in a little on weekends whenever I can. Oh well it's only for two months. I also want to mention we started using the first batch of soap I made. Works great!

Week Thirty-Three

I know I am a day late. Probably because I had a bad week and was trying to put off the inevitable. Or maybe I was hoping for a miracle overnight. Reality bites. No miracle. I weigh 179.2. Not only no loss but a gain. I thought most of the week wasn't that bad but I did eat bread a few times. I cooked some meals for the family (Tuna noodle casserole, Mexican pie) and I ate some. I swear I has small servings! But I guess they were high in carbs and calories. Thursday was the day things really went wrong. We had a cookout and birthday party for Brandon. I ate hotdogs (most of the bun), mashed potatoes, potato salad, potato chips (only a couple), cake, and the worst was sugary sweet mixed drinks. On top of that I was so busy I only made it to Curves once this week. I did join a couple of workout classes at Tonawanda Aquatic and Fitness Center which started this week and run once a week through the end of October. The Zumba class is on Fridays after work. I did go to first one this Friday. It is an hour class and a good workout but not enough to counteract the week I have had apparently. The other class is called Core and Buns which is on Saturday mornings. That is only a half hour but she makes you feel the burn. I think I needed to mix things up a bit. I will probably cut down my Curves to three times a week.

Week Thirty-Two

I was beginning to think I did curse myself last week. The scale did not want to move this week, well except for up. I thought it was going to be a bust, but this morning I was happy to finally see some movement down, and a weight of 178.4. Not a lot, only a half pound. But a loss nonetheless. I got my charms and bracelet I earned in Curves last contest. Very cute. Of course I can't wear it because of my metal allergies but I can look at it as a sign of my accomplishment. I lost 17.5 pounds during this contest!

Me and Brittany made some bath bombs last night. It was not difficult as far as ingredients and process, but it was difficult to tell when the mixture was at the right consistency. We made some. Probably not the best but we'll see how they work. They did not come out of the plastic shells very easy. I had ordered a stainless steel mold and it came out of that pretty easy but, after packing each half, the halves would not hold together no matter how hard I pushed. I'm sure its a learning process.

A diving buddy of mine from a few years ago, Michelle, saw my blog. She said she has recently started dieting to. Maybe if we both ever get to a place where we can fit into our wetsuits (and I can exert that much energy without passing out) then we can try diving again.

Week Thirty-One

I did it, made it to the 170s. Well 179 to be exact. I will take it. Things are going really well with my weight loss right now. Hope I didn't just curse myself, lol. I have been pretty busy and active this summer. I'm worried that things will slow down when it starts getting colder. I'm going to try not to let that happen. I'm also planning on taking extra vitamin D to see if that helps. I tend to go into a funk in the winter.

Other good news. I did my 100th workout at Curves and got my Curves 100 T-shirt. My calorie burn has been a little lower lately. I think partly because I can't workout hard on the squat machine because of my knee. Maybe partly due to expending so much energy elsewhere. I have been working on the house scrapping and prepping for painting. That is a frigging lot of work. Also realized how expensive the paint is going to be. Definitely have to prime because there is a lot of exposed wood from scrapping. I had to go to court about it on Thursday. I don't understand why when I asked for a six months extension and it is well within that timeframe. But they said I had to go so I did and asked the judge for another month which he granted. The porch is finally done.

My first soap batch is drying nicely. I made the second batch and it came out really well. A nice deep purple and smelling like lavender. I bought a length of PVC pipe to use as a mold. I will have Brandon cut it down today and split it in half so it will be easier to get the soap out. I also got beef and pork fat from the butcher so I can render tallow and lard to use in soap making. Also ordered a 2 lb. Wooden soap mold.

Trouble in paradise. Brittany and Mark are going through a rough patch and she and Ayden are flying back here today. I hope they can work it out. At 2 I am meeting my friend, Chris, at Barnes and Nobel. Our usual get together spot. I better go charge my nook.

Week Thirty

My daughter and grandson flew back on Thursday. I miss them already. We had fun though. Brittany's 21st birthday was on the 11th and we had an Hawaiian type party with grass skirts and leis. We had Margaritas and cooked out. Later we went to a bar for a couple drinks but it was pretty dead on a Wednesday. The porch work is almost done. They didn't do a great job and had to come back a couple times to fix it. They have to come back again on Tuesday. I have someone coming to remove a tree on Tuesday as well.

Even though I was busy with my family I tried to keep up with my exercise and did pretty well. I fulfilled all the requirements for the latest contest at Curves. This week I weigh 181.6. Maybe next week i'll be in the 170s. We'll see.

Oh I made my first batch of soap yesterday. I wiped my face on my sleeve and got some lye on my face. Boy did that burn for hours. It has to incubate for a couple days then I will check it and cut it. Hopefully it will come out good. Then it will have to dry and cure for four weeks. This first batch did not have any colors or scents. I am making another batch tomorrow with lavander and purple to see how that comes out.

Week Twenty-Nine

I'll cut to the chase I'm at 183.2 today. Sticking to my diet has been tough this week with all my family here. Less than a week left with Ayden. I miss him already. I completed all the requirements for the contest at Curves. And I only have seven more workouts to reach 100 and get my free T-shirt. I ordered a T-shirt as well. Didn't know what size to get because right now I wear an extra large but I am hoping to lose more weight. I also signed up for a bra fitting at Curves. I guess through the company LeMystere. Well I looked them up on the internet. I expected the bras would be pricey but I was shocked. 60, 70, 80 dollars and more. For one bra? That is outrageous! I am cancelling the fitting. I don't want any chance of being talked into an 80 dollar bra. I can't even imagine what would make a bra worth that much!

Week Twenty-Eight

I have been so busy lately with all the family home. It gets a little crazy sometimes. Me, Dustin and Brittany participated in the Ronald McDonald House 5k. We did our best but it started thunder storming right when the race began. We started out strong mostly jogging in the pouring rain. We quickly became soaking drenched. The wind picked up and blew away my hat and the rain was blowing directly into my face. The kids became miserable and wanted to quit but I kept encouraging them to continue. Eventually common sense won over and we cut off the last part of the race. I realized that I wasn't proving anything and I could go running on a different day when it wasn't raining. The important part was, thanks to our entry fees and pledges from my coworkers we raised $130 for the charity.

On to my weight. At 185.4 this morning and ecstatic about it. Finally some of this extra runninga and walking is paying off. Only one more week of the Curves contest and I have met all the requirements except I have to get one more nutrition class in next Wednesday and 3 more workouts. I will do it. I am also very close to my one hundreth workout.

This morning we.are taking Ayden to see bubble mania. Later I am renting a pressure washer to clean the house off and hopefully take off some of the loose paint. Should be fun, LOL.

Week Twenty-Seven

Pleasant surprise this morning. I made it to 188.4, which is great. It took a while to get there. Longer than I thought, LOL. I have been going to a local track and jogging. Actually it is more like intermittent jogging and walking. Hopefully that is burning extra calories. I am going to do a 5k next Wednesday and hoping to be in decent shape for it. I at least don't want to finish last. My son Dustin has decided to workout at the track with me. Brittany is going to do the 5k with me. We are going to take Ayden to a local parade in a few minutes.

Week Twenty-Six

I didn't weigh myself on Saturday because I was on vacation and there was no scale. Yes, there was a small workout room but I didn't use it. So I weighed myself this morning and I weigh the same as last week 190.4. I probably should be happy because I did not follow my diet well at all. It is hard when you are at an amusement park all day. They don't really have low cal food there. I didn't do much better for dinners either. Too much carbs. The worse was when we were sightseeing in Philadelphia and I just had to have a Philly cheese steak sandwich. I regret it and (or maybe because ) it was not that great. Anywho, I need to get back on the bandwagon hard. Back to the gym for me today.

Ayden really loved Sesame Place. He got to meet many of the characters and even rode a fairly large roller coaster. We spent two full days there baking in the mid 90 degree sun. Needless to say I am burned to a crisp. Brittany and ayden seem to be fine. We spent another similar day walking around Philadelphia seeing historic hotspots like the liberty bell and independence hall. Two additional days were spent traveling. I made sure we had a hotel with a pool that we hit up every day. I spent a lot of time active on my feet, walking or swimming. I would think I would have faired better but maybe that saved me from a worse fate.

Week Twenty-Five

OK I didn't make it into the 180s but I did lose over a pound and a half so I did good. I weigh 190.4 today which I am happy about. Next week I'll make it for sure. I am pretty elated that my daughter and grandson are here. We are taking Ayden to the Pirate festival today. He should enjoy that. I also want to go to the track and do a little training for the 5k me and Brittany are doing later this month. I don't think it will be as humid this weekend as it has been.

Continuation of Week Twenty-Four

Ran out of space, LOL. I just wanted to finish saying that in the morning you shower and the guide color washes right off and you have a nice even tan. It will look a lot lighter than the guide color so don't worry about that. If you want it darker just do another application. You do need to exfoliate before first using though. I used the spray the first time which I don't recommended because it is more difficult to control and a think half of it ended up somewhere other than my body. I couldn't find the lotion locally so I ordered it directly from the company and got it within a couple days. As for the bedding I was able to just grab the towels and toss.in the wash and nothing was stained.

Week Twenty-Four

Another great week. I weigh 192.2 this morning! I should be in the 180s next week if all goes well. I walked a couple of days last week but could have done better with that. I have 75 workouts at Curves so only 25 more to achieve my 100th workout and get my commemorating T-shirt.

I went to a free Our Lady Peace concert last night. The music was good but the crowd was unbearable. The weather is supposed to be fabulous over the 4th of July weekend. I should be out a lot. Unfortunately Brittany and Ayden won't be here till late Monday night. But it's only a couple more days. She called a couple days ago and said ayden fell and hit his head on a table and needed stitches. Poor baby.

It looks like the threat of government shutting done is over for this year anyway. Oh I decided to start wearing eye shadow and liner. Its been years but I definitely need something. The problem I always had was my shadow migrating from my eye lid to other areas of my face. Second problem was not using the right colors for my eye and skin color. Well thank goodness for the internet. I looked up each issue. I learned that using a primer will smooth the skin and keep the makeup in place. I also got good ideas on appropriate colors and how to apply. So far it looks pretty good. I can tell some people at work are looking at me and wondering what is different. I also tried a self Tanner called Fake Bake. I have used self tanners before with bad results of streaks and orangy color. So again I went to the internet and this one got good reviews. It actually worked really well. Maybe a little scary but it comes with application gloves. It has a color guide in it so you can see where you're putting it and not miss spots.but it also looks muddy when it dries on you. You also have to keep it on overnight which can be messy but I just put large beach towels on my bed and covered with one

Week Twenty-Three

Alright! The plateau is finally broken. I weigh 195.2 today! I hardly posted anything last week because I was so stressed from lack of progress. Three weeks can seem like three years in dieting! I hope things keep moving for a while. Well I have to cut it short today too because I am heading to the gym.

Week Twenty-Two

I am still on a plateau so this week was very frustrating. I lost very little and my weight is
198.4. I walked a couple of days this week but not a lot. I joined another contest at Curves. They are always doing something to keep us motivated.

My daughter and grandson are coming to visit for a month. I can't wait!

Week Twenty-One

This week has been crazy as far as my weight goes. At one point I weighed 197 and at another I was up to 202. I guess I should be grateful that I weigh 198.8 this morning. So I guess that a 1 lb loss is looking pretty good right now. I don't know why I didn't lose more. I ate similar to how I have been. I worked out 4 days at Curves. The only thing I didn't do was walk. I guess I better get back on that

On the personal front my training trip to NYC was canceled because there is a threat state government may shut down next week. I may not be working next week at all.

I am going shopping this weekend for a new outfit. I wanted to wait until I lost 50 lbs. which I did reach at some point this week. I ended up back up a pound but I'm going shopping anyway.

Week Twenty

Finally! I am under 200 lbs. This morning I weighed 199.8. OK, granted I am barely under but under all the same. I was pretty damned excited about it. Only two more pounds a I will have lost 50 and reached the halfway point to my goal.

I went to see Cats today. Yes, apparently I am the only person who has never seen the musical. So I figured I would change that. It was interesting. I would not count it among my favorite musicals, but it was a fun afternoon. I am debating on going to the drive -in tonight to see splice but I'm pretty tired, don't know if I'll make it.

Diet Plan Basics

For awhile now I have been planning on putting down the basics of my diet plan. Today a coworker, Jeaneen, asked me about it and I realized I hadn't done it yet. So here it goes.

GOLDEN RULES:

1. Figure out how many calories you can eat each day and lose weight. Divide that by 5 and that is how many calories you need to eat at each meal every 3 hours.

2. Try to eat some protein at each meal

3. Eat foods you like but smaller portions. No diet is going to work if you don't like the food. That doesn't mean packing away junk food. But try to find nutritional foods you like and focus on eating them most of the time. Try to avoid trans fats, partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup.

That is the most important parts. There are other things I do because they work for me to avoid extra calories. For example I don't drink any soda even low Cal or calorie free. I use only olive oil for cooking, salads, etc. I try to limit breads and eat only whole wheat products. Most importantly I don't eat any candy or sugary sweets. This is because sugar is like an addiction for me and I can't just eat a little. I will want more and feel more hungry after I eat it. It is a vicious cycle I.choose to avoid.

Week Nineteen

This was another fat week so I guess I should be lucky to weigh in at 202.8 this morning. By fat week I don't mean that I have strayed from.my diet or exercise plan. I mean that no matter what I do my weight will not budge and even goes up a little. I have been track these periods and as far as I can discern they are related to hormonal changes and water retention during the female cycle. So I don't get upset anymore and actually have decided to use this period as a slightly higher calorie time. Then follow it with a lower Cal period. If you can't beat it utilize it.

I have been doing a lot of yard work and gardening and more planned for this long memorial day weekend. Oh we, the unions, won our fight in court against the governor. Now he has to stop his illegal actions. No more threats of furlough. We get our pay raises and next week should be a bigger check with the Retro pay.

Week Eighteen

This felt like a really long week. A lot going on at work, like I said, with the Governor on the attach against his own employees. This coming Wednesday will be court day. If the Governor does not get a decision in his favor he has vowed to attack us in other ways. It is pretty much a vendetta at this point. He continues to be shown a hypocrite. This week he cut a ribbon at a park opening while he is closing over 40 other parks that already exist. He has said that he may violate the agreement he reached with us last year when we gave concession, that he would not lay off until January 2011. Apparantly, contracts and agreements mean nothing to him, so why should be try to bargain or reach an agreement.

Anywho, I weighed 203.8 this morning. Still going down and getting closer to being under 200. I think it was be only a couple of more weeks.

Week Seventeen

I am pretty amazed I lost 4 1/2 pounds while I was away for a week. That is a lot for a week. I was starting to get worried this week because the scale was up and down and did not show any loss until Thursday morning. Given that, I was happy to see the scale at 205 this morning. With another 1 1/2 lb. loss. Any loss is a good week. I have been keeping up with working out 4 times a week, and walking. Although I only walked three days at lunch because it was rainy on Thursday and Friday. I have enough points already to win the socks at Curves, but I am going to keep on logging as many as I can.

On Mother's day I bought an outfit in my new smaller size. So I am going to wear that today. It is smaller than what I wore for sure, but it is still a large size. Of course, I am still over 200 lbs. I will be so happy when I can get down to even smaller sizes. I would really love to fit into a size 10 again. That may be a dream or just a really long way off, but I think I can get there.

There has been a lot going on at work. Well about work anyway. The Governor is trying to get back at state workers because we would not give him what he wants. It is not our fault he tried to balance his budget with illegally gotten gains. So because we would not give in to his extortion scheme, he tried to furlough (a day off without pay) us one day a week. That would really hurt a lot of people who are struggling in this economy. I'm one of them! The unions took him to court over it and won a temporary restraining order. The judge also ordered him to start paying our raises that he has been withholding. On May 26 we go back to court on the issue. I hope we win. He thinks that he does not have to honor contracts and can do what he wants. Then he thinks we are going to sit at a table with him and make a deal (well what he calls a deal which is doing what he wants). Why would you make deals and trust someone who does not respect or honor them? It is just more political posturing. He is trying to force the hand of the legislature to pass the budget he wants, and screw over his own employees at the same time. It sounds like political suicide right? Well he apparently does not care because he is a lame duck governor. His own party doesn't even want to associate with him and are running a different candidate. When he is the incumbent! I guess he has no future political aspirations after this, at least he better not. The guy is so incompetent I would not let him run a 7/11. Of course amidst all his talk about having to furlough because the state just does not have enough money to pay us, he gives several members of his staff hefty raises. Other members of his staff have previously received hefty raises and the legislature recently voted themselves in hefty raises. Yes, apparently there is no money for the people who actually do the work, just the fat cats at the top doing nothing. The most important part of their high paid jobs is to pass a budget and they cannot even do that. I am sick and tired of the private sector people who buy into the Governor's propaganda that we are all suffering and state employees have to share in the sacrifice. We are citizens of this state the same as everyone else and are just as affected by the economy. State agencies have already given back by slashing budgets and staff to the bone. Any more give and there will be none of the services that these people rely on. I say if any private sector employee thinks that sacrifices should be made to the governor, then by all means they should send a day of their pay every week. Don't worry the government will do good things with the money. It's not like they have incompetently squandered our tax money before with wasteful spending. Go ahead. Me, I think my money is better spent in the local community helping to keep small business afloat.

Week Sixteen

I am back from my trip and was happy to see my weight at 206.4 this morning. I had a great time workout some at the hotel gym but the equipment didn't really offer much for upper body. I did do a ton of walking every day and stuck to my diet like glue. We saw and did a lot. We went to the spy museum, crime and punishment museum, Ford theater, Ghost walk, bureau of engraving and printing, and Kennedy center. Of course we had training during the day but when not in training we were on the go. It was a good time. I got back last night to severe rain and thunder storms. I was a little worn out but I got up and went to curves this morning. I am up to 20.2 miles in the Marathon.

Week Fifteen

I have been working hard for the last couple of weeks. Mostly because of the contest at Curves. It is called a Marathon and you have to log 26.2 miles. You don't have to actually run a marathon, you earn points (or miles) from certain activities. For example a workout at Curves in worth .2 mile. If you go 3 times a week you get a .8 bonus, 4 times a week a 1.2 bonus. Also for walking 30 minutes you earn .2 mile. There are several other things that can earn you points, such as weigh-ins, losing weight/fat, getting a friend to join, etc. So to earn more points I have been working out 4 times a week and trying to walk on most days. In fact, I have to go workout this morning to get my 4 days in this week.

After all that extra exercise you would think my weight loss would be doing well. Ummm, no! For the past week and a half it has been in stall mode. I did start my food journal again on Monday. My weight this morning is 211, so I did lose some from last week. I just thought it would be more with the extra exercise, no less. I was really hoping to be a least in the single digits before I left for DC on Sunday. Close but no cigar. That just means I have to work harder and not screw up while I'm out of town. I have a feeling it won't be easy. Wish me luck.

Week Fourteen

I weighed 212.4 yesterday morning, but did not find time to post. I am actually a little disappointed because I thought I did pretty good while I had guests. I did not use a food diary though so I will go back to that. I have been doing a lot of exercise for the last couple of weeks. Working out at the gym 4 days a week and walking almost every day. I thought that would give me better numbers this week. I actually burned 511 calories at Curves on Friday!
It was great seeing my son, Dustin, and his girlfriend is really nice. We were busy the whole time. We went to the science museum, drive-in, botanical garden, toured Our Lady of Victory church, Niagara Falls and the cave of the wind, and the aquarium. Plus we rented movies. Next Sunday I'm on a plane for DC.

Really big news!!!! My daughter, Brittany, got married yesterday. I wasn't there. They got married at the courthouse in Kentucky. She only told me about it on Thursday so no time to get out there. I am very happy for them. Mark is a really good guy and they have been dating for over 2 years. Now they can request a house and she can live on base. Mark learned his next assignment is going to be Fort Summit in Georgia. That is near Savannah. But not until after this training finishes in August.

Week Thirteen

Things have been busy, but I have been keeping up with my workouts. Actually worked out at Curves 4 days this weeks and walked on four days during lunch. I weighed in at 213.6 this morning, which I am pleased with. Most of my clothes are pretty loose now, and some pants are just too big to wear. I am trying to wait until I lose 50 lbs. to buy some new clothes, but it is getting more difficult. Pretty soon I will only have one pair of pants I can wear! Not that I am complaining, I just don't have the money to buy several wardrobes along the way. Besides It will be so nice when I finally do go try on clothes to be down several sizes.

On the personal front, Tuesday, my son, Dustin, and his girlfriend, Michelle, are up from Florida. I have had to work so I have not been able to spend a lot of time with them yet. Brandon only had school one day so he was able to entertain. I am off this weekend and Monday and Tuesday, so I have a few things planned. This morning I am taking them to the Science Museum. Michelle has apparently never seen dinosaur bones, so she should enjoy it.

I miss my little Ayden so much. Brittany says that Mark will soon learn where he will be stationed next, so we are all on the edge of our seats. How far away will my little guy be :(?

Week Twelve

Twelve weeks? I guess that equates to about three months since I started. Not bad weight loss for three months. To get right to it I weigh 215.4 this morning. I have lost over 30 pounds! All through exercise and dieting. I didn't work out for the four days I was gone to see my daughter and grandson. With all the driving we really only had two full days to visit and they were crammed. Saturday morning we toured Churchill Downs which was interesting. Then lunch and shopping for Easter dinner. Playing with ayden took up the late afternoon and early evening we colored eggs (well ayden colored his hands LOL). I was still tired and sore from the long drive and wanted to get to sleep early. My knee was really sore from hours of adjusting the peddle. Sunday was Easter and ayden was so excited about his baskets (he got one from me and one from his mom). We all had fun just watching him play with his new stuff. Me and Brittany cooked Easter dinner. I was really good and only had a very small amount. After eating, Brittany's boyfriend Mark gave me a tour of Fort Knox. More playing with ayden. Brandon tried to fly a kite with him. The adults played card games for a long time and before you know it it was time to rest up for the long drive back.

I did workout on Tuesday when I returned and Thursday. So I am going in this morning to get my 3 days in. I also did four miles with the walk for life video last night. I got my prize and it was a plastic storage bowl with the Curves name on it and measurements marked on the side. The next contest you can win curves socks. Hey its all about losing the weight. The rest is just for fun.

Week Eleven

I did my weight a day early because I am in travel mode and my daughter doesn't have a scale. I weighed 218. Less than half a pound more and I will have lost 30 lbs. I did a workout yesterday and I won a prize in the contest. Don't know what it is though. Hahaha. It was a long day and a long drive, but we are here. It is great seeing my grandson, Ayden.

Update

I just had to post today to report my weight this morning is 220.4. Not that it is that big of a deal but it makes me feel better. These crazy ups and downs of weight loss can be defeating so any change that gives me hope, I have to focus on. Also me and Brandon installed the shower door kit yesterday and it looks great. I'm going to pull up a couple tiles on the kitchen floor today to fix the one spot that is lower. Then we can do the trim work. Things are looking pretty good in the kitchen and bath. Next is the outside uhggg.

Week Ten

This has been an interesting week. I had my new double oven installed and it looks great. I say looks because I haven't really used it yet except to make mac and cheese. However, right after that I got a letter from the town saying I had to paint my house and repair my porch railing. This was upsetting enough, although I knew it needed to be done at some point, but they only gave me until May 13th. That is less than two months! How do they expect that to happen? If I was having somone else do it, it would probably take that long to get quotes, much the less have it scheduled. Top it off with the fact that I am going out of town to visit my daughter and grandson for a few days starting this Friday, then April 13 my son, Dustin, and his girlfriend are coming up for a visit for over a week, and I have to go to Washington DC for the first week of May for job training. There is no time for house painting! Especially since me and my son, Brandon, are going to have to do it ourselves. I wonder how my Dustin and Michelle are at scraping? Just kidding, sort of. I'm going to have to ask for an extension and hope they are reasonable.

On to the diet and exercise front. I weigh 221.2 today. Barely over a pound loss. I was really hoping for more. I worked out three days at the gym. One day I burned 448 calories. I also did 4 miles with the Leslie Sansone video on Thursday. It must have been the mac and cheese. It was low fat made with whole wheat pasta, skim milk, cottage cheese, and reduced fat Cheddar. Still Brandon didn't want to eat low fat so I ended up eating it all over several meals. Need to get less pasta and more protein. Good thing I am making a turkey meatloaf today.

Week Nine

Another week down and more pounds lost. I am down to 222.4 today. That means I have lost over 25 lbs. That is a quarter of the total weight I want to lose! I guess that is some kind of a milestone. I have lost 4 lbs. during the Curves contest so far. Only one more pound and I win a prize. I was a little lax in exercise this week because I was really tired for some reason. I did do my three curves workouts and on two I burned 410 calories. I was pretty excited to get over 400. When I started there eight weeks ago I was only burning in the 200's.

I've got a lot of spring cleaning to do this weekend. Today is the first day of spring and I feel pretty good about it. Also excited that my new double oven is going to be delivered next Wednesday. My next goal is to be under 200 by the time I go on my trip to DC for training the first week of May. That is 22 lbs. in about 6 weeks. Hey, it could happen.

Week Eight

Wow! Its been only two months? Feels more like two years, haha. I am pleased, however, to announce that I am back on a downward trend. The last couple of weeks were rather trying with weight moving upward at one point. This week I tried two of the methods I said I would for breaking a plateau and it seems to be working. This morning I weigh 224.8. I think some was water weight because I felt bloated and crampy for a few days. I use the birth control device called Mirena, and I rarely get my period, but I guess I still get some of the other effects. Either way I am down a little over a pound from the 226 I was two weeks ago, before the plateau began. I did start the zigzagging of meal calories which seems to be working. But I was not so successful at having no carbs after 6 pm. That one turned out to be a little more difficult than I thought.

On the exercise front, I have added more cardio. Last Saturday I did two miles with Leslie Sansone's walk for life video and on Sunday I did 4 miles. I worked out at the gym Monday evening and Tuesday morning I did a mile before work because I had a concert to go to that night. Wednesday it was back at the gym, but I wasn't sure how good I would do since I was coming down with a head cold and felt crappy. I was also sore and stiff from standing all night and dancing at the concert. I ended up burning more calories then ever, go figure. I had actually looked up weather you should work out while you're sick (probably hoping to get the green light to skip) and the advice I found is if it is above the neck, meaning coughing, sore throat, runny nose, and congestion, then it is OK to work out. But, if it is below the neck like vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea, then you should rest until the symptoms subside. On Thursdays, however, I felt my body just needed a day of rest and crawled into bed early with my trusty box of tissue. Friday I worked out at the gym again. Not because I wanted to, as the cold is sapping my energy, but I have to work out at least three days a week at Curves for the contest this month. So I did it. Actually, I got another high on my calorie burn! This morning I am laying in bed, diligently wiping my nose every couple of minutes. I do have plans to do cardio today and tomorrow, slowly.

The concert I went to was Elton John/Billy Joel. I wasn't sure it if was ever going to happen since it had been cancelled twice previously. It was great. Those two are amazing musicians.

Week Seven

Uggggh! I weigh 227 this morning. No need to rub your eyes, you are seeing it right. I weigh a pound more this week than last. Is this because I cheated, went on a binge, ate fast food, chocolate, or quit exercising? NO, I was perfect. I ate virtually the same amount of calories I have been eating and did the same amount of exercise. I was so depressed when the scale was not going down this week and instead went up. Why is this happening to me? What about the old edict: Calories in versus calories out? I had to be taking in less calories than I was expending, so why no weight loss? Well, that is the question I researched to figure out what was going on. Apparantly, it is not that easy. I researched plateaus, which we all know will happen, to figure out why they happen and how to get out of one. I learned that although we may be eating less calories and exercising, our bodies eventually will learn to adapt and live on what we are doing. Bingo! No more weight loss. There are other reasons too that can cause no loss and even gain, such as medical conditions, water retention, hormonal changes (such as menopause), etc. Whatever the reason, this is the point where people get frustrated and give up. I have to tell you that I have been very frustrated and deflated this week, after all my hard work. That was until my research last night when I learned that some people, who apparently work out a lot more than me, get stuck on a plateau for weeks or even months. I know, sounds like it should have put me in a deeper depression, right? It didn't because I realized that there was so much that I could do to get out of this rut that I haven't done yet, and it has only been one week.

There were many suggestions about how to get through and past a weight loss plateau. Most made sense once you read them. Some suggested just riding it out, that your body will eventually have to give. But, at the risk of waiting months I decided that this was the last resort. There were many suggestions but I am only listing the ones that sound best for me now. Zigzagging is the suggestion that was mentioned most. This requires cycling your calories every week or every day. For example, if are eating 1500 cal a day, then you would eat 1700 cal a day one week and 1300 cal a day the next week, which would average 1500 cal a day over the two weeks. Or you can cycle between 1700 cal a day and next day 1300 cals. This should shock your body out of its rut, or at least confuse it. The one I decided to do was mentioned by a couple of posters, it is to have one high calorie day followed by two low calorie days. Also, not eating carbs after 6 pm, is one that I can do with little adjustment.

Apparently, your body gets used to the exercises you are doing and they become less effective over time. Many people suggested changing your exercises by type and intensity every few weeks, to keep the body guessing. Since many of these people seemed to be doing so much exercise already I didn't understand how they could fit in any changes, I figure I have a lot of room for change in this category. I am going to keep going to the gym 3 days a week (I have to for the contest this month), but I am going to add 3 days of 30 min. cardio workouts by dvd at home. Hopefully, maybe some walking too during my lunch.

I am going to give these changes a try and see if things start moving again. Keep your fingers crossed for me. If not, then I will move on to more drastic measures. I don't want to go all out yet, then what will I do during my next plateau?

Movie Reviews

You may have noticed that I decided to add a movie review section at the top right of this page. I usually watch one to two movie, sometimes more, a week. So I figured why not give a brief review. Maybe someone will be looking for a movie to rent and it may help them decide. Most of the movies I watch are on pay per view or rented, but some are at the theater. I have decided to you a scale of 1 to 10, with one being the worst and 10 the best. I this allows for the best type of rating. There can be a big difference between a movie that may rate a 6 or a 9, but in rating scales with only 2 or 3 increments to chose from, they may only rate one increment apart. I would not recommend seeing any movies rated at 5 or below. A 6 for me would be a movie that is unoriginal, but is mildly entertaining if taken for what it is. The points will increase with originality, production values, acting, etc. Hey we all have different tastes and I don't always agree with critics, so take it for what it is, my opinion.

After they have been up for a while, I will move them to a special post, so that they can be accessed later.

Week Six

I did my Saturday morning weigh-in and I am now 226 lbs. I have lost over 20 pounds in six weeks. Not bad. I did a weigh-in at the gym last night and I weighed 229 on their scale. I did have clothes and shoes on there (of course) which I don't have during my home weigh-in. Also my weight seems to swing up at night. Maybe there are some difference in how the scales weigh as well. What is important is the difference in weight no matter what scale. I weighed on my scale from day one and, even if it is not exact, the pound amount different between then and now should be accurate. I mean really, if I reach my goal weight on my scale, but I still have 3 pounds to go on their scale, I can live with that.

They are having a 30-day challenge at Curves. It required a weigh and measure this week, which I did last night. You have to go at least 3 times a week all month and weigh-in once a week. Also have to attend one nutrition class. You will win a prize if you lose 5 lbs. or 5 inches. It may be that you have to achieve both, I'm not sure about that part. I figure if I keep losing the way I have been I should be able to achieve that. If I hit a plateau than I will have to figure out how to get things going again.

I Haven't Shampooed in Months

I have stopped shampooing my hair. Well, not as much anyway. I know it sounds weird, but I only use conditioner. If I use other products like hairspray or mouse, then I do shampoo once every week or so. Shampooing is very harsh on the hair and strips it of its natural oils, further drying and damaging your hair. Most shampoos contain sulfates which are very drying and damaging. Many people are doing this and it is called co-washing. You can use just about any conditioner, but you should try to find one that does not have -cones in it. That is compounds that end in the word cone. These basically are silicone type substances that coat your hair. It may feel better temporarily, but it can really be doing more damage to your hair. You cannot fix damaged hair. Once hair is damaged, that's it, only cutting it off will get rid it. Some products can mask the damage temporarily. However, some of these products can add to the damage and continue to damage new growth. Thus, continuing the cycle of damaged hair. I use conditioners from the Suave Naturals line, they are good and don't contain cones or sulfates.

Process:

Step 1: Rinse hair and scalp for at least one minute.

Step 2: Add generous amount of conditioner around scalp. Massage with tips of fingers around scalp for at least 1 to 2 minutes. If your fingers are not moving around easily add more conditioner or a splash of water. Then massage conditioner through to end, adding more if necessary.

Step 3: Leave conditioner on hair for at least 3 minutes. This is a good time to wash up.

Step 4: Rinse well at least a minute or two. Style as usual.

*note: Never rub your hair with a towel, this causes tangles and breakage. Instead wrap it with the towel for a few minutes. This will absorb most of the excess water. Then comb out and style, blowdry, etc.

Your hair may feel a little different because you are not used to the feeling of hair that has not had all its natural oils stripped out of it. But you will get used to it. Strangely, now my hair feels weird when I shampoo.

It may seem like you are using more conditioner than usual, but you will not be using any shampoo so it will balance out money wise.

Your already damaged hair is not going to get better, but the new growth should receive considerable less damage and after a few months you should notice a difference. Also, if you color your hair it will retain the color better. I don't have a perm, but I would guess that it may last longer as well.

Now if I could just get up early enough to blowdry and style, my hair might look great.

Week Five

One more week down and it was a good one. I had a feeling it was going to be because I hop on the scale every once in a while throughout the week and I was getting some good readings, although my weight can fluctuate wildly by as much as five pounds from morning to evening. I have asked around and a few friends, both male and female, say they experience the same thing. Now to get to the good stuff. I weighed in at 229 this morning. That was more than I thought, I figured it would be around 231 to 232. My gym record shows I have lost inches too.

For the first time today my back was hurting really bad while working out. It was not the equipment though because I already had nerve pain when I walked in. I debated leaving, but I was already there so I fought through it. I actually ended up burning 340 calories so it was worth the pain.

I finally got my yogurt machine and made a batch last night. I tried it this morning and it was so delicious and perfect consistency. I used 2 percent, so today I am going to make a batch with skim milk to see how that comes out. I am also going to make a loaf of sourdough bread with my starter that finally started.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

I have recently purchase a bread machine. I know, that seems counter-intuitive to dieting. I know there are many diets out there that are touting low carbs and little or no bread, but I don't think people can live without bread. I do think we probably eat too much of it, and not the good variety. The reason for the bread machine was so I can make my own and know what is going into it and hopefully have healthier breads, with more whole wheat. So far all the breads are great. Which is not good because I want to eat them. However, I have limited myself to one slice per day. They are a little bit thicker than store bought slices, but should be less than two slices (I hope). The best so far was the cinnamon raisin bread, which I did make with white flour. I am going to try a whole wheat version this weekend. I would like to eventually get a grain mill and grind my own grains so I get the best nutrition.

I have to get weighed and measured at the gym tonight. I sure hope there is some changes in my measurements. I know it has only been a month, but I may feel deflated if there is no change. Even just a little change will at least make me feel like all the hard work at the gym is paying off.

Week Four

The one month milestone. Ok, not much of a milestone, but still, I have been sticking to it. I weighed in at 234.4 this morning. The weight loss is going very slow. I did not stick to my plan this week. I had intended only to introduce a couple of regular meals and continue with meal replacements with the rest. However, it turned out the opposite. I ate mostly regular meals and only the occasional meal replacement. What can I say, I hadn't eaten real food in three weeks. I wanted to eat. I did still count my calories and tried to keep each meal to about 200 - 250. Some did exceed a little and some were less. Based on the daily calories I need to maintain my current weight, 2192, I should be losing weight if am taking in less than 1500 calories a day and working out. It takes a deficit of 3500 calories to lose one pound. So that means you have to eat 500 calories a day less than you need in order to lose one pound a week. Based on this science I should be losing more than I am. Seems simple but I bet there are a lot of a variables with individuals that make a difference. What else can I do, just keep plodding along.

Getting Cultured

No, I did not go to an opera or start wearing cocktail dresses during the day. I learned how to make my own yogurt. It was actually pretty simple, there are just a few steps.

Ingredients: Milk (any kind) and yogurt cultures. You can also add dry milk to help thicken milks with less fat. You can buy yogurt cultures or you can use any store bought yogurt with live cultures. That's It!

Process: Heat milk to 180 degrees, then cool to 110 degrees. Add yogurt cultures and keep at 110 degrees for 6 to 12 hours, depending on taste. The longer you incubate your cultures, the tangier the yogurt.

There are different methods people use for the incubation period. I tried the crockpot method because, well, because I have a crockpot and it sounded easy. It was actually a little difficult to maintain the proper temp throughout the incubation, so I would not recommend this method. It requires way to much attention, temperature taking, and turning the crockpot on and off. I found the instructions for the crockpot method and it did not recommend the initial heating to 180 degrees, even though I had read that was required. Also their method required turning off the crockpot and rely on it to maintain the heat for the duration. I decided to give it a try to see if it worked their way. It did not. My first batch, although it smelled and tasted like yogurt, did not have the right consistency. It was ropey and thin. I figured it had to be because it was not heated to 180 initially. I also checked the temp a couple of times and it did not stay at 110.

So, I made my second batch by heating the milk and dry milk (because I used 2% milk) to 180 degrees. Then I cooled down to 110 and added my cultures (1/2 cup of Dannon plain all natural yogurt). I put the mixture in the crockpot that was pre-warmed on low and turned off. I wrapped the whole crockpot in a large towel. Ever two hours I turned the crockpot on low for 10 to 15 minutes. After 8 hours I poured the mixture in cups and refrigerated for 6 hours (well you keep refrigerating it but it should be at least 6 hours before eating). I tried it and it was the right consistency and tasted good although not as tangy as I would like. Next time I will have to incubate a couple of extra hours. I am going to buy a yogurt maker which only requires you to heat the milk to 180 and cool to 110, add your cultures, then pour in the incubator which keeps your cultures at the right temperature for as long as you set the timer for. Your timer goes off and yogurt is done. No constant watching and temperature taking. It still requires the initial heating to 180 degrees, because this is what changes the nature of the proteins, and this is the problem I had with my first batch.

That's all it takes to make yogurt. You can make a weeks worth in a day and it will keep fresh for 7 to 10 days in the fridge. You can take out a container and add whatever you like, fresh fruit, jams, honey, granola, etc. It will be all natural with no preservatives and additives and will save you money.

Week Three

Hi ya'll, it's the end of my third week eating (or should I say drinking) only meal replacements. I just did my weigh in and was a little disappointed that I did not lose as much as a had hoped. My weight is now 235.4, which is barely over a pound loss. I was hoping for at least two, come on now. I have been diligently working out too. Hmmmm. Anyway I am adding in two real meals into the five meal rotation so hopefully that will get things moving.

I had my first real meal last night, it consisted of two sea scallops cooked in a little olive oil, 1/2 cup brown rice and 6 baby carrots. I added it up to be about 250 calories. It was pretty good considering I never cooked scallops before. I hope I cooked them right. They were tender and opaque. I hope they were not underdone, but since I never really ate scallops before I really don't know what they are supposed to be like, lol. It's morning and I didn't get sick so it must have been fine, right.

On Thursday at the gym I burned 335 calories and reached my goal on all my major muscle groups for the first time. It shows up electronically on the screen as green dots over the muscle group on this person who is supposed to represent me (and who looks very fat by the way - thanks Curves). If you don't reach 91 percent of your goal you get a yellow light. You can click on the dot and see what percent you got, and I got 100 percent on all. I was so excited I turned around and yelled it out to everyone at the gym!

I have to get ready to go to the gym now since they are only open till noon on Saturdays.

Breaking a Barrier

OK, it's not that big of a deal, but I finally burned over 300 calories in my workout (309 to be exact). I got 299 last time, so close. That might not seem like a lot but considering the low amount of calories I am taking in, that's about a third. I think I feel my muscles getting stronger, or maybe it's just my imagination

I am going to continue on total replacement until Saturday when my 3 weeks are up and then I may introduce a couple small regular meals. I will see how I feel, I may try to go one more week.

On the poll almost everyone voted the same way. I guess we all have a problem with will power. I will try to post a new poll in a couple of days when I can get on a regular computer. It's too hard to do on my phone.

Week Two

My weight this morning is 236.8. I have not cheated on my diet once. This week I did not stick to the exercise plan though because of my trip to Kentucky. I only made it to the gym once and no walks. But right after this post I am going to the gym for a workout. I know things are going to happen in life to throw me off course but I have to stay focused and get right back to the program. I can't complain, I have lost over 10 lbs. In 2 weeks and that's pretty good.

I got my daughter and grandson all settled in Kentucky. It was a long drive in the rain the whole time. A few whirlwind trips to stores, a lot of putting furniture together, and then a day on planes and at airports to get home. I really miss my little guy, the house seems really quiet without him (and clean!). I have talked to him by phone but we will have to set up cameras. I guess I know where my next vacation is going to be.

My son, Brandon, is happy because he gets her room. He has had a setback on his P90X program because he lost the hard drive where the workout videos were stored. Hopefully he will download them again, and get back on it. He is waiting for his new laptop to come in and it keeps getting delayed.

OK, I guess I have delayed my workout long enough, time to get to the gym.

Finally! One Week

It has been one week, but strangely feels like longer. I guess because a lot has happened this week. Anyway I was pretty excited for the first weigh-in. I got up first thing this morning and hopped on the scale. I was happy to see that I weigh 239 even. Since my first weigh-in was on the same scale, same place, and in the morning, I think the difference is fairly accurate. My weekly home weigh-ins are done first thing in the morning (that is supposed to be the time of day you weigh the least) and sans clothing. I think that will give me the greatest consistency in being able to do it under the same circumstances. I will also post monthly weigh-ins at curves which will be taken on a different scale, in the evening, and with clothes. This will probably yield a slightly different result than at home.

I did another workout which is good. I just have to make sure I get in there at least 3 days a week. I finally got my electronic tag and it showed I burned 296 calories during my workout. I think I will go to the gym on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and walk at work on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. That way I will be exercising 6 days a week. I may increase later but this should be pretty good to start.

Today I am going to take Ayden to a playroom to spend some time together before he leaves.
Then early tomorrow morning we head out for Kentucky.

Bad News Good News

I just got some news that has dampened my positive spirits. My daughter and grandson are moving to Kentucky this weekend. I knew they were going to be moving when Brittany's boyfriend Mark, was assigned to Fort Knox, but I didn't think it would be this soon. I have decided to drive down with her and fly back because I don't like the idea of her and the little one driving all that way in the winter by herself.

The good news is that I did my first full circuit at Curves and my heart rate stayed in the zone.

Joining the Gym

Yeah! I made it through day 3. I did not feel hungry at all today except a few minutes when my son was cooking chicken, but I think that was more of a craving triggered by the smell. Anyway I worked through it. I have pretty much got worked out to where I will have a drink-bar-drink-bar-drink as my five meals.

I went to check out Curves and did about two thirds of the circuit. It was a good workout and my back and wrist were OK. They weighed and measured me (I weighed in there at 246) and I ended up joining (my first gym membership ). I will try to go at least 3 days a week to start. It is really.convenient because I have to drive by it on the way home. I went and bought cheap workout pants and sneakers, so I am ready to go on Wednesday when I have to do the whole circuit.

More about the plan

Well I would be lying if I said today went really easy, but it wasn't that hard either. I had a shake late morning (I waited until I was really hungry) and it did not fill me up. I still felt hungry and my stomach did not feel that great, probably because of the milk base. I wanted to wait at least 3 hours before the next drink, but it was tough, I was hungry the whole time. I heard that when you are dehydrated you may feel hungry, so I went to buy some bottled water. I also got a big water bottle (refillable kind) for work. I drank a lot of water. It did seem to help. I felt not as hungry after the second drink, but got hungry about 2 hours later. For the next meal I had a protein bar and drank more water. I am going to have one more meal (either drink or bar) shortly. That will be it for the day. I only had 4 meals today because I slept in so late.

Phase 1 is, as I mentioned, total meal replacement with either a protein shake or bar, 5 times a day, at one every three hours. I will also drink water and tea with no calorie sweetner. I will try to do this for at least 2 weeks, up to 12 weeks. Depending on how I feel. I know this sounds radical, but I researched and found out that this is the diet that many weight loss clinics put morbidly obese patients on (not mild to moderate overweight) initially. Some clinics use Optifast800. It is total meal replacement at 800 calories. (My plan has a little more calories 950-1000). I believe that my plan, while, not using Optifast, is similar in nutrician and calories. Although I do not recommend other try this with medical supervision which is what you get at the clinics. I will also start exercising during this phase and try to keep increasing as I go.

Phase 2 will start after 12 weeks or until I can no longer handle Phase 1. This is a combination of meal replacement and actual meals. I will start by doing 4 meal replacements and one small healthy meal. Then move to 3 replacements and two healthy meals. I will maintain this throughout Phase 2 until I have reached my goal weight. I will continue to exercise and hopefully as I get stronger, expand to varying activities.

Phase 3 will kick in after I reach my goal weight. I will stop all meal replacements and have 5 small healthy meals per day. I will continue with an exercise plan. If I slip and start gaining I will move back to Phase 2.

Also I want to try to get more sleep. I believe that will improve how I feel. I will do weigh-ins once a week, probably on Saturday.

I wanted to mention that I am on two medications currently. Zegerid for my stomach problems and Oracea for rosacia. I will continue taking these.

I have an appointment to try Curve gym on Monday. If I like it and can afford it, I may join. It is really close by and convenient.

Let The Journey Begin

I am up and ready for day one.  I did my first weigh-in and I am starting at 247.6.  I am planning on creating a chart or graph to plot my progress and if I ever figure it out, I will put it up on the blog.

I have planned my diet (or plan for life as I like to call it) to have three phases.  The first phase is the most stringent to jump start the weight loss.  The length of that phase depends on what I can stand.  I designed in second and third phases so that I can progress toward an eating plan for life that will help me maintain the weight loss.  But they are also there as a backup plan in case phase 1 is too difficult for me, I will not just give up, I will move to a less restrictive phase.  The weight may come off more slowly, but it will still be coming off.

In Phase 1 I will be on a total meal replacement.  I will be drinking meal replacement shakes 5 times a day.  I know that eating several small meals a day is better than 2 or 3 big ones.

D-day

Ok, this is D-day (or diet day), well D-days eve anyway.  Tomorrow I will wake up and start my journey as a new person.  A healthy happier and hopefully thinner person.  I will not only be working on weightloss but also learn how to create and run a blog.

I am laying this all out in a blog in hopes that it will encourage me by holding me accountable, hopefully encouraging others, and maybe getting some feedback and encouragement from others.

I will add info to my profile so you can understand where I'm coming from and some photos as well.

Its late so I am going to sleep and rest up for my big weigh in tomorrow.