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?