Went back up to 190.  Did a lazy-woman's version of Weight Watchers - no meetings or online paid service, just counting calories - and I am today at 172.2.  I had been as low as 168, but then I went on vacation, and we all know what happens with that.  It was nice to enjoy my share of a slice of Bailey's cheesecake without feeling guilty.  Now, though, it's time to get back on that wagon.  I'm hoping to be under 160 by Thanksgiving.  Maybe the "new" canoe will encourage me to get out there and do some paddling when my body is up for it.  Here we go again...

Update

So I logged on to my other blog and realized I hadn't updated this in 3 year!!! Well, since my last post I came of the bc, believing I had no need for it anyway since I had (have) PCOS, no cycle for 3 years and other various issues. Turns out God was just waiting for the right moment because within a month I was pregnant. Yup, found out right before that Vegas trip. We now have a healthy and beautiful 3rd child - David - who keeps me running til I'm ragged, not to mention the attention-starved middle child and a teenage daughter who refuses to drive but wants to be involved in social events all over the place. I should be dropping pounds like bad habits, right?

After going through that 3rd pregnancy, I was starting to believe I was always going to be a nearly-200lb blob. I started the year at 195 and yet another resolution to lose weight. It wasn't until April that I finally got serious. I did a fantastic detox program from Metegenics and actually followed the directions. By May I was down to 180!!! It's nice to see lower numbers on the scale and have my clothes fit better. Sadly, my follow-through is lacking at best, so I have not lost any more in the past 3 months. I have about a 3 pound range that I bounce around in, despite eating stuff I know I shouldn't and being housebound due to hot weather and health issues like FMS that gets worse in the heat. Still, at least I know I can do it. I may be ready to take on the detox again in October, and maybe I will have similar results. It can only make me feel better, right?

Here We Go Again

I found out that, among other side effects, the bc I was using was keeping me from being able to lose weight. So I gave it up at the beginning of December. Then, I went to one party after another and pigged out. So of course, I still haven't lost any weight. In fact, I'm up to 195.

Between my health issues and my husband's, I have decided to take drastic measures. No processed sugar or flour, no ingredients with chemical names, and very limited dairy. We're going to start out for the month of January and see how we're feeling. I'll stick with it...(I know, I know, I've said that before)... until February when I see my sister in Las Vegas.

My plan is still to lose 10%, which is 20 pounds by the end of Feb. I'm looking for a Wii Fit at retail price. We'll see how that works out. I have resistance bands, a trampoline, stationary bike and good ol' fashioned sneakers if nothing else. The pain in my joints, especially my hips and back, make it hard to commit to prolonged workouts, but every bit helps and hopefully taking some of the weight off might help.

Setbacks

I can't believe I gained 4 pounds on a Missions trip! I worked hard every day, climbed an enormous mountain... to me, anyway. I must have burned a billion calories and replaced it with missionary food. Not exactly fried chicken and gravy. Yet somehow, I gained 4 pounds. Throw in 2 visits to Alabama, one to see my Grandma before she died and the other for her funeral, and I'm so off track I can't even see where I began. Let's just say that when someone dies in the South, good cooks come out of the woodwork. Here there was fried chicken, sweet tea, bbq and sweet potato pie. And no will power, which I will chalk up to grief.

Bottom line, I'm sitting at 190 and only 10 days til my Florida vacation. The part I'm least looking forward to is seeing my former step-mom who made weight an issue the whole time we were growing up. If you know her, and knew me then, you'll realize the irony in that. But it doesn't make it any less stressful.

Ok, back to 1 cup of coffee a day then nothing but water. Fruit for breakfast. Back to the Wii.

Wii Wii Wii All the Way Home

There are 8 weeks before I leave for my Florida Vacation. Here's my goal:

At least 30 minutes on either the Wii or the exercise bike each day. In addition to the WW stuff, of course - which is harder than it sounds. I intend to be at 175 by my trip, at least. Or should I say, at most.

If you see me or talk to me, bug me about it. I need reminders some times to do what I say I will. Sad, I know.

Moving in the Wrong Direction

The scale is going up instead of down. AAAAARGH! This is so frustrating.

I'm 190.4 this morning. Still on the positive side of losing, but going in the wrong direction from a couple of weeks ago. Here's what hasn't helped:

2 family bbqs this weekend
Going out to eat with friends and ordering hot wings instead of a salad
Seconds
Costochondritis - it's like arthritis in my chest wall. Not dangerous, but extremely painful. Needless to say, I haven't exactly been very active lately.


Ok, so I have a family vacation coming up in July. Not to mention the Mission Trip in June. I really have to get on the ball with this. Any suggestions?

Week 6

Ok, so I admit - I didn't blog last week because I was unhappy with my weigh-in. Lame, I know. I was 187.6, which is only like a quarter of a pound.

This week, I am at 186.0. A little less discouraged, so on I trod.

Total weight loss: 8.6 pounds

Pounds to go to first goal: 10.4

Weight my husband has lost - I don't want to talk about it. Lol. Something like 10 or 12 pounds. He's so good.

Week 4

Weight was 187.8 yesterday. That's down 3.2 pounds this week. A grand total of 7 pounds.

I'm actually pretty impressed. I had a few days where I didn't watch points so well. Glad those bonus points are there.

Anyway, new week, new points. I actually go down one because I dropped below 190. I'll take it, though.

Soooo Slow

I try to be good. I try to keep track of points in my head. Turns out I'm not very good at either. We had two banquets this week with predetermined menus. Of course, I could have said no to dessert and cocktails and such. Will Power is no friend of mine.

My weight this morning was 191.0. A grand total of 0.2 pounds lost this week. Aaargh! Everyone around me is doing so well. I'm at 3.6 pound loss while Scott is zooming down the scale. It's so unfair. Not only do I have my womanly hormonal difference to contend with, but my thyroid seems to have chosen exactly this time to sabotage me as well. The little thing's supposed to be about an inch wide, or the size of a quarter. For the last two weeks, it's been two to three times that size. It's killing me! You'd think that would inhibit my appetite or at least the ability to swallow too much. But alas, it's amazing what you can endure for key lime cheesecake.

Better luck next week, Barb. We'll see.

I thought I was doing so well...

Scott decided to join me on my quest. Not only to lose his little pot belly, but also to provide support and so I don't have to cook two meals. He's such an awesome husband.

He's been on the program for a week. He's lost 4 pounds. This week, I lost a grand total of 1/2 a pound. Ugh. Not fair! One of his big advantages is that he was drinking cokes, which he cut out and that saved a ton of calories. Me, I've always been a water drinker, so I had no calories to cut there. I have to cut out other things, like my beloved ice cream. Weight Watchers makes some pretty good ones, but it's just not the same.

Anyway, my grand total is 3.4 pounds with an ending weight this week of 191.2. By next week, I hope to be in the 180s. The only bad part will be losing a point when I get into the new range. Oh, well, sacrifice builds character, right? Right?

The Journey Begins

About five months ago, one of my doctors prescribed a medication to help combat the terrible migraines I was having. I've had these migraines with increasing severity since age 18, which if you're counting was a long time ago. The medication was supposed to regulate my sleep patterns, addressing the possibility that lack of sleep was causing the headaches to escalate. Long story short, I slept ok for a couple of weeks, the migraines were less but not gone, and I gained 20 pounds in three weeks!

Here we are in April, 2008. I still have not lost the weight, which was added to the already 25 pounds I absolutely had to lose at the time. Now I'm up 45 pounds and obviously off the medication. In fact, due to continuous prayer by the prayer warriors at my church and an amazing Christian chiropractor, I have not had a disabling migraine in nearly four months.

So, one issue down and one to go. I have got to lose this weight. I will be doing weight watchers along with my beautiful mom and dad in law. They got an earlier start than me by about a month. Mom has lost 12 pounds and dad has lost 15. Encouraging results.

Since I don't really have money for weekly meetings and all that, and there's plenty of support on the web, I will be going at it from a different angle than them. I might not lose as much each time, but the biggest issue seems to be accountability, which is what the blog is for.

Ok, so I weighed in last week at 194.6. That was my starting point. I am allowed 25 flex points per day, plus an additional 35 per week. How am I doing so far?

Well, even with the dinner at Macayo's last night, where I ordered from the light menu but still ate a ton of chips and salsa, I weighed in this morning at 191.8. That's 2.8 pounds in a week!

My first goal is to lose 19 pounds, because that is my 10 percent. That will put me at 175.6. After that, I need to get to 155 to be in my "healthy weight" range, albeit at the very top of the range. My ultimate goal is 135. So, it's about 20 pounds at a time for a total of 60 pounds.

Wish me luck. Don't offer me ice cream. And pray that I can stay on track, on target, and not bite anyone's head off (starting with the chocolate Easter bunny still in the fridge...)