It's Summer

The arrival of Memorial Day and the start of June are a sure sign that it is summer. Time for shorts and swim suits. I am a little disappointed to say that I have not achieved the goal that I set for myself with weight loss - I am still the same 13.5# away from that goal that I have been for about 3 months now. I see it as a good news/bad news scenario.

The good news is that even when life has gotten in the way and I have lost my focus on my diet and exercise, I have been able to maintain. This tells me that I have made some positive lifestyle changes in my life that are so much a part of my life that I don't have to think about them it just happens. I know that this is in large part what Weight Watchers teaches - you aren't on a diet, you are changing your lifestyle. It is very reassuring to me that even without thinking about it, the things that I have learned on Weight Watchers have made a positive influence in my life. I've also learned that even though an extremely busy week might set me off course, a return to normal brings me right back to where I was. This helps me realize that even if I get off track, I shouldn't give up and over do it even more - which is something I have been guilty of in the past. In addition, it is also good that I have maintained my work out routine. I am still getting up every work day and exercising. Even when I have overslept slightly, I get up and do as much as I can, which is a huge change for me. It used to be an "all or nothing" approach - which is probably in part, why I haven't been able to maintain a regular work out routine previously.

The bad news is I am frustrated. I am very happy to have lost what I have, but I want to reach my goal. I had a friend say that perhaps this is where I am meant to be - after all, I have been here for 3 months. I'm not sure I'm ready to accept this. I would like to show myself that if I set my mind to it, I can do it.

With my schedule, I did miss a few Weight Watcher meetings and some only made it to weigh in, but I am turning over a new leaf. I had some friends decide to join the class that I have been attending. This is great - it gives me another layer of accountability. I also stopped sharing my journey on this blog. Again, this loss of accountability has allowed me to perhaps be a little more lax than I would have been if I knew I had to share it here. So, I am planning to return to regular posting - not sure if it will be Mamavation Monday, Fat Burnin' Friday, or Weighing In Wednesday - or a mix of them all, but I plan to post regularly about my journey to once again provide encouragement and accountability.

So, here we are, 13.5# to go. I would like to reach my goal by the end of summer (or sooner!). Won't you join me on my journey?

This post shared at Mamavation Monday.

Fat Burnin' Friday - the Monday edition

Well, with a nice long weekend to spend with my family, somehow posting about nothing just didn't take priority.

I am officially reaching the point of frustration. I have been on this plateau for so long, that it is affecting some of my choices. I have started to develop a "I'm not losing anyway, so if I can enjoy that and not gain - what have I lost" attitude. The answer in my head is nothing, which is bad. It means that I don't think anything of having a second glass of wine or grabbing a second cookie. I used to do really good at allowing myself a small treat, but keeping portions within reason. Now, I can't seem to find the point in doing that.

Clearly, I need to get refocused. I need to start seeing things move in the right direction. I need to be vigilant about working out - which seems to have been my one constant through this plateau, I have gotten up each morning I was home and exercised. I need to start making better food choices and ensuring I have proper portions for those choices. I need to start tracking everything again. I know that it can all work, if I remain focused.

I need to look for support from fellow Weight Watchers and use their success to help remotivate me.

I want to have a post that is full of excitement at finally breaking through, I'm tired of this frustration.

This post shared on Mamavation Monday.

Fat Burnin' Friday

FRUSTRATION! That is what I am feeling. On one hand, I probably should be happy that I am sustaining, but mostly, I'm just frustrated to be at a plateau. I haven't made any progress in weeks, but it probably isn't completely without cause. I have still been exercising each morning, but that isn't enough. I have been eating out, having catered lunches, hanging out with friends, celebrating birthdays and more over the past few weeks. As a result, I have eaten foods that are less than the best for me. I have had my fair share of desserts - cookies, brownies, cakes, fruit and more. I have had beverages - soda, wine and chocolate milk. I have had steaks - yummy filets - and baked potatoes with sour cream. I certainly have not been eating and tracking like I should if I am serious about weight loss. I must get back on track. There are only 8 or 9 weeks until summer and I would like to lose this remaining 13+ pounds that I need to to reach my goal. I have a wedding to go to the first weekend of June and I really want to be at my goal.

I am glad though that through this unusual eating, I have maintained. That tells me that long term, I should be able to maintain what I have managed to lose. I just need to stay active.

I actually recorded a weight loss this week at Weight Watchers, but probably that was just due to where I was in the cycle of events - last week, I had just gone out and this week, it had been a few days.

I need to refocus myself. I have weight to lose and I am serious about it. I'd like to start walking at lunch again to give myself an added boost in exercise.

How is journe going?

Fat Burnin' Friday

Well, from a weight loss perspective, it pretty much was a flat week for me.

I tried to do week 2 of P90X this week, but some unexpected physical reaction paused my workout. A few doctor's visits and tests and I was back ready to exercise and resumed my workouts on Thursday morning. With the turn in weather, I was able to walk at lunch two days this week - that definitely helped, since I had missed some of my other workouts. I am ready for warm weather and weekday lunchtime walks.

Then this morning, I took a Mommy break from my normal workout routine. My little girl woke up just as I was getting ready to workout. I heard her calling out for Mommy, so I headed back upstairs to see her. When I picked her up, she said she wanted to read me a book. Who could say no to a 3 year old that wants to read a book at 5:30 am? We took a seat in her rocking chair. She read me some of Blue's Clues and then had to grab one more book, returning instead with a stack of books. Next was Lady and the Tramp, the Golden Book edition, where on the last page you see one of the pups pulling at the clothes of the baby - she opened to that page first and told me "doggies shouldn't take off baby's clothes". She read a few more stories to me and then sent me off to locate Dolly, who had evidently wandered off. While downstairs, I put away my workout stuff and grabbed Dolly to go back upstairs. When I got there, she had set up Circle Time on her bedroom floor with some other babies and was explaining that she was pretending that her friends from school were there and that she was the teacher. I love the imagination of children. So, needless to say, no exercise today, but a wonderfully enjoyable morning.

At the Weight Watcher's weigh in back on Monday, predictably, my weight was up. Not only had I been ravenous last week with the first week back on P90X, but I had also weighed in last week in the morning and I normally weigh in after dinner - so there was a two meal difference between the two weeks. In addition, having been to a birthday party and out to breakfast over the weekend, I might not have had the best weekend, using most of my weekly Points over the weekend - sure to be a challenge with a Monday night weigh-in.

I still have 13.4# to go. Here's hoping for a better (& healthier) week next week.

Fat Burnin' Friday

What a week. It seemed to be an extra crazy week for me.

I started P90X again this week. It was amazing to me as I started at the beginning to recognize how far I had come. The second amazing thing to me was that I put even more into each workout and I seriously felt it. There is something that is so rewarding about sore muscles the day after a workout. It's like your body telling you that you pushed the limits and gained from the workout.

I was STARVING this week. I recall the same feeling the last time I started P90X. I'm not sure what it is about the first week, but it just makes me feel like I need to eat. I tried my best to eat reasonably, but the reality was, I ate more than I usually do. If the pattern from last time holds true, by next week I should be back to normal with eating.

I missed my regular Weight Watchers meeting this week because I had an outing for work. I went to an alternate meeting though and showed a 2# weight loss. I was very pleased by this number, but have to remind myself that I weighed in later in the week and at a different time of day. At my regular meeting, I weigh in after I have eaten dinner. Somehow, I feel like it is more consistent for me to weigh in after I have eaten what I will eat for the day (although, sometimes I do still have a small snack in the afternoon). I know that a lot of people feel differently, like they are more likely to lose if they weigh in before dinner - but to me, I'm afraid the weigh in could impact my dinner choices poorly - either as a "reward" for doing well or a way to eat away the disappointment of not doing well.

With the added eating this week, I am happy to say that overall, I did have a loss - a small one, but a loss of 0.4#. I now have 13.2# to go to my goal. I am hopeful that as I continue my journey on P90X and Weight Watchers that the results will improve next week and I will see a larger loss. There are only 12 weeks until summer and I want to reach my goal by Memorial Day - so I need to average about 1# per week. Slow and steady wins the race and I think that it will work for me too.

Fat Burnin' Friday

This week was one of those weeks that I love to hate. I did okay in spite of myself - which for me can create some challenges. When I have a bad week and still lose, I always think "wow if I had only not had those things, just think what I could have lost" which leaves me sort of bummed that I hadn't had better will power or made wiser decisions. Then, in future weeks, when I'm struggling, I look back and think "well, I had it that one time and I still was able to lose, so it can't hurt too much for me to have it again".

My son has a summer birthday, so this week he celebrated his half birthday at school. He chose cupcake cones for his treat again this year (my husband said never again, but that's a different story). Of course, he has a larger than normal class and I had to make a second cake mix to get enough cones for him to take to his class and teachers. So, after I made enough cones, I poured the remaining batter into a square pan and baked it up. It was delicious and I would know because I had a slice of it three nights this week.

At work, I had my own challenges. Between desserts that were shared on three days and a lunch meeting three days, I didn't always make the wisest decisions. For two of the lunches, I chose salad at least, so they weren't that bad for me - of course, I included bacon and a little cheese on my spinach salads.

I tried really hard this week to do some of the Yoga from the P90X series. Mostly, I learned that I have bad balance and transitions look a lot easier than they are. I did Core one morning as well. Then, today, I slept in. I decided that since I plan to start my second journey through P90X on Monday, that I deserved a day off. I am looking forward to restarting P90X. I am planning to take my measurements on Sunday so that I can measure my success both in inches and weight lost.

My Weight Watchers meeting this week was a good one for me. I have now been on the program for 22 weeks (time flies) and I have lost 22 pounds. I really think that the slow and steady approach works best. Sure, I have had bigger losses, plateaus and even some gains, but overall on average I am losing 1 pound per week. Mostly I am excited that 25# is within grasp - that is a major milestone.

This week, my Friday progress shows a loss of .6#. I now have 13.6# to go to my goal weight. I feel comfortable that being only 8# from my goal weight at the end of March is completely within reach. That's just 5.6# in 4 1/2 weeks.

Fat Burnin' Friday

What a week! It was my first week after completing P90X, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. The week started off on Monday (like most weeks). I decided that I would start by giving the Biggest Loser Boot Camp DVD a try. I had slept in a bit (I can be dangerous with a snooze button), so it seemed convenient to me to start with the week 1 program - a 20 minute workout with a 5 minute warm up and a 5 minute cool down. It started out okay, but I have to say I was disappointed. I don't think it is a bad workout, but after being used to the P90X routine of focusing on a few body parts at a time for strength training and focusing on cardio on different days, it was a bit strange to complete this everything in one video. I thought, maybe it was just me, maybe it was just because I was doing the short workout. The next day, I tried the Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga - I had never done the P90X Yoga, so I didn't have any preconceived notions. I liked it. I wasn't very good at it. I don't know the position names and had trouble holding some of them as long as they did on the DVD. Again, I had only done the 1st week workout. On Wednesday, I moved on to week three of the Boot Camp DVD, doing two workouts. Again, it just felt like they were trying to hard to do everything at once and not doing much for anything. Thursday and Friday I did the Yoga. After this brief experience, I have decided that I will return to P90X on March 1st. I should complete this second cycle right around Memorial Day - just in time for summer.

So, as I mentioned, my reward to myself for completing the P90X program was a Wii. Did you know how hard they are to find? I had no idea. Everyone is sold out of them and of the Wii Fit. We found out that if they were in Sunday's ad, that meant that Best Buy would have some on their truck and that if we called in, we could purchase one by phone and pick it up later. So, at 11 am on Sunday, I was on the phone. We got one! Later in the day, we headed out to pick it up. We had to go to another store to find a Wii Fit. I haven't yet set up Wii Fit. We did play a few games this week - some bowling, some baseball and some tennis. So far, I like it. So, has anyone done the Biggest Loser for Wii? I have it and am wondering if I should open it - am I going to be disappointed with it like I was the DVD or is it pretty good? Please let me know.

As far as weight loss, I did pretty good this week. I managed to lose 1.8# this week. I ate out Mexican on Sunday and was munchy on Monday, but otherwise seemed to do pretty well with eating. I had a catered lunch, where I might have gone a little overboard, but I hope to recover quickly from what I expect is a slight gain, but I just couldn't resist the food.

My weigh in at Weight Watchers was equally successful. They had the scales back on boards this week, which I am convinced makes a difference, they were in agreement with my scale at home this time (last week, they were about 1 1/2# heavier). I am getting close to the 25# mark while on Weight Watchers - which is another award level. I love reaching many milestones on my journey. It gives me a real sense of accomplishment and keeps me motivated towards the next one.

I now have 14.2# to go to my goal weight. I feel comfortable that having only 8# to go at the end of March is completely within reach. That's just over 6# in 5+ weeks.

Fat Burnin' Friday

I meant to do this post last night before calling it a night, but I was just too tired to think.

It was a great week! I finished P90X this week!* (I feel the need to asterisk this accomplishment because I did get through the 90 day program, but I only did it 5 days a week, not the 6 that they lay out and I only did the Ab Ripper over the holidays, not 3 times a week like they have it set up.) To me that is an accomplishment and I have to say, I feel great. I had tried to complete the full program before and was not able to make it through the full 90 days, in part because I got a nasty cold and then when I recovered, I just couldn't find the motivation to continue the program. The P90X program, if you are not familiar, is a great program that is sold through infomercial. The program was developed by Tony Horton and many famous people are graduates of the program.

Now, I am ready to reward myself with a Wii, so I can get Wii Fit. I didn't meet the weight goal that I had for myself, but I did complete the full P90X program. We are probably going to shop for one this weekend. My plan is to use the Wii Fit in the evening and/or weekends for additional exercise. I will still continue to do my primary exercising on weekday mornings, like I have been for the past 13 weeks. Speaking of morning exercise, I am going to take a short break from P90X, although will use some of the workouts on their own, and will try out some of the other DVDs I have. I haven't yet tried the two Biggest Loser DVDs that I won a while back. I also have some of the Lotte Burke DVDs that I read somewhere described as Pilates on Steroids, that I would like to do again. Then, in a few weeks, I will restart the P90X program. From the infomercials that I have watched (and based on my friend at work who has done it multiple times), each succession through brings a more toned body.

At Weight Watchers weigh in this week, I posted a gain, which disappointed me. Mostly it frustrated me, I showed a loss at home. For some reason, the scales at the meeting weighed 1 1/2# heavier than mine at home. That doesn't make any sense to me. Normally it is only off by .2 or .4# at most. I need to get back to more routine tracking. With some changes in schedule that I hadn't planned relative to lunch, I had three meals at work this week - two out and one catered. That never helps when it comes to tracking.

I did lose this week though. I was down 1.2# (it would have been a little more if I had used today's weight). So, now I have 16# to my goal. We have a tripped planned at the end of March. I think I would like to be 1/2 way closer to my goal or be down to where I have 8# to go. That trip is only 6 weeks away, so it is a bit of a stretch goal, but I think a stretch is a good thing.

Fat Burnin' Friday

Last week, I was so excited because I thought I had broken free of my plateau and this week, I had an extremely munchy week. I just felt like I was always hungry. I snacked healthy, but alas, I only maintained. I guess that is better than the alternative, but still frustrating.

I did learn something exciting though this week. I went to the doctor and when the nurse was checking all of my vitals, I asked her if she could provide what my weight had been on previous visits. She pulled out a paper and wrote them all down for me. The only visit to the doctor since I started going there when I moved to Ohio that I weighed less than I do now was on my first obstetric visit with my son - 7 years ago. I am officially within grasp of having lost all of my pregnancy weight (it only has taken 7 years!). That is pretty incentivizing. I would love to get to my prepregnancy weight (and lower).

I completed week 12 of P90X this week. Now, all I have left is the recovery week. Then, I am going to take a couple of weeks and try some alternate workouts intermixed with some of the strength workouts from P90X. Then, I would like to start round 2. I happened to catch an infomercial the other day and the one guy showed pictures of his progress through round 1, round 2 and round 3. Each time through he improved his physique and lost more weight. I know that my friend from work who introduced me to the program has gone through it a few times and she continued to get more fit as well, so I believe that I would benefit from repeating the 90 day program again. Only the next time, I might try to work in the 6th day and/or the Ab workout - both of which I didn't do this first time (I did Abs about 5 times, but not the 3 times a week that I was supposed to).

At Weight Watchers on Monday when I weighed in, I had lost over 1#. I was very excited about that. I hope that I have a good weekend (tougher with Super Bowl) and can still see a loss next week, despite my plateau.

I still have 17.2# to go to my goal weight.

Fat Burnin' Friday

Another week has passed and January is almost over...where does the time go? I think I just might have gotten past my plateau. After many weeks of just barely losing - .2#, .4#, etc, I finally had a breakthrough week. I lost a full pound.

Of course, when I weighed myself and realized I had finally lost a good amount, my first thought was, wow imagine what I could have lost if I had exercised better control of my diet this week. It wasn't that I hate horribly, but I had this amazing mock lemon meringue cake that we made at my Pampered Chef party. The party was under-attended, so there was a lot left and I love lemon meringue pie (lemon anything really) and this was so much like it. I had a piece on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday - and not a small one either. But, I guess that just goes to show that a splurge doesn't haven't to be your downfall. As long as you are watching and practicing good eating most of the time, an occasional treat (probably 4 times in four days doesn't qualify as occasional - but I do have a valid point) will not set you back. In fact, my guess is that an occasional treat makes it easier to stick to it. If you feel deprived, you will go overboard when you get something you want. If you allow yourself small treats, it makes it easier to control eating.

This week, there seemed to be a lot more people that noticed (or at least mentioned) that I had lost some weight. I felt so wonderful and had a huge smile when I would acknowledge, that yes I had - over 20# in fact. In addition, my old pants have gotten so big that I had to safety pin them to keep them up...I guess I might have to buy a few more pairs of pants in this new size. I was hoping to wait and see if I could get one size smaller first, but I don't think that is an option. I won't go overboard, but I think I should have at least 7 pairs of pants that fit.

At Weight Watchers this week, when I weighed in I showed a good loss on the scales (even though I at 2 of those servings of mock lemon meringue cake before the meeting) of just over 1#. There were a lot of people that reached milestones at this meeting. They had all joined at various times, but there were four people that reached 5% weight loss. There is something so inspiring about hearing of others successes, it is one of my favorite things about going to meetings. It helps bolster the thought that if they can be successful with this program, so can I.

At the meeting, there was a pamphlet passed out to allow members to share "how Weight Watchers has Changed Your Life" by submitting their story. I remember a few years ago (gosh, it's probably been eight or nine years ago now - as I said at the beginning of the post time really flies), one of my friends was a success story, along with her dad. They went to New York for a photo shoot and were featured on the website and everything. Years later (and two kids) and she still looks great. She has kept off the weight she lost on Weight Watchers - she is an inspiration.

If you want to read success stories of Weight Watchers members to find your own inspiration, you can find them on WeightWatchers.com. The winners' stories aren't posted online yet, but Weight Watchers just named the six winners of their 2009 Inspiring Stories of Change contest (I would think they will post soon they are featured in this month's magazine). Each of the winners experienced improvements in their health by setting short-term weight loss goals and incorporating changes, such as portion control and increased activity. Stories of the everyday person's success inspires me - to read about the changes that they accomplished through changing their lifestyle helps me see that it can work for me.

I am confident that with the lifestyle changes that I have made, that I too can lose the weight and keep it off. At the meeting last week, which was about getting active, the leader mentioned that some percentage like 75% (I didn't write it down but that's close) of people who were able to maintain their weight loss continue to exercise at least 3 days a week. Hearing that is a great reminder that I am making a lifestyle change. I'm not simply exercising to get to a goal, but am exercising to lead a healthier, happier life. I already feel better and I am only part way to my goal. I can't even begin to imagine what it will be like when I lose the rest of my weight.

Having lost 1# this week, I now have only 17.2# to go to meet my goal. I do think though that my goal of having lost 10# from Christmas to Valentine's Day is not realistic - as that would mean 7# in the next two weeks. I guess, I will revise to make that a goal of at least 5# by Valentine's Day. I'm not moving my ultimate goal of being down the full 40# by Memorial Day - that would be great. It is only 18 weeks away, so I will need to stay focused and consistent if I will meet that goal.

Fat Burnin' Friday

What a week! My parents decided to come and visit last weekend. That was fine, but for whatever reason I decided not to track what I was eating - not a good thing. As I said here, keeping track of what I eat is so helpful to me. I don't think I did too bad on Saturday, when I went back and built my day from memory I was only a few points over for the day. Sunday, now that was a different story. We went to brunch at Bob Evans. They have these new biscuit bowls and I decided to try one. I went with the Sausage Gravy version. It was delicious and now I know why, it was over 1000 calories and was worth 25 Points. That is more Points than I get for a whole day!!! Needless to say, I had already eaten a bowl of cereal in the morning and I had to eat something for dinner, so I really used up my weekly Points, which I don't normally use many of.

So, Monday, after a weekend of relaxed eating, I was super munchie girl. Everything that I saw sounded good. I didn't do awful, but I had a granola bar and a few other snacks during the day, when I normally would not have snacked.

After Monday, I managed to get back on track with eating. Thank goodness! Lesson learned, look up calories or ask for a chart at the restaurant. If I had prepared myself, I wouldn't have chosen that for brunch, but rather would have gone with something a little less caloric.

On a positive note, I exercised every morning this week, even the day I had a 7 am flight. I only have 2 weeks left to go in Phase 3 of P90X and then I have the recovery week. I can definitely see a difference, but not like they show on infomercials. I'm happy with the changes and will continue to use many of the routines in my weekly exercise cycle. It probably doesn't help that I skip the Yoga each week and only do the Ab Ripper occasionally. I would like to incorporate that one more regularly, I know it works - I can feel it in my abs the next day. I am excited though to be so close to finishing, it gives me a real sense of accomplishment to complete something as intense as that.

At my Weight Watchers meeting on Monday, I lost but 0.2#. I was glad to have a loss and know that wiser decisions on Sunday would have made it better. Better things for next week I hope.

For the week, I finished down 0.6# and now have only 18.2# to go. The pounds have been slow recently, but I am hoping that soon I will be off this plateau and moving towards my goal.

Fat Burnin' Friday

Anymore, if it's not one thing, it's another. I feel like every week when I sit down to write about my most recent week on my weight loss journey there was a challenge. Wouldn't it be nice to just once sit down and say, I ate well, I exercised, I wasn't challenged and I lost weight. Thing is, if it were that easy, I probably would have lost the weight years ago.

This week was impacted by my catching a cold. At least, that is what I think it is. I did have a fever of 102 on Tuesday night and stayed home on Wednesday, so as not to make my coworkers sick. To me, the cold offered two disadvantages. First, the ability to breath is important in exercising and of course, the fever didn't help either. I wound up missing my morning exercise two mornings - Wednesday and Thursday. Friday, I was convinced that I must get up, lest I get off of my routine. I actually was able to get out and walk at lunch too on Friday - hadn't been able to do that since before the holidays. Sure, I nearly slipped in a few spots where the sidewalks still had some slushy snow, but it was nice to be out and moving. The second disadvantage of a cold is this whole loss of taste. I was looking for something appealing to eat. I didn't eat much of anything, but ate a little of lots. I'd have a few bites of something and it wouldn't cut it and I'd move on and try something else. It's really hard to measure a few bites of something, so I'm sure my Points were way off.

At Weight Watchers, on Monday, as expected from my getting back in the routine week the week before, I had a slight gain (less than a pound)...but nothing that worries me. I'm going to get back on track and moving towards my goal. The good news is that every week that I have had a gain, the following week I recaptured that gain and lost more, so hopefully next week's weigh in will be consistent.

As for my Friday weigh in, I was pretty much flat with just a .2# weight loss. I have 18.8# to go on my journey and am starting to wonder if my Valentine's Day goal of being down to only 10# to go can happen. Hopefully, I will get over this cold, back on routine and moving towards this goal again next week.

Fat Burnin' Friday

Going back to the same old routine was a little bit rough this week. Over break, I had continued to watch what I ate and had exercised each morning, but getting back to normal was a change regardless. When I was off, I didn't get up to exercise until about 7. This meant that I didn't have breakfast until closer to 9. Lunch followed closer to noon and dinner, since I was home to prep things, was closer to 5. Back at work this week, I had to shift back to exercising at 5. I tend to drink my protein drink on the way to work and then nibble on breakfast at my desk. Usually, this means that by about 8 I have had my breakfast. This left me feeling munchy around 11. I tried hard to wait for lunch, but I just couldn't do it. Then, I found myself mid-afternoon needing an energy boost. All this extra snacking was hard. I hope to have overcome the need by next week. Thankfully, I keep relatively healthy snacks on hand and didn't have crazy snacks - sticking to granola bars and 100 calorie snack packs.

I did miss one day of exercising, as my daughter couldn't get back to sleep and in an effort for her not to be up for the day at 5, I tried to convince her to go back to bed. Next thing I knew it was after 5:30 and I had lost the time needed to exercise. I am proud to say though, that I have now completed the first eight weeks of P90X. That is further than I got last time. Next week begins the final phase, where I will alternate weekly between the workout sequence from the first two phases.

I really wish that I had listened and measured myself before beginning. I know I am losing weight and seeing that accomplishment on the scale, but I also know that I am losing inches, as I am seeing that in the clothes I wear (I bought four new pairs of pants over the holidays, all of them smaller than I have worn in at least the 4 years that I have worked in my current job). It just would have been nice to know how many inches I had lost, sort of like I know how many pounds I have lost.

Speaking of losing pounds, I passed an important milestone this week at Weight Watchers...I have now lost 10% of the weight I was the day I started Weight Watchers. Now, it is time for me to think about my ultimate goal. I'm tempted to stick with the goal I have set, but I think that I might set another interim goal of losing the next 10% and then see from there whether to stop at my current goal or push it a little further. I was pretty excited to share my success during the meeting portion...there I was, emerging from the holidays, surrounded by not just those that have been there for this portion of my journey, but with new members and returning members as well, showing that this program works...not only had I lost 10%, I did it coming off of a holiday season that is full of challenges, a time period when normally, I would have gained at least a few pounds. If that doesn't speak to the lifestyle changes that can be realized through the Weight Watchers program, I'm not sure what does.

As for my Friday morning weigh in, I lost a little this week. It was clear that the snacking didn't help, as I lost only about 1/2#. I now have 19# to go.

Fat Burnin' Friday - New Year's Edition

Well, I'd like to say that I lost weight this week, but it wasn't so. I am glad though that at least I didn't gain any weight. That isn't such a bad thing. We had a New Year's Eve gathering at our house last night and I nibbled on cookies, cheese, summer sausage, and more and had a few glasses of wine. So, the fact that I was able to maintain, is a good thing.

Looking back over the last year, it had it's ups and downs. I started last year about 20# heavier than I am now. I had lost about 12# in the spring and then, had a bad cold that kept me from exercising (the whole breathing thing being an important part of exercising). From there, I lost track of what I was eating. I tried to get back in the grove as summer arrived, starting back into my routines of watching what I was eating and exercising. A fall that tore up both of my knees and caused some strains in the knee/ankle and our summer vacation, took me back off course. Through the course of the two set backs, I gained back most of what I had lost.

As summer ended, I decided I had had enough of this and started back to watching what I ate. I joined Weight Watchers. I found that with eTools, I was able to track my eating and know how I was doing. The recipe builder tool helped me continue to cook normal for my family and understand how much of those family favorites I could eat at a meal and still be within my target Points range. I started adding some walking to my daily routine on a more consistent basis and then after a few months, started doing P90X again. Together, following the Weight Watchers program and focusing on exercise, I was able to lose 20# since the end of August. Even better, I was able to start wearing pants that are a size smaller than I have worn for the past 4 years.

I hope that on the first day of next year, that I am posting about being at least 20# lighter than I am today. I plan to continue to attend Weight Watchers. I plan to finish the remaining five weeks I have on P90X. But, I won't stop then. I will continue to use the P90X workouts and mix in some of the workouts from the Biggest Loser DVDs that I won a few weeks ago.

I have a goal of purchasing a Wii with Wii Fit when I lose the next 20# (or if I am a winner the Holidays and Holding contest at work, I will purchase it sooner with the credit I can get towards fitness equipment - I checked to confirm that Wii Fit would qualify). Once I own a Wii, I think that will be an occasional bonus workout for me, not being added to my morning routine, but rather a fun activity for the evening.

What are your weight loss goals? What are your plans for attaining your goals? Join me each week and share in the comments about your successes and challenges. Together, we can succeed.

Fat Burnin' Friday - Saturday edition

So, I am happy to say that I made my goal of losing 20# by Christmas. Okay, actually, since I didn't post yesterday, I waited until today to determine if I made my goal...so I made it by the day after Christmas, but that counts for me.

What makes this accomplishment so wonderful to me is that I was successful during the holidays. We had my family Christmas, brunch with my cousin's family, Christmas with my Mom's extended family and Christmas at our house and I was able to enjoy all of my favorite foods, in moderation, and lose weight. This helps solidify in my mind that I will be able to be successful long term, that I don't have to worry about the challenge of enjoying favorite foods. As long as I control the situation and monitor my portion sizes, I should be able to lose the weight I want and then maintain.

I really think that following Weight Watchers has helped me in this situation. By weighing out and/or counting out my portions daily, I am better able to visually gauge my portions. In addition, through their Points system, I have been able to better understand what foods are better or worse for me...that is, which foods are giving me more quantity per point - which are most filling. I think this helps me with balancing my plate with more of foods that are lower points and supplementing with small amounts of the foods that are special at the holidays that I want to enjoy, but are higher points.

At my Weight Watchers meeting this week, I had a small weight loss. I still didn't get down to where I was two weeks ago when I weighed in before dinner, but just about. I am confident that I should be able to get below that at next week's weigh in.

So, I have now lost 20.4# and have 19.6# to go!! I made it half way. My next intermediate goal is to lose another 10# by Valentine's Day. I'd like to be at my goal by Memorial Day. Then, I will gauge whether that is the right weight for me or if I still have more to lose.

Fat Burnin' Friday

Well, here we are one week until Christmas and in the thick of holiday festivities, gatherings and feasts. I was really concerned about this week. I knew it would be a struggle. It turned out that my struggles weren't just food temptation related. We started the weekend with a Christmas party at a friends house. I did surprisingly well, chose my snacks in a healthy fashion and limited the amount of treats that I had. All week long there seem to have been sweets within reach at work. I did pretty good not overdoing it on them. On Thursday night, we had my work Holiday party. The challenge at this event that it wasn't a dinner, but was at dinner time. With "heavy hors d'oeuvres" to munch on, it had the opportunity to be a real challenge. I sampled one of everything that I liked and then went back for a plate of vegetables and fruit. I limited myself to one glass of wine and drank lots of water. The hardest thing was the cheese tray. It had soft goat cheese on it, which I really enjoy. I took a little more than I probably should have, but since the food I ate was my dinner, I figure it wasn't the worst thing.

In addition to all of the food I had available this week, I also found myself busy trying to get everything ready for my son's last day of school and our family Christmas this weekend. As a result, I was staying up later than I would normally. This of course, left me tired in the mornings, making getting up to exercise a real challenge. I persevered and got up every morning. On a couple of occasions, I had to skip a section of the video to ensure that I got work on time, as I had overslept, but I got up and did it.

It all paid off in the end, on a week that could have been a real detriment to my success, I am happy to report that I lost 1/2#! Not a big loss, but most important at this time of the year, not a gain.

At Weight Watchers this week, as expected I posted a slight gain. I wasn't upset by this, because the previous week I had weighed in before dinner, a meal where I typically consume about 1/3 of my daily Points. I expected that it would be hard to have a loss, but I am hopeful that I am more successful this week.

I now have 21.5# to go until my current goal. I am almost half weigh from where I started, with any luck, I will have a great week and will meet my short term goal of being half way by Christmas.

Fat Burnin' Friday

When I stepped on the scale this morning I was disappointed. I thought I hadn't lost weight and then, I checked last week's post and realized, I had lost weight and clearly just didn't know where I was at last week.

Overall, it was a good week. My Father-in-Law was here last weekend and we ate out for dinner two times while he was here. I was able to plan for those meals and not eat a large lunch to save a few points for dinner. There was a goodie day at work, but I started with a bowl of potato and ham soup for lunch and then filled my plate smartly with a lot of fresh veggies (just a little dip), some corn casserole and a small amount of a few treats. By taking a taste of a few different treats, I didn't feel deprived - something that can put you in a vicious cycle. I lucked out that we were light on desserts and no one brought the buffalo chicken dip, which I thoroughly enjoy, probably because three people brought it last year.

I went shopping last weekend because I had to spend some Kohl's Cash I earned on Black Friday. On a whim, I grabbed some jeans to try on, in a size smaller than I was wearing. They fit!!! I was so stoked. I had to buy them. It's the only smaller pair I have, as I don't' want to invest much if this is a pass through size. Right now, my clothes still fit but are starting to get loose. I will have to figure out the right point to purchase smaller pants.

At Weight Watchers, I had a very successful weigh in on Monday and have lost over 16# since joining Weight Watchers back in September. Unfortunately, I weighed in before dinner. I always weigh in after dinner, after most of my Points are consumed. I'm not sure what impact it will have next week, but I speculate that it will make it a little harder to have a good weight loss. I am staying optimistic that with a successful week, I can still have a weight loss.

I lost just 1 1/2# this week and now have only 22# to go. I am only 2 pounds away from being half way to my goal. I really think that being half way to my goal by Christmas should be completely feasible.

Fat Burnin' Friday

I'm happy to report another successful week. I would have liked for it to be more successful, but I am happy simply to have been successful.

I am finally at the point where I am really starting to notice the weight loss. My clothes still fit me, but they fit me so much better than they did a few months ago. This is huge, but not as huge as if I could buy the next size down.

I finally have had people notice that I am losing weight - okay, so it was my husband and my mom who have commented on my weight loss. I am glad that they are noticing, but wish more people were.

Challenges this week were family in town for the weekend, Thanksgiving leftovers and my women's club's Christmas meeting. The Christmas meeting is one where everyone brings an appetizer or dessert. There weren't many desserts, which definitely made things easier for me. I also had a game plan going in. I brought my own bottle of water and the treat I brought to share was one that I don't eat (it had nuts). I went for a couple of cocktail shrimp and fresh vegetables on my first trip through the line. Then, later when I wandered by the spread, there wasn't as much left. I also kept reminding myself of a great quote that I had heard "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels" and was able to focus on the fact that I could have a treat, but that many treats would not be worth it.

I was able to stay committed to my workout routine and got up every weekday morning to exercise, even on Friday when I took a vacation day.

At my Weight Watchers meeting on Monday, I had another loss. That felt really good to see a loss on the scale following the Thanksgiving Holiday. Attending the meetings is really motivating for me. I love how they are discussion based. Sure there is a leader, but she is leading a discussion amongst members. This week people shared about their struggles with the holidays and how they avoided them. I avoided the struggle by building my pumpkin pie recipe in eTools and knowing exactly how many Points I needed to save so I could treat myself to pie.

I lost just over a pound this week and now have only 23.6# to go. I am under 4 pounds away from being half way to my goal. Talk about exciting! I'm hoping to be more than half way to my goal by Christmas.

Fat Burnin' Friday

Well, I must say, I am rather proud of myself. I had a holiday dinner with my family, Thanksgiving Day and eating out twice...and I lost weight! Yeah!

I think the secret to my success was planning. Before going out to dinner at The Melting Pot, I checked out their menu. I could see that there weren't many great choices, but I could moderate within the choices. I also ate smaller meals earlier in the day to conserve Points. We had the cheese fondue...I had just one bread cube, instead using veggies to dip. I ate all of my salad, dressing on the side. For our main course, we cooked in wine, which was healthier than the oil. I focused on eating the brocolli that came with our meal and gave my husband more than his half on the main course. I didn't skip dessert - I couldn't Milk Chocolate fondue with marshmallows, bananas, strawberries, brownies...oh my.

In planning, I also was on-line using Weight Watcher e-Tools. I used the recipe builder for my pie recipe and learned that each piece is 7 points. That way, I could count those points before I consumed them. I made sure to eat mostly vegetable dishes and had a taste size amount of most of the other choices at the family holiday meal. I still got to taste everything, but didn't go overboard on quanitities. To me, this was important because many of the dishes I only get at family potluck type meals.

I also stuck with my exercise plan (mostly). I got up each morning during the week and exercised, even on Thanksgiving. I misseed on Friday, I had to go shopping and couldn't get up earlier than that.

At my Weight Watchers weigh in last week, I lost 1#. I was pleased with that, since the holiday meal and the Melting Pot were both before the weigh in.

I now only have 24.6# to go. A loss this week of about 1.5# for the week. Now, I just need to survive all of the holiday parties coming up without gaining weight.

Fat Burnin' Friday

Well, I was true to the promise I made last week. Starting on Monday, I set my alarm a little earlier and got myself out of bed each morning to exercise. I started the P90X rotation from the beginning. I did skip Yoga and move Kempo forward, but that is because the Yoga is 1 1/2 hours long and I can't get up another 1/2 hour early. All of the other workouts are about an hour in length. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, it was strength training. Tuesday and Thursday were full out cardiovascular workouts. You know what? - It felt great! Sure I was sore, but it was a good hurt. I was energized by my morning workout and felt revitalized. The one frustrating, but not surprising thing, was that I was hungry! after working out. I found that my daily consumption, understandably, went up. The unfortunate thing is, my body takes time to adjust and I just couldn't seem to get anywhere this week, with a mere .2# weight loss.

At my Weight Watchers meeting on Monday, as predicted, I recovered the gain from the prior week and recorded additional loss. In fact, I have now officially lost 10# on Weight Watchers (again, this lags my Fat Burnin' Friday because I started that earlier). At the meetings, they are talking about preparing for the holidays. How do you stay focused to your goal while enjoying time with friends and family. It is a great topic of discussion and I am glad to see that they devote some time in advance of the holidays to talking about it.

I now have just 26# to lose to get to my goal. My hope is that next week, with my body full swing in exercising and adapted to an uptick in consumption (more than offset in exercise) that I will see a better loss.