Long Time, No Post

For the one or two of you who actually read this blog, my apologies for not blogging over the last few weeks.  It wasn't so much that I didn't want to post my weigh-in results...just that life has a way of taking over sometimes.  The thing I enjoy most is writing...so, consequently, I tend to put it off in the hopes that it will motivate me to do the things I least enjoy.  It's like the proverbial carrot for me...if I get enough things checked off my "to do" list, then I can sit down and write without feeling guilty that something is going undone.  But, with three boys in the house (two of my own and one that's on loan during the school year while his parents are working) - ages 8 years (whom I am homeschooling), 9 months, and 2 1/2 months...well, the "to do" list never seems to get done!  So...I'm taking a moment while my 8 year old is off at his homeschool p.e. class and the two little boys are napping to get some writing done in spite of the fact that there are other things that "should" be done.

So...to catch you up, two weeks ago, I lost .8 pounds (that's 8/10 of a pound), then gained .4 (4/10) back last week...and this week, I'm somewhat back on track with a one pound weight loss!  Yay!  So, in the 5 weeks that I've officially been back on the plan, I've lost a total of 6 pounds...so that's a little better than a pound a week, which is right on track.  Weight Watchers suggests that you lose 1/2 to 2 pounds per week.  So, I'm on right around the middle, which is good.  :)

I am trying to be more consistent with exercise, but I'll admit, it's my downfall.  I don't really enjoy doing it...but I do enjoy the results.  One nice thing about exercising is that you earn activity points, which you can trade in for food points if you need or want to use them.  This comes in handy when life puts a big fat doughnut in front of you just at the moment when you have lost every ounce of willpower you had left (the kind with chocolate on top and cream inside, no less)!

Speaking of curveballs, I had one thrown at me with the gym where I usually work out.  Please forgive me...but I'm going to vent just a bit (if you want to skip it, just go to the next paragraph).  ;)  When I signed up at the beginning of the year (back when I was just pretending to still be following the Weight Watchers program, but not really & a friend of my suggested I sign up with her), I signed up for the premium plan...$30/month rather than the basic $10/month because that was the only way I could use the childcare facility.  That's all well and good...but the problem is, the child care hours are 9am-noon and 5-8pm during the week and 9am-noon on Saturday.  Since I homeschool, that doesn't really work for my schedule.  I tried for several months to make it work, but I ended up either not using the gym or going when David was home, which meant I didn't need the childcare option anyway.  So...in an effort to save $20 each month, I decided that since I wasn't able to take full advantage of the premium plan, I'd downsize to the basic plan.  The next time I went in, I informed the gym that I wanted to downgrade.  I was handed a form to sign that stated I would be charged a $20 feel to downgrade my plan to the basic.  I also noticed that if I had been on the basic plan and wanted to upgrade to the premium plan, it would have cost me $10 to do so.  Seriously?!?  I had never heard of a fee to change your plan before and it certainly wasn't explained to me when I signed up.  The response by the acting manager to this statement was that the people who were working at the gym when it first opened are no longer with them for a reason...they were careless and didn't inform new memebers of all the rules.  Really?  And I suppose this is MY problem?  Apparently so.  My next question was to inquire how much it would cost me to cancel my membership.  I was told it wouldn't cost anything, but I did need to give a 2 month notice.  So...let me get this straight...you would rather I pay you $30 for the next two months and then lose my business than allow me to downgrade my membership without paying a penalty?  So...you guessed it, I cancelled my membership.  I have until mid November to use it until it expires...during that time, I'll be looking for a new gym.  :)

OK...venting is done.  I'm ready to talk about more pleasant things.  Today, I picked up my ActiveLink from Weight Watchers.  This is a new device that just came out this week.  It will monitor my activity during the day and and then set goals for me depending on my current activity.  This is my first day of my 8-day assessment.  It's a small fob that clips on to an item of clothing (either near your heart or at your waist, depending on what you set up as your preference) or you can wear it as a necklace or carry it in your pocket (also depending on the preference you choose).  Then, at the end of the day, you plug it into a USB port on your computer and it calculates your movement, as well as charges itself.  Here's a picture of it:

I'm looking forward to seeing what it shows at the end of my 8 days.  I already like it because it's less bulky than the pedometer I was wearing (which had also begun to spontaneously reset itself, which was quite annoying).  :)  I'll be posting more about it in the next week or two, when I have a better idea of how it works for me.  :)

I have to say, I was encouraged by my weight loss this week.  :)  Enough so that I want to stay on plan this week (I can't say I've thought the same over the last few weeks).  I constantly have to remind myself that this is a new lifestyle for me.  I am NOT on a diet...I am learning how to eat better so that I can be healthier and have more energy (though letting go of the excess weight is a nice benefit)!  If I had to be on a diet until I reached a healthy weight (whatever that is)...well, let's just say I'd give up now!  It's not going to happen.  I've been on just about every diet known to man and they have all failed me.  I like salad...but I can't eat it every day, or even every time I go out.  I need to taste food...and I need to be able to eat NORMAL food! If it tastes like a diet, I'm going to lose interest very fast.  I think I've said it before...but it bears repeating...that's one of the reasons I like Weight Watchers...I can choose what I LIKE to eat, not force foods down my throat that I don't like and then feel deprived later.  I know myself too well for that now.  If I'm feeling pressured to eat like I'm on a diet, then I'll comply...at least for the moment.  BUT...then I'll seek out the most unhealthy thing I can find (fast food, junk food, ice cream, etc.) and gorge myself on it when I get a moment to myself.  It's just how I am...and I can chastise myself for it all I want, feel miserable once the damage is done, promise myself I'll never do that again...and yet, the next time I'm feeling deprived, that's exactly what happens.  It's almost like an addiction.  Well, ok...not almost...it is!

Food is more than just nutrition for me...emotions are attached to it.  I'm a southern girl...and southerners like to eat.  More than that, I'm a Baptist girl raised in the Heart of Dixie (Alabama)...so food is more than just a way of life, it's an event...and sometimes brings back a special memory.  Whenever I make green bean casserole or banana pudding, I remember making them with my grandmother.  Whenever I drink unsweet tea (yes, this southern girl drinks her tea without sugar by choice!) or have a cup of coffee with dessert, I remember special times spent with my grandfather.  A covered dish event is both a precious memory and a roadblock waiting to happen!  You see, my grandfather was a Baptist pastor and we had these often at his church...and boy could those southern church ladies cook!!!  And you had to have some of everything so you didn't offend any of 'em, consequently my plate was often overflowing at such events!  And a habit was formed...so now, I have to be mindful when I attend such events and I'm learning to give myself permission not to put every single thing on my plate.  :)  I may not always make the best choices, but this is a new lifestyle I'm learning, so I'll get it.  :)

Well, I started this blog during nap time, but of course it got interrupted (as things often do with little ones in the house), and now it's late, so I'm going to stop here, post this blog entry, and head off to bed.  Nighty Night!  ;)

Bump In The Road

Today, I experienced what my Weight Watchers leader likes to call a "bump in the road"...I gained.  She calls it that because she wants us to expect a few ups and downs in our journey and not get so upset over one little gain.  ;)  Ok, so my gain wasn't so little (1.2 pounds)...but it also wasn't a tragic event.  Can I make up that lost ground in a week?  Probably not...but I'm not going to quit over it, either.  I can't.  I've done that too many times and I now know that's just not working for me.

Sure, there have been many times when I've hit a gain and just thrown my hands up in the air and declared that's one more diet that doesn't work for me.  Then I eat however I please and gain even more.  Now, I've decided to look over what may have caused that bump in the road and figure out what I'm going to do to change it next time.

Now, my 1.2 pound gain wasn't all in one week, either.  Some of you may have noticed that I didn't post a weigh-in last week (then again, maybe you didn't since I haven't been doing the blog that long).  There's a good reason for that...I didn't weigh in.  GASP!!!  ;)  But I have a good excuse...er....reason!  ;)  You see, our family took a trip to Chicago for my brother-in-law's graduation and we left on Friday.  Could I have weighed in a day early?  Sure I could...but I honestly thought I was going to make my meeting.  However, it didn't work out that way.  So, off to Chicago I went without having weighed in and my next weigh-in a week away.  And of course, any trip away from home results in having to eat out at pretty much every meal.  And, there really wasn't a lot of choice where I was...especially considering I was with other family members.  I got off schedule, I made the WRONG choices at restaurants...went for what I WANTED to eat rather than what would have been a healthier choice.  Though I did get in a lot of exercise on the trip...walled 11,412 steps/4.68 miles on Saturday and 14,806 steps/6.07 miles on Sunday...the rest of my week wasn't quite so impressive and even after I came home, I still didn't get back on track.  I didn't track any points all week, and that almost always spells disaster!

So...I'm picking myself up by my bootstraps (as my Grandaddy used to say) and getting myself back on the program this week.  I'm going to track my points and plan to do some sort of exercise every day, even if it's just playing the Wii or going for a walk.  I've also got a goal of getting to the gym 3-5 times this week to really workout.  I always do better when I do that because it gives me more points if I need them (or helps me lose more if I don't)!  I have a friend who has walked this WW journey with me...through both high points and hiatuses!  ;)  Last night, I got an email from her that she was thinking about quitting...and as I read her email, I knew there was a small part of me that was feeling the very same thing.  At that very moment, I was debating whether I was going to go to my weigh-in today, feeling pretty sure I had gained (and thinking it was worse than it actually was)!  But, as I typed a message of encouragement to her to stay the course, I found the determination and courage I needed to get myself up this morning and go to my meeting!  As I told her, the meetings are what hold me accountable...but only if I go!  ;)  So, as long as it is within my power to do so, I'm going to continue going to my meetings.  I may not drop the weight as fast as I would like...but I'm going to learn some valuable lessons along the way...lessons that will help me to keep it off long-term!  :)

Overcoming Temptations and Obstacles

Unlike the contestants on the Biggest Loser, I do not have the luxury of being on a secluded ranch where the only things I have to do all day are eat, sleep, and exercise (oh yeah...and those pesky challenges & temptations)!  I'm living life while trying to lose weight at the same time.  And life does NOT stop just because I'm on a diet.  That's why I'm looking at Weight Watchers as less of a diet and more of a lifestyle this time around!  I have to...or every time something comes along that throws me a curve ball, I'd give up.  The past few days has been a fine example of how life can throw you some curve balls!  

Our Bible study class at church was throwing a baby shower for a lady in our group who is expecting her first child next month.  A brunch baby shower...with lots of opportunities to derail my plan.  My original plan was to get up early and have breakfast at home before going so I could stay on track and not be hungry.  But, a late start ruined that plan...so off I went.  When I first got there, I was busy setting up and stayed away from the food table as much as possible as people were bringing in goodies for the party.  As the party got started, the guest of honor was the first in line and it was suggested that I be next since I was heading up the games.  Thankfully, the fruit was the first thing I came to on the table, so I made the wise choice of choosing a nice healthy helping of fruit so that my plate looked fuller by the time I got to the other stuff.  I took a small portion of the egg casserole and a taste of a few other dishes on the table.  Since I was in charge of the games, that kept me occupied while most guests were eating, so I wasn't tempted to go back to the table for seconds (thankfully)!  By the time the games were over, I was satisfied with what I had eaten before the games.  Shortly after the games, cupcakes were passed around and even though I wanted one, I was so proud of myself for not overdoing it on brunch that it made it easier to resist the cupcake.  Thankfully, the friend who was passing out the cupcakes knew what I'm trying to do, so she didn't push.  I'm not so sure I would have been able to resist a second offer!  ;)

Last night, a girl that I used to babysit when she was little (yes, that makes me feel old!) was passing through town on her way back home and we planned to have dinner so my family could meet her hubby.  We had dinner at a local restaurant that is known for their home-style cooking.  This is a danger zone, for sure!  Especially when you consider that my usual order at this restaurant is their country fried steak!  And it's no tiny piece of country fried steak, either!  This greasy, breaded, yumminess is about the size of a dinner plate and comes drowning in this amazing white gravy that I can only imagine is full of white flower and grease!  Obviously, this was NOT going to do...so I searched the menu for another alternative...which was no easy task since 90% of the menu contained the word "fried" in the description!  But...I found an Angus chopped steak on the menu.  It came with mushroom gravy (of course)...but I asked them to leave that off (and yes, you CAN make such requests at a restaurant)!  Would I have liked to have the mushroom gravy?  You betcha!  Had I not been on Weight Watchers, you can bet your bottom dollar I would have, too!  But, this is all about making changes...even if it's baby steps!  Now, I'm sure if you've been to any such restaurant, you know how shiny it was when it arrived...but I took it one step farther and used the paper towels on the table to soak up as much of the grease as I could.  And do you know what?  Not one person looked at me funny for doing it, either!  ;)  Sure, I was a little self-conscious since it was my first time meeting Kristen's hubby...but I was not about to let that be the reason I put unnecessary calories into my body!  As you might imagine from my description of their country fried steak, this piece of meat was no smaller...12 oz to be exact!  So...I cut off a small piece (roughly 3 oz worth) and ate that with the veggies and took the rest home...which I enjoyed for lunch today!  And I still have some of the chopped steak left!  WOO HOO!

Food is always a challenge for me (I like to eat!)...but exercise makes it easier because (1) I earn extra points that I can trade for food when I exercise, and (2) it puts me in the right frame of mind so that usually, I end up not using those points unless I need them for something special like the events mentioned above.  However, exercise has also been a challenge lately.  The gym only has limited childcare hours (9-12 and 5-8, Mon-Fri) and I could never get a clear answer on what the youngest age was that could go to childcare.  So, last week, I only went on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday evening because that's when my hubby was home to watch them.  The rest of the week, I had something going on each evening...which of course, became a convenient excuse, as did the baby shower and other events I had on Saturday.  Yesterday, I woke up with a headache, which resulted in a slow start.  And since gymnastics is THE reason I watch the Olympics and it was SUPPOSED to be on (according to the TV Guide schedule) at 1:30pm...by the time I felt good enough to work out, I didn't have time to get to the gym and back.  BUT...I didn't let that totally stop me!  I fired up the Wii and played some tennis for about half an hour.  And when I play tennis on the Wii, I really get into it...so there's LOTS of moving around!  :)  When I finished, I fixed sandwiches for my hubby and me for lunch and sat down to watch what I thought was going to be the gymnastics coverage...ummmm...NOT!  There was about 10 minutes of coverage (2 floor routines and 1 bar routine) after watching swimming for 45 minutes before they switched to water polo!  Ummmm...I'm sure there's SOMEONE who cares about water polo...but it's NOT me and I was quite aggravated by that!  But, by the time I figured out that my 10 minutes of coverage was all I was going to get, it was time to get ready for dinner.  So, my 30 minutes of Wii tennis was going to have to do.  

Today, I was determined to go to the gym with the boys.  My youngest is over 6 weeks old now, which is when most daycares will take infants.  My PLAN was to leave the house by 9am, since that's when childcare opens at the gym.  Yeah...that didn't happen.  A couple of things grabbed my attention and it was almost 11am before I was actually ready to go...well, that happened to be the exact moment when my youngest decided he was STARVING...which meant that everything came to a halt as I sat down to feed him a bottle.    By the time I actually made it to the gym (and yes, I DID go!), I only had 15 minutes to workout before childcare closed.  The old me would have given up when the baby started crying, declaring it not worth the effort.  But, I decided not to let it stop me and I went and worked out on the elliptical for those 15 minutes because that gives me the most bang for my buck!  I got 5 points for those 15 minutes, where I only got 3 for my 30 minutes of Wii Tennis!  ;)  So, was it worth all the hassle?  You bet!  And what's even better?  Instead of swinging through McDonald's after my workout (which old me totally would have done, and thus it in fact would NOT have been worth it!), I came home to my leftovers from last night!  And...if I can swing it, I'm planning to go BACK to the gym after my hubby gets home!  So there!  ;)

It's a long process, I know that!  There are going to be times in my life when I'm not going to be able to follow the plan exactly...but I'm learning to roll with those punches and keep on keeping on!  :)  I cannot let one (or two, or three, or...) speed bump stop me from my ultimate goal...to get healthy enough to really enjoy my boys and stick around for all those most important events in their lives!  :)  This blog is a part of that.  It may sound a little crazy...but just knowing I was going to write about the shower and dinner last night (with the title of this post already in my mind), gave me the determination I needed to make it to the gym today.  Maybe tomorrow, I'll make it there early enough to get 30-45 minutes of exercise in.  But, if I only get 20, then I'll deal with it and move on.  It's not about being perfect...it's about persistence!  :)

The First Week Back!

That's right!  One week down and I lost my first 5 pounds...5.8, to be exact!  ;)  Would you be surprised to hear that I did it eating CiCi's pizza and dessert?  That's the great thing about the Weight Watcher's plan...I don't have to feel deprived!  It was just one meal...and I still kept my plan in mind and counted everything I ate!  Could I eat CiCi's pizza buffet every day and still lose 5 pounds in a week, probably not.  But I can treat myself sometimes...and that makes for an easier plan to follow.

The funny thing is, I never really know what to expect when I step on the scale.  Sometimes when I think I've done really good, I gain (or don't lose as much as I think I should).  Other weeks when I think I've blown it, I'm pleasantly surprised.

If you are wondering how I lost that first 5.8 pounds, let me give you a little glimpse into this past week.  Knowing that exercise is a big key into my weight loss and that I'm much more successful when I do it than when I don't, I made a commitment to myself to exercise.  My plan was to exercise every day...or at least 5 of the 7 days.  Unfortunately, that didn't happen.  But, I got 3 days in...so that gives me a starting point for next week.  Last Saturday, I hit it hard!  I jumped right on that elliptical machine and peddled my heart out for 30 minutes...earning myself 9 activity points and then went to the stationary bike for another 15 minutes, which gained me another 2...a grand total of 11 activity points!  The great thing about activity points is that I can use them to eat more if I'm feeling deprived (see why exercise is a big key factor for me)?  What I didn't count on was the fact that I'm a year older than I was the last time I exercised and my body was not ready to jump back in to what I had worked myself up to before I stopped exercising!  ;)  When I got off the bike, I literally had to limp back to the locker room because the back of my left knee hurt so bad I couldn't fully extend that leg.  After some stretching it out in the locker room, I was able to walk back to my car somewhat normally.  ;)


Thinking that maybe I just needed to stretch before working out, I tried that before doing the exact same workout on Sunday...ending with the same debilitating leg pain.  OUCH!  So...on Monday, I decided to forgo the elliptical and just do the bike...same leg pain.  My body is NOT happy with me getting back into exercise, that's for sure!  But, I'm not going to let it stop me!  The down side to working out at the gym is that I have to go when David is home to watch the boys because my youngest isn't old enough to go in childcare at the gym yet.  So, despite my best intentions, no further workouts happened this week.  Maybe it was good to give it a rest...we will see.  ;)

Hello, my name is Kara...

Hello...my name is Kara and I'm losing it...weight, that is...and hopefully for good this time!  Just to give you a little background info, I have been overweight most of my life.  I came in this world at 9 pounds, had a few brief years as a normal-size toddler, but was overweight by Kindergarten.  Over the years, I have tried every diet known to man...some more successful than others, but ultimately, every pound I lost found it's way back, usually bringing along a few "friends" with it. 

Friday, I went back to Weight Watchers...Saturday, I went back to the gym (and again today)!  I'm determined to get healthy this time around and I started this blog as a way to hold myself accountable...and maybe to help someone like me along the way.  All encouragement is welcome...but if you know me personally, please, don't be the diet police!  I've found through my many attempts that when the people around me start to become "diet police" and judging every morsel I put in my mouth, I end up sabotaging my eating plan and eventually giving up all together.  Sure, I'll make mistakes along the way, but the scale will hold me accountable for those.  This is a process...I didn't put this weight on overnight, and I certainly am not going to take it off that fast.

The great thing about Weight Watchers is there are no "forbidden" foods.  Sure, some foods are better for you than others...but with this program, I can choose the foods I like to eat and manage the portions of those foods in a way that will help me lose the weight without feeling deprived.  I know it works...when I follow the plan.  You've GOT to follow the plan for it to work!  As I was standing in line to get weighed in on Friday (no, I'm not going to tell you how much I weigh...that would be against the girl's code of ethics!), there was a lady who got in line behind me.  She announced to me that it was her absolute last weigh in.  She continued to tell me that Weight Watchers wasn't working for her and since this was the last Friday of the month, she was going to weigh in and be done.  When I asked her if she was following the program, she said, "Well, no..."  I tried to encourage her by telling her that I'd started WW last year, but had fallen away for awhile and was now getting back in the swing of things.  She was polite, but it was obvious that I wasn't changing her mind, so I left it alone.  I know from personal experience that if a person is not willing to work the program, no amount of encouragement will change their mind...they have to be ready.  During those months when I was on WW hiatus, if you had tried to encourage or talk me back into going, I would have probably given you the same non-committal response this lady gave me.  I wasn't ready...but now, I am!

When I tried doing WW last year, I kept it a secret.  I was every bit as committed as I am now, but I tried to hide what I was doing from most everyone I knew...especially my family in Alabama.  I wanted to surprise them.  I had visions of walking in to the Christmas gathering weighing 80 pounds less than I did the first day I walked in to WW...but that's not what happened.  I lost 30 pounds in pretty quick order...but then, I got side-tracked.  We found out in October that our son's birth mother was expecting a baby this summer and wanted us to adopt him as well.  Since we weren't planning on another private adoption (due to finances), we had to get busy with an abundance of fundraisers to help us raise the money we needed to adopt.  We welcomed our son's brother into our family when he was born last month and we've been dealing with sleep deprivation ever since!  ;)  We are blessed...and I need to be around for these two precious blessings!  And I realize now, the only thing I can do to make that happen is to get healthy.  Now, while I am a firm believer that you shouldn't try to lose weight for someone else...in reality, this is as much for me as it is for them.  You see, I want to be there for their games and science fairs.  I want to be there when they first fall in love with a girl.  I want to see them both graduate.  I want to be at both of their weddings.  I want to spoil my grandchildren rotten someday.  So, as much as I am doing this for my boys...I'm also doing it for me!  :)