Mid-Month Goal Update

Time is flying by! 

In a previous post I list these goals for September:

Journal Food honestly 

      I am doing this 95% of the time 

Strength train 2 - 3 times a week. 

      I have felt bloated and uncomfortable, so I have not been going to strength train.  I want to lose      a few more pounds before I get back to it. Perhaps next week I will start again.

Walk or other cardio 3 - 4 times a week

      I've been walking at least 3 times a week.  It helps to have the Step Challenge to motivate me and I will probably do more the last half of the month.

Join the Step Challenge

       This has started and I have joined.  Yeah!
 

Step Goal 9/17 - 10/1 daily average of 5000 steps

      It has just been a few days, but so far I have walked over 5000 steps per day.  


I also started attending Weight Watcher meetings.  I think the accountability and the support of meetings will help me stay on track with my weight loss.   I have little routine right now and it gives me too much opportunity to snack out of boredom & depression.  Once I start, I get on a binge and find it hard to stop.  I am hoping with these meetings, I will police myself better.   I also have 2 friends who are going with me.  One of them are also doing the step challenge with me. 

What strategies do you use to nudge you along when you are stalled in your journey?

Gym Time



 

Going to the gym....  

 

 

 

Getting on the Wagon

In my last post, I said I needed to get back on the wagon--

This is my plan for September.

• Journal Food honestly
• Strength train 2 - 3 times a week. ( 8 -12 times)
• Walk or other cardio 3 - 4 times a week (12 - 16 times)
• Join the Step Challenge (begins Sept 17 )
• Step Goal 9/17 - 10/1  daily average of 5000 steps

Climbing up on the wagon now.........

 

Slimdown Update

The Slimdown Challenge is over.  Midway through the summer and thus through the challenge, a family member of mine passed away and  I'm afraid that it knocked me off my feet a bit. 

In times of stress and emotion, I don't do well with watching what I am eating.  I guess I turn to food for comfort, although it doesn't really feel comfortable.  I just get this desire to chew when I am stressed.  It is like cracking knuckles.  I wish it were cracking knuckles-- it would easier on my diet!

I did go and officially weigh out at the end of the challenge and I had gained the weight that I had lost.  I came out about even.   My team mates did okay, not great.  Most lost between 1%  - 3%  of their weight.  Unfortunately, the winners of the challenge lost 23% of their weight.   The winning team lost an average of 12%.  All I can say is WOW and great for them. 

We didn't have a chance to win and to be honest that was never a goal of ours.  However, sad to say we were denied even the opportunity to win.  Thankfully our weightloss was so low or we might have been upset!   Our team and, therefore,  our individual numbers were all disqualified.  This was because two of our team members never officially weighed out.  

I have to say that I am a bit disappointed in them.  If they did not want to participate, they should not have signed up.   Perhaps they didn't lose weight-- but I didn't either.  As I said, our numbers were not that high, so we were never in the running for the top prizes - but what if one of had individually done well?  I also feel that somehow our team has failed.   In the grand scope of things, it doesn't matter.  But before I join another team, I want to know the members have some sense of commitment. 

As for me?   It is back to the drawing board.  Get back on the horse.  Time to get busy.   I've got some weight I want to drop! 

Weigh-In Week 6

Another gain this week. 

I have had cravings and I have given in to them.  I haven't had a good plan thought out for what I am going to eat for the day -- I am just winging it  I think it is better to plan out in advance your menu.  You can be flexible, but at least know what you might eat.  

Because I have no plan, I also have very little food in my refrigerator.  So when it is time to eat, I have to think hard about what to eat and what healthy high- nutrition, low-fat meal I can make.  Usually, I grab something not-so-healthy  or not-so-low-fat.    I have also gone out and picked food up more this week. 

These are all choices that have consequences that lead to weight gain  for me.  They are also choices that can be changed.

It is a cycle of bad news for me. I eat haphazardly. It makes me feel bad- I get sluggish and I physically can tell the difference.  It makes me not want to exercise or move much.  I get lazier. That makes me even more tired.  My sleep habits have been changing --probably due to the food & exercise changes.  I'll share some interesting things about sleep and weight in a few days.  When I weigh myself, I see that I gain a little and that depresses me and I respond by wanting to just give up and eat.  And the cycle starts all over again.  

Next week there will be a loss.  I am going to STOP the cycle!

Weight change for Week 6 :  + 1.6

A Visit with Ali

To motivate the participants of the Slimdown Challenge, the organizers brought in Ali Vincent - winner of season 5 on the Biggest Loser. Currently Vincent is a motivational speaker who touts staying committed and how to follow through on your goals.  She is quite energetic and very funny. 

Friday Stats Update

Another week gone by and I am a bit discouraged. I need to get motivated!   I seem to gain and lose the same 2 -3 pounds over and over.  I don't know if it is hormone related, stress related, or just the ebbs & flow of weight related.  I weigh myself  nearly everyday, so I see the scale go up, then down, then up and down again. 
Our stats continue to go down in the standings.  As a team, there are still only 4 of the 6 of us weighing in thus far.  Also--for some reason, the total players has again increased by one this week.  I really don't understand that.    But down to business:

Team Standings 
From Week 4: 444 out of 656
From Week 5: 479 out of 656

Individual Standings 
From Week 4: 1109 out of 3585
From Week 5: 1527 out of 3586   


Facts from the Week

• Total pounds lost in the challenge so far is 15,263
• First place team has lost an average of 9% (our team has lost an avg of 1.14%)
• First place individual has lost an average of 15.25%