Week 10 of Fire Up for Fall

Update time!  It is hard to believe that it has been 10 weeks since this challenge first began. Nevertheless, it has been 2 1/2 months and now it is time to recap my goals and summarize the results of the challenge.  
Before I begin, I would be remiss if I didn't give a big thanks to Rebecca at Weight Wars who organized this challenge and encouraged many along the way. 


Be accountable by participating in Challenge and blog weekly 
Being a part of a challenge kept my mind focused during the week on my goals.  Knowing that I was going to have to report helped me stay accouintable.  I enjoyed being a part of the group and I "virtually met" many fellow weight loss friends.  I think it helps people to know that there are others out there who are going through some of the same things that you are.

Decrease weight by 10 pounds
I failed miserably with this goal.  Midway through the Challenge I had a week where I gained a lot of weight. I never recovered from that weight gain.  I spent the rest of the challenge working to wittle off the pounds gained that week.   I am disappointed, but it reminds me how fast we can gain if we don't maintain our diligence and how slow it is to lose. 

Pay attention to body signals. Eat when hungry  
I did pretty well with recognizing my body signals.  What was harder for me was to eat only when hungry.  I am an emotional eater and I find myself craving things to eat sometimes and I allow that feeling to overpower my mind that tells me I am not hungry.  Rather than beat myself up too much on this, yet not use it as a crutch- I realize that I am in the midst of a stressful transition this season and I cut myself a little slack.  It will just prolong my journey to my ultimate goal weight.

Exercise at least four times a week 
I definitely got in 3 formal exercise times a week and often hit my 4 times a week goal.  I want and need to make the gym a 5 times a week habit--especially during this holiday season. Finding the time is the hardest. 

Sleep at least 7 hours a night
I have done pretty well with this one.  To help me accomplish this better I need to impose an electronic curfew upon myself.  I sit down at the end of the day and can lose hours on the computer.  If I set myself a curfew for anything electronic--including phone-- then my brain won't be inundated with so much information.  It'll have time to just have some quiet peaceful time. 

Have a food plan and keep right food on hand
This is the goal that I dropped midway through the challenge.  I think tracking food eaten is so important and I still try to do it, but I think managing all six goals got to be too much for me and I let this slip.  In my ideal world, I would make a menu plan, buy all the right foods, eat healthy then write down everything I eat.   My world is not ideal yet.  :)


Thanks to everyone who participated in this challenge.  I have enjoyed reading about your journy and wish you continued success along your way. You are inspiring to me.  And thanks to all of you who have read my blog along the way.  You motivate me. 

  

Hungry or something

Why are there some days when you just want to eat? 
You are not hungry necessarily, but you just want to be eating.  I'm having one of these days.  On days like this I need to just keep myself so busy and occupied that I haven't got the time to eat. 

I think maybe I am lacking in certain nutrients and that makes me have this faux hunger.  I need to get batter about eating balanced nutritious meals so that I will go searching.

But for today, I'm crossing my fingers and making a long "to-do" list.

Week 8 & 9 of Fire Up for Fall

It's been a busy couple of weeks and so I've decided to combine week 8 and week 9 updates.   Sometimes life is just like that ~    This week's positive picture is the innocence this photo shows.  It also just brings me joy when I look at it.

What have you done this week towards your goals?   

• Be accountable by participating in Challenge and Blog weekly - this past two weeks I haven't been posting or reading blogs much, but better late than never ! 
• Decrease weight by 10 pounds - I am still chipping away
• Pay attention to body signals. Eat when hungry-- I'm doing pretty good at being aware of whether or not I am hungry or not , the problem lies in my choosing to go ahead and eat when not hungry
• Exercise at least 4 times a week-- I've gone to the gym 3 times a week the last two weeks and I have done some exercising at home in the off days 
•  Sleep at least 7 hours a night - on average I am snoozing well

What have you done to make yourself feel fabulous?
I've been traveling and have criss-crossed the state.  I was on the west side of Missouri in Kansas City for awhile and was able to see my 14 year old niece perform in her school play.  Later it was to the east side of Missouri to St. Louis.  I was with a friend at an education conference.

St. Louis is the home of Baseball's 2011 World Series champions The Cardinals.  We stopped and ate at a restaurant called Pujols which is one of the Cardinals well known players. A statue of Albert Pujols sits in front of the restaurant to greet the hungry customers.

How important is a social life to you? Are you a loner or a butterfly or somewhere in between?
Relative to others, I am closer at being somewhere in between a butterfly and a loner.  I am more introverted than not and I need my alone time to refresh my energy.  However, I have my circle of friends and among them I like to flit like a butterfly at times. 

How do you balance life outside your home with healthy living?  
Most of my friends are at an age when we all have to start paying attention to our health habits, so it is not so difficult to balance.  My mantra is always...moderation..


What do you like to do for fun?
I enjoy going to the theater or seeing other live performance events.  I also just like to gather with a few friends and hang out to visit.  There never seems to be enough time to just sit and enjoy time together anymore. 

What's the most positive thing you've taken away from this challenge?
This challenge helped motivate me to have a routine and be accountable to my goals.

It's the last week, the run to the finish.  What is your priority?
My priority as this challenge finishes, is to continue with healthy habits over the holiday season.  I hope to stay the course until after Christmas then set new goals for the new year.

Fun Stuff. Desert Island, you can take 1 person, 1 famous person and 3 items besides food and water. Who and what do you take?
To the Desert Island I would take a friend--and if I could trade the famous person for another friend I would.   I would rather go with 2 people I know, than with someone famous.    The three items I would take with me would be an air conditioner/fan; a yacht, and my computer with wireless Internet.

Next week is the Round up week.... what a fast 10 weeks!

Week 7 of Fire Up For Fall

Happy Halloween ! 

My positive Thought for the week is a weight loss cartoon--  made me chuckle when I read it.  Some days I wish it were true.

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Questions for the week:
What have you done this week towards your goals? - This has been a crazy week and I have not done much as I have been on call to go help my daughter with her needs as a new mother. 

My goals:

•  Be accountable by participating in Challenge and Blog weekly -  I am doing this--although I did get last week's questions done two days late because of my granddaughter's early arrival
• Decrease weight by 10 pounds - I maintained my weight from last week
• Pay attention to body signals. Eat when hungry -  I've been snacking way too much.  I need to get a handle on this
• Exercise at least 4 times a week - No exercise this week unless you count playing with my 3 year old grandson.
• Sleep at least 7 hours a night - This was accomplished more or less

What have you done this week to make yourself feel fabulous?  - I have been a grandma, loving on my grandchildren.

How do you pull yourself out of a slump or prevent yourself falling into one?  Generally speaking I keep myself very busy and satisfied with my life/work to prevent falling into a slump, but once in a slump I either go re-connect with the things I love most--my family, then my closest friends.  I call my children, or visit my grandson to play for the afternoon.  I also find that if I help someone else, I feel better. I find a way to reach out to those less fortunate than myself. It helps me to count my blessings.   There is always someone worse off than me-- basically, I get an attitude shift.

Are you naturally positive or do you have to work at it?  How do you keep yourself positive?   I am a pretty positive person.  I have been blessed and I try to remember that. I always try to look for the silver linings in things.  I also have the perspective that even the tough things in life teach us something that will ultimately lead to our good - we just need to see it.  Sometimes this is a lot tougher in practice, and that is where my faith steps in.

If you could go away anywhere tomorrow ( and work wouldn't get weird) where would you go?  Any change of scenery along with good friends or family would be welcome!  The suspension of work duties and responsibilities combined with the companionship of loved ones is most refreshing.  Where doesn't matter.  If forced to name somewhere - with unlimited funds I would go somewhere farther than a close drive --maybe Canada or take the train to Chicago.  If funds are limited, I'd stay close by  and just get a change of scenery--perhaps to my aunt's farm or my sister's home.


Three weeks to go --

 

Week 6 of Fire Up For Fall

My posting is late this week and my positive picture will help explain the reason.   My picture is the bottom line of why I am choosing a healthier liefestyle. 

 My grandaughter was born this week.   She wasn't expected for another 3 weeks so surprise came with our joy.  Grandchildren fill your heart with amazing love and joy.

Week 6 Questions:
What have you done to achieve your goals this week?  - I have been carefully monitoring what I'm eating.  I also was able to get out and walk in the neighborhood for at least 60 minutes three days last week.  This was in addition to going to the gym 3 times and doing some cardio and strength training.

What have you done to make yourself feel fabulous? - I did a little "retail therapy."   I needed to get a professional type outfit appropriate for going to job interviews.  I haven't bought too many new clothes as I have lost weight as I want to wait until I get where I want.  And I figured I should wear well-fitting clothes if I am "presenting" myself.  On my shopping trip, I happened to find some great deals and I bought about 3 outfits with some extra tops all for a good price -- and it looks good too!

Do you listen to music when you work out?  What gets you fired up?   - When I am walking on the treadmill I do listen to music.  Ususally something fast -- the faster the beat, the faster I go.    When I go out walking in my neighborhood, I start off listening to some worship songs on my playlist after a few songs I listen to podcasts that I subscribe to until I am finished walking.

Whats your guilty pleasure music?  How does it make you feel?  This doesn't apply to me - I don't have guilty pleasure music.

If today were a song what song would it be?  No excuses!   Martina McBride's Anyway

Back on the Right Track

Friday is my weigh-in day.  Last week was not good for me partly due to poor food choices and not exercising as I should. Therefore this week I have been trying to make some better choices in these areas. It has paid off and I have lost about half the weight I gained last week.

Why is it always so easy to gain weight, but oh so hard to lose it??
*sigh*

Week 5 of Fire Up for Fall

Positive Picture
I am thankful that I have access to fresh fruit and healthy food.  There are many people in this world who either don't have access to healthy food and clean water or cant afford the same.  May I never take for granted the abundance given to me. 

On to the questions for this week:

What have you done this week to achieve your goals?
This week was not good for me. I fell off the wagon, but I am going to pick myself up and dust off and press on towards the goal.  I'm pretty disgusted at my lack of self control - it's an emotional thing and I need to work on different coping strategies and/or do the hard job of working through my emotions instead of medicating with food.

1. Be accountable by participating in Challenge and Blog weekly - accomplished  

2. Decrease weight by 10 pounds - gained weight this week  

3. Pay attention to body signals. Eat when hungry - oh yeah, I ate when hungry and when I wasn't hungry too 

4. Exercise at least 4 times a week - only 1 out of 7, no excuse, but I was out of town for a few days and it made exercise inconvenient   

5. Sleep at least 7 hours a night - I averaged about 5 1/2 hours.  I made a point to get myself to bed most nights at a decent hour but I had trouble sleeping this week for some reason.  I kept waking up and the quality of my sleep was very poor 

6. Have a food plan and keep right food on hand - no menu, no tracking, no grocery store with healthy foods   *sigh*  


What have you done to make yourself feel fabulous?
I nurtured some relationships: I met for an afternoon with a favorite cousin and we had some deep conversations, I visited my daughter who has recently moved away, and I met my sister for lunch. 

My athletic sister is 5 years younger than me and lives 2 1/2 hours away.  She did a bike ride along one of our state trails to take advantage of the good weather and fall foliage. She rode 72 miles round trip!  I drove to meet her at her halfway point and we had lunch at a little cafe near the Missouri River edge. Then she got back on her bike and rode back.  I am so proud of her and admire her.

It's halfway through the challenge, you can change 1 or more of your goals (max of 3). What are you going to do and why?
I am going to drop my last goal of having a food plan and keeping the right food on hand.  It is my 6th goal, so I am not going to replace it.  This goal has never been fully accomplished and it stresses me when I realize that it is not being accomplished.  Instead of motivating me in the challenge, this goal does the opposite and by making me want to quit because I feel like a failure. So, I am just going to eliminate the goal.

What's your worse bad habit and have you ever tried to tackle it?  Do you want to?
Outside of food, my worse bad habit would have to be the making of stacks or piles of books and papers.  These can be found wherever I need or want the particular items: on the counter, the table, the sofa, my desk, and on the floor when when my desk runs out of room.   Every so often I clean up the stacks and put everything in its place, but eventually things end up back in stacks.  In theory I would like to tackle this habit, but in reality the stacks work for me and I can live with them.  Do you think there is there a 12 step program for this?  "My name is Mary and I am a slacker stacker."

Fun Time: Would you rather have burgers for feet or sausages for fingers?
Yikes!  Id rather have neither!  However, if I had to choose I think I would prefer to have burgers for feet.  I see my hands and fingers much more than I see my feet and I don't want to see chubby little sausages all day long. 


Five weeks to go--- I really need to fire up to meet this challenge!