150.8

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me... a nudge to go for a walk because we went out for dinner.  (For a tasty dinner, I'm thankful.  And for the kick in the pants to walk on a cold, dark evening I'm also thankful.)

I weighed in yesterday knowing I could do so on my regular scale.  So to go down .8 lbs in 6 days is just fine with me.  And to weigh in before Christmas dinner gave me the extra push to do a 3 mile run on Christmas morning.  

Lessons learned this week:   

#1 Always have a granola bar or other handy snack in the car and in my bag.  

On Sunday evening my husband and I went to Christmas Candy Lane in Hershey.  

I should have brought a snack. 

I didn't want to dive into a huge s'more or too much hot chocolate, that being said, we didn't get home until late and at that point I was famished and a little cranky...oops. (Apologies, babe.)

#2 Use a plate for appetizers. 

I immediately melted when I saw the cheese plate and tasty crab dip before dinner yesterday.  I was worried about taking too much, so I didn't fill a plate.  The problem was, I kept going back.  If I thought I was keeping track of my intake, it was guesswork after my third trip to the crab Rangoon dip.  Not to mention the multiple bites of manchego and blue cheese.  Had I filled a plate I may have been able to just stop after one filling.  I'll work on that the next time I find myself in that situation. 

All in all - Christmas eating went well.  It was the first day of going over on my allotted calories, but it was a holiday and that kind of splurging does not happen everyday.  And so here we are, back on the horse adding some extra cardio this evening to work off some of that tasty fajita plate and remembering that this journey is a marathon, not a sprint.  Baby steps each day and trying to remember to make healthy choices....

Blessings to all until the next post.  

+peace

151.6

It's been a good week.  One with several eye opening experiences.

Firstly, I have to say (without naming people) that I'm not alone on this weight loss journey.  I've received so many words of encouragement alongside words of understanding and struggle as well.  It's these voices that have helped me get out of the bed a few times this week, to get to the gym. So, thanks y'all for that!  I hope that I can pair up with some of these folks for walks or talks or just general support.

Logging my food intake every day (while I was a bit obsessive about it at the beginning) has been super helpful.  With that as a guide, I've become more reliant on my measuring cups and measuring spoons....I now know what 1 cup of cereal looks like in one of my bowls.  And one serving of salad dressing is much less than I normally use.

I did realize that after logging a meal at a local restaurant that - wow - the meal there was about 950 calories in itself.  Crazy, right?  And I took a small portion of meatloaf...and didn't have any rolls with butter.  (I did have some apple pie, though.)  I think the chef's salad will be my go to meal there for a while.

I am happy with the weight loss this week and am aiming for a 1-2lb loss per week.  My guess is that this week was a big week because I made many changes.  Dropping alcohol and excessive sweets made a big difference.  I've also been better with my water consumption.

I also splurged this week on two different types of Fiber One cereal.  Woohoo!

My goal for this week is to keep my fiber intake up.  (per the doc's orders)

And now for bed.  (With the increase of cardio/gym time I've also been sleeping better.) bonus.

Thanks for reading...

155

So, I have to throw this out there.  I'm in the process of losing some weight.  One of my liver enzymes is a little off kilter, so the doc is doing a series of tests to narrow it down.  Part of my responsibility is to lose about 10 pounds.

There are times when I eat really well.  There are other times when I am my own worst enemy.  When left to my own devices I can eat well all day, but then devour pop tarts, or ice cream or bread with butter just before bed.  It frustrates me, because I know better, but something wins out...and it's often not my best choice.  So, part of sharing it on my blog is to help keep me focused and to reach out to community for support.  The other reason for sharing is so people know why I'm passing on sweets and bypassing the donuts on Sunday morning.  So, in a way, this required weight loss is a good thing. Because if I am held accountable by someone other than me, I'll follow their guidelines.  

The other guideline from the doctor is no alcohol.  So as home brewer and craft beer lover, this will be a tricky thing for me.  I share this because I am NOT pregnant.  Just sayin'.  These are doctor's orders.  

So, as the month of December continues...I am aiming for high fiber, lots of veggies, and less carbs and sweets.  I'll be exploring the joys of baking with vital wheat gluten so I can create some tasty healthier breads.  

Prayers of support are always welcome...as are invitations to go for a walk, even if we have to bundle up during the winter months.  

And now for the numbers:  

Yesterday I weighed in at 155.  I plan on weighing in once a week and posting it here (for better or worse).  

In addition to this sharing (inspired by a friend on his own weight loss journey) I invite your stories (joys/struggles) as well.  If we can walk this together...or share from good experiences as well as bad, we will be more supported in the long run.  

Thanks for reading...for praying....and for keeping me accountable.  

Until the next weigh in...or post...whichever comes first.