Weigh In - August 16

Challenge Starting Weight   204
Current Weight                     202.6
Weight lost to date                   1.40
Percentage lost                       -0.69%

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A small loss this week.  I really seem to be stuck at the 202 mark.  Up a bit....down a bit. I had really hoped to be under 200 by my birthday.  With only 3 days to go, and a diner party (that I'm cooking for) on Saturday, I don't see it happening.

Next week Liam and I are leaving for 10 day vacation to my Mom's place.  So I am taking a break from weighing in and tracking my food till I'm back in September.  I've been tracking my food for more then 2 years now so I'm confident that I can still make good food choices without writing everything down.  And maybe it will be the mental break that I need to kick start the next level of weight loss.

So Happy Vacation everyone, and I'll see you in September!

Weigh In - August 8

Challenge Starting Weight   204
Current Weight                     203.25
Weight lost to date                   0.75
Percentage lost                       -0.37%

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Well that was sure a lousy week.  I gained 1.75 pounds and I'm almost back up to my starting weight.  Lack of exercise, lack of willpower and lack of motivation have been my enemies.  Enjoying the day out at the buskers festival with Liam didn't help either.

This is only the 2nd major blip that I have had in the last 3 months, so it's not the end of the world and I know that I can (and will) get back on track.  We have TaeKwon-Do again tonight and we only have the car till Saturday.  I'm working a late shift on Thursday, which usually means that I go for a nice long walk in the morning, and I have a vacation day on Friday, so hopefully I can get in a work out there too.

My biggest struggle is weekends or days at home.  At the office it's easy to not indulge, since I pack  lunch and make sure not to take any money with me, so the vending machine is out.  But at home, even if I plan my meals out ahead of time, I find myself snacking at the first sign of hunger.  I need to padlock the cupboards!

Farm Fresh Lunch

Growing up we always had a huge garden.  From July till September we had something from the garden with every meal.  Some of my most favorite meals were ones that came exclusively from the garden.  As a kid it was not unusually to see me sitting in the cucumber patch eating my fill right off the vine, or taking my bowl of sugar and dipping fresh rhubarb in it while I played in the sandbox.

While I love reaping from the earth, I hate the work that goes along with it, so Hilary and I have never really had a successful garden.  We've had occasional tomato plants that would yield one or two fruit (if we could harvest them before the dog ate them straight off the vine).  We tried a garden our first summer at this house, since the bed was all set, but really... weeding?  watering? eh... it's just not for me.

I really do miss the food though, so every year I try to find local produce at the market so that I can have a taste of childhood memories.  And today I found my 3 most favorite things:  Corn, cucumbers and yellow beans.  That combo was often one of our garden only meals, and it is my lunch today.  I plan on enjoying every last morsel.

Weigh In Day

Challenge Starting Weight   204
Current Weight                     201.5
Weight lost to date                   2.5
Percentage lost                       -1.24%

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One pound lost this week.  Considering I'm getting less exercise then normal, I figure that isn't too bad.  The Healthy Wage challenge is in full swing and I'll be checking in with my team mates today to see who everyone else has made out.

We have a long weekend coming up and I took Friday off too, so 4 whole days off!  WOOT! The problem is that there is no TaeKwon-Do on Saturday or Monday.  EEK  That is my only scheduled exercise.  I really need to make a plan to do something on my own.  If I can get really motivated I will be moving furniture and boxes up the stairs to Liam's old room.

I also have conflicting interests happening this weekend.  I also belong to a cooking group, The Daring Kitchen.  It's been a great way to learn some new cooking techniques and to get comfortable in the kitchen.  Each month they post a new challenge and you have until the 14th of the following month to cook it, photograph it and blog about it.  We've done every thing from homemade pasta to Julia Child's Beouf Bourguignon.  The recipes aren't always diet friendly.  I can't share yet what this month's challenge is, but I will be making it for dinner on Friday or Saturday.  It could be diet friendly, but I don't think the version I have planned is going to be!

Car vs. Pedestrian

Don’t worry, I haven’t been in an accident. But I do have a car for the next 2 weeks. Usually I am a pedestrian. In fact, I haven’t owned a car in over 20 years. And being a pedestrian is a great way to sneak some extra exercise into your day without really noticing it.

To get to my work every morning I can either take 3 buses and get there in an hour and a half, or I can take one bus, walk 30 minutes and still get there in an hour and a half. So I choose to walk. It may only burn 154 calories, but every calorie counts. The difference with having a car?  I can drive there in less then 15 minutes.

So now that we have a friend’s car for 2 weeks, I’m not walking 30 minutes every day. I’m not even walking the 2 blocks to the mall if I need something. The convenience of hopping in the car and getting somewhere quickly is too strong for me to say no to. You would think that with all the time I’m gaining back by driving places would mean that I have more time to work out or even gasp! go for a walk. But somehow that doesn’t seem to be what happens.

I need to find that happy balance….. Enjoying the handiness of a car without sacrificing my goal of getting fit.

Weigh In

Challenge Starting Weight   204
Current Weight                     202.3
Weight lost to date                   1.7
Percentage lost                       -1%

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So this is my first weekly weigh in since the Healthy Wage challenge started on July 20th.  And so far so good!

We had to have our starting weight verified by a gym, trainer or doctor.  Luckily someone I work with is a trainer, and we have a scale at work for the Weight Watchers meetings.  The only thing was that I weighed in 3 pounds heavier then I had been at home that morning!   I went home and re-weighed myself and sure enough, I was up by 3 pounds.  I'm attributing that to clothes and having eaten during the day, since I normally weigh in first thing in the morning and with very little clothing on.

This challenge is about 12 weeks long.  I would love to be able to lose 2 pounds a week, but I don't think that is very realistic.  That would put me at 25 pounds lost or 13% of my overall starting weight.  Since it has taken me 7 months to lose 35 pounds so far this year, I don't see this happening.  I would be pleased to keep going at a pound a week, getting me to 189 or 7%.

Either way I will be shrinking!!

Feelings

The Healthy Wage Dream Team Challenge has me STOKED.  Here`s how I`m feeling about it overall:

But I`ve also been feeling a lot like this lately.

I'm trying my hand (or I suppose legs) at running.  I really want to do well on this challenge, so any extra exercise I can do is great.  I've woken up early the last 2 days, and instead of wasting time on the computer while I grumble in my coffee cup, I've laced up my shoes and headed out at 6:00 AM to run around the block.  It's only half a mile, and I end up walking half of that, but it's a start.  Once I conquer this block, I'll add another, and maybe even another after that!  

Overwhelmed is another feeling that is coming up a lot in life.  Not just with fitness and weight loss, but parenting and work.  So I'm going to try this approach:

So how are you feeling today?

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Meet the Dream Team! Come on over to Facebook to follow our progress and give us some encouragement!