Healthy You Challenge Week 13 Check-In

Here are some highlights from the past week:

1. I stayed within my calorie range each day.

2. I've been very busy the past week, and haven't had much time to blog. Sorry about that!

3. I did not get much exercise, unless grocery shopping, gardening, and household chores count as exercise. I guess they do... because at least I wasn't sitting on the couch, right? hehe

4. Tomorrow is my weigh-in day. I'm not really expecting a big loss because of my lack of "official" exercise. However, I can see subtle changes in my body and I know that I am shrinking. Hopefully the scale will confirm that. If not... that's OK. The scale might lie... (it better not... because it's NEW)... but my eyes don't.

5. I have been continually inspired by all of YOU... either when you've commented, or written email, or when I've visited your blogs and read your posts. Thanks for that! You guys are the best!

I hope you're all having a great week! Be sure to check in tomorrow to see my weigh-in results. Keep your fingers crossed for me! :)

Wednesday Weigh-In

I'm happy to report a 2 lb. loss this week! Here's how the numbers stack up:

Last week: 377.6 lbs.
This week: 375.6 lbs.
Pounds Lost: 2.0
Total Lost Since 02-09-09: 25.2 lbs.

And now I'm off to check in at the Fourth of July Challenge blog... where I've earned a "25 lbs. Gone" button. Yippee!

I hope you're all having a great week. Remember... just take it one day at a time and do the best that you can each day. :)

Healthy You Challenge - Week 12 Check In

Here are some highlights from the past week:

1. I stayed on track with my eating.

2. I exercised several days, but I wish I had done more.

3. Emotionally, it's been a rough week. I'm dealing with some stress, and on several occasions I felt like surrendering to the urge to numb my feelings with food. I wanted to eat and forget about everything else that I was dealing with. But I didn't. I recognized what was going on... and I realized that eating was not the answer.

When I feel stressed, the stress sometimes leads to feelings of depression. I have been down in the dumps the past few days. And one of the things that I feel depressed about is how fat I am. So why would I think that eating would make me feel better... when in fact it will just make me fatter... which in turn will just make me feel more depressed?

It's something I've had to deal with my entire life. And it's not fun. I wish I could snap my fingers together and be instantly thin and stress-free. But I can't. So I'm learning to deal with my issues and only turn to food when my body needs nourishment. This is not always easy.

4. Tomorrow is my weigh-in day, and I'll be checking in at this week's Fourth of July Challenge post. (If you're a member... don't forget to check in this week. If you're not a member... you can still join because there's no cut-off date.)

5. I am sick and tired of being fat. I am sick and tired of my obesity prohibiting me from doing the things that I want to do. Period.

(Sorry this post is not real uplifting and encouraging. I really just needed to vent. Thanks for bearing with me.)

xo,
C.C.

Wednesday Weigh-In

Yay! I'm happy to report a 3.2 lb. loss this week! Here's how the numbers stack up:

Last week: 380.8 lbs.
This week: 377.6 lbs.
Pounds Lost: 3.2
Total Lost Since 02-09-09: 23.2 lbs.

I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing... which is eating between 1,800 and 2,000 calories a day, drinking lots of water, and exercising as much as possible. I'm going to continue to take it one day at a time and do the best that I can each day.

And now... I'm off to check in at the Fourth of July Challenge Blog. If you're a member, make sure you post your results this week!

I hope you all have a great Wednesday... and a great rest of the week! :)

Healthy You Challenge - Week 11 Check-In

Here are some highlights from the past week:

1. I got a new scale... and according to my calculations... I showed a 20 lb. loss last Wednesday!

2. To date, I've stayed "on plan" every day for 5 weeks!

3. I have an automatic wrist blood pressure monitor similar to THIS ONE... and I took my blood pressure a few times last week. Each time I took it, the reading was fan-freaking-tastic! It also measures heart rate, and that was excellent, too! Woo hoo! I am just so happy that in spite of my lifelong struggle with obesity that I have always been healthy and have never had high blood pressure or any of the other medical problems that seem to plague those who are overweight.

4. Overall, things are going well. I'm eating around 1,800-2,000 calories per day, and I'm exercising several days each week. I've resolved that this is how I must live the rest of my life, and I'm at peace with that. The weight WILL come off... and I'm learning that patience... along with perseverance... is the key.

Tomorrow is my weigh-in day, so be sure to pop on over to see how I did! I hope you have a great week... and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Favorite Snacks

You know the best way to keep hunger at bay? Snacking. hehe

Seriously... I love my snackies. In fact, I work two snacks a day into my daily calorie allotment. I have a morning snack between breakfast and lunch, and I have an afternoon snack between lunch and supper.

And you know what one of my favorite snacks is? I love fruit/yogurt/nut parfaits. My current favorite is a combination of either frozen (thawed) blueberries or cherries, Yoplait Fiber One Vanilla Yogurt, and 1/8 c. chopped walnuts. It is SO scrumptious and yummy... plus it's really nutritious. And it's only around 270 calories!

Another favorite is a low-fat string cheese and a bag of 100-calorie microwave popcorn. At around 170 calories, it's a great snack that really fills me up. And this is also a good snack if I'm really busy and don't have a lot of time to prepare a snack.

I also love peanuts. Sometimes I have 1/4 cup of peanuts for a snack. At around 176 calories, this is great paired with a glass of skim milk. That's about 266 calories total. Plus... peanuts are really good for you. Did you know that a daily serving of peanuts can reduce your risk of heart disease? What's not to love about that?

Like I said... I do love my snackies. But... I tend to get stuck in a rut. It seems like I sometimes end up eating the same snacks day after day after day. But I'm a girl who likes variety! So... I'm coming to you for suggestions. I'd simply love to know...

What's your favorite snack???

Thanks, Jen!

The very sweet Jen presented me with the "Love Ya Award." Thanks, Jen! I love you, too... along with all of my blog buddies. All of your support and encouragement means the world to me... and I could never thank you all enough.

Along with the award come some rules. Here they are:

“These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award"

It is SO hard to select only 8 other blog buddies to receive this award when you are all so special. I've made many friends since starting this blog almost 2 years ago. And some of you I have known since the beginning and I'd like to give the award to you wonderful ladies.

1. Diana
2. Lyn
3. Hanlie
4. Twix
5. Cat
6. Heather
7. The Princess
8. Daniele

(I know it's sometimes hard to find the time to pass on these awards, so if you can't... that's fine. I'll still love ya. hehe)

xo,
C.C.

Keepin' It Real

1. How in the world am I ever going to lose all this weight?

2. Is it even possible for me to lose 200 pounds?

3. Why did I ever let myself gain this much weight to begin with?

4. How long is it going to take me to lose all this weight?

5. How much weight am I going to have to lose before it even becomes noticeable?

6. Do I look as fat in person as I do in the mirror or in photographs?


Those are questions that have been running through my mind lately. And I'm not so sure these questions... or the answers... are something that I want to deal with right now. These questions scare me. It's hard to admit to myself that I even think about them. It's like I'm afraid if I admit to having these thoughts I will somehow sabotage myself because I am admitting weakness and insecurity and fear.

But... I must deal with these issues head on. Pretending that they do not exist is not going to help me. I cannot live in denial. So here I am... blogging about it.

Sometimes I'm afraid it will be impossible for me to lose all this weight. Sometimes I'm afraid it's going to take forever. And I get impatient.

Sometimes when I look in the mirror or look at a photograph of myself... I just want to throw up. I just look so fat. I look like a big, fat blob of dough. I look like I just have so much weight to lose that it will be absolutely impossible for me to lose it all.

But... I know that none of my fears need to become my reality. The bottom line is:

1. I am going to lose weight by consistently counting calories and exercising.

2. It IS possible for me to lose 200 pounds. Others have done it. I can do it, too.

3. I gained this much weight because I ate too much of the wrong foods and I rarely exercised. I gave in to emotional eating on a regular basis. Ceasing these behaviors and adopting healthy ones will change my body and my life.

4. At a healthy rate of losing 2 lbs. per week, it will take me approximately 2 years to lose 200 pounds. But that's OK. It took me close to 40 years to gain it all. In the scheme of things... two years is nothing. Two years is an investment in my future.

5. I'm probably going to have to lose about 50 pounds before it becomes noticeable to others. But what difference does it make? It is already noticeable to me. It's noticeable when it's easier to walk up a flight of steps or crawl out of bed in the morning. It's noticeable when it's easier to clean the house or make the bed. It's noticeable when I'm able to exercise for longer periods of time.

6. Yes, I probably do look as fat in person as I do in the mirror or in photographs. That's one of the reasons I'm working on losing weight. Deal with it, Chubby Chick! One day you will not cringe at the site of a mirror... and you will not avoid the camera at all costs! Better days are ahead!

I feel better now. Honesty is the best policy. Dealing with my issues and keepin' it real is the only way I am ever going to defeat this weight problem once and for all. And that is what I am determined to do.

So... stick around. Things just might get pretty interesting around here! hehe

New Scale Results

Yay! I weighed myself this morning with my new scale, an Escali High-Capacity Bathroom Scale with Body Fat/Body Water Monitoring, and a number magically appeared... an actual number instead of the dreaded "ERR!"

I weighed myself 3 consecutive times, and I got the same reading each time: 380.8 pounds! So... the scale does seem to be weighing accurately so far. I would have had my doubts if I had gotten 3 different readings. As far as the body fat/body water monitoring goes... I have no opinion on that as of yet. I'll give a full review of the scale after I've used it for a few weeks.

I'm just happy to have finally seen a number! Now I can keep an accurate record of my pounds lost. I'm not going to obsess about a number, but it will be nice to keep track of my progress on the scale.

According to my calculations, based on averaging previous 4-week weight losses while following the same diet and exercise plan, I've come to the conclusion that in the past 4 weeks I've most likely lost approximately 20.6 pounds. I'm going to call it an even 20 and set my official starting weight on 2/9/09 at 400.8 pounds.

I'm also going to change my official weigh-in day to Wednesday, since today is the first day I could use my new scale.

And... I've earned a "20 lbs. Gone!" Fourth of July Challenge button! Yippee!




Things have been going well the past four weeks, and I'm looking forward to seeing even more positive results in the weeks and months to come. I'm in this for the long haul... and I finally feel like there is a light at the end of this long, dark tunnel!

Here's to a great week... and year... for all of us!

Just a Quickie...

My new scale arrived today! I'll be weighing in Wednesday morning... and I hope to have some good news to share! :)

Healthy You Challenge Check-In

Here are some highlights from the past week:

1. I stayed "on plan" each day.
2. I had a major NSV.
3. I ordered a new scale, so I'll be able to track my weight loss from now on!
4. I didn't feel like exercising one day... but I did it anyway!

I hope you are all doing well and have a great week! :)

Weigh In Day

Guess what? Monday is my weigh-in day. And I still don't know what I weigh. hehe

But... that's OK. I ordered a new scale last week from Amazon, and it should arrive any day now!

Here's the scale I chose: Escali High-Capacity Bathroom Scale with Body Fat/Body Water Monitoring

It had great reviews, and weighs up to 440 pounds. Last week it cost $44.95. But it qualified for free shipping... a savings of almost $9.00. There was also a special rebate of $10.00, so I ended up getting the scale for $34.95 + free shipping! I saved almost $20.00!

I'm really anxious to weigh myself, because today makes exactly one month since I've been totally "on plan." I'm not sure what my true starting weight really was a month ago, so I'm just going to estimate it. I'm going to check my weigh-in results from the last time I was "on plan" for one month to find out how much weight I lost in that time period. I'm just going to add that loss to whatever I weigh on my new scale this week to come up with my starting weight. There's really nothing else I can do. I do believe it will be as close to accurate as possible because I basically stick to the same eating/exercising routine every time I'm "on plan."

I really am excited about getting the new scale. It will be great to be able to keep an accurate record of my weight loss from now on. And I just want to thank everyone who commented and gave me a recommendation for a scale at THIS POST. I truly appreciate all of your help and advice!


PS: If you're a member of the Fourth of July Challenge, don't forget to check-in with your results this week! And if you're not a member... feel free to join! There is no cut-off date!




I hope you all have a great week. Just take it one day at a time... and do the best that you can each day. All of your hard work WILL pay off!

xo,
C.C.

I'm Just Sayin'...

Yesterday I had a major NSV. And today... I don't even feel like exercising.

Hmmm... what's up with that???

Good thing I'm choosing to not let my feelings dictate my actions anymore.

And now... I'm off to do battle with my elliptical!

Major NSV!

I am SO happy right now!

Remember a few weeks ago when I got on my elliptical for the first time and could only stay on it for 2 minutes before my legs felt like they were going to fall off??? Well... I blew that 2 minute record clear out of the water this morning!

I've gradually been building up my endurance, and at last count I was up to 5 minutes per session. Not a lot... but a definite improvement. I didn't even use the elliptical much last week. For some reason I was doing more exercise videos than anything else. I like the Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds videos, and up until last week I was doing the one-mile/20 minute walk. But last week I started to do the 2-mile/30 minute walk. So... come to think of it... I guess that's an NSV, too! hehe

Anyway... back to the elliptical. When I got on it this morning... after having NOT been on it at all for several days... I fully expected to be completely tuckered out after my usual 5-minute session. But... much to my surprise and delight... I was NOT tuckered out after 5 minutes! I kept going... and going... and going! In fact... I DOUBLED my time spent on the elliptical and completed my first consecutive 10-minute session!!! Yay!!!

And what's crazy is... I actually felt like I could have stayed on longer! And I would have... but the bottoms of my feet were hurting because I wasn't wearing sneakers. I'm definitely going to wear sneakers from now on... and I'm actually quite anxious to see how long I can stay on it next time! I really have a feeling I"ll be breaking this new record very, very soon!

If you had told me two weeks ago that I would be up to doing 10 minutes on the elliptical already... I wouldn't have believed you. I am absolutely in shock right now... but it's a very, very happy kind of shock! hehe

So... if you're like me and have felt like you could NEVER build up your endurance on an elliptical or any other piece of exercise equipment... cheer up! Just do what you can do right now... and slowly but surely... you will build up your endurance and will be able to do more than you ever dreamed possible. I promise! If I can do it... anybody can do it! :)

Out with the Old... and In with the New

So... I think I'm going to bite the bullet and buy a new scale. Hubby thinks I should, because he said that the scale was giving him unreliable readings this week, too. So... I need some advice.

I want a good, reliable digital scale that does not cost an arm and a leg and that weighs up to 400 pounds. Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance for your help! :)

"ERR" = GRRR!

I weighed in today for the Fourth of July Challenge. And I was totally expecting to see a number... any number... on the scale. You see, I put a new battery in my scale this morning. So I just knew that I would see an actual NUMBER today and not the dreaded "ERR!"

Alas... and much to my dismay... "ERR" popped up... for the third Monday in a row!!!

"Frustrated" scarcely begins to describe how I am feeling right now. Throw in a little bit of discouragement... and you'll be getting warmer.

I'm frustrated because I'm still not sure if my scale is working properly. I don't know what to think. It wouldn't weigh my 10 pound hand weights this morning when I tested it, but it weighed my 275 lb. husband last week when he weighed himself. Last Monday, before seeing "ERR" 2 times in a row... the scale showed that I weighed 384 lbs. That's when I assumed that I just needed a new battery and not a new set of scales.

But then... part of me is wondering if there is nothing wrong with my scales and I am still weighing in at 400+ pounds! And that is what is really frustrating, discouraging, and even scaring me right now. I just cannot believe that after 3 weeks of staying totally on plan with my eating and exercising almost every day that I could still be 400+ pounds!

I'm not sure what I'm going to do at this point. I don't know if I should get a new scale this week, or if I should wait until next Monday and weigh in again in hopes that the scale is functioning properly and... after more hard work this week... it will show an actual reading under 400 pounds.

I know I've lost weight the past 3 weeks. I'm not sure how much, but I do feel a little bit smaller. But I want to feel A LOT smaller. When you're as heavy as I am... and you lose 10 or 15... or even 20 pounds... it is really not that noticeable. It's going to take at least a 50 lb. loss until I actually see a big difference in the clothes I wear and in the way I look. That in itself is frustrating.

But... it's my own fault that I am at this weight. Nobody has ever force fed me or tied me to a couch. And I'm the only one that can get rid of this excess weight. I'm the only one who can choose to eat healthy foods and exercise consistently. And that is what I am determined to do.

I'm not going to give up this time. I'm not going to quit... no matter how frustrated or discouraged I get from time to time. I might as well acknowledge right now that there ARE going to be times when I feel like giving up. There ARE going to be times when I feel so discouraged and frustrated that I just want to cry. There ARE going to be times when I feel like I am never going to lose this much weight... that it's IMPOSSIBLE to lose this much weight. But those are all just feelings. They are not fact. And I will not allow feelings to become my reality.

This is what I know. I know that I did not gain this much weight overnight... and I cannot take it off overnight. This is going to take some time. This is going to be a long, hard journey... not a Sunday afternoon stroll in the park. Realistically... I must be totally and consistently committed to this weight loss plan for the next 2 years at minimum. And after that... it will be a lifetime of maintenance for me. I can't afford to let my guard down... not even for a moment... because those moments turn into days... and weeks... and months. And it is just too easy for me to gain weight. It's almost as effortless as breathing, it seems.

The road before me is long and bumpy. But I'm ready for the challenge. I'm ready to fight for what I want. I'm ready to go the distance. I am not going to quit. I am not going to give up and turn again to the path that has led me to where I am today. I want something better. I want more out of life. I want more for myself. I deserve more. You deserve more. We are worth fighting for!

And yes... right now... I feel so discouraged and frustrated that I could cry. But I am not going to go to the kitchen in search of something in which to drown my sorrows. And that is a victory in itself.

We're all on the same journey. The destination is the same. And it's going to take me longer to get there than others. But... I AM going to get there.