Wishes and Wednesday Weigh In - Week 27

Wishing I didn't feel so mopey today...

Wishing I was skinny already...

Wishing I was on vacation...

Wishing I had a loss to report this week...

Wishing, wishing, wishing...

Last Week: 343.6 lbs.
This Week: 343.6 lbs.
Pounds Lost: 0
Total Lost Since 02-09-09: 57.2 lbs.

Wishing I had exercised more last week...

Wishing the upstairs neighbors (I live in a condo) weren't so noisy...

Wishing I had gotten more sleep last night...

Wishing I wasn't feeling so grumpy today... hehe...

Wishing, wishing, wishing...

What are you wishing for today?

A "Lovely" Way to Start the Week!

I just found out that the lovely Hollie has given me "The Lovely Blog Award!" Thanks, Hollie! I appreciate your kindness so much... and your weight loss progress is phenomenal! Keep up the good work, girl!

Here are the rules for the award:

1. Acknowledge the giver
2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs you love

So... here are the recipients I've chosen to receive this award:

1. Cat
2. Hanlie
3. Kimberly
4. Antgirl
5. Lisa
6. Liska
7. Spunkysuzi
8. Heather
9. Annette
10. Diana
11. Cammy
12. H.K.
13. Jules
14. Sonya
15. Val

Wow! That list took awhile to complete! lol And... I wish I didn't have to stop at 15... because I would love to give this award to all of my blog buddies! Even if you're not on the list... I just want you to know that I love all of you and I could NOT be doing this without your support and encouragement! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

xo,
C.C.

Update: And thanks to Shmologna, too! :)

My Favorite Not-So-Guilty Pleasure

I am NOT on a diet. I have changed my life over the past 6 months. And throughout that time... I have done everything possible to make this new lifestyle change NOT feel like a diet. Because you know what a "diet" is. It's DIE with a T.

And one of the things I've enjoyed doing is creating healthier versions of favorite recipes. And I've experimented with concocting healthy substitutions for not-so-healthy treats.

For instance... I've always loved chocolate. And I always will. In the past, I would make brownies and eat an entire pan in two days. I would make chocolate cake, and it would be gone in 3 days. A gallon of chocolate ice-cream? It would be gone in 3 days. Hershey's Kisses or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups? A large bag would last a week at most. No-Bake Cookies? They would last 2 days max.

So... how does one who loves chocolate incorporate it into their new, healthy lifestyle? I'm sure there are many ways... and I'd love to hear yours. But here's what I like to do...

Almost every day... I eat fat-free vanilla yogurt with fruit. But sometimes I'm in the mood for something chocolatey. So I mix 1 t. of Hershey's Unsweetened Baking Cocoa into 1/2 cup of fat-free vanilla yogurt. It is SO yummy... and is especially good with 1/2 cup of frozen cherries that have been thawed. Sometimes I even sprinkle 1/2 T. of mini-semi-sweet chocolate chips on top. And this entire satisfying snack comes in at only around 170 calories!

So... you can see that by simply making healthier choices... one does not have to feel deprived or like they're on a "diet."

What's your favorite not-so-guilty pleasure?

Wednesday Weigh In - Week 26

Wow! I cannot believe that today marks my 26th week of being "on plan!" 26 weeks! That is 6 months... half a year! And... to be perfectly honest... the time just FLEW by.

Six months ago... something "clicked" with me in regard to weight loss. And it was something very bad that caused that "click" to happen. I got on my scale and saw an "ERR" message staring me in the face. My scale went up to 400 pounds... and... for the first time in my life... I was weighing in at over 400 pounds.

And in that shockingly horrible moment... I KNEW that I had to do something to lose weight once and for all... or I would easily weigh over 450 pounds in a matter of months. Click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click!

So... on February 9, 2009... I totally committed to losing weight. I totally committed to changing my life. And... most importantly... I totally committed to keep going no matter what. I realized that this is a journey that I must NEVER quit. And no matter how long it takes me to lose this weight... I will NOT give up.

The title of my blog really says it all... "Journeying to Lose 200 Pounds... The Triumph of Perseverance." Because perseverance really is the ultimate force that will lead me to my ultimate victory. I don't know how long it will take me to get to 200 pounds... but I do know this: I WILL persevere... and I WILL get there.

And on this 26th weigh-in, I am SO happy to report another loss! Here's how the numbers stack up this week:

Last Week: 346.4 lbs.
This Week: 343.6 lbs.
Pounds Lost: 2.8
Total Lost Since 02-09-09: 57.2 lbs.

57.2 lbs. in 26 weeks. That's an average of 2.2 lbs. a week! And I am VERY happy with that! And I can't wait until my Week 52 Weigh-In! I wonder how much I will have off by then!

Hey... how much do YOU think I will have lost by my Week 52 Weigh-In??? Let's have a little contest! Let me know your answer... and in 26 weeks I'll announce the winner! (And I'll probably throw in a little prize as well... as long as the winner is in the continental US.)

I hope you're all having a wonderful week! And... no matter how much weight you have to lose... do NOT give up! You CAN do this! Continue to persevere... and... as always... just take it one day at a time and do the best that you can each day! The weight WILL come off! :)

And... just in case you've never seen the cute little "Calvin and Hobbes" cartoon which inspired my blog title... please scroll down to the bottom of the page. You'll be glad you did! :)

xo,
C.C.

An Amazing Accomplishment!

I don't know how many of you know Sean, but... along with being one of the kindest and most encouraging blog buddies out there... he has just accomplished the incredible feat of losing 201 pounds! Make sure you stop by his amazing blog and congratulate him ASAP!

Congratulations, Sean! You totally rock! :)

Wednesday Weigh In - Week 25

Here it is... 25 weeks after fully committing to a healthy lifestyle... and I have another great loss to report! Here's how the numbers stack up:

Last Week: 349.8 lbs.
This Week: 346.4 lbs.
Pounds Lost: 3.4
Total Lost Since 02-09-09: 54.4 lbs.

Honestly... I was a bit shocked when I saw a 3.4 lb. loss this week. That's a big number for me! But I can contribute it to two changes I've made in my weight loss plan recently.

About two weeks ago, I tweaked my plan because my progress seemed to be slowing down a bit this summer. Previously, I was eating between 1,800 and 2,000 calories a day. And most days... that number was closer to 2,000 than 1,800. That seemed to be working for the first few months... but I decided to experiment a bit, and I reduced that amount to between 1,700 and 1,800 calories a day.

Another change I've made is that I've been getting in a lot more exercise than usual. Before, I would exercise 2 or 3 times a week. Some weeks I didn't exercise at all. (I hate to admit that... but it's true.) But it seemed like as long as I ate healthy and stuck to my food plan... I still lost weight. However, as I said, my weight loss did seem to slow a bit recently... especially in June when I only lost 2.8 pounds the entire month.

So... I've been exercising about 5 days a week lately. And on most days I'm exercising more than once a day. And this increase in exercise, combined with the calorie reduction, has definitely given me a boost in the weight loss department.

So, for now... I'm going to continue eating between 1,700 and 1,800 calories a day, and I'm going to continue getting in as much exercise as possible each week. Seems like a winning combination to me!

But... no matter what your weight loss plan... always remember to just take it one day at a time and do the best that you can each day!

That is a winning strategy that we can ALL benefit from! :)

Healthy You Challenge Week 31 Check In

I'm happy to report that things are going well, and I officially hit the "50 lbs. lost" mark last Wednesday! Actually... I've lost 51 pounds since Feb. 9th... and my plan is to continue what I've been doing in the months ahead.

My next weigh-in is tomorrow, and I'm hoping for a loss. Keep your fingers crossed for me! :)

The Woman I'd Like to Be

The woman I'd like to be is fit, toned, strong, and full of energy. The woman I'd like to be is fearless, confident, and in control.

I saw a woman like that about a year ago. She was jogging down the street... and she truly was a sight to behold.

She wasn't the average jogger that we all see on any given day... in any given city. She stood out from the crowd like a beautiful rose among a vast sea of prickly thorns. Her posture... the way she held her head and carried her body... was admirable to say the least.

The spring in her step as she jogged portrayed an energy that is rarely seen. The speed she exhibited as she ran reminded me of a sleek gazelle effortlessly bounding over the plains of Africa. With every stride she was a breathtaking vision of health, strength, and fitness!

Obviously, she was not in the least bit overweight. But she was not thin... at least according to Hollywood's standards. She had meat on her bones. She was muscular... but not so muscular that she no longer appeared feminine. She was firm and toned. She was strong and powerful. She was confident and in control.

The image of this woman has stayed with me for over a year. I can picture her in my mind as if I first saw her yesterday. She doesn't know it... but she made an impact on my life that day. She gave me something to work towards... something for which to strive.

With hard work and commitment... I am striving to become more fit and healthy than I've ever been before. I'm working towards that vision each day. I am making progress. I'm moving in the right direction.

And some day... I WILL be the woman that I've always wanted to be. I may not look exactly like the lovely woman I described... but that's OK. Knowing that I will be the best ME that I can be is all that really matters. Honestly... what more could a woman ask for?

(PS: What's your vision of the ideal YOU?)

Thoughts and Prayers for a Fellow Blogger

Please visit Jen's blog sometime today. She and her family have suffered a tragedy this weekend... and I'm sure they would appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

xo,
C.C.