I DID IT!

Okay, don't think anyone is even reading this, but I have to add a new post.  I know I haven't blogged in several months.  December ended up being a wash as I took two weeks off and then had to lose what I had gained.  But here it is a bit short of 5 months and I hit my goal on my home scale.  Now I need to lose about another 5 pounds so I can be at my goal when I go to my doctor's office.  As of today, down 52.2 pounds.  Weighed 149.8.

Wow.  Just realized I haven't been doing this.  So, okay, here is a brief update.  This has been the easiest way I've come across to lose weight!  I have been on this diet 66 days now and have lost 33.4 pounds!  That's pretty good in my opinion.  It is easy to do, easy to follow.  And if I can do it, someone that never eats salad or fruits, anyone can do it.  At my last appointment my doctor was pleased with my progress, and I told him with the holidays coming I was thinking I would have a cheat day on Thanksgiving.  He told me that was perfectly fine, a decision for me to make, just to remember it would slow things down for a few days, but I could be back on track quickly.  So on Thanksgiving we are going out to lunch at Cracker Barrel.  I LOVE their chicken & dumplings, so have to decide if I want that or a traditional meal.

Day Nine

Here it is day nine.  I broke the first 10 pound barrier this morning!  Today's weight is down 11.2!  I can't believe how simple this program is.  I was so afraid at first, wondering if I could actually do it.  But I can, I am, and it works!

Day 5

Finally got yesterday's blog to post. Now I sit here smelling my cauliflower in the steamer. I've found once it's steamed, if I put it through a processor and make it the texture of mashed potatoes and add LOTS of pepper, then it's doable. I've already been through one head of cauliflower. It will be my staple out of the veggie category. Anyway, was down another pound this morning, so a total of 9 pounds so far. Can't wait each morning to get on the scale. So far the overnight loss each day is a little less, but I knew the first few days would likely be the highest losses. So we will just see how it goes.

Managed to get my bloodwork done today as well as get my next B vitamin shot. Weight was down a total of 8 pounds as of today.

A New Start......Again

Once again, here I sit looking at how long it's been since I blogged. TOO LONG! Last blog I thought I was in the game, but I wasn't. Seems no matter how hard I try, I haven't been able to truly get myself there. So what makes me think this time is different? Well, I'm doing something that I know is controversial, so I'm not telling my social circle about it right now. It was hard enough having to explain this to my family. Some of them were more difficult than others, but I know it's because they love me and are concerned for my well being. I'm doing a doctor supervised version of the HCG diet. Main words there being "doctor supervised". I did share with someone else that started the HCG diet and found out the food part of her version was different. Also, she was doing the shots to the stomach...yowzers! I'm lucky enough to have the tablets that dissolve under the tongue.

Key points about this diet.........

First, anyone who knows me knows I do NOT eat fruit...at all! Well, I believe in this plan so strongly I have actually managed to eat some strawberries (not too well, though) and some tangerines (much easier). So if nothing else is gained, there's that.

Second, no cardio workouts are allowed during this phase of the diet. This is good for me because I was in a real catch 22 situation. I would try to run, but was concerned for what I was feeling in my knees. But I knew part of that is because I had put back half the weight I lost a few years back and that if I lost that weight my knees probably wouldn't hurt. But was I going to do damage in the meantime? On this program, I am expected to lose weight before I start doing the cardio. (I can still do toning exercises.) I know this was one of the contentions for some of the people I told, but there is reasoning behind it. It's all part of the plan.

Third, on this plan you are expected to lose weight quickly, then go into transition, then into maintenance. While I have the "long term" plan, I also have a short term plan of wanting to be able to wear a sexy costume for the upcoming Halloween party. Having the shorter goal will help me stay on track for the first part of the program.

Now for the number part of things. Three years ago I had lost 38 pounds by cutting carbs and taking up running. Most of you know I took a bad fall and messed up my ankle pretty bad, and that began my downfall. Ever since then I keep trying to get back on track and just have not found the way to do it. Well, when I got on the scale two weeks ago and had hit the half way mark of gaining back what I had lost, that about killed me. That's when I decided to go for professional help. So my official weigh-in number at the dr office for the start of this is 204 pounds. I will use his scale as my official numbers. However, I will use my home scale to follow my daily/weekly progress. I am currently on my third day of this plan and have lost 5.4 pounds. The average loss in the first week can be as much as 10 pounds, with 12-20 expected in the first month. Now in all fairness, those are probably the pounds I put on during the two days before I started the plan. During those two days I ate all my favorites (as suggested by the doctor). So I am looking forward to what happens from today forward. I CAN and WILL do this!!!

Okay, second post in one day. Only because of a shocker to myself. I have come to love spinach dip (as mentioned in my earlier blog today). I made a comment to Steve about how I need to find my own recipe so I can control how healthy it is. Well, a few moments ago Steve came in with some of my soy and flax seed chips and a green dip. He asked me to try it. I know him well enough to know he had not made a spinach dip (he does not like spinach), so I was sure it must be broccoli. Now, I tried many years ago to teach myself to like broccoli. I was chopping it up into food I ate, gradually adding more. But one day I added too much and it turned my stomach. I have never been able to think of broccoli in a good way since. BUT....this was actually not bad. I had several chips of it. I don't think I could eat lots of it, but that is a good thing. A healthy snack that I am not inclined to eat a lot of. But seriously....broccoli? Amazing. One more step in the right direction.

August of 2010 was my last post? Really? Hmm. Well, let's see if I can get back to it.

Got my frame of mind back to the idea of getting healthier and losing weight. Never have sincerely got myself back to that for more than a couple days at a time in the last couple years. So...let's see if I can put together more than a couple days.

This time around, not strictly doing the carb thing as before. Just trying to make sure each food decision is a smarter one. Not depriving myself, just looking for the smartest version. Been one week now of making that my new thought process and I'm down 5.6 pounds. Now mind you, it's the same 5.6 pounds I've lost time and time again, so nothing to impress anyone. But it's the jumpstart I needed to get it going.

Smarter choices. Like last week when I had a craving for my spinich dip. I left work, went to Trader Joe's and found the dip I wanted. Then I stood there saying to myself......."Okay, Lauri, you know to enjoy this you need chips, so what are you going to do about it?" So what I did was to bypass the chips that I would have normally grabbed, and instead found some soy and flax seed chips. They were perfect with the dip, and the scale was down the next morning. My other huge discovery thanks to a friend....Ezekiel bread.

Okay, enough for now, it's time for work. Hopefully it won't be another year before I am back here. One foot in front of the other, one day at a time. Hopefully, here I go again!

Is Anyone Still Out There?

Wow...it has been almost a year since I last blogged. So here I am, confession time. I never did really get back at the running or workouts. Over the last 10 months I have been hit and miss about exercise and my eating. I was doing okay at maintaining, so I got lazy about it all. And then there was a pound here, a pound there gained, and I started thinking I really should do something about it. Funny, just thinking doesn't get the job done. Instead, I never did DO anything about it. Instead I traveled with friends, ate whatever I wanted, and watched as the dust gathered on my exercise machines. In fact, I seem to have actually lost my membership card for the indoor track I was using last year. (I did stop by there to renew when it was time, and actually did use the track that day. Hmmm.....one day in how many? Not very effective!) So as work switches out of its summer schedule, reality sets in. I had gained about 5 pounds during the winter and spring, and just during the summer added 15 pounds to that. All that hard work. All those hours at the track. Gone. Swish!! Just like that. So here I am. Once again facing the reality of having lost control. Once again staring in the face of my lifelong battle and struggling with all my food addictions. But.........
As of two weeks ago, I got back on plan with my diet. While I know some don't approve, I know what works for me. I have cut out carbs. Once I sincerely do that, I stop getting cravings and only feel hungry when it is truly necessary to fuel my body. I am back to drinking massive amounts of water again. Okay, not massive, but a minimum of 64 oz a day, some days much more. Since my weigh-in on August 10, I have lost 8.4 pounds. So far so good. But now it's time to add the exercise back to the program. Yesterday I went out with Steve on his walk (he does a mile and a half every day) and ran spurts during our walk. I almost managed a quarter of a mile in one shot, but fell a bit short. But it's okay. That was the first running I've done in awhile. The one thing I have been fairly good about is on Sundays I usually go for a hike in the desert. It use to be a group thing last year, but now it's just me. And that's not a bad thing. It gives me a chance to really get into my own head. (Although, one Sunday I was out there alone and managed to startle a snake in my path. I was surprised at just how fast I can move in reverse!) However......I have a hiking partner headed across country. My folks will be here next month and my Mom is looking forward to hiking with me. I can't wait! It's always a great motivator to have someone else involved. It will be our "mommy and me" time. As she starts getting use to the desert and temps start to go down some, I know we can push each other to do more. And, it's time to start hitting the track again. I am going to make a real effort to do that at least three times during the week this week. There are other workouts to do and places to do them, but I don't want to be unrealistic about I know I will do at this point. I've spent the last two weeks getting the food under control, now I will start with getting the habit of stopping on the way home to use the track back into my habits. Once step at a time, right?
Sad thing is, I need to take down my "lost 35 pounds" badge. But just for now! I will be there again. I WILL!

Back at it again......and it felt SOO good!

I finally did it. I finally ran again. Not as good as before this all happen, but at least back to it. When I first started running I had this amazing feeling.....this body memory thing.....an "oh yeah" moment of this is what I've been missing.

I walked two laps, ran three, walked one, ran two, walked one, ran one, and then continued the rest of the two miles alternating a walk lap with a run lap. A long way away from doing a complete mile without stopping, but a start. I knew I would have to build back up again, but I don't think it will take too long. I won't be able to hit the track today because I have a work-related class this afternoon. But that is a good thing as I need to build up slow on this ankle again. I think skipping a day between for now will be a good idea. I have to remember patience is necessary to do this right. But at least I am back at it again!!!!

Half a Month Later

Goodness! It's been half a month since I last blogged. Okay, so some catch-up. I started my physical therapy and it has really helped. You know, they say the older you get the slower you heal. Well, guess I am officially "older", because it sure seems to be taking a long time to heal this ankle! My therapist didn't want to release me to start running again yet. She did finally agree this week to let me hit the track to start walking my two miles. She told me to try it, see how it all felt the next day. She said that IF I felt no pain at all, I could start putting small spurts of running into the walking, but that she would really rather I'd wait for one more week. Well, I hit the track the next day (Thursday) and did my two miles walking. Admittedly, yes, I did feel it in my ankle the next day. Okay, so she knows what she is talking about. No running yet. Friday instead of hitting the track, I walked in the mall while on a movie date. Didn't do any real walking yesterday, but was on my feet all day as I was redoing a closet and going through stuff. Didn't finally sit down until about 7:30 pm. After sitting for a bit I could feel my ankle throbbing, so put some ice on it. Later today we are going to the park for a music festival, so I will be walking there. Thinking I will try to stop at the track after work tomorrow. I am caught between not wanting to over-do and delay the healing and getting back to working out. I feel like my body is ready to start loosing weight again. I had felt like I was at a plateau, but last week, even without exercising, I got on the scale and saw the lowest number I have seen in years and years. I won't have any "official" weigh-ins right now. This session of "biggest loser" has ended and I have not signed up for anything more. The price as increased each session to the point that it will now cost for one month what I originally paid for 12 weeks. Time to look around for something different. Besides, it wasn't being very effective for me this last time anyway. So, once I get the "all clear" from my therapist, I will find something else to help motiviate me. For now, I am just thrilled to not be gaining during this down time. And, to be completely honest, I have not exactly been on track with my food plan, either. (Which is what surprises me about the loss and convinces me my body is ready to lose again.)
We'll see how this week goes.

Feeling better justified about my injury

It's been awhile since I wrote last. I've been a bit embarassed. I was afraid I was being a "wiennie". Since my fall, I haven't been able to get back to anything. I went to my biggest loser session last week.....and dang it, their workout included going outside for a run. I had been waiting on that since I was now able to go the distance. But, I was still having issues with my ankle, so they had me stay inside and ride the stationary bike. I then tried to keep up somewhat with the class when they came back inside to workout. Was able to do the upper body part, but not the lunges and such. Then I was hurting from it the next day. This past Saturday I went out with Steve to walk, tried running about 10 - 15 feet to see how it would feel, and it was not good. I was sore afterwards. Walking has been okay, but while just sitting, such as at my desk at work, I would get pains, and it has still been swelling every day. So okay, I finally broke down and went to the doctor yesterday. Guess I did some real damage. From what he saw on the xrays, no breaks. He is having a radioligist confirm that today. Assuming the xrays are clear, he has put me on "contrast bath" treatments, a splint, told me to stay off it when possible, and wants me in physical thearapy for four weeks to re-strengthen the muscles. And this is all 2 and a half weeks after it happen. So, I guess I still won't be hitting the track for a bit. Can't do the workout at biggest loser this week as he wants me off my feet as much as possible. This is SOOO frustrating! I had just achieved a goal, and now I am so afraid of where I will have to start again to get back to it. My biggest fear, although probably completely unfounded, is not being able to run again. So many people have been telling me how once they had this kind of injury it was never the same and they couldn't do the same things they had done before. I DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT!!

Improving

Here it is Wednesday morning. I haven't been able to run/walk since the fall on Saturday. My ankle is finally looking better. The swelling wasn't as bad yesterday and it doesn't hurt to walk on it. I've almost got full range of motion with it, but it's still tight when I bend it forward into the position it would be when I run. I think my knee is actually going to hold me back longer than my ankle. It's still a bit swollen and the skin still feels tight with much motion. Part of the wound is still open. My arm is better, finally all closed up, but still sensitive to put any pressure on. My back has improved each day, just after sitting at my desk all day at work I can feel it, but not nearly as bad as the first day or two. So all in all, everything is better, but I'm frustrated because I had finally reached a goal and then I'm dead in the water. I am thinking I may go to the track after work tonight to at least walk some and maybe test out how things feel if I try to run. I have weigh-in tomorrow night and I know I am probably in trouble since I haven't worked out since last week's weigh-in.

Leave it to me.....miss graceful

I called my mom this morning and told her she should have at least given me the middle name of "Grace"....cause that's about as close as I would come to having any! This weekend is a working weekend for me, so this morning instead of waiting for the track to open to run, I decided to hit the dead end road by the house like I do sometimes. So out I went on my merry way, feeling good about not using work as an excuse to not do it. Well, about half way back I somehow stepped wrong, twisted my ankle, and down I went. Fortunately, Steve had his cell phone on so I was able to call him to come get me. Man oh man! If I do something, I do it right! Even after having ice on it most of the day, my ankle still looks like there is an egg under the skin right on the ankle. The knee on my other leg took the brunt of the fall and the skin is tore up. Ripped the skin on my forearm pretty good as well. That was the obvious damage. I finally made my way in to work, and now that I am back home I have come to realize I must have twisted my back as well. I feel like I have been beat. How sad what can come from taking one step wrong. I just want everything to heal quickly so I don't have to miss too many days of exercise.

Meanwhile, I did hit the track Wednesday and did my mile plus a lap before I started walking between sets of running laps. Thursday was biggest loser workout, but I only went for the weigh-in, didn't stay for the workout. Decided I wanted to be a good friend that night instead. Anyway, I was up 0.8 pounds from the week before. So see, I need to heal quickly because I need to work a little harder this week.

I just wanted to give a shout out to Weight by the Seashore. Thank you so much for your continued support! Hugs!

I did it!

I did it! I have achieved my one-mile-without-stopping mile! I ran....er....jogged....er slowly jogged a full mile all in one shot. And it wasn't on the indoor track, it was outside here at home. That meant some up hills (okay, down hills, too...lol). I ran and walked the mile back home. Yeah....one mile!

I just have to share

I know this blog is about weight loss, but I just have to share something else. For those that don't know, my son is in the Army as a mental health specialist. Today he left for Iraq. If all goes well, he will only be there a couple weeks, so that alone is plenty to be thankful for. But I have to share the story of last night.

I have the best friends in the world! Last night some of us went out to the Cactus Moon. I casually made the comment that at 9:00 it would be 6:00 a.m. Saturday in Germany and my son was starting his journey to Iraq, so I wanted to do a toast then. Well, I hope Craig could feel the love from here. I was sitting and chatting when I suddenly realized I am hearing my son's name being announced. The band was announcing how he was headed to Iraq and that I was there and so the whole club was sending him love and thoughts for his journey. Then at 9:00, the band stopped playing and everyone toasted.

I had several drinks last night (bad for calories, great for loosening up) and danced SOOO much, I know I burned off every calorie I drank. I danced with everyone at our table....male and female. I was as sweaty as I am after working out......but what a fun way to get the burn! And when I got on the scale this morning......no gain! Yeah! Also, I went out and ran 9/10ths of a mile non-stop, then ran/walked the rest of the two miles. I am SOOO close to running that full mile!

Weigh-in results...very tiny

Just a quick note. Weighed in last night at class.....was only down 0.2. But at least it was "down", right? I guess as long as it is a step in the right direction, all is good.

Outdoors again

I didn't get a blog in last night......don't think I ever sat down at the computer. But I did do my exercise :-) As I was leaving work I realized the temperature had dropped a great deal thanks to the storms we had coming in, so instead of hitting the track, I decided to go home and use the original two mile trek I started walking on all those months ago. By time I got home it had already rained enough to put puddles all around. And then when I started out, it was sprinkling, which was actually kinda cool. Here in Arizona, we don't get much opportunity for anything like that. Since the route I go is a mile out and a mile back, I started out walking for 1 - 2 minutes, and then starting running, knowing I needed to make it all the way down without stopping in order to be sure I had done a minimum of three quarters of a mile at one time. It certainly wasn't fast, but I did it! There is a sign 1000 feet before the dead in, and I remember when I use to try to run from the sign to the end without stopping and couldn't do it. And now I ran almost the whole way. Did notice a difference in my ankles because the track is level and here I was going up and down small hills.....but it was just so cool to do it.

Anyway, off to weigh in and exercise with the biggest loser class in a few minutes. When I got on the scale this morning, it had me at 179.6. But that was first thing in the morning and undressed. Now it's evening and I'll be dressed as well as have on shoes, so I know it will be more. But it certainly was nice to see a number in the 170's. I can't wait until my official weigh-in number is there! It WILL happen!

Some accountability

I need to be more accountable for my actions.....exercise and food. So, I will try to check in more often just for confessional if nothing else.

Saturday I blogged that I had accomplished a non-walk 3/4 mile. Well, after that we went to a movie and lunch with friends. Hmmm.....lunch. Chile cheese fries.....split between us. And a scoop of ice cream. How's that for a happy choice lunch? Happy?....YES. Okay, so I said I would relax a bit on weekends because I want to be able to make decisions I can live with long term. Short term would be easy, but also easy for pounds to come back when I run out of drive. So, thinking I can be better all week if I know I am allowed to relax a bit on weekends. That night we went to friends to play cards, and I had a thin slice of cake with a spoon of ice cream. Uh oh.....ice cream twice in one day? And the problem is??? I know...just kidding. I should have said no to the cake and ice cream instead of asking for small portions. Sunday was better.

Exercise.........Well, Friday and Sundays are usually my days off from exercise, so didn't do any on Sunday. Suppose to hit the track on Monday. Well, I got to the parking lot, changed my shoes, but my stomach had been bothering me and I suddenly felt a need to get home to the bathroom, so never made it into the gym. But I did get there tonight......and I did manage another 3/4 mile on the first session of running. Then one walk lap, two run, one walk, three run, one walk, three run, then cool down two laps. I will definitely have to be there again tomorrow night.