I apologize

once again for not posting on a regular basis. Life does sometimes get in the way of our plans. 

For the last five months, I've been losing and gaining the same three or four pounds. For awhile, it was my fault and I accept the responsibility. I just wasn't working my plan like I should have been. I may have written about this before. If so, please forgive the repetition.

However, beginning in January, I really began to work the plan. I started watching my caloric and fat intake and being more careful about logging my intake in my food journal. I began walking daily. At least, I've been walking at work. We have long hallways where I've been walking during my meal breaks. I've been lucky enough to be assigned (if you believe in the Law of Attraction, you know there is no "luck" about it) to a dorm that has a microwave. So, I've been microwaving my meals and then using my meal breaks (breakfast and lunch) to walk the halls. Twice a day, 45 minutes each, seven days out of 14. 

And I'm still back and forth on that three or four pounds. My doctor had me get a fasting blood test because they were concerned that I might be diabetic, or severely insulin resistant. I had tests when I got my physical last summer, but they were suspect. My blood sugar was 10 and my potassium was 90. Either of which would have, at the least, put me into a coma. More likely, I would have been dead. As the PA said today, both are inconsistent with life. I had a second set run, but the results were never returned to my doctor. Why they didn't have me do a third set, I don't know, but they didn't want to trust that lab in any case. My husband was diabetic, so while I am far from an expert, I am familiar with the disease. I didn't believe that was the problem, and it turned out I was right. 

I had the blood test on Monday, and when I went in today, I found out that my blood sugar was 91 and my AC1 was 5.7. Both perfectly fine. So, that's not the problem. Next week, I begin my last month in the program, so I don't think they are going to worry too much about it. My health is good (proven by the tests) and there is no reason to think there is another problem that might be causing my lack of weight loss.

I believe that I'm gaining muscle. With the exercise (walking) I've been doing for the last 10 weeks, I think I'm losing fat, but replacing it with muscle. That would explain why I'm not showing loss, and sometimes, a gain. At least that's what I prefer to believe.

I have a total weight loss of 53 pounds as of today. So, while I would like it to be much more, I'm  happy to achieve this much. It's an achievement that I've never had before. 

Next month is my last month on the program. I won't meet the goal that was set at the original consultation (93 pounds), but I think that was rather optimistic. I know lots of people have lost that much and more in the same length of time, but I subscribe to the theory that if you lose weight too fast, it's that much easier to put back on again. 

I've decided that even though I'll be leaving the plan in four weeks, I will continue my efforts and make my own way through the Weight Loss Jungle. I have my plan. I have my exercise, and I have my mental attitude properly, positively adjusted. I may need a periodic mental adjustment, but that's to be expected. And, since I know it's going to happen, I can plan for it.

I said I had my plan. I also have a kitchen scale, a pedometer, and I will be getting a good bathroom scale. I know what I'm looking for, so I'll be getting that before long.

I want to be better about posting here. I have ideas for what this blog can be and hope to implement those ideas in the future. I don't expect to become the Martha Stewart of the dieting world, or the person who has all the answers about weight loss, but if I can give just one other person what they need to get through just today, I want to do it.   

Good luck to us all!

Spring Forward, Fall Back

Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday, March 8, at 2:00 a.m. 

Move your clocks AHEAD one hour so you aren't late to church or wherever else you may go on Sunday morning. 

This has been brought to you as a Public Service Announcement

You may resume normal websurfing.

http://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/nodes.html

Mea culpa....

....for not having posted for months. My only excuse is that Life happens.

I went through the last three months playing with the same 3-4 pounds...gaining it, losing it, gaining it, and losing it. I ended up about two pounds down, but I nearly was tossed off the program. I take full responsibility.

I got lazy.

There. I said it. I got lazy. I didn't keep my food diaries like I should have. I didn't exercise like I should have. I got lazy and lost my motivation as well. 

I think I've got it back. When I was told last week I was on the brink of being discontinued, I got to work. I was getting back there, but it may have been a little longer. I needed that push, that threat. So, I got down to work last week. I watched my calorie and fat intake, properly recorded my food diary and began to work out again.

I need the accountability of the program. I also need to watch the fat intake and to increase the exercise.  

And I showed an eight pound loss this week. It was like starting over again, so I lost what anyone beginning a program would lose. It was probably mostly water weight, but a loss is a loss in my book! I'm on a sort of probation for four weeks.

My total weight loss is 53 pounds to date. I still have a way to go, but I will make it!

And I will be blogging more. I've been pulling articles out of magazines to give tips and ideas for weight loss. It's a new year, a new attitude, and, hopefully, a new me :D

As Patti LaBelle sings, I Have a New Attitude!

An excuse to gain weight?

RECESSION LARDASSIFICATION 

By Neal Boortz @ January 12, 2009 8:49 AM

This statistic should astound you .. then again, if you have been to Disney World lately, maybe not. The number of American adults who are obese has surpassed the number of adults who are merely overweight. More than 34% of adults are considered obese. That is more than 72 million Americans. This is compared to 32.7% of adults who are just overweight. I'm not a genius, but that means that almost 70% of our population is made up of lardassess ... blubber butts .. however you want to classify them.

But don't worry, now we have an excuse. Because of the downturn in the economy, health professionals are worried that Americans are going to gain more weight. More weight?? They are calling it "recession pounds" and it is exactly what you think: people in a recession spend less money on food and end up buying a lot of junk and fluff for their money. They aren't eating as healthy and therefore gain weight. Naturally this affects the poor the most. EVERYTHING affects the poor the most. Even the end of the world will have a disproportionate affect on the poor. Don't worry .. I'm sure the Obama administration is working on a government program to make grocery-buying a fair playing field for everyone.

My Apologies and a tip

I haven't been posting lately, had a lot of things going on in what I call "Life".

I have continued to lose weight, however. At my last weigh-in, I posted a total loss of forty-five pounds. That's since May.

I've had weeks where I lost ounces, and a couple where I'd gained ounces. The good comes with the bad and luckily, I've had more good than bad. I'm about half-way to my goal, and I plan to continue on until I meet it.

At a recent weigh-in, the nurse told me a tip she had gotten at a recent bariatric seminar. While you are doing your normal activities (not exercise), wear a one pound weight on your ankles and/or wrists. Nurse J had round ones that were kind of fuzzy. As soon as I left the office, I went to Walmart (I was headed there anyway), and checked out their sporting goods section. I couldn't find the same weights Nurse J had (and apparently they can't be found for love or money), but I did find other weights that would do the trick. Walmart has packs of wrist weights, ankle weights, ankle and wrist weights that come in different weights. I couldn't find ankle weights of one pound, but did get wrist weights. I figured that I could try it out and at some other time get the ankle weights.

For the next week I didn't exercise, but wore them for my "normal", non-exercise activities. I wore them at work and when I went shopping, ran errands or the like. I watched my food intake as always, but as I said, did no exercise as such. I gave myself the week off for the experiment. I lost, only about a quarter pound, but it was a loss.

My weights are by Danskin and happen to be pink and black. Hey, I am a girl, after all.

The ones pictured at purple and black and happen to be two pound weights. More than one pound weights are not recommended for normal routine, but would be fine for exercise.

How to Maintain Your Weight

By Craig Ballantyne

Oprah recently featured some former contestants from "The Biggest Loser." Unfortunately, some of them had regained up to 100 pounds since they left the show.

While losing weight is hard, not enough attention is given to the equally difficult process of maintaining weight loss. And what most people don't realize is that the method you use to lose weight helps determine how difficult weight maintenance will be.

Researchers from the City University of New York studied folks who were successful at losing at least 10 percent of their bodyweight in the past year. They were separated into three groups. Group one had lost the weight with a very-low calorie diet (VLCD). Group two had lost the weight with a commercial weight-loss program. And the third group had lost the weight using a self-directed approach.

Initially, the VLCD group had a greater average weight loss (24 percent of bodyweight) compared to the two other groups (17 percent). But the researchers found that they quickly regained the most weight. On the other hand, the folks who had lost the weight on their own - as a result of making lifestyle changes - were able to maintain their weight loss.

What can you learn here? Well, it's like many weight-loss experts keep saying: You must make simple, easy-to-stick-to lifestyle changes if you want to lose weight and keep it off. Crash diets and excessive exercise programs might work for a while, but they won't help you in the long run.

Start your long-term weight-loss program today by finding a form of exercise you enjoy and a diet that suits your personality, and by surrounding yourself with social support - people who are genuinely interested in seeing you succeed.

[Ed. Note: Extending your life and living out your years in tip-top health is really a matter of making simple lifestyle choices. For more easy-to-implement ideas about how to live longer and feel better, click here.

Looking for exercise that is enjoyable and can help you lose weight? Try fitness expert Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training exercise program.]

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I removed the links above as they went to sites offering to sell you something. If you want more information, click here.

Friday Weigh In

I lost another three plus pounds. The official total is now forty - that's 40! pounds lost since May.

I'm absolutely amazed that I've lost that much. I'm nearly halfway to the target set by Dr. M. Still a long way from the target I've imposed on myself, but, I'm not even sure that's a target I will try for. I'm waiting until I get to the first target to decide whether I want to go on, and how far.

I'm still working out on the Wii. Mostly the Wii Fit. Lately I've found myself doing the aerobics module mostly, and the Step program most of all. I get a little frustrated because after all this time, I still don't have the rhythm down. You have to step slowly on and off the balance board and I guess I am stepping just a little too fast. And sometimes, it registers that I missed a step when I didn't! Maybe I was too fast, or too slow, or whatever, but I did it, dang it!

Mostly I can actually get through the entire routine without missing a step (or three or four), I turn the AC down because I can really build up a sweat doing this. Trust me, these "games" are not necessarily easy!

And every once in a while one of the dogs decides he wants to step with me. Mostly the dogs stay on the recliner, watching me like they can't quite figure out what the heck I'm doing. I guess it looks like fun, so one or the other will decide that I need some instruction or something. I'll step back and feel a rake slide down my calf. I admit, that's one time when I do miss a step or two, worried about tripping over a Chihuahua and wondering where the other one is and if I'll fall on either of them. I love my boys, but I wish they'd stay on their chair when I'm doing a step routine. 

But the games are fun. And remembering that I've lost 40 pounds makes it a bit easier.