Two Weeks Gone in a Flash

It's hard to believe that two weeks have gone by since I last posted.  Time is just flying by for me.  I never have enough time to do the things I am suppose to do.  I am being very careful to choose to do those things that will help me move forward on my journey to wellness. 

I have not missed a work out no matter how busy or tired I am.  But I will miss the next two days as I am taking two vacation days.  That means I will not be in Bainbridge so I will not be near Curves.  It is too expensive to drive over to Bainbridge for a half hour work out.  I am going to get Arianna to go for a walk with me.  I may even do Zumba.  I will do some sort of exercise either way.  I do like how I feel after a work out.  Plus at the Curves the other women are all very encouraging.  They get so excited for each other.  There are a few older women who are especially supportive of me.  I watch them work out and I want to be them in 15 to 20 years.  They even are taking on the Zumba class.  They are happy with who they are and are just working on staying fit and healthy.  That is an awesome way to be as you get into your senior years.  So it is now another goal for me.

I am still having to remind myself to write down my calories.  The biggest problem is the weekend days.  I am not usually on schedule on those days and we eat kind of haphazardly.  But I am still being good about it.  I do figure out how much I have eaten and am being careful about treats.  I have been craving brownies as of late.  I have solved this by eating the Fiber One brownies.  They are rather small but at 90 calories you can eat more than on if you are really really need to.  I so far have been able to make do with one.  But they did help ease the chocolate cravings.  Since I have a daughter who loves to make chocolate cake the brownies are coming in handy.

I am doing better about not eating lots of diet foods.  My kids are also helping by helping me figure out the calorie counts of the foods they make.  Portion sizes and the number of helpings are one area that I am doing pretty good at.  I am also taking care to not eat more than one starch at a meal.  which can be hard when I eat Pasta.  I do love garlic bread. 

I have tried several of the laughing cow cheeses and I do like them all.  it is a good way to have a flavored cream cheese with out all the calories.  Since I tend to do the thin bagels for breakfast the low calorie count is a big help.  I also like the thin sandwich rounds for cheese sandwiches.  I get the whole or multi grain ones so I am getting a lot of fiber.

I find I am eating less these days and I am needing less to feel full.  I like this a lot.  If I choose the foods I eat carefully then I need not worry about the occasional splurges.  My husbands birthday was two days ago.  I had a small dish of strawberry ice cream and a slice of German chocolate cake.  I did not count my calories for that meal.  I do not count calories on days that I am celebrating something special.  As long as I don't start to find excuses to celebrate I should be good.  Special days like birthdays and holidays I try to be careful of what I eat and how much I eat.  Good choices are the key on those days.

Now for the results of the past two weeks.  I have lots another 10 pounds.  I am down to 272 pounds.  That is a total of 48 pounds lost. I am totally psyched about it.  It is easier than I thought it would be.  It just takes determination, will power, a plan and a whole lot of support.  I am so happy to be making these changes in my life.  It is affecting me in so many areas of my life.  All of this makes it easier to keep working at it.  I am grateful to all of the supporter and cheer leaders that I have.  I am also well aware of the support my Heavenly Father gives me.  I know he is pleased with me for trying to take better care of this body he has given me.

Victory (in spite of myself)

I had my measurements at Curves yesterday and they were really good.  I was sure that I hadn't lost anything.  I just didn't feel like I was getting anywhere.  But surprise, I am down to 282 pounds. A total of 35 pounds. YEA!!!!.  I lost 3 more inches off my waist. More YEA!!!!.  I am definitely seeing some results.  I actually have a neck now.  I am also getting a waist line back.  I definitely have more energy.  A coworker commented on how much faster I was walking these days.  Today, I noticed I really am walking faster even though I didn't feel well.  Definitely doing much better.  I am determined to celebrate all my victories, each pound and each inch is a victory.

Now for the in spite of myself.  I am very tempted to not record my calories.  Actually that is probably just plain laziness.  I am also getting tempted to have goodies on a regular basis.  I have not given in to these temptations thus far.  I am fortunate that I have a lot of supporters.  My family of course are backing me.  I have several cheerleaders at work.  I have all the people at Church.  And then there are my friends online.  I couldn't do it without all of their support.  Of course the biggest supporter I have is Heavenly Father.  I really believe that I an getting help with this because I am still able to resist the temptations.  I know I am not doing it on my own.

Things I struggle with:

• I've eaten too many carbs as of late,  I need to get back to salads and away from the bread and cheese. 
• I also need to stay away from processed foods.  Sometimes it is too easy to fix these foods and they are really not that good for you.
• I am also eating more of the diet foods than I would like to admit.  I need to get back to normal foods and eat the real portion size.
• Planning my calories ahead

Things I am still doing well:

• Measuring the foods ( well my kids are doing great at that)
• Eyeballing portions
• Controlling my calorie count.
• Working out 5 days a week.
• Not depriving myself but staying on track
• Writing down what I eat.

Things I like:

• Special K crackers.  24 tiny cracker for 120 calories.
• Laughing Cow cheese 35-45 calories a wedge depending on the variety.  I eat one wedge spread on a thin bagel as part of my breakfast.
• Sandwich rounds  110 calories and whole grain
• Special K Cracker Chips. 27 for 120 calories and that really is enough for a snack.  Sea salt with salsa is very good.
• Working out.  I think I may be getting addicted to it but hey if you have to have an addiction a healthy work out is better than most addictions.

I figure I am at least a quarter of the way to my first goal.  Not too shabby for 10 weeks of hard work and determination.