You have probably been wondering where I have been. Well I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that on the day of my last post my husband moved out, and we are now in the progress of getting a divorce. It has become clear since then that he was seeing someone else at the time he moved out (although he still won’t admit it). The good news is that I am happy to be moving on with my life, we are still friends, and I have still been able to slowly but surely lose weight. I am currently at 185.6. I wasn’t sure when I logged in if I would be up or down. I have been trying to be good from an eating perspective, but it has been very difficult to get into an exercise routine since everything changed. I have finally gotten into a routine which I know is critical to losing weight and staying healthy. I am determined to continue on my journey and reach my goal. I have started looking at online dating sites. I realize that most men want someone slim/slender, and I know I can reach that goal not for a man but for me. I hope you will read and comment on my blog to help keep me motivated. I came back because I got some comments on some old posts and I really really appreciate your support.
This past couple weeks I was feeling pretty down. Then something sparked my motivation again. A co-worker jokingly referred to me as “kind of chunky” in front of a group of people. I was traveling at the time, and went back to my room and cried for a couple of hours. I didn’t want to go into work the next day. I was hurt and upset. Now I am just motivated.  Since then, I have managed to go from being able to squeeze into a Size 12 to fitting very comfortably in  a Size 12.  Only two more clothes sizes to go to reach my goal.  I am never going to be called chunky again, that’s for sure. I hope you can help me stay on track so I can feel better about myself and never have to feel that type of embarassment as the victim of teasing about my weight ever again.

My goal right now is to exercise first thing in the morning at least five times per week. I do this on my rowing maching because it is efficient and I can’t have any excuses. Even if it makes me late for work, I must do it. I know that regular cardio is critical to keeping my body from slowing down its metabolism and to continue weight loss.

Day 6

Exercise: 20 minutes rowing

Breakfast: Oatmeal with flaxseed, syrup, and cinnamon, V-8, coffee

Snack: Apple and 2 TBSP peanut butter, water

Lunch: Chicken and brown rice and peas, Pepsi One

Snack: Handful almonds, handful turkey jerky, water

Dinner: Lean Cuisine meal rosemary chicken and rice, tiny wedge of a quesadillaThis was a very good day overall.

weigh-in: 5.8 pounds lost

Day 7

Breakfast: Oatmeal with flaxseed and maple syrup, Coffee, a V-8

Snack: Apple,water, pepsi one, a handful of turkey jerky

Lunch: Small serving of Chicken Tikka Masala and taste of 3 other Indian dishes at an Indian restaurant buffet on basmati rice and salad. 2 TBSP of Rice Pudding. Handful of licorice covered fennel seeds. Lots of water.

Dinner: Bowl of vegetable soup and apple, walnut, gorgonzola salad with blueberry dressing at Pizzeria Unos.

I went to lunch with co-workers and was hoping to order something light. Of course, the restaurant we went to ended up being a buffet! I only made one trip and got very small servings of everything. I tried to pass on the rice pudding dessert, which honestly didn’t even appeal to me, but I gave in to peer pressure of several people insisting that I try it. I was very good at dinner to make up for it. I did make myself eat salad at lunch to make sure I was getting enough vegetables. I also made sure to eat an apple between breakfast and lunch so I wouldn’t be starving when we went out to eat.

weigh-in: 7.2 pounds lost

Day 8

Exercise: None.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with flaxseeds, syrup, V-8

Lunch: Handful of nuts, apple, 5 vanilla flavored tootsie rolls (I really struggle to pass a candy dish so I tried to pick the lowest in fat and calorie choice), water, diet coke

Dinner: Diet pepsi, water, one small piece of cheese pizza from a personal size pizza, two chicken lettuce wraps, and salad with blue cheese dressing and one steak tip. I went out with friends for someone’s going away party at work. Everyone was shocked that I didn’t have even one alcoholic drink, but I am really trying to lose weight here!

weigh-in: 7.4 pounds lost - fantastic

Day 9:

Exercise: 20 minutes rowing

Breakfast: Oatmeal with flax, syrup, cinnamon, coffee

Snack: handful peanuts, apple

Lunch: Salad with greens, vegetables, chickpeas, and 2 hard boiled eggs and light vinegarette dressing

Snack: banana, PIECE OF CHOCOLATE CAKE - I should not have had the piece of cake. It was someone’s going away party and I could not resist.

Dinner: zilch I had to go to a wake that was pretty far away and didn’t have time to eat. By the time I got home I was exhausted and fell asleep. I did have 2 Altoids, Pepsi One, V-8

Weigh-in 8.0 pounds lost - woo hoo

Day 10:

Exercise: zilch I had to go to an early morning funeral

Breakfast: Oatmeal, flax, syrup, coffee

Snack: V-8, water

Lunch: Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beas, 1 roll with maple butter, handful of french fries, half a piece of cheesecake - okay I totally just ate what was put in front of me at the luncheon after the funeral. I kept telling myself that I was going to eat healthy but you essentially had a choice - turkey or beef - and all the trimmings were delicious. I guess now my body isn’t thinking I am starving it at least, but I will expect to maybe gain a bit of weight back after this… now I have to get right back on track.

Dinner: lean cuisine vegetarian pizza, salad with blue cheese dressing, water

Weigh-in: 7.2 pounds lost (yes, that means I gained .8 pounds from the day before…)

Day 4

Yesterday was really tough but I did really well, all things considered. I brought my kids to an indoor playground and I was so tempted to get a pretzel or pizza etc. My strategy was to eat before going there, which actually worked. I wasn’t hungry. I also had an apple in my jacket pocket just in case. I noticed a couple of things as I walked around the playground: 1) that I was sore from exercising while still pretty out of shape and that I should have taken some painkillers, and 2) that I felt like I had a ton more energy than usual and that I could feel the changes from my fingers to my toes literally as a result of the exercise. I think my increase in energy is probably most directly related to the elimination of junk food from my diet. I know that when I eat junk food it makes me cranky, tired, and not so much fun - how about you?

Breakfast: Oatmeal with flaxseed and syrup and cinnamon, low sodium V-8, water, coffee

Snack: 100 calorie teryaki turkey jerky (they sell these at Wal-mart)
Lunch: lite eggs benedict - whole wheat toast (no butter), 2 poached eggs, lite hollandaise sauce, broccoli, tomatoes , water, coffee

Dinner: grilled chicken, shredded carrots, sprouts, lettuce, honey mustard and tomatoe in a whole wheat sandwich with a garden salad and low calorie dressing, water

Tea

Exercise: 20 minutes of cardio

Weight: Down 2.7 pounds total (which means I gained .3 pounds since the day before, but I am not going to fret over decimals as long as week to week the trend is downward), 47.3 more pounds to go

What I could have done better: I should not have had two servings of bread even thought it was wholegrain. I really didnt think about it. On the plus side, I had a reasonable amount of vegetables and no fruit today.

I should note that my Daily Details include the entire food that I ate from the day before and my weight taken at the same time every day - right before my morning shower - on a digital scale. While it can be a bit freaky and aggravating to watch your weight move up (instead of down) some days, I like to weigh daily to keep my focus. Even though I know going up 0.3 is not a huge deal, it will certainly incent me to watch it a bit more going forward…

I live a very hectic lifestyle. I have two kids, a dog, a fish, and a husband. I travel often for work. I have been really struggling to get to the gym to make the cardio commitments that I know are needed for weightloss (or even just weight maintenance for that matter). I wanted to find a cardio machine that burned a high amount of calories in a short period of time and provided a full body workout. Here is what I decided upon:

1) A Jumprope: Seriously! Don’t Laugh. Jumping rope is incredibly easy for you and everyone can afford it. The only problem I have is that I live in New England (which is cold) and I have low ceilings in my home. Plus, whenever I try to jumprope my kids want a turn immediately (this problem was solved by buying two more jumpropes).

2) Indoor Rowing: I have an “apple” shaped body, also referred to jokingly by myself as a “footballer” or “barrel” shape. For this reason, I wanted a machine that would work not just legs but also core. I wanted something that would not cause repetitive injuries. I wanted something that burned a high number of calories relative to other machines. I also wanted the convenience of a home machine for less than $1,000. I bought a Concept II ergometer, and after using it for a week or so now I feel great. (Actually my husband took the initiative to buy it - can you say “hint!” - but seriously, thanks honey.)