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.

I was afraid to get on the scale this morning because it has been a busy week with a couple days of travel.  Overall, I have been pretty good at sticking to the plan eating a lot of healthy food including fruits and vegetables except for the two days I was traveling.  I only exercised two times in the last five days since my last weigh-in - 50 minutes of rowing in total.  But, I did do a lot of outdoor walking while traveling in the city of Phildelphia and also yesterday spent a lot of time walking around outside now that the weather is finally getting better.  Overall I have definitely eaten much smaller portions in the last week than before I was on the plan, and I have made much better conscious choices.  So I am staying with the plan of being practical and slowly losing the weight.  As long as the trend is downward I am going to view this all as highly successful!

Okay so I have not been a good girl - sorry for not posting for so long.  I have been traveling for work for the last few weeks.  I haven’t posted in over two weeks, but the good news is I am still losing.  I have been trying to be practical over the past couple of weeks.  I consciously made a lot of good decisions but I also went off plan quite a few times.  I didn’t beat myself up over it.   For me, this is about making consistent positive change but not about giving up living life altogether.  Here is how it went:

My strategy for the actual travel days and flying is that I drink primarily water and only one diet coke during each trip and I eat fruit and nuts - I bring apples and mini boxes of raisins and preportioned nuts and sometimes a meal replacement bar like a zone bar.  I did have one bag of pretzels on one flight and it really wasn’t worth it.  I typically eat one apple, one other piece of fruit and a handful of nuts for meals while I am traveling.  If a meal is served on the plane, I eat parts of it, but honestly the airplane food isn’t very appealling.  There is a lot of walking and carrying luggage when traveling those these travel days so the combination of healthy, very light eating and a lot of walking were used to balance my actual days in my travel destinations (more below).

My strategy for my travel days at the destinations was trickier.  My business travels include lots of good food and drinks and socializing.  Since I knew that I would be drinking I tried to keep my choices of food very healthy (see The Plan) and servings small (think Weight Watchers/Lean Cuisine) which isn’t always practical at restaurants but I tried my best earnestly on the food part.   I traveled to London for a few days then came back home and then to Las Vegas for a few days.  While in London, I have never been served so many cookies (aka biscuits) in my life.  I had 2 cookies a day and I was able to bring myself to pass on the scones with cream and jelly and a lot of the other pastry type of things that were put out for eating.  I focused on selecting healthy choices and small servings from the meal buffets.  I tried to have a good breakfast everyday to get my metabolism going in the morning at a minimum some fresh fruit.   Lunches were usually salads and rice and vegatables and a very small serving of pasta.  Dinner was salad and an entree with plenty of vegetables (i.e. vegetarian pizza, pasta with vegetables).   I never ate after dinner except for one night at a pub when there was a big bowl of crisps (potato chips) that I couldn’t resist.  I drank several drinks every night.  My exercise included a lot of walking.  In between trips, I have been rowing for about twenty minutes a day at the rate of about 500-700 calories an hour about every other day.  I have been pretty good about following healthy eating choices in between trips because I was petrified to get on the scale for fear i gained weight from my trips.  The day before yesterday, I had scrambled eggs and sausage for breakfast, wheat noodles with teriyaki sauce chicken and vegetables for lunch, and a potato skin (okay i should not have eaten this) a few french fries (again a no no) and a piece of vegetable pizza for dinner.  Yesterday, I had fresh fruit and nuts for breakfast (apple and almonds), oatmeal with flaxseed and maple syrup for lunch (it was a hectic day at work and i missed lunch) and pasta with vegetables and chicken for dinner.

So, I guess the net of all of this is that by keeping portions small and choices healthy for the most part and exercising regularly, you can still lose weight if you drink occasionally and make poor choices (like a cookie here or a potato skin there) once in a while.  What you cannot do is overindulge too much in those poor choices and you cannot consistently make poor choices for several meals in a row - what i mean is on the days that I had alcoholic beverages i seriously watched my food intake, and if i had a cookie it was one at a time not five at a time… having a blog and knowing that you will have to report your progress is another incentive to be good.

Anyways, I am pretty happy to have lost 12.8 pounds so far and I appreciate you reading this.  Blogging about my weight loss definitely is helping keep me on track.

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…)

Exercise: 20 minutes of cardio (I am moving exercise to the beginning of my daily details since I typically do this first thing in the morning before eating anything which is highly recommended to burn fat and also to get my metabolism going right away - I personally am not quite awake and have a marked reduction in performance in the wee hours BUT my heart rate gets into cardio mode and that is what matters.)

Breakfast: Oatmeal with flaxseed and syrup and cinnamon, low sodium V-8, water, coffee (I know I am boring for eating oatmeal everday, but I love love love it!!! seriously, but don’t worry when I go on vacation or travel I might opt to be a bit more adventurous, and occasionally like yesterday I go crazy and have some breakfast for lunch again…)

Lunch: Whole grain hot pocket lite (yes they actually make a lite version of a hot pocket - it tastes great but unfortunately and honestly it is also less filling), water, flavored low-calorie sparkling water

Snack: Apple and a handful of smoked turkey jerky (I was going to dip my apple in peanut butter but we got the healthy peanut butter and it just didn’t taste right…)

Dinner: small chicken breast marinated in Italian dressing and sauteed in olive oil and rosemary, garlic, onion, and basil, peas in butter (I didn’t have any fresh green vegetables so I had a very small serving of these peas that were packaged in a butter sauce), brown rice mixed with black beans, flavored sparkling water, large glass of low sodium V-8.

Snack: coffee (in case you are wondering I take my coffee with a bit of whole organic milk and 1 splenda)

I have noticed that I have been starving by the time I go to bed. If I didn’t have to write it down here, I would totally be pigging out right now…

What I could have done better: I really should not have had a frozen hot pocket. I was starving and I really need to go food shopping for some better choices of fresh fruits and vegetables. Better planning on my part would be an improvement. Particularly on weekends, I need to think ahead and plan what I am going to eat. I need to make sure that I have healthy choices in my home. I need to drink more water and I need to eat more vegetables throughout the day.

Weight: Wow! Down 5.2 pounds which is more than I expected.  What a pleasant surprise.  Something is working!  44.8 pounds to go…

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…

Day 3 - Pretty darn good.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with maple syrup, cinnamon, 1 TBSP ground flaxseed, coffee

Snack: Apple, water

Lunch: Egg salad sandwich on whole wheat bread, sugar-free red bull , water

Snack: Turkey Jerky

Dinner: Lean Cuisin Rice and Beans Dinner, water

Snack: Diet Coke

Cardio: 5 minutes (I was interupted)

I went to a get-together at my girlfriends last night and I don’t know how I did it - but I avoided the snack table and had just a diet coke to drink. I know I can do this.

3 Pounds Lost, 47 to Go!

Day 2: Yesterday was tough, I stayed home with my kids for school vacation week. I really really want to reach my goal this time so I was very very good.

Breakfast: oatmeal with 1 TBSP ground flaxseed, cinnamon, 1 tsp maple syrup, coffee

Snack: 100 calorie teryaki turkey jerky, diet coke

Lunch: 6 oz grilled chicken marinated in sesame oil and ginger, tomatoes, pineapple chunks, strawberries, blueberries, water

Snack: strawberries and pineapple, Wu-long tea. water
Dinner: 4 oz. grilled chicken marinated in sesame oil and ginger (leftovers from lunch), salad with romaine hearts, sliced almonds, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar dressing, Wu-long tea, water

Cardio: Rowing 20 minutes in the morning

Down 1.6 pounds, only 48.4 more pounds to go.

I did okay yesterday. What was amazing was that I actually did find myself not eating because I knew I was going to post what I ate. What was disappointing was that I still had a Starburst attack, so I need to take preventive actions in the future…

Breakfast:

Coffee, Oatmeal with cinnamon, splenda and 2 TBSP flaxseed, 100 calorie turkey jerky, can of low sodium V-8

Lunch:

Salad with tomatoes, spinach, sprouts, green peppers, kidney beans, chickpeas, half of a low calorie oil and vinegar dressing packet, water (spared calories at lunch because I knew I would be having a piece of cake later)

Snack:

Diet coke

Attacked my coworkers Starbursts (sorry!) 6 Starbursts - should have had a healthy snack at my desk for afternoon snack - note to self: bring in healthy snacks to the office.

Dinner:

Small piece of chicken, 6 cherry tomatoes, water, piece of birthday cake, small scoop of orange sherbet

Snack:

Diet Coke

Cardio: 20 minutes of rowing

I should have had healthier snacks in the office and I also should have had a lot more vegetables, particularly with dinner. I could have added a complex carbohydrate to dinner but of course I knew I couldn’t resist the birthday cake.

This morning I was down 1 pound. Only 49 more to go!