Patience is a Virtue

It's Been A While!

2011-08-23T00:30:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a couple of weeks...

It has been so nice to have a break from school, but somehow I still feel I don't have time for anything! Or maybe it's lack of motivation. Or it could be my sleep disturbances; lately I haven't been able to sleep until about five or six in the morning. Then I don't wake up until two or three in the afternoon. I think I'm going to call my doctor about it...

Anyway, this week has been bad, but I have lost a total of 4.4 lbs! Mike and I are going to a track about three hours away this weekend and I plan to bring some healthy meals such as turkey burgers with whole wheat buns, maybe some fruit, and granola bars. I always think that I won't eat much while I'm out in the heat all day, but it seems like that's all I do and that's why I am planning ahead. I also plan to walk to the starting line rather than taking the four wheeler or a golf cart so I get some extra exercise in!

Weight Watchers has otherwise been going well for me when I stick to it! ;)

First Week of Weight Watchers

2011-07-29T16:42:00.000-05:00

This week I lost 2.8 lbs, which I am very happy about! I'm a little surprised because I did go out a couple of times last week. But, I am trying to track everything I eat and make better choices. I love to go out to eat and it is so hard not to get the bad stuff! It does seem that every restaurant has healthy alternatives.
Weight Watchers has some great recipes. This week I made an omlette, which was much easier than I thought it would be and I plan to make a vegetable soup and slow-cooker lasagne.
Can't wait to weigh in next week! I'll have to weigh in a day early because my mom and I are going to Las Vegas on Thursday! I hope to lay low and relax and continue to make healthy choices while on vacation!

If At First You Don't Succeed...

2011-07-23T21:33:00.000-05:00

So, last week didn't go so well and I got fed up with myself! I obviously cannot do this by myself, so I joined Weight Watchers. I'm looking forward to going to the meetings for extra support. Also, they have great online tools and tools for my Droid, which makes it even easier! I'm really excited to jump into this. My first day following the plan was today. When Mike asked me what I wanted to do tonight and I told him I wanted to stay home, I'm sure his head spun a little! The thing that kept me home, though, was the school projects I had to do, not the points I'd have to use to go out! Oh, well, I can't be perfect right away! My weigh-in days are Thursdays, so I'll try to post on those days or Fridays.

On another note, my mom and I are going to Vegas with some of her friends in two weeks. Hopefully I won't go crazy with the food and drinks, but I have the compulsive gene. I hope I do well enough up until then to motivate myself to be good! I'm also looking forward to a few weeks off so I can refresh my culinary skills. Weight Watchers has tons of recipes that look amazing!

Good Week!

2011-07-15T10:05:00.000-05:00

This week I lost 5 pounds! I was super surprised!

This week I hope to be down three more. I am still trying to make good decisions, such as eating tiny meals through out the day if I plan on going out to eat for dinner. Also, I made it back to the gym last week. Still need to get there this weekend!

Thank you everyone for your support! I know everyone is keeping an eye on me! ;)

Back on the Wagon

2011-07-08T11:19:00.003-05:00

Well, I've started again on my plan...

Mike and I went with his parents to Eddyville, IA, over the Fourth of July for him to race. I thought hanging out in the heat would cause me to lose some lbs, but I was wrong. I actually gained all the weight I had lost back. I suppose it could have been all the cookies I ate that his mom made and all the whiskey and beer I drank! On top of that, his mom took THE most unflattering picture of me. I plan to have her print it out so it can be a constant reminder of what I am trying to NOT be.

So far I have turned down an invite to one of my favorite restaurants and bar (Buffalo Wild Wings) and I went to a bar for a friend's birthday and actually did not drink any alcohol! I did drink my diet Coke, though.

Today I went to the gym and it was rough. It's amazing how much strength and stamina you lose in such a short (or long) time. It has probably been close to three months since I have been.

I have a new plan in store for my weight loss, which I think will keep me on track:

The first two weeks of my plan is pretty strict, so I hope to lose about 8 pounds. The two months following, I plan to lose 6 pounds each month, and the month after that 5 pounds. That will put me at 25 lbs by about the middle of October. After that I will have to revise my plan to lose the remaining 25 lbs, hopefully by my next birthday, which is my ultimate goal!

Mike and I in Eddyville! This is not the picture I was referring to, believe it or not! Lol!

End of the Second Week

2011-06-26T19:58:00.002-05:00

Well, this week was kind of a bust.

Mike decided it was party week, so we were out partying a few nights. Not to mention it was midterm and I had a strange week in clinical.

The good news is I didn't gain any weight. I stayed the same this week. I hope to start this next week off right! I need to reorganize and regroup! I'll let you know how that goes... :)

Into the Second Week

2011-06-22T14:56:00.003-05:00

Sorry I haven't updated...

I lost four pounds last week!

Hopefully this week I can lose a couple, but it's midterm week and stress is extra high. Maybe it would be a good time to work on not eating when I'm stressed.

This week I think I'm going to work on quitting soda. I drink diet, but I think it makes me crave sweets. And I'm sure my aunt can write a book on how bad aspartame is (love you Aunt Charlene!). Anyway, it's a bad habit and I need to quit it. I also need to eat at home more, which means grocery shopping, and who has time for that? I have been making good choices at the places I go to most of the time. That's why I need to eat home, though: If I go out, I'm tempted to be bad!

I also need to get to the gym to start walking and jogging. I really think running is something I would enjoy if I could do it at length! So that's another goal: Go to the gym this weekend!

Here's a picture of me and the girls at my birthday party! I felt good that night, but when I saw this picture, I changed my mind! Pictures like these keep me motivated!

In the First Week

2011-06-18T12:44:00.001-05:00

I'm most of the way through my first week and I have had a couple of set backs: I have been struggling in school this semester and made sure to study my rear-end off (I wish literally), and my dinners a few nights this week weren't exactly perfect. Maybe far from it.

I have come to realize that stress does trigger my eating. I received my dad's memorial video this week and while I watched it I wanted to get up and eat something like it was going to make me feel better. I didn't do it, but I seriously contemplated it. Then while I was studying I really did give in. I didn't sleep the entire night before the test and at about six in the morning, when I realized I wasn't going to sleep, I studied more. I passed the test and napped for a little bit after class, but changing my eating habits was not on my mind. And last night a friend of mine had a memorium for her brother that I attended and it consisted of a cookout...

Needless to say it's been hard, but my Aunt Charlene made me think of a good point: I can't be perfect all the time. Really, it's impossible and when I'm trying to change habits it will take time. I have had a revelation in the last couple of days and it started when I drove by Romeo's (which I do every day because it is literally two blocks from my house) and subsequently wanted it: I CANNOT have the junk I want every day or whenever I want it. Obviously my body does not tolerate it. So, in light of this I have had to fight myself to not go out to eat or grab whatever I want. Like Aunt Charlene said, it will get easier.

Thanks to all of those that are supporting me! Mike has been doing an awesome job, too! Keep the comments coming; it's nice to know I'm not talking to myself! ;)

Getting Started...Again

2011-06-12T20:23:00.002-05:00

Well, after two years of gaining weight BACK, I am starting the journey again to lose it. Before, I had lost about 35lbs. This time I will have to lose 40lbs to get back to where I was and 15lbs after that to be at a healthy weight. I am confident I can do this.

I just turned 29. My goal is to be clinically healthy by the time I am 30. This means that I have a BMI of less than 25 (right now mine is about 34), and a waist measurement of less than 35in (mine is about 44in).

I have struggled with my weight ever since I can remember and I am truely tired of it. I am sick of feeling sloppy, fat, and gross, and at this point I disgust myself. And it doesn't help that I am around a bunch of healthy nursing students. I want to walk into a store and pull something off the rack and know I will fit into it. Also, I don't want to be preaching to patients about a healthy lifestyle when I don't practice one.

My plan is to follow a book from the Mayo Clinic called The Mayo Clinic Diet (duh!). The first two weeks is a program of starting habits and breaking habits. It requires that I eat tons of fruits and veggies, exercise more, and pay attention to the things I do while I am eating.

Tomorrow I will start. I am expecting to be starving the first few days, but hopefully I will make it through! I know I can, I just have to push through the excuses.

Please feel free to share your experiences or comment on anything! I will check in every week to share my accomplishments and struggles.