Back on Track

Hi Friends!
So the past week I sort of got off track, eating wise.  In a big way.  I started baking and eating and just sort of threw caution to the wind.

I weighed 1.5 pounds more this morning than my last weigh-in, which if I'm being perfectly honest, isn't as bad as it could have been. 
So today I'm working on getting back on track.  So far, so good.

I'll weigh in on Thursday and see if I was able to lose what I gained.

MB-Welcome back! I hope you had a nice vacation. :)

Other than that, not much to report.  Loving the fall weather we're having, but not loving the CRAZY that has come out in my kids.  Seriously.  I am not sure what is going on, but half the time I don't recognize the whining, tantrum-throwing, angry little beings they are.  I'm hoping it's just the adjustment to school???

I feel like I'm coming down with something.  My throat hurts, my head hurts, it's hard to breathe.  I'm taking vitamin C and hoping I can stave off any sickness.

Hope you all are well! I'll be back Thursday with my weigh-in.

Weigh In

Hi all,
We're busy as bees over here, but I wanted to check in and let you know things are still going well.

I was down to 144.0 today, and I'm very happy with that.  I hope it continues to go in this direction. :)

Be back later, hopefully if I have more time for a post with more content. ;-)

Happy Monday

Hi guys!
How is everyone?  I'm doing well.  I've been sticking to my "diet" pretty well.  I think I found the key for me.

Focus on something else. :-D

It seems if my mind is occupied with something else, if I keep myself busy with my home and my kids, then I'm less likely to mindlessly eat or sit around thinking about food.

Now, I still have the urge to bake.  The rainy weather has set in and all I want to do is bake... pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, banana bread, cinnamon rolls, etc...  But so far I've only made one batch of pumpkin bread and eaten only one small piece.

We'll see what the scale says on Thursday, but I'm feeling a lot better and I can tell my clothes are fitting better. 

Hope you all are doing well!

Mary Beth-Where are you? Are you okay?

It's slow, but it's progress

Hi guys!
How are you? I'm doing well.  Getting settled into our school routine.  The weather has been cool and fall-like, I've had my mulled cider candle going for days, the crockpot has come out.  :) I. LOVE. FALL.  It's my favorite season!!  So cozy.

I weighed in today at 145.6.  The scale is going down, albeit very S-L-O-W-L-Y, but at least it's going down and not up!!  I'm happy for that.

Now to make sure I can reign myself in when it comes to the baking.  The fall weather just makes me ITCH to bake.  Zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, scones, etc...  None of it diet friendly, really. :-P  I know one is fine, but I tend to bake like every day or every other day.  And when I'm trying to LOSE weight, it's not really the best combination.

Anyway, I'm happy with the way things are going, happy that I'm not such a stressbucket about it, that we seem to have settled into a doable routine. *knock on wood*

Hope you all are doing well! I'm off to clean my house then get coffee with my sister and mom. It's almost time for the Pumpkin Spice Latte to be back! (maybe it is already??) and THEN... EGGNOG LATTES!! And White Chocolate Peppermint!!! YUM.

Bring on the cool days, the warm coffee, the snuggling-up-on-the-couch with a blanket and good book!!!

Good Things

Hello Everyone!
How are you? I'm doing well.  This weekend was great, eating-wise.  I am cautiously excited.  I weighed this morning and I was down to 146.0 down from 147.6 last week so something is working.

I feel like I'm getting closer to finding "It" like Tammy mentioned in her post; whatever it is that needs to click in your head for you to be successful.  I feel less stressed and more determined than I have in a long time.

I hope you're doing well, too! I plan to weigh in on Thursday and post that weight.  Hopefully I'll be able to keep at it, even with Josh gone and things a little more stressful during the week.

I hope you had a fabulous weekend, and I'll catch you on the flip side. =)

Alive and Kicking

Hi All!
Sorry (again) for the long delay in posts; it's been a busy week.  Today was the first day of school in these here parts, for my little Kate.

 

I can't believe she'll be gone all day now; from 9:15 to 3:30. It seems like an eternity! And already this morning I have been so discombobulated, feeling like there is someone missing.  I don't even want to think about what it's going to be like when Christian starts! He goes in tomorrow for his assessment and then starts next Tuesday for good.  It's going to be SO WEIRD only having Owen (and Savannah) here.  

Anyway, I'm doing well. =)

Erin-I just got your email this morning; I haven't been on the computer.  I will email you back, but I also am going to address some of your concerns here because it's possible others have the same concerns. =)  Thanks for your love and care. 

Things are going well. I think I've pretty much decided to do the 17 Day Diet, and if I feel I absolutely need a scone, then I'll have one.  And call it good.  I desperately need to get some groceries, as our cupboards are pretty bare currently. So I plan to stock up on fruits and veggies, lean protein and Talking Rain. I've come to love the stuff and it's so much easier for me to drink than water.

When I mentioned earlier that I was fasting and drinking coffee and water, I didn't mean I was doing a coffee fast, or using coffee like a laxative.  Most days I have max 1 cup of coffee (regular, home brewed).  Sometimes I get a 16oz iced americano, but I very rarely finish it.  I meant that I was drinking liquids only (mostly water, with a cup of coffee) until dinner time.  I'm sorry if it came across otherwise.

On HCG- I know it's a highly debatable and controversial topic. For me, it worked.  I lost weight faster and easier than I ever could  have with diet and exercise.  Yes, it messed up my hormones.  But my hormones are wack anyway.  Every little thing sets them off.  They got way out of wack from me being pregnant 5 times in 2.5 years, and it took a long while to get them back to normal range.  That is the only reason I'm not doing HCG again.  If it didn't affect my hormones, I would do it.  The amount of time and energy it takes to diet and exercise to lose the same amount of weight is INSANE.  I'm impatient.  I want results fast, and HCG gives them to me.  Yes, you only eat 500 calories a day, but the HCG is pulling the fat out of your body's reserves and using it for energy.  I know some people think it's hokey, think it's a bad idea, think it's a fad and that is totally fine.  For me, I loved it.  And I'd do it again.  Except for the fact that FOR ME, it messes up my hormones.

SO, since that isn't an option, I need to figure out something else.  And I think it's going to be the 17 Day Diet simply because trying to track calories doesn't really fit into my lifestyle.  And knowing what I can eat is a lot simpler for me.  

My sleep--I've noticed that if I have a glass of wine, then I have very unrestful, fitful sleep with bad dreams. I rarely drink, but I've definitely noticed a correlation here.  If I happen to have caffeine, either coffee or pop late in the day, it affects my sleep too. (Duh.)  I've been sleeping much better lately, with just the rare episode of insomnia.  Now that school has started I think an earlier bedtime is in order for all of us.

I think most bloggers don't share EVERYTHING that's going on in their lives, and neither do I.  So there's more to the story than just what I share here.  But I do love and appreciate your input and comments and ideas and support. 

Losing weight is hard. For me, it's both physical and emotional.  It's a bumpy road to travel, as I find what works for me in all the different seasons of life.  We're coming into fall and I adore baking.  I like having homemade goodies for my friends and family, so that is going to bring new and different trials when it comes to dieting.  

Sorry for the long ramble, but I just didn't want people to have the wrong impression of me or what I'm doing.  I am trying to learn to be healthy.  I may take 2 steps forward and 3 steps back, but I'm still moving.  I'm not giving up. I won't give up until I find a rhythm that works for me; a lifestyle that is healthy and moderate.

Weigh In

So I fasted all day yesterday until dinner and drank over a gallon of water.  This morning I weighed in at.... 147.6  BLAH!!!!!!! 

Before I left for the beach I weighed 148.2, and I know I prob gained a little at the beach, but still.  I'm disappointed and frustrated.

Anyway, still haven't figured out exactly which way to go, diet-wise.  It's a work in progress and each day is so different.  I'm looking forward to school starting and there being more of a routine.  I think it will help.  I hope it will help.

I have a full weekend helping my sister move (maybe I'll burn some calories!) so I better hit the sack.  Hope you have a lovely Labor Day Long Weekend!!

Hello, Hello

Hi Friends!
How have you all been? I've been fantastic! We had a super duper fun time at the beach with our insanely large family.  Josh is one of 16 children (no multiples!!) and every single one of them (and their spouses/children) were there, save the oldest daughter who lives in Canada.

It was a blast, but also a LOT of work.  And also there was a LOT of food.  And I think I gained a LOT of weight.  I was too scared to step on the scale this morning.  I'm not even joking.  My clothes are super tight and when I look in the mirror, I see a person looking back that I haven't seen for a while. I am starting to resemble what I looked like at my heaviest.  And it's scary.

So today, I'm fasting.  I'm drinking water and coffee, and nothing else in an attempt to lose some water retention that I've got going on. I plan to weigh in tomorrow and post the honest to goodness truth of what I see.  Even though I know already it's going to be cringe-worthy.

I seem to have gotten out of control and have been eating and drinking like crazy.  I *feel* out of control, and I don't like it.  I can't decide what my next step should be. 

Part of me wants to get on SparkPeople or The Daily Plate or something and do a calorie restriction plan.  But the problem with that is I have ZERO idea how many calories are in things, so all day I'm constantly running back and forth to the computer to find out.  And if I make a meal, I'm stumped trying to figure out how many calories exactly I am consuming.

The second idea is (DO NOT LAUGH) to start the 17 Day Diet again.  This is a little more do-able because I can have as much protein as I want, don't have to count calories, and just have to stay within the food guidelines.  BUT I tend to freak out because this diet basically cuts out ALL carbs and sugar, and some days I just want to have a scone and coffee.

So I'm not sure what to do, but I do know SOMETHING has to be done.  My brother is getting married, probably in December and I don't want to look the way I did 2 years ago at my brother-in-law's December wedding.  I can't even BELIEVE how big I was.  Almost 170 pounds at 5'4". :-O

I think I'm hovering around 150 right now. =(  At my lowest ever (for like one day) after HCG I got down to 136.  So that's quite a gain, and boy howdy I can feel it. I need to come up with a doable plan because do you know what's coming?

Fall.  I love fall. LOVE IT.  It's my favorite season.  But I love to bake during those crisp fall days, and then I like to eat it.  So I have to figure out a lifestyle change, a "diet" that I can stick with through the holidays and the treats that comes with that.  School starts next week and I am hoping to figure out some type of workout routine.  I'm not sure if Christian has AM or PM kindergarten yet; if he has AM I'm tempted to join a gym and go after I drop the kids off at school.  I'll still have Owen and my niece Savannah, but I could make it work.

At the same time, I know myself and the chances of me actually getting dressed and going to the gym are kinda slim. 

ANYWAY, it's a work in progress.  If you have any ideas or suggestions, I'm all ears.  :-)