Tuesday 31 March 2009

Another Pound Down!

I lost another pound for a total loss in a little over ten months of 84.5 pounds.

At last night's weigh-in, we had another Bring & Try. There was some delicious food brought! I was particularly fond of the lemon cheesecake someone brought. I'll definitely be making it soon for my family to enjoy!

I got my 6 Stone award for having lost 6 stone. (6 stone = 84 pounds) I also won Slimmer Of The Month again for having lost 11 pounds this month.

Robert lost 1.5 pounds yesterday. Both of us want to lose 2 pounds or more this week.

I made extra desserts just for Robert, my friend Helen and me. They were No Bake Mini Latte Cheesecake Desserts. I haven't heard back from Helen yet (She took hers home with her.) However, Robert and I both enjoyed the dessert. I'll have to get it posted to Skinny Dreaming Recipes sometime this week.

Tuesday 24 March 2009

"Where Do you Find The Motivation?"

Lynn from The Hungry Little Caterpillar has a terrific post that puts into words what I've been trying to say about motivation.

Motivation Schmotivation

Seriously, don't wait for motivation. It's over-rated. If you wait for motivation to give you the kick in the pants you need, chances are you'll still be fat when this time next year rolls around. Just go and DO IT! Eat healthy. Exercise. Of course you won't feel like doing it. So what? You have a goal, so start working on it!

Monday 23 March 2009

I'm Still Here!

I have neglected this blog in this past week. I am so sorry!

I've been busy adding recipes to my healthy recipe blog. I have added No Bake Mini Lemon, Lime & Ginger Cream Pie Desserts and No Bake Mini Orange Chocolate Cream Pie Desserts to the list of recipes you can find there.

I still have a long list of recipes my husband and I have made to add, such as Mexican Egg Burrito, Apple Wrap Dessert, Bombay Spinach Potatoes, Vindaloo Potato Wedges, Beef Madras, Bacon Deviled Eggs & many more. I don't add the recipes until I get a picture of the resulting dish. It's the photographing that takes up the most time. (I usually forget to take a photo the first time we try a recipe.)

Then, of course, I try and list the nutritional information for each dish. There must not be a law in the UK requiring companies to list nutritional information on the packaging of the food they produce, because I am coming across a lot of food that doesn't have it listed and am then having to research it myself.

So that's why I haven't updated here recently.

I am hoping to lose another 1.5 pounds (minimum) this week, as it would get me to my next mini goal. I think I've lost some weight this week, but I don't know how much (or how little).

Robert and I took the kids to a beautiful park for a picnic last Saturday and wound up doing a lot of walking, which should have been good for us. My weigh-in is tonight, so I will find out if I've lost what I wanted later.

Tuesday 17 March 2009

Mini Goal, Mini Goals, Mini Goals!

I have said it before, but I think it bears repeating.

If you have a lot of weight to lose, set mini goals to reach along the way. Each mini goal will seem much more attainable than if you just set your sights on the bigger goal, and having these mini goals will help keep you motivated.

Mini goals do not have to be only about how much weight you've lost. You can set goals to reach different clothing sizes, to increase your cardio exercise intensity, time distance or speed or to be able to lift heavier weights. There are so many other benefits to losing weight and all of them can be used as mini goals.

The mini goals I set for me are all about how much weight I lose.It's what works for me.

Here are my mini goals, reposted today because so many more of them have been achieved now.

May 12th Starting Weight: 272.5 Weight Now - 190 (March 16th)
June 16th: 1st mini goal - 257.5 - 1st stone lost - REACHED (257)
June 30th: 2nd mini goal - 252.5 - 1st 20 lbs. lost - REACHED (252)
July 28th: 3rd mini goal - 245 - 10% body weight lost - REACHED (244.5)
July 28th: 4th mini goal - 244.5 - 2nd stone lost - REACHED (244.5)
Aug. 18th: 5th mini goal - 240 - Weight on wedding day - REACHED (238.5)
Sep. 29th: 6th mini goal - 234.5 - less than 100 pounds left to lose - REACHED (234)
Nov. 3rd: 7th mini goal - 230.5 - 3rd stone lost - REACHED (229)
Dec. 1st: 8th mini goal - 222.5 - 50 pounds lost - REACHED (220)
Dec. 1st: 9th mini goal - 220 - weight after Gabby's birth - REACHED (220)
Dec. 8th: 10th mini goal - 216.5 - 4th stone lost - REACHED (209.5)
Jan. 26th: 11th mini goal - 204 - 25% body weight lost - REACHED (203)
Feb. 2nd: 12th mini goal - 202.5 - 5th stone lost - REACHED (202)
Feb. 16th: 13th mini goal - 199.5 - ONEDERLAND!!!! - REACHED (199)
Mar. 16th: 14th mini goal - 190 - weight when met Robert - REACHED (190)

: 15th mini goal - 188.5 - 6th stone lost -
: 16th mini goal - 177 - weight after Kayla's birth & 35% body weight lost -
: 17th mini goal - 174.5 - 7th stone lost -
: 18th mini goal - 172.5 - 100 pounds lost!!! -
: 19th mini goal - 166 - weight after Angelica's birth
: 20th mini goal - 160.5 - 8th stone lost -
: 21st mini goal - 155 - weight after Victoria's birth
: 22nd mini goal - 148 - high weight in high school
: 23rd mini goal - 146.5 - 9th stone lost -
: 24th mini goal - 140 - average weight in high school -
: 25th mini goal - 136.25 - 50% body weight lost
: GOAL WEIGHT - 135 (9 stone 11.5 lbs. lost/9 stone 9 pounds weight reached) - healthy BMI of 24.7 -

Monday 16 March 2009

Success!

Eating a little more and exercising a little less was not the death-nell to my weight loss that I worried it might be.

I lost two pounds this week! Robert lost 3 1/2 pounds this week. We are both very happy with our losses.

My total loss to date is 82 1/2 pounds! If I lose 1 1/2 pounds this week, I will hit 6 stone lost (84 pounds), so that's my next mini goal.

I reached another one of my mini goals tonight; I weigh the same as I did when Robert and I first met in person (almost nine years ago).

Here We Go Again

Tonight is my weekly weigh-in.

I was sick for part of the week and ate a couple hunded more calories than usual while exercising less, but made up for it by working out a couple hours a day for the rest of the week while going back to eating right. I have no idea what the scale will say, and as usual, I am nervous.

I hate the idea of going another week maintaining. Two weeks in a row would start to feel like a plateau for me, and I am always trying to change things up to avoid a plateau. Plateaus are bad for my motivation.

I may have lost weight this week despite being sick for part of it. I hope so!

On a positive note, a friend of mine shipped me some Crystal Light powders! I was such a terrific thing for her to do, and now I stand a better chance of drinking the right amount of water this week! (I have a dificult time getting myself to drink plain water, and I haven't found anything in the UK that I like flavoring it with. I really miss all of the healthy choices that were available when grocery shopping in California.)

I made my Bean Soup for dinner tonight. I made it in the crock pot as usual, and the whole house is filled with the yummy smell of it!

Thursday 12 March 2009

Sick & Giving Myself A Pass

I've been really sick with an awful cold that is, apparently, making its way all around the world. Fever, coughing, sneezing, dry throat, flemmy throat, stuffed up nose, headache, muscle aches and more are all part and parcel of this particular cold.

With the exception of going on an hour-long walk with my husband and the dog both days, I did not exercise for the past two days. I did not get on the elliptical crosstrainer, and I did not use the Wii Fit. That was okay for Tuesday as it was my planned day off from exercise, but yesterday I had planned on fitting in at least one of the exercises.

I woke up today feeling annoyed with myself for not exercising yesterday. I was also annoyed that I consumed more calories than usual for the past two days. (I still consumed less than 1,600 and 1,700 calories for those days, but my calories are usually closer to 1,300 per day.) This cold seems to be having the effect of making me want to eat more. I am feeling hungrier, and I am craving comfort food.

Today, I started to exercise on the Wii Fit, but the batteries in the board are going, so I only managed 30 minutes. It didn't feel like much of a workout, so I also spent 62 minutes on the elliptical crosstrainer.

I feel good for having exercised despite this cold that is making me miserable today, but I have come to a conclusion about this whole situation. Instead of feeling annoyed with myself, I am giving myself a pass. I'm only human, and maybe when I'm sick my body needs a little more comfort and less exertion to help it recover.

I might not lose any weight this week. I might even gain. That's okay. I'm human. And next week, I'll be feeling better and back to losing weight again.

And along with this attitude, I am scaling back my workouts. Three hours a day is a bit much. It takes away from other areas in my life, so I am going to alternate days when I spend an hour on the Wii Fit and days when I spend an hour on the elliptical crosstrainer. And I will continue to spend an hour walking our dog in the evening.

I'm thinking of using Tuesdays and Thursdays to only do 30 minutes of aerobic (not counting the dog walking) and then do 30 minutes of weight training. Any suggestions of some good exercises for toning my stomach (lower belly, especially) and toning up the loos skin underneath my upper arms?

Friday 6 March 2009

Ahead Of Schedule

Yesterday, I only got 2 hours of exercise. I managed to do an hour on the elliptical crosstrainer, and I was able to fit in the hour walking the dog. But I didn't manage to spend my usual hour on the Wii Fit. That's what occasionally happens when I leave it until late; I find out that I just don't have time for it. And I hate missing out on any exercise!

So today, I made sure to exercise on the Wii Fit early in the morning. I'm up early with the kids anyway, and they join me when I exercise on it, so I don't have to worry about what they're up to while I workout. Then during their nap time, I spent 63 minutes on the elliptical crosstrainer. Later tonight, my husband and I will take the dog for his nightly hour-long walk.

Now maybe I'll have a little time to try out some strength training exercises. Strength training is one thing that is sorely missing from my workout schedule, and I really need it if I intend to keep all of this weight off.

Monday 2 March 2009

Greatest Loser Competition

The woman who weighed only one pound less than me lost 6.5 pounds this week.

I lost SEVEN and won the Slimming World's Greatest Loser award for our group! Robert took a photo of me in the sash standing beside our Slimming World consultant, Sharon.
Becky & Sharon Greatest Loser 2009

I won an engraved paperweight and pen set, a sash, a sticker and a certificate. I'm still amazed that I was able to lose seven pounds in one week. I exceeded any hope I had for weight loss for the week.
SW Greatest Loser Pen & Weight Set 2009
SW Greatest Loser Pen & Weight Set1 2009
SW Greatest Loser Sash 2009
SW Greatest Loser 2009
SW Greatest Loser 2009 Certificate

I also won "Slimmer of the Week."
Sw Slimmer of the Week cetificate 02 March 09

Losing so much in one week is going to make this week even more difficult. We'll be going out for dinner to celebrate my birthday, plus having birthday cake. Add that to the fact that I just lost a huge amount of weight and it could spell disaster for my next weigh-in. I'm going to spend Wednesday through Monday working really hard to maintain my loss. If I can get through this week without gaining any of the weight back, I will be thrilled. I do not expect to lose any weight this week. I just really, really don't want to gain.

Robert and I also won one of the raffle prizes. It was a rain poncho, a box of Orange, Mandarin & Cinnamon Tea, and a 3-pack of Lemon Hi-Fi Bars.

Tonight was also a "Bring & Try" night where everyone brings a low-syn dish to share with everyone else. Robert made Slimming World's Vindaloo Sauce from the "Slimming World's Saucy Secrets" recipe book. He made a small change to the recipe (as we usually do). He also baked up some chips (thick-cut fries) for dipping in it. He also made Bombay Bhajis and Cucumber Raita Dip from Slimming World's "100 Free On Green Recipes" book.

Here is a quick photo I took of the table of food that everyone brought to share.
Slimming World Bring & Try 02 March 09

I found a dessert recipe on the back of a packet of Hartley's sugar-free Lemon & Lime Jell-o mix. It was for making Lemon, Lime & Ginger Creams. I made changes to the recipe and added to layers to the dessert. It was a big hit at the meeting! I had people asking for the recipe, and a friend was telling me it's her new favorite dessert. She said it tasted like a mini cheesecake.
Beckys Lemon Lime & Ginger Dessert
Beckys Lemon Lime & Ginger Dessert1
Beckys Lemon Lime & Ginger Desserts

I will share the recipes for everything in separate posts.