Still Losing!

I lost 2 pounds this week. I now have lost 124.5 pounds total, and I weigh 148 pounds. 148 was my average weight in high school!

I have 11 pounds left to lose until I reach a healthy BMI, and only 13 pounds left to lose until I reach my goal weight! Yay!

Robert lost 4.5 pounds this week! Wish I could have a week like that! I think it's great that he can still have weeks like that! He won this weeks Slimmer of the Week.

And it was Thanksgiving week, so I think we've both done really well. Eating healthy sure makes me feel better all around.

A Week Of Gratitude

I can't believe it's already been a week since I've posted here!

I've been keeping up with my writing for National Novel Writing Month, and I am going to make the 50,000 words for the month that NaNoWriMo had challenged me to write.

I started a new business creating awesome gifts for people which help inspire their kids' creativity and build their confidence and at the same time make wonderful gifts for grandparents, teachers and parents. Your Kids' Creations (You can also check out my husband's on-line business which is in making beautiful fairies out of your photos, each one totally unique. Check out the woman fairy wearing green. That was made out of her "after" photo once she's lost a bunch of weight. Fairy Magic Photos)

I lost 2 1/2 pounds at my last weigh-in, and I behaved myself for Thanksgiving Day, so I am hoping I will see another loss this month.

I now weigh 150 pounds, and I am only 15 pounds away from my goal weight! I've lost 122.5 pounds total so far.

My family has all been suffering with different stages of a really bad cold, and it appears that I have it too. At the moment, my little 3 year old Connor seems to have the worst case out of all of us.

And because yesterday was Thanksgiving, I thought I'd list some of the things I am thankful for.

1 - My loving and wonderful husband (who cooked Thanksgiving dinner for me and our family and guests and also did most of the cleaning up afterwards).

2 - My adorable, kind-hearted, creative and clever kids who amaze me with their wit, charm and creativity every day.

3 - My friends, both on-line and off-line, who all have my love and gratitude.

4 - My parents and siblings who, although they live thousands of miles away, are always in my thoughts.

5 - My pets who make me smile each day with their antics and need for cuddles.

And I am thankful for so many other things that I can't even begin to list them all. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

I'll check in after Monday night's weigh-in.

Slimming World's Miss Slinky

Today we had the competition for Miss Slinky in our Slimming World group. Andrea, who achieved her target weight and a healthy BMI also tonight, won the award.

Andrea has lost a total of 51.5 pounds! (I think. Hopefully, she'll set me straight if I got that number wrong.)

She's beautiful, isn't she?

Here's a photo of the two of us together.


It was also another "Bring & Try" night with the theme being baked goods. Robert made his Gingerbread Squares, but this time, instead of adding chocolate chips or candied ginger, he added flaked almonds. All of the food was delicious!

I made Cheesy Garlic Breakfast Potatoes. I made the recipe up the night before, and I'm happy to say that the dish was a success at the meeting. I will definitely be making this again!

When Weight Loss Slows

I lost another pound at my last weight loss. I'd have liked to have lost two, but one works for me.

I keep saying that my weight loss has slowed down because I'm lighter now and closer to my goal. But, although that does have an effect on my weight loss, it's not the only reason.

My friend Helen and I were recently talking about this. She only has three pounds to lose left until she reaches her goal weight. And she's been at around that point for a couple of months now. The way she explained it was that, now that she's so close to her goal, it's not as important or as urgent to lose weight. She feels like she can "play" a bit. She's only 3 pounds above her ideal weight, so I can understand that. If she'd already reached "target" at Slimming World and then gone up three pounds to where she is now, she would still be considered at target.

And I think a little bit of that is creeping in with my weight loss too. When I had over 100 pounds to lose, it was obvious to anyone looking at me that I needed to lose weight, and my health was being affected by my weight, so I knew that it was really important that I get myself fitter and healthier as soon as possible.

But now I'm just 17 pounds from my ideal weight. And I feel like a normal person. I feel healthy. I feel fit. And I don't feel like people are looking at me and judging me because of my weight anymore. So I'm not trying as hard to get those last pounds off.

I nibble at things. Sharon, our Slimming World consultant, was talking a little about this last night. Those "syns" (or calories if that is what you keep tabs on) really creep up when you aren't counting the little things.

When I make my daughter a peanut butter and honey sandwich, I always get a bit on my fingers, and I always lick my fingers when I am done before washing my hands. I don't count the syns or the calories from that. I don't measure my food as often as I was doing. So what if my portion of cereal in the morning is actually slightly higher than the amount I am counting? Or maybe I am giving myself a bigger portion of grated cheese with my lunch because I'm just eyeing the amount instead of weighing it. I may be adding syns (calories) without realizing it (and I probably am) and I'm not writing those extra calories/syns down in my food journal. It's little things that add up without us even realizing it, and those little things can sabotage our weight loss efforts.

So this week, I'm going to be very careful about measuring and weighing my portions, make more healthy choices in my food, do no indescriminate nibbling, and keep my syns (or treats as some of you would call them) in check.

And I'll let the scale at the end of the week tell me whether I've done a good job.

No more complacency. I will reach my goal weight by my birthday on February 27th.

A Good Week So Far

I have no idea if this Monday's weigh-in will show a loss, but it should. I've had a really good week.

And as far as my NaNoWriMo challenge, things are going well and I am ahead of schedule! The writing itself isn't very good, but as far as quantity goes, I'm right on target. And I've been getting lots of new ideas for my story's plot along the way.

I love that I am sticking to my goals in both my health and in other areas in my life!

What goals do you have in addition to health and fitness? Are you taking steps to achieve them?

Half Pound Down

I only lost half a pound this week, but at least I'm heading in the right direction.

I may have some Internet connection problems this week, but if that happens, I'll send my posts in with my husband and he can post for me from his work when he's on his lunch break.

Want to see a current photo of me? I posted my family's Halloween photos in my family blog. And I even allowed a photo of me to be taken. (Scroll down the post. My photo's at the end.)

I'm still working on my NaNoWriMo goals and , so far, I'm reaching my daily goals.

Reaching For The Stars

My weight went up a pound last week, but it was a certain time of month for me that normally goes up, so I'm not overly worried. Hopefully, tomorrow's weigh-in will show a weight loss again.

Losing so much weight has shown me that I can do things which I once thought impossible. And because of this, it has encouraged me to try and reach for other goals that are important to me.

So this year, I'm all about reaching for the stars!

That's why I have signed up for NaNoWriMo this year (National Novel Writing Month). The goal is to write 50,000 words of my novel in the 30 days that make up November. Today is day one. To reach 50,000 words in 30 days, I need to write a minimum of 1,667 words a day. Today, I wrote 1,788 words!

I can do this!

120 Pounds Lost So Far!

I lost three pounds tonight. I was expecting to lose some weight this week, but three pounds was more than I expected. I'm really pleased!

I also won Slimmer Of The Week again (tied with Eve), and achieved my "8 1/2 Stone" award.

I've now lost a total of 120 pounds (8 stone 8 pounds)!

Only 17.5 pounds left until I reach my target weight and a healthy BMI!

You Are Beautiful NOW!

My friend Barb, over at Barb's Bookshelf, recently posted on a topic
that I, too, feel strongly about. Her post about true beauty reminded me that I had intended to write on this topic too.

As a mother of seven children, five of whom are girls, I find myself horrified by the images that the media portrays as "normal." The idea of one of my children trying to achieve the size of a fashion model is actually horrifying. I point out to them often where the pictures have been airbrushed and digitally manipulated so they can know that the perfect skin, bright eyes, and shiny hair is not what the model really looks like. I worry that they will see these models or tv actresses as some ideal to try and attain, so I make sure they know that what they are seeing isn't even REAL.

I encourage my kids and praise them regularly. It's easy to do as they are all so clever, creative and kind. I tell them how beautiful they are and how much they are loved. Sometimes, as our kids get older, we assume they know that we love them, but they need to hear it, and hear it often. If they know that, at home, they are loved, then it helps them find the courage to face the rest of the world. Loving your kids and making sure they know it is like dressing them in protective armour against any negativity they may encounter out in the world.

In the world of weight loss, feeling beautiful can often be a tricky subject. I've lost 117 pounds so far. In 18.5 more pounds, I will reach a healthy BMI. That's how I chose the amount of weight I wanted to lose, by aiming for what should be a healthy weight. But having lost so much weight, I have first-hand experience on how difficult it can be to feel confident and sexy when carrying around so much extra weight. Sometimes people say cruel things, but far crueler are the things we tell ourselves.

That inner voice can really be an enemy to your self-confidence. But, with a little effort, you can make that same inner voice your friend. Catch yourself when you are being negative and change the negative thought to something positive. It is likewise with the things we say about ourselves around our kids. Do you want your daughter to hear you saying things like, "I'm too fat," "I can't do that," "It's too hard," "I have no control," "I can't eat that," "I'm stupid" and other comments along this vein, or would you rather they hear you saying things like "I feel great today," "Doesn't this dress look great on me?" "I can do anything," "Yummy! That looks great," "Nothing is too hard," "Let's go play outside today" and things along that vein? Change what you say inside and change what you say outside. Your children will emulate you. Give them someone confident and happy in herself to emulate.

There's a wonderful movement called Operation Beautiful. According to the site,

The mission of Operation Beautiful is to post anonymous notes in public places for other women to find. The point is that WE ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL. You are enough... just the way you are!

Women from all over the world are posting notes in random places with encouraging statements for others to find. I love this idea!

My body has changed a lot since my early 20s, and not all of it for the better. My belly has a lot of loose, hanging skin and is covered in stretch marks that cover it in fine lines that branch out resembling a roadmap. I have a huge scar reaching diagonally just below my ribs from a surgery I had after one of my pregnancies. But each of these visual attributes is a gift. My belly stretched out in order to carry my many babies. It developed those stretch marks in its attempt to make room for the cradling of all seven of my children individually. It housed them and nourished them each for nine months. It did it's job, and it did it well. They are marks of love.

My friend Barb talks about her laugh lines and states possessively that she "earned" them. I agree with her. Laugh lines are wonderful to see. They are a sign that a life has been a happy one, full of laughter and smiles. I'm earning some laugh lines of my own, and I'm glad to do so!

Everyone carries some insecurities. Wouldn't it be a great world if others bolstered our egos instead of tearing them down? Or the media decided to use real models with healthy-sized bodies and leave any airbrushing or digital manipulation out? We need to be each others' strength. We need to be the person who says to others,"You're beautiful." Because everyone IS beautiful. Everyone has their own form of beauty, and the important beauty, the beauty that can make the world a better place, is the beauty we find inside.

Everyone should get the chance to feel beautiful right now and not wait until they've reached some ideal in their head of what they want to look like.

In Barb's True Beauty post, she says,

True beauty is not simply what’s on the surface. When you feel good about yourself and who you are, when you carry yourself with confidence and self-acceptance, that makes you beautiful. Beauty is in the mind, not in the body.

I couldn't say that any better!

Down Two Pounds This Week

I lost two pounds this week, so I've lost a total of 116 pounds again. Maybe next week I can get myself finally lower.

I have a neighbor who asked me how I lost so much weight, and she came with Robert and me to our Slimming World meeting to join. She says she kept seeing me walking past her house for the past year or so and I kept getting skinnier and skinner, so she just had to ask how I did it. Now I'll get to watch her get skinnier and skinner.

We had to walk there and back since we usually get a lift from our friend Hellen, but she was not going tonight. Coming back, it was all uphill, so it really felt like a workout.

I am getting so close to my goal weight! The end is in sight! But it's now taking a lot longer to lose the pounds. I'm going to have to be really patient and just keep at it.

Believe!

This is for those of you who look at the task ahead of you to lose weight and get fit and feel overwhelmed. Feel like it's an insurmountable task?

Think again.

I and many others are proof that it can be done!

You are strong and capable. You can do this! You just have to believe in yourself!
Believe that you are strong enough emotionally to say "no" to unhealthy habits.
Believe that you are strong enough physically to start some simple exercises, and
believe that you will become stronger and stronger as you do them.
Believe that you are deserving of feeling beautiful and confident and strong.
Believe that you are capable of achieving great things!

I believe in you.

Bloat

Okay, this is the first time I've had a gain that nearly put me into tears. Mainly because I wasn't expecting it. My Wii Fit, up until three weigh-ins ago, always weighed me pretty close to spot on with the scales at my Slimming World meeting. So I always knew ahead of time what the scales would say once I went for my weigh-in.

Then three weigh-ins ago, the scales at the meeting started weighing me lower than my Wii Fit was weighing me. Well, I had no problem with being weighed lower, and since the second time it did it again in the same amount difference, I was able to still look at how much the Wii Fit had said I lost from my Wii Fit weigh-in the week before to see how much I had lost on the Slimming World scales.

Well, this week, it seems the Wii Fit and the Slimming World scales have synced back up again. When I stepped on the Wii Fit, it showed that I had lost half a pound. Considering that I had just started my period (a week EARLY), I was pleased to see this, because lately, starting my period usually means a gain on the scales for me.

But when I weighed in at Slimming World, the scale said the exact same weight as the Wii Fit, which meant a TWO POUND GAIN for me. I literally felt tears pricking at my eyes. I was THAT disappointed!

But I've decided not to let it get me down. I'm still eating healthily. I'm still getting a healthy amount of exercise in each day. I'm happy with my progress so far.

And it's not like this week has been easy. On top of my period starting, I've had some very sick young children to deal with and very little sleep. I have learned in the past that when I'm not getting enough sleep, my body retains more water. I don't know why this is, just that it is.

And, for the month of September, I still finished at the end down 3 pounds from the beginning, despite having my period TWICE. And today starts a new week and a new month of weigh-ins. And this month, I should only have my period once instead of twice (hopefully), so I am going to plan for at least 5 pounds off by the end of October.

Five pounds is a reasonable goal that will not push me into extreme behavior.

Besides, I've been noticing other signs that I'm losing. In just this one week, despite my weight going up two pounds, my shirts have become looser on me. And I'm still down a total of 114 pounds overall, which is still really good progress! A little temporary water retention can't take that away from me.

So what do you do to stay positive when your weight loss or fitness goals hit a roadblock, however temporary it may be?

Lost Another 2.5 Pounds!

I lost another 2.5 pounds this week. My total loss today is 116 pounds (8 stone 4 pounds).

I love that I am doing this in such a healthy and laid back way. I eat lots of food. It's all healthy, except for the occasional treat that I allow myself. And I am getting some moderate exercise each day without over-doing it.

I am able to enjoy the process of making my lifestyle healthier, but not be consumed by it. And I still get to lose the extra weight I am carrying. What could be better?

At next week's Slimming World meeting, we will be bringing food again. It's another Bring & Try night, so we'll also get to try other members' low-syn dishes. It's a Bring & Try party night in honor of Slimming World's 40th birthday.

Beautiful Day

Today was sunny and not too cold. Robert and I took the dog for his usual Saturday morning two-hour walk to a local park near us with a lake. Usually we just walk along pastures full of sheep, but today there was one full of cows, and the cows (mostly bulls) loved coming up to the fence to have their ears scratched. We brought some bread and fed the ducks. The swans were eating out of our hands.

For some reason, our dog Mercury decided that the cows were a threat and growled menacingly at them, so most of them eventually moved away from the fence. He wanted to jump into the lake after the ducks but fortunately, he restrained himself.

Later in the day, Robert and I went for a bike ride. There were a lot of bugs, but other than that, it was a beautiful ride. We rode along a park path full of trees. Occassionally, we would see squirrels dashing up trees and leaping from one tree to another.

Basically, we enjoyed a lovely day and got some exercise in that was fun and pleasant enough that it didn't really feel like exercise at all.

What did you do today? What are you doing to incorporate FUN exercise into your life?

Cookbook Giveaway Winner!

The winner of the "100 Comfort Foods" cookbook is Caitlin! Congratulations! Since posting this cookbook in the giveaway, I have found out that Slimming World will be discontinuing it. It's a terrific cookbook, and I hope you make lots of healthy meals from it.

(E-mail me with your mailing address within two weeks or a new winner will be selected. A "contact me" link is in the blog's sidebar.))

Dreams Unbound

Lyn over at Escape From Obesity recently wrote these words,
"It is in our power to conceive and generate the life we want." What an amazing quote! It is so true and it speaks to the heart of so many things, including but not limited to weight loss and fitness.

Recently, I've heard so many people complain about wanting to lose weight but not being able to find the motivation. I just want to say to them, "The only thing getting in your way is you!" but I hold my tongue lest I offend. Why does everyone think they have to wait for this elusive motivation?

When I started this weight loss journey, it was because I knew I was not living the life I wanted. I was unhealthy and unhappy with my weight, and I knew that it was in my power to change it. So I did. Seriously. We all have the power to live our dreams. All we have to do is start stepping towards them.

Lyn also wrote, "I am not chained to THIS life. You are not chained to yours."

Again, this is so true and such a simple concept that people seem to often forget. We have CHOICES, and it is our choices that lead us either in the direction we want or further away from what we want.

And this is true in every area of our lives. For instance, I keep making up excuses for not writing my stories. Sometimes, I blame my fear of failure. (What if my writing isn't good enough?) Sometimes, I blame my family. (It's never quiet enough to write,and the kids need my attention too much.) Sometimes I just blame my state of mind. (I'm too tired to write.) And sometimes I even blame my own personality.(I've always had a problem with procrastination. It's just who I am.)

But the truth is that I am not happy with this state of affairs. I have always wanted to be a writer, to work towards publication, to take the stories I have in my head and get them out there for the world to read. The only shackles keeping me from doing this are of my own making. The phrase I want to say to others who complain about lack of motivation also applies to me. The only person getting in my way is me!

So no more chains. The chains keeping me from living my dreams are completely of my own making, so it is up to me to remove the chains. And I'm going to, even if I have to do it one link at a time.

The one thing I have learned from losing over 100 pounds is that I am capable of achieving anything and everything.

I can make my dreams a reality, and I will. What about you?

Four Pounds Down!

I lost 4 pounds this week!

The really great thing about this loss is that I was really relaxed about it this week. I ate lots of healthy food and did not go hungry once. I added a little bit of exercise back into my daily routine, but only a reasonable amount. I varied my exercise to keep it fun.

And I lost 4 pounds!

Exercise this week was fun. I still went with my husband to walk the dog late at night, usually for an hour. And this week, I added in bicycling, the elliptical crosstrainer and the Wii Fit (with handweights). On one day, I would go for an hour-long bike ride with Robert. On another day, I would spend 45 minutes on the elliptical crosstrainer. On another day, I would spend an hour on the Wii Fit with the first 30 minutes on the stepper using handweights and varied arm lifts. On Saturday, Robert and I took the dog for a two-hour morning walk to and around a nearby lake. And so on.

Now, I know I won't see a 4 pound loss every week, but if I can continue in this manner and still lose weight, whether its four pounds or half a pound each week, I'll be pleased. I only have 24 pounds left to reach my goal weight!

Doing This The Right Way

I'm eating healthy and making sure I eat enough food, and I'm limiting my exercise to a reasonable daily amount. I feel good, relaxed and fit. Hopefully, my body will let me lose some weight this week.

Need Weight Loss Support?

I frequent a terrific on-line weight loss forum for women where the ladies are all really supportive and full of great ideas. There are women there from all walks of life, all ages, all different weights and all with different goals and achievements in regards to weight loss. They have weight loss challenges, exercise challenges and other challenges to participate in to help keep yourself motivated.

I just thought I should give everyone the chance to visit and find out more about them by giving a shout out about them here. It's called Body Boot Camp, and if you decide to check them out, you won't be disappointed.

Listen To My Interview With Skinny Scoopers!

The lovely ladies at Skinny Scoopers interviewed me in a podcast which you can listen to here. Ever wonder what I sound like? Well, now you can find out! They also have my story up in the Scooper Stars section here.

I was a bit self-conscious during the interview.

Weight Gain

I had my weigh-in yestreday, and my official weight gain is 5.5 pounds for the week. I'm okay with that, because 5 pounds is actually what I expected. This week's weight gain was PLANNED. (I'm also okay with it because the scale was showing a FIFTEEN POUND weight gain last Friday. Thank goodness a lot of it was just water weight!)

Now, my body should be completely out of starvation mode, and I am going to have to make sure that I don't over-exercise and that I eat plenty of good, healthy food from now on. I lost my weight in a healthy manner all the way up until about a month ago, and I want to go back to doing this the right way.

The idea is to be healthy and strong, not just slimmer.

Robert's body wasn't in starvation mode like mine was, but he used the past week to splurge a bit with his eating and put on 8.5 pounds. He's not overly worried about it though as he takes weight off quite quickly and easily when he wants to. He's decided to try and get at least half of it off by the next weigh-in.