Day 66 - These Boots Were NOT Made for Walking!

Where are the walking girls NOW?

Well, I'll tell you.

But first, we need to talk about your shoes.

Oh, those SHOES!

What shoes are you wearing?

Here's the thing...you have to have good shoes if you plan to walk a lot. Walking is considered one of the best ways to get into shape. And we walk a whole lot more than we think we do.

I can personally attest to this, simply because even when I'm being a lazy girl, I end up walking an average of 2-3 miles in a day. That's with no workin' out (lazy girl, I said - like the last two days, anyway...).

I've also noticed that when I'm meandering around that if I'm wearing my good shoes, the made for walkin' shoes, my feet LOVE me.

On the other hand, if I spend most of the day (in) bare feet (which are my favorite "shoes") or in flip flops, my feet do NOT like me...at all.

Now, I'm not telling you WHAT shoes to buy; Nike, Reebok, New Balance, WHATever. All I'm sayin' is you've got to find the right and comfy shoes to fit your feet.

You do want HAPPY feet, don't you?

Of course.

Okay, so let's get to where the walking girls are...

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Our Virtual Trip(s)

Michele: 5.75 miles - Michele is doing fabulously, working her way up to going 1 mile per day. This is smart, as she doesn't want to go crazy walking some 80 miles one day, which might knock her out for a whole week or so. Congrats, to you, Michele, for sticking with this challenge. I can't wait to see you at the Mouse House!

Anna: 97 miles - Anna is heading to Italy and going by way of her new stationary bike. Anna injured herself last month and had to come up with an alternative to walking. She did it and continues to do it by biking her butt off - 97 miles to Italy so far. How exciting! 

Sandi: 63.19 miles - Sandi is (that's me, in case you forgot) heading to Disney too and by now is just on the other side of Stratham, NH. With less than 1400 miles to go, I am well on my way to see the Mouse. Massachusetts, here I come...

Debbie: 37 miles - Debbie is also heading to visit Mickey and friends. She is well on her way, still in PA but that's okay, it's a big state and she is making GREAT strides. Can't wait to see her and Michele in Florida. 

Kathy: 67.84 miles - Kathy is doing wonderfully on her way to Oregon to see her sister.  She is also still in the great state of Pennsylvania but with almost 70 miles under her belt, she will be to see her sister in no time. 

Stephanie: 80.30 miles - Steph has the shortest way to go but she is also quite a bit along her way to the Biggest Loser ranch in Niagara, NY. I simply love her competitive spirit and the way she MOVES. Walking more than 80 miles in 19 days is nothing to shake a stick at. 

WOW, girls, let's do some math:

Our combined miles toward our destinations are: 10,763 

We've walked (in just 19 days): 351.08 miles

Anna has averaged: 5.10 miles per day riding her bike

Steph has averaged: 4.22 miles per day on her feet

We have together almost made it to BL, Niagara, if we were starting from Steph's house. 

AND we are ROCKIN' our virtual trip(s)!

I do promise to get a bit better with the map thing - working on having an idea of exactly where we are each week would be AWEsome; that's a G thing and he's been BZZZY, but we'll get there...

I'm just darn proud of all of us for accepting this challenge and getting our butts moving. 

Cheers!

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Till next time!

...it's a Friday Barb Tip AND I'm going to share a bit about the Thanksgiving Challenge, YAY!

Week 9, You Were Testing Me, Right?

Oh, Dear Diary...this week has been a teeny bit rough on me. Ya see...LAST week I lost an AWEsome 7.2 pounds. That was HALF of what I lost for the whole second month. So I had a tiny feeling that this week might not see a big loss. And I was really okay with that. I am not a machine and I am certainly always a work in progress. But then??

There was food. Two glorious nights of food. Oh Em GEE!

And I tried to be good. I did. I know me. I know that I am addicted to food and that I have to stay focused and true to my goals.

I tried.

Sunday night I sucked eggs big time. I went in knowing that I had to pace myself. Only to not feel like I was going to explode after dinner.

(This is serious, folks)

So I did. Pace myself. BUT...

I also STILL took a bit of everything (because EVERYTHING is SO GOOD) and that's where I messed up.

I don't eat like that anymore. And I know that.

So Monday night I was determined to (going in, anyway) stay low-carb. With plenty to choose from, it shouldn't have been too hard.

Pfft.

I still ate a ridiculous amount of food. And I didn't stay low-carb. It was just a smorgasbord of yummy good eats and I couldn't put down the darn fork.

I DID, however...take only half of what I would normally take (unlike Sunday night) and I do think that helped some.

I mean, SERIOUSLY. YOU try to only eat half a peanut butter cookie and the BEST gluten-free Blondie you will EVER wrap your lips around - I did that, Monday...ugh.

Now, what is the point of all this?

Consider it a confession of sorts. I am a food addict and the truth must be shared for me to move forward, as well, to help others who may be in a similar situation.

Food is not my friend. Food sustains me, keeps me healthy. That's it. I'm not going to run away with it, or make it beneficiary to my vast fortune when I die (I'm amassing THAT as we speak, yay).

ANYway, the bottom line here is that I have come to hate food. I think.

I mean I think I hate it. I certainly don't like what I've done to myself with food.

I don't even like the word hate. Maybe strongly dislike.

Acck. I'm rambling.

Chalk that up to dead tired after two solid days of gorging and I'm pretty sure I haven't awakened from my food coma.

Okay...

FINE.

Let's see some numbers...

The RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME (and totally, by now) FAMOUS Weekly RECAP:

Day 57: 275.8 - Feelin' pretty good about getting HERE.

Day 58: NO scale 'n' toes today. Just a trumped up excuse or what? Honestly? Maybe.

Day 60: 276.4 - I was up .8 from Tuesday's weigh in but not feeling panicky about it. I was down 30 pounds exactly at this point and feeling good about losing half a pound a day for a 60 whole days!

Day 63: Yah, uh, NO. I did not weigh in YESTERDAY, yikes.

Day 64: 276.2 - Down from Friday but a TOUGH weekend and the bottom line is that I gained from last week. Most people wouldn't concern themselves with .4, but I simply have to stay on top of this. My whole life depends upon it.

You will notice that I am not blogging daily anymore - lucky YOU. I just have so much on my plate that rather than let everything go, half-ass, I simply scaled back. I can't tell for sure if it's affecting my "need to get on the scale every day" or not. We'll re-visit that next week and go from there.

But I AM weighing in 3 times a week for various challenges and so forth. You would THINK that would keep me focused...still not sure...moving on, now...

So there you have it. Week 9 is OUTTA here. Good. Bring on Week 10 - let's DO this!

Till next time!

...it'll be a walking girls update. Let's just see how far we've come, stay tuned...

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Starting Weight: 306.4

Goal Weight: 150

Today's Weight: 276.2

Total Lost to Date: 30.2

30.2 Pounds Down to Date - YAY!

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Week 10 Goals:

Walk 30 miles.

Stay focused about WHAT I'm putting in my mouth. 

No Excuses. (this one is HUGE, yikes)

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Our Virtual Trip(s)

Michele: 5 miles

Anna: 97 miles

Sandi: 57.16 miles 

Debbie: 31 miles 

Kathy: 64.84 miles 

Stephanie: 77.80 miles 

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Day 63 - Shana Tova

Last night at sundown marked the beginning of the high holidays in the Jewish faith. I am not Jewish and I apologize now, for any mistakes I may make in trying to explain how important this time of year is for me.

Yesterday, I was chatting with a friend and mentioned that it was the holidays (as it related to something else we were talking about) and she then asked what that meant.

My reply was somewhat short (I know, surprise, surprise, right?!):

"It starts today, Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the new year, a whole week of food and temple and then fasting and then temple and then more food. 

AND then...we forgive all our past idiocy to each other (and ask forgiveness from God, too) and start the new year. (Yom Kippur)

Best explanation from a Christian girl, livin' in a Jewish world, lol.

But I do take it seriously. It's a feel good holiday, meant to cleanse for the new year..."

A bit blase' but a decent summary, nonetheless. I was thinking later that I might have exaggerated the amount of food, and I also didn't mention that I won't be participating in services this year (it's been about 50/50 over the last 6 years). 

But there you have it. Last night began the New Year and while I am not Jewish, I do celebrate these high holidays for many reasons. 

...which...

I'm not going to share here, right now. I did write about it, once (really? uh, yah) and I will share that story next week with you. 

My POINT in ALL this is that I just wanted to wish everyone (whomever you are and whatever you believe)...

Shana Tova.

Happy New Year. 

Oh, and after dinner last night, I can assure you that I didn't exaggerate the amount of food. I knew that there would be a LOT of it (G's mom just ROCKS it, ALWAYS) but I had promised to try and be smart about it. 

Yah, that lasted just past the salad when I forgot about the meatballs and brisket and matzo ball (with alphabet noodles, last night) soup and challah and OMG the liver...YUM!

...ALL of it just so darn good that I didn't dare get on the scale this morning. 

(yes, this is still about me, food, and focusing on my goals)

AND I'm nervous about tonight (because YES, we do it ALL again) but I am sure about one thing...

I am ready this year. Really ready. To begin the new year right! I am here in this place, this really good place and I know that THIS year will be the best year ever. 

So again, whatever you believe, you may take this time to reflect upon this past year and how you lived it; then make a solid choice to live it healthier - mind, body, and spirit! 

To that end, I just HAVE to share THIS: 

Our Girl Anna, Rockin' the Pounds DOWN!

My blogging/facebook/weight loss friend, Anna, has just hit a FANTABULISTIC goal of losing 50 pounds. She put together this lovely side-by-side to show her progress. WOWZA and WOOHOO! Anna, I am so proud of you and I wanted to share your success as you are certainly an inspiration to all of us. Please keep up the good work and HAPPY NEW YEAR to YOU!

Till next time!

...tomorrow's update is 9 WEEKS DONE, whew. Stay tuned to see where I'm at. 

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Our Virtual Trip(s)

Michele: 3.75 miles

Anna: 83 miles

Sandi: 53.37 miles 

Debbie: 28 miles 

Kathy: 58.79 miles 

Stephanie: 77.80 miles 

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