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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Day 60 - Friday's FAB Tip? Sink or Swim!

WooHOO, time for another FAB Fitness tip from Barb and I just love this one (well...ya know...I love them all, they just make sense), here it is:


FITNESS TIP #6:  Plan Your Attack

Making healthy lifestyle changes is a bit like swimming.  You need to figure out which strategy works best for you.  Some people prefer the SINK or SWIM strategy.  They dive right in, knowing that the cold water is going to be a shock to their system.  Yet, they quickly figure out what it takes to swim.  These people are eager to plan healthy meals and are committed to working out regularly throughout the week.  

For others, it's a process...dip your toes in first, stand in knee-deep water, then to your waist, your shoulders and then you're ready to dip your head under water.  Similarly, it might mean making one small change each week until you're at a point where you're ready to take off.  That's okay!  If you make one healthy change each week, and build on those changes, for 3 months, you'll be amazed at how much weight you'll lose!  

So go ahead...jump in with an awesome cannon ball entrance or dip your toes in...the important thing is that you get you started.

See???

I told you, another AWEsome tip. Whether you prefer the dive right in or the dippin' toes method, once you begin PLANNING what you'll do to get healthy, you are a good part of the way to your over all success.

Remember:

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

So go on, get out there and MAKE A PLAN. Once you begin implementing your steps, as Barb says, you'll be amazed at how much weight  you'll lose!

(Take it from someone who is 30+ pounds down AND is following Barb's tips VERY closely; that girl is a SMARTIE McSmarty Pants, I tell you!)

Okay, that's it for me, today, lots to do. Oh...

Once more:

PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO SEND BARB YOUR WEIGHTS THIS WEEKEND. I KNOW THAT NOT EVERYONE WEIGHS IN WEEKLY BUT FOR THOSE WHO DO, IT IS SO MUCH EASIER FOR HER TO CALCULATE OUR WEIGHT LOSS IS YOU STAY ON TOP OF GETTING HER THOSE NUMBERS! SHE'S DOING US A SOLID BY KEEPING TRACK. GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

Till next time!

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Our Virtual Trip(s)

Michele: 3.75 miles

Anna: 45 miles

Sandi: 44.96 miles 

Debbie: 24 miles 

Kathy: 49.45 miles 

Stephanie: 59.10 miles 

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Starting Weight: 306.4

Goal Weight: 150

Today's Weight: 276.4

Total Lost to Date: 30

Up a few ounces from Tuesday. I'm okay with that :) 

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Day 58 - Where are the Walking Girls?

I mean no offense but I have named us the Walking Girls. There are no guys currently walking (with us) and so I don't feel like it's too discriminatory. Yikes.

And then there's the map issue. I put in Michele's info but since she's coming along the same route as Debbie, their line now looks a little like throw-up. I'll be changing that color before I post the new map, lol.

And THEN...

I can't track Anna's route on Google Maps. Because of the swimming across continents and all that, Google simply won't allow me to track that - not by car or bus or by walking. BUT I do know that Anna has agreed to make this 4153 mile trek by biking to Venice and we will continue to track her progress, the best way possible.

And NOW...

We've had a couple people who wanted to join in and then disappeared. One such is my sister and as God is my witness, I haven't even called her to find out why. I'm  not the best big sister around, I know that.

But here's the thing. I don't want to BUG people about this. You are either walking or you're not. I am not going to chase you; especially if you are not directly on my route to Disney, seriously. And I'm not going to worry (too much) if you decide you'd rather not do this. No one is holding anyone else TO this.

It's simply a great way to "take a trip" and get healthy. As time goes on and we all get further along in our journeys, it will be fun to see where we're all at. But again, not going to push. Also, there is nothing to say that ANYone can't join at any time. Kathy and Anna alone will be walking for quite a long time and there is always room for more walking...whomevers...on our journey(s).

So...ALL that said, where are we walking girls now?

Well, we have to remember that we are only 11 days into our trips. Stephanie currently leads for total miles AND she's got the shortest way to go (there's a rumor going around that she took a detour to Maine this past weekend but I didn't see her, so I cannot confirm (haha).

Anna has biked an impressive 45 miles already but I'm pretty sure that she's not even out of Jersey yet. Do they make bikers pay the crazy tolls too? WAIT a minute...she isn't even going to Jersey. She's gotta get into the water...BRRRR! Stay safe, Anna!

Kathy is well on her way to Oregon and this girl can WALK. I know she's got 2800+ miles to travel but I have no worries that she'll get to her sister's WAY before October, 2014! Gooooo, Kathy!

Michele and Debbie are both walking to Disney World, Florida and they hail from the same great town in PA. Debbie is pacing herself and doing quite well with it; and Michele (who got a bit of a late start) is trucking (or walking, as the case may be) right along too. I can't wait to meet up with both these girls to see the Mouse. YAY!

And then there's me. WHO came up with this silly walking trip thing ANYWAY? I am actually surprising myself by averaging about 4 miles per day, which won't win any speed medals but "ain't" too shabby, either. My goal is walk 30 miles per week and I'm ridiculously close to that - I just need to step it up a tad and before you know it, I'll be at the Mouse House, too!

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Next week, I'd like to see what city/state we're all in and will need Gary to help me with that. Please just continue to email me your miles and let's try to have FUN with this! Every step we take is one step closer to our destination - healthy. YAY!

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No Scale 'n' Toes today, Peeps. I am now weighing in 3 times weekly for various challenges and I'm going to try staying accountable that way, rather than 7 days. It's a challenge itself, YAY!

Till next time!

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Our Virtual Trip(s)

Michele: 2.5 miles

Anna: 45 miles

Sandi: 40.65 miles 

Debbie: 22 miles 

Kathy: 37.31 miles 

Stephanie: 50.80 miles 

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