I'm back...

I haven't really been doing much related to weight loss in a long while. Well, actually, yes I have: in the past year I had gained 11 lbs., and last year's summer clothes were snug. I "knew" all the reasons I needed to lose weight, but I think I was waiting for some kind of catalyst. This proved to be it. I thought, "This just can NOT continue."

So I started exercising near the beginning of this summer. I outlined my routine more fully in this post from my main blog: barbarah.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/my-experience-with-video-and-gaming-workouts/ But mostly I've been using the Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout for the Kinect (thanks to having gaming sons, we have one of those: if not I don't think I'd buy the Kinect and X-Box just to use this game). Now I use it 30-50 minutes 4 days a week and supplement two other days with other workout videos I have. Sunday is a complete day of rest.

I've lost 11.5 lbs. in 12 weeks. Not spectacular, no one else has really noticed yet, but I can feel a difference both in how my clothes fit and how I feel. The first two weeks, I walked around feeling like I'd been beat up or had the flu -- or both. One reason I don't want to miss an exercise session now is that I don't want to lose that momentum, that level of ability that has been so hard won. There are days I exercise through gritted teeth, but I'm usually glad for it when I am done.

I probably should track my food -- it's just so tedious and time consuming I hate to. But I have made small changes in the amount of snacks I allow and in making food choices. I was very surprised the last couple of days when at one meal I didn't want seconds (very unusual for me) and at another I couldn't finish what I had.

So, there's progress, slow but sure. I hope the momentum only increases. Maybe now that I can do more in he way of exercise, that will help burn more calories.


Here's to progress!

Wednesday weigh-in

I'm down a pound (Hurray!) Now I am back down to where I started from. I had gained two pounds right off the bat with this challenge (sigh!), so hopefully now the momentum is going the other way.

Look great in 2008 challenge

My goal in the May Day challenge had been to lose 36 pounds. I only lost 5, and it is my own fault. I never did get into the habit of exercising, and though I took small strides, they were not consistent. My progress through the challenge had more ups and down than an amusement park ride. :)

However, this 5 lbs. is solidly off, and it would not have been without this challenge, so I am thankful for that. And the last pound took me below one of those weights ending with 0. Somehow it's an extra boost to get below those.

My overall goal was to lose 114 pounds. I lose 5, so my new goal is to lose 109 lbs. For this particular challenge I think I will set my goal at 20 lbs. For the last challenge I added up 2 lbs. a week for a goal of 36 lbs. and fell far from it: this time I will set my goal a little lower.

I did learn last time that "that time of month" wreaked more havoc than I realized with unexplained weight gain (probably water?) and mad cravings. But I did learn to take it in stride and not get all upset about it.

I also learned I have a "disconnect" mentally between wanting the goal and changing the behavior necessary to do so. I am going to spend some time going over my beginning posts here with the reasons I wanted to lose and the Scriptural focus to get me back on track.

Goals

One of the first things Dr. Phil advocates is specific, measurable goals. Just saying "I want to lose weight" or "I need to cut down" or "I should exercise more" are too general and vague.

Looking at his height/weight charts, I figure I need to lose 114 lbs. I may decide I need to lose more when I get there – in my teens the weight I am targeting is one I would have considered too high, but it's 30 years and 3 kids later. I'll have to see what that weight is like when I get there. I am a little shy just now about saying specifically what I weigh and what weight I want to get to: that may change.

So, goal #1: Lose 114 lbs.

Goal #2: Use exercise video 3 times a week. I am sure at first I won't be able to do the whole thing, but I'll work up to it. At some point I would like to add walking in the mall to the in-between days (the mall because it is climate-controlled and I know where the bathrooms are. :) )

Exercise is tricky because of the TM: I can't run and don’t have the coordination to do many aerobics videos and my knees could not keep up with a low-impact stepping video. But I can walk and I have done this particular video called "Wimp Aerobics" in the past. For those who are familiar with Linda Haught, she has done a lot of exercise videos to classical music. This one isn't professionally done as her others are, but it is does provide a good workout.

Dr. Phil also says to establish a timeline. I understand the reasoning: if you don't have a time set to accomplish something, it may float around on the fringes forever. But to me that seems to be a set-up for discouragement if you don't reach those goals. We have all heard about "plateaus" where nothing seems to be happening.

Nevertheless, if I multiply 114 lbs. by the two-pound-a-week recommendation for weight loss, it comes out to 57 weeks. So I could possibly be there in about a year. That's encouraging.

I had a friend who used to lament that it would take about a year to accomplish the weight loss and health goals she had. I wish I knew then what I read once in Dear Abby in response to someone 's concern over the year it would take to meet their goals: Where will you be in a year if you don't do this? You'll be at the same place or maybe worse.

The May Day Challenge

I have been needing to lose weight for a long time. I wanted to start a separate blog to talk about weight loss issues because I didn't want it to overtake my main blog, Stray Thoughts.

I had actually started a folder in Word to write about weight loss issues, waiting until I could come up with a catchy name for this new blog. :) But the May Day Weight Loss challenge at Tales From the Scales (isn't that a clever title?) starts today. Though in one sense it scares me to death to actually post publicly about this, in another sense this may be just what I need to jump-start my progress.

For the May Day challenge post we are supposed to talk about our struggles, goals, motivations and frustrations with weight loss.

Struggles:

I have never been skinny. I always probably carried a bit of excess weight. But it didn't really get noticeable until after I got married, and then just grew from there. I have always been fairly sedentary. I was the most active in college, but also picked up (more) bad eating habits in the dorms. With those habits and the sudden decrease in physical activity, then 3 babies, then an illness that affects movement, the weight has steadily increased. This has to stop.

Goals:

I need to lose about 114 lbs. (blush). I know, of course, I won't reach that by the end date of the challenge in September, but any progress I can make will be a step in the right direction.

Motivations:

1. As a Christian I should be temperate and do all, even eating and drinking, to the glory of God (hence the title of this blog). My body shows I have been out of control in this area.

2. Health. Being overweight has a multitude of negative effects on health.

3. To feel better

4. To look better

5. To not cause shame to my family. None of them has ever expressed shame, but the only near-fight in school involving any of them happened with a boy in one's class making a remark about me.

6. To be able to find clothes I like (including undergarments!) that fit well and look nice.

7. To not get out of breath and tired at the merest exertion.

There are other private reasons which I won't include here. :)

Frustrations:

I just like food. Too much, obviously. It is going to be hard to not give in to those desires. Plus finding time for an exercise that works for me will be a challenge.

Plan:

I am going through Dr. Phil's weight loss book. I have looked at various diet plans and not been thrilled. In looking through Dr. Phil's web site about weight loss, he seemed to have a lot of common sense. I am not a fan of his and haven’t watched much of his show, but I bought his book and have started reading it. I will chronicle some of the exercises here. It will help me keep on track and hopefully garner some encouragement, plus writing things out helps me gain perspective and think things through.

In a sense I wasn't sure if I was ready to go public yet since I am still in the getting-in-gear mentally part of the book -- it's another chapter or two before we get into the actual plans for dealing with food. But I wanted to get in on the May day challenge.

Since my other blog is hosted by WordPress and I don't know much about Blogger, it may take me a while for this to look like a homey place. :)