Weekly Check-In: Week Three

Current Weight: 224.8
Weight change since last week: -3
Total weight change: 0


Back to zero, but at least I didn't gain this week!  


This week has been pretty stressful with my workload exploding, but I have eaten pretty healthily with a treat thrown in here or there.   Matthew and I decided (for the second or third time) to eat at least one vegetarian meal a week.  


Here's why: 

• Meat is expensive (this might be the only reason that Matthew went along with this). 
• A light vegetarian meal can still be filling (for example, veggie spaghetti on whole wheat pasta). 
• I love Black Bean Soup. 

Panera's Black Bean Soup is DELICIOUS, vegetarian, 240 calories for a 1 1/2 cup serving, and filling. It's a winner in my book, and justifies eating a slice of baguette rather than the healthier option of an apple.  And man do I love Panera baguettes. 

This week's vegetarian meal was oven roasted root vegetables with a green salad.  The vegetables were served hot, to simulate roasted meat.  This didn't work.  I missed my meats!  However, I'm told there are some good ways to make a veggie meal feel like a meat meal, like Eggplant Parmesan, Basil Pesto Fafalle, etc.  

Plus, sometimes there's nothing better than beans and cornbread. :) 

P. S. -- Sorry for the late check-in.  I'm shooting for Monday next week.  

Weekly Check-In: Week Two

Current Weight: 227.8
Weight change since last week: +2
Total weight change: +3

Hmm...It seems these numbers are going in the wrong direction...

It's been an Epic Fail week.  I have been not tracking what I'm eating, didn't make a single workout all week, and had greasy, unhealthy Mexican food a number of times.  True dat.  The proof is in the pudding, I suppose, as you see my weight gain of another two pounds.

However!  On Saturday, we went to the new OKC outlets at I-40 and Council and a magical thing happened. A size 20 was too big.  Let me repeat that for you...TOO BIG.  Nice, right?  I was pleasantly surprised to be seeing some body shape changes from my changing eating and workout habits. My tummy seems a little flatter, my dimples showing a little more...it's barely there, but it's there.  I like it.

For this week the goals are:
1.) Have fun with Ashley at the yarn tasting on Friday (not fitness related, but a goal nonetheless)
2.) Eat at least four servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
3.) Make at least two workouts this week.
4.) Find some rockin' out, pumped up workout music to download on the iPod.

Weekly Weigh In: Week One

Current weight: 226
Weight change since last week: +1
Overall weight change: +1

Woo, what an unsuccessful week it's been for weight loss!  I did pretty well as far as working out goes, with two good work outs since I started this ball rolling.  (Small steps.)

This weekend we were down in Davis working on Grandpa's house--dusting, vacuuming, planting bulbs, cleaning fixtures--and I'd say I worked for a good four hours or so.  At the end of the four hours, I still felt like I could do more work, which is new.

As far as eating this week, there were some pretty bad decisions made.  For example, Saturday's food intake consisted of a sausage, egg, and cheese McGriddle, a Bisteck Especial (steak covered in cheese), rice and refried beans, a sopapilla, and a slice of pizza.  Nary a vegetable around (except pico de gallo and guacamole).  Overall, though, I'm glad that my energy seems to be up already, and that's enough to keep me working on healthy choices and hitting the gym regularly.

Over the next week, my goals are three solid workouts of about an hour (typically broken into twenty minute increments doing different things) and four servings of fruits and vegetables every day.  'Til then, keep on trucking and let me know how your weight loss week has gone.

This just in...

On KLG and Hoda this morning, they references this study which said Weight Watchers was twice as effective as the generally doctor prescribed diet and exercise. Those in Weight Watchers lost twice as much weight over the long haul.

I might need to sign up again! 

The Backstory

There I was, sitting at my desk, waiting for students to come and chat with me while scanning Pinterest and I saw it.

Wait, you're shitting me, I thought.  People think the most beautiful size woman is the size I was in high school?  That is so unfair!   You see, I spent my high school days hating my body.  I believed I was too fat for anyone to like me, when really, I looked like this: 

So after high school I went off to college and gained the the freshman fifteen.  Then I met my husband and gained another ten pounds from happiness.  Then we got married, and I didn't work out any more.   Add to that a steady diet of grilled cheese (since bread and cheese slices were about all we could afford) and I soon packed on another 20 pounds.  Around the time I met Matthew, I was right around 150 pounds.  Now I weigh about 225, am a size 20, and look like this: 

I miss the younger, less doughy version of myself.  I miss being able to work out for an hour and leave the gym not feeling exhausted.  

So what do I plan to do?  I am implementing an exercise regimen and holding myself accountable to you all through the blogosphere. I don't intend to change my diet other than to try to eat more fruits and vegetables and cut back on junk food.  Basically, I love food, and any change where I cut foods out of my diet is only going to be temporary, because I will never completely cut anything out.  But I can devote time to exercise, I can make healthier choices as I'm eating each day, and I can lose weight.  

Don't expect a quick transformation from me.  I gained the weight slowly, through the years, and I plan to lose it slowly too, but I'm sure that I can.  

The Invitation:  So, fellow weight loss champions, here's my proposal.  Since so many women are constantly trying to lose weight during their busy lives, let's do it together.  Let's write about our stories of trial and temptation, our successes and joys.  Let's share healthy steps, exercises, and recipes.  If this is something you're up for, start up a blog and let me know about it.  I'll link to it, and we can support each other's journeys and inspire ourselves to continue on our own.