A New Start

Ok, lets catch up. I maintained and felt great till the fall of last year. I fell and my rotator cuff was seriously damaged. I had surgery in November and started gaining weight. I was told no gym, even to walk. It made me depressed and I slipped into bad habits. It has been a stressful couple of months and I have made every excuse in the books. For the last 3 to 4 weeks I have been trying to come back. Last week I got released from my doctor for full activity. (in 6 weeks he will release me for good if I am ok) I am excited to work out again but my diet attempts have been miserable. Every morning I start strong but by 4pm I have fallen off the wagon and in depression I eat even more. Today I started again. I got to the gym and did my free weight workout and finally had time to do some cardio. I only did 20 minutes but I could not bring myself to eat crap after that and made it through the day without slipping! I have to go day by day but it is great to make it through today and I want to keep up with it. I do not want to go back to were I was before and need to stop making excuses. (yes, I am watching the biggest loser this season-hahaha) Anyway, I want to start blogging again. It will make me responsible and keep me focused. By my start date in May I want to be back on he road to healthy and happy.

Goal!

I have reached a milestone! I am now 225, that is what I weighed when Gordon proposed almost 15 years ago. The great thing is I was wearing a size 22 then. I just bought size 16 jeans for summer! I was wearing size 16 when I was in high school. It feels great and I love my energy. I am really trying to get to 199 next. That seems so unreal to me but I am going to keep going. Just to log the numbers my heaviest weight was 308 and that means my total loss is 83 pounds and when I started this journey on the 24th of May last year I was 286 so my loss since then is 61. I am excited with those numbers but mostly excited to be out of the 30s and into the 20s.

Moving Forward

I am pretty excited today. I have felt like I was not doing as well as I would like and have been pretty bummed. There is a lot of stress at home and I am not sleeping as well as I should so I felt stuck. However, today I weighed myself to see if I had gained and I have actually lost 3 pounds! I lost the 3 pounds that I gained over christmas and now I am at 233 and 34 pounds from 199! I can do it and there is no looking back or resting! I am Dorie, "just keep moving, just keep moving" (name that movie)

New Beginnings

I am excited to start the new year. I have been coasting through the holidays but I am really looking forward to this new year. I have set a goal to lose 37 pounds by July 1st. That will put me below 200 for the first time since high school and just in time for my in-laws 50th anniversary party! It will be fun to see everyone that I haven't seen in a while and let them see the new me! Hope you are setting goals and sticking to them. It really feels good!

Happy Holidays

I am loving this Christmas. I have lost another 3 pounds (so much for my goal to maintain through the holidays) hahaha. I made the decision to go through my closet. I am getting rid of everything that is too big. I do not want to have any reason to backslide! There is no going back. I am excited that there is a lot less junk and can't wait to lose enough to buy more. I did go out and get a few skirts and shirts to wear to church but starting January 1 I am hitting it hard! 34 more pounds to get to 199! I will make it this new year! Have a great new year and remember to make goals to be a better you!

Vacation is over

Sorry for the break in posting, vacation has putting me far behind. However I am proud to report that I lost 2 pounds while I was out and I am excited to be back at the gym. This means that I will end the year with 50 pounds lost and I am looking forward to keeping it and more off this year coming. I am working for that goal. Merry Christmas and lets all work to be healthy this year coming up!

Wii Results

Ok, this is totally cheating but I can not resist! I got on the Wii this morning and it says I am 237! It is usually less than the YMCA but not by much so I am thrilled. It is great to see the 30's even if the Y doesn't have the same number! I really feel good about myself. Another thing about the Wii, it gives you a fit age based on weight, balance and actual age. It has shown my much older than I am but today it says I am my real age of 44! That means I am getting stronger and my balance is better (possibly because I can see my feet- hahaha) Anyway, I will take any victory I can get! Have a great day!

Look at Me Now!

Ok, things were looking pretty bleak, then out of nowhere a week ago I went to 246! I thought it was a fluke but then this week I dropped to 243! I am now within 7 pounds of hitting 50 pounds lost and I am feeling great! I thought it was time to include a picture so you can see me and I can record where I am at.

Off Like a Herd Of Turtles

1 pound. That is it. I am bummed out and even when I stepped up my workout it didn't seem to help. I am officially tired. Don't worry I am not giving up but it is hard. I set an original goal of 100 pounds in 6 months. Ok, I know that is not happening but I don't even see half that in 6 months. Everybody says to have manageable goals and that makes sense but I don't see an end in sight. At this rate it could literally be another year before I get to a place where I am just fat. I am getting close to drastic measures.

No Pain No Gain (or In This Case Loss)

Ok, this was great! I have been working at a 3 on the treadmill and last Friday I started ramping it up (no pun intended)by working at an incline of 3. Well today I got wondering what more to do and I found it! I noticed a button on the treadmill that said weight loss. I have been afraid to push in the past but today I through caution to the wind and PUSHED THE BUTTON! There were several options so of course I chose the one that looked the most difficult. You walked at 0 incline for 1 minute then 2 minutes at a 4 then 3 at a six and then 2 at a Nine, then back down in the reverse order. Then one minute at 0 and then 2 at 4 and 2 at 9 and back down then you repeat the whole thing till you are done your workout. I did 30 minutes. Boy was I sweating and at a nine I had to hold on to keep going. It was fun but definately a lot harder than what I have been doing. I can't wait to do it again and see how long it takes to get used to. I really love my time in the gym. My trainer was not available today so I can't wait to see her on Tuesday.

Counting Every Ounce!

Ok, I have been really slow now. I am not giving up and have a plan to get past it. I weighed in on Saturday and I was exactly 251. Last week I was 252.8. That means that I have lost 1.8 pds this last week and I am glad. I think that my workout (the cardio part - training is great) has hit a slump. I worked up to a 3 and have been doing 20-30 minutes but it is not challenging. So on Friday I worked at a 3.2 and did an incline of 3 for about half the time. I really felt like I was working harder and I think that will make a difference. Also today I could not get to the gym so when Gordon got home we put the girls to bed and Josh and Ted played the WII while Gordon and I went out and biked the neighborhood. Without the kids I could really push it with Gordon (keeping up with that guy was hard) and we biked a mile and a quarter together. So I managed a good workout today and tomorrow I hit the gym. Even if it is 1.8 pounds a week I will keep going. I really want to lose 15 pds more before Thanksgiving so I am praying this slump passes and I can get back to 3 to 4 pds. (Not that I am greedy)

Off The Edge Of The Earth

I have not died! I just looked at how long it has been since my last post and felt bad and thought I had better update. Ok, so I hit a roller coaster spot. I lost 5 pounds and the next week nothing. Then I went up 2 pounds and then I dropped it back again. So after 2 weeks I was still at 255. Last week I got sick and the kids got sick and then I was just plain tired so I did not work out at all. I finally felt better and got back to the gym and I have lost another 3 pounds! I am excited to be at 252 and hoping to see the 40s this week or next. I really missed working out last week and was feeling great to be back to the gym. The fall schedule is now in place and I feel like I am done being sick so there is no excuses and I really want to lose another 15 to 20 pounds before November 15. It would be great to be at 235 or less for our trip to Maryland at Thanksgiving. That is not the 100 pounds I had thought but I will take it. I guess this really is a long term project and is going to take dedication. Maybe watching biggest loser this fall will give me a push to lose more! hahaha I am just proud of my self for sticking to it and not giving up. I will get there!!!!

Bicycling To The Edge of The Universe

Ok, I am so proud of today. Gordon's car broke down and he took mine to work. I decided that I wasn't going to miss my work out, I wouldn't be able to do another one with my trainer till next week. So I decided to bike to the YMCA. I map quested it and it was 3.75 miles but I had to take the long way to stay off the main road so I figured it was about 4 miles one way. Then when I went to leave I found a flat tire! I have never changed one but decided to try. Then I found out the tube could not be fixed and I searched through boxes till I found a new one and put it in the tire. I was so proud. Then I started out. About a mile in I realized that I had not put the tire on right so I stopped at someones house and deflated the tire and fixed it and then pumped it up again with a hand pump. (Thanks Sister Johnston for the tools) Then I went on to the Y. I got my work out in and then biked about 2 miles back to the car place and Gordon's car was fixed so I brought it home. I was excited to get it all done. I don't know how my weight loss is going but I feel great!

255!!!!

This is my best week to date. I lost 5 pounds! Wow, I was not expecting it. I thought maybe 2 or 3. You could have blown me away with 5. I am excited and feel great. I am not just in the 50s by a bit, I am in the middle. I can see the 40s around the corner! I was so pumped up I got on the treadmill and actually walked at 3.2. Then I ran 2 times for a minute just to get the feel of it. I went up to 3.7 to do that. I shaved about 1 minute off my mile and had fun doing it.

Great News

I am so excited! When I started this diet I was wearing a size 28 and last night I had to buy jeans cause mine were falling off. I GOT SIZE 22! I didn't even weigh in today. I was so happy I didn't even care! I am working hard and it was great to feel so good. I will weigh in next week, but I will keep working. The work with a trainer is so great. It is not just weigh loss but also toning. I love the way I feel.

Boy Am I Confused!

Ok, try to follow this. 2 weeks ago I worked out 3 times with my trainer and was very good on my diet. I lost a crappy 2 pounds (don't tell me that is good the effort was worth more!) The next week I stuck to my diet but only did cardio 1 time for 30 minutes. I gained the 2 pounds back. Ok, so I should not have lost maybe but to gain? So, I decided to take the weekend off and eat what I wanted. I did not pig out but did have ranch on my salad and bacon, and for Sunday dinner I had potatoes with a little butter. (ok, I had seconds on the pork with gravy too) Well I figured with that bad behavior I would have gained more - can you believe it - I lost a pound between Friday and today! So today I started fresh and worked out and stuck to my diet and everything. I will just keep going and my goal this week is to get to the 50s! The 60s have been hard and can not wait to see them go!!!

Worries and Weight

Well, I am not sure if this post belongs here or on one of my other blogs. I have not been to the gym since last Thursday to work out. I have been eating too much but not enough to cause a gain. If I lose one pound this week it will be a miracle. The reason that I am struggling (besides being wickedly over scheduled) is that I am stressed out. Joshua has been slurring his speech. I thought it was a hearing problem but we took him to the speech pathologist at MD Anderson and she thinks it is a brain problem. Radiation damage (we are 2 years out from radiation so I do not get that) or new tumor. We are not worried but of course I am. I did some more research and found out it could also very likely be a stroke. I can't believe I am hoping to hear stroke. People do not understand that we are never going to be free of this horrible monster. I guess I can't change what is. We have an MRI tomorrow and Friday and then we will hear those results. We may also have an MRA to see the status of the blood vessels in his brain if we do not see anything on the MRI. I really want to get to the gym, I enjoy it so much but don't know when I will. I am just hoping that tomorrow goes well and then I will regroup and try again. I also need to get more sleep but that is the first thing to go when I am upset like this. I will keep trying, I refuse to give up. I keep thinking that it will make a difference to the kids if they see that I do not give up. Tomorrow is another day.

A Long Week

I am so bummed. I worked out with my trainer 3 times this week and ate very carefully. I weighed in today and I am at 261. That is just 2 pounds! I know that everybody says that 2 pounds a week is good but I put in a lot more effort than that. If I had 30 pounds to lose maybe but I need to lose 75 more pounds to just be over weight. It is hard to be moving so slow. I have so many things going on I just need to get going faster. I guess I will start again on Monday and hope that next week is better.

The Short Week

I know I weighed in on Monday but I want to get back to Friday weigh ins. So I did it Friday and I lost 2 more pounds! Can you believe it, 2 pounds in 4 days. I am excited about this and can't believe that I am still losing. I keep thinking that I will hit a plateau but not yet! I am 263 and 4 pounds from 59! That will be great. Well it was a short week so this is a short post.

265!

I did not get to the gym on Friday or Saturday (life is really crazy now) but I tried to eat well and keep moving. Today, I had a refrigerator man, 3 extra children, 1 lost child (yes it was Rachel) in a Lowes. I couldn't take it anymore and went to the YMCA just to weigh in. Was I shocked to see that number! I am 6 pounds from 259! Also, when I was at 18 pounds of loss I was telling people 20 so now I am 21 and feel great about it! Also that means I lost 4 pounds this week! Sorry, I just keep adding exclamation points cause every sentence in this post deserves one! I have so much going on that I am really proud that I am able to keep going. I keep thinking that I can't keep everything up but so far I am. I really like working out at the gym and - dare I say it- walking on the treadmill. Ok, I can't take it- I have to end this on a high note ---!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!