Notice I changed my "Current Weight". Yes, it's higher than the 135.0 I was a week ago, but I've made adjustments after having 2 evenings of excessive eating of desserts. I figure in the long run, who cares if my weight is higher March 1st, because if I stay on track, my weight will be going down, down, down. (Confidentially, I was up to 140.2 several days ago but that will be just between us friends. I still consider 138.5 my starting weight.)
I had very little shoveling to do today, in comparison. With all the rain, the snow is melting, so I spent about 15 minutes clearing away some slush, for my "cardio" today. Last I heard we are supposed to be getting more snow this weekend. This is one time I hope the weather-people are WRONG. Perhaps they are. It was almost 40F outside today. (My apologies to my metric friends. I'm not very good with temperature conversions.)
I spent most of my "free time" when the kids are in school, at the old house. I cleaned the refrigerator (what a MESS) and the top of the cupboards. After trying several household cleaners, I resorted to using "Goo Gone" to clean them. Goo Gone isn't really a cleaner but more for removing lipstick stains or crayon on the wall, etc. All that is left is the bathroom tubs and floors to clean upstairs. Then my part for putting the house on the market is done.... unless Husband wants me to do some painting.
My eating has gone very well today too. I finally feel like I've got a handle on portion control and moderation, the whole intake versus output. I signed up for an online diet tracker website -- you know, the kind where you put down what you've eaten and what you've exercised and it calculates the calories, fat, carbs, etc. for you -- and it has helped me tremendously. I was even able to have Girl Scout cookies last night and feel satisfied without resorting to eating the whole box.
I really feel like I'm back to the motivational point I was when I first started to lose weight (in 2002, when I weighed 180lb). This is a good place to be.
Progress as of today: 1.5 lbs lost so far, only 12 lbs to go!
Today, I jogged home from my daughter's bus stop. It got me to thinking that I could easily do this (jog) in my neighborhood -- ONCE IT STOPS SNOWING!!! -- every other day or so. Sure I'd be the crazy lady running in her winter coat, but who cares?
Then I went back to the Old House today to do some cleaning and shoveling. Well, the snow was so packed and frozen and DEEP that I spent literally 2 hours -- yes, I timed it -- clearing off the driveway and the entrance of the driveway (where the snow plows packed 3 feet of snow). It is NOT a long driveway, my friends. So now there is enough space for one car to get into the 2-car driveway and the driveway is cleared.
Except that it is now snowing again. And I mean, really snowing.
UGH. So tomorrow, when I should be doing more cleaning on the inside (didn't have time to do much inside the house today), I will be outside, shoveling yet AGAIN.
I managed to clean the insides of the cupboards and the outside of the refrigerator. Tomorrow, I plan to clean the tops of the cupboards (which are caked with dust/cat hair/grease and the inside of the refrigerator and hopefully the freezer too.
That is, after I get done shoveling.
After that, the kitchen is pretty much finished, cleaning-wise. So then I have 2 bathtubs and 2 bathroom floors to clean (on my hands and knees).
I have to figure that all of this activity HAS to count for SOME kind of exercise. Well, it beats sitting in front of the TV eating. I think looking for a gym will have to wait until next week. I got another offer in the mail today, no long term contract, pay month-to-month and the coupon says no initiation fee (with the coupon). Child care is $5 a month per child, so that I would pay. I have no idea how much it costs per month either! So that might not be such a good deal.
My Husband asked his co-worker that belongs to the fancy gym ($90/month for the family) how much she pays for just herself and that is $49/month. I know my daughter (6yrs old) and I would use the gym. My son would probably not but might give some of the classes a try; he would use the pool in the summer for sure. So what I tried to find out today is when Husband would use the gym. Because I'm not really going to pay for 3 people if he's not going to use the gym. I'll just get a single membership for myself.
Well, he interviewed for a promotion today, so if he gets the promotion, then his hours would change. So I will have to wait to see if he gets the job. He would probably only use the gym 3 days a week though. So I'm not any closer to solving that issue right now.
Progress as of today: 3.5 lbs lost so far, only 10 lbs to go!
Hope you find some other alternatives to the gym problem...I know I am lucky to have my campus gym included with my student fees, when I graduate next year I'll have to pay at a new gym!
If it makes you feel any better, according to "Fitday.com" 2 hrs of shovelling snow burns 559 calories, thats definetly exercise! I also don't enjoy shovelling snow but my kids love to get out there with their little shovels and help. Well, at least they think they are helping, its very cute anyway!!!
Good luck with the gym dilema!!
http://positivepause.com/
Thanks for the comment you left me. It made me feel a lot better. You're right, it was silly of me to think about wanting to die - like that would solve the problem! I was just moping and feeling sorry for myself, I guess. But I'm done with that now!
Oh, and don't worry about what people will think of you jogging in your winter coat. I used to worry about how I looked while jogging all the time. I feel really cold so I tend to dress quite warmly compared to most runners. So I constantly worried that people were staring at me and thinking that I wasn't a "real" runner. Then one day I saw a guy running at the track, under the blazing sun, in a dress shirt and slacks!! I never again questioned my running attire.
Today I went back to the old house to clean. Since I am short, I cleaned everything in the kitchen that was low: stove, oven, lower cupboards and drawers. Tomorrow I will bring the step ladder and clean cabinets. Hopefully I will also get to the refrigerator too. It did not help matters that when we arrived at the old house, there was about 2 feet of snow in the driveway, and much of it had iced up.
I met up with a mom at the bus stop this morning. She lives 3 doors down. I found out that she goes to the gym after she drops off the kids. She was very enthusiastic about the gym, as are most people I've talked to about this place. It's really a nice place. This was one of the places I was seriously considering getting a gym membership at. In fact, although I intended to shop around, this one was probably going to be the place I'd sign up. My husband wants to go, and he thinks we should get a family membership so the kids can take classes if they want (e.g. cheerleading, karate, yoga) or get free child care.
Well, my neighbor told me that it's $90 a month to go. And that's not with the initiation fee, which I'm guessing is around $200 (standard). And a lot of places have a processing fee of around $50 (which is total donkey-doo, really just a way to get more money out of you). OK, fees aside, because I knew that there would be fees, I think $90 a month is kind of steep. Does that seem high to you? Of course, for a single person, it's around $60 a month ( a similar gym in the town next door is $68 per month). So getting a family membership isn't all that much of a stretch. Essentially, you get the spouse at half-price and the kids are free.
Now at the other gym I was considering, monthly dues are $20 a month. Initiation fee is $100-ish and I don't know about a processing fee.
The husband at first said no way, but then said, well we could probably manage it. But that's my Husband for ya, he spends first and kind of thinks about it later. I know it's hard to put a price on good health. I suppose it depends on how often Husband and the kids would use the gym. But I was disappointed and frustrated. It does not help matters that my jeans are very tight around my thighs today.
And of course, Girl Scout cookies came in today. So I have something to eat out my emotions. Sad Donkey.
Progress as of today: 3.5 lbs lost so far, only 10 lbs to go!
I"M SO DISCOURAGED WITH MYSELF RIGHT NOW!!! (yes, I'm shouting)
I'm just trying to help you justify the cost. I see too many old/sick and old/sick/recovering (and recovered/doing better) people I guess.
Good luck in your gym-quest!
I don't know what the typical gym fee is where you are but I don't think $90.00 is that bad if it is for the whole family and it will include activities for the kids such as karate and cheerleading. Ofcourse it depends if you can afford that kind of a monthly payment. I think you really need to get back into your gym routine and you would start feeling better. I pay $42.00 a month just for my membership. It does include daycare for my kids but not activities for them. If your worried that you can't afford it maybe just see if you can find a gym that accomidates you for a lower fee. I do agree with biscotti that your health is worth the cost but you don't want to take on a payment that doesn't fit your budget either, that would just be another headache!!
I think your just in a bit of a rutt but don't get discouraged, you can get back into your exercise routine when things settle down. You sound like you need a hug, so HUGS:)
Take care of yourself hon, don't get so down on yourself your stronger than that and I know you can get those couple of pounds back off!!!
Since you asked, $90 seems a little steep to me, but that's assuming it would be mainly just you using the gym. If the whole family will actually use it, $90 isn't a lot. I would probably go for the cheaper one myself but I feel like you're leaning towards the other one so I don't want to dissuade you from it!
Thanks for the comment you left me. I feel like my cousin does deliberately try to sabotage me. But I'm sure it's just my imagination - I'm just jealous. She naturally eats a lot less than me so she doesn't need to count calories or diet or anything. I try to tell myself that she is thinner than I would like to be, it's better to be athletic than just skinny, etc. But it's hard to make myself believe it.
And I wish my problems could be due to PMS but there's been no sign of that since I went off the pill! No such luck. I will try the green tea, though. Thanks!
OK, so I got on the scale today.... And it shows me at 138.5. So I am right back where I started. *sigh*
Again, it is snowing and it is cold(er), so I do not want to be outside at all. I did make the effort to pick up the kids at the bus stop (walking & waiting), and I did a little more unpacking. But the Husband is home today and so everything is kind of off the routine.
Since I am not exercising per se, I have decided to focus most of my efforts on eating - or rather, NOT eating. I don't think I'll lose any weight that way but at least if it can keep me from gaining....
I hope to go gym shopping next week. There is a "basic" gym nearby but Husband says, Why would you join there? If you go a little further down the road, you can belong to a gym that has everything. Yes, and I'm sure it comes with an "everything" type of price tag too. But I do know that the Everything Gym has a family membership, and then the kids can take fitness classes too. So that might be worth considering....
I just wish it would warm up already. And STOP SNOWING!!!!
Progress as of today: 3.5 lbs lost so far, only 10 lbs to go!
and I agree with you on the cold weather! I do love the snow, but there are so many activities to do in warmer weather!
I never got to the computer on Saturday. I did manage a weigh-in but I was so distressed by what the scale said to me. Even with no dinner on Thursday and all the trauma of the kidney infection, I weighed in at 141.0! This bothered me ALL DAY.
Logically, I am sure that some of that is fluid retention from the hospital, as they put 2 bags of fluid through me to flush out my system. But part of me is angry at my body for packing on weight at the first opportunity of inactivity. That is to say, I *need* to exercise in order to lose weight. Restriction of calories is not enough. Heaven help me if I ever injure my back permanently (I have a disc in my back that flares up occasionally) and I can't move or workout at all. I would balloon up to 200lbs before the end of the month, I am sure.
So this incident has emphasized to me even more so the urgency that I find a gym. Because I doubt I will ever reach my goal weight otherwise.
And I might add that this weigh-in was totally self-defeating, as I chose to console myself by the end of the day Saturday with a bowl of ice cream and 2 small sugar cookies from the Italian bakery. So now my 141 will be truly 141 and not just fluid retention.
Needless to say, I was too afraid to weigh myself this morning. Ergh, I am totally discouraged.
Progress as of today: 3.5 lbs lost so far, only 10 lbs to go!
I feel distressed this morning too because my weight didn't STAY at 140 on the scale this morning. I bought myself a scale over the weekend because the one at the gym is always messed up and people always reset it and stuff so you cannot count on it. I'm the type who has to weigh themselves each morning to keep eating in check even though I know weight fluctuates from day to day.
Sorry this message is so long! I just can sympathize with you 100 percent right now!
I also wonder what would happen to me if I were ever immobilised for some reason. There was a girl on this website who was just getting started with the whole weight loss process when she fell down the stairs and broke her leg in two places. It was quite bad and she was stuck in a wheelchair for quite some time. She became extremely depressed and left the site. When she returned, I fully expected her to have gained back all her weight and then some, but unbelievably, she had lost almost 100 lb! I don't know how she did it, but I shall have to use that story for inspiration if ever anything like that happens to me.
Thanks for the comment you left me. I love falafel too, so I've made it at home and sadly, know only too well the calorie count (about 100 per falafel - they are deep-fried, you know!). My low weight was probably just due to dehydration after running for over two hours in the middle of the day. Oh, my goal weight is 114, by the way, so I guess I am under that right now, which is good because I always need a little leeway!
I know how frustrating that must be for you to gain weight the minute you stop exercising. I know that they say 70% of weight loss is your diet and 30% is exercise but I also need to exercise in order to lose weight. It doesn't seem to matter how well I eat or how low my calories are, if I miss one day of exercise I will usually gain half a pound or ever 1 whole pound. I guess all of our bodies respond differently, but my body is similiar to yours and requires daily exercise!!
Don't beat yourself up to much about indulging in some icecream and cookies! we have to treat ourselves every now and then to some "unhealthy" but very tasty treats!!
Don't be discouraged, you can do this! Today is a new day and you can start fresh!
Take care of that Kidney infection, how unpleasant for you:( I hope your feeling better soon!!
Oh, and to answer your question about how I fold laundry while riding my bike, its a recumbant bike not stationary so my hands are free while I'm peddling. It can be a little challenging but I make it work. I usually pull my bike over beside the coffee table and then I can take the laundry out of the basket on one side and fold it on the coffee table beside me!! This is also good for my arms while I'm riding!! I hope that makes sense in writing!
Take care!
I have been able to stay very active and I would probably be completely lost without exercise as well--the diarist BTC was referring to was chickie_maui--her diary is quite inspirational.
Have a good one!
I hope you all didn't think I am the type of person to have a few diary entries and then drop off the edge of the planet. I was without internet for 2 days, but the problem seems to be resolved now.
Needless to say, when one ignores what feels like a bladder infection, it will only come back to bite her back in the donkey. Because I ended up in urgent care for most of last night with a raging kidney infection.
So diet-wise, I had no dinner last night, and I was pretty wasted for much of today, although I am eating more. I am sure that I will be back to my old self tomorrow (although I do have antibiotics to take), with the exception of this cold (runny nose, sneezing) that I seem to have picked up.
I hope to have a current weigh-in tomorrow morning.
Progress as of today: 3.5 lbs lost so far, only 10 lbs to go!
I'm sure the stress had something to do with it. You are in need of some serious relaxation! I hope you can rest up this weekend.
I should be unpacking or cleaning, but since I'm online anyway, I'll post an entry. I weighed in this morning at 137.0, so my weight continues to come back down from the "moving weight" I put on.
I also managed to get my butt out the door and walk. I thought I had walked longer than I actually did, though because when I returned home, I saw that I was gone barely 30 minutes. I found a bike path that I can walk tomorrow though. It has been shoveled/plowed. I realize though that I am a gym person at heart. I need to get to the point in unpacking & living where I feel comfortable seeking out a new gym.
My "woman" problem continues to improve, although it is still not 100%.
Them durned cats kept me up all night again. Bouncing, jumping, hacking up a hairball, not so much crunching though. I am hoping that this is because things are still new for them. But both Husband and I agree that something has GOT to change here, because this is ridiculous.
I'm planning on having a big salad for lunch. It has been about a month since I've had a salad. YUM!
EVENING EDIT: I got a substantial amount of unpacking done today. I have 12 boxes of various sizes left, and half of them say "books" on them. I still have lots of cleaning although I did do some of that today too. But I figure cleaning will never be done. So I made a deal with myself that once I am done unpacking, I can go shopping for a new gym. Probably next week.
I did very well eating-wise again today. Not so good on the water intake. I'm almost out of cranberry juice. I'm still working at the water though. I guess I'll be up all night anyway with the cats, so I might as well go to the bathroom while I'm awake.
We attended Ash Wednesday services today, looking for a new church. OMG, the church we went to was 3x the size of my old church! Holy ****** my daughter couldn't even see the priest! Everyone but me liked it. I'm ok with it, but I miss the intimacy of my smaller church in my old town. Unfortunately, it's too far away to drive to that church. Besides, most of my neighbors go to St. Mary's, so I figure we should too. My husband is open to visiting 2 or 3 more churches though, before making a final decision. I think I'd like to do that. I managed to not eat meat, and while I did not fast -- because for me, fasting triggers bingeing, which defeats the whole purpose of fasting for Ash Wednesday in the first place -- I did well on portions.
Progress as of today: 3.5 lbs lost so far, only 10 lbs to go!
Oh what a day and it is not even evening yet.
First of all, let me just say that one of the disadvantages of having hardwood floors and vaulted ceilings in the same house is that if you own cats, you will be awakened many times throughout the night with the noise from their nighttime mischief. I never knew that cats crunched their kibble so LOUDLY. And of course, there are 4 of them, and they all have to eat at separate times throughout the night. Then came hours of chasing, jumping, scratching (?), meowing, and spatting. Needless to say I did not get much sleep last night.
Because of this lack of sleep, I neglected to weigh-in this morning. I just reached for that cup of coffee this morning to wake myself up. The good news is that I have my Thinner scale and my Tanita scale upstairs in the bathroom. I may be giving my Thinner scale to a friend, although it is much kinder to me than the Tanita. And personally, I think the Tanita scale is full of It because it says that I have been gaining like 4 lb of muscle in a week. No, I don't *think* so.
Secondly, I am tired of having strange men coming into my house. Today the furniture men came and I don't know what happened, but the wood floors in my son's bedroom have a huge scratch (in a very interesting geometric pattern, I must say) on it. Damn! Please pardon my language, I mean no offense; but that really hurts. Fortunately, his bed covers up the area that is scratched. I think it is too big of an area to be repaired with touch-up stuff.
And even this wouldn't be so bad except that my husband is working overtime tonight, so he won't be home until after 7p. He has been having a bad day, I have been having a bad day. I did not get a walk in, today -- another d*mn! So my day has been stress filled as well. I can only hope that my kids had GREAT days at school. Otherwise, I say, let's call it a day and go to bed at 4:30p.
On top of ALL of this, I seem to be battling some kind of infection or irritation. I will spare you all the unpleasant details except to say that it is a "woman" problem. So I have been drinking cranberry juice (actually, I dilute it with water 1:3, so I am drinking plenty of water), eating yogurt and trying to remain calm, because when I stress out, it hurts more.
The BEST part about today is how wonderful I will feel tomorrow morning waking up to a new day and a fresh start. I do hope I will be able to go for a walk/jog tomorrow. I am really going to try hard to do so.
At any rate, the reason why I am writing this NOW is because if I don't, I will be eating. So I figured it would be better to write in my Dear Donkey Diet Diary than to eat. And I do feel a little better now.
EVENING EDIT: I have done pretty well today, considering all the stress. I am a stress eater extraordinaire, so I am pleased. Of course, my husband isn't home yet to see the big gouge in the floors.
I hope to remember to weigh in tomorrow. If I could be at my starting weight, then I would be cool with that. Sad, isn't it...
Progress as of today: 3.5 lbs lost so far, only 10 lbs to go!
And believe me, if you think having hardwood floors can be an inconvenience, imagine what it's like to live in the apartment below an apartment with hardwood floors! I can't sleep for the sound of the neighbour clomping around in her high-heeled shoes at all hours of the night! And when she drops something on the floor it could wake the dead!
Thanks for your comment. You're right, I did come back all sweaty after running on my lunch break, and that was kind of a problem. I normally don't sweat much but it was kind of sunny yesterday. I had to clean up as best as I could at the sink. But don't forget that I'm in France so I was probably still cleaner than the average person here, haha!!
It's a bit early to be logging in but I thought I should grab the opportunity while I had the chance.
Today I returned to the old house and got my old scale. It is still in the trunk of my car though. I am stuck here all day tomorrow until the furniture people come -- and they only give a delivery time "window" of 4 hours. So I figure I will do more unpacking and cleaning tomorrow, with what's in my car, etc.
At any rate, I spent nearly 3 hours cleaning 3 bathrooms (but not showers) in our old home. Yuck. When i returned home, my husband had cleared out a lot of empty boxes in the family room.
I"m still doing very well eating wise, but again, I did not get out and walk or run. I'll get back into exercise soon enough. I weighed in at 139.0 today on my Tanita scale. Since my weight is continuing to progress downward -- now that we're not eating out any more! -- I will not change my progress bar.
Progress as of today: 3.5 lbs lost so far, only 10 lbs to go!
Today went very well eating-wise. Hooray!!! Ate in moderation, had 3 meals, 1 snack, and 1 dessert. I have decided I am going to try to follow the principles of "You on a Diet", which is a lot like South Beach Diet, with more of an emphasis on regular exercise and a little more flexibility on the carbs.
Ironically, speaking of exercise, I never did get to my intended walk today. My outdoor gym shoes are still at my old house, as is my old scale (name brand: Thinner). So I guess I will weigh in on my new scale (name brand: Tanita) tomorrow. I weighed in on Saturday and I was at 141.6, sad to say. I plan to return to our old house to pick up some things, including my shoes and my scale. I'm also hoping to do a little cleaning while I'm there but I don't want to spend a lot of time there. I want to come back home.
Progress as of today: 3.5 lbs lost so far, only 10 lbs to go!
Happy Gym shopping! I hope your able to find a nice gym to suite your needs by March 1st!
[ Previous Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 Next Page ]
You sound much more content and in control today. Well done!! That is a good place to be :0)
girliegirl6486 on 03/01/2007:
OH PLEASE NO MORE SNOW! Good job on eating today. I haven't been doing too well the last two days with eating either.
sharklover on 03/01/2007:
That's great that you are feeling very motivated!!
I love Goo Gone, that stuff works miracles! haha
And great job on eating well, especially with the girl scout cookies! I'm afraid to have some because I'm not sure I have that much control yet. They are just so good! :-)
You're doing great! Keep up the good work!
borntocry on 03/02/2007:
Oh, I did not realise you had lost so much weight. That is very impressive! And you have been maintaining this weight for quite a while now?
Thanks for the comment you left me. Maybe from now on I just shouldn't time myself on windy days. I should just look at it as resistance training, as you suggested. Kind of like hill running, which I don't do at all (although maybe I will start to do some after my race)!