Only 2 more pounds before I'm at the 20lb weight loss mark!
I was thinking about how glad I am that I've committed to losing the extra unhealthy weight that I gained while I was in paralegal school and then from my first job as a litigation paralegal, and then the extra weight I put on from my current job as a real estate paralegal. When I last changed jobs 3.5 years ago, I took less pay and no benefits in exchange for a very short commute. So I had a few goals for myself: 1) lose the extra weight and 2) work on speaking Spanish better, and 3) learn Quickbooks. Well, one out of 3 so far....
I made a goal for myself to do better with the monthly budgeting. I fell off the wagon in June so it's time to get back on. This has been a struggle for me though. Just too much to think about, but I can't be an ostrich when it comes to money matters -- as much as I would like to. Unfortunately, it's one of the major stressors in my life right now that is totally stressing me out but I can't ignore it.
Progress as of today: 19 lbs lost so far, only 12.5 lbs to go!
I should probably log in more than once a week. I want to comment on people's entries, but I'm so far behind it feels overwhelming. Please know though that if you comment on your entry after I post weekly, I do read :-)
Down 1/2 pound in spite of an off week. Weather curtailed my walking. Did not always practice moderation or the best food choices. But mostly stayed on track, and that's the key.
The wedding (anniversary celebration, actually - 25 years together) was wonderful. Much more Spanish than I thought there would be but I understood a lot more of what was being said than I thought. The food was delicious! And I was fine with no alcohol (more about this below). There was minimal dancing, but for the religious reasons of the bride and groom, it was kept to a minimum. We left as the dancing started. We're not much on dancing, and with my husband's illnesses and physical limitations, he was ready to go home and rest. I was fine with that because the rest of my table (co-workers) left at that time as well.
About alcohol: I have been sober for quite some time. The last drink I had was a 1/2 glass of wine (with ice because I have to have all of my drinks served cold) at a work-related party in late July. Before then, I had stopped buying wine/beer -- since I think the end of June -- because frankly, I was adding $20+ to my grocery bill every week with booze. I also found that when I have wine/beer/etc. in the house, I have a drink every night. For me, I do not want that to be come a habit. An occassional drink might be OK, but not nightly.
No judgment on others -- just saying that this is not something I want for myself.
So I have the last wine bottle in the cupboard with about 1 glass of white wine left in it.
I'm hoping for a better work week and more focused on my walking. I need to come up with a plan so that when it rains, I still get out there and walk.
Progress as of today: 16 lbs lost so far, only 15.5 lbs to go!
Congrats on another 1/2 lb lost - that's really great. I think I might be 1/2lb up after indulging. Def looking back to getting fully back on track. But i gotta say - indulging was quite fun. and laying off the gym was sorta necessary as i really did party quite bit & the extra rest helped....wait..i should be commenting about you stuff!....
I am SO glad that you enjoyed the party girlfriend. And that you left when you could & that it was fine.
Have a nice week.
I do not like being busy on weekends, but alas, this is one of those busy weekends. In addition to having 3 contracts to open (I brought the work home because I'd rather work at home than have to actually go into the office this weekend) and 1 file to update, one of my co-workers is having a huge 25th wedding anniversary vow-renewal ceremony tonight (Saturday) to which i've been invited (along with my family). The problem is - in addition to taking most of my Saturday evening chill time - we'll be one of the few that speaks only English. Everyone else speaks Spanish. Oh well the music and food should be good. No drinking and no dancing though.
Personally, this is not my kind of thing, with over 250 people invited. I'd much rather be my introverted self and relax, but oh well. So now I'm cramming in all of my stuff today in a shorter period of time because we have to leave around 3:30p.
So why am I logging into Diet Diaries and seemingly wasting precious time? Because I just had to tell you all that I am down to 171.0 - WOOT!
Have a good weekend everyone!
Progress as of today: 15.5 lbs lost so far, only 16 lbs to go!
Congrats on the weightloss! woohoo!
also, why no dancing!?
you are doing great. remember to take time our for yourself. I do like puddles suggestion above. and OR too has great advice.
DO you thing. this week, try to take it easy - especially maybe Monday.
Just checking in for the week, to announce that I have officially reached the 14 lb weight loss mark. Of course, this could just be a temporary thing. I feel like I'm a prisoner to my hormones :-(
Progress as of today: 14 lbs lost so far, only 17.5 lbs to go!
Once I reach my goal weight, I plan to maintain for a while, depending on where I am with life. Then I would like to set another goal, as I am truly most comfortable at a lower number than 155.
I am a prisoner to my hormones this weekend. And all last week - oh man bad mood swings bc PMSing early and man was I a bitch! at work too! Nothing compared to other folks though haha. Thanks for all of your encouragement and remember to always continue encouraging yourself. Take the credit where it's due...your loss is because you made the effort. But to keep it off, you must continue with the program and make sure you are eating to feel full when you eat - using veggies or other low cal options :)
I realized that I did not write an entry last week, although not because I gained 0.5 lbs last week, which was rather discouragin, I'll admit. All that diligence for a gain?! Fear not, because my weigh-in this week was much more rewarding (was at 175.5 last week, 173.0 this week).
So 8lbs closer to meeting my wardrobe goal. Actually, the real reward will be just seeing a new set of numbers when I'm in the 160's.
I look forward to my morning bike rides and love my evening walks with my daughter. I will need to make adjustments though once school starts next week, and then again, when we change the clocks (and it will be dark in the morning and dark at night), and then once again when the cold weather hits.
I would like to start incorporating another walk in my day, either in the morning or at lunch time, but both come with their obstacles.
Progress as of today: 13.5 lbs lost so far, only 18 lbs to go!
As you stick with your goals, you will surely reach your goal. That's all there is to it in life - put in the work and reap the rewards. I'm glad i have figured this part of life out.
My efforts paid off this week, with another 1.5 pounds gone. I am enjoying my exercise time more and more. I'm trying to incorporate more weight resistance or weight training, but that is not happening as much right now. I am anticipating that once the cold winter months set in, that I will pick that up more. And I'm OK with that. Right now I just want to focus on the momentum I have with consistent exercising.
So I am another year older and very grateful for what I have and for what I have been able to accomplish. It's very hard to pick yourself up from the very rock bottom but with this birthday, I can look back and finally acknowledge to myself that, yes, I pretty much have done that. That's not to say that I have completely eliminated surprise bursts of angst and pain from prior transgressions and failures. But that those memories hit me like a brick when they come up shows that, for the most part, I've been able to let go, put them behind me, and move forward.
Hey, I just noticed that I have only 20 lbs more to go. And only 10 more pounds until I can fit into the new (used) professional wardrobe. (New to me, but used by a relative who lost weight a couple of years ago.)
I would also like to lose enough weight to be able to wear my wedding and engagement rings again. It's been too long since I've been able to wear those.
Progress as of today: 11.5 lbs lost so far, only 20 lbs to go!
And, most importantly, realize one thing: you can do whatever it is you set your heart out to do. Just make the right choices, most of the time, and you will achieve your goals.
If i can do it, anyone can.
Back at the 10lb mark for lost pounds... All that hard work and sacrifice this week - I was hoping to see more than just 0.5lbs lost. *sigh* Roll with it.
I am about 10 more pounds away from a fabulous professional wardrobe. I was speaking to a friend last weekend who asked me, "Is that not enough incentive to lose weight?" You would think so, right?
I'm still enjoying the exercise. Doing mostlly all the right things. I guess it will just take a while...
Progress as of today: 10 lbs lost so far, only 21.5 lbs to go!
I did better this week. Felt more positive, made better food choices, STARTED EXERCISING!!!
I ride the exercise bike for 15 minutes in the morning. It's not much as far as exercise or calories, but it really gets the day off to a good start, getting those endorphines going. Makes for a much better day. Then I've started walking at night. Once I've got these down as serious habits, I'm goint to add weight training.
This has resulted in a 5lb loss this week, although I attribute most of that to water and monthly bloat (sorry). I don't mean to make readers uncomfortable, so I'll try to keep this delicate, but it truly is a monthly battle: bloat/cravings/depression. I've dealt with this most of my life, so I believe that this is just the body I've been dealt. Not an excuse, but it's another obstacle to deal with.
My focus this week is to keep the momentum going, moving forward. Peace be with you as well.
Progress as of today: 9.5 lbs lost so far, only 22 lbs to go!
I have something to share about a best friend of mine, that i sometimes wonder how much longer i can really consider her a best friend?
she is from the lands of the negative mindset i think!
no offense ever taken on your comments.
wishing you a happy, positive day. stay focused on yourself and what you are doing right (and you do!)...
I replied to all your comments.
boundaries are what are helping me in reaching my goals, yes. Being able to say NO has proved to be an extremely helpful thing for me for almost the past year (since last September 2015 I've been working on the "no" and i know that i may be saying it more at times to family this year...just about boundaries / saying no to activities if i need the time alone or at home...). it's ok. doing what i have to do!
Weigh in this week was not good. Up 4 pounds... I was so down on myself yesterday that I could not bring myself to write a weekly diary entry, so I waited a day thinking the "blues" would pass, and I think they have, but right now I'm very distracted with anxiety about money matters. Had an expensive car problem this week and I'm waiting for all the funds to transfer and pay-off so that I know my accounts are reconciled. Until then (which will be Monday), I feel paralyzed and anxious about where we're at with our money.
Despite the additional stress and uncertainty, I feel that I was able to keep a positive attitude at work. Friday was crazy, so I texted my husband and asked him out on a date, even though we had just had one last weekend. (You see, we had a good coupon that is going to expire, and this weekend was better for that than this weekend. And I really wanted to just go out and relax with my husband.) That was very enjoyable, but I'm also afraid that the extra food was the cause of the weight gain this week. Meh - gotta live a little.
Still feeling like I'm in limbo though. Need a little push forward and momentum to keep it up. Still feeling stalled and stuck.
Progress as of today: 4.5 lbs lost so far, only 27 lbs to go!
I think that more of the issue in the first half your entry is about anxiety / depression. I think you might be making the situations worse in your head by constantly thinking the worst? I have also dealt with some anxiety (more than depression i think)...and i know I am a person that struggles to always be positive. Some people have hard lives (harder than both of us), and are always happy. Not sure how they do it (and i still think some of it is because of ignorance?)...but i have a feeling you you will definitely get thru your situation...and you do know you will too...just try to look at it as "life" and a negative situation that will pass. I also get anxious when in the moment of it.
I also spent a lot of $$ past couple weeks, so i also have to work on my cash flow...hope to be back on track by August...
No weigh-in this week...
After I wrote my last entry, it dawned on me how STUCK I've been. I didn't even realize it until I read what I wrote, and I'm like, "I keep writing the same thing over and over again!"
So this past week, I've been working on changing my attitude and it has paid off for me and hopefully for those I work and interact with. I come home at the end of the day and I'm happy to be with my family, having dinner with the kids and sometimes my husband (if he isn't sleeping). I go to work and approach each day as a fresh opportunity, grateful that I have a job. I've started setting limits at work too, more selective on which phone calls I take and drawing a line at when I stop answering emails so that I can get out at a decent hour.
I've been without goals for myself for quite some time. I think that would help to have some goals. I'm not sure where to start.
Progress as of today: 8 lbs lost so far, only 23.5 lbs to go!
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Congratulations - 20 lbs (almost) is great! Finances can be a big stressor. Are you thinking about taking a different job again, or is there potential for raises at your current job? I have recently retired, but would love to come up with a way to earn from home or working only a day or two a week to ease the cash flow a bit. Could you moonlight doing paralegal stuff on an as needed basis?
Horn_of_plenty on 09/12/2016:
Congrats so much with your success! 20lbs is huge! Amazing job to you. You did it because you wanted it.
I am sorry the financial stuff is not working out the way you want it to or as fast as you'd like it to. My suggestion is to take it slow - small goals that you know can be achieved.
im71 on 09/12/2016:
Good Morning Donkey! Congratulations on your weight loss so far. As for the financial stuff, .... remember to always pay yourself first. Even if it's a very small amount. I always told my sons to save 10% of their money, whether it be wages, allowance, gifts etc. Then forget they had it as far as it being available for use. There are 6 of them and some took my advice and some didn't. The ones who did, are now very wealthy. The ones who didn't aren't so well off financially but are doing better than in their younger years as their children are now grown and not dependent on them. I think you've accomplished the most difficult of your goals. LOSING WEIGHT! Many congratulations on that! I'm betting you'll accomplish the other goals as well. Have a great day!