140.8 and counting...

So I haven't exactly been great about the whole dieting process lately, but it is amazing how stress and depression can impact weight. If this trend continues, I will be at my goal weight in another week or two. I am really trying NOT to return to my old eating habits from high school and college though and I am trying very hard to eat at least something even when I don't feel like it. On some level though, I am enjoying the effects of my depression in regards to my weight loss. On the 21st I actually weighed 145.8 (had gained two pounds before the move), so I have basically lost 5 pounds in one week's time. I don't do well with food when I am upset and the hardest emotion for me to process is when I let people down. So this week has been a rough one in terms of food, but like I said, I am trying not to return to my old habits as much as I would desperately love to drop a few more pounds.

144.0-- The Final Countdown has begun!!!

And of course, now I have that annoying 80s song stuck in my head because of it, but at least I am on the final 9.

145.2

Woo hoo! I have lost almost 18 pounds and can finally see a difference in my clothes and my face. I even wore a pair of skinny pants today.

148???

I can't even believe it-- I ate pretty well this weekend in Redding, but was unable to stick to the South Beach diet the entire time. This morning the scale said 147.8 and I was in shock. I am going to get back on track with South Beach though so that hopefully the pounds will continue to drop.

South Beach Update...

I am on day 3 and still loving the South Beach diet. I haven't been overly hungry and haven't found it difficult to find foods to eat, even when I am eating out-- which is awesome. Plus, I couldn't resist and I weighed myself-- I already lost 1 pound after only two completed days of dieting (150.4)!!! I haven't cheated once, even though I was really tempted at work when someone brought in a chocolate cake with a whipped cream frosting under a chocolate ganashy type of frosting. But my vigilance seems to be paying off. Hope it stays this easy to stick to!

Diet Update--

OK, so I still weigh 151.4-- which is OK. I may not be losing, but I haven't gained any back either. Sometimes I feel bummed out because I have lost 13 pounds, but am still wearing the same size as before-- so yesterday I decided that I need an attitude adjustment to get back on track. I have lost 13 pounds and I should be proud of that-- I basically only have 15 (and a little extra) to lose. I am almost halfway to my goal weight and I should be proud-- not disappointed.

My office manager started the South Beach diet last week and has been loving it. The first two weeks are the most difficult because you have to give up carbs and even fruits-- pretty much are allowed protein and veggies and dairy. Not horrible. Plus even at the strictest phase (phase 1) you are allowed No Sugar Added Fudgsicles, which are my favorite. Phase 1 is designed to help jump start your diet (on average, people lose between 8 and 14 pounds) and also curb the carb cravings. Since I live and die by my carb cravings, I think this is the plan for me. I live on carbs and the highs immediately following eating them, but am always starving a little later, which adds to increased weight gain and miserable dieting because I am hungry all day long. Hopefully, Phase 1 will conquer my cravings so that I can be successful in the later stages. Then, you slowly reintroduce carbs and fruits during Phase II and Phase III is basically just a healthy lifestyle. And it also incorporates exercise as well, but aims at 20 minutes a day which is realistic even for me.

Because I don't have a lot of weight left to lose (I am sure the people that lost 14 pounds probably weighed a lot more than 151), I don't expect to lose a ton during Phase 1, but I am hoping that it will curb my cravings and allow me to lose weight in Phase 2 at a more gradual and steady pace.

And although I am only a few hours into my South Beach diet, I actually am not that hungry and I feel like I have had good meals and snacks today.

So, once again, I am back on track and looking forward to catching up with Tricia again (Way to go, Tricia!). I will post again in a few days to tell you how the South Beach diet is working a few days in... Thank you for keeping me accountable.

Update...

So my current weight is 151.4, so I am still losing. I feel a little frustrated though because I thought if I lost over 10 pounds, it would show more. People are noticing that I am losing weight, but I still fit into my fat clothes. (I can wear my old size 9s though from before Devon was born, which is something positive.) I was just hoping that the weight loss would be a little more dramatic, but I have still got 18.5 pounds to go. Maybe that will add a dramatic flourish...

Health update: I went to the doctor, and I was having panic attacks... which is good to know. Now I am on a low dose of Selexa and meeting with a counselor a few times to try to find better ways to manage stress. A surprising side effect of the Selexa (besides the drowsiness) is that it totally curbs my appetite, or maybe the stress and depression were causing me to eat emotionally, but now I am back to my old appetite-- small meals and small snacks-- without feeling like I am starving to death in between. I was a little nervous about the med because it could have gone the other way and caused me to gain weight, but the return of my old appetite is nice. So, Operation Starvin Marvin should stay on track.

Goals for the week

OK, I am back on track.
I weighed in yesterday at 153.8, my lowest since leaving Redding two years ago. Woo hoo! Just another 19 more pounds to lose by summer! I have already lost 9.2 in 3 months, so I just need to keep on track!

My goals for the week:
1) Exercise every day for at least 20 minutes (which is actually feasible now b/c the elliptical was delivered and assembled yesterday. I can work out while Devon watches Einsteins or Elmo now.)
2) Eat more fruits and veggies. I bought three pre-packaged fruit and veggie trays yesterday which I am going to divide into tupperware tubs. One tub a day to stay on track!)
3) Buy Josh a good multivitamin so he is not sick all the time-- It is easier for me to stay on track when I am settled into my normal routine. (He was sick ALL last week. Very hard to find any personal time at all when your hubby is sick.)
4) Drink at least 80 ounces of water a day (about 10 glasses or 5 water bottles).

I just want to get this done already!

P.S. I scheduled a check up with the doctor and everything to make sure there are no physical impediments to my weight loss. Plus I want to get a handle on my panic attacks.

Super Late Weigh In

I have been sooo bad about posting lately, but here goes.
I currently weigh 155.8, which is OK. Pretty good considering I went completely off my diet last week when I was in Redding and have relapsed on the soda ban due to an inability to handle stress right now. I have been taking my vitamins regularly and eating lunch at my desk 3 days each week instead of out, which is helping. I think the one thing I just need to do is buckle down and exercise. I put everyone and everything above exercise right now and I just need to change that whole mentality. I have basically got 21 more pounds to lose.

Goals for the week:
1) Continue the multivitamin and fish oil.
2) Find some personal time each day where I am completely selfish (if only for 15 minutes). See the family blog for reference to the Devon stresses I have been fighting lately.
3) Get back on track with my diet: More fruit, more veggies. Less snacking at work.
4) Get back on track with my diet blogging so my friends and family can hold me accountable again.

OK, so here we go again!

Weekly Weigh In

My weigh in for Saturday was 156.4, which was nice to see, especially after last week. I gave up my Starbucks and managed not to crave soda which is nice. I even allowed myself one splurge when Josh and I went out for lunch at a nicer restaurant-- I had one Diet Soda and went back to going without. So things are going really well on the food end of things; now I need to focus on exercising. I always meet all my goals except for the exercise one. Only 21 more pounds to go!!!

Victory (and a little Defeat)

OK, so the major victory is that I haven't had a soda in 6 days and have actually been feeling pretty good about it. The ultimate test was when I had a slice of pizza for dinner one night and didn't wash it down with my favorite Diet Pepsi. But I survived it and am headache free!

The downside is I weigh 158, as of this AM. I managed to gain 1/2 a pound this week, which stinks, especially because overall I was really good about my food choices (besides the slice of pizza). I ate a good breakfast every day, ate healthy snacks and cooked dinner at home almost every night this week. After doing some research on the Internet I think I figured out the culprit though-- I had been getting my caffeine fix at Starbucks in the mornings. I found out my favorite Starbucks beverage is 500 calories! So I sabotaged myself, but now I know. And the good news is that I haven't been craving my Diet Sodas the last few days, so I don't think that I will need a coffee drink to prevent me from drinking soda. I will just not drink coffee drinks next week, unless super desperate. At least I know where the extra calories came from!

Josh and I did make a decision about our couple goal. We want to lose 10% of our body mass by June 1st. When we accomplish it, our rebate check will get split 50/50 towards whatever we want. Should we fail, the money will go towards paying off our credit card. Either way, it's a win!
10% of my weight is 15 1/2 pounds and 10% for Josh is 23 pounds. So we will have to lose a combined total of 38.5 pounds, which will definitely be tough. I am hoping to lose a little more than my 10% goal, but 10% is a good first step. I am glad that he will also be trying to lose weight, it will make cooking at home much easier, when I want to try things like whole wheat pasta and he freaks out. Now I will have some leverage for healthy eating at home. =)

Update...

So far so good. I managed to avoid having a diet soda yesterday and even drank another 9 glasses of water. My weight is a little higher today b/c I am in the water retention stage of drinking water, but I think in a few more days, the water retention will be over. Let's see if I can go for Day 4 of no soda-- If I get through today, I am pretty sure I have conquered my battle against withdrawal. Woo hoo. On another note, I started a food diary (torture). I am not sure it will be as affective as a preventative tool, but at least I will feel more empowered to grab a healthy snack as opposed to a treat.

P.S. I am really proud of my brother who is also giving up soda. Yeah Matt! (He is doing much better at it than I am.)

Small Victory...

For the first time in LOOOONG time (maybe ever), I actually drank 1/2 my body weight in ounces like I am supposed to every day AND I didn't have any soda to dehydrate me either. And I did 30 minutes of cardio. Yay me!

I am in diet soda withdrawal mode though. I have been getting headaches so severe from the withdrawal that I can barely open my eyes and other forms of caffeine have not been working either. I can go about two or three days before the headaches become so severe that it interferes with my work and then I usually cave and have a small soda. I am at the end of day two with no soda and hoping to break through the withdrawal cycle tomorrow. I want to make it happen...

On another note, Josh and I are thinking about setting a weight loss goal as a couple: like if we lose a combined total of x pounds, we will do y. We just can't figure out what would really motivate us (that we can realistically afford.) I would love a weekend back in San Diego or renting a house on the coast, but I am not sure it is financially feasible. So if anyone has any good ideas on a y, let me know.

My goals for 1/21/08-1/27/08:
1) Multivitamin.
2) Eat breakfast at home every day.
3) Drink at least 6 glasses of water each day.
4) Work out 3x this week for at least 20 minutes each session.

Weekly Weigh In

As of this morning, I weigh 157.8, which is OK, I wish it were a little lower. I will definitely have to pump up my weekly goals to lose a little more this week.

Staying On Track...

For the most part I am staying on track. My portion sizes are better and I am eating a lot more fruits and veggies. I am mostly off of Diet Soda. I still have one occasionally, but having one every few days is a lot better than three Big Gulps a day. The main reason I will have one now is to get rid of the soda hangover-- no joke. I am having withdrawal from Diet Coke, complete with headaches, mood swings and overall crankiness. My goal is to completely give it up in the next few months (baby steps). Even reducing my consumption has helped me lose weight So I am hanging in there and moving forward on this whole diet adventure.

Weekly thoughts and new goals...

Last week's goals were the same as my first week goals, mostly because it's been difficult for me to actually meet those simple goals. My first week I did pretty well and even lost a few pounds, but at the end of my first week my 2 year old got an ear infection/ sinus infection combo which evolved into a lung infection this week. I am pretty good at sticking to my goals when everything in my life is going smoothly, but when the sleep deprivation and overall exhaustion from dealing with my son's illness hit me, I found myself going back to my old lifestyle choices out of convenience. Plus I had two really bad days at work and was pretty depressed which also lead to huge cravings for comfort sodas and sweets. BUT I am learning from this experience: 1) I need to be prepared for healthy eating. Devon got sick the day before my weekly shopping trip so it got postponed and left me scrambling to put together meals. I need to keep healthy (non-perishable) foods around so that I can live off those should I need to for a weekend. 2) I am an emotional eater. I didn't think I was, but when I got depressed this week, I really craved my comfort foods. Some of the cravings I managed to overcome, but I caved in on a few of them. I am not sure what I need to do in order to fight the emotional eating thing. Recite daily mantras? Talk to a counselor? I don't know. This week I relied heavily on talking to my mom. I know she has been through everything I am going through, plus she is trying to lose 30 pounds too. 3) I need to find some way to relieve stress and emotions that does not involve food. At some point really soon, I am going to have to bite the bullet and get up an hour earlier so that I can start exercising and relieving some of this tension.

All that being said, I am going to keep to my old weekly goals for the week, with some minor revisions. (1/14-1/21)
1) Take a multi-vitamin 2x a day.
2) Eat breakfast at home every morning.
3) Eat a piece of fruit or veggie with every meal.
4) Drink 4 glasses of water each day (I don't drink hardly any right now and 4 is actually a huge increase. I would like to gradually increase the number up to 8 or 9.)

Those goals are realistically achievable and hopefully will help in this whole weight loss process.

My starting weight from late December was 163.
I am currently at 158.4.
My goal weight is 135. (Which is 5 lbs. higher than my pre-pregnancy heaviest weight.)
Only 24 more pounds to go!