why??

Hi friends,

I know it's been a long time since I checked in here. If you read my regular blog, you'll know that we were traveling for about a month, and then spent a week or so getting over jet lag.

Tonight, after being home from our trip for nearly two weeks, I was finally able to go to the gym again. When we left on our trip, I was down 7.5 lbs from my starting point and hoped to keep it all off. While on the trip, I went to the gym several times with my mother-in-law, usually for 1.5 - 2 hours at a time. I went to an aerobics class with my sister-in-law once. I went running with my sister and brother-in-law almost every morning for 2 weeks, and managed to run 2 miles straight a few times. I thought I was doing pretty well even though I knew I wasn't doing so well with the food side of things. (I tried to make good choices, but I didn't always have control over what was available, and let's face it... I was on vacation!)

So tonight when I went to the gym, I was hoping that my weight was still around the same as before. I could have accepted a couple of pounds gained, especially since the last two weeks I have mostly been sitting on my bum and snacking way too much. But I was pretty shocked to see that I had gained most of the weight back again.

I am really frustrated by this. I know I can do better, but I didn't think I was doing bad enough to gain back 6.5 pounds! That just seems insane to me.

Anyway, I've decided to go get my thyroid tested. Several of my family members have to take medication for hypothyroidism, and I feel like that might be part of my problem. On top of my weight issues, I'm also losing a lot of hair, (my sister was actually shocked by how much hair I was losing just by running my hand through it), and I'm tired all the time. I guess if my thyroid is not an issue, I'm just going to have to work that much harder to get rid of this darn weight.

Finally some progress to report!

The last couple of weeks, I have been trying really hard. I've tried exercising at about 5x per week (whether by going to the gym, going on the hike w/ Zoe, or doing a DVD at home), eating only fruit for breakfast, eating a salad for lunch (most days), and a small portion of dinner w/ another big salad. For snacks, I'm trying to stick with fruit, or veggies w/ hummus. Once in awhile I stray and eat crackers or a few chips, though. I've really tried cutting back on carbs and dairy. If there is a special occasion (i.e. this last weekend we had a party to go to), I do let myself have some treats. Now this has just been in the last 2 weeks that I've really stepped it up, but I've already lost another 3.5 lbs! I am now down a total of 7.5 lbs. So still not much for the last 3 months or so, but a huge step in the right direction. I'm a little worried about our upcoming trip, though, because I won't always have control over what food we eat, but I'm hoping to be able to keep up some of my habits and to be able to exercise a few times a week, at least. I don't want to gain any weight back at all. Wish me luck!

Really discouraged

Hi friends... me again. I know, I've been neglecting this blog. I wish I had good news, but alas... It's been a real struggle for me to get out of some of my bad habits. I do really well for 2 or 3 days and then I mess up. After I mess up, I get down on myself and fall back into old habits. Then I do really well for 2 or 3 days and then I mess up... It's a constant cycle, and it's really frustrating for me. I'm still at the -4 lbs I've lost, which is good, because at least I haven't gained it back, but it upsets me that I haven't lost more. I expected to be down 10 or 15 by now. :( I've been doing well with exercise, I think. I go to the gym 2x a week usually (depends on hubby's schedule), and I try to go on the walk/hike with Zoe at least twice a week. Still need to work in abs and weights now and then. I know my real weakness lies with the food because although I've been eating a lot more fruits and vegetables, I also am still a bit snacky and some days can go a little overboard. Today I've decided to just not buy any more crackers for the rest of the month and see if that helps.

I could really use some encouragement, though, because right now it feels hopeless to me.

57th times a charm?

Well, it's been a month since I last checked in, and honestly it's because I couldn't bring myself to face all of you. We had birthdays and Easter and I way over-indulged. Also, dh's work schedule got busy and so I didn't have as much time to go to the gym etc etc etc. Basically, I was up to no good.

BUT! the last week or so I have really been trying to get back on track. I've been making time for exercise if I knew I wouldn't make it to the gym. I even broke out my 12-min abs dvd and have done that a few times. My goal is to do it every day.

I was able to go to the gym tonight, and I was really happy to see that I was down another .5 pound. I was surprised because I was positive that I had gained some back. It's a small loss, but considering the last few weeks, I'll take it.

One thing I've really been thinking about lately is: "Do I control the food? Or does the food control me?" I really want to be able to say that I absolutely control the food, and so when temptations and cravings pop up, I'm really trying to work on resisting them, or finding something else to occupy my mind and time.

I'm hoping to go back to the States this summer (leaving in approx 3 months from now), and I'd like to lose at least 15 lbs before then. That's about a pound a week, which is totally doable, if I stay focused. I'll really try to stop back in here more often. I don't know how many people actually visit this site, but at least it's a good way for me to keep myself accountable.

soooo slow....

Hi friends,

I didn't realize that I didn't post at all last week, sorry! Well, I am making progress, but it is slow going. I am now down 3. 5 pounds. It's a good start, but I'm only losing about a pound a week, which is much slower than I had hoped for. Of course I'm not sticking to "the diet" as much as I should, but overall I am making much better food choices, watching my portions, not snacking so much, and getting exercise in at least 4x per week. I still haven't tried any new recipes, but I know I need to. I just haven't had time to get organized about it. Usually I cook what I normally would for the kids and I just eat a salad. I can't keep doing that forever, so I know I need to make some changes.

2nd week results

Well, I was really worried that I had gained back the 1.5 pounds I had lost because last week was BAD for me. It started off rough, and then I got sick and I went for easy and "comfort" foods rather than what was healthy. I think I really only stayed on track one day last week. (eek!)

With that said, I went to the gym tonight, and thankfully, my weight stayed the same. No loss, no gain. I was happy with that because, like I said, I was sure I had gained it all back.

This week I am recommitting myself and hoping for better results next week.

At the gym tonight, I was able to get on a treadmill. I did intervals (walking/running) for about 30 minutes, and then did a 10 minute walking cool down. That's all I could push myself to do tonight. It's better than nothing, but I hope I can build up my endurance bit by bit.