Post Turkey Fest

I have earned a second 15,000 step badge on November 24th!  

I seem to have held it together pretty well of Turkey Day. Now to try to make some time to get in some movement!  It's gonna be dicey with the holiday season upon us!  Lots to do and quite a bit of driving too, which means less time to move. Oh well. It should be okay, as long as I keep my food under control.  (only .2 over pre Turkey Day weight)

I'm a Loser, Baby!

Yes, yes I am, and I am so good with that!

Another month and another weigh in at the WLP (weight loss place).  After last month with very minimal/no loss, this month I showed a 6.6# loss.  Go me!  They now seem to think that I can totally drop 8 this next month!  I think that's a bit of 'crazy pants' thinking.  First of all, I am not at the start of this journey, so the weight is not coming off as quickly as it was in the beginning.  Second...Thanksgiving is this month.  I will try to do my best with the carbs, I don't plan on depriving myself, but I am not going to over indulge either.  There will be a tiny sample of mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing on my plate.

So far the results show, from my "All Time High Score"...

I've gone from a BMI of 40 to 34.  While technically still  'obese', which I have NEVER felt in my life...the silly number  is going down.  

I've lost a total of 38.6 pounds. More weight than I've been  able to drop at one attempt in the past.

I've lost a total of 14.5 inches from my body measurements.      Bought jeans not at a plus size store for the first time in  years.

Last but not least...FITBIT!  Damn that thing, I love it.  I have had things to do here and have not had another 2 hour marathon on the tread since last Saturday.  However, it did allow me to earn this...

My first ever 15,000 step badge!  

What Is Happening?

Yesterday, Friday, I was a full on slug.  

Today apparently, I felt the need to make up for that!  14,076 steps so far...seriously?!  Who am I? 

Chalking it up to knowing I was slipping in Fitbit friends ranking and getting sucked into Cloud Atlas.  

Watching movies on my Nexus 7 while on the tread is the by FAR the best idea I have had in a long time! 

My New Best Friends

It would appear that my treadmill and my Fitbit have become my new best friends.  My initial goal was to get in 5000 steps a day.  A bump up from what I was doing, but not so much that it would kill my new spark.  I began to make goal regularly, passing it in fact most days. Seven out of the past eight days I have got +5000 to under 10,000 steps a day.  Having been so close a few times to getting the fabled 10,000 steps/day for a pretty much sedentary person, I decided to go for it.

Today was the day.  Of course it helps that I have added Fitbit 'friends' through MFP groups.  Before this, I had just 3 and I was typically #2 in the rankings.  After adding and being added by others, my list is now around 24 Fitbit friends, I think.  Needless to say it's quite a kick in the ass to go from #2 to #18 in the rankings!!!  There have been days when I would add extra treadmill time or walk to do errands instead of taking the car just to move up in the ranking!  Right now, I figure that if I can manage to stay around #12, in the middle that would be good.  :)  Let me tell you that for me, this Fitbit friends ranking thing is no joke as far as adding motivation!

I am truly hoping that all this added movement results in a good loss for when I go back to the 'fat farm' for weigh in next week.  I mean it's bad enough that their scale weighs me 3# heavier than I weigh at home...but come on, no loss at all last month?!  That was awful.  Even after July when we had vacation and spent a majority of the time on the road and dining out, I managed to lose 2.9#!

I DID IT!!!  Got in my 10,000 steps today...an hour and 20 on the tread.  Going from mainly under 4000 (there were days I was lucky to get 3000) to now averaging almost 7000/day is crazy.  Crazy...but cool.  Granted, it required me doing another 20 minutes after I had already completed an hour...because of the rankings don't you know!  ;)

To my Fitbit friends...THANK YOU FOR ALL THE ADDED MOTIVATION!!!

A Swift Kick In The Pants

Apparently, just what I needed! 

My last visit with my weight loss place did not go well. Since I have not shown any real progress in the past couple visits, things were going to have to change. Not going in to details, but suffice it to say that she helped me get back to reality. 

While I had lost a good amount, I am no where near the end of this journey. I still have a ways to go before I reach my initial goal. I started tracking my foods again...daily. I also hopped on my treadmill and got to moving! While I am still not doing it everyday as they would like, I am doing it for a longer time than I was before. While I may only be walking 3x a week, instead of the past 20-30 minutes I was doing sporadically...I am now doing 1 hour with various incline. 

Since my last and most recent visit on 10/22, I have lost just about 5 pounds. I am hoping to lose a bit more before my next appointment on 11/20. I track my info on MFP and it shows me that I am finally at the point where I have less left to lose than already lost! Granted, my starting weight on MFP is higher than my starting weight at the weight loss office.

 Still, it's weight that I have lost...regardless.

Stagnant and Sad

This past month showed no loss for me at all.  Of course it doesn't help that I haven't kept track of my foods, not to mention my treadmill and kettlebell have dust on them!  Add to that a little too much celebrating subconsciously.  Too much eating things I know I should not have, more than likely celebrating the fact I am at a lower weight than I have been in years...YEARS!

I should have known this would not end well for me.  Not only have I not lost anything, but I am constipated beyond belief.  Sexy, right?  Yeah, I know!  ;)  Hey, we all gotta go...don't act like you're above it!  

Starting tomorrow, I am back to tracking all my food on MFP and hopping back on the treadmill and swinging that KB at least 5x/week.  I have to focus on me.  

Less Creaking, A First And A New Low

Lighter and less creaking...in both the stairs and my bones! I noticed just around the -15/-20 pound mark that the stairs were making much less creaking when I walked up them. This was a big deal to me! 

Last month with school starting back up it was time to take Boy Wonder clothes shopping. I much rather like taking him shopping than I did my daughter. Probably due to the fact he and I dislike shopping immensely. We find what we need or is on the list and we are outta there. No browsing or looking around, just for the sake of it. No nonsense shoppers he and I are! :) 

I had noticed my one single pair of jeans had begun to fit a bit loose. I say my one single pair because that's all I own. I had another pair, for years... but the seam finally blew out and I flat out refused to buy any more until I lost weight. 

Typically we would go to Kohls. This time he wanted to try Old Navy. Being a catcher makes him more muscular than most other kids his age, especially in the thighs. Finding jeans that fit both his thighs and waist without being super tight in the legs or being as wide as a hula hoop in the waist is no easy task. Jeans were on sale at ONavy and he wanted to check them out. SCORE! He found a couple pairs that he liked AND they fit. We then looked around for anything else he might like to add to his wardrobe. His style is simple. If he were born in another time, he would have been a greaser. Jeans and a t-shirt, usually white. He's never been one for dressy clothes and he's never been a fan of long sleeves. Even as a toddler he would pull and yank at anything long sleeved. Elementary - Middle School were the uniform years, khakis and a polo. High School is where he could be himself.

Once we found everything he wanted, I had this CRAZY notion to maybe go look at a pair of jeans to try on for myself. After all they were only $19. Of course I can't recall the last time I had fit in a regular store's jeans. All my jeans and pants in recent memory had been purchased at Lane Bryant. Which cost waaaay more than $19! 

I looked at the sizes on the rack; 20 looked far too big so I grabbed an 18. Apprehensively went into the dressing room to try these things on. I turned around in the mirror only to find that they didn't fit quite right...the waist was rather large and there was a HUGE gap in the back waistband area. I walked out to show my son. He took one look at me and said. "Mom, those don't fit." I went in search of another pair, thinking maybe it was a fluke and I had grabbed a misfit pair. I also grabbed a 16, all the while thinking there was no way these would fit. The second pair of 18 was just the same as the first pair. WHAAAAAAAT? So I tried on the 16's.....they felt a little more snug than I was used to wearing my LB with elastic denim; which was well worn. Being self conscious, and fearful of being one of those women who walks around in size denial in clothes that do not fit and are far too tight...I asked my son what he thought. "Those are good, you should go get a second pair!" My response....REALLY? You don't think they are too tight? I don't want to embarrass you. He says, "No, they look good, go get another pair and let's go." That's my boy! Get what ya need and let's get the heck out of here, kind of shopper. 

He knows how much a hate shopping and I never buy clothes for myself unless I really need it. He didn't realize until after we got home what a huge deal this had been for me not having to buy from a plus size store. 

So there ya have it, my first non plus size jeans in YEARS. I am currently lighter than I have been since 2007. 

25# and 9 inches gone since really trying June 2013      
(-33# from my all time highest weight)