Summer Challenge

I have joined my daughter, Kandice's, summer challenge.

So now, I can't remember all the rules but I do remember I am supposed to post a pic of my scale for my starting weight as of this morning,

Yes that is right, 189.5. I am still under 190 so I'm doing pretty good. I'm under a lot of stress right now, but I've got to do this. My goal is to lose 10 pounds a month or 30 pounds for the challenge.

I have a special reason for wanting to do this, and an added incentive. My wedding...yes we have set the date 10-10-10. I went with Kandice and Tammy last week and picked out the dress. I love it, and since my fiancee' does not read my blog I am posting a pic of it.

Yeah Me !!!! Fittin into smaller sizes

Very, very excited right now. I went to try on wedding dresses yesterday. I go into the bridal shop and the girl asks me what size I wear. I've been wearing 18's. some 16's. So I tell her 18 cuz I know they are usually smaller and I don't want to be miserable. She tells me how the dresses are made smaller and I will probably want to go up a size, maybe two. SO we're looking at 20's and 22's. I pick out the ones that I like, and go to try it on. A 22 just swallows me whole, tons of wiggle room, practically fell off me. So the girl looks at it and goes to get me a smaller size. She brings it back I look at the size and it's a 16. I'm thinking there is no way. So I am extra careful when squeezing my hips into it hoping I won't break the zipper and have to buy it anyway. But to my surprise I was able to pull it right up. I walk outside the dressing room and my daughter is helping me zip it up and I'm sucking in...and it's not fitting. I didn't really expect it to. The girl comes back with a veil, and she looks at the dress and she says I'm gonna fix this, and zips it right up. IT FIT!!!! A SIZE 16 FIT!!!!! After she got it zipped and everything it really wasn't uncomfortable, I didn't feel like I was holding my breath or like the zipper would break if I did take a deep breath. SO EXCITED!!!! IT FIT!!!

Since my fiancee' does not read my blog I'm gonna post the pic, so everyone can see.

Valentines Day 2010

Valentines Day is a special day to spend with the ones you love. And guess what??? The boyfriend popped the question. I was so surprised. I knew he was planning something, but I had no idea what magnitude it would be.

We went out to dinner, very nice seafood restaurant, and we ordered the valentines day special. Filet Minon and Lobster tail, and I ate every bit of it. It was delicious. This was a special day and I didn't even watch the calories. We did however go for lunch to miss the crowds, and I did work out this morning, and then just had a snack later.

The proposal was very romantic. We had dinner and the manager comes over and asks if we wanted dessert, well of course I want dessert. They had the best looking desserts. I ordered the key lime pie and we shared it. The manager, not our server, brings it to me. And on the plate with my dessert is a ring!!! OMG...it was beautiful and I started crying. As they set the plate down, and I'm crying, he gets down on one knee beside the table and asks me to marry him. OH MY, I am really crying now, so sweet. Of course I said YES. Then there were lots of congratulations because everyone in the restaurant is watching and the manager brings us champagne to celebrate. It is a beautiful pink diamond with a diamond band. It has been handed down from his grandmother, so that makes it even more special. There was evidently a lot of planning that went into this proposal that I had no clue about. Everyone knew about it but me. Thanks Tammy you could have given me a mascara alert!!!!

So this post has nothing to do with my weight loss, but everything to do with bad eating, but today...for just one day, I don't care. I will get back to it tomorrow.

Week 21 Weigh Day & Mindless eating

Friday morning weigh in, oh how I so look forward to stepping on that scale. Well I was down exactly 1 pound today, which I am fairly happy with.

For the most part I have eaten pretty good this week, but in analyzing my week, I don't think I have had enough water. I have been very busy at work this week with training for new job tasks and conversion of my previous work load to another office. I have a 64 oz water bottle and I try to drink two a day, which most days I do at least 1 and a half, then I have two 16 oz bottles of water during after workout and with dinner. Which all in all if I did it every day would be GREAT. However, when I'm busy, on conference calls, online training, etc I sometimes forget to drink my water. Then as I'm leaving work there is my empty bottle and I think to myself I never did back to the water cooler to fill that up. And after that it is impossible to make it up. After my workout I drink a bottle of water with dinner then have nothing else the rest of the evening. I should probably have another 32 oz or so before bedtime, but find it hard to do this. Also when I'm at home I find it hard to get all my water in. At work it's right there, but at home I'm busy doing everything that I can't get done during the week and I forget to drink my water. Like right now, it's 10:30am and I have had no water. At work I have generally already had at least a half a bottle.

Better go get some water!!!!

Now the mindless eating, Thursday (day before weigh in) I was on a training conference call for 2 1/2 hours. I had planned on going to Publix to get a wrap for lunch. However, with the conference call lasting through my morning snack and into lunch that was out the window. The secretary came in the with the local pizza place delivery menu and waved it at me. I was starved and of course said yes. But I did get good toppings (kinda) artichoke hearts and procuitto ham. However, still on the conference call when pizza gets there I am mindlessly eating this lovely, flavorful pizza and look down and have I eaten half the pizza. What is wrong with me??? I have a session with my personal trainer tonight, I'm not going to be able to move. Well as it turns out he worked us out HARD that night and I was able to move, but felt sluggish. And the day before weigh in. So that is why I am happy with a 1 pound loss.

So here's to a better week next week.

Week 20 - Weigh Day

WooHoo, I'm on the right track now.

I am down to 194.4 this week, a 2.2 loss. I think this trainer is going to work. We have been working out on our own, doing the weight machines they told us to do at the other gym, but I really just haven't been feeling it. Now I'm feeling it. We don't work out on that many machines, and our trainer, Chris, is showing us how to do the weights and things so we can do it without him. Starting next week we will only be seeing him once a week, but we should still be doing strength training at least two other days. So know what we should and exactly how to do it is the key. I have been doing extra cardio also. Chris says extra cardio is just a bonus. I like bonuses. On Thursday we worked out with Chris, I got to the gym early (I'm usually late) and went on in did the massage chair (a perk of membership) and started on my cardio warmup. I did 30 minutes before our session, did our 30 minute session and then another 20 minutes. Boy are my glutes and hamstrings hurting. Friday night Tammy doesn't go to the gym, so I met my boyfriend there and I did 35 minutes of elliptical. I needed to do some abs, but didn't because I was tired and it has been a long week.

Next week I plan on getting up early every day and going to the gym on my way to work and do at least 30 minutes of cardio. Then back to the gym after work for more cardio, abs and workout. I am going to accomplish my goals this time. I AM GOING TO DO THIS.

On another note have I said how much I hate traffic. In Atlanta if it rains people suddenly become driving idiots. AND we have had our fair share, and everyone elses share, of RAIN. I am beginning to hate rain. BRING ON THE SUNSHINE!!!!!!!!!!!! This past week it has been a bear every single day getting to work and back home in the freaking traffic. I work 32.8 miles from my house, a typical 35 minute drive. Monday 1.25 hours to work, an hour home. Tuesday 2 hours to work, 2.25 hours home. Tuesday I had a training session at 6:30, left work at 5 got there at 7:15. Needless to say I missed my session and we rescheduled for Wednesday. Wednesday was an okay day, traffic wise. 1 hour to work and 1hour home. Since I had the training session rescheduled for Wednesday I left work at 4:45 to make sure I got there on time this time. Thursday 1.5 hours to work and again I left early to make my training session, so it only took me an hour. FRIDAY - 3 HOURS TO WORK, 2 HOURS HOME!!!!! Yeah in case you can't tell I hate traffic. I have proposed moving our office half way between my house and where it is now, it seem like all the accidents happen after this point. Sounded like a good plan to me. Maybe if we did that I could get home, which would be a 15 minute drive from there, in only 45 minutes. And they say Atlanta is only like #22 with the worst traffic. Yeah don't think I want to move anywhere else that has traffic.

I am so ready for Sp...Summer. I started to say Spring, but it rains a lot in Spring too. I really like the weather of Spring, but hate the rain. I don't really like the extremely hot temperatures of summer, it gets to about 98 with 95% humidity around here. But I don't like the cold either. We had our week of winter weather, now it can go away. I know it's much worse other places, but that's why I live in the South, not really bad winters. It is 42 degrees right now, so it's really not that cold, but I like 60 better. I think 70 degrees year round with rain once a month would be a great climate to live in.

Enough ranting about the weather and TRAAFFICC!!! I just thank God everyday that I am alive and getting healthier. I want to lead a healthy life for ME and for God. Sometimes it's hard, sometimes it's almost unbearable, but in all times give praise to God and it will turn out alright.

Time to go work out again, so more later.

Weigh In and Measurements

Ok official weigh in is 196.6, so I'm moving a little, I'm down .4 from last weigh in.

Tammy and I started working out with a trainer on Saturday. He took all our measurements (listed in side bar) and our body fat. My body fat was 41.7 which is less than it was in October when I had my last assessment. It was 42.55 then. I must say I have lost several inches, so I guess I'm doing something right.

I sure hope this training works. I'm really going to work on this, because if I'm paying him to help me do this I have got to make it work. He says he will help us reach our goals. The work out he put us through yesterday kicked my butt. I did find out I am definitely too fat to have good balance. We were doing some kinda ab thingy with the large ball, and I couldn't balance the ball enough to do even one. Every time I got into the position and went to pull the ball in I lost my balance and my feet rolled off the ball. It was so bad.

Our trainer is supposed to give us a detailed work out plan that we are supposed to do when we are not working out with him. Since we are only actually seeing him once a week, I don't know that we will push ourselves and each other as hard as the trainer does. But we will see.

I am also going to start doing more cardio. I'm going to stop at the gym on my way to work every morning and do at least 20 minutes, hopefully 30 minutes. I am also going to start tracking my food better. I did great on my food yesterday.

Breakfast Oatmeal w/1/4 c milk

Snack(after workout) 1c Cottage cheese, 1c apple & grapes

Lunch Chicken burrito w/ no tortilla (chicken, 1/2c rice, 1/4c black beans, 1tbsp sour cream, 1/4c shredded cheese)

Snack Protein shake w/1c milk & 1 banana

Dinner Salmon, asparagus & green beans

The trainer says we should have a protein, a carb and a fat for every meal.

Forgot to give back the award

I forgot to give back the award to 7 deserving people so here goes

Midlife Swimmer

Tina @ Fat Girl Dives In

Leslie @ Something Brilliant is Brewing

Lisa @ In Weigh Over My Head

Tammy @ From Fat to Fab (even though you already got one - you are my inspiration)

Dawne @ 365 Days to a new me

Jenn @ Watch my butt shrink

You guys really inspire me to keep going. You are all great!!!!!!!!!!!!