Losing Motivation

I haven't lost any weight in about 6 months. Or maybe it would be a more accurate statement to say I keep losing and finding the same 7 lbs. I am continuing to work out 5x a week. There are usually 3 days a week that I work out 2x in the day and most work outs are about 1-2 hours. I am usually super strict with my calorie intake during the week and then on the weekends, I eat whatever I want. THAT IS WHY I AM NOT LOSING WEIGHT!! The truth is, I'm not that concerned about losing more right now. Although I know that I am still higher than I should be, I am comfortable. (I lost my job, so I can't afford to buy new clothes anyway :)

So this morning I weighed myself and I am on the up side of those 7 lbs. I need to be careful or I will find myself higher than 7lbs up. YUCK! I don't want to be good!

So, I am trying to find the motivation to suck up and stop eating so much on the weekend. Instead of going crazy all weekend, maybe I can have 1 day that I eat as I want and keep the rest of the weekend low. The question is, "Can I do it again?"

I know I said just now that I am comfortable, but I do want to start losing again. Lord, please help me to find the strength!

An Inspiration? Me?

I have many friends that are in a place in their lives that finds them heavier than they wish. As they watch me losing weight, many of them tell me, "You are my inspiration." They want to know what I am doing, how I am doing it- they want weight loss success. I don't know that I have words of wisdom for anyone, but I will say that the secret to my success is Jesus's grace and mercy on my life. Why did it take until I was 45 years old before I was ready to lose weight? I can't answer that, but I can tell you that I am thankful that I have been able to find success.

I have not hit my target, I still want to lose about 60 lbs. more- because I want a BMI that is "healthy." According to my BMI, I am still "obese," I don't ever want that word associated with me.

So how have I lost 100 pounds? First, my husband has been very supportive. He usually answers my cravings with the statement, "But honey, you have worked so hard to attain..." And that reminds me that I don't want to undo all that I have done. He also tolerates my "obsession" with the gym. He hasn't judged me because I can't do it all- I have to give up about 3-7 hours a week to working out and he doesn't give me a hard time when I say I'm going.

Next, it is all about calories. 3500 calories makes one pound. If I eat 3500 calories more than I burn, I gain, If I eat less, I lose. Your body doesn't lose track of the calorie deficit or surplus at the end of a day, it keeps track and over the course of a week or a month or a year, it adds or subtracts weight all based on the calorie counts. So I count my calories going in and burning off- I use an online food journal to keep track of what I eat. It helps me to count accurately what I am putting in my body. Before the internet, I used to use a small notebook and I wrote down what I was eating, but back then, it was much more difficult to find out nutrition information. The information age has made nutrition information much more accessible and I can easily find out the info I need. Keeping it all organized along with my loss information really has kept me on track. It also helps me know what my calorie goals should be. How many should I consume, how many do I burn? It helps me set my goals and it helps me attain them. My current goal is to consume 1600 calories a day and to burn 2550 a day. That translates to a loss of about 2 lbs a week.

When I hit about 90 lbs, I bought and started wearing the Body Bugg. It is a computer that I wear on my arm that keeps track of my steps, the calories I burn, and the amount of time that I devote to activity. It has really helped me to stay on track because I wear a watch that communicates with my Body Bugg and tells me where I am at- how many steps do I have, how many calories have I burned and have I hit my activity goals. This allows me to get up and move more on days when I am close to a goal.... more activity means burning more calories, that helps me to keep losing weight.

Finally, I allow myself little splurges throughout. I eat baked Lays (using my food scale to ensure that I have the proper amount for a serving). I eat the 100 calorie packs. I save calories for end of the day snacks. I don't count when I eat. I don't count sugar, fat, or carbs, though I try to be smart about my food choices and keep my food choices healthy.

I would never call myself an inspiration, but I am just trying to persevere through this season of my life. I have come too to understand that this isn't for a season, this is for a lifestyle. The gym, the counting calories, they will have to be habits that I carry for the rest of my life. Thankfully I will be able to more freely when I hit my goal, because I won't need to figure in a deficit, so maintaining a 2000 calorie day will allow me to maintain my weight without working out and if I work out, that will raise my calorie limit about 500 calories a day. And hey, that is an occasional treat!

10 More Pounds!!

Every day is a new day, with new temptations and or new victories. Since the holiday weight has gone, I have lost 5 more pounds which makes it 11o. I like saying that I have lost more than 100 pounds. Recently, the people at my "new" school have been noticing the weight loss. I have lost about 30 pounds since I started there in September. One of the IAs in my room used the expression "melting away." I like that one.

But this morning, I wanted bacon and eggs and cheese and bread. I made myself a breakfast sandwich with all of those components. When it came time to eat, I decided to cut it in half and give half of it to my hubby. It was a victory. I need to let myself eat every once in a while, because I need to prevent myself from feeling deprived all the time. But I also need to try not to overdue and undo all that has been done. So today, my little victory to share my sandwich might not seem like much, but it was a huge accomplishment!!

A Few More Pounds

So now, I am back counting my calories, and I am trying for 3 days a week workouts. The days that I don't work out, I try to hit my step goal of 10,000 steps. I usually make my calorie goal when I make my step goal. Well, by last week, I had lost my holiday weight and was starting back on the journey to lose new weight.
I have now lost a total of 108 pounds and I am excited to hit the next ten pound goal.
I thank God that He has given me the strength to continue on this journey. It is only by His grace and mercy that I have been able to continue.

After the Holidays

So through the Christmas weekend I pretty much ate what I wanted. The next week, I was careful and I was thankful to see that I hadn't gained any weight. Then through the new year's weekend, I again didn't worry about what I ate, although I tried not to abuse... but after the weekend, I found that I had gained 14 pounds... Holy Moley!!

I started the month of January higher than I had been at the beginning of December. So today, thankfully, all that holiday weight is gone, and I am one pound down from where I was. So I'm off again to losing and hoping that I can continue until I hit my goal of a healthy BMI- about 60 lbs.

I made my pledge today on the pound for pound challenge- I pledged 30 lbs.

One Year Later

This week I hit one year since I started my own personal "Biggest Loser." Osmel (that's my husband) came home and said we had to change our lives. We went down to the local 24 hour fitness where he signed up. I must say I was not excited. I had been a member of 24 hour fitness since I was in college and I had never let my membership lapse even if I hadn't used it in over 5 years, and now it was time to start working out again. That was January 12, 2009.

I told my Osmel (we'll call him OH) that he didn't know what he was in for- I can get a little obsessive when it comes to weight loss. He didn't believe me. On January 23, I decided to change the way I ate. I started using a web site - everydayhealth.com to journal my food and help me keep track of calories.

I have been on many diets and the thing that helps me most is just simple calorie counting. I lived up to my word and became obsessive! All the girls that I worked with were excited for me and watched me as I started to change my life. I started eating healthier and I started going to the gym an average of 5 days a week. I even got a few of my friends to meet me at the gym and we would work out together. It has been a year now and I have lost 100 lbs, over 40 inches and my body fat % has dropped 20%. I'm still working on it.

I'm a teacher and this year I changed schools and grades. The new schedule is making it more difficult for me to make it to the gym as much, but I am working on it. I bought a Body Bugg- which is basically a computer you wear on your arm to count how many calories you burn, count your steps and monitor your physical activity. It is a great weight loss tool. I would highly recommend it!! On days that I don't get to the gym, I just make sure that I hit my step goal by taking an extra walk.

So people ask me- how much more do you want to lose? or What is your weight loss goal? My answer- The goal is for my BMI to be healthy!!