February recap

Some good news to share -- I hit the 180s at my WW weigh in on Saturday!! One of my goals for February was to be in the 180s by the end of the month. Just made it! The WW scale said 189.4 AND i have now lost a total of 25.4 lbs on WW. Yeee ha!!

Speaking of WW. Allow me to participate in the regular True Confessions feature at The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.

Here is my confession: Due to my overindulging at a family birthday party over the weekend, and a visit home to my parents and "road trip" food and an emotional eating jag that turned into a happy hour w/ adult beverages -- my WW tracker as we speak has a MINUS points plus total for the week. As in, I am way into the red! Ate through all 49 of my Weekly Points (in one day probably were I to take a closer look, but I don't really want to go in for the closer look) and then some. I have been exercising to bring myself back up to not being in the red. Fearing weigh in on Saturday. BUT the good news is -- yes there HAS to be some good news right -- is that I actually tracked all of what I ate and that has never happened. It really gave me a look a the big picture, as ugly as it was, there was no covering it up, no denial, no excuses. I own it. 

That, to me, is progress.

Week 7 update - getting close to my end of Feb. goal

Just a quick update for now. I'm exhausted! The training sessions at the gym are kicking my butt, plus I was up before dawn to walk with a friend for an hour. Phew! Want to hit the sack but not before sharing some good news!

Starting challenge weight 196.8

Last week: 193.6

This week: 190

Loss: -3.6

Total challenge loss to date: 6.8

One of my goals is to be out of the 190s by the end of February. I do believe I am going to make it!

HOLY GUEST POST, BATMAN!!!!

What a great Valentine's Day gift I received from The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans! They ran my guest post! My first ever guest post! I am most grateful!

You can read my post here. It's about an analogy that has stuck with me.

Even the other night after Mr. Fiddler and I really gorged on too much food, he said the next morning to me "we really kicked the dog last night. That was not good." We are both trying to be more aware of ending the abuse!

Week 6 plus Operation 12 Races update

Time once again to check in with my fellow Sisters at The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans for another update on our current challenge! Notice that exclamation point at the end of that sentence? Please make note of that as I give my latest Power of 1 stats:

Starting challenge weight 196.8

Last week: 193

This week: 193.6

Gain. .6

Total challenge loss to date: 3.2

I was up .6 at WW this past Sat. which is the weigh in I use for The Sisterhood and it was TOM (ugh! first time I think I ever said that in a blog post! Oh well, who cares?!).

Meanwhile, at my Biggest Loser-style competition at my gym, I lost this week and am down a total of 4lbs in the three weeks so far! Our weigh ins for that are on Monday night. 

All this math hurts my head -- I'm a words girl, dammit! But I do know I am doing the right things more and more each day AND that it is getting easier for me to DO them! Less of a mental negotiation inside my head! THAT is big-time progress for me.

My other big news to share is related to my goal of doing one 5k per month in 2011.

Cross February off the  list!

On Feb. 6, I completed the Penguin Pace 5k in Columbia, MD.

Chip Time: 47:18

Results of Penguin Pace 2009: 49:13

Results of Turkey Trot 5k Nov. 2010: 49:04

Holy cow I am IMPROVING!

My new shirt!

NEXT RACE: Kelly Shamrock 5K, Baltimore, March 13!

Week 5 — Crossing off more goals!

Lots more good news to share!

First off - let's have a status update of the latest challenge over at my favorite place in the whole World Wide Web, the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.

Starting challenge weight 196.8

Last week: 194.2

This week: 193

Loss: -1.2

Total challenge loss to date: 3.2

While my overall weight loss has not been huge in this challenge, I have completely overlooked being disappointed by that! Sometimes you can forget the head games you orchestrate for yourself!

The old me very well could have said 3.2? After all this time?

But may I present to you the mindset of a much healthier Me:

3.2!! Yes!! That is 3.2 less to carry around!

And while we are on the subject of numbers, you may recall that I posted here about my goals for 2011

One of them was to reach my 10 percent loss at WW by the end of January

See that 193? That WAS my 10% (193.2 to be all technical about it). I reached it this past Saturday at my WW meeting, January 29. GOAL ACCOMPLISHED! I have lost 21.8 lbs on WW so far.

I also accomplished a 5k in January, which was another goal of mine AND I have been participating in the Biggest Loser-style competition at my gym now for about two weeks.

Guess what? My team is in first place at our gym. Oh yes it is! Granted, it is early - there are still six weeks left to go -- but we are ahead! We have lost DOUBLE the amount of weight of the other team.

Oh and I am competing in some of the Olympic games at the Sisterhood. Total fun! More info can be found here. It's never too late to join in! 

I am so excited to see what February will bring!

Recapping a BIG, BIG, BUSY week and crossing off goals.

Lots of business to get down to here gang! Grab a cup of tea or glass of water! And since I have the flu, I want to crank this post out so I can get back to bed! Even after taking too many naps to count today, my bed is pulling me like a fierce magnet.

So let's get to it shall we? It is time for a wrap up of Week 4 in the Power of One Challenge over at the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans

Last week's weigh in: 196.8

This week: 194.2

Loss: -2.6 (!!!)

Loss for the challenge to date: 1.6

 I was very excited about my loss this week, especially in light of a 1.6 gain last week. Good to see the scale heading south again

Next order of business:  My Biggest Loser competition kick off at my gym! You may remember I set this as a goal for 2011 and posted about it here here.

The kick off took place Sat. Jan. 22. I had my first weigh in (which was higher than Power of One because we had street clothes on). I met my teammates on Team Teal and picked up my T- shirt!

AND we had to post our weight loss goal for the 8-week program and write down three goals. These sheets of paper will be displayed on a bulletin board for the whole gym to see. Here's mine:

I know how important it is to write these goals down and to have them visible. I wrote them out again on a piece of paper at home where I can see them on  a daily basis. I WILL meet these goals!

It was a great kickoff event. There is much more I want to write about it -- the previous year's winner spoke and shared some great tips about health and fitness in general and she wants to win again, of course, but hey she doesn't know about ME! lol. That Tribe Green from Shrinkvivor has me primed for competition!

My team consists of another woman and two men. At 43, I'm the youngest by quite a bit. I think one of the guys is probably about 70 and the other 65. The woman may be around 50. Who cares? They all inspire me already just because I know they signed up for this, plunked down money and are taking it seriously! I plan on rallying us throughout the 8 weeks to keep us tight and strong.

We had our first session with our trainer, Emily, on Monday night -- I was feeling lousy but still went because I did not want to miss the first meeting with my team and trainer. It was awesome! Got home took my temp and it was 101. To anyone at the gym, I am sorry. I really did not know I was THAT sick! And I won't go back until I am better I promise. (Yay's tonight's session was cancelled due to the weather! So I didn't have to miss it after all!)

Anyway, I have a lot i want to share about the insights the nutritionist provided. It has changed the way I am thinking lately and will give you something to think about too (ppsstt I am hoping the Sisterhood may let me do a guest post about it someday).

Lastly the update on my 2011 goal of doing one 5k per month. Time to cross off January!

Granted, this was on the treadmill. I was not able to get to a 5k in my area in January. I hit the 5k program on the treadmill at the hotel gym where DH and I had a mini staycation (I won an 2 night overnight stay in a silent auction for charity) and I ran/walked it until the 5k was complete.

Naturally, it is my best time! This was right after my Biggest Loser kick off and I was all ramped up and ran in my Team Teal T-shirt!

But I am not so much interested in the time as I am in the fact that to me, this counts even though it was not a "real" race. I AM signed up for 5ks in Feburary and March already. 

The 5k in Feb. is NEXT weekend! My flu better be a zillion miles down the road by then!

PS -- I went to the dr. and she could tell I'd lost weight. She asked me how I was doing it. I told her all about The Sisterhood! And my re-commitment to WW and joining the competition at my gym. When I said i was 20 pounds lighter she said "That is the size of the turkey we had at Thanksgiving! You've lost a whole turkey!" Too funny!

If you have made it all the way to the end, I ADORE you! Here I am feeling like a dishrag, but I am endlessly excited about this journey that I am on and I am excited to be sharing it with you!

Power of 1 Challenge - Recapping Week 3

Hello hello gang o' mine. Notice no exclamation point after that little greeting. It's time for another update in the Power of 1 Challenge at The Sisterhood

Maybe I should call this the Power of 1.6 challenge

since that was my gain for the week. 

Ugh!!

 I am not going to spend time beating myself up for it.

I will just keep on keepin' on.

And improve.

As I saw the woman on that new show "Heavy" say the other night - "I don't always like it (meaning working out, or paying attention to what I eat). But quitting is not an option."

Been tracking everything every single day since my weigh in at WW on Saturday (which is the weigh in I use for this and any Sisterhood challenge).

I have been on the move

My head is still in the game.

And come THIS Saturday, there will be a new game beginning, in fact.

It is the start of my Biggest Loser competition at my gym.

My first weigh in

For the team I have not met yet

And the trainer I haven't met yet

I am ready for this.

Bring it on.

There will be NO Power of 1.6 next week!!