I Need You!

Apparently part of my continued success depends on me talking to you.

All of you who are still out there.

I guess I need to think someone is watching and caring in order to stay on top of the weight loss. Whether anyone really is or not, I need to at least believe it.

I've used every excuse in the book the last couple of months - weddings, stress, vacations - and it shows.

Boy is it starting to show.

The Wii is most displeased with me and my handheld daily calorie tracker is now showing an upward trend and reporting how much I've gained (in RED!) instead of the daily (GREEN) number of pounds I've lost since I started using it.

I'm not happy people!

But, I lost this 7 pounds once and I'll lose it again. Hopefully for good this time.

So, stay with me!

Let's see if we can keep Losing It!

Denise Austin's Thought for Today

Don't be your own worst critic. Wipe away those negative thoughts, and be kind to yourself!
- Denise

You CAN Do It!

One of the comments on my Day 730 post was from my cousin. She said she knew losing was hard but I was making it look easy.

I was never trying for easy (but feel kinda good if I did) but I was trying for attainable.

I've always wanted everyone to see that I'm no different from anyone else with weight issues. I just made up my mind to do something about it and did.

Anyone can do it that wants to.

No tricks, no gimmicks, no pills, no shortcuts, no surgeries.

No nothing other than making new decisions, forming new habits and sticking with it.

Ain't easy.

Some days are a struggle. I've tried to chronicle those here as well. Some days I want to just give in and have another slice of pizza or one more scoop of (sugar free, low fat) ice cream. Some days I do give in but I work really hard the next day.

I don't give in permanently.

That was how I got into that shape in the first place.

Day 730

Yep, today was day 730 with me and my Wii.

2 years.

Thought I do a little status check.

Two years ago today I was 21.5 pounds heavier than I was this morning. On that day I was exactly 30 lighter than when I had first started the journey.

One year ago today I was about 1.5 to 2 pounds heavier than today.

Basically the same.

Which is telling me that I am officially in the "maintenance" phase.

And that is fine.

It is also telling me that I'm doing a pretty darn good job with it.

I've been watching and monitoring long enough to know. I have about a 5 pound range that my body likes to be in. That's why I tell people that I've lost about 50 pounds. On any given day it could be 48 or 53 or anywhere in between.

I'm also getting the hint that it is time for a wardrobe overhaul. I've been pinning things and putting off making purchases until I knew for sure I was finished losing weight.

I'd have to say, that time has come. I've done a pretty good job, actually of cleaning out, just not replacing or altering. I have a lot of really good clothes that just need a little altering and I would prefer that to starting over. Took me 20 years to amass that work wardrobe and I REALLY don't want to spend that long in do-overs.

So.

Next steps.

I will keep you all updated. I still have some good ideas that I want to share, and talking to you all helps keeps me on the straight and narrow. So have no fear, the journey isn't over. We've just all turned a corner.

Can't wait to see what lies down this road!

My Horoscope for Today

Taurus
April 20 - May 20
Be disciplined about all areas of your body, Taurus. Take extra care to eat healthful, balanced meals. Make sure you get enough sleep. And even though you gripe about having no time, get out there and exercise. Don't wait for an emergency before you take action. You and you alone control how you feel. Your health is essential to your well-being, not to mention your life!

Pretty good reminders for the rest of you all, too! Have a wonderful weekend!

What A Week!

Talk about a fitness buster!

Thank goodness I have a good, realistic attitude about all of this.

I made two trips to Houston this week. Each was a day trip. Each leg is 6 hours.

24 hours in the car.

4 meals eaten by drive-thru.

No exercise.

One of those days I got home at 4 in the morning. Just in time to get ready for work.

Breakfast that morning was Pop Tarts and coffee.

By lunch, I was starving and almost manic from the sugar and what caffeine I do get from drinking half-caff. Yes, I know - I'm supposed to have virtually eliminated caffeine from my world right now but believe me, desperate times called for desperate measures.

The last day, more Pop Tarts for breakfast as I was pretty much exhausted by then and didn't get up in time to really even fix a bowl of cereal. It was a grab-n-go kind of morning.

So, yesterday, I tried to make up for it. Now, I know that you can't undo several days of bad decisions in one day. But I walked two dogs, rode my bike, made homemade frozen yogurt and stir-fry for dinner.

It was a start, right?

Yes, I am also aware that there good choices now at the fast food places. Well, maybe "good" is not the right term but "less damaging". But I rarely pick those. I don't like vegetables so ordering a salad is out, most sandwiches come with lettuce and tomatoes and to order without those always seems to involve a wait, or pulling up past the second window so they can bring it to us. I tend to pick the chicken nuggets since they need no "adjustment". And I will confess here and now that I had one of the best chocolate shakes EVER at a Jack-in-the-Box.

Yep, you read that correctly.

It may have tasted so good because it has been so long since I had one, but ice cream is a comfort food (at least for me) and by this point in my week, I needed it and I didn't really care.

Yes, the Wii let me know this morning that I had my work cut out for me this week. But that's OK, too. Taking care of yourself means the mental as well as the physical and sometimes you have to let one take a backseat and focus on the other.

For me, the stresses of the week - work and family - had led me to a place where I just had to take care of Deanne, if only for the few minutes it took to enjoy the shake.

Guilty, not one bit. I took two years to lose the weight and have successfully maintained that loss for over a year now and I know I can't undo all of that in one week.

Vigilant, yes. I do know that I could very easily undo all of that if I were to continue that behavior. But I won't.

I'm proud of myself. Of my accomplishments. And the fact that I do have control over this aspect of my life. While my food choices were not the best, they were conscious decisions. I knew what I was ordering and why I was ordering it. I wasn't fooling myself.

So, my lessons for you are these: We're not all perfect. Even those who have reached their goals or seem to be so in control all have bad days. Days where other things are more important than worrying about what you eat or if you got in 30 minutes on the treadmill. Prioritize. Do what you need to do.

Then get right back in the saddle and continue to ride the straight and narrow path.

Right past the drive-thrus....

I Feel Good!

Can you hear James Brown in the background?

I knew that I would now!

An unusual thing, at least I think it is, keeps happening to me. I had thought about blogging about it but hadn't, and then my friend Lou, one of the blog readers and a friend since elementary school possibly even kindergarten, told me it was happening to her.

People seem to wonder if we're sick.

Seriously.

I get asked all the time - how much weight have you lost? Did you mean to? Are you OK? Are you sure?

Her conclusion is that it is an age thing. If we were younger, folks would probably just congratulate us and move on, but since we're over 40 ....

It is just funny, though, because we're healthier than we've been in years. (She recently tried gluten-free living and dropped about 12 pounds I think she said, in a fairly short amount of time.) We both feel better than we have in a long time. And things are good. I recently wore a dress to work that was my traveling dress when I got married.

For those going to check the calendar, that dress is over 20 years old. But it fit like a dream and because I tend to spend my money on classic pieces over trendy stuff, it didn't look like it was 20 years old.

So, I'm in better shape than I've been in for years. Healthier. Able to do more. All that stuff.

And still you get asked the same question - Are you OK? You aren't sick are you?

All I can do is smile and say No.

The Good Stuff

Typically, I am not a fan of Daylight Savings Time. Especially since we stay on it so long that I think it should be Standard Time - but that's another post. (Literally another post - it was a Random Thought). But here is the upside.

Even after working 12 hours a day there is still enough light left that I can walk Riley after supper. Which is good because I really hate eating at 7 at night.

I read an article not too long ago that said the premise of eating late would make you gain weight was a myth. I'm not sure I believe that. I am, of course, no expert but it seems to me that eating and then going to bed can't be a good thing. Now, if you are a night person and eat at 7 and stay up until midnight doing stuff that's a different story. But I like as much time as possible to burn up my calories before I lay down for 7 hours. So the walk is good.

Some experts also say you shouldn't exercise before you go to bed since that can get you all reved up and make it hard to sleep. But I've rather enjoyed the fresh night air and find that I'm sleeping better - as long as the Elite Eight sleep also.

So, with more sunshine and longer days there are less excuses available for not getting out there and getting some good, old-fashioned exercise. Do it with your kids or spouse - make it a family affair!

The benefits of exercise are way beyond just weight management. Exercise relieves, or at least reduces, stress (VERY important for me this time of year) and releases all those feel-good endorphins to make a little pleasanter to be around.

So, quit burning daylight and get out there!

Conquering Your Cravings

OK, this post was supposed to be really cool. I had read the best article about the different personality types when it comes to cravings and it even had a little quiz to help you figure out what type you are. There were also some really good tips.

Here is the bad news. I was sitting in a doctor's office when I read it (see - you guys are ALWAYS on my mind!) which means I have no idea what magazine it was or even how old the issue was.

Truly a Deanne if I ever pulled one. So I've been looking and can't find it and I'm going to wing it.

First of all, personality types. Apparently there are people that can satisfy a craving with one little bite of something and be fine and others that having that one bite unleashes a torrent of more cravings. Those are the ones that just have to say no. They need to go get a glass of water or follow one of the other tips listed below. Chemically, their brains can't get that one little taste of what they need and be satisfied. They just keep wanting more and more and that leads to any manner of problems for them.

I fall into the middle (and yes, there was a category for that. I didn't just make it up). I find that I control my cravings by controlling my environment. If I want a bite of chocolate I can be satisfied with just one bite, as long as there aren't any more than that lying around. If I have 3 pieces in my desk drawer, I'll eat all three. If I have to walk to the front counter for a piece, that is the only one I'll have and I won't go back. I'm good.

Some of the tips they mentioned - chew gum or at least sniff some mint. OK, one of my weaknesses is mint chocolate chip ice cream so I don't think sniffing mint is going to help, but I do chew a lot of gum.

A LOT of gum. I'm a chain chewer. All sugar free.

It is supposed to make your brain think you are eating and make some of the cravings so away.

The reason I chew it is because it helps you think. I read about a study that was done with kindergartners that showed that chewing gum improved their brain function. (Problem is, you can't give kindergartens gum on a regular basis since it is subject to get swallowed or stuck some place it shouldn't be!). So I chew and hope that it helps me work.

This time of year I'll take anything I can get to help me work.

So, think about your personality and watch how you handle your cravings. Like anything else on this journey, a little knowledge goes a long way.

Knowing yourself will help you help yourself.

Now, go have a wonderful day!

Peaches and Pop Tarts

I am ashamed to admit that this was my lunch one day last week.

I figure I gotta be honest, here, right?

Last week was rough.

For those that don't know me personally, Billy works out of town part of each month. We also have 8 dogs, but he takes one with him, so that leaves me with 7 to feed, water, exercise, etc, etc. And one of those dogs, our sweet Riley, is epileptic and has a very regimented routine and medicine schedule.

So, my day gets worked around Riley's needs when Billy's gone.

One of the important parts of his day is his walk - for two reasons. One, routine is important and keeps his anxiety in check which usually helps with everything else. Second, the sunshine is very beneficial (he has a holistic vet on his team and she agrees with me on that). I also happen to think that all the good endorphins and other things that get released when you exercise are good for him.

So, when you have to work 10 hours a day (or more if you can take it),trying to find time for a 30 minute walk can be a challenge.

Trust me on this.

Two days last week it was raining so I had to find a break in the drizzle - which occurred about 6:30 at night. I don't much care for walking after dark when I'm alone, but you do what you have to do.

Imagine my delight when Wednesday dawned a glorious day. That day's walk would be in daylight and dry!

Normally, this time of year my lunch is only 30 minutes, but I figured I could always work later so walking at lunch seemed like a good idea. After I let everyone out, I just grabbed a half can of peaches (in Splenda). Now I grabbed something because Riley gets medicine at 1:30 so instead of going to lunch at noon as usual I was going about an hour later. I was starving and I grabbed something handy.

So far, so good. Canned peaches, with some exercise looming.

Ok, for some reason, Riley walked just about as slow as he could without completely stopping and all I could do was keep staring at my watch. (I know a lot of people wouldn't do this for a dog but we believe that caring for these guys is part of our purpose for being here so we'll do whatever is needed.) By the time we completed our route my time for lunch was more than up so I reached in the cabinet and grabbed the first thing I could that I could eat without cooking.

Yes, I eat my Pop Tarts cold.

Horrible choice! Yes, Pop Tarts can be a nice occasional treat. They are not a good meal. There is very little of any nutritional value in them, lots of sugar, and nothing to fill you up. So I was hungry again not very long after.

A bad choice.

A bad choice made worse by the fact that I had a house full of things I could have microwaved in two minutes or less. Good choices. (If you haven't checked out Lean Pockets lately, you should. These are not your kids Hot Pockets! I tried a Lean Pocket with grilled chicken in a whole wheat crust with cheese and a garlic white sauce - very grown up! and very good! only 260 calories,)

So, even though I know all the right things to do and try really hard, I slip up. It happens.

But it was one slip. Didn't derail the train. I made good choices for dinner and the next day.

Matter of fact, with everything going on last week, I actually lost 2 pounds. But most importantly, I didn't beat myself up, didn't give up on myself. I recognized the situation for what it was - an inappropriate response to a stressful situation and a bad choice.

But it was only one choice. Not a life-altering event.

Your bad choices aren't either. Make them, but let them go.