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Thursday, February 26, 2015

On Triggity Track!

I am ON FIRE right now.  I don't even care what the scale says this week!  I feel great and will continue to do what I'm doing (well, except for Saturday/Sunday this weekend... a little college reunion going on).

So, let me tell you about my week.

Food.  On point.  Literally so on point that I didn't even use any extra points this week and only ONE of my 27 activity points I earned.  Now, to be fair, I didn't eat out at all this past week and that totally helps.  I had nothing going on with friends (other than one lunch out, where I ordered a plain 'ol chicken salad) and we didn't really do anything or go anywhere over the weekend.  Other than to the gym.

Which leads me to the gym.  I am attempting to mix it up between the bike and the treadmill like I did the week before.  I like the bike because all I have to do is sit there and watch my show (I'm onto season 4 of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" -- terrible show if you don't like slap-stick comedy).  The treadmill is much harder to do that because there's only two treadmills in the gym where they are setup well enough for my phone to be at a normal eye level for watching the screen.  Otherwise, I just listen and look down every once and a while.

The most exciting thing for me this week is that I branched out and went over to the weight machines.  Now, you must know - I dislike weight lifting (at first).  Part of that is that I'm scared because I don't remember how all the machines work (I know that free weights are the way to go but shit if I can't even do them on machines, you think I have any clue how to do things with free weights???) and the people on that side are intimidating... and they stare at you.  Or maybe it's me staring at them... trying to see how this all works.

Regardless... THIS is a huge non-scale victory for me.

The hard part though is that when I do weights, I don't want to do cardio too (meaning on the same night).  Therefore my "steps" suffer as do my activity points earned from my ActiveLink.  So, that's a bit stressful to me as I like to see things quantified.  I like earning those points, it's very much a motivator for me.  With my Fitbit and the steps I get from that... also very much a motivator as I can compare my steps to others... and prior to this renewed sense of "take care of me" I was down in the bottom 20+ people and now I've been #1 or #2.  I like being up there.  I am a super competitive person.  Like terribly competitive (you know that if you know me personally).

Anyway - I feel like a rock star.

The scale was good to me as well.  Of course it's hard to follow up a week where you lost 3.2 lbs... so I'm very happy with my 2 lb loss.  I am going in the right direction.  Lets just hope I don't go too hog wild while I'm away this weekend and that I can pick myself back up and get right back on that horse as soon as I walk in the door on Sunday.  I hope that you too have found a way to either stay on track (if you have been) or get yourself a renewed sense of "take care of you" time!

I can't wait until I'm Healthfully Ever After.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

My work is paying off... finally!

So as I mentioned last week my focus has been on both food and exercise.  I am a tracking and exercising maniac!  I feel like I'm doing everything I can to stay within my points.

Last week I was a little disappointed because I didn't lose as much as I had expected. My level of activity had been insane...  I had earned 34 points.  I used all of those points, my weekly extra's plus another 6.  In the past I haven't had a problem with that I could go probably 20+ negative and still lose.  But over the last year I haven't been able to go "as negative" as I had in the past.

I've thought about that a lot.  When I work out that much I get way more hungry and I feel like it's doing the opposite I need it to do.  So this week I was going to try and not use my extra's.  Well that is almost impossible for me because I don't like to deprive myself (because that ALWAYS backfires on me) and most of my extra's used are within 1-3 days of my week not literally spread out for the whole week.  Maybe that's why it was working for me.

This week I decided to cut down my activity a little.  I didn't work out 2 of the 7 days... and my work outs are really either just riding bike (for an hour) or walking on the treadmill (for 2 miles) and then the bike for another 8-10 miles (typically an hour regardless of what activity I'm doing).  Nothing taht is too terribly intense.  In the end, I had only earned 23 activity points... I used all of those plus 41 of my 49 weekly points.  So I had 8 points left over.  THIS, I see, is a success.

If you compare "extra" used from this week to last (including those that I earned and gained)... there's a difference of 11 points used... but the earned to used usage is a difference of 22 points...  I think I may have found my mid-ground.  I lost 3.2 this week.  I am beyond thrilled!  It's sad how much this motivates me, I hate being a slave to the scale.  But it's a true fact for most of us.  I don't think that will ever go away for me (sadly).

Either way I'm calling this week and extremely successful week!  I'm more motivated than ever.  I don't have any new goals to work towards other than just keep on doing what I'm doing.  Trying to keep that middle ground with my exercise and eating.  I know I won't lose big next week but If I continue down this path I will lose.  Period.  If I go back I won't and I will gain quickly... I've proven that already and don't need to prove that theory out any more than I have.

Good luck to you on your journey... I hope you can find your way back if you'be been lost.  You have to want it!  Period.  There's no way around it.  You also have to do something to change.  Easy for me to say right now because I feel in absolute control.  But one can be thrown off that thrown so easily and quickly... I'm praying for my continued strength!

I can't wait until I'm Healthfully Ever After!

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Working HARD

In the last 5 weeks, with the exception of one because I was on vacation, I've turned over a new leaf.  I have been back to the gym at least 3 times a week if not more.  I have been tracking... and in the last two weeks have been really trying to stay within my allotted points (plus extras of course).  I'm much closer this week than I have been in the last 5.  And I'm feeling in control.

BUT

The scale is not my friend.  It has barely budged and this week, when I've been the best, I've only lost .8 lbs.  It's not an insignificant loss, but in my mind it should be a few lbs..  From what I was doing to what I am doing now, I should be down 5-8 lbs in these last 5 weeks.  In fact, I'm down 2 total.  It's just frustrating.

Regardless...

I vow to continue to track, exercise and not let this get me down.  I'm also going to try (TRY) not to use my exercise points.  This past week I had 33 exercise points and I used them all with my "extra" that WW allows.  In the past that has not been a problem from me... but here we are 3 1/2 - 4 years later and I'm in my 40's.  Maybe I just can't do that anymore... this will make it much harder for me though.

So please, if you're out there and reading this.  Please pray for me that next week will show some results on the scale.  THAT is what I need right now.

I can't wait until I'm Healthfully Ever After.