Bunnies to Birthday Cake (or 45 by 45 in 24) - Comments Welcome

[mackeysmom]

Sorry for the lame title – I was trying to come up with something catchy, but I’m not that creative. Settled on “Bunnies to Birthday Cake” since my first phase will run from Easter until my Birthday in October. 45 by 45 in 24 was my second title choice, since I’d like to lose 45 pounds by my 45th birthday in 24 weeks, but decided against such a specific goal. I always seem to put so much pressure on myself or too much emphasis on the number on the scale. If I only lost 20 pounds by that date, am I a failure?

Those who follow these boards may remember that I’ve posted a journal or two in the past. I’d start out gung-ho by updating every day and posting pics of all my food. Eventually, I’d skip a day, or a week or a month and give up. This journal will be different in that it will really be like a journal – only an on-line version. I’ll post when I have something to add, and won’t when I don’t. While feedback and comments will always be welcome and appreciated, I’m hoping to use this as something I can look back at and see what made a good week good, or a bad week bad. I’m not going to feel bad if I’ve not planned well and have to have a Lean Cuisine for dinner, or if the M&Ms are calling me from the vending machine. But, I’ll admit to it and move on from there.

Right now I don’t have a plan. I’m not sure if I’ll be counting calories, following WW points, low carb, etc. I know I need a plan, and will be thinking all night about what will best suit me. Right now I am working full-time and going to school full-time at night. I will be graduating in a few weeks, so the plan that I start tomorrow might change in a few weeks when my schedule changes. This will be a work in progress.

If you’ve read this far, thank you! I’ll post tomorrow with more details such as starting weight, etc.

Have a nice evening,
Laura

 

[mackeysmom]

I didn't intend to wait a week for an update, but the last few days got away from me. I initially weighed myself Monday morning and the damage was: 225.8 lbs.

I didn't really have a plan this week. I'm finishing up my last week or so of school (went back for my bachelors at age 42) and things have been crazy. My only "goal" this week was to be aware of snacking. I did pretty well with that, but made some less than optimal choices with meals. Breakfasts and lunches were ok - I pack my own, but I had fast-food 3 times and restaurant meals twice. On top of that, Sunny Doodle - one of my cats - had a veterinary emergency and ate up a lot of my time. I was only able to attend 2 boot-camp classes this week.

When I weighed myself yesterday, I was down 1.2 lbs - weighing in at 224.6. Not bad since I made very little effort.

This week, I'm going to try to limit my eating out to 2 meals. I'm also going to try to get 3 boot-camp classes in.

Until next time ...

 

[Caradana]

1.2 is great! do you think that with the good weather finally coming to our area (i live in NJ) you'll be more inspired to exercise? I feel that way every spring

 

[mackeysmom]

1.2 is great! do you think that with the good weather finally coming to our area (i live in NJ) you'll be more inspired to exercise? I feel that way every spring

The warmer weather - along with school ending - will totally change my exercising routine. I try to get to bootcamp 3 or 4 times per week, and (weather permitting) try to get a 3-mile walk in on my "off" days. The crazy winter we had made those walks nearly impossible.

 

[mackeysmom]

Weighed in this morning at 224. That puts me at a loss of .6 for the week, and a total of 1.8 over 2 weeks. Considering I followed no plan and only got to bootcamp once, I have no complaints. In fact, I think the loss is a fluke.

Anyway - I AM OFFICALLY DONE WITH SCHOOL. Although my graduation ceremony isn't until June, I am done. Deciding to go back to college (while working full-time) at the age of forty-something was definitely a challenge, but I'm proud that I stuck with it and now have my Bachelor's Degree in Business (majoring in HR Mgmt).

The downside? I finally have to get on the ball and do all of those things I said I would do "when I was done with school". I kept using it as an excuse and now I have no more excuses.

Diet and exercise are two of the things I said I would really concentrate on once school ended, so I better come up with a plan. I have a lot of thinking to do - trying to figure out what has worked in the past, and what I can realistically do for the rest of my life. Weight Watchers has worked in the past, so I am leaning that way. What ever direction I go in, I know that planning will be the most important factor.

Until next time ...

 

[mackeysmom]

Weighed in yesterday at 223.6. That puts me at a loss of .4 for the week, and a total of 2.4 over 3 weeks. Again, no plan was followed and I only went to bootcamp once.

While part of me says, “Wow, I lost 2.4 pounds without changing anything”, the more intelligent part of me says, “Imagine what you could have accomplished if you HAD actually followed a plan”.

That being said, I am making small weekly goals going forward. This week, my goals are:

1) No eating after 9 pm. Nighttime snacking is a problem for me, so I have to just avoid the temptation.

2) 1 Diet Coke per day. I normally drink 3 or so cans a day, but am finding that they sometimes trigger food cravings.

3) Pack a lunch at least 4 of 5 days this week. The convenience to grab pizza or McDonald’s is pretty strong – if I avoid it, I’ll save some $$ as well.

So,that’s the plan. Wish me luck.

- Laura

 

[mackeysmom]

Sorry I was MIA last week ...

I weighed in this morning at 222.2 - that brings me down 1.4 for a total loss of 3.6. Nothing to write home about, but at least it is moving in the right direction despite any sort of actual plan.

As for the 3 small goals I set for myself last time:

1) No eating after 9 pm. Nighttime snacking is a problem for me, so I have to just avoid the temptation.

I've been pretty good with that one - I only slipped up on Wednesday. I was watching the Survivor finale with my niece and we made/shared a bowl of popcorn.

2) 1 Diet Coke per day. I normally drink 3 or so cans a day, but am finding that they sometimes trigger food cravings.

I think for the time being, I'll be happy if I limit myself to 2 per day. That seems to have been "doable" this week. Maybe once I get used to two a day, it will be easier to wean myself down to 1.

3) Pack a lunch at least 4 of 5 days this week. The convenience to grab pizza or McDonald’s is pretty strong – if I avoid it, I’ll save some $$ as well.

I failed pretty miserably with this one - only brought lunch twice this week. I wound up getting pizza twice and ordering from the deli once. I have to be better with this one - my wallet is a little thin lately and I have to cut back on things like eating out.

This week I am going to shoot for the same goals. I also want to make a point of getting to bootcamp Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. I've already told my niece that when I come over for dinner on Wednesday, we are taking a walk afterwards. My sister lives about a mile away from a little beach, so we can get 2 miles in walking there and back.

Until next time ...

- Laura

 

[Love2Run]

Sounds like your doing really well so far. I like you attitude on not sticking to a strict posting schedule so you don't get overwhelmed!

How is the diet coke limiting going? I have a diet coke addiction that I really need to kick. I've made so many changes recently that I am giving myself a little longer because I try to cut back. I'm interested to hear what worked for you.

Keep up the great work!