Dana's Weight Loss Journal: 75 lbs to go! Comments welcome! Updated 9/23

[joyfulDisneytears]

I just wanted to pop in and post this real quick...still gotta get my walking in for the evening but I am feeling really wiped out today so I don't know if I'll get around to posting later tonight. Feels like I may be coming down with a cold; I have a scratchy throat and headache and I'm really tired. Hoping my body will fight it off because I really don't want to be sick for my trip next weekend!

I sat down on the floor to brush the cat (he's a Persian so it has to be done frequently...good thing he enjoys it!), and once he got bored and walked away I literally laid down on the floor and fell asleep for an hour. Let me repeat: on the floor. Talk about tired!

Anywho, weigh-in this morning was at 238.35! Down 2.5 lbs! That more like it! Gonna go switch my WISH tag to -20!

 

[joyfulDisneytears]

Didn't walk yesterday since I was feeling sick and exhausted, so I didn't meet my 20 mile goal for the week. I got to 16. Remembered last night at about midnight that I had data entry work to do. I slept in this morning and I feel better today, but no opportunity to exercise because I'm trying to get all this work done before I go to sleep tonight. I'll be up late.

Saturday:

Exercise - Bikini Workout for Beginners from SP

Lunch - French onion soup; 1/2 salad w/ almonds, bleu cheese, tomato, bacon, onion, Italian dressing; 1/2 breadstick - 485 cal
Snack - 2 clementines - 70 cal
Dinner - 1/2 leftover salad & breadstick from lunch; Lean Gourmet pepperoni flatbread pizza; watermelon - 611 cal
Snack - popcorn mini bag; WW Giant Fudge Bar - 210 cal

Total - 1375 cal
Water - 80 oz

Sunday:

Breakfast - 2 clementines - 70 cal
Lunch - 1 piece deep dish pizza w/ sausage, pepperoni, mushroom - 309 cal (?)
Snack - roasted almond granola clusters - 140 cal
Dinner - turkey bologna, 2% cheese, spinach on sammie thin; cucumber w/ hummus; grapes - 406 cal
Snack - pretzels w/ french onion Laughing Cow; SmartOnes cookie dough sundae - 320 cal

Total - 1245 cal (1200-1550) Calorie range got adjusted again since I don't know how my exercise will be for the coming week because of my upcoming trip.
Water - 88 oz

 

[eyor44]

Congrats on the loss!!! you are doing great!

 

[lolakat]

The big 2-0! That is awsome. Keep up the good work!

 

[joyfulDisneytears]

Grrrr...I had responses typed out to all these the other day, but then I accidentally hit the magical spot on my touchpad that is the same as a 'back' button and I lost everything I wrote. Hate it when that happens. Not sure how to turn it off!

Dana - i think you are not putting yourself 1st enough - its amazing what a fantastic job your doing looking after your grandmother but you are 24 yrs old & need a life too, its hard to think of yourself when your so used to putting others 1st but please try - even if its just a little.
your calories look great - i always round them up to be on the ''safe side'' e.g. 359 cals i will round up to 400 cals - just to be sure as i often forget to add drinks & sauces
keep up the walking, well done your doing a great job

Thanks a lot! I feel like it's hard to get 'me' time in my situation. The daytime care just sort of defaulted to me since I was the unemployed one, so asking for time off involves me having to ask someone else to take time off *their* job...bleh. At least I have my weekends.

HI Dana
Just read your thread and I think you are on the right track. Your walking is awesome and you are doing really great with the calorie track.

Couple of notes: I love sardines, but don't eat them anymore 1) they gross my family out 2) coworkers complained of the smell.

Is your heal still hurting you? Might be your shoes. I had this same problem and discovered it was my shoes. If you have jogging shoes, next time you get new shoes, try specific walking shoes or crosstrainers (these work best for me). Jogging shoes can actually hurt your feet if you walk long distances in them. PS - I'm not in the medical field, just a very experienced walker.

I understand how hard it is to be motivated to exercise especially when you miss a couple days. It has been so hot here this summer that I have not been able to walk regular. Lucky you to have a treadmill, in front of a tv no less.

You are doing great, keep up the great work.

My heel is doing fine now, thanks for asking! I *am* wearing jogging shoes (Brooks Ghost) which were recommended to me at the shoe shop because of my underpronation and heel pain. They've worked out really well for the most part, but I think I may need to invest in some insoles because they've probably got a couple hundred miles on them by now and have to be getting worn down. Next time I'm out for new shoes I'll look into some crosstrainers that would work with my foot problems.

Congrats on the loss!!! you are doing great!

Thanks a lot!

The big 2-0! That is awsome. Keep up the good work!

Thank you!

 

[joyfulDisneytears]

Did my strength workout at Grandma's while she was sleeping again on Monday...I think I'll make this a habit from now on. I have multiple hours over there during the day to myself, and it works a lot better than trying to cram dinner, strength training, and a long walk into the time after I get home.

Monday:

Exercise - Bikini Workout for Beginners from SP; 1 hr 40 min walk on treadmill (5 miles)

Breakfast - Multigrain Cheerios w/ milk; banana - 280 cal
Lunch - wheat tortilla w/ turkey & fat free shredded cheddar; asparagus w/ hummus - 304 cal
Snack - granola nut clusters; Bostom cream pie Yoplait light - 250 cal
Dinner - smoked sausage; sauerkraut; mashed potatoes - 420 cal
Dessert - WW strawberry smoothie bar - 60 cal

Total - 1314 cal
Water - 112 oz

Waaaaay too high on sodium Monday. I think I was retaining water today as a result because I got on the scale and was a pound up since Saturday.

101 Dalmatians was tonight's movie...I was all like when all the puppies were trudging through the snow and finally got to the dairy barn! Disney makes me sooo weepy! What a sap If I was super-dedicated to watching the Disney movies I own in order, I actually should have watched 'Swiss Family Robinson', but that movie is over 2 hours long and I didn't want to commit myself to a walk that lengthy tonight.

Tuesday:

Exercise - 1 hr 20 min walk on treadmill (4 miles)

Breakfast - mini bagel w/ 2 eggs; 2 clementines - 329 cal
Lunch - Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers (sweet sesame chicken) - 340 cal
Snack - strawberry Nutrigrain bar; cinnamon roll Yoplait light - 230 cal
Dinner - kid's meal: steakburger w/ lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle & fries - 445 cal
Dessert - WW giant latte bar - 90 cal

Total - 1434 cal
Water - 112 oz

It was absolutely not a big deal for me to just have a kid's meal from Steak 'n Shake. Plenty of food! I think I'll use that as a strategy if I get sent out to get dinner and don't feel like a fast food salad.

I asked DBF if he would have any issue with splitting plates if we go out to eat while I'm visiting him, and he said he wouldn't. I'm also planning on cooking a recipe or two from SP while I'm there so we don't feel obligated to go out every meal.

I'm falling asleep at the keyboard! Good night folks!

 

[eyor44]

You are doing great with your walking and your food looks really good.

 

[joyfulDisneytears]

I'm leaving shortly to go to the airport and fly to visit DBF in Phoenix for the long weekend, so I won't be around my scale tomorrow. I figured I'd post a weigh-in from this morning, and then another Tuesday morning when I'm back.

This morning the scale said 235.53...I am not terribly excited about this because I'm pretty sure it was mostly water weight that I lost last night when I had a stomach upset issue. That, I believe, was my body telling me to quit eating fast food! I haven't been going over calories or anything, but the family has been sending me out to pick up dinner the past few nights.

I got back on after I had some breakfast and a bottle of water, and the scale said 236.8. That's probably more accurate once I replenish my fluids.

I've been logging all my food, just haven't been posting it! I'll catch up with it here later.

Hope everyone reading has a good Labor Day weekend!

 

[eyor44]

Have a great weekend! We want to hear all about it when you return.

 

[indimom]

Hey Dana, I'm a little late to wish you a great trip, but I hope you are having a FABULOUS time!!!!!!! Get all the you can get and enjoy yourself.

I apologize for not checking in this week. We were setting up every evening this week for a yard sale Friday evening and Saturday. We did pretty good and the kids are thrilled with their money, but it's always a lot more work than you think it's going to be. Ugh! I missed two nights of walking this week, thanks to being flat exhausted working all day and doing set up all night. So I only managed 15 miles this week. And while my points were in line, I didn't make the best choices. Too many carbs, not enough veggies and protein, my usual drill when I eat on the run.

But I'm looking toward a better week next week.

Sounds like you are still doing great on the tracking and excercise! I'm trying to remind myself not to let the little "slumps" derail me from the big picture, but it's pretty hard sometimes. You're an inspiration! I'll try to get over here more this week.

Can't wait to hear about your awesome trip!!!

 

[joyfulDisneytears]

Have a great weekend! We want to hear all about it when you return.

Thanks! I had a great time, but the visit was WAY too short. DBF and I were both majorly bummed out when he dropped me at the airport...he even stood in the security line with me until it was my turn to show my ID/boarding pass and then stood up against the glass around the metal detector area so we could see each other right up until the very last minute possible. Very sweet.

Hey Dana, I'm a little late to wish you a great trip, but I hope you are having a FABULOUS time!!!!!!! Get all the you can get and enjoy yourself.

I apologize for not checking in this week. We were setting up every evening this week for a yard sale Friday evening and Saturday. We did pretty good and the kids are thrilled with their money, but it's always a lot more work than you think it's going to be. Ugh! I missed two nights of walking this week, thanks to being flat exhausted working all day and doing set up all night. So I only managed 15 miles this week. And while my points were in line, I didn't make the best choices. Too many carbs, not enough veggies and protein, my usual drill when I eat on the run.

But I'm looking toward a better week next week.

Sounds like you are still doing great on the tracking and excercise! I'm trying to remind myself not to let the little "slumps" derail me from the big picture, but it's pretty hard sometimes. You're an inspiration! I'll try to get over here more this week.

Can't wait to hear about your awesome trip!!!

That's great that they made some money at the yard sale! It is a whole lot of work to get it going though. Our neighborhood will usually have a yardsale day once or twice a year but we never participate, though we certainly have enough stuff sitting around that we don't use!

My walking got thrown off last week what with traveling and fasting for my blood draw at the dr's office...I was fairly sure I was allowed water on the fast but both my parents seemed so certain I wasn't supposed to have *anything* for 12 hours before, so I didn't do my evening walk on Thursday since I couldn't have anything to drink during to stay hydrated. (The nurse told me the next day that I could have water, black coffee, or plain tea, which is what I thought in the first place!)

My eating was pretty terrible this weekend compared to what I've been doing at home, but it could have been a *lot* worse. I didn't eat the whole portion given to me in most cases, and resisted the unique fast food temptations aside from a late night taco run on Sunday. I also made sure to eat breakfast daily. I made a decision not to count calories for the weekend, but did try to be smarter about things than I used to be.



I believe I'm going to write up a mini-TR to put into the 'California & the West' section...I took lots of pictures this weekend.

 

[joyfulDisneytears]

Thanks to eating way too much this weekend and the toll traveling takes on me (always suffer from irregularity and bloating after I fly...TMI, sorry), the scale was at 238.93 this morning. (That's a gain of about 0.6 lbs since 8/28, for those keeping track.) Hopefully things will settle back to normal and the damage done this weekend will be rectified!

I'm super behind on my food log, so I'll do that now...

Wednesday:

Exercise - Bikini Workout for Beginners from SP

Breakfast - Multigrain Cheerios w/ milk; banana - 280 cal
Lunch - turkey bologna, 2% cheese, spinach on sammie thin; asparagus w/ hummus - 314 cal
Snack - watermelon; fiber cracker w/ Laughing Cow - 162 cal
Dinner - grilled chicken wrap w/ ranch & cheese; cucumber; pretzels - 329 cal
Dessert - WW giant cookies & cream bar - 130 cal

Total - 1214 cal
Water - 80 oz
_____

Thursday:

Breakfast - Nutrigrain waffle w/ cinnamon raisin PB; banana - 274 cal
Lunch - 1/2 portabella Gardenburger & spinach on wheat bun; asparagus w/ hummus; 2 clementines - 254 cal
Snack - grapes; watermelon; pretzels - 297 cal
Dinner - McDonald's hamburger & small fries - 480 cal

Total - 1305 cal
Water - 96 oz

Do you ever try something and you don't *like* it, but you feel it's passable enough to your palate that it's edible...but then you eat it a couple more times and it just becomes increasingly more unappetizing? Such is the case with the portabella Gardenburger. I thought it was ok the first couple times...not really enjoyable but something to fill my belly. This time though, I got through about half of it and threw the rest in the trash, along with the one that was still in the box. I won't be getting those again.
_____

Friday: (This is the day I stopped counting calories until Monday...)

Breakfast - 2 eggs on whole wheat English muffin; 2 clementines
Lunch - turkey bologna & 2% cheese on sammie thin (in the car on the way to the airport)
Snack - clementine; thinkThin brownie crunch bar
Dinner - southwest chicken dip w/ tortilla chips (8 chips); prime rib (~3 oz) w/ au jus; mashed potatoes (~1/2 cup); veggies (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli); sauteed mushrooms
_____

Saturday:

Exercise - walk around ASU campus in the 110 degree heat! woo!

Breakfast - Multigrain Cheerios w/ milk; banana
Snack - Chips Ahoy thins 100 calorie pack
Late lunch/Early dinner - 2 buffalo chicken strips w/ bleu cheese dressing; 1/2 monte cristo sandwich & fries

_____

Sunday:

Exercise - walk around Desert Botanical Gardens, and another around the Chandler mall

Breakfast - Multigrain Cheerios w/ milk; banana
Lunch - crab cake eggs benedict; potatoes; watermelon; orange juice
Dinner - slow-cooker salsa chicken; whole grain rice; broccoli
Midnight meal - 3 tacos; cheese quesadilla

This was the night I made dinner. Jared's dad really liked it, he ended up eating the extra chicken breast right then (there were 4 of us, I made 5). It was a recipe from SP and I was really pleased with how it turned out. No one was the wiser when I used all reduced-fat/sodium ingredients, either! Well, except Jared, who was the one that took me to the store and bought everything I picked out.

The midnight fast food run was my doing...we had just been to a movie and I was hungry from smelling all the popcorn. I'm pretty sure just getting the popcorn itself would have been a lot kinder to my waistline!
_____

Monday:

Snack - Chips Ahoy thins 100 calorie pack; Ritz Chips 100 calorie pack (snacks from the plane ride)
Dinner - Cajun grilled tilapia; southwest rice; corn; watermelon
Snack - Pepsi; pretzels w/ PB; Gardettos; vanilla ice cream

I was not hungry before Jared took me to the airport since we ate tacos at midnight and didn't get very much sleep. I always feel a little queasy if I don't get enough rest.

Really blew it on the snacks last night after dinner...I got into that mentality of, 'Well, I already screwed up the whole weekend, may as well round it out and get back on the wagon tomorrow.' Bad attitude to have. I always do stuff like that.
_____

I am trying to be back on track today, but I am really not feeling hungry at all...I've just been munching on little things here and there and haven't really eaten a proper meal yet.

I plan on starting my mini-TR today or tomorrow. I'll go into all the yummy food I ate in more detail there...my 'diet' thread doesn't seem the right place for it. I'll link it in my siggie once I do!

 

[joyfulDisneytears]

Breakfast - 2 clementines - 70 cal
Lunch - pasta salad (italian dressing based w/ cucumber & tomato); light string cheese - 402 cal
Dinner - penne w/ chicken, tomato, & spinach in tomato cream sauce; salad w/ lite ranch - 588 cal
Snack - lime & salt popcorn mini bag - 190 cal

Total - 1250 cal
Water - 80 oz

Good thing I didn't really eat anything earlier in the day since Mom made that delectable pasta for dinner! I had to have a small second helping...it was very tasty!

 

[eyor44]

I think you did rather well on your weekend away and great job going to places that involved a lot of walking.

That pasta your DM made sounds divine. I pasta.

The slight gain is probably water as you mentioned. Flying plus going from one climate to another and then back again, probably through your body off and it wasn't quite sure what to do.

 

[joyfulDisneytears]

Breakfast - Multigrain Cheerios w/ milk - 171 cal
Lunch - Lean Gourmet Santa Fe Style Rice & Beans frozen meal; cucumber w/ hummus - 371 cal
Snack - red velvet cake Yoplait light; grapes - 196 cal
Dinner - Subway 6" Oven Roasted Chicken sub - 473 cal
Snack - light string cheese - 60 cal

Total - 1271 cal
Water - 96 oz

No exercise again today...still feeling really tired from traveling and had a bad headache this evening. I'm just not feeling it, but at least I'm eating alright!

Out of curiosity I got on the scale again this morning to find myself almost 2 lbs lighter than I was yesterday, so my assumption of my gain being bloat from travel was pretty much confirmed. Good to know!

I forgot to mention that DBF's brother's wife asked me if I had lost weight when I was there...always good to hear that question!!!

I started my mini TR! I just put a bit of an introduction up now, so if you've been following along here you probably know most of it already. I did include a couple pictures of DBF and me though!

 

[eyor44]

always great when someone asks you that question! Can't wait to read your TR and see your pics. I love pics!

Hope you feel better today.

 

[joyfulDisneytears]

Nightmare of a day with Grandma...consoled myself with junk food this evening, but stayed within my calories doing it, so I'm totally ok with it! There was a time not long ago when I would have gotten 4 times as much food and eaten every bite of it. I have a very big bingeing problem. I actually feel a sense of accomplishment today because I seem to have taken some steps to conquer it!

Breakfast - Nutrigrain waffle w/ cinnamon raisin PB; orange creme Yoplait light - 265 cal
Lunch - Subway 6" oven roasted chicken sub - 473 cal
Dinner - Taco Bell nachos supreme - 440 cal
Dessert - Dairy Queen mini Hawaiian Blizzard - 300 cal

Total - 1478 cal
Water - 64 oz

That orange creme flavored yogurt was not misleading at all! There is a picture of a creamsicle on the container and that is *exactly* what it tasted like! I love those things...I'll definitely be getting more of that flavor!

I have my doctor's appointment tomorrow...I'm not entirely sure what it's going to entail. Hoping against hope that all my test results come back ok. I'm getting anxious just thinking about it...what if I have high cholesterol or diabetes or something! It wouldn't be all that much of a surprise, but of course I don't want to find out that is the case.

Off-topic - I watched 'Repo!: The Genetic Opera' this evening...if you like those morbid cult musicals like 'Rocky Horror' or 'Phantom of the Paradise' I would highly recommend it. It was campy and terrible, and for those reasons was completely awesome at the same time.

 

[joyfulDisneytears]

My doctor's appointment went well yesterday! Almost all of my blood tests were in normal ranges, except for my blood sugar which was just a point lower than the normal range. The doc told me not to worry about it.

Hooray! No high cholesterol or pre-diabetes or anything! I was really worried, being as overweight as I am. My blood pressure was a bit high, but I honestly believe most of that was because there was some sort of construction going on on the road to my doctor's office, which backed up traffic a couple miles downt he road, and it made me late to my appointment. I really *hate* being late, and I was spazzing and stressing out! She just told me to keep doing what I'm doing, and watch my salt intake. Of all the things I'm tracking, salt is absolutely the hardest to keep a handle on for me. There is just so much added sodium in everything!

The scale this morning was at 234.73! That's -4.2 lbs since Tuesday! So I've now caught myself up for the last 2 weeks and am back on track after my bit of a splurge last weekend. This also means that it's time to change my WISH tag to -25!!

 

[joyfulDisneytears]

Playing catch-up again...

Friday:

Breakfast - 2 eggs on whole wheat English muffin; clementine - 284 cal
Lunch - wheat tortilla w/ cucumber & hummus - 219 cal
Dinner - grilled pork tenderloin on bun w/ tomato, lettuce, onion; onion rings; coleslaw - 853 cal

Total - 1355 cal
Water - 80 oz

Saturday:

Breakfast - 2 clementines - 70 cal
Lunch - leftover pasta - 230 cal
Snack - granola nut clusters; strawberry orange Yoplait light - 240 cal
Dinner - pepper steak w/ white rice; wonton soup - 669 cal
Snack - popcorn; WW ice cream candy bar - 190 cal

Total - 1399 cal
Water - 64 oz

Sunday:

Lunch - Texas Roadhouse: onion blossom w/ dip; salmon w/ mixed veggies; side salad w/ lite ranch - 902 cal
Snacks - grapes; pineapple upside-down cake Yoplait light; pretzels - 436 cal

Total - 1337 cal
Water - 64 oz

Yeah, I was within my calories, but they were mostly from fat, and I went way over on my total fat. Texas Roadhouse is bad news, and I don't even know how accurate my figuring was there because they don't provide any nutritional info. Occasional splurges are ok, I know, but this was a little out of control. That onion blossom thing is EVIL.

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

Love your journal! Congrats on the weight loss so far! I am starting a diet plan starting tomorrow. I am feeling a little bit sick so the exercise program will have to wait a few more days. Bingeing is my biggest problem, too. I don't know how you survive with just three meals and a dessert per day...I have a serious snacking issue in the evening. Any tips?!