Lisa's Journal (Life on the "Beach" - Part 2 all the way to goal!)

[ZerasPride]

June 29, 2004 (Tuesday) Day 213 on the Beach

I am feeling better and better as the days go by. I am feeling more in control of what I want to do and where I want to go. I was thinking this morning that I had felt lost sort of like when you're traveling somewhere and you end up going in the wrong direction on the highway but you don't know it for a while. After some time has gone by and you get that "feeling" that you are headed the wrong way, check your map or with someone and realize that you have been going the wrong way for a while. You don't just stop your trip, pull to the side of the road and give up. You turn around and back in the right direction even though it means you have lost some time and will add a few hours to your trip. You get back on course and still reach your destination. That's how I felt. I'm back on course now, leaving the month of June behind and looking forward to all that July will bring!

I got on the scale before bed and it read 221.5 pounds. I just shook my head at me for weighing when I shouldn't and at the scale for the number that came up. I went to bed and weighed myself this morning (Wednesday) and was shocked that I was down 4.5 pounds to 217! That means I've lost that stupid half pound I had gained and I'm again at 65.5 pounds lost. I'm very happy about that but will wait until Sunday's weigh in to claim it and hope that half pound takes as many of his friends with him as possible! What a rollercoaster ride weighing myself is, I can't wait for the off the scale challenge! It will be interesting to see if I can go for 30 days without jumping on my evil scale!

Here is my menu for the day:
B: 1/2 bowl of whole wheat flakes cereal and 2 slices of bacon
S: 10 whole small almonds
L: tuna salad with 9 whole wheat crackers and a peach
S: Dannon light and fit strawberry yogurt (4 oz.) and some cherries
D: beef stroganoff over 1/2 cup of long grain converted rice (no dessert)

Exercise and Water Level: I did FIRM super body sculpt (upper and lower) this morning. Counting the two work outs I did yesterday (cardio sculpt blaster in the morning and 30 minutes of BSS1 cardio sculpt in the evening) I have done 3 FIRM work outs in the past 24 hours! Water gauge - see below.

Status of daily goals:
1) Exercise - I did my FIRM work out today;
2) Drink my water (80 to 120 ounces per day) - I drank somewhere between 80-100 ounces of water today;
3) Watch my portion sizes and the grains I eat (breakfast like a king, lunch like a price and dinner like a pauper) - I had a light dinner and ate until satisfied (but could have stopped eating sooner) but I did leave some food on my plate and I don't usually do that when I make beef stroganoff so that's progress;
4) Positive self-talk - I just kept reminding myself how good I felt and took several long looks in the mirror and at some old pics to remind myself how far I've come;
5) Stay away from the desserts - I did not have dessert tonight.

That's a wrap for Tuesday!

Amanda - I'm so glad you enjoyed the shrimp alfredo! It is my family's all time favorite. I try to be very careful with my portion size because I could probably eat an entire saucepan by myself. I'd be sick afterwards but I could do it if I wasn't careful. I agree that it's simple to make and not that expensive. Again, glad you enjoyed it!

 

[ZerasPride]

June 30, 2004 (Wednesday) Day 214 on the Beach

I got on the scale again this morning. Bad girl, I know. But I was done a whole pound and this is the first time I have seen 216.5 pounds on a scale since before my son was born 17 years ago! I'm on my way to onderland!!!!! I'm also looking forward to getting over this scale addiction. I have a size 16 (yea right) button down top in my closet from Target that is still a bit snug and I'm going to use it to gauge my progress. I'll be attending a convention at the end of July and would like to wear it comfortably by then.

I've been reading back through my journal (the first three weeks) and I was so excited about my progress. I feel that same excitement returning. I also liked so many of the foods I used to eat on Phase 1 that I'm going back to Phase 1.5 for a while. DH agrees and hopefully our food bill will go down. We're spending close to $140 a week on food and I know we didn't spend anything like that on Phase 1.

Here's today's menu:
B: 1/2 bowl of whole wheat flakes, 2 scrambled eggs with a slice of lf cheese and 2 small sausage patties
S: 10 whole small almonds
L: tuna salad with 9 whole wheat crackers and an orange
S: Dannon light and fit peach yogurt (4 oz.)
D: hamburger casserole (lean ground beef, sauteed fresh mushrooms, green peppers and onions, whole wheat noodles, and cream of mushroom soup) no dessert

Exercise and Water Gauge: I took a rest day today. But tomorrow I'll do FIRM cardio sculpt blaster. Water level: see below.


Status of daily goals:
1) Exercise - scheduled rest day today;
2) Drink my water (80 to 120 ounces per day) - I drank somewhere between 90-110 ounces of water today;
3) Watch my portion sizes and the grains I eat (breakfast like a king, lunch like a price and dinner like a pauper) - made my hamburger casserole which is delicious. Was very careful with my serving but still feel like I could have eaten a little less. I did leave some food on my plate and stopped before I was stuffed;
4) Positive self-talk - I keep telling myself that all I have to do is be successful today, I don't have to worry about yesterday or tomorrow;
5) Stay away from the desserts - I did not have dessert tonight.

That's a wrap for Wednesday!

 

[Strings]

HI Lisa,
Seems to me that you aren't a bad girl until you step n the scale on July 5th. Get it out of your system now.
Have a good one,
Beth

 

[DoeWDW]

Lisa, I can hear your enthusiasm and committment in your posts.

I liked your analogy of traveling with this vague sense of "something's not quite right" and then discovering that you're off-track and taking time to backtrack until you are on the right path again. I'll remember this one - thank you!

I've been turning up my nose at my scale since Monday. It isn't good enough to grace with my presence! OK, that's going a bit overboard, but I am feeling resentful of that silly machine at the moment, which is making it easier to avoid. I haven't decided if I'll get on it at the beginning of our scale challenge or if I'll just use last Monday's nasty number as my starting point.

I'm sending you and best wishes for a wonderful holiday weekend!

 

[ZerasPride]

July 1, 2004 (Thursday) Day 215 on the Beach

Today I am able to close the door on June. Thank goodness. It was not a stellar month for me at all and I'm glad to see it go and look forward to a new month of being successful.

Today, I am also celebrating 7 straight months of exercise! There is no 7 month execise clippie so I've got a six month and a one month one. I am very proud that I make exercise a priority and hope I can continue to do so through my weight loss journey and in maintenance.

I believe my body is still adjusting to the not eating dessert and not eating or snacking late at night. We did have dinner tonight a bit earlier than usual and that might have had something to do with it. We normally eat sometime between 7-9 and we had dinner right at 6. By the time 9:30 hit, I was absolutely starving! My body wanted something, anything to eat. Know what I told my body? I said NO!!!! I am the one in charge of what I put in my mouth. I try to eat a yummy and filling breakfast every morning and knew if I waited just a few short hours, I could eat again. I try to look at it like this: if I eat late at night, my body has to work to digest that food - if I don't eat late at night, my body can work on processing stored fat while I sleep. It's probably not very scientific and probably wrong but that's how I look at it.

I'm going to buy some n/s/a fudgesicles at the grocery store and add them back in for dessert. But only if I can eat one before 9:30. They have 45 calories and taste pretty good.

Here's today's menu:
B: 2 scrambled eggs with a slice of low fat cheese, 3 slices of bacon and 1/2 bowl of whole wheat cereal
S: 10 whole small almonds and a few cherries
L: leftover beef stroganoff over 1/2 cup of long grain converted rice
S: Dannon light and fit yogurt (4 oz.) strawberry
D: leftover hamburger casserole (no dessert)

Exercise and Water Gauge: I did FIRM cardio sculpt blaster this morning and DH and I took a 30 minute walk before bed. Water level - see below.

Status of daily goals:
1) Exercise - Firm cardio sculpt blaster and 30 minute walk;
2) Drink my water (80 to 120 ounces per day) - I drank somewhere between 80-90 ounces of water today;
3) Watch my portion sizes and the grains I eat (breakfast like a king, lunch like a price and dinner like a pauper) - today I did much better with the leftovers from the hamburger casserole. I ate only until I was satisfied and did not eat later in the evening;
4) Positive self-talk - I've been going over goals in my mind and not putting dates on myself which could set me up for failure;
5) Stay away from the desserts - I did not have dessert tonight.

That's a wrap for Thursday!

Beth - that's what I was thinking. I'm trying to get it all out of my system by Sunday. I weighed in again this morning (Friday) just to be sure that nasty pound didn't creep back and it didn't! I'm still not claiming the pound until Sunday but I feel so good knowing it's gone. I've got a blouse that's tight and a jean jacket is supposedly an XL (Not!) that I got at a thrift store that I will be using to gauge my procress. I'm looking forward to our challenge!

Doe - thanks for stopping by and spreading your special brand of sunshine! I do feel enthusiastic these days and I'm going to ride this feeling for as long as it lasts. One of the things that is helping me is going back and re-reading my old journal posts. I was thrilled to start this program and see my progress, I think some of that initial enthisiam left but I'm getting my "mojo" back!!!! I'm looking forward to us both being successful on the challenge. Enjoy the long weekend!

 

[ZerasPride]

July 2, 2004 (Friday) Day 216 on the Beach

I don't have much time to post but I wanted to get my menu down.

Here's today's menu:
B: 2 scrambled eggs with a slice of lf cheese, 2 small sausage patties and 1/2 bowl of whole wheat flakes cereal
S: 10 whole small almonds
L: tuna salad with 9 whole wheat crackers and a small nectarine
S: Dannon light and fit peach yogurt (4 oz.)
D: crustless pizza (mozzarella cheese, turkey pepperoni, lean ground beef, mushrooms, green peppers and onions) and no dessert

Exercise and Water Gauge:
I did FIRM super body sculpt this morning for my work out. Water level: see below

It's grocery shopping day and I'm buying food items for our return to Phase 1.5. I think our food bill should drop some without the sugar free treats and some of the whole wheat products we normally by. Our weekly grocery bill can be anywhere from $110 to $140. Ouch!!!! I need to get it back down to the $80-110 range and spent $95 at the store. That's a lot better.

Status of daily goals:
1) Exercise - Firm super body sculpt;
2) Drink my water (80 to 120 ounces per day) - I drank somewhere between 90-100 ounces of water today;
3) Watch my portion sizes and the grains I eat (breakfast like a king, lunch like a price and dinner like a pauper) - I was very careful with how much crustless pizza I ate, the rest on my plate I've saved for leftovers;
4) Positive self-talk - I've been going over goals in my mind and not putting dates on myself which could set me up for failure;
5) Stay away from the desserts - I had a 45 calorie n/s/a fudgesicle for dessert, it's the first one I've had all week.

That's a wrap for Friday!

 

[ZerasPride]

July 5, 2004 (Monday) Day 219 on the Beach

I am feeling lazy and don't want to go back and recap the past few days activity. I did stay on plan even at a bbq on Sunday evening where I had several hot dogs (4), baked beans, 3 deviled egg halves and 1 rib bone. I also had diet soda and 2 n/s/a creamsicles.

I worked out each day and tried to drink as much water as I could.

Weigh in day was Sunday and I was pleased to be down 3 pounds which brings my total weight loss to 68 pounds. I'm just 3 pounds from my third 10% goal and about 14 pounds from onderland! I am at 214.5 pounds and this is the lowest my weight has been in over 20 years!!!!!! I'm so excited to be this close to weighing under 200 pounds.

Today starts the stay off the evil scale challenge and I feel so privileged to have 16 other WISHers join me. I know it won't be easy but I am hoping we each will be successful and come out of this challenge with a little more self control where the scale is concerned.

Today's menu:
B: no breakfast, sleep late
L: 3 small sausage patties, 1/2 bowl of whole wheat flakes and 2 scrambled eggs with a slice of lf cheese
S: a nectarine
D: Philly cheesesteak wrap with mushrooms, onions and provolone cheese with a n/s/a fudgesicle for dessert

Exercise and Water Gauge: I did FIRM cardio sculpt blaster for my work out this morning. Water level: see below.

Status of daily goals:
1) Exercise - Firm cardio sculpt blaster;
2) Drink my water (80 to 120 ounces per day) - I drank somewhere between 40-80 ounces of water today;
3) Watch my portion sizes and the grains I eat (breakfast like a king, lunch like a price and dinner like a pauper) - I was careful with that philly cheesesteak because last week I ate the whole thing and felt too full, I stopped when I had enough, although it was hard because it tasted so good;
4) Positive self-talk - I keep reminding myself that I am doing this for me and not for anyone else;
5) Stay away from the desserts - I had two 20 calorie each sugar free creamsicles for dessert - at 20 calories a piece, I have found a new favorite dessert!

That's a wrap for Monday!

 

[DoeWDW]

Lisa, you are right on track! Your menus and exercise are looking good!

I'm sending good thoughts your way!!

 

[ZerasPride]

July 6, 2004 (Tuesday) Day 220 on the Beach

I've been doing pretty good with staying off the scale though I have been tempted a time or two. I am determined to make it the entire 30 days without getting on that darn thing.

Here is today's menu:
B: 1/2 bowl of whole wheat cereal and 2 small sausage patties
S: string cheese
L: tuna salad with 9 whole wheat crackers and a nectarine
S: Dannon light and fit peach yogurt
D: beef stroganoff over long grain converted rice and 1 or 2 fat free creamsicles (20 calories each) for dessert

Exercise: I did Firm super body sculpt (upper and lower) this morning for my workout.

Status of daily goals:
1) Exercise - Firm super body sculpt;
2) Drink my water (80 to 120 ounces per day) - I drank somewhere between 60-80 ounces of water today;
3) Watch my portion sizes and the grains I eat (breakfast like a king, lunch like a price and dinner like a pauper) - Even though I love my beef stroganoff, I was careful with my portion and only ate until I was satisfied;
4) Positive self-talk - When I get to thinking negative things, I find at least 2 positive things to dwell on;
5) Stay away from the desserts - I had one 20 calorie each sugar free creamsicles for dessert, it was yummy but I wanted another, I told myself "too bad" and drank a glass of water instead

That's a wrap for Tuesday!

Doe - thanks so much for stopping by and checking on me. I hope your Tuesday is full of cheer and sunshine!

 

[toystoryduo]

Hey Lisa!
You are doing a great job with your menus and your exercise! WISHing you the very best with the stay off the scale challenge! Keep up the good work girl! You are an inspiration!

Have a great Wednesday!!

Tracy

 

[Castillo Mom]

Hi! I PM'd you and I'm anxiously awaiting your reply. Boy, I have lots of catching up to do on your journal. I don't think I've read it since you returned from vacation and I know you're very consistent with your entries. I have read the last few and it looks like you're doing great! Kudos for only eating 1 sf creamcycle. I've had some problems with the treats even though they're "legal" ones (sf). Sometimes I get that bingy feeling and instead eating 1 piece of lc cheesecake, I almost feel like having another slice. Not a good habit to get back into!

Talk to you soon!

 

[ZerasPride]

Tracy - thanks for stopping by and checking on me. Your support means so much. Enjoy your evening!!!!

Lisa - I responded to your pm. It's nice to know you are my sister on a couple of different levels! I look forward to talking to you soon!!!!

 

[ZerasPride]

July 7, 2004 (Wednesday) Day 221 on the Beach

I decided I didn't want taco salad for dinner and we had a pizza and some wings instead. I ate 3 slices with just the toppings and 1-1/2 bbq wings. It was really good but sometimes I feel like I'm eating out of control and it's difficult for me to stop. I feel like I'm just shoveling food in my mouth and am barely swallowing. When I do this, I never end up satisfied and my stomach always has this burning sensation. I feel like the "fat" me from the old days who would eat a 20 piece chicken mcnugget, a double cheeseburger, fries and a cheese danish with milk and still not feel full.

I stumbled across a way to handle this situation by accident a couple of weeks ago. I don't know when this weird feeling will come over me but I do know how to make it stop. I slow down with my eating and chew very slowly. I find my heart doesn't race as fast and I start to feel in control again. The out of control feeling started last night but I was able to get it under control and stop eating when I had enough. This weight loss journey is teaching me so much about myself.

Here's today's menu:
B: 1/2 bowl of whole wheat cereal, 2 scrambled eggs with a slice of lf cheese and 2 small sauage patties
S: string cheese stick
L: tuna salad with 9 whole wheat crackers and a nectarine
S: Dannon light and fit strawberry 4 oz. yogurt
D: toppings off 3 slices of pizza and 1-1/2 bbq wings with ranch dressing and one 20 calorie each sugar free creamsicle for dessert

Exercise: I took a rest day today.

Status of daily goals:
1) Exercise - scheduled rest day
2) Drink my water (80 to 120 ounces per day) - I drank somewhere between 80-100 ounces of water today;
3) Watch my portion sizes and the grains I eat (breakfast like a king, lunch like a price and dinner like a pauper) - even though I started to feel that out of control feeling, I was able to get control back and just eat until I was satisfied;
4) Positive self-talk - a lot of negative and unsure feelings today but I fought them off with thinking good thoughts about myself;
5) Stay away from the desserts - I had one 20 calorie each sugar free creamsicles for dessert, I was pretty full after dinner and actually could have sticked it but it was good and low in calories so it was okay.

That's a wrap for Wednesday!

 

[Castillo Mom]

Hmmm, interesting thoughts about the "out of control" feeling. I've been going through the same thing the last week or so. For example, one of the outside vendors I do business with not only brought me a box of Krispy Creme donuts, he brought the fancy kind. I only meant to have half of one. Well, I ate it and went back for the other half and had that out of control feeling that you described and I felt terrible afterward. I can totally relate Lisa! I like your method of dealing with it, so I'll give it a try. I don't plan on eating any more donuts, but I need to be aware of these patterns. I also think making daily goals is really helping you stick to your plan so keep it up.

Well, I've gotta get back to my work. Talk to you soon!

 

[ZerasPride]

July 8, 2004 (Thursday) Day 222 on the Beach

This morning I thought I lost my wedding ring! I've lost enough inches that my ring has been spinning around on my finger and I knew it was loose but didn't realize how loose it was. I was fishing around in my bag for my snack and it slipped right off. I spend an anxious 2 hours looking for it and even sent an email alert out at work about it. I finally discovered it at the bottom of my bag (where my snack had been).

I didn't even feel it fall off. I'm wearing my ring on my middle finger from now on. What a scare!

Here's today's menu:
B: 3 slices of bacon and 1/2 bowl of whole wheat cereal
S: 8 whole almonds
L: tuna salad with 9 whole wheat crackers and a cup of sugar free cherry jello
S: 1 nectarine
D: taco salad and 2 sugar free creamsicle for dessert

Exercise: I did Firm cardio sculpt blaster for my work out this morning and feel great!

Status of daily goals:
1) Exercise - Firm cardio sculpt blaster
2) Drink my water (80 to 120 ounces per day) - I drank somewhere between 40-60 ounces of water today;
3) Watch my portion sizes and the grains I eat (breakfast like a king, lunch like a price and dinner like a pauper) I did really well with dinner and didn't even finish the entire taco salad;
4) Positive self-talk - a lot of negative and unsure feelings today surrounding my misplaced ring but I fought them off with the thought that overeating wasn't going to help bring my ring back;
5) Stay away from the desserts - I had 2 of the 20 calorie each sugar free creamsicles for dessert which is well within the amount I'm allowed.

That's a wrap for Thursday!

Lisa - Having daily goals has definitely helped me. It's like having my meals planned out for the day, I sort of know what I'm supposed to do just like I know what I'm supposed to eat and it does help. Let me know if slowing down when that out of control feeling comes over you helps. Have a great weekend!

 

[wilderness01]

Are you going to get your ring reduced in size or wait until you are done losing weight and have it done then? My jeweler suggested that I wait until I am done losing the lbs. I have lost a wedding ring and it was a sickening feeling. Glad you found yours!

 

[ZerasPride]

Hi wilderness!

Thanks for stopping by and checking on me. Yes, it is a sickening feeling losing your wedding ring. I know I found my ring this time but I lost my original diamond engagement ring and wedding band. DH was nice enough about it and replaced it with the anniversary band I wear now. I sure didn't want to have to tell him I lost another one! I'm sorry you lost yours. I am definitely going to wait until I finish losing weight to get my ring resized.

This losing weight process has so many elements to it, it can almost be overwhelming sometimes. I mean I thought about replacing clothes as they get too big but not so much losing shoe sizes and ring sizes.

 

[wilderness01]

I know what you mean. My ring wasn't insured with a separate policy as we had forgot to renew it when we moved so when I lost it we only received what was on the homeowner's policy. My husband was a doll and replaced it (he even very much upgraded it ) but I don't think he would do that again. We now have this set separately insured but I would not want to have to explain that again. My husband really was none too thrilled about me losing it! You are right about the whole process of losing weight being so involved. My clothes are again getting big and I have dropped a .5 shoe size. Or maybe it was just the brands that I bought. But I was always a size 7 shoe, had 3 kids and went up to a 8.5. Now I just bought 3 pairs of size 8 gymshoes. 2 different brands so maybe they both just run big??

Have a great weekend. Thanks for visiting my journal.

 

[Castillo Mom]

I'm so glad you found your ring! Wow, that was a close one. Yes, when we lose weight, our bodies change so much I guess it's true that we don't realize all of the effects it can have, mostly positive though. Hope you're having an enjoyable weekend.

 

[toystoryduo]

Wow, Lisa! That must have been scary for you! I am so glad that you found your ring! When DH and I were on our honeymoon (WDW ), I lost a diamond in my wedding band! I had the ring on less than 24 hours and I lost one of my diamonds. When we got home, DH took it back to the jewelry store and they fixed it for free.

How is the staying off the scale challenge going for you? I thought about joining the challenge, but I really felt like I needed to continue weighing myself so that I can adjust my food intake and/or my exercise as necessary. I'm 16 pounds away from my first goal and I need to tweak what I am doing. I only weigh myself twice a month anyhow. Hope the challenge is going well for you!!!

Have you been enjoying this beautiful weather? We had a garage sale Thurs-Sat and the weather was phenomenal!

Have a great Sunday!

Tracy