Lisa's Weightloss Journal (comments welcomed!)

[Castillo Mom]

Mon. 3/31/14

Being the end of the month I though I should check in. I'm doing great, had a really good March and made my goal of 20 lbs., woohoo! Now I have to decide if I want to add a 20 lb. clippie.

My only issue this month was the discouragement I've felt as far as activity level. I ended up having a flare up of sciatica which is no bueno. I was feeling better but I started with a flare up on Saturday. I wanted to power through it and decided to go shopping at the Farmer's Market in LA. I love that place, so much to see! I forced myself to walk as painful as it was and think made it worse which then flared up my ankle arthritis, grrrrr!!!!! I was a little depressed on Sunday but I've just gotta keep moving forward, pain or no pain.

Sooo, with that in mind a couple weeks ago I was watching all these fun Youtube exercise videos, some of them Zumba. I've always wanted to do Zumba but didn't think my ankle could withstand it. The other day I decided to try it in the privacy of my bedroom and I was right, ankle gave out after 5 minutes. I continued to search and found an alternative, Aqua Zumba! Who knew! I got so excited and found one year my home. You see, Latin rhythms are close to this Puerto Rican girl's heart. I love to dance, in fact my husband and I would go salsa dancing several times a month. Didn't matter if we were in the middle of a quarrel, we'd still go! But I digress, I finally signed up today and will start on Wednesday. Can't wait!

Now for goals. I joined the August WISH challenge and made a goal of 20-25 pounds by 8/1/14. Yikes! In order for me to reach it I really need to get my body moving. I do have a mini goal of 6 pounds for the month of April.

We shall see!

 

[Castillo Mom]

Tues. 4/1/14

First day of April and it sucked! I think that if I'm going to continue on in this journey I need to write my feelings down instead of what I usually do which is reach for a donut. I loooove donuts!

Anyway, today was really stressful. Actually every day is stressful at work, just comes with the territory. I love my job most days and probably wouldn't know what to do with myself in a slow paced environment. I like a challenge and love my staff. However, today an issue came up again that has been brewing for quite some time and the situation just kind of put me over the edge. What frustrated me even further was that I allowed myself to be brought to tears. I feel that in my position I need to remain strong for my team. If they see management struggling with stress, it can cause them to feel insecure and only adds to whatever issues they're dealing with. Not a good combination.

All that being said, I need to remind myself that this is a career challenge that I will surpass. I need to take a deep breathe (or many deep breaths), step back, analyze the situation and put things into perspective. I am home now with my beautiful children and remind myself that they are what's important and to leave the drama of the day at the doorstep. I'm so grateful to have them in my life and be surrounded by so many that I love and love me back. I'm so incredibly blessed and need to realize that not everyone is as fortunate and sadly bring their baggage into the workplace. Tomorrow is a new day and I will deal with the matter at another time. At the very least this is a learning experience. That which does not kill us only makes us stronger. I will repeat that 100 times before my head hits the pillow tonight!

There, feel better already. Didn't need the donut after all!

ETA: I can hear my sons laughing in the other room. Music to my ears!

 

[disneyworldluvr349]

I love reading your journal! Inspired me to make one of my own! Keep on posting

 

[Castillo Mom]

I love reading your journal! Inspired me to make one of my own! Keep on posting

Thank you so much for the kind words! Congrats on starting a journal, it can really be helpful. It keeps me motivated and it's an outlet when I need to vent and track my progress.

Hope to see you around WISH!

 

[Castillo Mom]

Mon. 4/7/14

Happy Monday! Or at least what's left of it. Had a great weekend with family and friends and even got some exercise in.

Speaking of exercise, I attended that Aqua Zumba class today. Good news and bad news. The good news is that it's super fun! Love the music and the class was perfect timing weather-wise since it hit 90 degrees today. Now the bad news. My ankles didn't like it. Well, at least part of it. I thought for sure that I wouldn't have any issues due to the buoyancy of the water. However, there were several parts that involved jumping around which caused my feet to pound the hard cement of the pool. No bueno. I was so frustrated that halfway through I felt like crying. But I regrouped. The instructor could tell I was in pain and she discreetly demo'd a modified version of the jumping parts. So, I did get my butt moving today and will continue with the class.

Oh how I miss being able to dance like I used to. An orthopedist told me that's what caused my ankle arthritis to advance and those sexy heels I used to wear added to the problem. If any of you ladies are reading this, take care of your feet!

On a more positive note, I weighed in this morning and am happy to say that I'm down to 188. Woohoo, 5 more pounds to go for April!

Off to bed now, I have to get up early do do my volunteer work. Double whammy, I get to help people and sneak in some gentle walking for some activity points.

 

[Purrrrfecta]

Lisa!

Hi, your thread inspired me to get started on Atkins again. It took time for me to withdraw, but I am actively in phase one, and doing OK.

Have not heard from you in a while. come back and post. Miss you

Connie

 

[Castillo Mom]

Lisa!

Hi, your thread inspired me to get started on Atkins again. It took time for me to withdraw, but I am actively in phase one, and doing OK.

Have not heard from you in a while. come back and post. Miss you

Connie

Hi Connie! I'm still here! It's been a really busy month so I haven't really had time to post.

Congratulations on restarting Atkins! Yeah, induction can be a challenge but once you get past that it gets so much easier.

Are you keeping a journal? I find that when I'm having a really tough day it can really help. Keep up the good work and hope to see you around!

 

[Castillo Mom]

Thurs. 5/1/14

So another month has on by, incredible! April was super busy but it was a great month. My sciatic nerve pain has greatly improved and now that the weather is warmer my ankle is doing a little better.

Now for not so good news. Well wait, I'm not going to be negative. I need to remind myself that this is a steady journey. At some point my weight loss is going to slow down, that's normal. I lost two pounds this month so I didn't reach my six pound goal but I'm down to 186. I should've known better than to make such a lofty goal at this point. But that's ok, lesson learned.

On the bright side, I'm at a point where the loss is really showing now so that's really exciting. Tomorrow I'm going to try on some white linen pants that I haven't worn since 2012! Only wore them once on a Disney cruise my sister and I went on.

So now to make a goal for May. Hmmm, I don't want discourage myself, I want to be realistic yet I want to goal to still be a challenge. Ok, I think three pounds is reasonable.

I'm thinking now that I have a little more time this month I'll hit the gym. We shall see how May goes!

 

[Castillo Mom]

Boy am I late to the party! Yeah, a one woman party in my head!

Well, we're already almost a full week into the month and I haven't posted anything for June yet.

May went pretty well, I did meet my goal. At the end of the month, or June 1st I should say I was down to 182. Weighed in today and I'm down to 181 and some change. I'm feeling really good, sciatic nerve pain all gone! Boy that was rough. I'm hoping with the weight loss that it'll be problem of the past but we'll see.

My family and I ended May with a bang by attending the 24 hour event at Disneyland. We had an absolute blast! Got off work early and headed to DLR and were through the gates by 3:00 p.m. We paced ourselves and enjoyed a few rides in between all the partying. Definitely going to do it again next year!

So goal for the month of June is to be in a different "decade." I want to lose another four pounds and be down to 178.

 

[java]

Just found this! Way to go! I am on a similar path. I started in January when I got on the scale and saw 226! I am now right at 180. I leave for vacation in a week. I would love to be in the 170's by then even if it is just 179! each milestone counts. When I got back into the 100's vs. The 200's it was party day. My goal when I started was to lose 30 by June so I am well past that. Now I'm greedy I want to be down 50 by the end of June. I'm working out more. I find to get over a dead spot of not losing I just have to change it up. I lost my last 5 after being stuck on 185 by taking a day of rest. Who knew?

Oh and I sub. A kindergartener was asking me to run with him and h said "come on you can do it you are skinny" I wanted to hug him. I have not been called that in a long long time.

 

[Castillo Mom]

Welcome and congratulations! Wow, 30 pounds, you're doing great!

It's easy to get discouraged when you get stuck at a certain weight but you have a great attitude. You're right, sometimes a change in eating or exercise routine is what's necessary to get over the jump.

I'm actually doing better this month than I thought I was. What with my schedule recently I've cut back to posting to my journal once a month but I popped back in to check on what my weight was at at the beginning of June.

I will be back in a week or so to post my progress and set my goal for July.

 

[Castillo Mom]

I was about to go to bed and remembered that we're well into July and need to post my progress and goal for the month.

Well, June went pretty well, I met my goal of 178 woohoo! So that makes it 31 pounds lot so far. I'm really pleased with my progress. I haven't been losing too fast but steady enough so that I've been able to make a significant dent in the amount I want to lose.

I'm very excited for my goal for the month. By August 1st I want to be overweight! Did I just say overweight?! Yup, that's what I'm shooting for! Ok, let me clarify. Based on my BMI I'm currently in the obese category. Ooh I hate that word, it sounds horrible and to be honest it feels horrible too. I'm 5'4 and at 178 I'm only four pounds away from no longer being obese. Can't wait!

 

[Castillo Mom]

Wow, July came and went so incredibly quickly! Well, I did make my goal of being overweight, yesss! I'm overweight! I'm no longer obese! Omg, I'm so absolutely thrilled! My goal was to hit 174 and I actually made it to 173 so I'm extremely happy.

I've gotten a bit more active which I know is helping me keep the weight loss going. I feel lighter on my feet and able to go longer periods of time without my ankle being painful. It still hurts and I know the arthritis can't be cured but I'm feeling better. I'm actually able to walk around Disneyland for a few hours without needing a scooter which is awesome, in fact just came home from there. Had a great evening and was able to get some exercise in by walking.

Now to get down to the business of goal for August. Think I'm going to remain conservative and make it 168. I do want to push for a longer range goal of 159 by mid the first week in October but I don't want to get ahead of myself and be unrealistic.

Well, it's very late so I need to get myself to bed. Nighty night!

 

[Castillo Mom]

It's September and fall is almost upon us! And just 35 days left before our family's Disney cruise.

From a weightloss standpoint I did well for the month of August. I reached my goal and am currently at 168 lbs. I was a bit worried there because I was stuck at almost the exact same weight for the first 2 1/2 weeks of the month and then I started to lose again after I made a few adjustments.

What I'm totally thrilled about is that my mobility is getting noticably better. I still have ankle pain but can walk longer than I used to. I've even been able to do a few hours at Disneyland without having to rent an ECV or wheelchair! It feels so good to be able to walk around like a "normal" person. I'd much rather walk and stand in line than be relegated to a scooter.

So now it's time to decide on my goal for the month. That's a tough one. I really wanted to be down to 159 by October 1st but I feel that based on my pattern of weight loss over the last several months I should remain conservative. This journey is all about being consistent, losing weight at a healthy pace and lifestyle change. If I start setting unrealistic goals that are unattainable then I'll only feel discouraged and mentally that's not a good thing because I'll be more likely to get into a vicious cycle of overeating again.

Ok, so goal for September is another four pounds which would bring me down to 164. Slow and steady wins the race.

 

[Castillo Mom]

I'm baaack!

Just returned from an incredible family trip to WDW and cruise on the Fantasy. I don't want to turn my journal into a trip report but suffice it to say that we had a wonderful time.

First let me backtrack a bit. I was so busy planning that I didn't get a chance to post an update on my progress and goal for the month of October. As far as progress is concerned, I made it down to just a smidge under my goal. My goal for the month of September was another four pounds. I weighed in right before the trip and I had made it to 164.8.

So how did I do on vacation as far as eating was concerned? Well, I made a real effort to have some sort of balance. I kept bread and potatoes to a minimum and did endulge in desserts, but only if they were worth my while. Of course I had the chocolate souffle in Palo but passed on pastries at Cabanas. One evening I couldn't decide which dessert to choose, creme brulee or the bananas foster sundae. Our server brought me both so I ate about half of each! I did have alcohol, an average of 2-4 drinks per day.

How much did I gain? Drum roll please.....3 lbs. Not too shabby when the average weight gain on a cruise is a whopping 10 lbs. I got back on Saturday and immediately went back to my routine of low carb eating. Not only did I lose all 3 lbs., as of this morning I'm down to 163.4! So I weigh less today than I did the day before we left for our trip.

I'm sure part of what helped is the fact that we were on the go every day of the vacation. We did excursions on every island except for Castaway Cay and they each involved some sort of physical activity. Did lots of walking in Cozumel, snorkeling in Grand Cayman, walking, climbing and swimming in the rainforest of Jamaica, plus lots of walking on the ship since our rooms were aft. The Fantasy is one big ship!

I suppose now is as good a time as any to talk about goals for the month of November. I think I'm going to keep it to 4 lbs. Depending on whether I lose another pound or two in the next 9 days, that would put me at a minimum of 158 by the close of November. My BMI is currently at 28 so I need to lose another 18 lbs. to finally reach the high end of normal weight range for my height which would be a BMI of 24.9. My end goal is 135 lbs. but I don't want to focus on that too much right now. Making mini goals has worked really well for me so I don't want to get too far ahead of myself.

I'll return on November 1st to post my starting weight for the month.