Scale about the same.

I have been hovering around the same 5 pounds now for about 2 months now. It has got me thinking about my goals and my health. There is a post slowly forming about this. For now though I have a graph and some numbers for you.

 By the Numbers:

Weight: 267.1 lbs

Loss: -4.4lbs from last week, but still up 1.3 from my lowest on 8/12.

Total: -60.9 lbs

Avg: 1.85 lbs/wk (at this rate I will not make my weight goal)   
My NSVs

I was complimented on Saturday about my strength in Pilates.
I moved up to 8lbs in water aerobics.
I did another 1- Mile fun walk and did a 22 min mile.
I have been working out 4-6 times a week consistently and it has become a priority. 

Now it is time to get ready and head to work! Hope everyone has a great day. Any plans fo the weekend? Mine include pilates and maybe a movie. 

I walk thru life feeling the ground beneath my feet

I came to a realization last night during Pilates. I have a common theme for 3 of my favorite work outs. All 3 (Tai Chi, Water Aerobics and Pilates) are done barefoot. It does make sense. The first thing I do when I get home after work is kick off my shoes and socks and free my feet. I have always preferred walking around barefoot. I love the feel of grass between my toes and the sand at the beach. Now I need to find more workouts that I can do barefoot.

 Now for my NSVs

1) In 4 months I have done 55 hours toward my 100 hr Y workout challenge. I am over 1/2 done!!! I think I will complete the challenge in November and have my T-Shirt.

2) LM measured and and in all areas we have been measuring I have lost inches. (Bust, Waist, Hips, Thighs, and Arms) The smallest loss was 1 inch and the largest was 3.75 inches.

3) I am on my 4th food diary. Keeping track has really helped modify my eating habits.

Hope everyone is having a Happy Thursday. Tomorrow is Friday!



Thursday NSVs

I got my new size 22 bathing suit on Tues and wore it for class that night. I LOVED it! I think I have finally found a keeper and a style to buy in the future when it wears out or I need a smaller size. I also think it will last longer than some of the other ones I have had. It is a Dolfin Women's conservative scoop back swimsuit that I got online from Dick's Sporting Goods. Going into Dick's sporting goods intimidates me. The times I have gone in have not been the greatest. The employees were not that helpful or nice. I did like being able to purchase online though.


Last night at beginner Pilates it was just the teacher and one other person. The guy is a regular who usually stays for the advanced class. I asked for more torture intensity since there were no others in the class. I wanted to find out if I could maybe handle the advanced class since I have been going pretty regularly now. She said I have really good form and she can tell I have gotten better. She was willing to increase some and I am so feeling it today. It is a good feeling!


What are some of your Non-Scale Victories this week?

I am finding it hard to define what would be considered a non-scale victory. One easy one to mention is when I increase time/distance/resistance/weight when exercising. I love reading NSVs from others because it helps me to define new goals and also to recognize achievements I have done.

NSV Thursday

I had my 3 month follow up yesterday with my great primary doctor.  She was very happy with my weight loss and my blood pressure. I am happy that she has provided me with my 3 Non-scale victories today!

1) I am now off Glyburide completely! 

2) My water pill (Furosemide) dosage has been cut in half. I was taking 1-2 40mg pills a day and now the recommendation is a 20 mg pill daily if needed. I can take 2 if the swelling is bad because of it being the summer. 

3) She wants to see me back in 6 months instead of the usual 3 since I am doing so well. 


Why yes I am really pleased with my results! Of course she mentioned the dreaded M word (mammogram) when she saw that in October I will be turning 40. The other annoying thing was the new handout they had to give out. The nurse lists your BMI in a spot and the handout just gives ideas/guidelines about what the BMI means and how to change it. The nurse was so not enthused about doing it. She said that if I said I smoked then she would have had another handout for me. I did get my blood drawn for a fasting lipid and a 3 month sugar test. I should get the results in about a week. I was so glad to eat at 3:30!

What are some of your NSVs this week? 

4 NSVs and a Pain (NSV Thursday)

1) I finished my 12 week Tai Chi class on Saturday. I only missed one class and that was because I went to the Step Out Walk. I really need to practice more. I have signed up to take the beginner class again and it starts on Monday July 11th.

2) I was ok with posting my pictures on my blog. I may not have been happy about it but I did it anyway. I still should get some more pictures up on facebook.

3) I know I have more energy and I think I am needing less sleep. We have one car and 3 people in the household. JD and I work at the same place but my schedule is 8-5 and his is 2-10:45. I have to come back and get him at the end of his shift. This means I am really not getting to bed till about 11:30 or 12. The alarm goes off at 6:20 and I use to hit the snooze 3-5 times. Now I am getting up after 1-2 snoozes and sometimes I do not even hit the snooze. I am also taking less naps.

4) I submitted an application to participate in a weight loss blog challenge that starts on July 11th. I have not heard back yet. Once I hear back either way I will post more about it. I am still debating about doing the  Beat the Heat 10 week challenge. It starts on July 4th. I think trying to do both would be problematic so I need to wait till I hear back on my submission.

My  biggest problem lately has been aches and pains. I have arthritis in my knees and at times they give me fits. Last night was one such time. I came downstairs about 3am because of the pain. I would turn over in bed and bend my knee which would wake me up. I took some OTC meds and decided that I could not get back up the stairs. Luckily we have a guest bedroom downstairs where I can crash. I am doing this more often than I would like. I am also having some shoulder and elbow pain. None of these feel like somthing major, but I think they are holding me back at times.

One More Thing: LM went with me to pilates last night! It was nice having someone else going thru the torture experience the class with me. I really like the instructor. She is very clear and gives modifications to help those who are just starting out. LM is also going to try water aerobics. We went to Target last night and she got a bathing suit and I got a new tankini to go with the swimshorts I got a couple of weeks ago. The cool thing is that it was on clearance- SCORE! There was a 1-piece on clearance but I could not fit it. I did think about getting it for later in the season since it was only $10. I might go back later and pick it up. I am not usually a big fan of Target for clothing but they have been really good for swimwear.

It really must have shrunk in the wash

Or an observation on NSV Thursday.

My shirts use to feel 'too short'. They would come up and show my belly if I raised my hands over my head. I use to rationalize that the dryer must have been too hot and they had shrunk some. I know a couple of my shirts did shrink but not all of them. I was really self-concious about the fit and would be pulling/tugging them down all day.

Now I am wearing a size smaller (3X down to 2X, 26/28 down to 22/24) and I am not having the ride up problem. The shirts are hitting at my hips or at times lower. I can almost use the 3X as a big sleep shirt now. I do not have as much up top or in my belly taking up all the room in the material.

I am still checking on the fit though. I catch myself when I move making sure that my belly is not showing. Each time I am rewarded with a feeling of wow my shirt is still where it should be. It is nice to not have to do the Trinny and Suzannah trick every day. (have someone tug on the shirt to 'lengthen it'. )

Thursday NSVs

Now for some NSVs

1) I did 27 hours in 2 months per the Y 100-hour club log. That is over the 11 hours/month I need to get the 100 hours before the end of 2011. I might even be able to finish by the end of November. I already have 5 hours for the month of June.

2) My cardio health is getting better. Monday night on the treadmill my heart rate was staying under 135 even when I was pushing up the speed. (target is 90-153) I had to increase the incline to get my heart rate up some. It use to be that on the interval program I would go up to about 150 bpm when I did the program as set. (2 minutes 0 incline/2.6 speed and 2 minutes 3 incline/2.4 speed) I still feel that my pace is SLOW. I am also still trying to get the courage to jog more. I also need to remember to wear my heart rate monitor. I got the battery changed for a reason.

3) I am also getting stronger. In Pilates last night I was able to (with alittle forced momentum) do the roll up (like a sit up) I felt like I was having such a hard time last night during that class and then I just went for it and was able to do it. I did not let my mental 'I can't' talk keep me from it,.

4) I have lost about 2 inches in my waist.

5) After about a week of not recording my food I have been consistently recording for the past 5 days.

I am thinking about going to a Free yoga class on Sunday that happens every 2nd Sunday in town. I am so looking for free/cheap group exercises or fun things to do. A discount deal today from Pete's Deals is to get 10 boot camp classes for $40. The 2 things that keep me from purchasing the deal are: Time (6am) and location (totally across town) I did have a fleeting thought that I am not ready, but the main reasons are the 2 above. It is just not logistically feasible. Maybe another deal with come along that will work. I do like that right now I am doing 3 different classes a week: Water Aerobics, Pilates, and Tai Chi.

What are some exercises/classes you enjoy? How do you change up your routine?

A week has almost gone by

Wow, I have not posted since Saturday. I had have ideas to talk about but nothing that felt like it would become a full post. I have been busy trying to balance workouts and other things in my life. I know that workouts are being more automatic and even dare I say it... Fun! I am enjoying Tai Chi and Pilates.

My walk for the American Diabetes Association is coming closer and I am still not sure if I plan to do the 1 mile fun walk or the longer 2.5 mile walk. I know the reason I am waffling on this is because I am a slow walker. I am getting faster, but still not able to do 3 miles an hour. I so do not want to be the last one.
For the walkers/runners: How do you handle the fear of being last?

I will be Stepping Out on June 4th to Stop Diabetes.

Click to Sponsor me!


My coworkers held a Jeans week and raised $155 for my walk. I am honored that they picked the ADA as the charity for this month. When I first was diagnosed with Diabetes I went to the ADA's website for great information. It has helped me control and manage my diabetes.

Now for some NSVs. I do not have 5 like usual which is bumming me out slightly. I really like the number 5. I try to do things in a multiple of 5 at times. It just makes me feel good.

1) Today I am wearing a size 22 pair of capris that I found in my closet. I am not sure how old they are. I had mentioned being able to fit 22s in a previous post, but this is the first day wearing a pair all day. They are fairly comfortable. I still need to get my new pants out of hock layaway at Kmart. I might try to do that this week.

2) I started my 3rd food diary book. I have been keeping track consistently for 18 weeks. I think this is the longest I have kept track in a long time. I need to get to staples and pick up another book or 2. It is great to find something that works for me!  

So those are my 2 Non-Scale Victories for the week.

What are some of your victories?

Thursday NSV Day (5/20)

1) I worked out 5 days in a row with 5 different activities. Saturday was Tai Chi. Sunday and Monday was Cardio on the Treadmill and the Elliptical. Tuesday was Water Aerobics and Wednesday was Pilates. I have had a total of 255 minutes of exercise in the past 5 days. Wow.

2) The pilates instructor says she can see a difference in just the 4 weeks I have been going to pilates. She said I was doing really good on the moves. I did have a hard time doing a couple of the moves but I did not give up. It was great that last night it was just me and the instructor. She was able to watch my form and help me to get some of the moves. I am feeling it in my abs today. It is a good feeling.

3) I went to Petsmart and thought nothing about picking up the 16lb bag of cat food. I put it on my shoulder to carry up to the register and then out to the car. My 4 cats were so happy they had Food!

4) I finished the May work wellness challenge in 15 days. The goal was to get 400 minutes of exercise during the month of May. I am now at 565 minutes. I am on track to get my 11 hours in this month for the 100 hour challenge I am doing at the Y. I will probably get over 11 hours which will be really nice.

5) I am going to sign up for another session of Tai Chi. I love that repeat offenders participants get a discount. I have not been practicing like I should and need to make that a priority. I need to figure out where I put my handout. 

I really needed to write down these NSVs. I have been feeling alittle down and beating myself up about some things. One thing I need to remember is that I am on my own journey. Sometimes when I read my blog list I start to compare/contrast/beat myself up. I am really grateful that most of the time when I read  I am encouraged and excited. The blogs I read give me ideas and help me know that we all have ups and downs. I just need to remember that our ups and downs are different and we all have different goals.  

Time for me to head to work. I hope all the bloggers that are going to Fitbloggin' have a great time!  

Friday Weigh In and Delayed NSVs

Yesterday I had a post saved as a draft and then blogger had issues. It is not on my account anymore so no idea what happened to it. Maybe it will come back later. It is probably for the best since I was a bit whiny in the post and I was feeling down about it all. I am feeling much better now. So now for some NSVs.

1) I can reach behind my back to hook and unhook my bra again.

2) I went and got the battery replaced in my polar heart rate monitor. I tested it and it works!! This will make it easier to use the treadmill since I will not have to hold the sensors all the time. It was so cool since it was only $12 to replace the battery.

3) I did 1.25 miles last night in 30 minutes on  the treadmill.

4) My knees are not bothering me as much as they use to. I have not had the painful pop and grind.

5) I am also having less pain when I walk on the treadmill even with increasing the speed and incline.

Now for my weight. I am up 2 lbs from last week. Since I am not at home I do not have my graphs and will add one later.

Weight: 287 lbs

Change: +2.0 lbs

I know this is because of 3 things. TOTM, eating out, not exercising. 2 I can change and 1 is just something that will happen monthly. I need to make sure that I do not let my TOTM derail me as much as it did this month.

We are starting a 10 week program at work. We are going to have weigh ins every 2 weeks and today was the first one. What is weird is that my weight on the work scale was 2.4lbs less that at home. (284.6) What is up with that? I am wondering if I need a new scale. It was just so weird. I figured it would be higher since I had clothes on and such. I did bring my breakfast to work so that I could eat after the weigh in instead of before. I am going to write more about the work program in another post. I think it is going to be fun!

NSV Thursday

1) I do not sound like I am going to DIE when I come up the stairs at work. I am more willing to go down  in the basement since I do not feel so unsteady on the stairs. I use to dread going upstairs at home and would limit how often I went up and down the stairs because I just did not want to be out of breath.

2) More people at work are noticing and commenting on how I look. They can tell I am skinnier.

3) I can fit into size 22 in pants. I so need to go and buy some new clothing. The other day I tried on a pair of LM's capris and was amazed. I am still not seeing the loss when I look in the mirror but I can tell it with my clothing. 

4) I recognized when I was binging the other night and did not let it side track me. I ate crap but did not go to 3000-4000 calories. I have realized I can not have mini ice cream sandwiches in the house. 1 at 110 calories is a nice sweet snack... 4 at one time not so much.

5) I signed up for my first walk. I will be doing Step OUT to stop Diabetes on June 4th. I am really leaning toward doing the 2.5 mile and not the 1 mile fun walk.

Thursday Non-Scale Victories

Time again for my Thursday NSVs! I really like doing this before Friday's weigh in. It helps to have these in my mind if the number on the scale is not lower than last week.

1) I tried Pilates last night at the Y. It was an hour class and I could really feel it in my abs and legs. I liked that it was a small class and so much better than the Zumba class. I really feel the instructor was watching out for me and making sure I was getting the moves. When she went to have us go on our hands and knees I advised that I could not do that because of the arthritis and she said it was not a problem. There were only in the position about 2 minutes. It hurts to kneel because the cushion in my right knee is pretty worn down. I think I am going to continue with the Pilates so I might need to find a way to kneel. Maybe if I had a small towel to kneel on to give me some cushion.

2) In the first 27 days of April I have worked out 15 days. I have done an average of 30-60 minutes of exercise each time. Water Aerobics, Tai Chi, Treadmill and the Elliptical are my go-to exercises. I also tried Zumba and Pilates. On the treadmill and the elliptical I see improvement. I last longer and can increase the intensity. I also experimented and tried some of the programs on the machines instead of just using manual. My workout partner LM was using some of the programs and helped me get over my worry that it would be too hard.

3) I joined the 100 hour challenge at the Y. I have till the end of December to get the 100 hours. I am able to go back and record all the days I have worked out in April. So I have 9 months to get 100 hours. They have allowed sign ups since January. The longer I wait the shorter time I would have. Now if I had waited till July I would have had a full year to compete the 100 hours. Anyone who signs up from July-Dec will have till June 2012. I decided to join now since I ran the numbers and I can finish by the end of December.

4) I am taking more care with my appearance. I have started to wear makeup and jewelry again. My ears have to get use to earrings. I have 4 piercings in each ear. Part of my 'wild' youth. I need to organize my jewelry again so I accessorize my outfits. It is hard to wear bracelets at work though because of the typing. Oh well.

5) My balance is getting better with the Tai Chi Class. The newest move we learned has us standing on the left leg as we raise up the right and the kick it slowly forward. After water aerobics on Tues I did the Tai Chi moves in the water. It was quite fun!

What are some of your Non-Scale Victories this week?

Lunch At Waffle House

1st off a NSV- I was able to slide into the booth at Waffle House. Before we had been sitting at the counter since it was just too tight to squeeze into a booth. The booths are very hard plastic and no way to move them at all. (if you have ever been to waffle house you understand) Today I had a very visible reminder that I am getting smaller when we sat down. This was a good feeling.

Now some of you reading might be thinking what in the world was she doing at Waffle House? Isn't she on a diet? I personally see myself on a change of lifestyle. I am eating healthier and enjoying it very much. At times though I won't and I am ok with that. When my weight loss slows down or I have a plateau I will reevaluate what I am doing, but right now I am proud of what I am doing and how I am doing it. IT is working for me.

BEFORE:

I would get the ham and cheese omelet plate with cheesy grits and a side of bacon. I would EAT all of it. A serving of the butter would be added to the grits. I would use 2 of the packets of jelly on my toast. Sometimes I would even have some of JD's toast or hashbrowns if he did not eat them.

TODAY:

I still ordered the ham and cheese omelet plate with cheesy grits and a side of bacon. I ate 1.5 pieces of the bacon and gave the rest to JD. I did not add the butter to the grits and only ate 1/2 the bowl. I had 1 slice of toast and jelly. I also left about 2 bites of the omelet.

I think with the changes I made I cut the calories in half compared to what I use to eat at WH. I am happy with that. I do not think I will want an afternoon snack since I am still full. Dinner will be sushi and a bunch of veggies. A workout is scheduled for tonight.

Follow Up and Zumba what a way to spend Wednesday

Today I had my 3 month follow up with my doctor. For once I was not dreading my doctor visit. I really like my doctor but did not like going since each time my weight or health issues were worse. Today that was totally different. She was very pleased with my weight loss. By her balance scale I am down 35 lbs since my appointment in January. She had me go downstairs to the lab to draw blood for an A1c as well as a liver function test. If the A1c is down considerably she is going to call in to have one of my prescriptions lowered. Very good news. We scheduled a 3 month follow up for July 13th.

Now for 5 NSVs

1)  I am able to get into a pair of shoes that I bought about 6 months ago. The edema I have been having is much less. The shoes velcro fine and do not hurt! I wore them all day on Tuesday and did not feel like my feet were in a vice. Plus they look cute!

2) Dr F. lowered the dose of one of my blood pressure medications. She cut the dose in half. Yippy!!!

3) I kept track of my blood pressure and blood sugar numbers consistently for 3 months.

4) I had the energy to clean out the pantry on Sunday so that we can stock healthier items. We also reorganized because we found things that had expired. Next we probably need to work on the freezer and other areas in the kitchen.

5) Today I went to try the Zumba class at my Y. It was a good workout. I at times enjoyed myself. My main problem was that it was a big class and most everyone else had been doing it for awhile. It stated in the schedule that it is a beginner class, but did not feel that way. I had to be really careful of my knees. I will probably try the class again, but not sure I will make it a regular thing. I know if I did it more I would catch on. I need to figure out if/when they have more of an intro class.

I think the next class I am going to take is Intro to Group Exercise. It is a 1/2 hour class that intros members to each type of group exercise class they offer. It changes each week. I also want to look into going to the Pilates class.

And now we are on the downward slope to the weekend!! Next weekend I have a 90 minute massage scheduled as a reward for my 10% loss.

Weekend Ponderings- Finding the good things

TMI moment here... Aunt Flo started her visit yesterday. For me this includes cramps and crankiness with a side of paranoia and headaches. I have a hard time being in my skin at this time. I know I want to eat and little things magnify in my head. I had a really good loss on the scale yesterday. I know this. Yet I have this thought of it is not good enough running around in my head. I am feeling almost worse about the 'only'  2.4 lbs lost than I did when I gained 1 lb after coming back from vacation. To counteract these thoughts I am going to list 10 good things that have happened in the past 24 hours.

1. Date Night with JD: We went to I Ching and then to see Your Highness at Regal. The cool thing is that we left the car parked by I Ching and walked down the street to the theater. It was not a long walk but way more than I would have done just 3 months ago.
2. I went with LM to the Y this morning and did 30 minutes on the elliptical. I was able to bump up the resistance and not have my heart rate go thru the roof. 
3. I have read some great posts on blogs that I am following.
4. My blood sugar is staying in line and at times is being low
5. My blood pressure is definitely going too low at times and I believe my doctor on Wednesday will have to adjust my medications.
6. There is a bird's nest in our tree out front and I think there might be eggs. 
7. The thunderstorms earlier were great and now the skies are clear and the day is beautiful.
8. When I went to Meijer today to get some items I did not circle the parking lot waiting for a really close parking spot to open up. I parked in one of the first places I saw and did not think twice about the walk to the door. 
9. I got 27 items for $31 at Meijer because of a good sale. I got some frozen Green Giant veggies that will be great. I have found that having an assortment of frozen veggies keeps me from getting bored with veggies. I am going to give brussell sprouts another chance.
10. I found my Favorite flavor of El Monterey Taquitos at Meijer. Kroger has not been carrying them lately. They are the Southwest Chicken ones in a seasoned batter.

I love that these have 170 calories for 2. I can heat them up for a quick snack after work and before going to water aerobics or have them for lunch with some veggies and maybe a mini candy bar. I got 2 bags.

 This time of year I can get my mini cadbury creme eggs. They are only 40 calories an egg. I use to eat a whole big one but that was almost always too much. These are just the right size to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Now I am debating about walking over to dollar tree. Another NSV! 3 months ago I would be wishing I could walk over but not feel confident enough that I would be able to handle the short walk.

NSV

Since my weigh in is tomorrow I think today I will talk about some of the Non-Scale Victories I have had recently. That way if the scale does not like me tomorrow I will have these to remind me that I am getting healthier and there is more to this than a number on the scale. So my top 5 NSVs in no particular order are:

1) I can wear pants that I have not been able to wear in a year. These are non-elastic waist pants. I think I have gone from a big 26/28 down to a 26. Heck these button/fly khakis can be taken down without undoing the button or fly. Last year I could not even button them and they were living in the back of my closet. Heck I have a whole new wardrobe now!

2) I was able to get the beach towel around me after I showered at the Y!

3) Holding the 5lb weight out in front at chest level for 1 minute during water aerobics has gotten easier. Today I wanted to hold it longer just to see how long I could.

4) My average walking time on the treadmill is getting faster. Last night I did another mile in just under 25 minutes.

                                                    5) I have kept a food diary for 3 months.

I am feeling proud of what I have been doing and the progress both scale and non-scale I have made. This week I have been to the Y 4 days. (Mon-Thurs) I have signed up for the biometrics at work that we have for our yearly health track. On April 22nd I will get poked and find out my numbers like blood sugar and a lipid profile. I will definitely post the results.