I fell off the wagon

I know it's been a while since I posted anything, so now, it's confession time. I fell off the wagon. Well, I didn't just fall of the wagon, I fell off, hit my head on a rock, and laid unconscious by the roadside for a while. I haven't been doing my healthy eating, or my calorie counting regularly like I should. I know I've gained some weight back, because I can feel it. I can see it too. I don't know how much, because I'm afraid to step on the scale. I'm afraid to see how badly my failure has cost me. But you know what? That's okay. Sometimes we get sidetracked, and now I'm back.

While I was gone, I did some exercises haphazardly, but nothing with real focus. I don't like exercise for exercise's sake, so it's hard for me to stick to a routine. I'm hoping that I can find something I really like and make it work, especially now that I'll have more free time when the little one goes to school. I'm just tired of having such poor stamina, ya know?

Anyway, my new goal is to be in the 150's by Christmas. I'm going to hop back on the wagon and keep moving toward the goal. The journey is back on, my friends!

Halfway there!

Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted in a little while, but I have some great news! I've lost 20 pounds! I'm officially at the halfway point. So now it's time to reward myself for making it to my goal. I'm going to be buying myself a nice new pair of tennis shoes. I have two pairs of sneakers at the moment - one is a cheapie pair I bought two years ago that is falling apart, and the other pair is a hand-me-down from my mom because she didn't like the way they fit (I also don't like how they fit, but hey, free Nikes!). At any rate, I'm going to spend some good money on some good shoes that will hopefully last a little while.

As far as the next half of my weight loss journey is concerned, my goal is to knock out another 20 pounds, but I'll be happy if it's somewhere between 10 and 20. Basically, I'm going to continue counting my calories. Once I have my new shoes, I'll start going for walks as well. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing, and when I reach stasis, then that's where I'll settle. Counting calories is pretty easy, so I don't mind making it a permanent addition to my life. I might start doing some more exercise besides the occasional walking, but for now I'm not sure.

So that's where I am, and it's a pretty exciting place to be. Catch you later!

Thyroid Update

Well, I went to the doctor here in Montana for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I explained that I'd been monitored for hypothyroidism in the past, and so my new doc (who is very nice, by the way) took a blood sample once again. He said my numbers were well within the normal range, and that since I've been normal for a year, he doesn't think I have anything to worry about. We'll keep monitoring it, but not as often as my other doctor was recommending. So it looks like I've dodged a bullet. Still, I have to wonder what was making my numbers wonky before. Maybe I'll do some research on that eventually.

Anyway, I haven't been on a scale in a couple of weeks, so I don't really have an update for that. I don't feel any smaller, so I'm probably not. I'll get on the scale this weekend to be sure.

One thing I did this past weekend was go to a seminar on self-defense. I learned a lot that I hope I can apply to my daily life, because you just never know what can happen. We were taught a few moves to help fend off attackers, and they will make great exercise if I practice them daily. I'm thinking that's just what I'll do too.

Well, that's all that's going on currently on my weight loss journey. Still walking the path, though I sometimes stumble on rocks (last week it was a burger joint with yummy sweet potato fries and Cherry Coke). I'll get there though.

It's March

So I weighed myself a couple of days ago, and I was 169.8. Yay, I'm back in the 160's. Barely, of course, but still. I haven't weighed this little in at least a year.

It's starting to warm up and get sunny around here, so my little one and I have been going on "adventures" around the neighborhood. That's what she calls them anyway. I just call them walks with lots of breaks, because my little one likes to take the binoculars and stop and look at everything along the way. Still we're outside in the fresh air, and we're moving, so that's what matters.

Yesterday I lost a little in the battle for my willpower. I binged on Frosted Mini-Wheats, of all things. I have to say, while I don't feel guilty, I definitely wasn't left satisfied after indulging my craving. Makes me think I'd have been better off just sticking to the appropriate serving size after all.

Today has been a very weird day. After fighting off hunger almost constantly for the past two weeks, suddenly I'm not hungry at all. I actually had to force myself to eat lunch, because I still felt full from a breakfast I'd had five hours before. I don't know if it's just a fluke or what. Maybe it was the binge I had yesterday that reminded me that food isn't the end-all, be-all. It's just more evidence that I'm making this all up as I go. Whatever. I'll keep on fighting the good fight, and I'll see you around!

Another Quick Update

Well, I'm still at 15 pounds down. I don't know if that's because I hit a plateau, or whether I'm building muscle from all this snow I've had to shovel in the last week. When I reach 20 pounds lost, I plan on rewarding myself with something. I was thinking a new pair of shoes, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I'll be back later when I have some progress to speak of. TTFN!

Quick update

Hi guys, just checking in to say that as of this morning I'm now down 15 pounds! Last week was very hard for me, I struggled with staying in my budget every day. Some days I didn't succeed in the slightest. However, I pushed back and now I'm down two more pounds since my last post. I hope I can keep it up!

Well...

Here I am, guys. I'm back again. A lot has happened in the year and a half since I last posted. If you've been reading my main blog, Under the Crescent Moon, you know what most of it is. The one thing I haven't talked about there is my weight. In the time that I was gone from here, I've gained about 20 pounds. Yikes, right? Well, here's a look into how that happened.

 After we moved to the new house in NC, I quit taking my daily walks because of how busy the highway in front of my house was, not to mention there were more than a few not-so-friendly dogs in the neighborhood. My weight slowly crept up. A few months back I went to the doctor, only to discover my thyroid was acting up, but not enough to actually be medicated for. When I went back to have my thyroid retested, the doctor discovered that my vitamin B12 levels were too low. I made a few attempts to get back on track, but my heart just wasn't in it. Then we found out that my husband had gotten a job offer in Montana, and also our house in NY went under contract, so I just didn't have the time or the patience to deal with being healthy. Besides, food was one way I could comfort myself when I was under stress. Then the move was over, and here came Christmas with its delicious cookies and meals. I knew I should be careful, but I just didn't give a crap.

I was having trouble fitting into all of my clothes, I had some pretty bad swelling going on in my hands. When I finally had the courage to step on the scale just before the start of 2014, my weight was the highest it's ever been (not counting when I was pregnant) - 186.4 lbs. I won't lie, I thought it would be worse, and I was a little relieved, but that still didn't mean it was good. I couldn't continue down this track, and I knew it. I'm over 30, I've had a kid, and I have borderline hypothyroidism, so losing weight won't get any easier. Anyway, it might be cliche, but on January 1st, I used freedieting.com's Daily Caloric Needs Calculator, and using a notebook and The Calorie Counter, I began tracking my calorie consumption. It's a lot of math, but so far it's been worth it. As of today, I have lost 13 lbs.

That may sound like a lot, but I'm guessing that about 8 lbs. was water weight, because it came off almost immediately, and I lost a good bit of bloat around the middle, and my hands aren't as swollen. The other five pounds have taken me nearly four weeks to lose, but fortunately, my numbers seem to be steadily coming down. When spring gets here and the sidewalks are clear, I intend to start walking again. There are more hills here, so it will be good exercise. The only dietary changes I have made besides limiting my intake are drinking more water (between 1 and 2 liters a day), and cutting back on the soda. I used to drink a 12-pack of  Pepsi a week. Now I drink one 12 oz. can on Sunday as a reward for keeping it together all week.

While I'm encouraged by my progress, this is still the hardest undertaking for me. There are SOOO many times when I've just wanted to plop down with a jar of Nutella and some graham crackers and just go to town. I'm sure you know the feeling. I have a sneaking suspicion that the struggle between being responsible and overeating will be with me for the rest of my life. This is not to say that I will never indulge again (I totally have plans for Valentines Day), just not everyday, or even every week.

So anyway, there it is. I'm back on the journey. If you'd like, you can walk with me a while.