First Day (as Julie said), Clean Slate. Sore and Psyched! It's my choice. I choose to do it! WE CAN DO THIS!

Okay, so as the previous post explained, I'd been something of a mess with my eating off-plan.

Sunday: 184.8
Monday: 184.0
Today: 183.4

My saving grace yesterday after the truffle disaster was that I did 1 1/2 hours of exercise--strengthening, stretching, and walking.

Today, I'm nicely sore--especially inner thighs, back, upper abs, side.  This makes me happy. :D

Good timing for Gillian Riley's newsletter. It was in my inbox when I checked my mail. She has a new book, DITCHING DIETS, but it might simply be a recap of stuff she has in her other books, such as EATING LESS. If anyone knows whether this has new information and is worth Kindle-ing, let me know. (NOTE: I am adding this as I noticed it's a new version of BEATING OVEREATING, the book by Gillian with the orange cover. You may already have it. It may have new info, not sure, but the first 6 chapters have the same titles, so the basic info is surely identical to the "orange" book.)

For those who haven't visited her site or who want to get her newsletter, go here.

And for those who don't know what a meal plan that's calorie controlled might look like, here's an example of a 7-day plan, gluten free, at 1400 calories.

I want to make something clear. My 183 lbs now is not my 183 lbs a year ago, when I was working out. This is 183 lbs after 6 months of inactivity. Fat has replaced some muscle. My body LOOKS different naked. I'm lumpier in the waist and hips and my legs aren't as well-shaped with walking and Pilates muscle as they were a year ago at the same weight. I can feel and see the difference in my mirror. And yes, I do a "Nekkid Check" every day.

Here are pics in form-fitting wear I took an hour ago. The increased torso/belly girth and hip lump are evident:

These are my accountability photos. Sometimes, you just gotta LOOK and SEE. Like it or not.

I am well-stocked with goodies. Collards. Romaine. Strawberries. Blueberries. Kiwi. Yams. Lemons and Limes. Papayas. Broccoli. Nectarines. Cucumbers. Watermelon. Honeydew. Peppers. Apples. Decaf Green tea. Coffee. New refill filters for the water pitcher that I got back when I needed to drink gallons for Allan's challenges. I've slacked on water intake, ya know?

I have chicken breast defrosted for supper.

I do need to visit the store for some of my pastured eggs, organic egg whites, turkey, mushrooms, shredded low fat cheese for my breakfast eggs and salads, Greek yogurt, baby spinach, potatoes, tomatoes, celery, and carrots. Maybe some rainbow chard and baby bok choy, both of which I really like lightly sauteed.

With that, I'll be well-stocked against temptations. It's best to have the house overflowing with GOOD options, to cut back on the lure of bad ones.

My hope is that  Sunday's weigh-in will make me smile. Anything lower on the scale and higher in motivation is welcome, right?

Right. I can do this. I really can.

WE CAN DO THIS.

WE REALLY CAN!!!

OK, let's kill it today. We believe. We move. We choose properly. WE CHOOSE. Remember that

Every bite and every sip and every step--we choose it. We decide it's what we'll do or not do, eat or not eat. WE CHOOSE.

Be well...

Scale Pic and Forming Goals for 2013, and some advice for the Big Gals (and Guys) out There New To Blogging for Weight Loss

Here is what I saw on Tanita-San today after I woke up, peed, and stumbled to the back room where I keep the scale:

Christmas red on toes, lower number on scale.

I hopped on the scale a few times, which I always do to confirm the number. You can see the same number came up twice: 181.4 .

It was 183.2 yesterday (see previous post), so the excess fluid from my holiday salty foods frenzy is...flowing out.

This puts me at a total loss of 118 pounds. Not my lowest number. Still out of the obese range, yay. 

I don't like being in the 180s again. Not at all. My plan last year when I decided to move into MAINTENANCE had been to maintain in the 170s. Anywhere in the 170s, but preferably in the middle to lower ranges, sure. Just THAT weight "decade."

 So, immediate goal is to get back into the 170s. Healthfully. With good nutrition. No crash diets. I don't care if it's slow. I don't want to end up with micronutrient deficiencies which impact a lot of my health issues.

Ultimate goal for this season (ie period from January to end of March) is to rebuild muscle, get back walking habit (at least 3x a week) and get to 171. That's 10 pounds.

I will add that losing 10 pounds is not easy for me. It's easier when one is big-big, though even for big me, losing 1 to 2 pounds a week required quite a lot of discipline. I was the laggard in Allan's challenges (though I stuck out the ones I joined to the end). So, 3.3 pounds a month --or roughly under 1 pound a week--is going to mean I have to focus a lot on my calories. Watching, adding, monitoring, curtailing. And burning some off. Though I find consumption matters more than exertion. What I eat affects the scale the most.

Exercise, though, affects how I feel and how my clothes fit. I see more muffin top with my abdominal and back muscle depleted. I hate that. But keeping muscle takes work, just as building it takes work. It doesn't happen by wishing.

The sad truth about weight for those of us who were formerly obese/morbidly obese/severely morbidly obese/super-obese is that weight comes back at alarming speed and goes down with reluctance.

Granted, some folks hold tons of water and those first weeks on a diet make for a beautifully satisfying whoosh of 7 or 10 or more pounds. Not me. I am not that level of water-hoarder. But that's mostly fluid, and the business of burning fat is always harder. And the closer to goal weights we get, that much harder. Sometimes, maddeningly hard.

I'm here to tell you maintenance is tough. I've seen a host of blogging pals drop out of sight when they couldn't keep the weight off. I don't wanna do that. I want to say, here I am, with some regain, aiming to stop it and get back in maintenance range.

A bit of advice from someone with a near-lifelong weight struggle who used blogging and online aids to finally make progress (and I hit 303 lbs on my doc's scale in 2004, for reference):

If you're  big or very big and starting on your weight loss journey this year, please be accountable on your blog. BE ACCOUNTABLE. It's the main reason I began THIS blog, stopped the old one, and focused on goals and numbers and photos and self-examination and challenges. 

Accountability means you put it out there and try to figure out how to solve the problems. It's hard. It's often embarrassing . 

(See my Phat Pilates pics--click on tab link under the blog header-- if you want to see EMBARRASSING! It was really hard for me to post those when I was huge-huge and clumsy and sweaty in tight clothes and messed up hair.)

Don't use the blog just to wax eloquently or awkwardly about your ordinary life stuff. That won't cut it. That won't help you. 

Make specific goals. DAILY GOALS. WEEKLY GOALS. MONTHLY GOALS. SEASONAL GOALS. ANNUAL GOALS.  Let the community know if you met goals or failed to meet them. Examine why you can't make a breakthrough. Read. Study. Introspect. Ask folks to kick you in the butt when you grow lax. Support others as a way to support yourself, too. Sometimes, reading others doing the same things you are --good or bad--has a wonderfully motivating effect.

But weigh and plug those numbers in. Put them out there. Defuse them and make them just measures. MEASURES of lack of or wonderful progress. Don't expect 4 pounds a week (unless you're male and huge or female and huge and really active). Just make reasonable, attainable goals and, if you do not quit, if you persist, you will see progress.

One pound a week is 52 pounds a year In two years, that's 104 pounds.
One-half pound a week is 26 pounds a year, 52 pounds in two years.
Two pounds a week is 104  pounds in one year, 208 in two.

Consistency is the key. You can lose 26, regain 30. You can lose 80, regain 50. You can lose 200, regain 200.

What you want, and what I want, is to lose and keep it off.

The odds of success are slight. Google it. Very few keep off large amounts of lost weight.

So, focusing on the quickie crash diet that gets off 10 pounds in 2 weeks will leave you nowhere if you gain it back, and odds are you WILL regain it.

You have to learn what you like and what is nutritious and what contains your large appetite or urges to snack unhealthfully. You have to figure out what works for your body and, if present, medical conditions. You may need to see a dietitian. Or a doctor. You should read and educate yourself. You should visit blogs of folks who lost weight and KEPT it off for a year plus. The ones keeping it off 5 years plus. They have learned something.

VICTORY in 2013!

Find a buddy. Keep a journal (or a blog journal). Be honest. Don't run away and hide when it's tough. Find people who won't stop telling you to keep at it. Join challenges with kind people who believe in TOUGH LOVE, ie. they don't clap at your failings or enable you, but they do offer a hand when you need to get back up and walk on. Flabby love lets you get away with anything, buys lame excuses. REAL love wants the best for you and will speak firmly to you, refusing to allow you to wallow and not make progress. Real love says, "Stop that. It's hurting you!"

Always choose what helps, not just what feels good. What helps. What profits. What is good. What builds you up on your journey. Choose that.

It's gonna be hard. But it's worth it in so many ways to try and try with a fully committed spirit and heart and mind.

Really, you don't have to get skinny. You just have to get OUT of obesity--being overweight may not be as bad as previously thought, though being obese is still a bad thing-- and get stronger which will be useful in daily activities and protective of health as you and I age. And keep learning. Believe you have the power to do it. Every day, tell yourself you are ABLE.

AND NEVER QUIT.

Happy Thursday. The third day of a new year. Be well...

First Post of 2013: Accountability, Word of the Year, Photos, and Recommitment

Ah, 2012 was rough on me in its last couple months. Well, it was a bit rough from the end of June on. Less income meant the loss of my personal trainer. Illness set me back in other ways. But this is a new year, with a new word, and a recommitment to a vision to let go of what holds me back and grab hold of those habits and people and events and things that  push and drive and yank me toward my goals.

So, some stats, cause accountability to me means NUMBERS, not just words.

On New Year's Eves past, I weighed thusly:;

2009: 267 lbs
2010: 234 lbs
2011: 183 lbs

I don't have stats kept for a lot of years, but I was in the 270s for several NY Eves prior to that.

This New Year's Eve: 182 lbs

On Dec 30, I was 178.8. A series of salty foods played havoc, so that by New Year's Day, I was 185, until I peed a couple times, then 183. So, the scale was all over the high 170s and low 180s for the end of the year.

The good news: I ended up with a net loss of ONE pound since last NY Eve. I maintained, basically. And that's fine.

The bad news: Back in the 180s and a lot of muscle loss. A LOT. I cannot tell you how easy it is  to be a couch potato again and lose muscle. Very easy. Very scarily easy. And I'm ashamed of getting out of good habits. That means that this 182 lbs is fattier and less lean than last year's. Urk.

So, what habits dropped off since November when I got ill:

1. 10 glasses of water a day
2. exercising at least 5 days a week
3. praying over my day's food goals upon awaking
4. blogging to keep myself motivated

So, with 2013 seeing me at a higher weight than my lowest in 2012, I must work on--work on diligently--at getting back good water, portioning, and positive focus habits.

Accountability to me is also about photos. I posted photos last NY Eve. Here are shots from New Year's Day. We didn't dress up or leave the house NY Eve, but we got together with family yesterday. These are at me at 183 lbs on the scale--both last year's pic and this year's shots.

kinda fun headless shot

Excuse the lousy posture, hah, I was repositioning..awkwardly, clearly.

I love red (to wear). Cool red. Warm red. This is an orange red. Compare to me wearing an earthy red years ago:

At about 80 or 90 lbs more than previous shots and next pic.

And this is NY Eve last time, 2011, 183 lbs

I'm grateful for another year. My health is not as vibrant today as it was one year ago. Exercise, right foods, proper rest, lowering stress--it all has an affect on appearance. I see my face DROOPIER since 6 months ago. My loss of good habits has taken a toll in many ways.

Well, that's my accountability.

Now, for my word of the  year: RELEASE

I put a pic on the left sidebar representing "release" to remind me of it anytime I check the blog.

I had  "open doors" as my phrase last year, and it's interesting that my husband began to work for a company that has "Open" in the title, and that I began to open myself to a new group (new church) and new ideas (restarted writing). I am continuing my "openings" this year--and NEED to-- but RELEASE is most appropriate for various reasons that I won't get into now.

I hope you have a vision for this year. If you made goals and want to hold on. If you didn't make goals and are going to work toward them. If like me you took some steps BACKWARD and want to recoup the good things set aside.

Never quit. Find the solution. Keep going with faith in the human power to change. Persist with hope. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR, my dears.

May 2013 be peaceful and blessed for us all, and may we make strides to grab hold of good things, including more healthful habits and a more vibrant life.

God bless...and be well...

Just the sporadic weight update...sickies resolving at last..

I've still got a bit of cough and bronchial good, but much less. I'm still not at peak energy level, but better. I suspect the thyroid is a wee out of whack, so I'll get that tested this week.

Tanita-san today: 176.2

That's up some from last check-in. No movement almost in 3 weeks, other than bed to couch to desk to couch to bed to desk to desk to couch...you get the idea.

I have (I think, must check) a trainer appt tomorrow. I had intended to cancel due to still feeling a bit out of it, but I didn't cancel within the 24 hour window. So, we shall see what tomorrow brings. Being sick put me back in vampire time mode, so I've been going to bed at 6 am and getting up at 3pm. Which sucks. Sucks a lot, after working so hard to become an earlier bird.

To be at the Pilates studio at 11 am, when I get sleepy at 6 to 7 pm is gonna be quite a feat, and we'll see. We'll see.

Okay, so good news: still in 170s. Bad news: not fully recovered from bronchitis and higher weight than last weigh-in. Good news: I'm still here and accountable. Bad News: I am not feeling mood-high. I'm a wee bit depressed, and considering this should be a happy, festive time of year, that is bad.

And that's the update for this Sunday. :D

Be well, ladies and gents. God bless...

A bloggy recommendation for those starting this weight loss journey with a lot to lose or change..A pre-final update try-on of the E2E dress...and some thoughts/advice on weight-loss blogging...

I've been thinking a lot about how my two year blog "get to goal" deadline is closing in. Only FIVE months away. Boy, does tempis fugit. It doesn't seem like more than a year and a half already since I began this blog for greater accountability, focus, and motivation.

My previous blog is one I think of as my "setting the stage" or "prepping the field". Three years of working on issues, trying assorted diets (including raw vegan), and figuring out why the hell I binge and why I could not seem to heal my eating issues. I was on a quest to know ME and heal MYSELF.

This blog was created when I finally found my stride and wanted to be visible, hence the pics,  accountable, hence the weekly weigh-ins on the sidebar,  and goal-oriented, hence the timeline and caloric limits and and exercise goals.

I want to tell you that if you have a LOT of weight to lose, be prepared to give it time

But be prepared for that time to whizz by. WHIZZ!

Two years sounded like a lot in 2010. Not so much now.

A year. Two years. Three years...this will seem ridiculously far away to you if you are early in your journey--or just about to start. YOu want it FAST AND FASTER.

Well, you know, 100 pounds, 200 pounds, 300 pounds. That's a lot to lose. Crash diets suck. Sorry, but they do. I've seen major crash and burns with folks who think the shortcut is the best path.

Give yourself time to lose and focus on goals, daily and weekly, monthly, annually. Make it as consistent as you can so you build habits. Learn a new way to eat and move that doesn't take you BACK to where you began.

Give it time.

And if you are going to blog about your journey (and I think it's a great motivating tool if you use it properly, for learning and accountability), be consistent with that, too. Sporadic blogging. Dishonest blogging. Skipping weigh-ins. Going blank for weeks. That's all a sign of being OUT of control and NOT willing to be accountable even to yourself. 

Using a public forum for motivation ONLY works if you commit to BEING public with the goals/results. You will feel shame if you did poorly, and that is part of it. You will feel joy when you succeed, and that's great. People will commisserate. People will celebrate. People will offer advice. Soemtimes, people are cruel and nasty. But most of the time, people are supportive and kind and friendly.

Don't blog for weight loss if you're gonna lie and fudge. It really defeats the whole purpose of being public. You want to be as public with the lows and with the highs. The fails and the wins. That's the only way this forum keeps you on track. If you commit to it.

And I recommend one more thing: Do future blogs that will pop up to ask you questions. I saw another blogger do this, and I think it's a great idea.

If you set a year as your timeline, create a blog post that will post AUTOMATICALLY in a year's time. Date it a year from today. Create the post that asks you to answer questions about how you've come, if you've met goals, what you learned, where you are, and to set NEW goals for the coming year.

You can do this in any time frame you like, but it's another bloggy tool that can help. What will you ask of that future YOU? What do you want that future you to be doing, thinkng, weighing? Make the future post..today.

Cause time really does fly. Don't let one other year pass without getting even a bit closer to your goals. (Though a lot closer is always nicer, right?)

Now, the Dress:

I woke up, put on a bra (no panties or shapewear to help out, hah), clipped up my messy hair, and tried on the E2E dress (a size 14 regular --not W or plus-Nine West fitted sheath). Just to see if now that  most of my regain is gone, where the zipper stands.

First, how it looked at the start of the challenge:

The zipper/back view today:

Front and side views today:

I noticed it was even less snug in the waist and hip area (more give, which is noticeable in the front view in the waist).

I'm glad to be making progress on losing the regain (I had gotten to 184 again briefly). Today, 178.8.

I wonder if that would have been better without the lunch of salty shredded beef Cuban style and the miso soup I made for supper. Lots of sodium yesterday, cause I didn't want meat or to cook much, so I just did take-out lunch and a quickie miso supper (paste in hot water, add mushrooms and scallions and seaweed). Plus a pear and some cashews. Miso is VERY VERY salty. Like 900 grams per tablespoon. I did have a glass of coconut water to balance the miso-sodium with some potassium. I think that helped. :D

So, take your pics. Start your blog. Be faithful with accountability. Chart your progress in numbers and pictures.

Some days, and some weeks--when it's hard and harder and hardest--knowing you have to check in and fess up to the world can keep you from going all nuts when temptation hits. It really can. I know it's done it for me many times on this journey. Knowing you'd SEE what I did or did not do made me think twice about skipping a workout or eating that extra helping.

When things are humming, you don't need this. But it doesn't always hum.

If you plan to blog to lose....and if you find it helpful at all...use the tool well. Everyone knows if you misuse a tool,  it's not gonna get the job done.This isn't about being perfect. It's about being true.

Don't dawdle with it, fiddle with it, lie on it. Use the tool until you get to goal. Or for as long as it's useful. Not everyone thrives on this medium. If it's good for you, use it right. Use it consistently and with integrity...and it will yield results. I believe that. :)

Be well...

Next to Last SLIMMER THIS SUMMER CHALLENGE Update..and Some Long-Winded Thoughts on the Scale AND...On What I'd Like To See In The Next Challenge...So Tell me what you think...and pics of my new green sneakers...

I meant to post yesterday, but hubby and I headed out and then I got lazy. But I did weigh-in and update the sidebar yesterday with the weigh-in (in case nobody noticed, hah).

184.4

That's .6 lbs down from last week.

This week has been an upsy and downsy week and I have struggled.

Playing catch in my new bright green sneaks!

I walked x3
I did Pilates x 2 with trainer
Worked on push-ups (still can't do them right) only 1 day (lazy, lazy)

Matching green "feline footwear",hubby's
PUMA and my ONITSUKA TIGERS

I had a casual day of playing Frisbee/Catch with the family
And otherwise I stayed in out of the heat being a lazy cat.
Drank my fluids all but one day, when I fell short by 8 oz. (Mistallied.)
Prayed for y'all.
Blogged.
Did not quit.

Breathing got radically better and I've had no issues this weekend. Huh to that in the deep of hurricane season's heat/humidity/pollens, but I won't say I'm not grateful.

I'm still not at my lowest weight of 183.8 for the challenge, but while I'm crawling on my way down, it is on the way DOWN, and if I do a half pound a week consistently for the rest of the year, that's almost another 10 pounds down, and I'd be only 15 lbs away from goal weight.

Yes, I do have to think of it in long-term. I only want to lose 25 more pounds (to 160 original goal), and it may take me a while to do it, but the point is and always will be consistency. Losing a bunch one week or three, gaining a bunch for a week or three, then losing a bunch again---that's not healthful or my style. I want to learn to be consistent...in losing, in maintaining. I don't wanna yo-yo, all hyped up for a month, then fizzle out for 3, then find myself fighting the same pounds over and not really getting where I want to STAY.

I want to get to my dang goal weight, be it 160, 170, 145, whatever. I want to GET there and then learn how to maintain it (which is a whole nother hard work journey). Crash diets don't appeal to me. Yo-yo doesn't appeal to me. Whether it's 3 pounds, 2 pounds, 1 pound, or a half a pound a week, I just want to be someone who is doing what she needs to do week in and week out.

That's hard. But that's the only way to beat the fat for life. Learn what it takes to do the things that need to be done.. at each meal, every day, each week, month by month,  year after year.

And I think I need to see the scale the way I see the mirror or the blood pressure cuff or my every-3-months bloodwork. I can't ignore it, avoid it, or let it make me nuts. It's simply FEEDBACK. Like my waist measurement (that hasn't budged in weeks and weeks). It just says, "Here is where you are at" and no more. It's not cussing at me. It's not blessing me. It's not reviling me. It's not telling me I"m better than... It's a number. It's monitoring. It's accountability. It's information. THAT IS ALL.

I measure my waist and hips, I weight, I take my blood pressure, I get blood taken for lipid and CBC panels. I check the mirror to see how my eyes look, my hair, my teeth, my skin. Why? Just to track. Just to see if I'm making progress. Do my brows need plucking? Is there still some gunk on my incisor? Do I need to add benzoyl peroxide to the night-time regimen for my skin. Did I have too much salt? Did I eat too much of this and that and mess up my LDL?

Sometimes I do good things (moisturize, pluck, brush, use conditioner, eat lots of veggies, take my vitamins, exercise). Sometimes things go a bit bad (I don't wash make-up off properly before bed, forget to tend to a zit, eat too much sodium, go nuts on cheese, forget to drink extra water when I exercise in the heat). Sometimes they go way bad (like the time my liver enzymes or sugar were going out of whack and my triglycerides were high when I was binge-ing during mom's demise and taking statins, both hurting my liver).

The mirror, scale, tape measure, BP machine, etc...they just give me INFO. Then I do something with it--be it change food or or movement, or ignore it, or call the doc in a panic. Whatever. Tools. Just tools.

The reason I do these measurements isn't principally to feel great and get a boost and motivate myself. Those can play a part. The main reason I do these things is to see if I AM MAKING PROGRESS and if I am NOT MAKING PROGRESS to find ways to motivate myself to do the things that will improve the result on the scale, with the tape measure, on the lipid profile, with the blood pressure monitor.

The motivation isn't the scale. The scale can tell me if I'm motivated or not. 

It's a gauge of motivation, and it's confirmation of proper changes implemented in one's plan. It is not THE motivator.

Measurement tools are FEEDBACK. They are not the judges of what I am worth.

I am worth just as much at 184.4 as I was at 299 lbs. I may feel differently ABOUT myself, but that's not the scale's problem. That's MINE. That's psychological stuff or self-esteem stuff or mood stuff or whatever.

Every article I've read about those who lost a lot of weight and kept it off talked about daily to weekly weighings to stay on track and correct behavior before it got way out of hand. The majority of the time I didn't want to get on the scale it was because I knew it would be bad and I didn't want bad news. And the majority of time I've seen bloggers over the last 5 years avoid the scale or take scale breaks, it was because of the fear or stress of the number.

We love the number when it's positive.

We hate it when it's negative.

I make a new proposition: Let's not hate a number or love a number.

Let's think of it strictly as feedback. A coach will tell a runner if their time, their number, was better, worse, the same. It's a way to gauge where training time/techniques need to be applied. Maybe check for issues.

If you are doing everything RIGHT--calorically, exercise, fluids, sleep, meds, mood--and the scale is cruel for 2 to 3 weeks on end, then yes, there may be some deeper issues, medical issues. Allan used to tell us this all the time. If you do it right and you arent' losing: SEE A DOCTOR.

If  WE KNOW we're not doing it right, then why get upset at a number on the scale that reflects our NOT doing what we ought? The scale can be deceptive, as it doesn't measure FAT, just WEIGHT, and that can be skewed--in terms of fluid retention at TOM or after salt intake or with steroid use, or huge water loss at the start of low carb diets, which says nada about FAT, etc--but it's only a tracking tool. That's it. Other measures are needed for body composition. Nevertheless, it's a good tool. It is good feedback OVER TIME. One week can be off. Two . But over time, it's a good tool. USE IT. As a tool, not as a self-esteem monitor or a mood controller.

Just a feedback tool for someone renovating...a body. :)

Cause this cutiepie deserves to have a hot(tish) wife:

My Prince, who looks so hot with a mitt, yes?

Now, for my next challenge:

I had pondered hosting a Christmas Dress Countdown challenge. I still think I'd like to do something along those lines. However, I really think what I want to do is something a bit different than what I originally discussed via email with THURSDAY'S CHILD. I do think I want an email component, which means it will have to be a smaller challenge (so it's a not a crazy long email list).

I was looking back at the things that helped or motivated me most in past challenges, and maybe include things like that. But also include something I've never seen addressed in other challenges I dabbled in or competed over the years: the spiritual and/or the "change techniques" component.

I have no idea right now how that would be set-up. I had this brilliant flash of a notion in the midst of falling asleep two days ago, and I remember going, "Oh, geesh, that would be it. That would be amazing." And I fell asleep--and forgot the brilliant idea. Dang. That's frustrating.

But I do think that many of us already know the nutritional tips, the tracking tips, know we ought to exercise and drink fluids. How many know the actual helpful techniques for behavioral CHANGE? The spiritual aspect that can help one overcome vices/bad habits?

I'd also want the time between StS and when the new challenge starts to be prep time: get rid of junk or trigger foods from your home, prepare the books and exercise stuff (DVDs, equipment, clothes) ready, shop for fresh plan-friendly groceries, figure out your water needs and schedule to workout, get family and friends on board to support you through the temptations of the holidays before the challenge ends (no Halloween crap, healthful options at Thanksgiving). Whatever needs to be done to be all set and IN the mindset. And that can--and maybe SHOULD--include the purchase of a smaller size dress, one that doesn't fit yet, to motivate one to fit into it by Christmas. Or at minimum a photo of the desired dress and the desired size. Yep.  Prep work.

Maybe that's too ambitious for ONE challenge. Maybe I'm full of crap.

And if you think whatever challenge I come up with is too demanding or weird or whatever, remember, there are always many challenges going on. You can find one that suits you, for sure! You can start one...and should, if you have the energy and ideas or just the time! Nothing suits everyone. Be a challenge starter or co-starter!

But, anyway, all that's what I've been pondering, and especially this: components that are about changing more than what we choose for breakfast or how much water we drink. Probably including a book of the challenger's choice (I might offer a list for suggestions) to use and read and apply during the course of the challenge. Perhaps one food book and one change book and one spiritual book. Well, that would be CHALLENGING, except for folks who love to read.

But one thing I know for sure, I want a challenge that is very supportive, positive in outlook, hopeful--like Slimmer This Challenge has been, hooray!-- and one where scale accountability is a given. One number, once a week, no excuses. Allan had that rule, and trust me, it motivated me. I knew if I didn't give that number by that day of the week, I was OUT of the challenge, unless I had a darn good reason and let him know (ie, hospitalized, no internet access on Fiji vacation, computer crash, etc).

I remember how more than once, when I was tempted to hit a cookie or an extra serving of this or that during DDDY, the knowledge that I'd have to send a number to Allan come Sunday made me NOT hit the chips and salsa or blue cheese dressing. Seriously, knowing there would be a reckoning of the numerical sort can be the thing that stops the nighttime extra snack.

Well, Allan would holler sometimes.

I won't holler, but I think knowing you'd have to publish your numerical feedback for the week, rain or shine, was a sort of rein. And to encourage each other NOT to think of the number as the determinant of mood/feeling/motivation, but just something to guide us, help us tweak, help us regroup, or help us celebrate milestones.

As far as other parameters, perhaps a more flexible caloric level than StS, as long as it's one where folks can lose something a week to reach the Dress Size goal....not everyone needs to be 1200, but some people do. Not everyone can lose at 1600, but some people can. Livability--food plans and exercise plans that reasonably fit into your life/family life/work life/day-to-day, but is challenging enough to actually cause weight loss and increase in muscle. Just not TBL level hard. ; ) Since it's another long challenge--3 months or so--one can lose a nice amount to fit into a lovely Christmas dress without having to live at the gym or starve.

So, those are my thoughts on a "next challenge", encapsulated here:

1. Weigh-in number must be posted on the blog once a week, on the given day(s) without fail or excuses.

2. A caloric limit chosen by each participant to encourage steady weekly loss and a healthful diet plan of their choice that includes real, wholesome foods and adequate fluids. Participants will need to decide how to track--any method, I don't care--but you should have some method to know when you hit your limit.

3. An exercise type/variety/intensity chosen by the participant to be at least 3x a week.

4. A book(s) to be studied, blogged about, that helps the participant with change/procrastination/spiritual/vice/bad habit issues that will help overcome overeating.

5. A very supportive atmosphere and positive support structure, which should include commenting on each others' blogs to cheer each other on.

6. Email motivational support from leader(s)

7. A goal dress size stated (or guess at) or, better yet, pic of dress bought for motivation or wanted as a dream-dress, and ideally, but not required, a pic of challenger WEARING the dress in the after when challenge concludes. (Faces can be blocked out for privacy, but we wanna see you fit into the goal dress.)
8. A commitment NOT TO QUIT. To stay in the challenge and work on issues and post weight, even if one is doing poorly. To hang in. Hang in and not disappear. A COMMITMENT to fellow challengers to go the distance, no matter the obstacles.

I'm thinking that if it's a limited, manageable number, I'd give priority to those who finished Slimmer this Summer who want in. If you stuck with the StS 12 weeks, you can stick to a similar number for the Christmas Dress Countdown.

Anyone have suggestions on what a challenge should have based on what motivated you the most to LOSE the most in the past? Comment away...

Slimmer This Summer Challenge Update: Complacency Goeth Before the Fall...Or Rise (in weight)-- 1.2 Pounds UP as other things take the stage. Looking for balance, organization, and getting that number back DOWN! But, hey, my hair--and hubby's, too-- looks great. Pics included.

Hey, all. I meant to do an update yesterday for Slimmer This Summer, weighed in and everything before heading out the door for assorted activities, but came hope late and still had stuff to do--laundry, cooking hubby's Monday lunch, packing the 2 lunches and snacks--and yes, he eats two lunches to keep from being too skinny since he gave up all grains except rice and all starchy veggies except potatoes and a bit or corn now and then.

Wish I had that problem.

My problem this week came from Tanita-san's numerical glare:  185.0

Sheesh. 1.2 pounds UP from last Sunday. UPPPPPP. UPPPP.

Yeah, and only me to blame. No excuses. I simply got lax and comfy. I am so happy where I am, even as fat as I am--cause we can't call 185 lbs sleek, now can we?--but so energetic and so flexible and feel so good and feel cute and get tons of compliments and hubby's adoring my new bod, and, yes,  still so happy to be officially NOT obese, that my motivation just fizzled. If I don't watch out, I'll be officially obese again.

Dang.

But part of creating this blog and joining this challenge was being accountable. I have to report the BAD, not just the good. And here it is. The bad.

Let me correct a point: It's not fizzled altogether, the motivation. I still counted calories. I still exercised. I still drank my requisite fluids. I still took vitamins and blogged and read inspirational snippets and visited fatfighters online.

Fizzled as in not scrupulous, not as focused.

Part is that I've begun a new HUGE project, almost as huge as losing weight, and that has sapped a lot of my focus. I"m doing two new things, the HUGE organization of my clutter/healing of my hoarding/simplifying life thing, and getting back to serious Bible study, which also takes a couple hours a day. Between all those hours and that divided focus, weight loss seems to not be my sole-super-duper-main-supreme-above-all focus. This means calorie creep and exercise whittling.

Sucks, but I am NOT a multi-tasker. When I take on another huge project, the others suffer.

But I have to find a way to do it all. I am envious of folks who can do many major things at once--Allan, formerly of Almost Gastric Bypass blog(s),  and his career expansion while undertaking major weight loss and overseeing challenges comes to mind, as well as those of you dealing with challenging new jobs while losing, or bearing and rearing new babies while losing. I admire the ability to do that and hope I can develop some of it. But me, I tend to need to focus on ONE BIG THING at a time.

I focused on weight loss for the last year. The economic realities of our current nation means it's imperative for us to simplify and be ready to sell and move in short order as needed. This is why I am tackling this BEFORE reaching goal weight. I decided reaching non-obese goal would have to be the cut-off.

So, this week, I need to find the internal drive and energy to give more than one thing priority. I can't let myself lose all momentum and regain to the point of waking up and finding I have 20 pounds back on me! No, sir.

185.0
Sheesh.

Okay, new week. New obstacles. New refocusing. And let's see how talented I can get at organizing multiple projects.

This past week, my exercise was:

1x swimming
4x walking
2x Pilates with trainer

Fluids: fine
Prayer: yes, praying for y'all
Push-ups= worked on them x2
Waist: Still 36 (dang)
Quitting: No, but I need to learn new skills, clearly, to regain progress-making mojo

I'm not depressed or bummed, mind you. I am simply more in "problem resolution" mode. I assumed that having a couple of 1600 calorie days and a 1750ish day, which should not have impeded me at 185 active pounds,  BUT THEY DID. It seems that I will have to revise goal weight. I will not live with any weight that requires me to LIVE FOREVER on 1200 calories. Forget it. I'd rather stay fat. The lowest I'm willing to go, lifelong, is 1400 to 1500. I find that a livable range, whereas I find 1200 too restrictive for life. It doesn't seem a like a lot of leeway, but that's yogurt and fruit plus nuts worth. That's a salad with chicken's worth. It is a big difference for those of us who've done the 1200.

I know I'm metabolically lower than many. I knew that a year ago from tracking. I don't maintain of my weight in the range the charts I've seen state. I maintain on my weight on the range minus 300 (if it's consistent with my previous estimates, which probably is WRONG, and it's more complicated formula-wise,, but I'll worry about the math some other day). I'll find out in time. But after this week, when I ranged from 1400 to 1600 a day for all but one day, the weigh-in comes as a slap of reality to realize that, yes, I will never ever ever eat remotely like I used to. NOT REMOTELY...and I knew that intellectually, but I know it now in actuality. While exercising THAT much, I still can't eat much at this lower weight.

We will see how this unwinds...

TWO weeks until SLIMMER THIS SUMMER ends. I'd like to end it at least at 182 (or less). Let's see how that goes, shall we? :D

Oh, and we had an Aveda hair spa day Saturday, hubby and I:

I wish all challengers well in this final stretch. I hope I didn't let too many of you down with this week's uptick and my motivation's semi-fizzling.

Be well, all...

Face the Truth Fridays: Met Goal, Still In DDDY Challenge and My Big Accountability Button

248.8

The scale shows 1 pound down and I've met my blog's weekly weight loss goal.

I've been eating at "maintenance caloric level" (I suspect it's MORE than maintenance level, but I might be wrong.) An online caloric calculator says that at my new weight in the 240's, I maintain that weight at about 2200 (and change). Eating at 1760 calories, about 500 cals less a day than I need, translates to a 1 pound loss a week. So, this jives with my nutrition log. I've kept very close (sometimes over, mostly under or close to) 1760, and the week's total have been under the 1760x7 caloric amount. I've lost what the math says I should.

It's been novel drinking a lot of water. A lot for me. I used to struggle to get in 4 cups, and some days I had 1 or 2. On this challenge, I have to get 8 minimum, and I've been over 10 consistently. Yesterday I made it to 16. Today, I was out a lot and afraid to have to hit public bathrooms constantly, so I waited until I was on the way home to buy 2 16.9 ounce bottles to add to the 3 glasses I had earlier. Then I got home and had MORE. I'm at 10 glasses so far.

It's not been super duper easy to eat at 1760. It means not having a lot of my faves. It means avoiding most restaurants. It means some meals have just been protein shakes. It means a lot of salads and nearly no desserts. It means snacks are high protein, low fat, calorie-controlled.

But it has been DOABLE. I've had a hard time keeping under 2200 calories for the 3.5 years I've been blogging. To have almost completed two weeks at this caloric level has been giving me hope and encouragement.

So, the truths I'm facing:

1. I do better with the accountability of  reporting for a challenge.
2. I do better with the accountability of putting my food and weight here every day. Just knowing I have to type out what I ate and how much I ate (calorie wise) has made me NOT eat when I was tempted more than twice this week.
3. I don't like going to the bathroom this much (yikes), but I like how the water-filled belly calms my appetite some.
4. If I want to be 160 (or so) and stay there for the rest of my life, I will always have to be a disciplined eater and make up for excesses shortly after they occur (like right after) or have to suffer regains week to week.
5. Luxurious indulgences in whatever I want 3 meals a day are no more. Give and take, balance, has to be the rule of EACH day. Too much breakfast means less lunch and less dinner. And so on. I knew this intellectually, now, living like a "maintenance person", I see this in action, and it's a bitch. But it's reality.
6. 1760 calories is Not that much food. Sorry. Don't care about others' perceptions. For me, it's still restricting and giving up and sacrificing and it ain't bliss. It's not Eden; but it's not Hell, either.
7. It helps to tell myself, when dinner has to be a 200 calorie shake cause I overate at lunch, that "Tomorrow really is another day," and I can dream about what yummy breakfast I can have. Knowing there will be another chance to eat something delicious makes it less painful to have those "make up for the excess" meals. And water.

Back to #1--accountability.
I'm a person who always does better when I 'report' to someone. Someone makes me accountable in some way. It's not just me seeing weigh-ins or calorie counts. This makes me think twice when chocolate or pizza beckons. Maybe this is why WW meetings work for some people (I hate having to get dressed, drive, and sit in a room as specified, and much prefer the online way, but I can see how it would be an accountability tool.)

So, I'm sticking with Allan's challenge, though my urethra is having a conniption.

If you're someone who just isn't cutting it along. YOu slack off. You can't seem to make eating/drinking goals, then consider finding some sort of accountability structure. Consider using your blog to show your stats unflinchingly, even for a limited time. It might help.

Face the Truth Fridays: A new "decade" and maybe the Zone is worth considering?

674 days and 89.8 lbs to go

I had a good long sleep (as opposed to a few days of shorter zzzzzing). As past experience confirms, when I sleep well and a lot, I lose a bit more. Always.

Scale: 249.8

I'm 4/5ths of a pound from a 50 pound loss.

I stayed at the Double Dog Dare challenge calorie limit--or under--from Mon through Wed. I went 9 calories over yesterday, which was more than made up for my the 300 or so calories I was under the previous days combined.

Loss since last week's weigh-in: 1.2 lbs. 

I met (and exceeded) goal for weekly loss (1 lb) and am still on track for my two-year loss goal (98 lbs).

I had figured that my loss at 1800 (pre-dare daily calorie goal) would be about goal (1 lb). This week, due to the challenge, I've eaten under 1800 enough to exceed  goal. So, yes, eat less, lose more. :) I haven't moved MORE this week than any other (well, okay, a very small walk Monday that made my plantar fasciitis act up).

Truth I'm Facing: I'm nowhere near being "on automatic" about food choices. Even to eat at my "maintenance at goal weight" level of 1760, I had to plan, calculate calories before eating to make sure I didn't go over, log food so I wouldn't forget what I ate, and had to force down water.

I have a long way to go to being in fully habituated "lower calorie controlled eating" mode. A long way. But these 4 days have shown me a couple things by examining my food log:

~I will stay satiated longer the lower carb the meal is.
~I get hungrier on exercise days
~It is possible for me to drink MORE than 10 glasses of water a day and not puke
~I lost the most this week the day after my nutrient breakdown was 40-31-29 and I had multiple snacks.

That made me look hard at that chart. That breakdown was suspiciously close to the 40-30-30 of The Zone (a book I never read, btw). I had bought a groupon to a local diet delivery service that follows The Zone guidelines, and after noting this on my SparkPeople.com nutrition feedback--they show graphs and colorful pies, which are not just cool, but so informational and eye-opening-- it certainly makes me wonder if this will be a consistent result. In other words, if I do more days in that range with multiple snacks (not just one snack), will I lose more than on days when I do fewer meals that are out of the 40-30-30?

Anyway, that would jive with my suspicion that I'm a "mixed" eater type, and it will be interesting to see if the DNA testing that I'll do in November--see previous post on it this week--will let me know that, too.

I have to note another truth: I was peckish last night. Very snackish. And if I were not reined in by the challenge, I bet I'd have noshed up to 2000 cals. Accountability is a huge help here.

Anyone out there done The Zone? Didja like it?

Okay, so that's my progress (goals met), truths faced, and things for me to look into.

Have a Fit Friday and here's to your weekend being a beautiful one!