Day 117

Another loss despite going home to Buffalo for 2 days!

-1.8 lbs. : )

My totals now are: 38.4 lbs. lost and 25.25 inches dropped overall since April 2nd, 2011!
These are great numbers and I look forward to hitting the 210 lb mark next Sunday!

Day 116

Today is going to be a busy day. That's a good thing because having no weekly points left for the last two days has been tough! I made it through successfully though and I can do it again today. I just need to limit my intake of Corn Chex to one serving... not 4 like yesterday. On today's to-do list:

• Shopping for new pants and a belt for school (mine no longer fit : ) )
• Need to get some shapewear
• Write two scholarship letters
• Study Espanol
• begin a new demo cake

This all needs to take place amidst taking care of my family. Luckily the hubby is home this weekend! I can't wait to weigh in tomorrow, I suspect I'll have another loss.

Days 114 & 115

I forgot to post yesterday : )  I was wallowing in my own laziness. Now I'm annoyed that I wasted a day, so onto doing lots of housework.

Since my visit home to Buffalo was full of food in ways I didn't want it to be, I charged myself all of my weekly allowance points (Weight Watchers) and am sticking just to my daily points for the remainder of the week. I thought this was going to be torture, but yesterday was ok. I even balanced my meals with all of my GHGs (Good Healthy Guidelines) so that I was satisfied before my points were up so I treated myself to a glass of Riesling from a wonderful Niagara County winery- Vizcarra Vineyards (part of Becker Farms). It is easily one of the best Rieslings I have had and was a terrific way to end the evening!

Today has been good so far and I am looking forward to heading to the store tomorrow to buy new pants for my return to school on Tuesday. All of my pants are now sliding down my backside... Good things!

Days 111, 112 & 113

I'm home, again, from Buffalo and I had a wonderful time! Almost too wonderful... I tried my best to keep the visit from being about the 'tastes' of home, but that's kind of what happened. OK, I need to be straight with myself and everyone else- that's EXACTLY what it became. I didn't necessarily overeat, but I ate crap. And lots of it. The scale wasn't friendly to me when I snuck onto it this morning, but we'll see what it says on Sunday. Need to behave and get in some movement, or ALOT of movement. Alright- let's get to it.

Day 110

A correction from today's earlier update...

I was elated, but cautious about a 5.6 lb. weight loss this week. So, I went to the bathroom and weighed again. Mind you, I weighed and reweighed myself 4 times when I saw 210 this morning. I couldn't believe it! But this time the scale was more reasonable and gave me a more predictable number. It seems I actually lost 2.2 lbs. this week, which is still above me weekly goal. I'm still thrilled! But that damn scale... I moved it around a few times to different parts of my bathroom floor and got different results each time, but couldn't duplicate the 210, so I used the number that appeared most often, which is 213.4 lbs. I'm good with that though : )

Day 110

Happy Dance! Happy Dance! Happy Dance!

Woot Woot!

I lost 5.6 pounds this past week!!!!

 This makes my official weight loss total 40 lbs. on the dot : ) I now weigh 210 lbs and can say with complete accuracy that I have lost 40 lbs. I can't wait to go to Buffalo tonite and reveal a me they haven't seen in over 5 years. : )  I'm going to spend the day just happy-dancing!

Day 109

I snuck on the scale again this morning- not that this is really a "sneaky" move on my part, I openly jump on the scale every morning to keep myself focused and on track. But I'm looking good for weigh-in tomorrow morning. I spent pretty much all of yesterday pool-side trying not to bake but having fun with my boys and some good friends (and a bottle of Riesling). Today back down to earth and some household chores. Again, easy to not eat such heavy foods in this heat.

I'm excited for tomorrow, also, since I'll be heading home for a few days : )  My family in BFLO haven't seen me this weight in almost 5 years. I've lost almost 40 pounds since any of my family has last seen me and I"m very excited!

Tune in tomorrow to see my scale results!

Day 108

Addendum to the previous multi-day post.

A hot summer day calls for friends in the pool and a cool bottle of Riesling.

How did you manage the heat today?

Days 106, 107 & 108

Well, my internet service has been temporarily restored. However, the unbearable heat has not been fixed. Yes, I know, everyone is suffering right now and I equally sympathize with you all.

The heat makes my eating much easier- maybe some of you will agree- because my appetite diminishes to bare necessities when it's like this. I'll eat healthy with ease because heavy, processed foods make me feel weighed down and gross. Hmmm.... maybe I should remember that feeling even when it's not so ungodly outside. Something to ponder. I have been spending lots of time in the pool and outside gardening (where I yet again ran into chiggers and got eaten alive) so I'm getting plenty of activity. Need to focus on water intake, not just for weight loss, but for hydration in this heat.

I've enjoyed my time back home from vacation and am still amazed by losing weight during vacation. I do, however, have another trip coming up Sunday nite going home to Buffalo, New York. If you've read any of my earlier posts you'll know that going home for me is largely about the tastes of home; Buffalo is a big food and drinking town. I need to be cautious but I only have 2 days to battle, and since my Hubby has decided to join me and the boys, he'll help to keep me on track and focused. This time it needs to be about the people and the place. I need to remove the association of food with home. But oh, those REAL chicken wings : )  (If you've never had real Buffalo chicken wings, you must stop by when you are in the Western New York region. Just about any corner pizza place has wings, and they're the real deal. But for the best head to Duffs (click for info) and get a side of wet fries. Yum-o!

Day 105

Lots of activity today vacuuming the pool (yes-again) and tending my garden left me very hungry. I'm hungrier than usual today and not feeling satisfied. Not many points left for dinner, but that's what weekly points are for : )  I'm ready for a nap.

Day 104

Completely off topic...


THERE WAS A GIGANTIC BLACK BEAR IN MY YARD THIS AFTERNOON!!!!!

It scared the crap out of me. Then I scared the crap out of my kids. He was eying up my garden.

In other news- I have had a completely in-control day as far as eating and activity. Finished weeding and pruning my garden and watermelon/pumpkin patch, and vacuumed the pool. Yummy dinner planned, then financial planning with the Hubby. Good day (minus black bear adventure).

Day 103

So vacation has come and gone, as well as one week of a missed weigh-in and...

I LOST 3.6 lbs.!!!!

I proved to myself that I can still manage in worst case scenarios and not make myself crazy over whether or not I'm going to be successful. Back in the saddle today though eating-wise and I have to find a way to incorporate activity into the remainder of the days that I'm on break. I'll also be going home to Buffalo, New York, to visit with my side of the family one week from today. It's daunting to go there because a large part of my visits there have to do with the 'tastes' of home. The food there is different and no other place in the country can do wings the way Buffalo does, or beef on weck, Theodore's hot dogs (made by Sahlens), and Anderson's frozen custard. These are tradition and staples in life in Buffalo and I will not miss out on them- but I have to have a plan to properly incorporate them and keep moving. Eh, I'll figure it out : )

Day 102

Wow! I passed the 100 day mark!

I posted for only the 2nd time while on vacation last night, during my trip home. It feels very good to be home. I ate poorly- it will be good to get back to eating right. I feel depleted without having fresh fruits and lean proteins daily. I also had many too many carbs while there. Back to business today though! Lot's of grocery shopping to do since we ran the house out of fresh things just prior to leaving a week ago. My garden had a welcome home party for me though this morning when I went out to tend to it... I have a bounty of wonderful fruits and veggies ready to go!

I'm worried only mildly about the weigh-in tomorrow. My shorts didn't seem to get any tighter while there, and since we did laundry and they could have tightened up in the wash too I feel pretty good. We'll see what tomorrow holds since I didn't weigh in last Sunday. I have to work hard to keep my self off the scale today and focus on restoring good eating habits.

Heading Home

We've left Virginia Beach and are currently traveling through Delaware. While my eating was less than ideal while on vacation there I did get plenty of activity in. Besides much tinge on the beach and in the pool, I discovered kayaking! It was awesome kayaking in the Chesapeake Bay and I'm thinking of getting a couple of kayaks for my hubby and me : )  I'm mildly worked about the scale on Sunday seeing as I didn't weigh in last Sunday. Tune in Sunday to see what vacation did to my waistline...

Day 1 of vacation.... (day 96)

Well, eating has not been great today. But I'm not out of control. I'm realizing that I need to be able to adapt to real life situations where I cannot always create the best environment. I'll do alright. But I'll do my best. And in the meantime, I'll play lots of hand and foot and get lots of sun!

Day 95

I feel more in control today. I talked with a couple lovely ladies on the WW boards and they let me know I'm not alone and what they do to combat the same sugar addiction issues. Part of my success has been knowing others have had the same struggles and have overcome them. It's encouraging and empowering to have a group of like minded people.

On the non-weightloss side: I'm packing the car to go to Virginia Beach this evening!!! A one week family reunion there, and it will be fun packed : )  I'm unsure how "blogger-ish" I will feel, but I'll try to find a way to keep you all updated. You have been part of my success as well, and I thank you! (Still debating whether or not to take my scale to weigh in on Sunday... What do you think?)

Day 94

Hello. My Name is Kara and I'm addicted to sugar.
It's been... well, that statement won't work because I have a mouth full of cookie right now.

I have learned this about myself through my journey with Weight Watchers. WW didn't point it out, but I weaned myself (mostly) from sugar for a while. Then I reintroduced it mildly and thought I'd be ok. It has snowballed and I have realized that once I start, I almost can't stop. My husband actually had to scold me about 5 minutes ago (he had been given permission a while ago) about the macaron that found it's way into my mouth. Sugar is going to be banned from my home for a while when we return from our vacation a week from tomorrow.

Day 93

Awesome day!!! Walked the streets of New York in search of the best macarons the city had to offer. We visited four places (only four because we felt any more may have been glutinous) and stopped at one place for lunch as well. If you have never been to Bouchon Bakery in NYC not only do they have gloriously large macarons, but they have a delightful array of menu items for lunch. I had the grilled cheese and tomato soup. That may seem boring, but I find that in the simple things you can discern how well a kitchen can execute anything. As expected, Bouchon's EVERYTHING was phenomenal. The grilled cheese was second to none.

I have maintained my points and stayed on plan for the day, though I may have only achieved one of my GHGs (good healthy guidelines). The point is I'm still on track, I didn't go overboard, and I can live with how the day went and the really good time we had. We'll definitely do this again!

And stay tuned to see who has the best macs from the places we visited. I'll be sampling one of each (plus my school's macarons) side-by-side later this evening!

Day 92

It's still kind of early in the day for me to be posting and summarizing, but I feel much better today! I felt horrible yesterday after that macaron binge and am fully back on the right track. Tomorrow is my macaron tour in NYC with a couple good friends, and after yesterday I'm not worried at all about my will to control myself. I can handle one at each place, and i may not even be inclined to finish each. I cannot wait though for lunch at Bouchon Bakery!!! My guess is that it will be terrific : )

Also- I came to a decision today. My goal for when I return to school in August after break is to be able to confidently wear a cute dress. Not a skirt, but an actual dress! With cute shoes. And summery and light in color. I'm excited to work towards this goal; it has nothing to do with numbers on a scale and all to do with feeling good! Stay tuned!

Day 91

Bad day. Absolutely pigged out on a formula I'm working on... Now I feel gross. Let's not do that again. Need to be MUCH MUCH MUCH better the rest of this week because next week is going to be a doozy!

Day 90

WaHoo!!!!!

Final below the 220 mark! Another loss, -1.2 lbs. this week - and I'm retaining water (gals you know what that means!) So hopefully next week will be different. I'll be on vacation then, so I'll have to bring the scale with me. That was what I knew that you didn't : )  I knew I had gotten below 220. This is a big deal for me. I haven't been in the 2-teens since just after my second son was born. I'm very proud of this milestone.

Here are a few stats since the beginning:

• Arms  -3.3 inches
• Bust   -2 inches
• Waist -2.5 inches
• Hips   -5 inches!!! Wow!
• Thighs -5.5 inches
• Starting dress size: 22 / Current dress size: 18
• Total weight loss: 30.8 lbs.!

So I have a plan for this week and next. Next week is vacation and I'm going to plan my meals and swim laps daily to keep my points in check. I don't know what to expect as far as weight, but I'm going to do my best- I haven't worked this hard to let vacation set me back. As for this week, I have plans to meet a couple of friends in New York City (I live just north) and go on a Macaron tour (self guided)! I'm saving my weekly points for that trip so we can sample the best of the city and stop at Bouchon for lunch. It'll will be fun and delish!

Day 89

Good day, after all, it was the first day of my month break from classes! Spent some time in the pool doing laps, had a delicious dinner with a great chick from school, and got to mentally unwind. Looking forward to my Sunday morning date with the bathroom scale... and did I mention earlier this week that I know something you don't know?  : )

Day 88

Today was a long day... and I failed to eat lunch which in turn made me ravenously hungry for dinner. And since I had points I ate more than was comfortable. I stayed on plan, tracked every morsel that entered my mouth, but now I feel gross. Believe it or not, it's a good thing- learning that eating poorly like that doesn't pay off... Blech.

But I can't wait till Sunday!