Good things can also come in 3's, right? RIGHT!

Today is a freaking awesome day of accomplishments and they came in 3’s!


When I logged into My Fitness Pal I was greeted with “Congratulations, this is your 65th day of logging in”. That is 65 days of uninterrupted accountability for the food that I am putting into my body. Like I said before, this is the first time in my life that I have felt mentally prepared to log and not obsess and scrutinize myself to the point of mental paralysis (which of course then leads to binging for me). It is going so super well and I have some serious love for the website. It helps me in planning my days and it’s just a bit shocking to see the caloric dent you can make in your daily allowance with just one silly, unneeded snack or lunch (not that the snack or lunch is un-needed, your body needs the fuel, but I’m talking about a chocolate chip muffin rather than an apple or some grapes). On the positive side, you can also see how great and low calorie some really wonderful foods are. I was actually surprised that on most days of the week I can fit some whole wheat pasta into my calorie range. You hear so many myths about “omg carbs” but they’re actually necessary for your body and let’s not mince words here, they’re freaking delicious.

Second huge achievement was adding another 100 meters onto my swim this morning for a whopping 1000 meter swim in 45 minutes! That’s 0.6 miles. Yeah, I’m no Olympian but I have added to my lengths steadily over the past month and feel so accomplished.

And the third and final piece of today’s achievement puzzle… I dropped another .6 kilos or 1.3 pounds and am down to 119 kilos (even) or 261.8 lbs! I am just 1.8 pounds away from being in the 50’s!

I am feeling so strong both in my mind and in my body. That’s a wonderful, wonderful way to start your week.

I wish you all happy, successful, healthy weeks!

Dodging the silver bullets

That's the only way I can refer to my swim this morning. The pool was more crowded than usual for a week day, partially due to the team swimming practice taking up the first four lanes and I felt like I spent more time doging the silver bullets (a.k.a. silver headed old people, men in speedos, naturally) than I did really swimming. It sucks when you go in so pumped with a certain vision in mind and then it gets clouded with blurred images of geriatric feet and legs kicking.

Not only that, within my first four, or maybe six laps, I had no idea how many I had swam, so I decided to not concentrate on the amount of meters I went but rather focus on getting in some good kicking and strokes. I swam a full 45 minutes only stopping twice to drain the water (or maybe it's spit?) out of my snorkel and continue on. My arms were pretty shaky by the end which can only mean I worked the poor things to death. YES!!!!!!!!!!

One little question though, is it mean of me to purposely kick hard and above the surface when a certain somebody at the pool passes me by so that water may (or may not) splash her directly in the face, as she NEVER moves out of anybody's way? Naw, I didn't think so either.

Feeling great! Feeling motivated! Feeling a bit chlorine-y and dried out but liking it.

Due to Marco's work schedule I don't know when the next time I'll be able to go swimming is, maybe not be until next week, so I have to figure out a time over the weekend when I can fit in some other sort of cardio and toning exercises.

Hope you're all haveing healthy, successful weeks!

Another day, another swim

Swam today again and I realize that somewhere around lap 12 I start to lose count. My mind wanders and I never am really sure after 12 where I was in my count. Did I just say 12, or was that 13? It's a "back" lap so it must be an even number, so is it 14, or did I really do 12? Was that yesterday? Where am I? Who am I? Was that an 90 year old in a speedo? Oye!

I've decided I need (or want) some sort of device that I can use to keep track. Maybe a simple bracelet with beads on it would work but I would have to make sure the beads didn't move back one way or the other. Do any of you have any brilliant ideas on how I can keep better track?

So today I did somewhere between 700 and 800 meters, with a slight change of 900, but I think not. Either way, my butt got to the pool and got in the water and I swam a solid 45 minute streak.

Have I mentioned how much I love swimming? Yeah, love it!

Hope you're all having healthy successful weeks!

p.s. I realized that I forgot to post my weigh in Monday... I was down from 121.? kilos to 119.6 (263 pounds). When I started using My Fitness Pal on Feb 19th I weighed in at 125 kilos or 275 pounds. That's a 12.5 pound loss since mid Feb. Not to stinking shabby!

Holy Busy Pools

This is the first time I've swam on the weekend and OMG I think I'll avoid it from now on. There wasn't one single lap that I swam that I didn't have to dodge somebody or multiple somebodies. Oh and to the two chatty Cathies who were totally immersed in conversation AND the water, how about shutting the hell up and getting out of people's way! They wouldn't move for anything! Here I am killing myself to try to be polite and they're yapping away, wading in the water totally clueless to the world around them.

Regardless of the that, I ended up swimming 18 laps, so 900 meters or .55 miles in 45 minutes. I'll go again tomorrow and if my arms aren't sore, I think I will be able to pull off twenty laps. I think I could have done it today had I had my own lane or only had to share with one or two people.

On a whim and with Marco's encouragement I tried on some of the smaller pants in my closet that have been sitting there waiting for me to get my act together and what do you know, some of them fit. He even mentioned how nice my butt looked in one pair! (you're welcome!) I still have work to do though. Loads of work to do but man, I haven't felt this great and positive since probably 2006-2007. I have a wonderful support network, a great plan, my heads on straight and I found an exercise that I LOVE. Can a girl have it all? Seems that this girl can!

Oh and for Mother's Day, I'm asking for a membership to the pool for a year. That'll beat any handbag I could have ever picked out!

I hope you're all having healthy successful weeks!

A new personal best!

I do feel a bit silly posting about a new personal best when I've only been at this for a few weeks but if I'm anything, I'm silly! Today I swam 900 meters!!! That's an increase of 100 meters (back and forth across an Olympic size pool)! Considering my first swim I could only go for 600 meters, I'm simply pleased as punch with this accomplishment.

Ready for a nice mental picture...

The reason my distance has increased so greatly is that I've started using a snorkel. So yeah, I go in, swim cap, goggles and now a SNORKEL, for pete's sakes, and swim. In public. You know, where other people can SEE me. I haven't dared look at myself in the mirror in that get up for fear of a mental recall whilst swimming and inadvertently drowning myself in laughter

Being able to keep my head down in the water has changed the angle of my stroke, relieved the pressure on my neck and shoulders and just made the swim so much more enjoyable... and that's a lot considering I was loving it already.

I will not be able to go over the weekend due to Marco schedule but I'm already looking forward to dipping my toes back in the water.

Monday I will have my weigh-in. I'm hoping to wave goodbye to at least one pound, anything more than that is just an added bonus.

I hope you're all having healthy, successful weeks!

Just keep swimming!

I've got a new obsession. I started swimming laps a few weeks ago and I've taken to it... well, like a fish to water. I didn't want to "share" on here until I was sure that it was something I wanted to stick with though. I'll be the first to admit... I'm addicted. I love it! I love the sereness of being in the water, in the quiet, with my thoughts.  I LOVE that the pool opens up early in the morning so this workout doesn't cut into any of my time with Sadie. I love that I can do it on every day Marco isn't working or works evening shift so I don't have to arrange any sort of child care. I love that it costs me a mere 3 euros for a swim. Most of all, I love that it burns a buttload of calories.

Combining this with My Fitness Pal and all of the information that Dewy provided me with is proving to be a really good formula for me. It works. I'm not hungry. I'm not binging. I'm totally aware of the foods I'm putting into my body and I'm remaning calm and collected throughout the entire process. Pounds aren't flying off "Biggest Loser" style, and I'm okay with that. In fact, I prefer that. They're coming off and that's good enough for me. I have time.

Currently I am swimming in 45 minute incriments because that allows me enough time to get  a shower and make it to work by 9. In those 45 minutes I have worked up to swimming 800 meters or half a mile. My goal is to eventuall work up to swimming an entire mile non-stop. This will take some time as I've never really had swim lessons and am just kind of floundering around right now. At some point I will probably hire a swim coach and take a few lessons just to make sure I'm swimming efficiently.

I'd like to use my blog to track my progress and share with you just how far I'm actually going. I think it'll be a great reminder of how FAR I've actually swam! So expect some more posting from me. (YAY!)

And yes, sometimes during my laps I do get little Dory stuck in my head... "Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming!".

I hope you're all having healthy, successful weeks!

Wowza I am pumped!

Good morning and happy Monday! Let's just cut to the chase here... I weighed in this morning and was happy to see I've broken the 270 threshold and am down to a svelte (hehe) 267.3 pounds (121.5 kilos). WOWZA! It's exciting in a few ones, in the "pounds" it's a barrier breaker, to be in the 60's but in the "kilos" it means I'm only 1.5 kilos away from being in the teens!

I've logged into My Fitness Pal every day and religiously logged my food and exercise and a few things have happened.

1) I'm keenly aware of what a tablespoonful is now. Talk about over estimation!
2) I can actually see where my "mistakes" have been made
3) I've regained that community feel of being part of something bigger in this world, and I'm not talking about my arse! Having somebody tell me "hey, I saw your food diary today, way to go" really can be an uplifting experience!

I've also managed to make peace with perfection (or inperfection), which, in terms of counting or logging foods, I've never been able to achieve. When I log in my lunch and see that I may go over my calorie suggestion for the day I don't panik and choose a totally low-cal, won't make me feel full, strict "diet" dinner (or worse, skip eating!). Instead, I eat what I had planned and just make mental notes for "next time". This, this accomplishment, I have to give the credit to Novarum. WOW. Really not beating myself up or panicking or freaking out or being super strict... I've just never ever been in that place in my entire life. The feeling of control and not needing to be 100% perfect when it comes to weight loss is so freaking fantastically liberating that I could spit.

So yeah, I'm in a good place right now. I've made some decisions and they're paying off. Well done me!

I hope you're all having healthy, successful weeks!
(going to try to post some pics soon!)

Setting myself up for success

As well as joining My Fitness Pal for really getting a good grasp on my caloric intake and what all I'm putting into my body I've been making other positive changes in my life in regards to foods over the past months.

There was a passage in the weight loss bible (Dr. Phil's The Ultimate Weight Loss Solutions) that told a little story about setting yourself up for success and that may include making some really tough decisions in regards to the people you're with and the surroundings you're in on a regular basis. One story he told was of a man who took a different route to work in order to avoid driving past McDonalds and tempting himself. Another story was about a kid who quit working at a video store where candy and sweets tempted him and found a new job at a gym. Reading that passage and really taking it to heart meant I needed to make some changes in my life as well if I really do want to succeed at weight loss.

I took a look at one of my biggest, most fun, favorite hobbies that I have and that I share with a very close friend of mine and decided it was unhealthy for me. So for a time, I've stopped baking treats. No more cakes, cupcakes, cookies coming from my kitchen every other weekend. I will still bake on special occasions or at the request of my daughter, because she's fallen in love with the hobby as well (or maybe it's just the one on one time with Mommy) but to bake just because it's cold and I feel like doing something... that habit I have stopped. Even if the intention was to bake and bring the goods to work, you know one or two or five of those sweets would always creep past my lips and onto my hips.

I've deleted the many facebook pages I had "liked" that were bakers, cake shops, decoration shops and food related. I am mesmerized by the "art" that is cake and shows like "Cake Boss" and "The Ace of Cakes" but it's all too tempting to watch those things and not crave sweets! Sweets, especially cakes and pies, are a total trigger for me. I've stopped torturing myself by sitting on the couch and flipping these shows on. Who couldn't think of cakes when every other post on facebook is showing you a delicious treat? Nobody, that's who. It doesn't make me weak, it makes me human.

The hardest part was telling my good friend that I was no longer going to partake in our cake adventures. She's a baker, semi-professionally, 100% talented and we used to look for classes we could do together. From baking to decoration to just shopping around, caking was something that originally brought us together. She helped me raise money for a charity by doing a bake sale with me. We even practiced piping one weekend when she came over to hang out just for fun. The only negative part about all of those fun time were they surrounded me with triggers and temptation. I'm a human after all and I'm not about to try to prove otherwise. Naturally she was understanding and even supportive of my decision, which just shows what a true friend she is. We still talk and hang out loads but we just have other things to talk about now.

It's pretty amazing how simply cutting out a few visual triggers can make such a big difference in your mental health surrounding foods but, at least for me, it's worked wonders.

I hope you're having healthy, successful weeks!

My new pal

So I'm kind of sick of staying at the same weight that I've been at for almost a year (but yay for maintaining!) but I was also afraid to add anything new to my routine and possibly backtrack on any and all of the progress I made with Dewy and Novarum. I didn't want to become obsessive again. I didn't want to start thinking about food and eating all.day.long. I didn't want all of the conversations in my head take over again... I didn't want to risk binging after 'diet eating' for a week. (side note: It has been 10+ months since I have binged!!!! That's the longest stretch in my adult life. EVER!)

Then I remembered one of my motivations that I wrote down before my final visit with Dewy, to keep as a reminder of why I am doing all of this and WHY I had success at Novarum. It simply said that "Nothing is set in stone... this is all just one big experiment and some things may work and some may not. I can always stop doing something that doesn't work for me."

That pretty much sealed the deal for me and I signed up for the website My Fitness Pal. My big fear was that it would become a contest with myself to see how few calories I could eat in a day or that I would be super "diet minded" which is polar opposite of what I ever want to become. I want to be healthful. So I am sticking with everything I learned at Novarum. I am eating every 2 to 3 hours. I am keeping my mini daily and weekly goals such as taking the stairs, drinking only one coke a day (and I've cut this down to every other day), exercising 3 times a week, eating fish three times a week, eating two servings of fruit a day, only weighing myself once a week... I am doing all of these things and I'm simply plugging that information into the website.

What it's done for me is made me measure my foods, which I haven't done in ages and really needed a reality check as to how much one teaspoon/tablespoonful was!

It's caused me to plan my meals a lot better and a lot more frequently, which is also something Novarum encouraged.

It's given me a new "something" to be excited over in the weight loss world and lord knows I needed that.

I've been logging for a short time, only 10 days now but for 9 of the 10 days I have been at or right under my calorie encouragement (I don't want to call it a "limit" because if it's time to eat, then regardless if MFP says I have calories left, time to eat trumps all) . And even better, since my goal isn't to be 100% perfect (because nobody is 100% perfect) and I am still holding myself to meeting 80% of my goals and being happy with it, being under calories 9 out of 10 days if more than fine with me!

And that's what I'm up to now days. If you're on My Fitness Pal, feel free to add me as a friend. I'm weighinginwithmy02.

My first weigh in was Monday and I did manage to drop one pound (.5 kilo) so horray for a downward slope! This week has started off to a great start and I am feeling really positive about what this website can help me to accomplish. So hang in there with me... I'll meet my 200 pound goal yet (only 74 more pounds to drop!)

I hope you're all having healthy, successful weeks!

hiya!

I'm still here, I'm still losing weight (well trying) and I'm still feeling really great. I'm going to attempt to start posting my weekly weigh-ins and see how that goes, if I can really get back into blogging about my weight loss endevours. I'm making some more positive changes in my life and I want to share those with you when I have a bit of time.

I hope you're all having healthy successful weeks (and are still with me!)