As you can see I have been taking a break from blogging, but not from my journey. I needed to walk away from my blog for a while and recharge my mental batteries. Writing 2 blogs (this one and www.pnwbeerchick.com) along with working on a computer for 8-10 hours a day while trying to maintain a balance with my personal life had been a bit taxing. So I took a break. No big whoop. So how’s the weight loss journey coming? I’m glad you asked.

One of the reasons why I needed to take a breather was the fact that I had been spreading myself a bit thin. With that mental stress came poor eating habits. Yep, I started reverting back to my dangerous habits of eating when I’m not hungry and sitting on my big butt for most of my waking hours.  I started missing my Weight Watchers meeting because I was too tired to get out of bed on my Saturday mornings or too ashamed of the few pounds I gained. This led to more physical stress in the way of my racing heart issues…again. I had another “come to Jesus” with myself. Enough is enough. I’m causing all of this stress by taking on too many tasks, worrying about small stuff and things I have no control over, and, most importantly, forgetting about taking care of myself.

Needless to say my inner pin-up is kicking me with her lipstick-red stilettos!!! So I finally listened to my inner pin-up, and my husband, and started slowly cutting back on committing to so many things. I’m constantly repeating an inner mantra: “I cannot help those who do not want help. I can only help myself.” I’m tracking my points again and started incorporating more fruits and veggies back into my menu. I started taking the stairs at work instead of the escalator (4 flights) and already notice a positive difference with the racing heart. Basically I’m starting from scratch. Baby steps again, but that’s OK. A huge part of this journey is learning from my experiences by embracing my ups and downs.

I’m feeling much better both physically and emotionally. I’m excited about having my head back in the game. 🙂

Liz

So I was all set to throw myself a pity party. I have been VERY lazy when it comes to my Weight Watchers program. I haven’t tracked in about a month, I haven’t lifted a finger in the way of exercise, and my free time has been spent vegging out feeling sorry for myself. My weight has barely budged since starting this blog and my goal of “taking back my inner pin-up” is farther away than I ever wanted. Needless to say I have been very disappointed in myself. What’s worse is that I feel (in a narcissistic way) that I have let down people in my life with my lack of “commitment.” That’s a more painful feeling than acknowledging my lack of willpower.
So I dragged myself downstairs to the cafeteria all ready to grab a “feel sorry for myself” meal when something magical happened. A mysterious voice called over from the salad bar. I followed this strange but familiar voice over to the salad bar and gazed at all the gorgeous, fresh-cut veggies…and I got excited. For some reason the beautiful radishes, carrots, bell peppers and tomatoes caused my mind to flutter and yell out “yum!” I grabbed the largest bowl I could find and piled it as high as I could with as many colorful veggies as the staff would let me have! I thoroughly enjoyed my fresh and flavorful meal. That “familiar” voice was my inner pin-up letting me know she’s still around. I feel a bit motivated now to cancel my pity party and jump back on the band wagon.

Liz

Very tired lately. After a couple of jaunts back home to California within the last few weeks, my early shift at work (6:00 am),  and working overtime I am physically and mentally exhausted. I’ve noticed snacking has picked up a bit lately. Not much, but enough for me to stop myself and ask “do I really want this or am I eating because I’m tired?”  Chances are I don’t really want it. I’ve been waiting until my stomach actually growls before I eat, just to remind myself what actual hunger signals feel like. This may sound extreme to some, but it works for me. Being a person that snacks when bored, tired, stressed, basically an emotional eater, it’s easy to get caught up in the mind-set of “I’m so stressed, I deserve to eat this!” Some of you know what I’m talking about. I have lost a couple of pounds and my new size 10’s are getting looser (yay), I don’t feels it’s from any effort on my part and afraid it’s just from stress and exhaustion.

It’s just interesting how the entre being can be affected by just not getting enough rest. I’m cranky, moody, irritable, snacky, etc. Trying to blog has even become a bit of a chore. After spending 8-10 hours a day on the computer thinking about what to type into a file,  the last thing I want to do when I get home is, well, type some more. And since I also write a beer blog, this mental exhaustion is doing me no favors in the beer world.

When I started this early shift I had great plans to come home after work, throw on my sweats, and go for a walk. Hasn’t happened. Too tired. Instead, I get home, plop my butt on the couch and just veg until hubby comes home. I spend about an hour or two with him then have to go to bed. And in the PNW it’s still light out at 8:00pm during the summer. I’m still looking for that happy medium to balance work, personal life, blogging, and exercise.  Let’s see what I come up with.

Liz

It’s been a while since my last entry. The week I spent back home in CA wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The stress I felt actually worked in my favor…sort of. I didn’t have much of an appetite so I ended up just picking at my food instead of eating full meals. Well, long story short I ended up losing 2lbs that week! I guess stress isn’t all that bad. How did stress work in my favor? I slowed down while I ate and actually listened to my body when I was satisfied and stopped eating. I just didn’t have the appetite to eat everything on my plate and really paid attention to my hunger signals. I’ve been home for almost 2 weeks and still paying attention to my hunger signals. Not bad!

My new size 10 pants are already getting loose and my energy level is on the rise. I’d say the week in CA was a success. Though I don’t condone living a life in mental anguish, I did learn a lot from slowing down and listening to my body. 🙂

Liz

Weigh-in today was a bit disappointing. I gained 2lbs. 😦 Oh well, I’m not going to dwell on it because I’m still pretty happy with going down a size. Sometimes it’s not all about the weight. I have to admit that I didn’t track that much last week so I just need to suck it up and move on.

The big challenge this week will be my trip to back home to California. Most folks on vacation get in the mind set that “i’m on vacation, I’m gonna eat whatever I want!” Well gues what? That WILL NOT be my mind set this week. I’m going to challenge myself to track everything I eat and drink and try to lose the 2lbs I gained. It will be a bit difficult seeing old friends and family and not be tempted to indulge in heavy comfort foods. But I can do it!

Wish me luck!

Liz

I hate shopping for jeans!!! I think I would rather put cigarettes out in my eyes than suffer through the torture of trying on pants marketed to women but are cut and shaped for 12 year old boys. Seriously! Since when is a woman’s waistline 1cm above our butt crack? And why do we need jeans “skinny jeans” that promise to cut off all blood flow to our extremities? Yuck! How depressing.

Well actually today wasn’t so bad. Why? BECAUSE I’M DOWN A PANTS SIZE! Hello size 10…I haven’t seen you around in a few years. 😉   Yes, I did suffer through a few bits of depression trying on pants that either make me look 4 inches shorter or are so tight I look like a sausage exploding out of it’s casing. Ah, but the lovely size 10! I couldn’t be happier.

I haven’t been tracking the way I should but I have been very mindful of what I eat. Cleaning and organizing the house has added some much needed activity into my day and really raised my spirits. Apparently it’s working. Did I mention I’m in a size 10?

Liz