Wow! A lot has gone on since my last entry. And ALL for the good. I cancelled my Weight Watcher’s membership, joined a gym, and dropped more weight. I’m now down to 142lbs and feel great! So, first things first.

Now I know many of you are probably asking yourself “why did she quite Weight Watchers?” It’s not because the program doesn’t work. Actually quite the opposite. It’s the best program out there. But I wasn’t attending the meetings due to scheduling conflicts and was doing a horrible job at tracking. Spending the money for monthly fees seemed like a terrible waste of money. I took my membership down to online only but wasn’t tracking. So I decided to cancel all together. I don’t regret my decision though some out there may be disappointed. This is what is working for me.

I joined Anytime Fitness and signed up with a personal trainer: Lauren. It’s incredible when you realize how out of shape you are when simple exercises kick your butt! I’m sore, but in a good way! For the first time in my life I actually enjoy going to the gym! But I did learn a lesson the hard way. My first workout session was a bit of a disaster. I didn’t eat during the day and collapsed about ten minutes into my workout. My bad!!!  But, once I ate a protein bar I finished my workout. What did I learn? EATING AN HOUR BEFORE YOUR WORKOUT IS KEY! I meet with her every Tuesday and do cardio 3 times a week. I will start logging my workouts and progress on my Facebook page.

Things are going great and I haven’t felt this good in a very long time. My motivation has skyrocketed and my inner pin-up is grinning from ear to ear.

Liz

New year, new attitude! I know I haven’t written in a while. In all honesty, my heart wasn’t in it. Which is probably why my weight loss in 2013 was unsuccessful. Yes, I said it! I did not have my heart or head in the journey at all. I had good intentions but didn’t commit the way I should have. Time to move forward.

Last year was a very stressful year for me. Family issues back home in California, stresses at work, and my personal health problems plagued me all year-long. And what do I do when I stress? I eat and sit around and throw a pity party.  Well, last month was a huge turning point for me. I “celebrated” my 45th birthday on December 2nd when life hit me like a ton of bricks. “Where am I in my life?”, “Where am I going?”, “What am I doing?”, “What do I want to do?” These were all questions that started haunting me. I’m not getting any younger and I realized that I need to change things and change them soon!

So here I am, 45 years old, unhappy in her office job that everyone else thought would be best for me, wondering “what if?” Sorry kids, but we only get one go around in this life. I want to make the most of my time here on this big, blue marble so I’m rethinking my current situation and looking to make changes. Getting in shape is one of those changes.

Since December I have watched my portion sizes, stopped snacking, I stop eating when I’m satisfied, and I have been moving around a lot more. As of weigh-in yesterday I have lost 9lbs! I am now down to 146.2 and I feel great! 5% of my weight is gone and not welcome back. My inner pin-up has an ear to ear grin and she’s picking out dresses. I still have a lot of work to do both physically and emotionally but I’m more motivated now than I have been in years. My heart is back in! My goal for this year is to reach my goal weight of 115lbs, write on this blog more, and just be fabulous!

Liz

Wow! It’s been a while since my last post.Lot’s going on and I just haven’t had a chance. My trip to AK was amazing! I was pretty proud of myself when it came time for meals. I ate until I was satisfied (although I did indulge in more carbs than I’m used to). Our shore activities included a ton of walking and moving. Imagine my surprise when we came home and I stepped on the scale at my Weight Watchers meeting to see that I maintained!! The smile on my face couldn’t have been any bigger. 🙂

Lately, I have been spending much of my free time working around the house. Painted our bathroom, working in the yard, rearranging other rooms in the house, just lots of activity. I feel really good and energetic. I am sorry to say that I haven’t been to a meeting in a few (actually more than a few) weeks, but I have been tracking as much as I can and have been really mindful of my food choices. My clothes are fitting rather loosely and I physically feel great! I will be going to my Weight Watchers meeting this Sat and even if the scale hasn’t moved much (fingers crossed that it has) I’m optimistic. I haven’t felt this good in a long time and I know more activity will only lead me in the direction I need to go.

Halloween presents a bit of a challenge for many of us. All of the candy that is thrown our way is enough to make even the scariest of witches shiver with fear. But I’m not worried. I have noticed my will power is getting stronger by the day and it’s become a lot easier for me to turn down my beloved chocolate or other sweet treats. Of course I have a piece of candy or cookie every now and then. But I’m becoming more accustomed to stepping back for a second and thinking if I need it, or even really want it. After taking the time to think, more times than not, I say no. Yay me!

Hopefully, my schedule will clear a bit more and I can find the time to write and keep up with my blog. How are you folks doing?

Liz

It feels good to be “back on the horse.” I’ve tracked all of my meals this week and though I went over my points by 4, I feel very accomplished. My goal was not so much to worry about everything I ate, it was to start getting into the habit of writing it down. If I went over I wasn’t going to beat myself up over it. Last week’s message at my Weight Watcher’s meeting really hit home. No longer am I going t feel crappy for eating something that puts me over my allotted points. I’m going to learn from it and move on. I physically notice a difference already and I’m pretty proud of myself.

Another big change I’ve made (well, big to me) is that I’ve started taking the stairs at work instead of the escalator. I work on the 3rd floor of my building and the stairs curve around. I hate being out of breath but I decided I need to exercise my heart & lungs. I figured it may help with some of the anxiety attacks I’ve been having over the last six months. And, again, I’ve noticed a big difference! Every day the stairs are becoming easier and easier. I’m not as out of breath as I was when I first started and I have noticed I breath a little easier now. Hopefully this will lead to more physical activity. Hubby and I are looking into hiking boots. Living in the PNW (Pacific Northwest) there are numerous, gorgeous places to take walks and hikes. So far he’s on board with taking walks and hikes. It’s much easier to do activities when you have someone do it with you. I will keep you posted on how things go!

Liz

Had weigh-in today and I’m quite pleased. I’m down 1.6lbs! My current weight is now 153lbs. Getting back on track feels great. I feel much more in control than I have in previous weeks. Letting go of the things that bring stress into my life has helped tremendously. I’m making smarter snacking choices and cutting back on my portion sizes. Off to earn some activity point! A walk around the zoo?

I missed my Weight Watchers meeting today and feeling a little guilty…just a little. In all honesty I decided to trade my meeting for sleep. It was well worth the trade. I’m feeling quite refreshed, energetic, and ready to tackle the day. Like I wrote the other day, you never realize how much lack of rest can affect your well being. I hated feeling like I had a heavy blanket draped on me. I felt like my brain was in a fog (most of my friends would say I’m foggy even when rested). Today, I’m ready to strap on my ActiveLink and stack up some activity points!

What a difference sleep makes!

Liz