Here we go again!

I coasted through spring, coming up with a million excuses about why I was letting myself get away with NOT doing what I knew needed to be done. And I'm still 12 pounds overweight.

ENOUGH! (That's what I tell Sadie to get her to stop barking.)

I know what needs to be done and I've started doing it.

1) I'm signed up for a 5k on July 8 - I don't think I'll be running the entire thing, but darn it, I'm not going to make a fool of myself!

2) I'm back to calorie counting - between 1300 five days a week and 1500 two days a week. I know this is what I've needed to do all along, but I've been whiny and lazy. Lame.

3) I'm making good physical decisions again. Yesterday, I wanted ice cream, so we walked the 2.5 miles to get it. Today, I needed to return a movie and get some agave syrup so I walked the 2.5 miles to do it.

It's not rocket science, but man, once you get out of the good habits, it is HARD to get back in them. And working in Corporate America does NOT help. Do you know how many donuts pass my face in a month? It's ridiculous. But last week, I found myself saying "NO." Practically out loud even. I don't even like plain donuts that much! Definitely not more than I liked Healthy Natalie!

I weighed in this morning at 157.8 pounds. My goal is 135. There, I said it. It's out there and I need y'all to HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE! If you don't read a post from 50n50 next Wednesday, call me out on it!

 In 22 weeks - by Nov. 7, 2012 - I want to be at my new goal weight. And if the first ten pounds comes off at 2 pounds a week, you won't hear me complaining!

Want to join me? Let's do it together! I'll give you contributor powers and let you do this. I'll hold you accountable, too, if that's what you want. It's easier with friends so I would LOVE it if some of you decided to become a Lady in Weighting with me!

Here we go again, friends!

Weigh Day Happiness

I weighed in this morning at 146.4 - a mere 1.4 pounds away from re-entering Healthy Land. I'm beginning to feel like my new self again!

I completed Day 2 of Week 2 of Couch to 5k this morning. I missed last week because I was in trial - but trust me, that is a work out on it's own. I wonder how many calories you burn writing 100 mph for 8 hours. The running isn't too terrible - hardly even painful - and I feel GREAT after.

I'm also beginning to see a lot more muscle definition. I'm not quite at a six pack or anything, but there is definitely improvement in just the past month.

Did I mention that I quit my part time job? I worked at a gourmet grocery store from Thanksgiving until the middle of June - the exact time frame when I started struggling with maintaining my weight. I don't think that's a coincidence. I'm pretty sure all the expired chocolate I consumed in that time is the culprit (as was my lack of will power) and I am VERY glad to be separated from it. Honestly, the weight loss started up again after I quit.

I just love how good I feel about myself right now. When I was gaining some of the weight back, I felt lost and out of control. But now that I am back on track I feel good again. I feel healthy and happy.

And that's how I want to feel forever!!!

Thoughts on this Weigh Day

I'm happy to announce my weight this morning was 149.8. I'm back in the 140s. Five pounds more and I won't be overweight anymore. Ten pounds and I'll be in new territory. I want new territory!

There are a million thoughts running through my head and none go together to make a lovely blog entry ... so, here are the top three.

1. I'm excited to hear from 4 of the "Ladies (and Gentleman) in Weighting" who are still hanging with me and wanting to get back on track as we head into the second half of this year. I challenge each of you to write a blog entry this week all about your plans for getting back on track. For me, I'm counting my calories each day and running the Couch to 5k program (again).

2. After the morning I had (involving cat pee and fleas - a dreaded 4-letter word in my house), it's a miracle I got out of bed, much less went running. But I did and things are already looking up. Mainly because this means I don't have to run again for almost 48 hours. This morning's run wasn't all that terrible to be honest. I was glad to get out of the house and away from everything that needed doing there. Also, Monday's run felt great during the first two (of eight) intervals. By interval four I was hurting ... and by eight, I wanted to die. Today felt great through interval four, by six I was hurting and by eight I was nauseated. But I didn't want to die so yay!

3. After yesterday's post, I received an email from my aunt full of words of encouragement. She pointed out that everyone is always starting over because things happen in life and we get distracted. "Don't beat yourself up anymore, you have just joined the starting over club." And she's right - except for one thing (I was wrong on this too, so it's not just her). I'm not starting over. I'm starting again and there is a BIG difference in those two ideas. Starting over would mean I was back at the beginning, but I'm not. Mind, body and spirit, I'm not where I was two years ago. I truly thank my aunt for her kind words - and for thinking I'm beautiful no matter what I weight. Love you!

Accountability is key

Updating my weight on the blog this morning was one of the hardest things I've had to do lately!

I weighed in at 149.6 pounds and that is ... BAD.

Since a big part of 50n50 is accountability, I posted the number on the blog - though I was very tempted to "forget." The first step in the 50n50 process was admitting my weight. Having it out there, for the world to see has been a big motivator. I can't stop being honest now - no matter how ashamed of myself I am.

It's only going to be up there a week. And maybe I needed a shocking number like that to reiterate how important it is to make good, educated decisions all day, every day.

I won't allow anymore self-loathing to enter this game, either. It would be easy to say "Forget it! I give up" and go to McDonalds for a McGriddle, but I'm worth more than that! I may not measure my destination by where I started, but I sure can measure my worth by how far I've come! And baby, I've come too far to turn back now.

So, today I weigh 149.6. But that won't be the case next week. You'll see. 

Why the weight gain???

I'm not happy. Angry might even be the best word to describe how I feel towards myself right now.

I weighed in at 146.6 today - a gain of 4 pounds in one week!

What the hell?

I don't know what's happened. Last week I was feeling good and was on track with my new weight loss goal. But then Kevin made cookies and I ate a few - but they weren't full of fat because I taught him to use applesauce instead of butter. And then there was cake at work - and a couple of awful days working short-staffed. And then my girl time came Sunday. And with the snow days there was some snow ice cream and a lot of alcohol. And, as I am VERY familiar with my body functions by now, there was a lot going in and the usual didn't come out.

Is my willpower gone? I mean, wow. Looking at that list of foods now has me super depressed instead of angry. Add in that I am behind in my training for the half-marathon and I'm feeling pretty worthless in this moment (as I blog from bed, wrapped in flannel sheets and dogs, sipping coffee and homemade biscotti for breakfast). Yeah. This isn't good.

To gain 4 pounds, I had to consume 14,000 more than I burned each day. My resting metabolic rate (what I burn by just existing) is 1364 ... add in even just sedentary activity and you get about 1750 calories burned a day. That's 12,250 calories burned in a week. That means I consumed 26,250 calories last week? There is no way! Seriously.

Looking at this rationally, I am calming down a bit (the healing power of blogging!). Looking back over everything I ate, there is truly no way that happened. That would be like eating 100 pieces of cake. I only ate 3 (over two days!). Or 175 sugar cookies. I only ate 8 (also over 2 days!). Or 44 bottles of Riesling. I only drank 1.

No, this must be a combination (a nasty one!) of several variables including wine & dehydration, menstruation & water-retention. Add in the strength exercises I've been doing and you get muscle growth (it weighs more ... though it should also help my metabolism work better). Then take into account my body irregularity and tt was clearly a really crappy week for me. Or not. Heh. Sorry.

Ok, I feel better now.

New measurements (and Weigh Day)

It's the first weigh day of 2011! Whether it's a day to look back over the changes of the past year or a day to mark as a starting point for future goals. Today is THE day!!!

1/5/2011
My Measurements:
Weight: 145.6
Waist: 27.5 inches
Arm: 10.75 inches
Thigh: 19 inches
Calf: 14.75 inches
Hips: 37 inches

For me, I'm taking today to look back on where I was this time last year. And wow, I'm super-thrilled with what I did in 2010.

1/20/2010:
My Measurements
Weight: 183 pounds.
Waist: 35 inches
Arms: 13.75 inches
Thigh: 26 inches
Calf: 16 inches
Hips: 44.5 inches

At the starting line

A brief email exchange this Weigh Day (141.2!!!) has given me the inspiration to write a blog that's been on my list since I reached my first goal weight.

Many have asked me why I want to keep losing weight. In fact, some people have expressed concerns about me losing too much weight. Sure, when you look at my before and after, it's extreme. But that's only because of where I started.

The end of the healthy weight spectrum for me is 145. If I weigh an ounce more than that, technically (according to my BMI), I'm unhealthy. While that may or may not be set-in-stone truth, it's the guide I've chosen to follow. I never want to be an unhealthy weight again. In fact, I'm mad at myself for living with an unhealthy weight for so long. I should have started fighting to lose weight the moment I crossed into "overweight" not when I realized I was "obese."
There never should have been a day in my life when I got over 145 (or it's equivalent when I was growing up).  Weighing 145 pounds is only "skinny" to me because I started at 195. My start should have come when I first hit 146.

When I look in the mirror, I don't feel skinny because I'm not - yet. I am seeing a truth in myself. Sure, 145 is awesome and I'm thrilled to be healthy, but my perspective has always different than it should have been because I've always been overweight. I'm glad that 145 isn't satisfying to me. Because one day I will look at this size as the enemy, not the goal.

It isn't about how far I've come, though I am very proud of myself. It's all about the destination. I want to be physically fit, healthy, sexy, toned and energetic.  I want 145 to be my extreme. Weighing 145 should be too much for me. And from now on, it is.

No, going from 195 to 145 was just me getting into my healthy place. It was my walk from the parking lot to the starting line. Now, the gun has gone off and I'm really starting.

NCKAA: 31 Days Until Christmas!

My crandying paraphernalia :-) MMmmm

Next up in Natalie's Christmas Kitchen Advent Adventure ...

Crandied Orange Peel

3 oranges
1 tablespoon salt
4 cups water
1/2 cup cranberry water *

*When I made craisins earlier this week, I set aside the juices from blanching them and used them in my candied orange peel. If you don't have this - no idea if cranberry juice will work but I don't see why not - then use 2 cups of sugar and 1/2 cup water.

Cut peel of each orange in eighths; loosen from pulp with bowl of spoon.  (Eat orange sections as 65 calorie snack.)  Add salt to 4 cups water; add peel.  Put water, salt and peels in large freezer bag and let stand overnight.

Drain; wash thoroughly.  Cover with cold water; heat to boiling.  Drain.  Repeat three times.  This helps remove bitter taste.

Cut peel in strips 1/4 to 1/5 inch thick.  In saucepan, combine 2 cups peel, sugar, and 1/2 cup cranberry water. (If using sugar and water, heat and stir till sugar dissolves).  Cook slowly till peel till peel is translucent. This can take about 45 minutes.  Drain, roll in granulated sugar.  Dry on a rack for several hours. Keep away from all animals. Cat hair is murder on these!

After about 5 hours, I wiped the excess sugar from the strips and set it aside (for oatmeal - it's cranberry-sweetened!). Then, I let the peels keep drying. 

_________________________________



Today is also Weigh Day and Measurement Day. Slowly, but surely, things are still going down! (Except my cursed calves, of course. Grrr)

My Measurements:
Weight: 142.8 ... overall loss of 52.2!!!
Waist: 27.75 inches ... 0.25 inches smaller than last month
Hips: 37.75 inches ... 0.25 inches smaller than last month
Thigh: 19 inches ... 0.5 inches smaller than last month
Arms: 11 inches ... no change from last month
Calf: 15 inches ... no change from last month, again.

Last Month's Measurements:
Weight: 146.2 pounds 
Waist: 28 inches
Hips: 38 inches
Thigh: 19.5 inches
Calf: 15 inches
Arms: 11 inches

Starting Points:
Weight: 195 lbs
Waist: 40 inches
Hips: 47.25 inches
Thigh: 28.5 inches
Upper Arm: 15.5 inches
Calf: 17.25 inches
Push ups: 4
Crunches: 15

Weigh Day relief

Phew. I managed to work off those Twizzlers - and even lost another half of a pound! Yay!

Ideally, I still want to reach 140 by next week's Weigh Day, but that would now mean losing more than 3 pounds in a week and we all know my thoughts on that. However - I'm retaining water right now thanks to being a woman, so maybe it's this week's number that is a bit high?

Eh, I'm just proud I didn't gain weight after the binges of last week!

Now, it's time to look at Thanksgiving Survival. Are you prepared???

Close, but still no cigar

You've got to be kidding me ...

145.6!!!

I'm so close, darnit!

Ok, now that I have gotten that out of my system, I honestly shouldn't have expected to ring in at 145 today. Why? That would mean losing 2.5 pounds in a week, and as we all know I advocate losing no more than two pounds a week. So there is victory in this number! I lost two pounds this week! Yay!

Weighing 145 isn't an arbitrary goal for me. According to my BMI, once I weigh 145 I will be in the "Healthy" weight range for my height. But even now, a mere 0.6 pound more, I am considered "Overweight" and I'm tired of it.

I want to get healthy and stay that way. That's why, even once I hit 145, I'm not going to consider this journey complete. I'm still ironing out the details, and I'll post them once I'm ready, but until then, you better believe that next week I will be healthy for the first time in my adult life. NO EXCUSES ALLOWED!

No Better vs. Know Better

Sigh.

Still not at my goal weight - and pretty disappointed in myself for GAINING WEIGHT this week. I should know better and have no excuse to for this "no better" situation.

I am completely to blame. I still am not being as vigilant with my calorie counting as I have been for the past year.

Part of my problem these days is that I am tired. I am tired of counting calories. However, my success to date is mainly because I've been counting every single calorie that I consume -and because I kept my calorie intake low! Even yesterday, I ate 1519 calories. My limit is 1300. It didn't help that I went out drinking Monday with former co-workers from the summer. That got a bit out of hand on several levels ... but drinking more than one drink is never a good idea when you're trying to lose weight.  (I blame the hangover for Tuesday's calories, but know that excuses are the root of the problem anyway).

What I find most frustrating is that I am so super close to my goal and I am throwing my own road blocks into my path. Honestly, a couple more weeks of vigilance and I will be there. I can't let myself lose sight of my goals here - not when I am this close. I know better!

Numbers never lie

Yesterday was my monthly measurement day and I had pretty high hopes. I recently bought a pair of size 8 pants! And they are too big in the waist now.
Sadly, the numbers didn't seem to show that. If there is one thing I've learned by watching The Biggest Loser, however, it's that it is harder to lose weight as you get smaller. You burn less calories when you weigh less - so to lose weight you have to work that much more. Which is kind of funny: Your reward for losing weight is the need to work harder to keep losing weight.

So is that why am I losing these last 5 pounds so darn slowly? Nope. I can't exactly blame the not losing weight on my weight loss (did you follow that reasoning?). In my situation, it's the fact that I'm not as vigilant these days in my calorie-counting. And that's all there is to it.

Thanks to Sparkpeople, I can look back at my calorie expenditures during the last few months.

Do you see the trend? September and October have been all over the board.  Why? Because I gave myself permission to relax. At first I was going to write about this as a bad thing, but after thinking about it all day, I've changed my mind. I'm not quite sure what to think of this. I'm still losing weight - just not exactly at a pound a week.

I love the freedom of eating a piece of pizza (just one is plenty!) when I'm just too tired to cook fresh vegetables or forgot to thaw that day's meat. I love sharing some fries with Kevin when we go to a bar to watch the Cowboys play. I never wanted to be that snobby eater who turns her nose up at normal America life - as long as I balance it. One piece of pizza is about 250 calories - and it's plenty filling with a salad and glass of milk. Heck, even fries aren't evil so long as they don't accompany a big, greasy cheeseburger once a week.

That's the point, right? This journey hasn't been about deprivation and complete denial. It's been about learning to eat foods in reasonable quantities and balance the good with the bad so that I can live a healthy, happy life.

But here's the question: Am I ready? Numbers never lie ...


_____
My Measurements
Weight: 146.2 pounds ... overall loss of 48.8 pounds (SOOOO CLOSE!)
Waist: 28 inches ... no change from last month
Hips: 38 inches ... no change from last month
Thigh: 19.5 inches ... 0.5 inches smaller than last month
Calf: 15 inches ... no change from last month
Arms: 11 inches ... 0.5 inches smaller than last month

Last Month's Measurements:
Waist: 28 
Hips: 38 
Thigh: 19.75
Calves: 15
Upper Arm: 11.5

Starting Points:
Weight: 195 lbs
Waist: 40 inches
Hips: 47.25 inches
Thigh: 28.5 inches
Upper Arm: 15.5 inches
Calf: 17.25 inches
Push ups: 4
Crunches: 15

Bad Natalie!

I ate meat last night.

Even though it was Meatless Monday and I was doing really well for breakfast and lunch, I ate meat for dinner. I feel bad, but in my defense there was nothing meatless on the menu!

But it gets worse ...

I ate fried meat last night.

And it was goooood.

Now, in my defense, Your Honors, I was having a VERY RARE dinner with my brother. He picked the place because he is visiting my area for work and was short on time. Sure, there are wonderful food options in Kansas City (right, Renee??), but since he's staying out in the boonies, we were very limited in our options.

I didn't want to make a big deal out of what I "could" eat, so I just picked what I wanted to eat - within reason. Apparently, that was the Fried Pork Tenderloin Sandwich (not the exact picture above, but close; chosen because I couldn't handle chicken after this past weekend and pork tenderloin is pretty tame in the calorie department). I ordered steamed veggies instead of fries, but I also drank beer and we shared dessert. Overall, the meal (and I only ate half of the sandwich and a third of the meat!) was about 900 calories. YIKES.

That follows a weekend of lots of eatin' while Renee was in town - including a night of barbecue chicken from FOUR different bbq places in Kansas City and about 7 beers Saturday night. Not to mention the Bloody Mary buffet Sunday. At least we walked about 10 miles throughout the weekend.

So, you can imagine my concerns going into Weight Day tomorrow. I mean, I decided to shake up my calorie plan a bit, but not that much!!!

But still, it was all very, very tasty and included a lot of choices that mitigated the damages in a way I probably wouldn't have done a year ago. Just sayin'.

New measurements (and Weigh Day)

Shhhh .... we don't want to scare it away!

Today I am thrilled to look at my measurements! The past month has been pretty good to my goal of getting smaller. Yay!!!

Clearly my muscle-building exercising are fighting my weight-loss techniques. But that's ok, we'll see how it looks next week before I draw any permanent conclusions.

My Measurements:
Waist: 28 ... overall decrease of 12 inches, 1 inch down from last month :-D
Hips: 38 ... overall decrease of 8.25, 1 inch down from last month!
Thigh: 19.75 ... overall decrease of 8.75 - 1.25 down from last month!
Calves: 15 ... overall decrease of 2.25 inches, for 2 months
Upper Arm: 11.5 ... overall decrease of 4 inches

Last Month's Measurements:
Waist: 29
Hips: 39
Thigh: 21
Calves: 15
Upper Arm: 12

Starting Points:
Weight: 195 lbs
Waist: 40 inches
Hips: 47.25 inches
Thigh: 28.5 inches
Upper Arm: 15.5 inches
Calf: 17.25 inches
Push ups: 4
Crunches: 15

Happy and rested :)

Yay! I am pleased to say I lost 2.5 pounds this week - I'm now at 154.5! That's an overall weight loss of more than 40 pounds!

I'm celebrating a win this week, but I'm not claiming victory over the plateau yet. This happened last month too - and the following week saw gain. But, overall, my graph is still going down - and that is what matters!!!

Kevin had been begging me for weeks - or maybe I was begging him - for a break from our lives and I gave him the following rules: No tents and no forced physical activity. Honestly, I wanted to sit on my butt and look at something pretty :-) Hiking and walking places - well, I get enough of that right now!

Kevin found a quaint little RV park with cabins that allowed dogs in the Mark Twain National Forest so we headed south to Bull Shoals Lake - with a Missouri address, but on Arkansas' side of the state line.

The place was perfect - tacky southwestern decor, a tiny gas stove (like the one I had in Mussel Shoals, California!), a full-sized fridge, two twin beds pushed together to make a king, a lake-side vista and a pool. Heaven on Earth, my friends.

What really made it great, however, was the fact that I was able to cook my meals. I know, that's a strange thing to enjoy on vacation, but I didn't have to worry about picking the right things off a menu. Cooking is less stress for me these days. We made special "vacation" foods - pasta salad (with Balsamic vinegar), strawberry pie, bacon-wrapped steaks and venison roast - and I knew everything that went into each dish. Also, we loaded the cooler with healthy snack foods.

On the first day, Kevin went hiking and I stayed in the cabin catching up on magazines - I literally had a stack of more than a dozen I needed to read through (I got through 5)! I clipped work out tricks and recipes, design ideas and gardening tips. I was lazily productive and loved every minute of it.

I didn't feel guilty for not joining Kevin on his hike. First of all, I walked 45 miles last week - 18 Saturday and 15 Sunday - then, Sunday afternoon found me driving to our wilderness retreat! Secondly, Mondays are my day of rest. Since our vacation was Sunday - Tuesday, and Sunday was driving day, his hike fell on the right day for me.



And finally, I NEEDED couch time! This summer has been so busy that I've been near insanity for awhile. But Friday was my last final and the weekend walks were the last long ones that remained on my training regimen. Plus, I planned to go hiking on Tuesday - to coincide with a 4-mile training walk.

I wasn't a complete bum, by the way. That evening, Kevin and I strolled down to the lake with the dogs and then went swimming for a bit so I got some activity in, but it was nice to do it for fun - not for training, or for weight loss.

Vacation
All I ever wanted
Vacation
Had to get away

WAY TO GO!!!

I am so excited!!! You ALL lost weight this week!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE LADIES (AND GENTLEMAN) IN WEIGHTING!!!

Go buy yourself a new color of nail polish, you deserve it!

Miles to go

I have run smack-dab into a weight loss wall and don't quite know how to get around it. Yes, Ladies (and Gentleman), I have hit that dreaded plateau.

I weighed in at 157 again. Sure, back when I weighed in at 162 two weeks in a row, I had a false alarm. But the past four weeks have seen me at 156, 159, 157, and 157.

Talking with Lindsy about the plateau this morning, she asked a simple question.

"So, what are you going to do - exercise more or eat less?"

And it really is that simple. I love it.

Goal Weight Day is in 6 weeks and I need to lose 12 pounds (still!) to make Goal Weight. Of course, that means 2 pounds a week, but I've decided not to make any specific changes until after the 3-Day.

By default, I suppose that means I'm going to "exercise more" since my 3-Day training has me walking 18 miles this Saturday and 15 miles this Sunday. Plus it has me walking 60 miles over three days in a little more than two weeks. Right now, I feel the need to focus all of my energy on getting ready for the 3-Day. I'll eat healthy and follow my training regimen and reassess once the walk is over.

On a positive note, my monthly measurements provided some joy this morning. My waist is in the 20s and my hips in the 30s!!! My thighs and arms didn't change in numbers, but the definition is noticeably more pronounced in both areas. Also, my calves are (annoyingly) slowly getting smaller.

Sure, my weight itself may be frustrating me right now, but I have never felt so healthy! That's where the real success lies.

This past Sunday Kevin agreed to sub on a mens softball team and I went to cheer him on. I was approached by a stranger from a different league who needed another girl so they could play. A couple of years ago I would have declined, but instead I jumped up and joined the Pile of Hits.



During the next two hours, I squatted as catcher (and still feel the pain!), hit the ball two out of three at-bats (got walked on the 4th) and narrowly missed getting on base by milliseconds. Last year, I missed getting on base by full seconds - my hits are going farther and I'm running faster, now. Also, I have a new idea about my abilities and I love it!

It would be easy to stop now. To congratulate myself on losing 40 pounds (or so), getting in better shape and bragging about my status as a long-distance walker. I don't even think there would be too much shame in it. I've come a long way, baby. But I promised to lose 50 pounds in 50 weeks and I'm not going to walk away from that goal. So sure, I've come a long way - but I still have miles to go (12 to be exact) before I get there.


My Measurements:
Waist: 29.5 ... overall decrease of 10.5 inches (WOOHOO!!!)
Hips: 39.75 ... overall decrease of 7.5
Thigh: 21 ... overall decrease of 7.5 - no change, though, from last month
Calves: 15 ... overall decrease of 2.25 inches (slowly, but surely, right?)
Upper Arm: 12.5 ... overall decrease of 3 inches - no change from last month
Push ups: 20 (Though Kevin says they don't count since I didn't go down "far enough" hmph)
Sit ups: 27 (I did full sit-ups rather than crunches this morning)

Last Month's Measurements
Waist: 30.5
Hips: 40
Thigh: 21
Calves: 15.25
Upper Arm: 12.5

Starting Points:
Weight: 195 lbs
Waist: 40 inches
Hips: 47.25 inches
Thigh: 28.5 inches
Upper Arm: 15.5 inches
Calf: 17.25 inches
Push ups: 4
Crunches: 15

5 n 1?!

As I stepped on the scale last Wednesday afternoon, I told myself not to get my hopes up, but I knew deep down that I was going to see a significant change. I know the goal of this blog is "50n50," and I plan to do just that. I am in no hurry to lose this weight. As I've been told before, I know it's the truth: "It didn't come on overnight, and it's not going to come off overnight." But when I saw the 2.3 kg change in my weight, I was ecstatic.

I joined a gym here in Korea about 6 weeks ago, and while you would assume that a person working out as hard as I do would begin losing weight immediately, I didn't. And here's why: While part of me was making a commitment, the other part wasn't quite ready to give up the junk-food lifestyle I had grown accustomed to. I was making internal excuses, like, "Oh, I'm working out so much, I can afford to eat this or that," and I was pretty much lying to myself. So while I wasn't gaining weight, I wasn't losing any either.

So as I was discussing Natalie's success with her, I went back and re-read her blog and realized that for her, tracking her calories was the key, so I decided I needed to do it to! And what a difference it made! All along, I had thought that if I saw what I was eating, I wouldn't be able to eat any of the things I wanted to or loved so much. But in actuality, I am just as satisfied, if not even more so, with the amount of food I have been eating. And once I got the eating under control, the weight just fell off!

I realize that it is not necessarily healthy or expected that I will lose this much weight each week. From here on out, I know it will be a struggle, but I accept the challenge and am ready for it. It feels really good to take control for the first time in awhile.

45 to go!

Today's Weigh In

Ever notice that the contestants don't take their shirts off for the final few weigh-in on Biggest Loser? My thoughts are that they have a lot of loose skin from losing weight so fast! I lost 3.4 pounds this week - which is more than I am comfortable losing on a consistent basis.

In this case, however, I think I've been holding in A LOT of water weight over the past month or so. Luckily, it seems my body is getting used to me drinking 80+ ounces a day (yesterday alone I consumed 90 or so).

I am in the final 9 weeks of this plan (though I know I'll keep blogging!) and have 11.4 pounds left to lose. Last week I had 15 pounds to lose and it averaged to 1.5 a week. I'm going to continue aiming for a pound and a half - especially since a big loss one week is usually countered with little loss, if any, the next week.

But I will say, this was a VERY active week!

Last Wednesday saw me mowing my front lawn - and burning 250 calories in the process. Then Thursday I walked 5 miles at an average pace of 4 mph (I usually walk long walks at 3 mph so it was a cardio workout for more than an hour!). Friday also found me mowing - my back yard this time and on Saturday I did A LOT of lifting and such for the garage sale. Sunday morning work me up bright an early for a 17-mile walk around town (took 7 hours with bathrooms stops and buying Gatorades at a couple of gas stations). I took a rest on Monday then walked 5 miles last night.

I feel like I'm balancing my calories accordingly - on my 17-mile walk Sunday I literally consumed 500 calories while walking! Sure, I burned more than 1500, but I didn't exactly skimp on my foods that day. Overall I consumed 1850 calories that day so maybe I can let myself have a smidge more next time ...

I'm pretty excited to see the 150s, by the way. There is no memory in my head of me weighing these numbers and it feels AMAZING!!!

Also, big congrats to Ben - he's officially lost 5 pounds!!!

Nervous Natalie

I've got a confession to make - I cheated on Weigh Day - and have been weighing myself almost every day this past week.

I'm obsessed with this plateau and really don't want to get stuck. Especially since I am so close to my goal!

Things were looking up, too. When I weighted myself last Thursday, I was 161 pounds. Friday saw me at 160(!!!) pounds. So did Saturday. I was feeling good. It looked like I'd beaten the plateau. Until I weighed in yesterday at 162 again!!!

Oh man. I was so frustrated. I walked 15 miles Sunday! Plus, I'd only eaten 1100 calories on Monday (just how the meals fell, I'm still sticking to 1300 a day). How was I gaining weight after that????

So you can understand Nervous Natalie standing before the scale this morning.

It seemed to take Super Scale an extra long time to determine my weight, but when it did ....

160!!!!!

WOOHOO!!! That's right, my Ladies (and Gentleman) in Weighting - I have officially lost 35 pounds!!