Just reporting in...

I hopped on the scale this morning and I'm down to 131.2! =D That's 4 lbs down so far, and I hope it keeps going!

I'm BA-ACK!!!

Career Conference was AMAZING. Absolutely amazing. And when I got home, I was high as a kite. I woke up the next morning, energized and excited to get back to routine. I stepped on the scale and... lo and behold...

I lost 1.5 lbs at Career Conference!

No kidding. I didn't particularly watch what I ate, but we took our own food to cut down on costs, so we didn't end up eating out much. I ate 2 meals out. I shared some fish&chips with my friend Tam at Pike's Place Market, and then we all went out to The Cheesecake Factory after CC. I had fried zucchini and steamed edamame for dinner (it's what sounded good!) and shared a slice of cheesecake with Andrea. I did drink some sugary coffee drinks, but mostly I behaved myself! I even got up one morning and went down to the gym and worked out at the hotel! =)

So now I'm down to 133. I just walked 1 hour 10 minutes on the treadmill while making calls and doing computer work, and I plan to hit the gym tomorrow morning, taking advantage of the $1 childcare.

Progress is good.

New Weight...

I hopped on the scale yesterday morning... 135.2.

Ouch.

But you've got to start somewhere, and that's where I'm starting, I guess. I did my best to eat better yesterday, and it went pretty well. I did end up stress snacking after Ellie went to bed, but there just wasn't that much time to get in too much damage at that point, so that was good. For breakfast I had a banana, lunch was an apple, string cheese, and an apple gouda sausage, snack was another string cheese and a yogurt, dinner was tenderloin and a little bit of wild rice. So I was short on veggies, but the snacking didn't put me completely over the edge, which was nice.

This morning I got on the scale again, just to continue the habit and it said 134.4.

Hooray!

Working the numbers...

So... it seems like the last time I successfully lost weight, it was a matter of vanity. I wanted to get down to 115 by my 10 year reunion, and I did. And while I'm not suggesting vanity is a virtue, perhaps I should try to employ it to my benefit again.

I will be performing an Aerial Dance piece with a couple other dancers in June. I do NOT want to be the fat girl on stage, so maybe that will help motivate me? Dunno. It's worth a shot, though...

So we'll see where I am when I hop on the scale (provided I remember...), but I think I'll just assume I have 15-20 lbs to lose to get there. That's in approximately 11 weeks. That means I need to lose... about 1.5 lbs a week.

So.... 1.5 lbs is 5,250 calories I need to reduce per week.
If I walk on the treadmill and burn about 300 calories in a session, and do that 3x a week, that is 900 calories. If I do it 5x a week, that's 1,500 calories.
That takes me down to 3,750 calories I need to reduce per week.
Assuming I know my approximate calorie intake right now, I'd need to reduce it by 550 calories a day to cover that amount, give or take a bit.

I don't know my calorie intake right now.

But I DO know that it includes more sugar free lattes and larger portions than it should. So I guess I can start with that.

More fruits and veggies, more water, smaller portions, more exercise. I've heard it all before. I've said it all before. But I need to make it happen. Now... just how do I do that?

How I've Been...

Lately I've been underwhelmed at the prospect of trying to lose weight, or even get healthy for that matter. I've been discouraged. Frustrated.

I haven't gotten on the scale, for fear of what it might tell me.

I haven't been watching what I eat, really.

I didn't make it to the gym this week, though I did have Aerial Dance Friday AND Saturday.

I DID go for a walk on Monday, which was nice.

I went through 5 outfits this morning trying to find something to wear that didn't make me feel fat. Then I went to church and someone mistook me for being pregnant and asked how I've been feeling.

Discouraged.

I took a pregnancy test just in case, and it mocked me. It was one of those digital ones that says "pregnant" or "not pregnant" so there's no confusion. It blinked an hour glass as I waited, just like it was supposed to, but after 3 minutes it gave the follow result... NOTHING. Blank screen. Stupid test. I took another (the 1-or-2 line kind) a few hours later. Negative. Well, so much for that excuse for why I felt like a whale today!

My motivation is low. In most areas right now. I need to finish cleaning my craft room, but can't seem to bring myself to do it. I need to call customers, but keep watching the time dance by without picking up the phone. I need to fold the laundry, but there it is, still piled.

Frustrated.

I'm not sure how to manage my time better. I'm not sure how to manage my food better. But I've got to do something, I think, because this is an irritating cycle I'm finding myself in.

Tomorrow is Monday. Maybe I'll step on the scale.

Loving tea lately

FlickrDroid Upload, originally uploaded by elizabethwickland.

Including Montana Gold loose tea (in my new ingenuiTEA!) and Good Earth original. SOOOOO Yummy! =D

Reflections on the aught years

From Christmas in Texas with Bitikofers

Well, looking back over the 2000's, I realized a few things. First, I am getting older. I am 30 now, and that means I'm just not as young and energetic as I used to be. I'm not old and crippled or anything, but my body does take longer to adjust to new things. Second, I realized that I put on the extra weight I've been carrying around 10 years ago. 10 years!!! That is way too long for this weight to be hanging around, so I am ready to be rid of it. Third, over the past 10 years, I have tried a few times to lose weight, and twice I have lost about 15 lbs. Both times it came as a result of watching my calories, and with regular exercise.

I don't think I can lose 30 lbs in the blink of an eye, but I would like to work toward it this year. I also know that it won't happen as quickly as it did 7 years ago, and it will take me a while to form good habits, meaning that I will slip up more than I used to! I have more distractions now (including a beautiful 3 year old!) but I also have a clearer sense of who I am and what my personal pitfalls are. Hopefully that knowledge will translate into wisdom and I will be able to conquer this weight this year!!

To that end, I have been trying to set up regular times to exercise, both at home and outside. I have also joined a gym now and gone a couple times. They have an hour each day that I can take Eliana, and she seems to like it. I am also continuing Aerial Dance, and auditioned on Sunday for a performance in June, and I was selected as one of the participants for an Aerial Dance trio! I am very excited about the opportunity to perform, and it means that I get to add another day of Aerial Dance to my week! At the gym I have started lifting weights, and I have been trying to walk on my treadmill as I make calls each week. I am hoping all of this will help me become a happier, healthier me!

I have not done as well with the eating, but that is coming along. I'm hoping to go back to tracking calories at some point, but right now I am overwhelmed by the idea, so I am starting by avoiding sugar and trying to make healthy choices for snacks, including veggies and fruits. I am trying to make better meals for my family, too, including using fewer processed foods. Fresh fruits and veggies, more natural ingredients. So far it's going well, but it definitely takes a little more work!

So... that's where I am these days. I am looking forward to what 2010 brings, and I'm hoping to end the year healthier, happier, and thinner!