I feel sooo much better now!

I went to Jazzercise today and got a great work-out.  Later on, at 10 PM, I hopped on our treadmill for 20 minutes. 

I wore my new shoes to Jazzercise and on the treadmill today.  I could definitely feel the difference between them and my worn out Nike crosstrainers.   However, since I really need crosstrainers for Jazzercise, I'm still planning on getting those. . . .but I have to wait until pay day.  lol... such is life.

Also, I realized this morning that I was dehydrated.  Since Friday, I've thought the persistent headaches I've been getting were related to the stomach virus we all had.  But, this morning, it dawned on me that I've hardly had any water since Friday.  So, I've been chugging it down today.  Gee, I didn't have any headaches today - go figure.   LOL    (I'm a little slow on the up-take, sometimes.)

Edit:  I did this yesterday - Sunday.  It's now technically Monday morning.

New shoes, new pants

On Friday, I finally went to get some new shoes.   I went to Foot Solutions because I thought they might have a great selection of good shoes. 

Eehmm..... not so much.    They do have two brands of shoes that seem really cool but they run around $250 a pair and I just couldn't do that.   The sales guy tried to get me to have my feet scanned so they could make custom shoe inserts, which I probably DO need, but again... those cost around $250.     I ended up getting some shoes that are really good, but the sales clerk misrepresented them a bit, implying that they are crosstrainers by saying that they'd "give me the support" I need for Jazzercise.    In reality, the shoes are running shoes with added support.  I don't think I'll be going back to Foot Solutions until I definitely need the custom shoe inserts or orthotics.

I needed running shoes, though, so it's ok.  I've now got a really spiffy pair of $130 Brooks shoes.   Another upside is that I had my foot sized, so know for sure what size I need. 

I also went to Lane Bryant and bought 1 new pair of pants because all of the jeans and pants I've been wearing are too big.  I was able to get into an 18!    Yes, I know Lane Bryant's 18s are about a 20 everywhere else, but that's major progress!    I'm back down to where I was in 2001-02!   Woo hoo!

And... I'm back!

It's amazing how easy it is to limit portion sizes on Thanksgiving Day.......

....when you have the stomach flu.  

My son was kind enough to bring it home last Monday, so Tuesday night I was afflicted with it.   I spent Wednesday morning trying to "sleep it off," and Wednesday afternoon driving to my grandmother's house, always keeping in mind where the restrooms were and/or proper highway shoulders, in case of "emergencies."  The only thing I ate that day was a cup of Kashi cereal,  a junior cheeseburger from Sonic, and single chicken strip when I stopped at my parents' home that night.  

Thursday, I had Kashi cereal for breakfast and when we finally had our Thanksgiving lunch I followed the plan of filling half of the plate with a salad,  then added on 1 tablespoon of mashed potatoes, 1 tablespoon of stuffing, a little bit of turkey, and a roll.  I shared all of that with the baby (except the salad), so my serving was about half of what was on the plate.   Those were great choices, if I do say so myself! 

Later (for supper... lol), I had a dessert sampling - a sliver of pecan pie, a sliver of pumpkin pie, and a piece of "Interstate 45 Cream Cheese Cake"  (I had no idea what it tasted like and wanted to try it).    I know the dessert sampling wasn't the best choice, but it was much less than I typically would have had.  Normally, I would have been "sampling" desserts all afternoon and night! 

Despite making better choices than normal, I still paid for the dessert sampling about an hour and a half after I ate it because I started feeling nauseous again.   (That kept me from even considering having another taste of anything!  lol...There's something to be said for recognizing blessings even when they're in disguise.)

When I peeked at the scale Friday morning, it was down to 222.6... awesome!   I can't count that as an official weigh-in, though, because last night, as a self-destructive "reward," I stopped at Sonic and got a full-on cheeseburger combo meal complete with tater-tots and a Diet Coke. . . .and on top of that, I was craving chocolate, so I got a piece of chocolate cake at the grocery store bakery.  Hmm... after all that sodium, was I expecting the scale to still read 222 this morning?  DOH!

Anyhoo, not all is lost.  I don't feel guilty about what I've eaten over the past 3 days and I don't feel like I binged on anything, even though I clearly indulged a bit.   I'm back on the plan today.... 'nuff said.

The only thing I do feel bad about is my lack of exercise during the past couple of weeks.  My feet issues kept me sedentary last week and, this week, I've just not felt good enough to attempt to exert myself physically.  I WILL go to Jazzercise tomorrow, though, come hell or high water.

Well, I think that's all I'll write for now, even though I do have more to say.... I want to read other people's blogs!  Later!!

Down 2

It always amazes me when I don't exercise and I nibble "off-plan," but then I still lose.  Most of the time, I lose more during those weeks than I do when I follow the plan to a "T" and exercise consistently!  WTF?! 

I wonder if, during those 'exercise' weeks, my caloric needs are higher but I'm not eating enough so my body doesn't want to let go of the pounds.  Or.... I could be losing muscle mass during the weeks that I'm not exercising as much.  .......Either way, I'm still losing, so who cares!?!      I guess as long as I don't become complacent and allow one week of little to no exercise stretch into 2, 3, or 4 weeks, I'll be fine.

I haven't exercised much this week due to my feet issues.  They are feeling better, so maybe after Thanksgiving, I'll be good to go again.  Although, I will have to go get some new crosstrainers and running shoes since I've been using the crosstrainers for both.  (I know, I know! You're not supposed to do that.)      In fact, I think I'll go up to Foot Solutions on Friday to see if they have an sales going on.   I would go to RunTex, the running store we have here, but I just can't bring myself to walk in there at this weight.  They'd laugh me right out of the store!!!

Scale & Non-scale victories

At my official JC weigh-in this week, I was down just 1 lb.   That same 1 lb. loss was reflected on my BAN weigh-in, too.   Obviously, I would have liked to see a bigger loss, but I'm not going to complain!

At Jazzercise this week, I hit the "25 classes" mark, meaning I've attended classes an average of 2 times per week.   That's definitely a non-scale victory for me.  I've also signed up for the strength training classes they offer and I'm really excited about it.   Maybe I can build up a little more muscle mass and that will help get me through the holiday season without undoing all of the progress I've made.

My foot issues continue.   Both feet are sore along the outside edge (on top); although, my right foot is bothering me more than the left.  Since both feet are involved, I think it's a shoe issue.   I got my crosstrainers back in July, so it's possible that they're too stretched and worn-out to provide the support I need.   Also, I tend to supinate, so the pain along the outer edge of my foot makes total sense if my shoes are no longer giving me the support I need.   I'm thinking about having my feet analyzed and paying big bucks for a new pair of shoes, but we'll see.    I know  I need them, but money's getting tight and Christmas is around the corner. 

I hope everyone's having a great weekend!

Guess I should post somethin' . . .

. . . even though I really have nothing to say!    I'm just trying to do my best to stay on track food-wise, as well as continue to exercise.   I've been doing really well with getting in exercise every week, but I seem to have done something to my foot, so I don't know how the next couple of weeks will go.

The top of my foot hurts whenever I walk or flex my foot.  I'm sure it's because my 200 (plus) lb. body is simply putting too much stress on my poor feet, but I need to exercise to lose these pounds. . . . not to mention that I WANT to exercise!   (Hard to believe, but YES, I WANT to exercise!)

I had wanted to go to Jazzercise tonight, but part of me knows that I shouldn't.  I should just put an ice pack on my foot and rest for a few days, but it will make me feel like such a slug.   Knowing me, I'll go to Jazzercise anyway and pay the consequences later.

Weight-wise, I have an afternoon WI tomorrow.   I'm not thrilled about it 'cause that time is here yet again.   My cycle is sooo out of whack - it goes on and on for 2 freakin' weeks!  UGH!  I've got a doctor's appointment coming up on Dec. 3rd...... hmmm.... I wonder how close to 220 I can get between now and then..... 

Weight Log

Oh, yes.... I forgot to mention that with my new JC program, I'll have to start using the official weight that they will record in the centre.   But, I'm not ready to do that, yet.    My weigh-in at JC is in the afternoon, whereas through Jenny Direct, I always weighed myself in the morning.   There's a big difference between a CLOTHED afternoon weigh-in and a BAN weigh-in in the morning!!!!   (Especially when your clothes probably weigh 3 lbs!  lol )

So, for now, I'm going to keep posting my BAN weight, rather than what the "official" number is at the centre.   Maybe I'll start using their record of my weight when I reach the halfway point....

Anyway, my BAN weight was 226.2 - a 1.2 lb. loss.   Yay for me!! 

Switching programs

I've decided to switch Jenny programs.  I've been doing Jenny Direct since July, but the time has come to change.  A lot factored into that decision, including a late call from my JCC  - she did not handle the situation appropriately and, in fact, ignored my request for a call and that royally ticked me off.   (I guess she thought that she could get away with it because we had a good rapport ?!? SORRY, honey......it doesn't work that way when I'm spending thousands of dollars for something..)

I originally told customer service that I'd just try to change consultants, but I'm finding myself in need of a change because I've been nibbling more and drinking less water. . . . and, I'm now doing tutoring at a Title I school until the end of this semester, so I can't just sit around at home waiting for my food shipment.  I'm hoping that having a face-to-face meeting with someone will help keep me on track, as well as be more convenient, given the change in my schedule.   Plus, there's no way in hell that a JCC would ignore me after keeping me waiting in the centre lobby for 17 minutes. 

I had my first in-centre consultation today and I feel both good and bad.  Good because it's a bit of a fresh start; bad because the new consultant that I was going to have through JennyDirect sent me an email today when I missed her call.   How nice!!   (I was with Ashley for 19 weeks and never received an email, yet Hillary sent me one just to check on me.)

I suppose I need to respond to her and explain the situation, but now I feel a little... guilty.  LOL 

I'm an IDIOT!

Ok, so get this:   

I used my treadmill on Friday, so I had to unplug the freezer that we have out in the garage.  (The wiring in our house is F$&#*@ up, so I'm always afraid of tripping a breaker, or worse.  So, I don't ever want 2 large appliances plugged into the same outlet.)  

ANYWAY, even though I've done that routine many times, for whatever reason, I forgot to plug the darn freezer back in on Friday!!!  Sooo, I just wasted 5 JC meals!!   Ughhh!    On the bright side, I didn't have much left in there, so it was only 5 meals and 4 desserts.....and I think I'll try to eat the desserts, anyway, since they aren't meat products and they're still partly frozen.  On Monday, I guess I'll be calling the center closest to me to get more meals. 

On a happier, and less idiotic note, I went biking for 8.44 miles today.   My ectomorphic dog went 4.95 miles, but the endomorph puttered out at 3.49 miles.   (The poor baby even laid down in the street! So, we slowly walked the .10 miles home.)  

It took me 1 hour to ride those 8.44 miles and that's not so good.  So, I'm going to have to really start pushing myself to improve my average speed.  The upside is that the biking portion of the sprint triathlon that I want to do (maybe even in 2008!) is only 12 miles long.   12 miles!   That's totally do-able!!

Have a super Sunday!

Here I go again, on my own . . .

NOT.  

I've tried that many times and have never succeeded, or have only had limited success.   So, that's why I joined Jenny Craig at the end of June and started an EP blog in July.     I finally learned that I need support, if I expect to make the permanent changes needed to meet my fitness and weight loss goals. 

In a nutshell, here's how things have gone since the end of June:

• I've lost about 32 pounds.
• I've lowered my body fat percentage.
• I made a list of fitness goals which I'll relist later.
• I joined Jazzercise and attend classes 2 - 3 times per week, on average.
• I've completed one of  the above-mentioned fitness goals.
• I'm cultivating a healthy relationship with food, i.e. using food only as FUEL for my body, not as an anti-depressant.
• I'm creating a more balanced life for myself and my family.

So, that's it for now.   I hope everyone's having a great weekend!

~ Shannon ~