That's More Like It

The seven pound loss is unexpected but welcome. I'm the lowest weight I've been in a decade or so. I have to say that the pool exercise and the additional activity, mostly light housekeeping, I've been doing has really paid off. I'm also trying to keep my calories to between 2200 - 2400 calories a day with mixed success.

The light housekeeping usually involves just one or two minutes of me standing on my feet and doing things like dusting, putting something away, or swiping over a bathroom surface. It's not much, but it seems to be contributing to the loss.

FlyLady says you can do anything for 15 minutes. Well, no, I can't. But I can do a minute or two and I've really been pushing myself to do so.

Finally Updating

I lost control and gained so much weight I was too ashamed and embarrassed to blog the last couple of months. But I'm back on track now and have lost near everything I gained.

My husband is in a new job and, while I don't want to get my hopes up, it's the largest company he's worked for and the most solid. It will be next year before we find out if he'll go from temp to perm (minimum 6 months, usually takes 8 to 10) but they've already had him working some overtime and they really like him. Also, he's out of the clean room environment which I think he really hated.

The pool therapy has been absolutely fabulous and has been key to elevating my mood and losing weight. Last week I was unable to go because of a cold and felt the lack. I went yesterday and while I wasn't my usual energetic self, I was able to complete all my exercises.

I do:

2 laps
Walk forwards
Walk sideways
Walk backwards

16 reps
Mini-inner tube, march in place
Mini-inner tube, side leg lifts
Mini-inner tube, rear leg lifts
Dumbbells - arms at sides, down
Dumbbells - arms clapping
Dumbbells - arms swinging
Kickboard - pull down, front
Kickboard - push/pull
Kickboard - push down, front
Kickboard - push down, each arm
Squats, both legs
Squats, one leg
Tiptoe/heels, both legs
Tiptoe/heels, one leg

1 rep
Tight rope walk, forward
Tight rope walk, backward

7 reps
Step up, each leg
Step down, each leg

I've also added 3 minutes of jogging and 1 minute of "skiing."

Each time I am there I add a little more. In November, I'll meet with the therapist and we'll ramp up my routine.

Short Update

I've been out of control eating for about ten days now and have gained 14 pounds. It's time to stop!

Husband's hours got cut. Then he got laid off. Then he got a new job. Hormones are affecting my moods. Emotional eating is my downfall. I still don't have the hang of handling it. I know all the skills for dealing with eating when I'm down, I just don't do them.

Been back on track with my calories for 2 days and next week I start pool therapy. I'm really looking forward to it. Plus I've signed up to be a leader for a "Biggest Loser" challenge on SparkPeople. Lastly, I've committed to losing 6 to 8 pounds a month for the next three months for another SparkPeople group.

It's Been a Bad Week

And it's a bad day. Found out that my husband's hours are being cut on Thursday and it went all down hill from there. Lost control of my eating. Premenstrual. Bad dreams at night. Having thoughts of ending it all because I'm so bloody tired of fighting. Fighting my weight. Fighting with mental illness. Fighting with financial problems. Everything is such an effort and I'm exhausted. I know I'll come out the other side. I always do. But being in this dark place sucks big time. In a few days, I'll have hope and energy again. I just need to get through them without doing anything stupid. So, I'll write here. I'll tell my husband. I'll journal. I'll keep myself busy and stay gentle with myself. My eating is back on track and I'll try to keep it that way. Just for today. I can make it through today.

Keep on Trucking

No change this week either. It's not entirely unexpected as my food isn't where I want it to be. I'm more on track this week and staying within in my calorie range. I've been speaking with Rick B. who was featured as one of the 80 people in What I Eat. He's lost over 200 pounds with diet and weight loss surgery. Faith, one of the authors of the book, connected me with him. And on SparkPeople I connect with people who have lost a lot of weight without surgery as well. I need to keep the hope alive that I can lose this weight - even if it takes me longer than I want it to. I'm really looking forward to August when I start my swimming program. That should kick off some decent weight loss as well.

Steady As She Goes

I maintained this week which is fine since I had a binge episode on Saturday. Thankfully, since I've taken various eating disorder classes and gone to therapy, I get myself under control a lot faster . Perfection isn't expected, but I've certainly made progress. Binges would last days or weeks, if not months. Nowadays one day is my limit. I also allow myself one "free" day a month. So, it's early this month. What can I say.

However, it's taking a couple days to get my calories back down to the 2200 - 2400 a day range. My stomach got stretched a bit and I'm finding that I'm running hungrier than usual. I'm getting closer though and by tomorrow I should be back on track.

Oh Yeah, Eight Pounds Down

I won't say that I've broken the plateau yet. I said that last time and it wasn't true. So, I'm taking a wait and see attitude. If I lose again next week or the week after, THEN I'll say I'm back on my way again.

I'm working on getting more produce into my diet. I've been of the opinion that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. And in a way that is accurate, but I read an essay in What I Eat and it explained how when we cook or process food that we break the components down which makes it easier for us to digest the food. So this means the body has to work harder to digest a hundred calories of an apple, for instance, than it had to work to digest a hundred calories of a cookie.

I'm up to 5 to 6 servings of fruits and vegetables (aka "freggies) a day and I'm trying to make more of them raw. I had my husband pick me up some baby carrots and I dip them into a bit of light Ranch. Yummy.